American Dream Torte

This cake makes the american dream seem possible, because the cake is possible to make and look pretty too. It came from "The Pampered Chef - ALL THE BEST" Cookbook (www.pamperedchef.com).

It is a combination of pound cake, raspberry flavored gelatin, raspberry seedless jam, thawed whipped topping, cream cheese, white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling, raspberries and blueberries. The cake is baked, cut into three sections, brushed with gelatin mixture, layered with the creamed filling and topped with fresh fruit. I baked it in a 9x13 cake pan as the recipe suggested. Next time I'm going to try it in a sheet cake pan. By using this other pan the cake should have thinner cake layers, and be more wide than high. It was difficult to cut and serve the cake as shown.

Nonetheless, I got lots of compliments on this one and it lifted every ones spirits high for the day!

For the recipe click here!

Thai-Style Black Bean Salad

This is an interesting combination of ingredients. I had tried something similar from an Xagave cookbook, so I wanted to try the Taste of Home version.

I did not like the flavor of this as well as the other. The 1/3 cup of agave made the difference for me. So, make this recipe but add the agave to make it more flavorful!

For the recipe click here!

Carrot Cake Cookies

I have a challenge passing up any interesting looking carrot cake. It's a weakness of mine. When I saw this recipe I had to try it immediately. It was not disappointing, but satified my craving for the cake, however in cookie form. It's a WINNER in my cookbook!!!!!!!!

Recipe courtesy Becky Low - Dairy Farmers of Utah

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup white flour
1 1/2-2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/3 cups peeled and grated carrots
2/3 cup drained crushed pineapple
2/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Beat together softened butter, white and brown sugars; beat in eggs and vanilla.

Stir together white flour, 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into butter and sugar mixture. Stir in carrots, pineapple, raisins and nuts. If needed, stir in additional flour to create desired consistency (to test desired consistency, drop a spoonful on prepared baking sheet and bake; if cookie spreads too much, stir in additional flour). Drop by mounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake 12-13 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Remove from baking sheet and cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice, optional
3 cups powdered sugar
1-4 teaspoons milk, if needed

Method:
Beat together cream cheese and butter until soft and fluffy. Add vanilla and optional lemon juice, beat. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth; if needed, thin frosting to desired consistency by beating in 1 teaspoon milk at a time until frosting reaches desired spreading consistency.

Honey Spice Cake with Rum Glaze

What a simple cake to prepare and serve. The most difficult part is separating the egg yolks and whites, then whipping up the egg whites until they peak. Once the basic batter is prepared you fold in the whipped egg whites and the cake is ready to bake. It comes out of the oven golden brown and fluffy. The rum glaze really makes the cake enjoyable, so do not miss out on this part of the presenation.

I included to the side a small ball of crushed pineapple and a splash of whip cream and sprinkled a mix of cinnamon and sugar on top to create the final touches of color and texture. You'll have to admit it looks yummy and tastes it too!

Flower Garden Soup

This traditional vegetable soup is delightful to serve for family and/or guests. It contains chicken broth, herbs, onion, carrots, zucchini, celery and chicken. The carrots and zucchini are notched before cutting into 1/4" thick slices, creating the appearance of flowers in the soup; thus the name! It looks and tastes healthy, and is really simple to prepare as long as you have the patience to modify the two main vegetable ingredients.

It is a work of art and that's coming from a master gardener!

For this recipe click here!

Spanish Meringue

This is one beautiful cake and a great conversation piece! The nuts make the cake good too! I found the presentation to be more than the overll flavor.

It has all the south of the border spices and tastes sort of like "horchata" for those who know their spanish drinks. It took more baking time than the recipe called for in order to get the cake to set-up, but I enjoyed the watching and waiting.

Buenas suerte con esta torta y buen provecho!