Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the only picture I got--after I took the candles out.

It's from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook (p.285) from a lady named Anna Stork.

It's everything you would ever want a carrot cake to be!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cake:
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups veg oil (canola works too)
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups carrots, grated
3/4 cup pecans, chopped (I used walnuts)
1 cup raisins (I left these out...not a big raisin fan)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple OR applesauce
3/4 cup coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup butter (or marg), room temp
1 8-oz package cream cheese, room temp
1 pound (about 3 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla extract

Cake:
In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil. Add eggs and mix well. Sift flours, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Add to sugar mixture and beat well. Add vanilla and grated carrots and mix til incorporated. Fold in nuts, raisins, pineapple, and coconut. Grease and flour three 8-inch layer cake pans. Pour batter evenly into pans and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool on racks for 10 minutes and remove from pans to continue cooling. Frost with cream cheese frosting. Makes 16 servings.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together. Add sugar and vanilla extract until frosting is of spreading consistency.

ENJOY!!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

THESE ARE MY FAVORITE SANDWICHES OF ALL TIME!

I had them at my bridal shower and always request them when I go home. I especially like to take them of picnics. I made this particular batch for a picnic with my sweetie but it got too cold so we just stayed in.

The secret ingredient is a little curry powder in the mayo before you mix the chicken, grapes, apples, pineapple, walnuts, celery, and green onion together. You don't have to eat it on a croissant but I've tried it on wheat bread, french bread, various rolls, and even on a bed of lettuce and nothing compares.

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

Warning--these are addictive!

Chicken Enchilada's with Quick Chili Sauce

This is now Jesse's most requested dish. His mom taught me how to make it. It's relatively easy. She is the most amazing cook. I'm cooking through a binder of amazing recipes that she gave me last Christmas.

I love the fact that the sauce is homemade and not out of a can like so many enchilada recipes today.

Chicken a L'orange avec Soggy Summer Vegetables

After

Before

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are as delicious as they are easy. Here's the recipe:

1 box spice cake mix

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chip (I like semi-sweet but you can you any kind)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the above ingredients really well and spoon mounds onto a greased cookie sheet. These cookies do not spread much so you can place them close together.

Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool on a wire rack.

ENJOY!

Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed dressing

This is probaby one of my favorite salads and makes for a quick lunch. It has 3 ingredients and they are all in the title. The dressing is "Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing". I smuggled it into Canada from Portland. I have not been able to find it here and it is the absolute best dressing!

"Blueberry Cheesecake"

Unfortunately this cheesecake looks much better than it tastes. I made the mistake of not letting the cream cheese soften enough leaving a very clumply filling. I thought everything would even out while it baked in the oven but it only made the clumps harder! I also don't have a springform pan. Without one the cheesecake is difficult to remove.

The only good part was the blueberry topping which I know I'll make in the future as a topping for ice cream, crepes, or waffles, and maybe someday cheesecake.

Here's the recipe.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Walnut Banana Bread

This is my absolute favorite banana bread recipe. It's from Jesse's mom. The bread is dense and full of flavor and texture...no toasting or butter needed! It also freezes really well.

Fajita's

Tonight I made one of Jesse's favorites...chicken fajita's. I used to always mess them up until I learned that everything cooks a lot more evenly when it's cut the same size. Mmm mmm mmm.