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Easy King Cake for Mardi Gras

February 28, 2017 by Susan 5 Comments

Do you know about king cakes? Growing up Yankee, I had never heard of them. One of my college roommates was from Louisiana and introduced me to them. They’re a food and party game in one.

You see, traditional king cakes have a plastic baby hidden inside of them. Yup, you heard me right. A plastic baby. Tradition says that the person who finds the baby in their slice of cake brings the cake to the next party. Nowadays, it’s just a fun addition, and many homemade cakes don’t have them (some recipes say you can use a coin or a dried bean instead). If you want to read about the history of the plastic baby in the king cake you can find it here and here.

Simple Cream Cheese Pastry

November 1, 2016 by Susan 11 Comments

Call it a Danish, coffee cake, or pastry…this cream cheese filled delight will wow you. And it’s really easy to throw together. Double win.

This is one of my husband’s favorites, but I don’t make it a lot because it’s not especially healthy. And by ‘especially healthy’ I mean, not healthy at all. But it’s soooooo good. It is a regular on the menu for our Christmas brunch, and if he’s lucky, we’ll have a few other brunch opportunities throughout the year. And sometimes, like today, I’m just surprising him with it on a blustery day.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cake… and the Best Reason to Be Exhausted!

July 13, 2016 by Susan 19 Comments

This oatmeal breakfast cake is dense and satisfying. Use quick-cooking oats and they’ll dissolve into the batter, use old-fashioned oats for more texture. We like it best with chocolate chips, but it’d be delish with your favorite fruit baked in, too!

I just got back from an impromptu trip to Nashville, TN (I live in Minnesota, remember). This is the fourth year that my eldest son has participated in a week long service oriented mission team. In past years, they’ve served in Louisiana, South Carolina and Indiana– and this year they are in Nashville.

The group’s focus is threefold. First, they serve at the host church, doing projects like putting in sidewalks and building sheds. Second, they visit various ministries in the area and not only learn about them, but serve with them. (Yesterday, they worked at a community garden and harvested over 1,200 pounds of potatoes!) And last, they have classes that help them dig in to how God has made them, and how they can step into service and leadership in their home church and community.

A week before the trip was scheduled to begin, the lady who has always done all of their meal planning and preparation had to have emergency surgery. Since my college roommate and dear friend is one of the leaders of the trip, we were chatting about it and I mentioned that I couldn’t come for the whole week, but could come down and feed them the first few days, and get meals prepped for the rest of the week. So that’s what I did.

Carrot Cake Bread

May 16, 2016 by Susan 2 Comments

Chunky. Nutty. Fruity.

If those are words you would like to see in a description of your snack, then this recipe is for you.

Sometimes, I get sneaky and hide the good stuff, like in my chocolate pancakes. But my preference is to stuff my treats chock full.

This quick bread has the taste of a decadent carrot cake, but is made with fruits and vegetables, nuts and healthy coconut oil.

Freezer Recipe: Homemade Texas Toast

April 27, 2016 by Susan Leave a Comment

I wrote recently about some bread recipes that I keep on hand to fix for dinner. One that I didn’t include on that list is this one for Freezer Texas Toast. That’s because it’s not really much of a recipe.

It is, however, an incredibly convenient staple to have on hand in my freezer.

It is also incredibly popular at my dinner table.

Healthy (But You Wouldn’t Know It) Chocolate Pancakes

April 20, 2016 by Susan 2 Comments

Picture this:

A loving aunt serves up a snack to her 8 year old nephew. The offering – a moist, rich, chocolate cake.

After gobbling up his first piece, he asks for a second. She dishes it up, and as she passes it back to him, here is their exchange,

“I’m so glad you like my Chocolate Zucchini Ca—“

“I think I’m full.”

Cake plate pushed politely back across the table.

And Scene.

The scene was real. The loving aunt was played by my sister and the nephew, my eldest child. Picky in his younger days. Less so now.

Because of said pickiness, I have been known to employ covert tactics in some of my cooking.

Click here for more help for parents of picky eaters.

These chocolate pancakes are sneaky delicious. They are rich and chocolatey, and filled with veggies. They are sure to satisfy a sweet tooth and a health nut.

And because much of the work is done in your blender, they are super easy.

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