Townley's Birthday Cake

Posted by Kimberly:







After our oldest child, Blake was born almost nine years ago, I took a Wilton cake decorating class at Hobby Lobby because I wanted to be able to make his birthday cake. Ever since then, I have made all of my kids cakes and have also done some for other people. In addition to cakes, I have also done sugar cookie bouquets, cupcakes, and tiered cakes for wedding anniversaries and birthdays.

My youngest child Townley just recently celebrated her 4th birthday. I can hardly believe it! She wanted a ladybug cake, so the cake in the picture is what I made for her party. She wanted the cake to be chocolate, so I used the chocolate chip bundt cake recipe below.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 package butter recipe cake mix
One 3.4 oz. package instant vanilla pudding mix
One 3.4 oz. package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, water, and vanilla by hand. Stir in the cake mix and pudding mixes. Slowly add the butter and oil, and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cake plate.

This cake requires no icing. Hard to believe, I know, but it really doesn't. However, my husband and I have found that pouring a jar of chocolate fudge over the top makes it extra yummy!

I have made this a lot for other people, and it is always a big hit. Oh, and it made a great birthday cake too!!!
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Baked Carrots

Posted by Donna

This recipe is always a side dish when I serve roast. I'm really not sure why or when I started doing my carrots this way; but, it's a favorite in our family. About a year ago, my brother was visiting and I had fixed a roast for Sunday dinner; and of course, I had also fixed the carrots. He had never cared for carrots; but, he decided to try them. He really didn't comment on them at the time. However, a few weeks later, he e-mailed me and wanted the recipe. He said he had been hungry for them. He and my sister-in-law even took them to a Thanksgiving dinner at her parent's home.

Baked Carrots

2 bags of carrots, peeled and sliced ( I usually cut mine in half, then cut the halves horizontally) Of course, the number of carrots you use will depend on how many you're serving. Two bags will usually serve 8 - 10 people.

Spray your casserole dish with non-stick spray. Lay your sliced carrots in the baking dish. Put dollops of margarine all over the carrots. Next, sprinkle very lightly with brown sugar, followed by a small amount of onion powder.

Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. The carrots will usually brown on the bottom when baked this long. I usually put them in at 9:15 on Sunday mornings, right before I leave for Bible Class. By the time we get home, they've baked about the full 2 1/2 hours. I baked them this weekend, and we were gone for three hours. I was so worried; but, I must say, they were some of the best I'd ever fixed---just because of the browning on the bottom. 2 1/2 hours are the ideal time. I may have just been lucky that one time when they cooked longer.

You can prepare these for baking the night before and stick them in the refrigerator. I've never enjoyed peeling carrots; so, I usually peel them the night before even if I don't go ahead and get them completely ready for baking.
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Sopapilla Cheesecake

Posted by Lori:
A friend called the other day to get this recipe. She was making it for a bridal shower. I decided to share it with you, too. I'm a fan of anything with cream cheese in it, so it's one of my favorite desserts. We have some friends that used to live here and she would make this a lot for church dinners. (Too bad they moved away because it's alway fun to eat something someone else made!) I like to serve it when I make Mexican food, but have used it for other occassions, too.

SOPAPILLA CHEESECAKE
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough. Stir together 3/4cup of sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Dot the mixture over the top of the cheesecake. Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan. Refridgerate. Cut into squares before serving.

I recently saw a recipe for Sopapilla Cheesecake that served it with honey drizzled over the top. I want to try that next time I make it!

To make this lower in fat, you can use reduced fat crescent rolls. You might could use the fat free cream cheese. I've used it, but not in dishes when the recipe was baked.
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Chicken Ranch Quesadillas

Chicken Ranch Quesadillas
posted by Donna:

I don’t know about you, but I read recipe books like some people read books. I can’t count the number of books that have recipes marked or page corners turned down. One in particular that I’ve had marked to try out on our grandchildren is the quesadilla recipe. The perfect opportunity came this week when I had some of them here long enough to REMEMBER to try it. It was a big hit with the three of them, as well as Kimberly and me. Even the leftovers were great!!!! It’s almost too simple to be so good. I knew the minute we ate these that it had to be shared!!!!!


Chicken Ranch Quesadillas

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
½ cup ranch dressing
½ cup Picante sauce (I used mild)
1 pkg. (8 inch) soft flour or whole wheat tortillas
1 (8 oz.) pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix the shredded cooked chicken, ranch dressing, and Picante sauce together. Spread the mixture on a tortilla; top with cheese and add another tortilla on top. Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and grill until the tortillas are browned on each side and the cheese is melted. I used scissors and cut each quesadilla into four pieces. The grandkids loved dipping theirs in ranch dressing.

This recipe makes 4 quesadillas. I doubled it to feed five of us with just enough leftovers for a snack. The kids had the flour tortillas and we “big girls” had the wheat. I love the taste of the whole wheat tortillas; plus, they’re healthier. A green salad works great with these, also.

I have always done just the cheese quesadillas. These fill you up faster by adding the chicken.
Hopefully, this will become a favorite of yours, especially during the summer while school is out and you need a quick meal.



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Diet Cherry Vanilla Cream Coke

Posted by Lori

We limit the soda (Note: I'm trying to be "proper". In southwest Oklahoma, all "soda" is called "Coke" or "pop"!) intake of our four children to one a week, except for special occassions where they might get two during the week. Most often that once-a-week special is during Happy Hour at Sonic. The three boys' favorite is cherry cream Dr. Pepper.

Several years ago our elementary P.T.O. (Parent-Teacher Organization) was treating the elementary teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week. The theme was "Crayons" and each day was a different color. One particular day the theme color was brown. I wanted a drink with a brownish color, but something more than just regular sodas. I thought of the cherry cream Dr. Pepper. However, most of the teachers liked Diet Coke. I called Sonic and they kindly told me that the cream was half and half. So, this recipe was born!

Diet Cherry Vanilla Cream Coke
1- 3 liter Diet Coke (or soft drink of your choice), chilled
1 bottle cherry syrup flavoring (I have used sugar free and regular), chilled
1 bottle vanilla syrup flavoring (I have used sugar free and regular), chilled
1 qt. fat free half and half (or regular)

Mix all together in large container or divide ingredients in half and mix in two containers. Chill until ready to serve. May be served over ice, if desired.

Last summer I hosted a bridal bruch for my niece and served this recipe using Dr. Pepper. It's adaptable to any soft drink you would like to use. If you've ever ordered a soft drink with cream in it, you know that it foams up. This recipe will, too. It's the reaction of the soda with the cream. It does look kind of strange, but it tastes really, really good!

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Barbecued Green Beans

Posted by Donna:
I recently brought back on old recipe that I had forgotten about. Side dishes seem to become very “blah” at my house. I get tired of the same ones over and over, especially green beans. The recipe I’ve been using frequently the past few months is Barbecued Green Beans. Larry and I really enjoy them. I hope you do as well.

Barbecued Green Beans

4 cans Italian green beans, drained
6 strips bacon, fried and crumbled
¼ cup yellow onion sautéed in bacon drippings
1 cup catsup
1 cup brown sugar

Mix catsup, brown sugar, crumbled bacon, onion and drippings together and pour over the beans. Bake in a casserole dish 4 hours at 250 degrees.
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Strawberry Smoothie

Posted by Kimberly:

After I had my second child Emily, I was watching TV and happened upon an infomercial for "The Firm". For those of you who aren't familiar with The Firm, it is a workout system on dvd that you can do at home. It was the first time I had ever watched a "get fit" infomercial and really believed that what they were saying was true. So, after I got permission from my husband, I ordered it and have been faithfully exercising for the past seven years. When I first started, I really didn't change my eating. Finally, I realized that if I was going to work that hard, I didn't need to undo it all by eating whatever I wanted. So, I slowly started changing my eating habits, too. Please understand that I don't have a sweet tooth... I have a mouth full of sweet teeth! And chocolate, like my mom, is my downfall. Fortunately, a little over a year ago, I came across a recipe for a strawberry smoothie in a Sam's Club flier. It has become my guilty pleasure, but most importantly, it satisfies my craving for sweets.

Strawberry Smoothie

1 cup cottage cheese
2 tbsp. honey
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup frozen strawberries, unthawed

Put all ingredients in blender and puree until well-blended. The longer you blend it, the smoother/thinner it will be. I personally like mine thicker, but my husband prefers his thinner. My kids don't have a preference!

I had to get used to the consistency at first, but it didn't take me long! I really am addicted to them and enjoy one most afternoons for a snack. I now make a healthier version of the recipe by only putting 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon of honey, using nonfat cottage cheese, and adding more strawberries.

I have tried other recipes that used milk instead of cottage cheese, but they weren't as rich. The cottage cheese makes it more like a milk shake.

Let me know if it tames your sweet tooth too!!
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