A Delicious Spring Recipe!

Need an amazing dessert recipe for a Spring get together? This recipe is so delicious. A classic taken to a whole different level thanks to the lovely Pioneer Woman! I whipped it up for our Easter brunch and then quickly gobbled up the left overs! Here's what you need...

Carrot Cake

with Pecan Cream Cheese Icing!            Ree Drummond via Sigrid 

For the Cake:

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs
2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups grated carrots

For the Icing:
Stick of butter (at room temp)

1 8oz package of cream cheese (at room temp)

1 lb powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup pecans (chopped)

First you'll wanna preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then grab your box grater and GRATE THOSE CARROTS!

Now grab your mixer and beat the sugar, oil & eggs together.

In a seperate bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda & cinnamon. Slowly add the the mixer. 

Add carrots & mix it well!

Pour into a greased & floured bundt pan... because it looks so pretty that way! (PW made hers a sheet cake) and bake for 45-50 minutes!

Meanwhile... beat the butter & cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Stir in the pecans. Try not to eat the entire bowl with a spoon while the cake is baking!

Cool completely in the bundt pan before turning out. Then grab your icing and pour/spread it all over that cake!

Enjoy!

Bump Pics & an Update!

30 WEEKS! That's how far along I am! I can NOT believe how fast time is flying! Although our future whereabouts are still in a bit of limbo... this girl is heading home to Missouri to spend some MUCH needed time with family & friends to celebrate Lovebug & get all excited about her quickly approaching due date! I can't wait to blog all about the amazing shower that Case & Nae are working on!

I had a wonderful time with two hilarious ladies this week who flew out to enjoy San Diego with me! It was a lovely distraction from the fact that I'd soon be leaving without any real news about Bri's job situation. I loved eating ice cream almost every night & all the girl-talk. FYI... going to the beach while pregnant = feeling like a beached whale.

So far, I'm still feeling pretty good... I've had some swelling issues when the weather gets hot, or I spend too much time on my feet, but that's to be expected. Sleeping is a sad situation. I either get up to pee ten times a night or I can't get comfortable, or I'm wide awake at ungodly hours. Oh well... preparation for long nights with a newborn! One thing's for sure, Lovebug is one active little baby! She particularly likes to have dance parties at night, which keeps Bri & I entertained!

I'll try to blog as much as possible during all the craziness, but for now...here's the latest bump pics!

Happy Monday!

Whatcha Got Wednesday #16... Oh Goodness!

Sweets, Sweets and more Sweets... that's what this pregnant lady is craving! I've been bookmarking ridiculous recipes all over the blogosphere this past week and instead of baking EVERY SINGLE ONE, and gaining an ungodly amount of pregnancy weight (although I'm sure Lovebug would enjoy it), I'm going to share them all with YOU! Try not to drool too much!

Salted Carmel Cupcakes @ Joy's Hope

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies @ My Sweet Savanah

 Cake Cookies with Sprinkles @ V and Co

 Cookie Dough Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies @ Lovin' From the Oven

 Cinnamon Bubble Buns @ Sprinkled with Flour

Maple Pecan Bars @ City Baked

Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes @ The Girl who Ate Everything

 Triple Layer Cookies and Cream Crunch Bars @ How Sweet It Is

Happy Wednesday!

A Sweet Toy for our Baby Girl!

Remember a while back when I said that I wanted to make THIS adorable pattern for Lovebug? Well I'm FINALLY finished! Let me tell y'all now... it's not an easy pattern, but I think the result was worth all the hard work! Here's what you need...

I used more of the Wee Woodland fabric by Moda, since I wanted it to match the nursery. You just need the pattern, 5 colors of fabric, muslin, heavy weight interfacing, thread, poly-fil (not pictured,) and a chopstick for stuffing.

The only advice I have for completing this project is to take it SLOW & follow the pattern exactly. You might wanna brush up on your hand stitching skills too! I ended up doing a few steps each night and taking my time with all the hand stitching. I really love how it turned out!

I'm so excited to see it in the nursery! I'm sure it will just be a decoration for quite a while, but it's still fun to handmake things for our little Lovebug!

Have a great weekend!







P.S. I'm linking up to the parties on my sidebar!

A Favorite Family Recipe... Two Ways!

Mmm Mm do I love my Great Grandma Hale's Banana Bread! This is one of the very first recipes I learned how to bake with my Mama, and I've been using up brown bananas to whip some up ever since! I've been keeping plenty of fresh fruit in the house for me to snack on when I've go the pregnancy munchies... but the fact that the last 2 bananas always brown too fast... that means I've been baking wayyy to much. I made this recipe 2 ways in the last few weeks. Let me know which way y'all like it best!

The Cast...

Banana Bread                                                                          Great Grandma Hale
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 heaping tsp baking soda

This is seriously simple folks. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grab a large bowl (or your handy mixer) and add the bananas, butter, sugar and eggs. Beat until well mixed. Then add the flour, baking powder & baking soda. Beat again for a few minutes. Butter & flour two small bread pans and pour the batter evenly into them. Bake for 25-35 minutes depending on your oven. They're done when they spring back a bit when touched.

Here's the secret... take them straight out of the pans and wrap them up in plastic wrap. It keeps the bread nice and moist! You should also spread each slice with some butter... it's goooood.

Well we couldn't run poor Grandma's Banana Bread into the ground could we? (Not that it's really possible to do that.) But being me, I decided to change it up a bit...

Banana Nut Muffins
ADD:
1 cup chopped pecans (YUM!)
1 tsp cinnamon

Pour batter into 24 muffins cups and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Pioneer Woman's done it again!

Well folks, this dish is just ridiculous. It's super easy, cheap, quick, and boy does it satisfy! PW posted it a few weeks ago, and well, we've had it twice since then. I feel like it needs a different name though... it reminds Bri and I of a midwest "Speghetti Pie." Whatever it's called... you MUST give this a try! Here's the line up...

Sour Cream Noodle Bake                       Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman)
1lb Ground Beef
1 15oz can Tomato Sauce
S&P
8 oz Egg Noodles
½ cup Sour Cream
1¼ cup Cottage Cheese
1-2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

First you'll wanna preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Get a big pot of water boiling and cook your noodles to package directions. Drain and set a side.

Grab a skillet and brown up your ground beef. Add the tomato sauce, and some S&P and let it simmer.

Meanwhile, mix the sour cream, cottage cheese & some Pepper in a large bowl. Add your egg noodles and give it a stir.

Now we're ready to assemble! Get out a small casserole dish and put in half the noodle mixture. Pour over half the meat mixture and a couple big handfuls of cheese. Add the other half of the noodles, the other half of the meat, and then put plenty of cheese on top!

Bake for about 20 minutes, and serve! How easy was that?!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Bread... Mmmm!

Well ya'll, I have been craving chocolate like there is no tomorrow. Since there's two of us girls craving that dark chocolate now... watch out! Ooooh I'm just gonna LOVE trying to get this baby-weight off! But for now... here's somethin' I made last week that we (and a few friends) gobbled up. Here's what you need...

Chocolate Bread                                                                      Paula Deen
2 1/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 Tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups pecans (roughly chopped)

First, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350. Then butter and flour your loaf pans (2).

Now grab your mixer and get the flour, sugar cocoa, salt & baking powder stirred together. Then beat in the milk, oil, eggs & vanilla on low speed. Toss in the chocolate chips & pecans and give it a good stir. How easy was that?

Divide the batter evenly in your loaf pans and bake for about 1 hr 15 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then wrap 'em up in plastic wrap so they stay moist!

This bread is delicious any way you serve it, but it's amazing served warm with butter! Trust me.

Enjoy!