Recipes Reviews and Gadgets

My cousin found this recipe and passed it along! She is going to make it and give me a review. Sound easy and has less calories then a cake made with the original instructions. 

The first step is choosing which flavors you want to mix. You can do a diet vanilla soda with a yellow cake mix. Or a chocolate cake mix with a diet cherry soda. The possibilities are endless and they will all taste wonderful!

Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray and preheat oven according to directions on cake box.
Mix the cake mix and diet soda together in a bowl. Mix well and make sure there are no dry bits and bake according to directions on cake box or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool before serving and top with fat free whipped cream for the icing.
Cut into even size pieces and calculate points based on the fat, calories and fiber of the cake mix. The diet soda is zero points! Cupcakes is another great way to make this cake mix. Sizes will all be proportioned out that way and be less tempting to sneak in another or larger piece of cake

All I have to say is WOW, that was a lot of work! I had to send my husband to the store for the instant pudding, and he came home with cook and serve! Called him told him it was wrong, need INSTANT! He brings home the right thing, I start mixing the last day and trying to divide it into four bags for my “friends” so I can pass this along and it is going everywhere in the kitchen. I get to the final step, and I have no oil. I hardly ever bake with oil. Back to the store I go! It did make two huge tasty loaves of very very sweet cake like bread (so my husband said). He loved it, and my dogs happily cleaned the pans.

Not so sure I want to be the recipient of this again though - it was quite the project. I had my husband pawn off the remaining bags at work today!

Here is the starter recipe in case anyone wants to pass it along!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that you’ll need to make the Amish Friendship Bread (above). It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.

2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.

3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

Day 2 - stir

Day 3 - stir

Day 4 - stir

Day 5 - Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.

Day 6 - stir

Day 7 - stir

Day 8 - stir

Day 9 - stir

Day 10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Divide into 4 containers, with 1 cup each for three of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:

2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour

1 package vanilla INSTANT Pudding
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.

A cake recipe perfect for Cinco de Mayo I found on the Betty Crocker website.

1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix
1 1/4 cups bottled nonalcoholic margarita mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated lime peel
3 egg whites
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Additional grated lime peel, if desired

Print these coupons…

1. Heat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13×9-inch pan with shortening and lightly flour (or spray bottom with baking spray with flour). In medium bowl, mix pretzels, sugar and butter. Sprinkle evenly on bottom of pan; press gently.
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, margarita mix, oil, 1 tablespoon lime peel and the egg whites with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pretzel mixture.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until light golden brown and top springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Frost with whipped topping; sprinkle with additional lime peel. Store covered in refrigerator.

I use to make this quite a  bit, and it was always a big hit. I personally do not like bananas in anything, but I do not mind it in this at all.

Hummingbird Cake

3 C Flour

1 C Sugar

1 Tsp salt

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs beaten

1 1/2 C oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 (8 oz) Can crushed pineapple undrained

2 C chopped nuts (divided)

2 C Chopped bananas

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs and oil, stir until moist. Do not beat. Stir in vanilla and pineapple. 1 Cup nuts and banana. Put into 12×9 pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Frost with frosting below. Sprinkle with one cup of chopped nuts.

Frosting

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

1/2 Cup butter

1 16 oz box of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Combine cream cheese and butter and mix until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy.

We always have an abundance of blackberries growing in our yard. So many as a matter of fact we cannot pick them all. The dogs eat as many as I pick! We froze pounds of them last year, and still have some in the freezer. I found this great cobbler recipe and it makes a large pan. It is great for breakfast when you have visitors or a nice dessert with ice cream.

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 3 1/2 cups blackberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Once oven temperature is reached melt butter in a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, sugar and milk; batter will be slightly lumpy. Pour mixture on top of melted butter in baking pan. Do not mix butter and mixture together.
3. Drop blackberries into batter; if more crust is desired add less blackberries. Bake in preheated oven for one hour or until golden brown.

My cousin and I both found this recipe on the same day! You have to trust two beautiful Italian women She loves monkey bread, I have never made it, but have had it. I will have to try this healthier version.

1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated reduced-fat buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup fat-free caramel topping
2 teaspoons vanilla
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.
2. In 1-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag, mix sugar and cinnamon. Separate both cans of dough into 16 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Add biscuit pieces to sugar mixture. Seal bag; shake to coat. Layer biscuit pieces and pecans in pan.
3. In small bowl, mix caramel topping and vanilla. Pour over biscuit pieces.
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information 1 Serving: Calories 250 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 8g (Saturated Fat 3 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 640mg; Total Carbohydrate 39g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 15g); Protein 3g

I have made this recipe once before and I like it, but I do not know the name of it. The reason I have not ever made it again is that I seldom buy box cake mixes or cool whip. I need to figure a way to make this with homemade cake, and whipped cream. It is very refreshing and it iss great in the summer.

1 yellow cake mix

1/ C oil

4 eggs

1 can mandarin oranges

Beat eggs and oil in cake mix using juice from mandarin oranges. When the mix is almost incorporated with the wet ingredients add in the oranges and slowly beat in. Spread into  (2) 9 inch round baking pans and bake for 325 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely.

Icing: Drain one can of crushed pineapples, and mix with 1 box of vanilla instant pudding. Fold in 1 8 oz container of Cool Whip. Spread between layers and on top. Refrigerate before eating.

This crumb cake recipe has made my Aunt Julia famous among her friends. She is well known amongst her family and her friends for her baked goods. Good cooks run in our family. My grandmother, and all of her daughters loved to cook. My mom and my aunts all have great recipes to share. They have now passed them down to my sister, cousins and I. My cousin Karen said my aunt would love to share this with my readers.

Crumb Cake

2 cups Bisquick
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix above ingredients together and put into a 9×13 greased and floured pan.  Add topping.

Topping:
Melt 1 stick margarine and 1/2 cup Crisco
Mix together 2 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon
Add melted margarine and Crisco and make crumbs.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes
SERVE!

My husband loves this cake for his birthday! He loves peanut butter and he loves chocolate. It is one of his favorite combinations in candy and ice cream.

Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting

3/4 C Butter, softened

3/4 C chunky Peanut Butter

2 C light Brown Sugar

3 eggs

2 C Flour

1 tbls baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 C Milk

1 tsp vanilla

Frosting

1 C chocolate chips

1/2 C half and half

1 C butter

2 1/2 c sifted powdered sugar

chopped peanuts

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and peanut butter. Gradually add sugar beating well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternatively with milk, mix well. Add vanilla last. Pour into a greased and floured 9×13 inch baking pan and bake for 45-50 min and cool before icing.

Frosting: Combine chocolate chips and half and half in a double boiler (or just use a heavy pan but be careful not to scorch). Heat until melted and smooth. Blend in powdered sugar. Set pan in a bowl of ice and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until frosting holds its shape. Frost cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

I found this recipe years ago, but I cannot remember where. I make it for birthdays quite a bit and it always comes out very moist. Many people have asked me for the recipe.

Oatmeal Cake

1 C uncooked rolled oats (instant or regular

1 1/4 C boiling water

1/2 C butter

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 flour

1 1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Topping

1/4 c butter

1/2 C brown sugar

3 Tbls cream or milk

3/4 C coconut

1/3 C chopped walnuts

1/2 C chocolate chips

In shallow bowl, combine rolled oats and boiling water. Let sit 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixter cream butter, add sugars and beat until light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Remove beaters from creamed mixture, stir in rolled oats, then fold in flour mixture. Pour batter into greased 9 inch square cake pan. Bake 40 to 50 min. Remove from oven. Combine topping ingredients spread over hot cake. Enjoy!