German Chocolate cake with Coconut Pecan frosting

I made this cake back in September for my daughter.  Every year on birthdays we celebrate either by going out to eat or cooking favorite meals.  Usually my daughter wants me to make her Corned Beef and Cabbage and some sort of cake.  Well this year this is what she wanted.  I had never made one before but I must say it came out really good.  So if you like German Chocolate Cake you must give this a try.  I found it here,   I made the little happy birthday sign on my Eclips cutting machine.
Ingredients

 Cake

1 (4 ounce) packages sweet dark chocolate
1/2 cup water
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk

 Frosting

1 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (7 ounce) packages shredded coconut ( about 2-2/3 cups)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Grease and flour the bottoms of 3 (9") round cake pans, and line with wax paper.
Melt the chocolate and water in bowl over simmering water. (I don't have a double boiler!).
Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
Sift flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in chocolate and vanilla.

Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
Beat egg whites with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Fold into your batter.
Pour evenly into prepared pans.
Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean).
Immediately run spatula between cakes and sides of pans.
Cool 15 minutes; remove from pans.
Remove wax paper and cool completely on wire racks.
For the frosting:.
Place milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks and vanilla in large saucepan.
Stirring constantly, cook on medium heat 12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown.
Remove from heat.
Stir in coconut and pecans.
Cool to room temperature and of spreading consistency.
Spread the coconut-pecan between each of the layers, and then over top and sides of whole cake.

Thanks for taking time from your day to stop by.  Have a great day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things YOU love.
Donna

Cornbread Stuffed Pork Roast

Wow is this YUMMY,  Not a difficult recipe and a great twist on the usual Pork Roast (boneless).  I always buy the boneless pork roast when they are on sale and right now I have so many in the freezer I need to start cooking them.  The other day I used part of one for making pork fried rice and also pork spring rolls.  You could also cut them into boneless chops.  This is a very inexpensive way to get those great boneless chops but much cheaper.  Ok on to the recipe.

Stuffing:
1 small package of corn bread stuffing mix
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBL butter
1 egg
1/2 can of chicken broth (or water)
1-2 TBL fresh chopped sage
1 1/2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper

3-5 lb boneless pork roast

Directions:  Preheat oven 350
In a large skillet, melt the butter, add the onion let cook for about 1 minute, add the garlic stir a couple of time, add the celery cook a minute or so.  Add the cornbread mix, carrots, egg, sage and thyme.  Salt and pepper.  Cook until mixture all comes together.  About 10 minutes.
Take roast and butterfly open, fill with stuffing and then roll back up and tie with butchers twine,  Salt and pepper outside.  Place in roasting pan and cook for about 1 1/2 hours.  Internal temperature should be 160 , let rest (covered) for 10 minutes before carving so juices can redistribute meat.  Slice and enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by,  hope you try this it's worth the work.  Have a great day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things YOU Love.
Donna

Texas Roadhouse Biscuits

I saw these on Pinterest and thought I would try them.   I have been looking for some new roll type recipes to try and wanted to make some new ones for this Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I've heard people say these are really good.  We have a Texas Roadhouse in Topeka but don't think I've had their rolls.  These are good but think there are others out there that are better.  So the search goes on.  I do have many roll recipes already but want to find one that will be my go to, one that has lost of flavor, a good fluffy inside and just down right delicious.
This recipe also called for putting a cinnamon butter on when the come out of the oven.  Didn't do that because I didn't want a dessert flavor to my rolls.  You can try it if you like,  to each their own as they say.  I will say these were not much work, and looked really great from the oven.  I did brush them with plain unsalted butter when they were done.  Also I halved the recipe because I didn't need 30 rolls.
Printable
Bake 350 for 15-20 minutes makes about 30 rolls

Ingredients:

4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
3 tbsp melted butter, slightly cooled
1/2 cup sugar
7 - 8 cups purpose flour
2 whole eggs
2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey
 1 tsp cinnamon
This is a close up of one of the rolls.  They look really good.

Instructions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar. In the bowl of your mixer add yeast, milk, sugar and enough flour to make a medium batter. Beat thoroughly. Let stand until light and foamy. Add melted butter, eggs and salt. Beat well.
Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Add additional flour as needed and using the dough hook of your mixer, mix for about 4 or 5 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.
Punch down. Turn out onto a floured board. Divide into portions for shaping; let rest 10 minutes. Shape dough into desired forms. Place on greased baking sheets. Let rise until doubled.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Baste immediately with butter.
To make the Cinnamon Honey Butter, whisk all ingredients together.

Ok, here is my honest opinion about these.  They were good but I was not wowed by them.  I've had others that taste much better. My friend told me she liked them the next day with jelly.  I probably won't make these again, so the search goes on.

Thanks for taking time to stop by, have a great day and Remember to Find the Time to Do All the Things YOU Love.
Donna

Hamburger Steak

I have been making this recipe for years.  It's such a quick easy meal with tons of flavor.  In times like these when prices at the grocery store just keep soaring you have to try and make things that don't require taking a loan from the bank.  I can only imagine how difficult it can be for those families out there that have to feed a family of 4 or more.  I must confess for this recipe I do use a package gravy mix, which I buy at Aldi's.  (it really is good).  The reason for that is to be honest I have not tried making my own gravy with this recipe because lean ground beef doesn't give off alot of juices nor flavor.  I will try it some day..*maybe*

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs of ground beef
1 large onion (1/2 minced 1/2 thinly sliced)
2 tsp. thyme
1 clove garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper
1 - 2 package brown gravy mix
water
olive oil for sauteing onions

Directions:
In a skillet heat oil, add onion cook for a minute or so, add garlic and continue cooking until translucent.  Remove from pan and mix into your ground beef.  Salt and pepper meat, add thyme and continue to mix.  Form oblong patties.  In same skillet cook meat on medium.  When almost done add 1 cup of water to meat and let come to boil, turn down heat and add the gravy mix, stir.  Add the sliced onions and cook for about 10 minutes.  Taste, add salt and pepper if needed and some more thyme.  Serve with mashed potatoes and a veggie.  Enjoy
The roll you see if the picture is a recipe for Texas Roadhouse Rolls.  The recipe for those will follow soon.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful rest of the week and Remember to Find the Time to DO ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Orange Toffee Muffins

I had some oranges that needed to be used so thought I'd throw a muffin together.  I took a couple of recipes and combined them.  These are really tasty and moist, with just the right amount of crunch.   I made these the night AJ made his Quesadillas.  He's learning to cook and 2 times a month I help him with a recipe.  I will post some pictures of him making his dinner.  It's so good that kids learn to cook.  When they make things and really like them and people tell them how good it is they have the desire to cook and be creative. PS AJ just loved these, well actually we all did.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk + 2 TBL
1 whole orange pureed (peel and all)
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 regular size hersey milk chocolate bar (broken into pieces)
 1/2 bag of toffee chips or you could use candy bars(1.4 ounces each) chocolate-covered toffee bars (such as Skor or Heath bars), divided

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line muffin tin cups with muffin/ cupcake papers.  Makes 6 large muffins for 12 regular size.

Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, mix milk, sour cream, melted butter, egg,  pureed orange and vanilla extract.  Stir liquid ingredients into dry mixture, just until moistened.  Fold in most of the  toffee bits and hersey chocolates (reserve about 2 - 3 TBL of bits).  Spoon batter into muffin liners.    Sprinkle remaining toffee bits over each unbaked muffin.

Hope you try these, it is a really simple,  quick recipe.   Thanks for taking time to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

Christmas Cards

I've been working on Christmas cards for what seems like forever.  I make my sister in law all her cards and Christmas cards.  This year I made her 46 and also made my daughter 28.  And of course some for me.  :)  I am currently working on some ideas for next year.  This card above is very popular now but it will be one I will use for next year.  I'm trying to get some ideas so I don't feel so bogged down next year.

this is the inside of that card

Here is another that I did using aluminum foil.  A technique my good friend Barb showed me.  You spray your card stock with Krylon super grip spray then cover it with chap aluminum foil and brayer it.  Then run it though your cuttle bug with an embossing foil.  I used some alcohol ink on the foil before I ran it through the machine.  Cool effect, don't ya think.  This way so so much cheaper than buying the foil paper.   Another super saver would be to use the insert pages that come in you scrapbook pages, you don't need them in there anyway.  The scroll I made on my eclips machine.  Just love that new toy.

This last card I cased from a card I saw on pinterest.  I used some of my old TAC stamps which I haven't used in years.  I thought this one came out really cute and will be one I will use next year along with the ones above.

You can't really tell but the base of the card is on white.  The snow flakes are the pieces left from my snowflake tonic punch.  They are just the right size for projects like this. 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

Chocolate Chunk Chewy Cookie

 These cookies are soooooooooooooo good.  I made these for my grandson, he loves chocolate chip type cookies.  These could be a great addition to your cookie recipe stash.  They are simple to make and the dough freezes well too.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup real butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
1 (12 ounce) packages semi-sweet chocolate chips or you can use large hersey bars chopped in large pieces
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat butter and shortening until creamy.
Add sugar and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until well blended.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well.
Add flour mixture, and beat slowly to incorporate, then beat to blend well.
Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Drop batter in 2-tablespoon portions ( or use a small ice cream scoop) about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
Bake in a 375°F preheated oven until edges of cookies are brown but an area about 1 inch wide in the center is still pale, about 10 minutes.
If using 2 pans in 1 oven, switch positions at half-time.
Let cookies cool on pan about 5 minutes, then transfer to racks with a spatula.
Serve warm or cool.

For freezing, scoop the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Place in freezer until frozen.  Remove from cookie sheet and place in large plastic bag, write the temp time and cookie time on outside of bag, along with the date you put them in the freezer.  You can take them out and cook a dozen at a time.  Great way to have cookies on hand.

 Thanks for taking time from you busy day to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

NY Style Crumb Cake

This coffee cake is very similar to one you would get in NY.  So yummy, moist and delicious.  A must try.

I found this here
Printable
For the Cake:
1 ¼ cups Flour
½ cup Sugar
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Baking Soda
1  1/2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened but still cool
1/2 cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1  tsp Vanilla
¹⁄₃ cup Almond Milk
1 large Egg
For the Crumb Topping:
¹⁄₃ cup Sugar
¹⁄₃ cup packed Dark Brown Sugar
¼ teaspoon Salt
¾ teaspoon Cinnamon
1  1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup unsweetened Apple Sauce
1 ¾ cups Flour
1 tbsp Powdered Sugar
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8″ square baking pan with parchment paper.
Start with the crumbs: In a bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon, mixing well with your fingers until there are no lumps. Add melted butter and apple sauce and stir until smooth. Stir in flour until fully combined. Set aside at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, 10-15 minutes.
Now for the cake: In a standing mixer or large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. With the mixer running on medium-low, add the butter and apple sauce 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each tbsp is incorporated before adding the next. Continue mixing until it has a uniform sandy texture. Add the vanilla, almond milk and egg. Run mixer on medium-high until batter is smooth and thick, about 1-2 minutes. The batter will be very thick, almost like frosting. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Break the crumb mixture into pieces the size of large peas or small pebbles. Spread crumbs around the outer edge of the pan first, then evenly fill in the center.
Place pan in oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 30 minutes. Dust top with powdered sugar, then remove cake from pan using parchment sling. Cut into 16  2″ squares.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Raspberry-swirl sweet rolls

I made these the other night for our dinner dessert.  The pork dish I made I will post soon.  Hope you try these, they would be wonderful in the morning I'm sure.  Sweets like these are just down right good anytime.  Don't ya think??  :)
Raspberry-swirl sweet rolls
Adapted from Food and Wine

Printable:
Dough:
1 cup  lukewarm whole milk
2/3 cup  granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast
½ cup  unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt
4 ¼ cups  all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Filling:
One 10-ounce package  (Individually Quick Frozen) raspberries, not thawed
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons  granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Icing:
¾ cup  confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 oz cream cheese, soft

1 ½ - 2 tablespoons milk
2 TBL raspberries

Dough: pour the warm milk into the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and stir in the sugar and yeast. Let stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the softened butter, eggs, lemon zest and salt. Add the flour and beat at medium speed until a soft dough forms, about 3 minutes, then continue beating until the dough is soft and supple, about 10 minutes longer.
Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands 2 or 3 times. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly buttered bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
Line the bottom of a 13x9in baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to extend up the short sides. Butter the paper and sides of the pan. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll it into a 10x24in rectangle.
In a medium bowl, toss the frozen raspberries with the sugar and cornstarch. Spread the raspberry filling evenly over the dough. Tightly roll up the dough to form a 24in long log. Working quickly, cut the log into quarters. Cut each quarter into 4 slices and arrange them in the baking pan, cut sides up. Scrape any berries and juice from the work surface into the baking pan between the rolls. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place until they are puffy and have filled the baking pan, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake the rolls for about 25 minutes, until they are golden and the berries are bubbling. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 30 minutes.

 Above not iced yet!
In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar, cream cheese and milk until the glaze is thick and spreadable.  I used my electric mixer.
Invert the rolls onto the rack and peel off the parchment paper. Invert the rolls onto a platter. Dollop icinge over each roll and spread with an offset spatula. Serve warm or at room temperature.  YUM YUM YUM

If rolls seem to be getting dark to soon turn temperature down a bit.
Makes  approximately 16

These are really delicious.  So many options by just changing the fruit.
May try blueberry next.  Sounds good huh?

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the things YOU love.
Donna