sweets
THE BEST ZUCCHINI BREAD
This zucchini bread is a great way to use up some extra summer zucchinis. This bread is moist, cinnamon-y and delicious.
EASY CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE
This chocolate cherry cake is perfect for the holidays. Easy to make and only 4 ingredients.
EASY PUMPKIN NO BAKE CHEESECAKE
This is a pumpkin recipe definitely worth trying! It’s super easy to whip together and it might be one of my new favorite pumpkin desserts. It’s great for parties served in individual little cups.
PUMPKIN ROLL
I have been making this pumpkin roll recipe for over 10 years now! I got the recipe when I was a sophomore in college and sometimes it’s strange to think that it has already been over a decade since I was a student! I love this dessert; soft pumpkin cake filled with a smooth and luscious cream cheese filling. My family loves it too, and always requests it this time of year.
ORANGE SODA CREAMSICLE CUPCAKES
I have been making these easy orange creamsicle cupcakes for a number of years and they are one of my favorite easy cupcakes!
They are always a hit when I bring them to parties. I think it’s because there is usually chocolate or vanilla cupcakes so it’s a nice change in flavors.
PARTY SHERBET
This is one of my absolute favorite treats! It’s only 3 ingredients, it’s super easy to make and it’s always a crowd pleaser (seriously!).
NO KNEAD CHERRY CHIP BREAD
When I first started cooking I loved to make quick breads, like banana bread, but I was terrified of yeast breads. I had always heard you could kill the yeast if your water was too hot, it had to be the right temperature for a rise and on and on. So I told myself I would stick with quick breads, no yeast breads for me. Then one day my friend Jen was talking about how she made french bread and bagels and all sorts of different breads and I was intrigued. I asked if she would show me how and so one Saturday she taught me all she knew about breads. It was great. I’m no longer afraid of yeast breads!
After I had learned the basics of bread, another good friend, Rachel, was taking a bread class and had me over to teach me some other bread recipes. This was one of them. It is so simple to make and is very delicious, the only thing you need to remember is to give yourself enough time to make it since you start the dough the night before. The bread has a slight cherry flavor with chewy craisins and sweet melty white chocolate. I’ve had the plain version which is great with a meal, but my family loves this sweet version as a treat after dinner. I hope you enjoy it!
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 can ( 1 1/2 cups) cherry soda
3/4 cup craisins
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 (4-8 quart) covered heavy duty oven safe pot
In a large bowl combine the flour, yeast and salt, mix to distribute evenly. Add the craisins and chocolate chips and mix to distribute. Add the can of soda and stir until flour is incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 18-24 hours. The dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles.
After the 18-24 hour rest, place dough on a well floured surface and sprinkle with a flour, knead the dough about 7-8 times, pulling the dough from the outer edge towards the center, creating tension.
Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray and transfer the dough to the bowl, seam side down. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it has about doubled in size, about 2 hours.
After the dough has been rising for 1 1/2 hours, preheat the oven to 450 and place the covered pot in the oven while it preheats. The pot needs to be a 4-8 quart heavy pot with a lid.
Carefully remove the hot pot from the oven, remove lid and line pot with a sheet of parchment paper. Turn the dough into the hot pot with the seam side UP. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove lid and bake for additional 5 minutes to brown top.
*Note if you’re bread is getting too dark at the bottom you may need to adjust the temperature down a little bit
Recipe Source: My friend Rachel, adapted from Jim Lahey
OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP (OR RAISIN) COOKIES
I’ve seen the ecard that says, “Raisin cookies that look like chocolate chip cookies are the reason I have trust issues.” But really are raisins that bad? I ate them all the time as a kid. I mean I love chocolate too-just hand me some chocolate covered raisins and I’m happy (I kid, I kid)! But the good news for all you raisin haters is you can make these oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips instead. Or if you love raisins like me, you can make oatmeal raisin. Or if you are indecisive, divide the batter and make both. Win, win. I love these cookies because they are perfectly chewy with a little bit of crunch on the outside edge. And they really taste delicious both ways. But my personal favorite is the oatmeal raisin. I prefer to use golden raisins. I think they have a better flavor then regular raisins. The raisin oatmeal version have a hint of cinnamon and they are so dang good. And much less messy for tiny hands. No chocolate covered fingers or faces to wipe up. Try them and see if you love them as much as I do!
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
*Add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts if you’d like (I always do)
YARD SALE SATURDAY APRIL 25
Some of my fun finds from the weekend. These items were 10 cents each. The little chicken I ended up selling to a lady who collects the hen on nests and didn’t have a white one.
I found these super cute baby clothes and they were either a quarter each or stuff a bag for $5. I chose to stuff a bag since I liked so many of the items and they ended up being around 10 cents each. They were nice brands like Carters and Children’s Place.
This headboard was probably my deal of the day for 50 cents. I knew I could flip it for more but it was kind of bulky to load into my car. I ended up flipping it a couple of days later for $20.
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