Scotcharoo Bars

These have always been one of my very favorite treats. They are SO simple and quick to make. And they are divinely good. I dare say I've eaten 1/2 a pan of them in the past 2 days. And I wonder why I'm getting chubby cheeks. It's all the baby's fault. Nonono.

Enjoy!

{SCOTCHAROO BARS}

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1 c. light corn syrup

1 c. smooth peanut butter

1 c. sugar

1/2 box of Rice Krispies (or corn flakes are really good too!)

1 (12-oz) bag chocolate chips

1 (12-oz) bag butterscotch chips (I often time skip the butterscotch and just do one bag of chocolate chips)

In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine corn syrup, peanut butter, sugar. Heat while stirring until mixture warms and becomes a smooth consistency. Don't boil or cook too long or the bars will be hard. Pour mixture over large bowl of cereal and mix until incorporated. Pour into a sprayed 9x13 pan. 

In a microwave-safe bowl pour both bags or chips (chocolate & butterscotch). Heat for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chips are all melted and mixed together. Pour over Scotcharoos and allow to set up.

Cheesy Potato & Italian Sausage Soup

Tis the season for...SOUP! I love the comfort of a warm bowl of soup on a cloudy and cold evening. Plus, you HAVE to have warm bread with soup, and that's really my downfall. I love fresh warm bread/rolls/breadsticks. 

This is a family recipe. I first had it this past Summer after I had my emergency surgery for my ectopic pregnancy. My cute sister-in-law brought it. Yes, it was summer, but I was in need of some real comfort. I don't think soup has ever tasted so good. It warmed my soul and filled my stomach with food that I hadn't had the emotional energy to eat up to that point. 

This is also a pretty fast soup to pull together. Your family will love it this cold season. Especially on those evenings after a hectic day of shopping.

Enjoy!

{CHEESY POTATO & ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP}

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1 lb. Italian seasoned sausage, browned

3 c. chicken broth

4 c. red potatoes (cleaned & cubed)

3 T. butter

1/4 c. flour

1 1/2 c. milk

8 oz. Velveeta cheese

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. sour cream

In a large stock pot combine chicken broth & potatoes, bring to a boil and then reduce. Allow to simmer until potatoes are tender about 20 minutes. (this would be a good time to brown the sausage)

In a separate saucepan melt butter and stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute until four is fully incorporated. Slowly whisk in milk and allow mixture to thicken over medium heat. Add Velvetta cheese and pepper. Stir until mixture is melted and mixed to a smooth consistency. 

Add the cheese mixture and cooked sausage to the broth & potatoes. Warm through for about 5 minutes. Just before serving, mix in sour cream.

 

Thai Chicken Pizza

Have I mentioned how much my husband likes Thai food? I have to admit, I wasn't such a "die-hard" fan until I married this man. But I really have grown to like it...a lot. And things like this, are hard to resist.

This is such a fresh, delicious pizza. And it's so different from the regular ole' greasy stuff {which, let's be honest I love those kinds too!}. But this was sophisticated and sweet, kinda like my man. {uh oh, he's going to read this and ask me to erase it. ha! Love you honey!}

Enjoy!

{THAI CHICKEN PIZZA}

click here for a printable version of this recipe

Pizza Dough:

2 tsp. yeast
1 c. warm water
2 T. oil
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 ½ c. flour 

Peanut Sauce:

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

3 T. soy sauce

3 T. water

2 T. canola oil

2 tsp. garlic, minced

Toppings:

1 lb. chicken, cooked & cubed

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

3 green onions, chopped

2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

Active yeast in warm water, sprinkled with sugar. Allow to set for 5 minutes. Mix in remaining dough ingredients and knead. Let rise in warm place, covered for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile prepare pizza stone, or cookie sheet by sprinkling with cornmeal. 

Roll out dough and place on pizza stone. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the peanut sauce. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, 10-15 minutes {oh, look at that. It's the same amount of time the crust is baking!} or until thickened. Set aside to cool. Spread peanut sauce over baked crust {the peanut sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge}. Top with red peppers, green onions, chicken, and cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Remove from oven and top with cucumbers and cilantro.

DIVINE Cold Wild Rice & Chicken Salad

This is absolutely fabulous. I belong to the LDS church, and for those of you the may not be familiar with this church, we are organized into ward groups according to our geographic area. So my ward has about 175 AMAZINGLY talented women. The young women (teenagers) put together a cookbook of all our ward's favorite recipes and sold the books for a fundraiser.  I've been happily trying the recipes in it. 

I highly recommend you organize a community cookbook, whether it be a family, church group, neighborhood, book club, school, etc. It's so great to have a book full of tried and true recipes from people you know and trust. I think it also helps you get to know each other too, by seeing what types of food you like to make. 

This was one of the first recipes I tried, because it came from a cute lady that I love to pieces and I knew it would be a winner. It definitely was!! I took it to a family gathering and it was one of the first dishes gone! Winner winner! (not that it's a competition or anything!) I didn't get a picture of it before it was gone, so I HAPPILY made it again for our little family. Absolutely delicious and BURSTING with flavor and goodness. You won't be disappointed in this one. It's definitely on my "favorites" list. Thanks Heather! Enjoy!

{COLD WILD RICE & CHICKEN SALAD}

click here for a printable version of this recipe

2 boxes Wild Rice mix (like Rice-a-Roni or Uncle Bens)

Juice of 1 lemon

1 lb. chicken, cooked & shredded (about 3 chicken breasts)

4 green onions, chopped

Red & yellow bell peppers, chopped
3 oz. sugar snap pea pods

1 avocado, chopped

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

1/2 c. pecans, chopped

Dijon Vinegar Dressing

2 cloves garlic

1 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/3 c. olive oil

1/3 c. rice vinegar

Cook rice and let cool. In a large bowl combine, rice, lemon juice, chicken, green onions, red & yellow peppers. Top with vinegar dressing and chill for 2-4 hours. Just before serving add avocado, cilantro and pecans.

Better Than Almost Anything Cake or Chocolate Toffee Cake

Ok, so most of you probably have heard an alternate name for this cake. But I'm trying to keep my blog family-friendly. Plus, I don't think my husband would appreciate it. So, we're calling this "Better than Almost Anything" cake.

And it's definitely one you should only make every couple years. It's so delicious, but holy cow there's a lot of stuff in it. I mean calorie-wise, this kills you. But if you were having a bad day, this is the cake you'd want singing the blues to you. 

I actually made this for my husband's birthday a few weeks ago. When we were first married, my mom called Steve and asked what he'd like for dessert for his birthday dinner celebration. He wanted this cake, but there was NO WAY he was going to say the actual name of it to his new mother-in-law. He got so embarrassed, he had to pass the phone to me. It was adorable. Another reason I love that man.

Enjoy!

{BETTER THAN ALMOST ANYTHING CAKE or CHOCOLATE TOFFEE CAKE} 

click here for a printable version of this recipe

1 package devil's food cake mix

1/2 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

6 ounces caramel ice cream topping

3 (1.4-oz.) bars chocolate covered toffee, chopped

2 c. whipped cream, c'mon make your own

Bake cake according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan; cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Make slits across the top of the cake, making sure not to go through to the bottom.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour the warm topping mixture over the top of the warm cake, letting it sink into the slits; then sprinkle the crushed chocolate toffee bars liberally across the entire cake while still warm. 

Let cake cool completely, then top with whipped topping. Decorate the top of the cake with some more chocolate toffee bar chunks and swirls of caramel topping. Refrigerate and serve right from the pan.

Strawberry Creme German Pancakes

I made this for dinner last night. And I seriously think I'll make it again tomorrow. Please don't judge me. 

I've always liked German Pancakes for breakfast, and last night I wanted to do BFD {breakfast for dinner} because it was a busy day. Well, this recipe completely put it over the top. It was absolutely fantastic. I've never put sugar in the German Pancake batter before, but it added great flavor. And then the strawberries and creme that goes on top were phenomenal. Watch out. 

It's fantastic. Did I already say that? Yes, I did. I just want to be clear here when I'm telling you to try this one! It's so yummy! Thanks to my sister-in-law, Michelle for this winner! Enjoy!

{STRAWBERRY CREME GERMAN PANCAKES}

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¼ c. butter
1 ½ c. milk
¾ c. flour

1/3 c. sugar

3 eggs
¼ tsp. salt
3 c. strawberries, quartered
2 T. sugar
2/3 c. sour cream
2 T. brown sugar
Maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400°. Put butter in a 9-inch glass pie plate. Place in oven for 5 minutes, or until butter melts and bubbles. While butter is melting put milk, flour, sugar, eggs, and salt into blender. Blend on medium speed until smooth. Remove pie plate from oven. Adjust heat to 450°. Immediately pour mixture into pie plate. Return pie plate to oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake 8 to 10 minutes more until edges are puffed and browned. Remove from oven.

In a bowl, sprinkle strawberries with sugar. In a separate small bowl, mix sour cream and brown sugar until fully incorporated.  Cut hot pancake into wedges. Spoon strawberries and creme onto center of hot pancake. Top with syrup. Serve immediately.

Lemon Cupcakes Perfected

This is an ABSOLUTE must-try recipe. MUST MUST MUST, I tell you. I've had a few requests for this recipe. The fresh lemon-citrus taste is yummy any time of year, but especially during the summer months. My mouth is watering as I write this. I made this a couple years ago and I couldn't find the recipe again until just the other day. HALLELUJAH! 

I love these for 3 simple reasons:

1) The batter has fresh lemon zest and juice.

2) After the cupcakes bake, you drizzle a fresh lemon syrup over them and let it soak into the cake, making the fresh lemon taste even stronger.

3) You top it with LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING. Hello Delicious. 

People, this is up there with the Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake. Yes, it's that good. 

My ONLY complaint is that the wrappers are a little sticky from pouring the lemon syrup over the cakes. But these are worth sticky fingers, I promise. Enjoy!

{LEMON CUPCAKES}

click here for a printable version of this recipe
1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 c. sugar, divided
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/3 c. grated lemon zest lightly packed {about 6 to 8 large lemons}
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two muffin pans with paper liners.
 

Cream the butter and 2 cups sugar for about 5 minutes, until its light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Add the lemon zest.
 

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Separately, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla.
 

Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Spoon into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
 

In a small saucepan, cook 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cupcakes are done, cool for 5 minutes, then set them onto a cooling rack set inside a cookie sheet, and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely and top with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting {recipe below}.

{LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING}
Makes about 3 cups 

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened 

1/4 c. butter, softened 

2 T. lemon juice 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

5 c. confectioners sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, and vanilla together until smooth and light. Add confectioners sugar slowly. Beat until creamy. Add more powder sugar or juice as needed for desired consistency.

Life Saving Chocolate Mint Brownies

I had a fun week ahead of me as of last Sunday. My cousin is in town and we were having a planing meeting about all the fun things we were going to do this week with our kids. Bike rides, the zoo, the park, BBQ's, and concerts. Three short hours later I found myself in the Emergency Room, with the doctor telling me this was "life threatening" and they needed to operate immediately.

Excuse me? This isn't exactly the most convenient time for me to be having emergency surgery, thank you very much. {I guess there isn't ever a "convenient" time for these things.}

I have been being treated for an ectopic pregnancy the past month. They thought they had taken every precaution by treating it with a chemotherapy injection and monitoring my hormone levels. But unfortunately, it ruptured and they needed to do surgery immediately. But I was fortunate enough that it DID NOT do any damage. I believe it was from the prayer and priesthood blessing my husband and the Emergency Room Doctor gave to me prior to surgery. My own little miracle.

I'm thankful for all the little miracles our family has witnessed this week. But it doesn't make it easy to ask for and to accept help. I guess I'm "hard-wired" to have the attitude of, "I can do it myself." This week has shown me that I can't do everything myself. Some things require you to reach BEYOND yourself. And that's when God sends you angels in the form of friends and family. But I just keep thinking, I'm the one who's supposed to be giving "relief." I'm not supposed to be the one hooked to an IV, and being waited on. I'm the one that's supposed to be bringing dinner in to other women and watching their kids. Not the other way around. Did God get confused, here?

I think it's a lesson in humility. And it has helped me realize what true love and service really means. People still give us service, even when we're saying, "Oh, we're doing ok." They give service because they WANT to and they truly and sincerely care. It's been so very humbling. And as a very wise woman once told me, "Humility is Confidence."

Deep Breath. I agree. Deep down, I agree. But, right now I'm in the midst of the refiners fire. And boy is it hot in here.

With all that said, I missed the "fun cousin week." Instead my sweet cousin just biked herself over to my house with 3 kids in tow, to deliver these heavenly mint brownies. I figure I'm justified in the fact that I just ate 3 by myself. They are divine. I am so happy to have this recipe in my collection. Plus, she was adorable in the fact that she wanted to help with my blog this week. That is a HUGE help! How thoughtful. I love it. This also goes to show that it's a genetic thing to be in love with food, right? Right.

Thank you Melissa!

{By the way, we have received some seriously delicious food around here this week. I can't wait to collect the recipes and share the goodness. I've been blessed with amazingly good friends and family, I tell you!}

{LIFE-SAVING CHOCOLATE MINT BROWNIES}

click here for a printable version of this recipe
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line Large Cookie Sheet with parchment across the bottom and up the sides (this will make it much easier to slice, as you can take the frosted brownies out of the pan by gripping the parchment paper). Set Aside.

BROWNIE LAYER

1 c. unsalted butter (not margarine!)

8 oz. unsweetened chocolate (bakers chocolate)

2 ½ c. white sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

1 c. of white flour

½ tsp. salt

In stainless steel bowl place over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.  Stir in the flour and salt and beat with spoon until the batter is smooth and glossy and come away from the sides of the pan.  Pour the brownie batter evenly in to prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown.  A toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies will come out almost clean. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to completely cool.

MINT LAYER

8 T. unsalted butter, room temperature

4 c. of powdered sugar

6-8 T. heavy cream

2 tsp. pure peppermint extract

Beat all ingredients with a mixer until smooth. If frosting is too thick add a little more cream. Spread evenly over brownies. Place in fridge (or better yet, freezer) 30 min or more to cool/firm up.

GLAZE

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. milk-chocolate chips

Melt in microwave at half power, spread on chilled brownies—it’s easy to spread the chocolate on the brownies if they are cold and the frosting is hard.

**If you keep these brownies chilled, they taste better and the frosting will stay in three pretty layers.

QUICK Lemon Lime Sweet Rolls

I love cinnamon rolls. And I love LOVE citrus. So, I decided to experiment and put them together. 

Holy sweet rolls! 

My friend said they tasted like "candy." I thought they tasted like heaven. So scrumptious!

The best part? THEY DON'T HAVE TO RISE! So, they're super super quick! I mean in under an hour you'll be eating these puppies!

In fact, maybe I'll go make some right now! Enjoy.

{QUICK LEMON LIME SWEET ROLLS}

click here for a printable a version of this recipe

THE DOUGH:

1 1/2 c. warm water

2 T. yeast

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 c. butter, softened

1 egg

4 c. flour

THE FILLING:

Zest from one lime

Zest from one lemon

2 T. butter, softened

1/3 c. sugar

THE GLAZE:

1 c. powdered sugar

1 T. butter or margarine, softened

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Juice from 1/2 the lemon

Juice from 1/2 the lime

THE DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and sprinkle with about 1 T. sugar. Allow to sit for 5 minutes until yeast mixture is frothy and the yeast has "activated."  Mix in remaining sugar. Mix in each remaining ingredient one at a time and and mix well.  

Allow dough to rest while you make the filling .

THE FILLING: Zest the lime and lemon into a small mixing bowl.  Mix in butter and sugar until completely incorporated. Set aside.

THE ROLLS: Pour dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and not sticky. I added a little more flour by hand, to reach that point.  Roll dough into an 11"x15" rectangle or until it's 1/4" thick. Spread lemon lime filling mixture over the entire dough surface.  

Roll from the long end to form a spiral dough log. Cut the log into 1 1/2-2" lengths using a string or knife.  Put rolls in a sprayed 9"x13" baking pan and allow to rest while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls for 10-15 min or until the rolls start turning a golden brown on top.  

THE GLAZE: Whisk all the glaze ingredients together. Top the warm sweet rolls with the lemon-lime glaze while still warm.

Ultimate Tuna Pasta Salad - perfect for BBQ's!

Have I mentioned I'm getting anxious for BBQ season? It's my favorite time of year! As far as tuna salads and potato salads go, I'm actually pretty picky. I WILL NOT eat store-bought stuff. Sick. It's one of those things my mom spoiled us with. She is such a great cook, I just can't do the other store-bought stuff. 

This is a fantastic version of tuna pasta salad. It reminds me so much of the pasta salad my Grandma used to make. That was my FAVORITE part of family get-togethers. Wait, besides seeing family members, right? Anyway, her salad is legendary. Soon enough this will be too!

I can't wait to contribute this to a BBQ. Enjoy!

{TUNA PASTA SALAD}

click here for a printable version of this recipe

8-oz. package ditalini pasta

1 (6-oz.) can tuna, drained and flaked

1/2 c. mayo

1/3 c. onion, minced

1/4 c. dill pickle relish

1/4 c. diced pimiento

3/4 c. frozen peas, thawed and drained

1 T. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. salt (more or less according to taste)

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. white sugar

Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss lightly; cover and refrigerate.

Note: This would taste great with cubed sharp cheddar cheese.

Crazy Chocolate Cupcakes {no egg cake recipe}

This cake is crazy because....well, because it's crazy good. 

My mother-in-law found this recipe after they discovered my father-in-law needed to watch his cholesterol. Having no eggs in it makes it a the perfect treat for that! 

However, I keep making it because I truly believe it's better than any cake recipe I've tried. Who needs eggs anyway, right? And the hint of almond and rum, makes it completely divine.

Usually we make it into a sheet cake, but I've made it into cupcakes TWICE in the past 4 days. Don't worry one batch was for a baby shower and the other for my bookclub. But I still can't resist these things! I think that's why I just ate TWO for breakfast this morning. 

Yep, that just happened. Enjoy!

{CRAZY CHOCOLATE CAKE OR CUPCAKES}

click here for a printable version of this recipe
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
6 T. cocoa
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt

¾ c. oil
2 tsp. white vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
Few drops rum extract
2 c. cold water

In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, cocoa, soda and salt. In a separate small bowl, mix together oil, vinegar, vanilla, almond extract, rum extract and cold water. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until completely incorporated, but don't over mix! Pour into greased 9x13 pan or cupcake liners. 

Bake at 350 degrees: 30-40 minutes for 9x13 or 25 minutes for cupcakes. Top with cream cheese frosting (see below).

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 cubes butter (12 T.), room temperature
1/2 T. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powder sugar

Cream the cheese and butter together on low speed with a mixer.  Scrape the bowl. Add lemon juice and vanilla. Mix together. Add powder sugar on low until incorporated.  Mix on med-high for 3 minutes to make the frosting a bit lighter. Chill for 1/2 hour to stiffen up before using.

The World's best Spaghetti and Meatballs

Are you kidding me? This is AWESOME! Where has this recipe been all my life? It has such basic ingredients but it is to die for. It also makes quite a bit. We ate it for about 3 days straight and no one was complaining. 

Ok, so plan ahead. There isn't a ton of work, but the sauce does need to cook for 2 hours. Once it's on the stove, you're home-free. It's SO worth planning ahead. I can't wait to make it again. Oh and please serve it over whole-wheat pasta. YUM!!

And of course, for my 2-year-old son's sake, we had to sing "On top of old Smokey" at the dinner table. No mocking, please. It's just one of those things we have to do as parents to make our children giggle.

Enjoy!

{SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS} 

click here for a printable version of this recipe

Meatballs 

1 lb. ground beef

1 c. bread crumbs

1 T. dried parsley

1 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1 egg, beaten

Sauce 

3/4 c. onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced (yes, that does indeed say 5)

1/4 c. olive oil

2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. white sugar

1 bay leaf

1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste

3/4 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 

  

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed. 

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve.

Turning 1 today & Celebrating with cake, OF COURSE!

*Disclaimer: Just keep in mind I've never claimed to be a cake decorator. Maybe some day!*

Today marks my first DELICIOUS post exactly one year ago today. Wow!

I have loved having this blog. Well...let me be completely honest.There were times in the past year I wanted to throw my hands up and say, "No more!" and then subsequently shove my face in some peanut butter and chocolate. But I kept going because I was so motivated by your sweet comments and seeing all the pageviews coming through. If my brain dumps are helping you prepare yummy dishes, then I'm happy as can be!

So 158 posts, nearly 21,000 pageviews, and 5 pounds later, here I am.  And I'm looking forward to an even better, even yummier, MORE DELICIOUS year two. Thanks for joining me on my journey. And for heaven's sakes push the little button on the side to follow my blog and also take a moment to become a facebook fan. It just boosts my spirits, that's all! Kind of like getting a gold star on your math homework. 

By the way, I have to say that I never have claimed to be a cake decorator, but it was still fun to make myself a cake! My son was pretty excited too. He helped me sing "Happy Birthday" to "Delicious." He doesn't know what that means, he was just excited to blow out the candle for this "Delicious" person who didn't bother to show up to do it herself. 

You can see what the "top posts" have been down the right column of the blog. Those are the posts that have been viewed the most. {Which by the way, I'm thinking I better do more kid crafts!} But I wanted to list MY top 10 favorite posts from year one. Here they are.

 10- How to pick and cut the PERFECT watermelon

 

9- Chicken Bacon Salad in Homemade Pita Pockets

8- Baked Potato Soup

7- Peanut Noodle Salad

 6- Reese's candy bars - THE BEST

 5- BBQ Pork Ribs with Mama's BBQ Sauce

 4- Pig Salad

3- German Chocolate Waffle Brownies

2- Mediterranean Pita Pockets aka Duners

1- Parmesan Breadsticks

 0- Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake 

(What? I had 11 to post. So there's a "0" in my list, big deal!)

Thanks for stopping by and celebrating Some Kind of Delicious's 1 year mark with me. Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

Ok, truth be told. This is one of those "snooty" recipes, where it says you need to have the eggs, butter, and sour cream all at room temperature. And you have to mix everything in one at a time and in a certain order. So yes, it does take some close attention. But holy holy. We can't stop eating it. 

I know. I know. I often say things are "so delicious." What can I say? I love food. Hence, the "delicious" food blog. 

But this...

This is to die for, good. Enjoy!

{SNICKERDOODLE BUNDT CAKE}

click here for a printable version of this recipe

2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. white sugar

2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. white sugar
1 c. light brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. sour cream, at room temperature

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix together really well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325. Generously spray a 9" Bundt pan with cooking spray. Make sure to spray the creases and the inner tube. Gently dust the entire inside of the pan, including the tube, with the sugar and cinnamon mixture (About 1/4-1/2 cup). Set the remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat the butter on medium speed for one minute. Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and blade and add the brown sugar.

Mix for 2 minutes until the mixture looks light brown and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each for 1 full minute. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat well.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 of a cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture over top the cake. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.