Coffee Cake

It's a cloudy and cold day today. I enjoyed this with a warm cup of coffee, very relaxing.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of lukewarm coffee
• 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1 cup of crushed pecans

Icing

• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp of milk
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° degrees.

Grease and lightly flour a spring foam pan and set aside. (I lined the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for easy removal after baking.)

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the softened butter and powdered sugar using a hand blender. Mix until the mixture is creamy.

Add the egg, and vanilla extract. Stir in the sour cream. Add the coffee and mix together until well blended.

Add the flour mixture and combine all ingredients until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Gently stir in the ground cinnamon. 

Add the cake batter to the prepared pan and top the cake with the crushed pecans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center, comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven. 

For the icing: 
Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk to a small bowl. Using a spoon or fork, blend the ingredients, just until blended. The icing should be a thick liquid.

Let the cake cool for 10 minutes and release the ring on the pan and then drizzle the icing across the top and sides of the cake.

Cool and Enjoy! Makes 9 - 12 servings.

©Rolisweets

Easy Lemon Cake

This just came out of the oven, and it's causing the whole house to smell good. If you like the taste of lemon, this is the cake for you!

Ingredients

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups of milk

Lemon Frosting

• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp of milk
• 1 tsp of lemon extract
• 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice
• 5 drops of yellow food coloring

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° degrees.

Grease and lightly flour an 8" x 8" square baking pan and set aside. (I lined my pan with aluminum foil for easy removal after baking.)

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the softened butter and sugar using a hand blender. Mix until the mixture is creamy.

Add the egg, lemon extract, and lemon juice. Mix together until well blended.

Add the flour mixture and combine all ingredients until well blended and then add the milk. Stir the mixture until it's smooth and creamy. 

Add the cake batter to the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center, comes out clean. Let the cake cool.

For the frosting: 
Add the powdered sugar, lemon extract, lemon juice, and milk to a medium bowl. Using a hand blender, blend the ingredients, just until blended. Stir in the food coloring. Add more milk if needed. 

The frosting should be thick and easy to spread.

When the cake is cool, spread the frosting evenly onto the cake. 

Cool and Enjoy! Makes 9 - 12 servings.

©Rolisweets

Banana Milkshake

I'm enjoying this shake as an afternoon snack. It's full of flavor and light on calories. Bananas are the star and the sweetener, no need for sugar.

Ingredients

• 3 medium size bananas, ripe is best
• 2 cups of almond milk (frozen in an ice tray)
• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until well blended. Enjoy as a dessert or as an afternoon snack. Makes 4 servings.

©Rolisweets

Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies

You've got to try these cookies! This is my first time making pumpkin spiced cookies with chocolate chips.

When I was out grocery shopping last week, I spotted pumpkin spice instant pudding and pie filling! I had to try it, and it's amazing. Pudding and pie filling adds a little extra flavor to cookies. This is an amazing way to prepare pumpkin spiced cookies. They are very similar to chocolate chip cookies but have that pumpkin flavor that you love!

They are not hard to make and cook up in 10 - 12 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 (4) oz box of instant pumpkin spiced pudding 
•    and pie filling
• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 1 cup of packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° degrees.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

In a small bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand blender, mix together the softened butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and blend until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin spiced pudding and pie filling and mix just until blended. 

Add the flour mixture and, using a spoon or fork, stir just until all ingredients are well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoon fulls onto the prepared cookie sheet and place them two inches apart. (I usually measure out two tablespoons per cookie.)

Cook the cookies for 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes and transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy with a nice glass of milk or your favorite beverage!

Makes 36 cookies.

©Rolisweets

Chicken Noodle Soup with Bow Tie Pasta

With the beginning of cooler weather, it's time for hot soups, stews, and chili. Chicken noodle soup is one of the most comforting foods to enjoy, especially when it's cold outside and you want to warm up inside.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp of all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil
• 6 cups of water
• 3 cups of chopped chicken breast tenders, uncooked
• 4 cups of uncooked Bow Tie Pasta
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups of kale (fresh or frozen) 
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery
• 1/4 cup of chopped green onion

Directions
Cook the bow tie pasta according to the package directions and set aside.

Heat a large pot on medium-high and add the olive oil. Let the oil get hot and then add the all-purpose flour. Stir to combine and let the sauce thicken. 

Add the 6 cups of water and heat the water until it begins to boil. Add the uncooked chicken breast tenders and carrots. Cook for 10 minutes. 

Add the butter, bouillon cubes, black pepper, and kale. Cook for 10 more minutes. Add the celery and green onions and cook for 5  minutes and remove from heat.

Serve the soup by adding the cooked noodles to each bowl and topping the noodles with the prepared soup. This will keep the noodles from becoming soggy or overcooked.

Enjoy!

©Rolisweets