And of course, what is a carrot cake without the cream cheese frosting? Well, I don’t know what but definitely not as good. A couple of weeks ago I was at Panera and my daughter chose a big carrot cake muffin…..it was really good and it had cream cheese in the middle. My husband really seemed to love this idea so I thought I would try it out. Delicious! If you are looking for a good cake or muffins to try out or bring to an event you won’t be sorry.

I couldn’t find any good muffin tins so I decided to make it as a bundt cake. It came out moist (sorry, I hate that word!) and full of flavor. The original recipe can be found under “carrot cake” ….I made a couple adjustments. Yes you are reading it right….there is cayenne in it. It brings out the flavor and gives it a kick but its not too spicy.

Carrot Cake

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps baking soda
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups raisins (optional)                                                                                               I imagine this would be good with chopped walnuts or pecans but I haven’t tried that yet.

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 8 oz package cream cheese

4 tbsp butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package cream cheese (8oz)

4 tbsp butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 a spray a bundt pan with cake release spray, or grease and flour.

Cake:

Mix together the eggs ,vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla. Add other ingredients in order one and a time until well mixed. Spoon 2/3 mixture into bundt pan.

Filling:

Cream together cream cheese and sugar and then add other ingredients until well mixed. Spoon onto carrot cake mixture.

Add remaining carrot cake mixture and bake for 1 hour or until toothpick or fork comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool before frosting. I suggest letting cake cool for at least an hour and then putting in freezer for about 45 minutes. When cake is completely cool, ice the cake.

Frosting:

Using a mixer, blend together the cream cheese and butter until well mixed. Add vanilla and keep mixing on low. Add powdered sugar a little at a time until it gets the consistency of icing. I don’t have a good measurement for this since it depends on a few factors….but maybe 1/2 a bag. If you use too much, thin it with a little milk.

Oh and one more thing. I took terrible pictures of this cake so please don’t judge on looks alone. I was way too lazy to get the good camera out and worry about lighting. I took them from my phone and I was lucky to get a picture before it was gone.

This is a pic of the filling spooned on….before the final mixture was added.

We are still going, but just on a more limited budget. The good thing is that our plane tickets and hotel room are taken care of so we just need to figure out food and entertainment. I looked up food and there are tons of food carts, little restaurants, etc that are budget friendly and  supposed to be really good. And I can’t go to New York without buying a hot dog from a truck or finding a place for great cheesecake.

I also found a site that sells  day passes at a reasonable rate and they are supposed to be good for many of the things we may want to see……museums, Empire State building, etc etc. We are going to be there less than two days so I’m planning on making the most of our time. When I get back there will likely be a post about visiting New York on an extreme budget and I’m sure there will also be a post about packing light for a two day trip. That will be a little harder for me than my husband, but I think I can handle it. I’m only taking one carry on so I have to fit my clothes, makeup, camera, and whatever else I will need in it. This also means I pack one(yes I said one!) outfit. I will already be wearing clothes for the first day so I just need something for our 2nd day. I’ve never packed without bringing tons of different outfits and shoes, just in case. 

If anyone lives in New York, visits there or is a pro at packing please chime in. I can use all the help and advice you have to offer. I would love to hear about great places to eat or visit or what I shouldn’t leave without seeing! I promise to take lots of pictures and will definitely post about all the places we visit. 

I’m really excited…..hopefully this month flies by!

The best thing is that now I look “done”….if that makes any sense. I’ve even had random people in the store and at my son’s soccer game come up to me and compliment my hair. I’m thinking I’m going to keep it this way for awhile …or at least until I get bored, which is NEVER  a good thing for me. It usually involves my hair turning a color not found in nature.

I took a before and after……just something to keep in mind- I do not take good pictures so you might have to use your imagination a little.

I’m a little nervous about it because unlike color, if it looks bad I can’t just redo it but I guess it is just hair and it grows back. Fortunately mine grows pretty fast so if its a disaster I won’t have to wait too long. I love how I rationalize my crazy decisions to myself.  

I will take a before and after and come back and post them later. Wish me luck!

These are some of the cuts I’ve been thinking about: 

I started with my deck on the back of the house and then decided the back door needed help. I paint this stupid deck every freaking year! With the wear and tear from the dogs, people walking on the steps and the salt and snow it looks awful come spring. This year was a bit of a challenge to keep the dogs of the porch since they are both active puppies and they can pretty much jump over or climb under any barrier I put in place. They are lucky they are so damn cute.

I didn’t like the color green I painted the deck last year so I had to figure out a new one, but it had to be in the green family since thats what color the garage door and side door are. I went to the store, found one I liked and brought it home. Apparently I’m getting better at this stuff because I picked out the exact color of the outside doors.

I started with the deck….which is a pain in the ass with all the slat things and railing. Then I moved onto the door that my one husky/shepard loves to scratch, jump on and basically try to tear apart.  I’ve never painted an exterior door before and am way too lazy to take it off the hinges so I just opened it, painted it and let it dry. Much easier!

The paint cost me $22 and I already had a paintbrush, roller and tray so I’m pretty happy with how thrifty this ended up being.

First, this stuff is expensive! A small box of it was $5.00 and while that might not sound like a lot, if you eat it every day it can add up. After looking at the package, I was convinced it would be gross so I really wasn’t worried about buying it again. I looked up some recipes and decided on quinoa stuffed mini peppers. Mostly because I bought mini peppers on a whim and had no idea what to do with them.

It is pretty easy to make and only took about 20 minutes. After the quinoa was done I was even more skeptical than before but I gave it a try. Not my favorite thing in the world. It wasn’t bad….it just didn’t have a taste. I was a little disappointed, but then I added the rest of the ingredients and it was a big difference. As long as I don’t ever have to eat it plain, I can definitely eat it every day. 

The stuffed peppers were ok, but not great. I believe its my fault though….I didn’t season them enough. If I would have added more spices they would have been really good. So I’m posting the recipe and then if you guys make it, you can add whatever you want to it.

QUINOA STUFFED MINI PEPPERS:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water

Make according to package.

While the quinoa is cooking, saute some onions, mushrooms, garlic, chopped up peppers and tomatoes. Mix all ingredients together and add some salt, pepper, and any other spices of your choice. I added about 2 tbsps of spaghetti sauce to add a little flavor and bind it all together. Chop the tops off the mini peppers, clean out any insides and stuff with mixture. Add a little shredded mozzarella cheese and bake in preheated oven @ 350 for 20-25 minutes.

The way I made these, they are gluten-free and vegetarian, but you can adjust based on your needs. Add a salad and this would be a nice healthy lunch.

I’m going to give it a really good try though and I will be posting recipes I find and make – the good and the bad. And make no mistake guys, there will be bad. 

My first attempt is a veggie pizza made with a cauliflower crust…..yes I said cauliflower. I’ve heard that you can make faux mashed potatoes from cauliflower but I couldn’t quite picture the crust. I looked it up, found some recipes and gave it a try. I knew that this wasn’t going to taste or be the same texture as regular pizza crust, but I figured it could work when I’m craving something carby. There were many reviews on this crust raving how it was just as good as the real thing and how even the pickiest eater in their family loved it. I call bullshit. 

First, I will give my opinion of just the crust. Unless I did something wrong, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t, this is not a substitute for actual pizza crust. The texture was wet, and it tastes like cauliflower with a crispy outside and mushy inside. The taste was good, but the texture takes some getting used to. Plus, be prepared to use well sprayed parchment paper underneath or it will stick to whatever you baked it on. 

Now for the final product. Once I added the oil sauce, veggies and cheese, it started to resemble something I could enjoy. It had good flavor and I could see making this and cutting it up as appetizers or on a night where everyone else is eating real pizza. 

Now that I’ve made it sound so good and you guys are just waiting to make this here is the recipe:

Cauliflower Crust:

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 egg

1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

1 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning blend

 salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450. Rice the cauliflower in a food processor. Get a small saucepan, add and inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft. Strain the cauliflower and place in a clean dish towel. Twist the dish towel and squeeze out all the excess water. In a medium bowl mix together cauliflower, egg, cheese and spices. Cover a baking sheet or stone with parchment paper and cover generously with cooking spray. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes. 

Now its time to add sauce and toppings. 

Oil Sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp oregano

a pinch of salt

Mix together and spread on crust.

This is where you can add your favorite toppings. I used chopped onions, mushrooms, olives and mozzarella cheese. 

Place back in oven and bake for another 10 minutes. 

First things first though…..last year a family member made bread shaped in a bunny for Easter and used it as a veggie tray. I thought it was so cute and I remembered it this year when it was time to make Easter dinner. I looked for a tutorial but only found pictures of the bunny after it was put together so I just made the dough into shapes, formed a bunny and let it sit out for a little bit. Actually, for a long time….too long. My bunny morphed into something “Pilsbury doughboy-ish”. I threw him in the oven anyway and I have to say he came out pretty cute. But then I left it too close to the edge of my table and the dog ate his left ear and paw. I couldn’t stand the thought of throwing my bunny away so I removed the pieces, covered them with spinach and put veggies on top. Don’t judge me

The first picture is right after I put him together, the next is what happens when you let dough rise for too long and the last is the final veggie tray.

To make Mr. Bunny Bread, I used 2 loaves refrigerated bread dough and just cut them and formed them to make bunny parts. I recommend only leaving it out to rise for about 30-45 minutes and not the 4 hours that I did. Brush with an egg and bake in oven preheated to 350 for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let the bread cool completely and hollow out tummy for dip. Place on tray covered with greens and add some veggies. 

I know a lot of people use raisins for the eyes and slivered almonds for the teeth but I had neither so I used a black jelly bean cut in half for the eyes and skipped the teeth. This was a big hit and much more fun than the normal veggie tray. 

I will be starting a new project soon – a coffee shop! Yes, I see the irony I’m hoping it will be done and ready to go by early summer. I may also be selling pastries, cookies, etc. I’m really looking forward to this new adventure – and I will have new things to blog about. I’m thinking I will be able to work on the cookbook and run the coffee shop at the same time. Or maybe I will be so slammed with customers that I won’t have time for both. Either way is fine with me!

Now I’m off to find some good recipes for Easter dinner…..and maybe a cheesecake for dessert. Oh wait, I gave up sugar too. Damn.

The one thing I’m absolutely not doing great at is staying away from the flour and sugar. I’m hoping that today will be the start of better eating. But since I had a bite of brownie for breakfast, I’m a little skeptical.