#14 Nutella Bundt Cake

#14 - Nutella Bundt Cake.

We love Nutella in this household.  We dip our pretzels in it, spread it on toast, and we've made Nutella cookies before.  So when I saw a recipe for Nutella Bundt Cake, I knew I had to try it.

1 cup nutella, divided
4 large eggs, divided
18 1/4 ounces yellow cake mix
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons Frangelico

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease and flour 10 inch Bundt pan(I use Baker's Joy spray).
In a small bowl whisk together 2/3 cup Nutella and 1 egg.
Blend until completely smooth and set aside.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer on low, stir together cake mix, 3 remaining eggs, buttermilk, and remaining 1/3 cup Nutella until moistened.
Scrape down sides and increase speed to medium for 3 minutes more.
Remove 1 cup batter and mix into nutella/egg mixture.
Pour batter from large bowl into Bundt pan.
Spoon nutella batter over it and using a knife, gently swirl batters together to create a marble pattern.
Smooth top of cake batter.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake has moist crumbs that stick to it.
Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes.
Carefully invert onto cooling rack and remove pan.
While cake cools, make glaze.
GLAZE:.
Whisk together confectioners sugar and Frangelico liquor until smooth.
Drizzle over cake.

Did you see what was listed as an ingredient? 

Frangelico!!!

We happened to have this in our bar.  If you don't have this, you'll have to go to your local liquor store to buy it.  Or just find someone that has it and you can borrow a few tablespoons!

This wasn't a 'bad' cake.  I just didn't feel it was as moist as some of the others. 

If I want to bake with Nutella again, though,  I may stick with the Nutella cookies we made months ago!

ICE!

Each year, we enjoy going to see the new ICE! Exhibit at the Gaylord Texan.

Here is a brief description:

Every year the Gaylord Texan has a truly spectacular 14,000-square-foot ICE! exhibit that features a variety of magical holiday scenes and sculptures hand-carved by 40 visiting artisans from Harbin, China.

Every visitor will feel as though they have been transported to the North Pole as they bundle up in warm parkas and enter a winter wonderland created with TWO MILLION pounds of ice and kept at a wintry 9 degrees.

This year the Gaylord Texan and ICE! have partnered with Dream Works to share Merry Madagascar.

It's freezing cold inside the exhibit, so they give each person a large parka!

(Ashlan and my mom)

I thought this year's exhibit was one of the better ones!

Ashlan always has fun on the ice slides!

Ashlan would just stare at this little section.  Milk and cookies for Santa are sitting out on the table under the stockings...

At the end of the exhibit, they always have the huge Nativity ice sculpture

After coming out of the exhibit, we always grab a cup of hot cocoa and shop a bit!

The inside lobby of the Gaylord is huge and always decorated so nice for the holidays.  Ashlan likes to visit the life-size Gingerbread House each year.... Unfortunately, it was closed when we were there...

What a fun afternoon at ICE!  Thank you Memomma for joining us!  Can't wait to go again next year!

#13 - White Chocolate Bundt Cake

I had a couple of opened bags of white chocolate chips in my pantry that I needed to use, so that is why I picked White Chocolate as the #13 Bundt Cake.

This is what you need:

1 box of white cake mix

2 small boxes of instant vanilla pudding

1/2 cup of veggie oil

1 1/4 cups water

 4 eggs

2 cups white chocolate chips, divided

4 cups powdered sugar

a few splashes of milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease (I use Pam) a 10 inch bundt pan

In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, puddings, oil, water and eggs with electric mixer.  Stir in one cup of white chocolate chips.  Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cake rest on counter in pan 10 minutes.  Then, invert cake onto serving plate to finish cooling. 

This is the second time I have inverted a bundt cake and the top is STUCK in the pan....Ugh!

But I was determined to make it pretty!

To make the frosting, first melt remaining cup of white chocolate chips in microwave (stirring every 30 seconds). Then beat powdered sugar and melted white chocolate, adding a couple splashes of milk, until creamy. Drizzle on cooled cake 

It still turned out pretty despite the top being stuck inside the pan!

If you are a fan of white chocolate, this is the cake for you!

Crack-tastic Crackers

We spent the entire weekend on the other side of town for Ashlan's soccer tournament.

Not only was watching their team play to win so awesome, but one of the mother's brought Crack-tastic Crackers to share which was truly awesome, too!

What are Crack-tastic Crackers?  

Well, you may have seen them all over Pinterest.  I know I had seen them before on there (and probably even pinned them), but never made or had them before.

They are so very good, with a bit of spice!

Here is what you need:

1 – 1 1/4 cup canola oil (you decide how much you want to use)

1 packet Ranch dressing mix

2-3 Tbs. red pepper flakes (I used close to 3…a little warm)

4 sleeves of Saltine crackers (give or take…however many you can fit in your mixing bowl)

1) Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl for a good long while (5-10 minutes), to really get the crackers coated. Eat a few if you want.

2) Lay them out on a cookie sheet and drizzle the yummy, ranchy, peppery oil that’s in the bottom of the bowl, over the top of the crackers.  Bake at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring them around about halfway through.

 3) Let them cool and store in a big ol’ baggie. Or a few little baggies.  My husband has his bag ready to take to work.

#12 Chocolate Gingerbread Bundt Cake

You might be saying to yourself  "Wait, another bundt cake this week?  Why two in one week?"

Well, Brent and I celebrated our TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY yesterday and he's taking me on a two week love trip later this month.  Since I won't be home in my kitchen to bake those two weeks, I needed to plan ahead and make sure I got in those two bundt cakes before I left.  And that meant doubling up on bundt cakes on two different weeks.  

So to keep with my goal of 52 bundt cakes in a year (one cake a week for those who aren't familiar with a calendar), here is #12 - Chocolate Gingerbread

Why Chocolate Gingerbread?

I like chocolate and I like gingerbread.  Enough said.

Shopping List

1 box of chocolate cake mix

2 small boxes of instant chocolate pudding

1/2 cup of veggie oil

1 1/4 cups of water

4 eggs

1 tablespoon plus an additional teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups powdered sugar

3-4 splashes milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease (I use Pam) a 10 inch bundt pan

In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, puddings, oil, water, eggs and tablespoon ginger with electric mixer.  Add in chocolate chips.  Pour into prepared bundt pan.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cake rest on counter in pan 10 minutes.  Then, invert cake onto serving plate to finish cooling.  

To make the glaze, mix powdered sugar and remaining teaspoon ginger in a small bowl.  Add in splashes of milk a little at a time, stirring until glaze consistency.  Drizzle over cooled cake.

courtesy of mixandmatchmama

Pretty picture of the cake next to the 18 roses Brent sent me yesterday...

My verdict on this cake - 

I'm disappointed.  I can't taste gingerbread....I just barely smell it every few bites.

It's not a bad cake at all...very moist....and chocolate.  Just wish the gingerbread flavor was more prevalent.

This is what I used for the ginger flavor....it's what the recipe called for.

I think next time I'll just chop these little babies up and toss them in the batter instead!  

I am addicted to these!

#11 Candy Bundt Cake

Do you have any leftover Halloween Candy?

If so, think about using it for this Candy Bundt Cake!

We didn't have much candy leftover, but we did have a small handful of twix, kit kats, and hershey's.

I took a vote from Nick and Ashlan and they both agreed to make the Bundt Cake using Kit Kat!

Here is what I used:

1 box of white cake mix

2 small instant vanilla puddings

1/2 cup veggie oil

1 cup water

4 eggs

1 cup Kit Kat, crushed into pieces

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 container chocolate frosting

Garnish with crushed Kit Kat

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease (I use Pam) a 10 inch bundt pan 

In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, puddings, oil, water, and eggs with electric mixer.  Add in crushed Kit Kat and stir. (we put all our Kit Kat bars into a large ziploc bag and the kids pounded it with whatever they had until they were all crushed. 

Pour into prepared bundt pan.

Bake 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cake rest on counter in pan 10 minutes.  Then, invert cake onto serving plate to finish cooling. 

Microwave your chocolate frosting until it is melted enough for you to drizzle over the cake. (about 15-20 seconds)  Frost cooled cake and garnish with candy.

Loved the Kit Kat bits throughout the entire cake!!  

You can do this with ANY candy, though!

Thank you for giving me this great idea, Emily!!!

Eggs Benedict Casserole

We decided to have breakfast for dinner tonight.

When I was going through recipes, I kept coming across Eggs Benedict.  This is one of my husband's favorite breakfast foods.  Have I ever made it before? No.

But every time we eat out for breakfast, he is looking for that Eggs Benedict on the menu or at the buffet...

I have always ALWAYS wanted to surprise him by making Eggs Benedict....

But I can't do it.  That is just one thing I can't make.  Poaching that egg perfectly will drive me to insanity, so I refuse to even attempt it.

But guess what? Guess what I DID find that I knew I could attempt?

EGGS BENEDICT CASSEROLE!

Now casseroles .... I can conquer those!

And I did conquer it....tonight!  

This recipe was sooooooo good!  

My husband is NOT a fan of casseroles...but he said this was just TOO GOOD!

So if you have a 9x13 pan and can crack a MILLION eggs, MAKE THIS!

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound Canadian bacon, chopped
• 6 English muffins, split and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• SAUCE:
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

• Place half of the bacon in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; top with English muffins and remaining bacon. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and onion powder; pour over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
• In a double boiler or metal bowl over simmering water, constantly whisk the egg yolks, cream, lemon juice and mustard until mixture reaches 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Reduce heat to low. Slowly drizzle in warm melted butter, whisking constantly. Serve immediately with casserole. Yield: 12 servings (1-2/3 cups sauce).

Senior Night for Nick

Friday nights football game was Senior Night for the football team, drill team, cheerleaders, and East Guard.  Nick would be able to walk down the field with his family as the announcer called out his name.  How exciting!  We had hoped that his entire immediate family would be able to walk with him, but his mother and other sister were unable to attend.  Brent and Ashlan were honored to walk with him, while I opted to sit in the stands so I could get some pictures!  Even though Nick and I decided it would be logical for me to be the one in the stands taking the pictures, that sweet boy still walked over to me and gave me a large yellow rose!  Love him!

As each senior walked through the helmet, their names were read along with who was escorting them.

Congratulations to our awesome Senior, Nick!

Nick stays on the field during games because he is an East Guard.  East Guard is a group of boys who assist the cheerleaders in their stunts, such as lifting and supporting them.

He also runs on the field after a touchdown to carry the EAST flags.  

In this photo, he is carrying the S.

Nick was allowed to have Ashlan on the field with him during the game.  This was a total treat for Ashlan!  She cheered with the squad the ENTIRE game!  We couldn't pull her away!

Ashlan did everything the cheerleaders did.  She was one of them for the night..

Thank you for treating her to one special night, Nick!!!!!!

Congratulations to Nick!  You are one awesome kid!

Pumpkin Shortbread

Need something to do with that can of pumpkin you have in your pantry?

Try Pumpkin Shortbread

Here is what you need:

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 
  
Glaze
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 - 3 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 300°

Spray a 9" tart pan with nonstick spray.

In a bowl whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.

In stand mixer beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add in pumpkin and beat until combined.

Turn mixer to low and add in dry ingredients until just incorporated.

Spread dough into prepared pan. I used an off-set spatula to smooth the top.

Bake for 60-70 minutes until form and golden brown.

Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pan

Mix up your glaze in a bowl and stir until there are no lumps. Pour desired amount of glaze on top of shortbread. Let glaze set and eat immediately.

I cut mine into bars

Ashlan caught me eating one...actually, this was probably my second one to eat!

Election Time

Have you already voted?  We did!

Look at these adorable cookies below.  Election themed cookies!

How in the world anyone thinks to pull Election/Politics into the kitchen is a mastermind!

I wish I could do this.

But instead, on Election Day, I plan to bake a good 'ol American Apple Pie!

I haven't found the perfect recipe to use yet, so if you have any great recipes, feel free to send them my way by clicking here

Happy Election Month!!

Let's do this Romney/Ryan!!!!