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homemade baked macaroni-n-cheese ~ recipe

Written by Joy
homemade baked macaroni-n-cheese ~ recipe

For the last year or so, our family has tried our best to eat healthier, a lot more vegetables, fruits and proteins. Sometimes though, we just crave that southern comfort food, that we grew up with. Macaroni-n-cheese is one of those dishes that just brings us back home, to our roots. We don’t eat this often, but enjoy every bite of it, when we do bake it. This is a dish that can be a side dish or you can even make it your main dish and add ham chunks to it, right before putting it in the oven.

I watched my mom and dad make this recipe often. They would make it for the holidays, for a potluck dinner at church, or for any meal that they knew would have a large crowd. This recipe doesn’t hold back the calories or the fat. So I definitely don’t recommend this on a daily menu, but every now and then, maybe for a special occasion, would be alright. Remember, all in moderation when it comes to those foods that have a few more calories and fat.

Homemade Baked Macaroni-n-Cheese

1 pound of elbow noodles (we use different shapes of noodles, it just depends what we have in the pantry. I have even used gluten free noodles.)

1 stick of butter

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup of milk

2 pounds of cheese (my moms recipe just calls for 1lb, but I have always added more cheese.)

salt and pepper to taste

Boil the noodles to al dente or almost done.  You don’t want to cook it all the way, because the oven will finish cooking the noodles.  The time it takes for the noodle to cook, will vary on the type of noodle that you are using.  Once you boil your noodles, strain the water off of the noodles.  In a bowl, pour the noodles in it, add the butter, milk and the slightly beaten eggs.  Then add your shredded cheese and mix it well. Save a cup of cheese to spread on top of the noodle mixture.  Lastly, pour the noodle mixture in a casserole dish.  Bake the macaroni-n-cheese in a preheated 350 oven.  Bake for 45 minutes or until firm and the cheese on top is melted and slightly golden.

Mac-N-Cheese

Mac-N-Cheese

Are there any comfort foods that you just crave on occasion?

2014, family, recipes, , , , , , , ,

Moist Pound Cake ~ recipe

Written by Joy
4 Comments
Moist Pound Cake ~ recipe

Since we moved to Colorado, I have had a hard time adjusting to the higher altitude, with my baking. While I have been able to tweak most of my recipes, to begin with, the one recipe I have had such a hard time with is my dad’s Moist Pound Cake.  The problems would stem from rising and overflowing, to collapsing and being very dense.  No matter what I tried, I just could not get it to rise to a normal level and stay that way. That is, until today.

When I made the cake on Sunday for practice, for my daughter’s birthday coming up in February, it was a disaster. It overflowed, all onto the bottom of the oven and then collapsed to almost nothing in the bottom of the pan.  I put a plea on Facebook and had a couple of people to send me websites that give help on higher altitude baking.  My husband and I started reading and going through what we have tired and what we haven’t tried on this cake.  We finally decided on what changes we would make when I tried baking this cake again.

Pound Cake just taken out of the oven.

Pound Cake just taken out of the oven.

As you can tell by the picture, the change we made this time, was perfect!  I was so excited!  Below is the original recipe.  It is the one that my dad and grandma baked, all the time.  I am going to make the changes next to the ingredients that we changed.  They will be highlighted with an * and be in bold.

Moist Pound Cake

2 sticks butter, softened

2 cups sugar

6 eggs (room temperature) *I added an extra egg, so the total is now 7

2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted 4 times, you have to sift it. This is what makes the cake rise.) *I added an extra 1/2 cup of sifted flour

1 TBSP vanilla extract

Preheat over to 300 degrees(*I upped the temperature to 350). Grease and flour a bundt pan. Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add 1 egg, at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour, beating until creamy. Add vanilla and mix well. Spoon into greased/floured bundt pan. Bake at 300 (350) degrees for 1 hour (50 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

 So the changes that I made were adding an extra egg, adding another 1/2 cup of flour, baking it at a higher temp at 350 and only baking it for 50 minutes, instead of an hour.  It is very simple changes that took a lot of trial and error to figure out.

Pound cake taken out of pan too soon! ;)

Pound cake taken out of pan too soon! 😉

I was so excited about the cake baking perfectly, that I didn’t let the cake sit long enough to cool.  When I tried turning it out on to a plate, the top of the cake stuck to the pan!  So a little advice about the cake, let it sit long enough to cool.  Don’t be inpatient like I was!

slice of heaven ;)

This cake really is an easy cake to make.  It takes no time at all to mix up.  You can even change the flavoring extracts for different flavors.  I have used Lemon, Almond, and Rum extracts in place of the Vanilla.  You can even mix up your favorite frosting and pour it over the top.

Now that I have finally figured out how to bake this properly, I plan on making these often and give them away, just like my dad did.  Nothing better than giving away something that you love making, or in this case, baking!

What is your favorite cake? Have you ever had a recipe to give you a hard time when cooking for baking?

P.S. One of these days, I will remember to get our good camera out, instead of using my phone camera.

2014, family, recipes, , , ,

my momma’s carrot cake…

Written by Joy
my momma’s carrot cake…

When I asked my daughter what cake she wanted for her birthday, she said carrot cake. Right then, I knew which one that I wanted to bake.  It is the carrot cake that my mom used to make a lot for the holidays.  I remember helping her when I was young and now I am enjoying teaching my kids how to bake the cake.

I have a lot of wonderful memories standing next to my mom, dad and grandma, as they cooked and baked for the family and for others.  The carrot cake is a cake that my mom would make for Thanksgiving or for Easter.  She really didn’t bake cakes or pies much, so that is why I remember this one a lot.  I am so glad that I had the chance to learn how to cook and bake, from her.  My mom has Alzheimer’s now and isn’t able to cook or bake like she used to.  These memories are good for me to remember the fun days that we had together.  While she is still the same person, the disease has taken so much from her and from us.

I thought I would share with y’all the recipe that she used.  I do not know where she got the recipe though.  I just remember seeing it in the cookbook that she and other school bus drivers put together in the county where we lived.  It is also my favorite cookbook to use. The frosting that I made for it, was the best that I have ever made.  My only problem with it?  I didn’t make enough!  So definitely double this recipe if you make three 9-inch pans of carrot cake!  Now on to the recipe!

Carrot Cake

2 cups cake flour                                         1 tsp. salt

2 cups sugar                                                 4 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda                                        1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. cinnamon (I use pumpkin spice)    3 cups grated carrots (I used 4 cups)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Grease and flour the bottom of three 9- inch pans (or you can cut parchment paper down in the bottom of the pan). Sift together the dry ingredients; set aside.  In a bowl, mix the vegetable oil and eggs together until mixed well.  Add in the dry ingredients and then mix until it is well combined.  Then stir in the carrots.  Pour the batter evenly into the pans.  Place the pans in the heated oven and let bake for 20-25 minutes.  Oven times could vary.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened                     2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 stick of butter, softened                          16 ounces of powdered sugar

milk  (this amount will vary)                    1 cup pecans, chopped finely

Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together, until smooth.  Add the vanilla extract and mix well.  Add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy, if it seems too thick, add a little milk, until you get the consistency that you need to spread evenly.  This is just something that you will need to judge for yourself.  Then just spread on the layers and cake.  The pecans is to put on top of the cake or side of the cake.  You can even leave the pecans off.

 

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

 (I have never claimed to be a cake decorator.  This cake isn’t pretty, but it sure was delicious!!)

Do you have any favorite memories of being in the kitchen with a loved one?  What is your favorite dessert or dish? I would love for you to share your memories with me!

 

 

 

 

2013, family, recipes, , , ,

Apple Pie ~ Recipes

Written by Joy
Apple Pie ~ Recipes

Autumn has arrived and along with it, my love of baking has returned.  There is just something about the cooler weather and the leaves changing that makes me think of baking and warming the house with the smell of  sweet and spice.   In the last week, I have made a Tiramisu and Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread.  Today, I made an Apple Pie.  My husband and kids are really loving me at the moment.

Apple Pie

 

5-6 medium tart apples

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)

3/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

2 9-inch pie crusts (or you can make your own)

Preheat oven to 325.  Place one pie crust down in a pie pan.  Set aside.  Peel and slice the apples to about 1/4 inch thick.  In a bowl, mix the apples and the pumpkin pie spice. Pour that mixture into the pie pan.  Mix the butter, brown sugar and flour together in a bowl.  Pour that mixture over the top of the apples.  Then put the 2nd pie crust on top of the apples.  Make a small slit in the top of the crust.  Bake in the oven for at least an hour or until the crust is a nice golden brown.

 

 

2012, recipes, , , ,

Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread ~ recipes

Written by Joy
6 Comments
Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread ~ recipes

It never fails.  I always end up buying way too many bananas and they end up turning mush right in front of my eyes.  I wasn’t about to waste another banana and decided to make banana bread this time.

Since it is the fall season, I love to bake and make the house smell all yummy and warm.  I love to spice things up a bit.  To spice up this banana bread, I added a little pumpkin spice to it, just to give it a touch of the fall season.

I hope you enjoy it!

Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread 

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
4 egg whites (wwhipped to stiff peaks with 1 TBSP sugar)
4-5 medium bananas (mashed)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups self rising flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 300.  Grease and flour your pans.  I used a bundt pan, but you can use 2 loaf pans.
I first beat the egg whites to stiff peaks with a tablespoon of sugar.  I sat them aside.
Mix  your butter and sugar, until they are creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time and mix well.  Then add in the milk, vanilla and mashed bananas.  Mix well.  Next, add in your flour and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until it is blended.  Next, I took the bowl of eggs whites and put in a 1/3 of the white to the batter and folded in the egg whites.  Once that was mixed in, I added in another 1/3 and folded and then finished off with the rest of the egg whites.  Once you have the egg whites blended in with the batter, you then pour the batter into the pan(s). Bake at 300 for at least an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread.

What is your favorite dessert to bake in the fall?  If you try this recipe, I would love to know how it turned out for you!  Hope you enjoy it!
2012, recipes, , , ,