Carrot Cake

                     

                             As you can see I am not a cake decorator I tend to always be in a hurry! 

I made a Carrot Cake for a friend over the weekend it reminded me of my Mom.  She made this recipe below many many times, along with Italian cream Cake.  I learned too cook from my Mom,  she would say if you can read you can cook.  My Mom passed away in February, 2022, it’s hard to believe she has been gone so long.  This blog has many of her recipes, some passed down to her and some she created or found.  I named this blog years ago because it truly is All About A Good Recipe!

You can also add 1 cup of crushed pineapple . My friends husband gave me her recipe so I added the pineapple.  Honestly they both taste about the same.

I went ahead and made some cupcakes too after finding out how many would be there. This recipe makes 19-20 cupcakes!

I also added some chopped pecans on top!

                                Carrot Cake

 

2 Cups Flour

2 cups Sugar

2 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

3 cups grated carrots

1 ½ cups Wesson Oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice - to be honest I don’t always put the allspice

Cream Cheese Icing

1 8oz cream cheese softened

2 sticks of butter softened

Powder sugar about 2/3’ of a bag

1 tsp vanilla

Chopped pecans

Cream together softened cream cheese and butter then add powder sugar a little at a time then add vanilla.

*Add a couple of tablespoons of water or milk too thin it.

I make this as a 3 9” round pans.

 

Prepare Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans with Crisco and flour and set aside.

2. Combine flour, soda, cinnamon and allspice in medium bowl. Place eggs, granulated sugar, oil,  and vanilla in large bowl; mix with an electric mixer on low until blended.

3. With mixer running, add flour mixture and then carrots. Mix until blended. Pour batter evenly into pans.

4. Bake 30 minutes or until cakes test done. Cool cakes 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

5. Prepare Frosting: Place cream cheese and butter in medium bowl; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed 1 to 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; blend until smooth.

6. Assemble cake by placing one layer onto plate. Spread with some of the frosting; top with third layer. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting. Garnish with walnuts, if desired.

    

Pastor Appreciation Breakfast

Pastors Appreciation Day

Creekwood Church

This is our 4th year to do a Pastor/Staff Appreciation Breakfast at my church, National Pastor Appreciation Day was October 13th this year.  We did our Pastor/Staff Appreciation Breakfast on Monday, October 14th.

It's a day to say thank you for all that you do, it doesn't go unnoticed.  Like most churches the staff gives a lot of themselves and not only do they meet deadlines every week but they support, love and comfort people even after hours. 

I am blessed to be apart of my church for over 16 years.  I see the behind the scenes scheduling, planning, prepping part of it and I see how they truly give of theirselves to help others.

I have a Life Group at church called, Creating Heartstrings- Random Acts of Kindness.  We throughout the year do Random Acts in our community but once a year (4th year) we  have done the Pastor/Appreciation Breakfast. 

I pick a theme then I find gifts for the Women, we buy everyone the same thing like this year we got  a bag with their initials on it then we each bought blankets to put inside. For the men we bought a nice cooler bag and put snacks inside.

It's something to say we appreciate all that you do.

This year I happened upon some great printable for tags and art prints on Etsy.  Our church moved into our new location officially in September of this year. The church offices have been out there since 2018 or 2019, then covid happened so it delayed the build but it was finished totally in September.  It's beautiful out there!  I often still this today say,  who left this place?  There is 108 acres with a lake in view from every building, it's just beautiful out there.  It had been someone's house which is now that house is the church offices.

Anyway for our Pastor/Staff Appreciation Day I send out things that we need like 19 blankets and people sign up to purchase one.  I got the Ladies bags on Shein then the 13 Mens Coolers came from Amazon then people signed up to bring snacks for the men...you know beef Jerky, candy, protein bars, crackers and etc.

A couple of weeks before the actual day,  I send out a sign up for the Breakfast from Breakfast Casseroles to butter and Jam.   We all enjoy blessing our staff, this year we decided to have the tables to eat outside so I did a nature theme this year.

Here is this year's breakfast, gifts and decor

This is what the ladies gift’s looked like with the cute bag, bee tag and the great printable.  We also had a table with black mats if they wanted to frame their picture.

Getting things ready, we used greenery from the bushes outside!

The picture of the view outside doesn’t do it justice and we didn’t take a picture of the bags for the men with the tags on them.

The items on the bench are for the part-timers who couldn’t be there.

              It’s fun to see what everyone brings, we even had homemade yogurt in two flavors this year ! 

                                                                       This is our first year

                       This was our 1st Breakfast “ Thank you for Being the hands and feet of Jesus!

                      Some great food and yes those are homemade donut twist my friend Mitchy made!

A good friend of mine, Wendy painted these cards, she is so talented!

This is our 2nd year

                  This is our 2nd year, the Lord Bless you and Keep you and Make His face shine upon You!

I’m used my Cricut to make these….I edited their last name for the blog.

I have an embroidery machine and love to stitch out Scriptures! 

See the pears, I’m always looking for things that look good but are not expensive!  

We had some tags left over so we threw them on the table.

I love to gift wrap, one of my favorite things so we wrapped each gift! I love to make bows and have a ton of Ribbon, I bought a roll of black butcher paper on Amazon to wrap the gifts with.

This is our 3rd year

 For the gifts we gave each one a coffee cup, candle that my friend, Joanie made and a journal for each.

We snagged the pumpkins from someone’ office and cut some greenery outside off some bushes. I wished we had covered the sink!

When you’re giving a gift for over 40 people, you have to get creative budget wise!  

Our group is blessed with people who love to give and serve.

Chicken & Dumplings

 

Here in Texas the temperature's have finally dropped some, hallelujah!  August and September have been hot but the last couple of weeks some coolness has come in the mornings and evening, then like today it's in the 70's mid day!

Of course we Texans at the hint of cooler weather get out the stock pots to make something like Chicken and Dumplings.

I found this recipe at least 12-15 years ago, it's been my go to since.  It's pretty easy and if I'm honest I often use a rotisserie chicken. I also generally just use the chicken breast, I know it's a waste but I do that for other things to.  However I always make sure to use that good juice which sometimes turns into a jell consistency at the bottom it adds so much flavor.

I just made this on Monday of this week but decided to make it for a good friend of mine who turns 89 tomorrow.  Her name is Lenora and she loves Chicken & Dumplings so today  I took some chicken breast with the bone in out of the freezer and will use that this time..  I'm going to bake it but you can boil a whole chicken, chicken breast or thighs and legs.  I like the baked flavor and the drippings to incorporate into the soup, makes a great broth when water is added, I still add the chicken base and bouillon cubes.

I also use Chicken Base, I love the flavor it adds, it gives a heartiness to what ever you are making.  I also like Knorr Chicken bouillon cubes too they are soft and crumble easy plus have a good flavor.  I sometimes use both the chicken base and Knorr bouillon cube especially if I am making a big pot of something like Chicken and Dumplings.

 I keep on hand Beef Base plus the Knorr beef bouillon cubes and tomato bouillon cubes plus chicken bouillon always, I add the tomato to things like Tortilla Soup or even Spanish Rice.

This is the Chicken Base from Sam's Club but Costco has some plus pretty much every grocery store.  I just love the Sam's price even like everything it's gone up in price but  I do like the flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 Rotisserie Chicken, cut or shredded OR you can boil or bake 3 chicken breast then cut or shred.  (I shred mine)
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To Make The Dumplings:

• 2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 heaping tbsp vegetable shortening
• 1 cup HOT water
• 1 cup plus 4 tbsp all purpose flour
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Soup base:

 .  12  cups of water ( you can use chicken broth in carton)

• 3 tbsp Chicken Base or 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 3 tbsp flour into 1 cup hot water
• Salt and Pepper to taste 
• Lawry’s Garlic Salt with green lid

If you boil a chicken of course use that chicken stock or  if you use a carton that is fine too however I would still add 1 tbsp of the chicken base or a bouillon cube make it a little bit hardier. 

Instructions

• In a stock pot heat 12 cups of water and put in 3 tbsp of chicken base or 3 chicken bouillon cubes. Take the chicken off the rotisserie chicken and shred it or cut into bite size. If you boiled or baked chicken, do the same, add chicken to the base and let boil. Oh and if using a rotisserie chicken use the good stuff at the bottom for flavor, the juice or jell)

• 
  
• While chicken stock is coming to a boil, make the dumplings. In a large bowl, using a pastry blender, mashed potatoes smasher or two knives, cut the shortening and salt into the cup of flour, until shortening is the size of small peas. Add 1 cup HOT water, stir  and work the mixture until a soft dough ball forms firm enough to roll , let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into about 4 portions. 
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• 

  
  

 

Generously flour a work surface. Roll each dough ball out one at a time sprinkling with flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking to work surface. Roll out to about the size of a large pie crust. Cut dough into strips about an inch wide using a knife. Repeat process for remaining dough balls.

Drop dumplings a couple at a time into hot boiling chicken/broth mixture until all have been added to pot; add butter, and continue cooking.  Stir so that the dumplings do not stick together.

 To thicken it add 3 tbsp of  flour to about 1 cup of hot water. Stir well to combine, then add to pan, and stir well. Cook an additional 10 minutes on high to fully cook dumplings. Taste test broth, and add additional salt and pepper or I add Lawry's Garlic sea Salt.

Less is more when it comes to salt.  You can always add more but you can’t take it out if you add too much.  So a little salt at a time and taste .  I mainly use the Lawry’s garlic salt just a few sprinkles here and there.

If it isn’t as thick as you want add another 1tbsp of flour to 1/4 or 1/2 cup of hot water, stir then pour in. 

Enjoy!

Caramel for Apples

 

I believe I found this recipe in 2012, it's been my go to ever since!  

In the beginning I would dip the apples into the caramel but realized when I would reheat the extra that was left over it reheated very well.  So I started keeping it in a glass jar in my refrigerator and reheating that jar up and pouring it out into a bowl or whatever I needed it for.  It heat and reheats very well.   Once it's heated it becomes pourable and you could drizzle it on a cake or put it in a bowl to dip apples slices or even cookies... endless possibilities. 

Caramel Apples
Makes about 10, depending on size

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup  light corn syrup or maple syrup                                                                              
1- 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large saucepan set over medium high heat, melt the butter. Stir in brown sugar and reduce heat to medium, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is incorporated. Add the corn syrup, mixing thoroughly.  Finally, add the sweetened condensed milk, and return to medium high heat. Bring to a boil, then cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 235 degrees (113 C). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and food coloring (if using). Immediately dip apples.

Dip apples: Hold the skewered apple at a 45 degree angle as you dip it into the caramel. Rotate the apple until it is coated completely. Allow excess caramel to drip off then place the dipped apples on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Like I said above I generally heat the caramel in the glass jar then pour into a cute little bowl and dip the apple slices in it or drizzle some on a slice.  Then I just put that same bowl back in the fridge for next time.