MICROWAVE BROWNIE FOR ONE !!

 They say that you are not supposed to reward yourself with food...OK, I get that. But every once in a while, I crave something deeply chocolate, deeply warm and gooey. This recipe fills that bill perfectly and since it is only a single serving, there isn't a whole pan of guilty calories calling your name the rest of the day.

PURE HEAVEN IN MINUTES 

MICROWAVE BROWNIE FOR ONE
.
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
1 tablespoons pecans (optional)
2 tablespoon chocolate chips (or 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips)
.
In a small microwave safe bowl, mix everything together until smooth (mixture will be very thick). 
.
Now here comes the only "tricky part" of the recipe. Total cooking time in the microwave is 1 to 2 minutes depending on how powerful your microwave is. 

My microwave is a 1000 watt machine and it takes 1 minute 20 seconds. 

Watch your microwave carefully (the FIRST time you make this treat) so you don't over bake it (use the toothpick test for doneness). After you do this first "trial run", you will know exactly how long to microwave the next mini brownies.

LET THE BAKED BROWNIE SIT FOR ABOUT A MINUTE BEFORE YOU EAT IT.
.
NOTE: I am embarrassed to say I know this recipe by heart now. Any flavored chocolate, peanut butter, white (etc.) chips will work well.
.
NOTE: The recipe doesn't say you have to, but I bake mine in a little ramekin that I spray with cooking spray.

ENJOY !!!

FOOL PROOF HASHBROWNS

This hash brown recipe is fool proof. It will give you crisp potato patties, just begging for a dash of hot sauce (or ketchup for the kids). The following instructions are for individual patties, but you can also spread this mixture out in a big frying pan (fry until crip) then cut into wedges for serving.

 

3 cups "Simply Potatoes" (see note below)
1/4 cup very thinly sliced green onions (optional)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

I use the (shredded) hash brown variety of a product called "Simply Potatoes". In my store they are sold in the refrigerated section, but you can also use refrigerated "Ore Ida shredded (loose) hash browns" as well. I have tried fresh potatoes, but they tend to get mushy in this recipe.

Toss the potatoes (gently) with the flour (and onion if you are using it) and set aside. Next, mix the salt and pepper into the egg then stir it gently into the floured potatoes. 

Pre-heat a heavy frying pan to medium high and brush the skillet with a generous coating of vegetable oil (I like to use my electric frying pan).

For each serving, place 1/2 cup (lightly packed) 

potato mixture onto HOT, greased frying pan 

and then gently flatten the mound with your 

spatula, like this:

Fry patties for 4 minutes, per side, 

or until they are golden brown and crispy

Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and serve immediately. I love how these hash browns hold together; you can even eat them out of hand like a commercial hash brown patty, but they are so much better.

NOTE: 3 cups of THAWED Simply Potatoes or 

Ora Ida equal about a pound.

ENJOY ! 

HEINZ CHILI SAUCE CLONE

This is a clone recipe for Heinz chili sauce. It is so easy...takes every day ingredients and is even tastier than the original!! Chili sauce was never a pantry staple for me; I always found it on my shopping list for holiday and special occasion recipes, like this shrimp cocktail (which called for Heinz chili sauce). I will never buy commercial chili sauce again because this is so much better (and cheaper)!!!

1 cup of tomato sauce

1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 teaspoons dry onion flakes
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Whisk everything together and bring to a boil in a small saucepan with a heavy bottom. Turn heat down to a low simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, depending on how fast you are simmering it (mine was done in 25 minutes). Watch it towards the end so it doesn't scorch.

Cool to room temperature, 

then cover and chill.

It will get nice and 

thick like this.

NOTE: I made this recipe, exactly as it is stated above, I don't know how it would effect the final results if you use fresh onions.

COLEEN's RED RICE

This is one of my original recipes and I like it SO MUCH I could eat it every day. It is definitely my favorite "go to" recipe when picky-picky husband is grilling some huge slab-o-meat and I want something a little lighter.

Quick and easy, and made with pantry staples; it is also excellent for a potluck side dish if you double or triple it. 

CLICK ON PHOTO 

1 cup raw white rice (not instant rice)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
15 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
1 tomato can of water + 1/2 cup water
4 ounce can of mild green chili's
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 cup red canned kidney beans drained
1 small seeded and diced jalapeno (if you want a little extra heat)

Heat the canola oil, then add the RAW rice, onion and spices. Sauté this mixture until the onion is transparent and the rice is opaque.

Add the red bell pepper, kidney beans, the whole can of diced tomatoes (plus the juice) plus 1 full can of water plus another 1/2 cup of water and the mild green chili's (and jalapeno if you are using it....I don't think it's necessary.

Stir well and bring to a boil.

Put a tight fitting lid on the pan and turn the heat down to a slow simmer. Cook for 17 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

NOTE: "Toasting" the spices in the oil/raw rice mixture at the beginning of this recipe really "wakes up" the spices and helps the flavor get deep into the rice.

ENJOY !!

GUILTLESS BANANA MILK SHAKE

This banana milk shake is my latest addiction, and for once, it is guiltless!! Toss some frozen bananas, fat free banana yogurt and some 2% milk in the food processor (or blender) and in 10 seconds you will have the thickest, creamiest milk shake ever!! It is absolutely delicious and totally satisfies that "what's to snack on?" moment in the middle of the day. I hope you try it.

In advance, slice some bananas into ½" slices and freeze them, in a single layer, on some waxed paper. When they are frozen, put them all in a Zip Loc freezer bag and keep frozen. When it comes time to make your milk shake, place 16 slices of frozen banana into the food processor. Sixteen slices equals the same amount as a medium size (8") banana.

Add a 6 ounce container of fat free banana yogurt and one cup of 2% milk. Run the food processor about 10 seconds. You will end up with about 2½ cups of thick milk shake. This next photo is not a very good one, but I wanted to show you that the final product is thick enough to support a spoon!!

NOTE: I keep a bag of frozen banana slices just so I can make this treat in a hurry. It is also a great use for those bananas that have a few too many brown spots on them.

CROCKPOT TURKEY BREAST

SUPER EASY

Have you ever cooked a whole turkey breast in the crockpot? It is fail proof and super moist and tender!!! 

It is so easy, that turkey and gravy won't be "just for Thanksgiving" any more!!  

5 pound bone-in turkey breast
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 stalks celery chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
black pepper

The size of your crockpot will determine how many pounds of turkey you can cook. I've found (bone-in) turkey breasts at the market, weighing as little as 4 1/2 pounds and as much as 7 pounds... but keep in mind that the roast is going to have to fit into your crockpot.

Wash and pat dry your THAWED turkey breast. Trim the meat so that it will fit into the crockpot (I usually have to remove the rib bones (with my kitchen shears) to get the big ones to fit). Coat the surface of the turkey with minimal butter and rub the dry onion soup mix* and pepper all over the surface of the turkey. Put the chopped celery into the bottom of the crockpot and add 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Lay the turkey breast (skin side down) on top of the celery. Cook on low for 5-7 hours (see notes below).

NOTE: You will be tempted to add more than 1/2 cup of broth to the crockpot, but don't. The turkey will produce plenty of liquid (for  gravy) and *don't worry about an over-powering onion soup taste, you won't even know its in there, but it really makes a great addition to the gravy.

NOTE: Everyone’s crockpot cooks at a different temperature, so you will have to keep that in mind. We like our turkey to come easily off the bone, and that takes 6 hours on LOW for a 5 pound (bone-in) turkey breast. Just start testing it after 5 hours.

When turkey is fully cooked, remove it from the crockpot and thicken the juices/broth to make gravy.

This is a great (fool proof) cooking method for turkey breast. There are so many uses for it like "extra turkey" if you are serving a BIG crowd, or extra turkey for next-day sandwiches, casseroles, soups, salads, etc.

ENJOY !!!

CROCKPOT SERIOUS COMFORT FOOD

SERIOUS COMFORT FOOD!!

We call this lasagna (which it isn't) but it qualifies as serious comfort food and has all of the rich, familiar lasagna flavors.

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (browned and drained well)
4 cups of beef broth (I used canned)
(1) 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
(1) 12 ounce can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
1 teaspoon dry oregano
2 teaspoons dry basil
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed (don't leave out)
1 teaspoons salt (leave out if you use bullion)
1 tablespoons sugar (don't leave out)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (1/2 tsp if you like heat)
3/4 pound of rigatoni noodles
1/2 pound of mushrooms (thick sliced)
2 to 3 cups Colby Jack cheese shredded

Brown the ground beef and drain it very well. In a large crock pot (see note below), Mix the beef broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, onion and spices. Use a whisk to mix the sauce together well, then stir in the meat and mushrooms. Cook on high for 4 hours (see note). Stir once in a while during the 4 hours if possible (but not absolutely necessary.

After 4 hours, Stir in the DRY unboiled rigatoni, make sure you push them under the sauce (add a little extra hot water if necessary). 

Continue to cook for 30-ish more minutes. Sprinkle the surface with shredded Colby jack cheese and put the lid back on for about 5 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted. Serve.

NOTE: My crock pot is a large oval and wide slow cooker, which works well for this recipe, as opposed to a small/tall one.  The main cooking time is 4 hours on high, but if you are going to be away from the house all day, just turn it down to LOW and cook for 8 hours before you add the noodles. If you are using one of those smaller/taller slow cookers, you may have to adjust the cooking time.

NOTE: Noodles tend to fall apart if you leave them in the crock pot for much more than 30 minutes, so don't be tempted to add them early. Thirty minutes is perfect.

NOTE: This recipe uses rigatoni noodles, which are large diameter tubular noodles that have ridges on them. However, any kind of thick walled (sturdy) noodle (like rotini) will work for this recipe. Just make sure you do NOT BOIL THEM before you add them to the sauce. They cook in the sauce and soak up all of that extra liquid. 

NOTE: I like dehydrated onion in this recipe, but if you don't have that, just saute a small chopped onion along with the ground beef.

NOTE: You can use your favorite cheese. We happen to like Colby Jack cheese, but mozzarella works well too.

NOTE: This reheats very well.

ENJOY !!!

BAKED ONION RINGS

Don't let this terrible photo fool you, these BAKED onion rings are delicious, light as air, super crispy and packed with flavor!!

.
1 medium size (sweet) onion*
1 1/2 cups corn flakes
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (I used Panko)
1 large egg
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1/4 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pepper to taste
.
Cut both ends off of an onion and then cut the onion into four thick slices. Separate the rings.

Put the corn flakes and bread crumbs in the food processor and pulse until you get fine crumbs, then put them in a bowl and set aside.
.
In a separate bowl, mix the egg, buttermilk, flour, cayenne and black pepper. 
.
Dip the raw onion rings into the batter and then set them on a baking rack so the excess batter drips off.
.
Put 2 tablespoons canola oil on a rimmed baking sheet and put it in a 450 degree oven for 2 minutes to preheat. 

After 2 minutes, remove the pan and tilt it around to redistribute the oil. Quickly coat the battered rings into the dry bread crumb mixture and place on the hot baking sheet.

Bake for 16 minutes at 450 (turn them over half way through). Remove from oven and sprinkle with kosher salt.

*NOTE: I don't know if these would be as good with a plain yellow onion. We like sweet onions.

ENJOY !!!

EASY MICROWAVE CHOCOLATES

This DELICIOUS candy is made in the microwave and is pretty enough for gift giving. It is super-fast (and easy) to make and stores well (in an airtight container) in the fridge, so you can make it way ahead.

12 ounce bag of good quality white chocolate chips

12 ounce bag of good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips

12 ounce bag of good quality milk chocolate chips

5 cups of your favorite whole nuts (see note)

Note: DO NOT be tempted to use all one flavor of chocolate. For some reason (unknown to me), the blend of white chocolate + semi-sweet + milk chocolate produces the BEST chocolate taste EVER!!

 

Put the chocolate chips in a large, microwave safe glass bowl and microwave for 2 minutes at 60% power (important that you stir every 30 seconds). My microwave takes about 2 minutes and 10 seconds total.

 

Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth, then stir in 5 cups of your favorite whole nuts (we like mixed nuts). This makes a LOT of candy!! 

 

The original recipe called for spooning candies onto waxed paper, but I spoon mine into mini-size paper liners. Put them in the fridge to "speed set" for about 15 minutes and they are ready to serve!!!

 

NOTE: The candy will only be as tasty as the chocolate you use. I use Ghirardelli chocolates. 

NOTE: You do not taste the white chocolate when they are all melted together (I don't like white chocolate), but the blend of the three chocolates is excellent.

NOTE: If you are making these ahead, store in the fridge in an air-tight container (or Ziplock bag) until it's time to serve (or give).

 

NOTE: I use a mixture of whole roasted nuts (cashews, almonds, peanuts, pecans, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts...delicious).

                  

LIGHTER THAN AIR POPOVERS

I have been playing around with popover recipes for a while now, so I thought I would "get serious" and buy a popover pan. The new pan makes a HUGE difference, not so much in taste, but in appearance AND how big the air bubbles are inside of the popover. 

Popovers could not be easier or cheaper to make and they are such a treat, hot out of the oven with honey butter or strawberry jam!! 

If you do not have a popover pan, see note at the end of this post.

This recipe has several mini-steps

but they are ALL VERY EASY

and the popovers are delicious!!!

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 
• Put your popover pan in the oven while it preheats (do not grease the pan while it is preheating in the oven).

• While your oven and pan are preheating, whisk together:

3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of milk (see note)
1 tablespoon melted butter


NOTE ABOUT MILK: IF you have whipping cream on hand, put about 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a measuring cup and then fill the rest of the cup with 2% milk...if you have NO cream on hand...just use regular milk.

• After the ABOVE ingredients are whisked together well, add one cup of all purpose flour (spoon flour into measuring measuring cup and level off with straight edge). Whisk everything together for about 30 seconds or until it looks very smooth and creamy. LET BATTER SIT UNTIL YOUR OVEN (AND PAN) HAVE REACHED 425°
• 
  
• Next step....work quickly!!

• Take the HOT popover pan out of the HOT oven and quickly spray each cup with vegetable spray, then put roughly 1/2 teaspoon of CHILLED butter into the bottom of each HOT cup. 

• QUICKLY put batter into cups, filling half way full (makes six BIG popovers).

• Bake popovers at 425 for 20 minutes.
• 
  
• After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 325 and bake for another 15 minutes.

• Remove popovers from pan and poke a tiny hole (I use a toothpick) in the bottom of each popover to relieve a little steam (not totally necessary if you are going to eat them right away).

 NOTE ABOUT POPOVER PAN: If you do not have a popover pan, you can use 6 ounce (oven safe) custard cups (I used the clear Pyrex ones, for a long time, with great success). I placed them all on a cookie sheet for easier handling. The popovers will not get quite as tall (as they do with a popover pan) but they taste every bit as good.

Someone from outside the USA wrote and asked me what a popover pan was, so here is a photo. As you can see, it is almost like a cupcake pan, but the cups are a lot deeper and spaced far apart so the hot air can circulate around each cup.

FIVE STAR (NO KNEAD) CINNAMON ROLLS

I thought I had the best cinnamon roll recipe, but oh my goodness..."Katy bar the door".....

Drop everything and try this recipe!!! 

Here's why:
.
1. The dough is light and fluffy, not "bready"
2. There is NO KNEADING, but it sure tastes like there is
3. The flavor is outstanding!!
4. They have the texture of a good donut
5. Covered, they stay fresh and delicious for 2-3 days
6. They freeze beautifully

Do I have your attention yet? Click on this photo so you can see the light and airy texture of the baked rolls.

2 cups buttermilk 
1/2  cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 packet Quick Rising yeast 
4  1/2 cup all purpose flour *DIVIDED*
1/2  teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING
3/4  brown sugar
1 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 tablespoons butter (soft)

Mix the buttermilk, vegetable oil and sugar in a bowl and put it in the microwave just long enough to get it a little warm (I call it baby bottle warm) Let it cool down if necessary.

Stir in the yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Stir in 4 (of the 4½ cups) of flour to the buttermilk mixture and stir well (no need to knead, just mix well). Dough at this stage will be extremely sticky and more like a thick batter. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for an hour.

In a small, separate bowl, mix the final ½ cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. After the sticky dough has raised for an hour, stir it down and add this final half cup flour mixture. Mix until well incorporated (by hand or electric mixer)...just takes a minute.
 
Turn batter (which will still be quite soft and sticky) out onto WELL-floured counter and roll the dough around a few times, coating the surface with flour so it is not super sticky. 

Roll (or pat) dough out into a rectangle that is about ½” thick. Spread dough surface with 2 tablespoons room temperature butter then evenly spread on the filling ingredients and top with nuts if you are going to use them (pat the nuts into the sugar a little). 

Roll up, jellyroll style, keeping it as tight as you can. Pinch the seam shut tightly. Cut 1½” slices and lay them, cut side down, in a greased 9x13 baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 60 minutes (or until double in size). 

Bake in pre-heated 375F oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden and they sound hollow when you tap on them. Frost while still hot.

FROSTING

3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
4 tablespoons* milk (less if you want thicker frosting)

*Mix the powdered sugar + butter + extracts and just a couple tablespoons of the milk. If frosting seems to thick, add just a little more milk. If it seems too thin, add just a little more powdered sugar.

ENJOY !!!

MARINATED PORK LOIN

After grilling the same country style pork ribs  for the past umpteen years, I wanted a change.  I wanted to find some cut of pork that didn't need pre-cooking (in order to get it nice and tender). So recently, we started grilling pork loin (not tenderloin). The whole loin is very tender, flavorful and unlike the country style pork ribs that have lots of ... what picky-picky husband calls "waste" (fat, gristle, bone), the loins have ZERO "waste".  I usually buy a 2 pound loin and that is perfect for three big eaters (or 2 of us plus lunch tomorrow).

 

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
4 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Put everything in a large zip lock plastic bag and squeeze it around to mix well.

Slice your 2 pound pork loin into 3/4" thick slices and put them into the bag with the marinade, making sure the liquid reaches all of the meat surfaces.  Put the bag in the fridge for 6-12 hours (I did it for 6 hours and it was perfect).

When you are ready to grill, remove the meat from the marinade (but save the marinade). Bring the marinade to a very gentle boil and cook it for 15 minutes. This cooking time will make the marinade safe to eat AND it will thicken the marinade so you can use it to baste the pork loin on the grill.

Grill your pork outdoors, basting the meat each time you flip it over.

CLASSIC JELLY ROLL CAKE

This is an old classic recipe. I see variations of it online (with a whipped cream filling) however, this recipe holds true to its name JELLY roll, and was filled with jam. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. This one is made with my raspberry preserves and it is one of Picky Picky Hubbies favorites.

3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon butter extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup of water (see note)
1 cup of CAKE FLOUR (see note)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup jelly or jam
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 10” x 15” jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper with cooking spray, set aside.

Beat the eggs, on high speed, until very thick and lemon colored (FULL 5 minutes). AFTER 5 minutes, gradually add sugar while the mixer is running. Put butter extract into a 1/3 measuring cup and then fill the rest of the measuring cup with water (water + butter extract should = 1/3 cup). Add vanilla and water/butter extracts to batter and mix well. Add flour, baking powder and salt to the egg mixture and beat just until batter is smooth. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. 

Slide a knife around the cake edges to loosen it from the pan. While cake is still hot, turn it out onto a large sheet of parchment paper (a couple inches larger on edge side) that has been spritzed with cooking spray and gently peel off the old parchment that you baked on.

Gently roll up the HOT cake along with the (new) prepared parchment. Set it, seam side down on a baking rack to cool for 45 minutes.

When it has cooled for 45 minutes, unroll the cake (gently peeling away the parchment).  

Stir the preserves well, to get them all loosened up (if jam is very thick, add a tablespoon water and stir), then spread it on the cake (to within an inch or so of edges).

Gently roll the cake back up (with NO parchment this time). Wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and let it cool completely. When cooled, take plastic off and top with glaze or whipped cream.


JELLY ROLL CAKE GLAZE

1/3 cup of butter melted
2 cups powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons of milk

Whisk everything together. If it seems too thick, add another tablespoon of milk. If it seems to thin, add a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar. Spoon glaze onto jelly roll and let it drip down sides.

NOTE: The cake will continue to get more and more moist (the moisture from the jam works its way through the cake). So the jelly roll will be at its prime after it has been covered a few hours.

Some cooks feel intimidated by jelly roll cakes, but this recipe is nearly a foolproof. The main trick to rolling cake is that it has to be a special sponge type cake to work (don't just try ANY old cake recipe).

Here are a couple more tips:
Remove the HOT cake from the pan and trim any dry edges (that will keep it from cracking when you roll it).

Roll the cake AND THE PARCHMENT up immediately, don't let it cool down. Let it sit for a full 45 minutes then unroll and spread jam and roll back up immediately. Lay it on plastic wrap and wrap tightly. This will help also help the cake from mis-shaping while it cools (although I've never had a problem with that).

The biggest trick is to get the cake right in the first place. Whip those eggs a full five minutes. The pan size is another thing. For this recipe it HAS to be a 10x15. A thinner cake rolls easier than a thicker cake.

If you don't have butter extract...just add an extra teaspoon of vanilla OR a teaspoon of rum extract.

CARROT CAKE with PINEAPPLE

My recipe card, for this cake, has been in my recipe box for SO long, that it seriously needs to be replaced. It is covered with thumb prints and little vanilla splash stains that have accumulated over the last 40 years. Every time I see the card, it reminds me of how often I made it for my children and I can't bring myself to make a new card. It is a deliciously MOIST and easy cake.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple (most of a 20 oz. can)
1 cup chopped pecans
.
Mix the dry ingredients and set aside. With an electric mixer, beat eggs and oil until very well combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Stir in the nuts, grated carrots & pineapple (squeeze it dry then measure it...it will take most of a 20 ounce can). Stir until smooth.
.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Test for doneness with toothpick.
.
Let baked cake cool for about 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan.

Everyone loves this cake.

PEANUT BUTTER CLOUD PIE

If you like peanut butter, this pie is a little taste of heaven on earth. It is super easy to make (even easier if you use a ready made Oreo crust). It is the perfect ending to any meal; it is not heavy at all and it is absolutely delicious frozen.

CHOCOLATE GRAHAM CRUST
1¼ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup melted butter
.
Mix ingredients and press into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes then cool completely before filling.
.
FILLING
8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
.
Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well mixed; add the peanut butter and vanilla and beat on high until very well mixed and light in color.
.
In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently spoon the peanut butter mixture into the whipped cream and gently fold the two together until well combined.
.
Pour into baked and cooled pie shell. Chill for several hours or speed chill in the freezer for about 3 hours.

NOTE: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature for this recipe. If you don't have room temperature cream cheese, you can put it in the microwave for 10-13 seconds (take the wrapper off first).

NOTE: Everyone I have ever served this to has raved about it. I hope you give it a try. I think next time I make it for a potluck, I'm going to double (or triple) the recipe and make it in a big sheet pie.

.

NOTE: I like to serve this after it has been in the freezer for 3 hours. If you leave it in the freezer overnight, take it out about 15 minutes before serving.

SWEET & SOUR PORK RECIPE

There are four reasons to try this great recipe. First, it is made in the slow cooker, so it's super easy. Secondly, it is inexpensive to make; thirdly, it gets rave reviews whenever I make it and fourthly, the finished meal freezes VERY well if you have leftovers.
.
I am not a big sweet and sour fan, but I love this recipe. It is extremely moist with just the right amount of sweet to sour ratio.
.
2-3 pound lean boneless pork loin roast 
1 cup granulated sugar (seems like a lot, but it mellows out)
1/2 cup white vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons ketchup
20 ounce can crushed pineapple (drained)
.
Brown the pork roast on all sides and put it in your slow cooker. Mix everything else and bring it to a boil, then pour it over the meat.
.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until very tender (spoon the sauce over the meat every once in a while).
.
That's it...super easy!! At the very end of the cooking time, I thickened the sauce a little with a slurry of cornstarch and water (right in the crockpot). To serve, slice the meat and spoon a little of the sauce over it; it's great with rice.

Now this last suggestion is not for everyone, but my picky-picky hubby absolutely loves it. On day two, I pull this pork apart and mix it with a little of the sauce (make sure you include some pineapple out of the sauce). While its still cold, I roll it into a large burrito size tortilla (folding in all the ends) and then I brown the whole "sandwich" in a little butter until its piping hot. Hubby is extremely UN-demostrative when it comes to food, but he ooohhh'd and ahhhhhh'd about this sandwich until the last bite.

NOTE: Sorry about these photographs. This is one of those recipes that, no matter how hard to try to get a good photo, it just doesn't work. You'll just have to trust me that it is delicious.

ENJOY !!!