And the CupCards {to go} Kit Winner is...

Wow! Even at 10pt font you guys left 11 pages of comments in the last two weeks. Thank you SO very, very much. I'm honored that you would pop in and say hi.

I decided to go with a very high-tech randomizer. LOL.

That is one GIANT mason jar. It holds about 12 servings of soup.

Look! No snow!

And the winner of the CupCards {to go} kit is...

Smilyn Stef @ Ingenious Inkling

And the other two prizes got to

Lisa @ papergrace.com (check out her new website!)

and 

Kas @ Art Loves Chaos

I'm also sending a prize on to Stephanie of Pink Star Creations as she played along in the One Sheet Wonder Challenge.

Winners: please send my your mailing addresses... and don't assume I already have it... I can be a bit of a airhead with remembering where I filed contact info :-)

Thanks again to all of you for the comments celebrating my three year Blog Birthday. It really touched my heart reading all the sweet things you said about my recipes and crafts. 

Question:

What do you like to see most on this blog? An eclectic mix of things? Recipes? Crafts? Accessible, doable projects or fun to look at artsy stuff? Sewing? Organizing? Home Dec? Long rants about how Gen-X is the best generation and how music died with Kurt Cobain? Puppies? 

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Cake # 20: Banana Tres Leches Cake

If you try one cake from the 52 Cakes Project please choose this one. It's the best cake I've ever had in my whole life and it's EASY. Really, really easy. Plus there's no exotic or expensive ingredients.

I'm not a fan of bananas or milk so a Banana Tres Leches cake was truly a dark horse choice for us. But this project is about trying new things, so I went for it.

You'll notice that it starts with a mix... *sigh* I officially take back all the nasty things I've said and thought about doctored mixes in the past. They're delicious and convenient. I was wrong. Seriously folks, this cake changed thirty-eight years of prejudice against mixes - it's that good!

Another thing you might note is that I added calories next to the ingredients. I think being healthy requires making knowledgeable choices and I tailored this recipe to reduce the amount of fat and calories to acceptable levels. I don't think I could stomach a 700 calorie cupcake right now, but a very decadent large slice of cake for under 400 calories suits me just fine.

Banana Tres Leche Cake

1 white or french vanilla cake mix 2160 cals / 42 gr fat
1 1/4 Cup water
2 TBL vegetable oil 240 cals / 27 gr fat
3 eggs 230 cals / 15 gr fat
1 Cup mashed bananas (2-3 medium) 200 cals / 1 gr fat
1 can (14 oz) fat-free sweetened condensed milk 1119 cals
1/2  Cup light coconut milk  75 cals/ 6.5 gr fat
1/2  Cup fat-free half 'n' half (I used a little coconut creamer too) 71 cals

2 TBL whipped cream (we used the spray kind) 15 cals / 1 gr fat
banana slices (1/5 banana) 20 cals 0 fat
2 tsp toasted coconut 17 cals / 2 gr fat


12 pieces = 341 cals 7.6 grams fat --- with toppings = 393 cals 10.6 grams fat (how we cut it)
16 pieces = 256 cals 5.7 grams fat --- with toppings = 308 cals  8.7 grams fat


Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan).

Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and mashed bananas with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds; beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Poke top of cake every 1/2 inch with a fork, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking.

In large bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk and fat-free half 'n' half. Carefully pour  over top of cake. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight until mixture is absorbed into cake.

To serve, top with whipped cream, toasted coconut and banana slices. Store covered in refrigerator.

Adapted from BettyCrocker.com

Linked up with:

Tatertots and Jello

WhipperBerry

Tortellini en Brodo

Spring weather seems to swing wildly from hot to cold. Most of us are feeling a little more health conscious this time of year but I rarely feel the urge to sit down to a big cold bowl of salad on a blustery day. Which is why soup season extends well into the early months of summer at our house.

One of my favorite lighter soups, that is still filling enough to please my house full of boys, is Tortellini en Brodo. And it's as easy as could be.

Directions/Ingredients:

Heat up chicken broth. I use 2-3 15oz cans of chicken broth plus water to fill my soup pot half way and bouillon to taste. I know, that's a pretty loose recipe but it really depends on how much you're making. Add pepper and garlic if desired.

While broth is heating up, boil tortellini according to package instructions using the shortest cook time.

Make Gremolata: Gremolata/Gremolada is a herb condiment that always includes fresh parsley, lemon zest and garlic. People commonly add salt, pepper and olive oil to taste as well but you can really make it however you like. I take a handful of parsley, a clove of garlic, the zest of a lemon, salt and pepper and mash them together in a mortar and pestle. Sometimes I just mince the heck out of them on my cutting board and call it a day. Gremolata brightens just about any dish from salad dressing to steak.

Wash and dry fresh spinach. Get parmesan out of the fridge and slice up crusty bread.

To assemble:

Ladle broth into bowl and top with cooked tortellini. 

This is a great place to make the meal lighter or heartier.

Tear fresh spinach leaves over the top of the soup. 

They'll "cook" from the heat of the broth.

Grate a TON of parmesan over the top.

Add a spoon of gremolata (more or less to taste)

Let your spinach cook in the soup for a minute or so while enjoying a piece of crusty bread. My kids like to bury their spinach under tortellini. I tend to just leave it and it wilts.

Sop up broth with lots and lots of bread. 

Hope you give this recipe a try. It's incredibly simple and very tasty.

LAST DAY TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

Don't forget to link up your one sheet wonders and projects HERE and to enter the giveaway. Any comment between the 1st and 14th counts as an entry.

Linked Up With:

Tatertots and Jello

Whipperberry

Shaped Cards

The June Challenge for Cupcards {to go} was to make a shaped card using these adorable Maya Road rag tag animals sheers.

Some people panic when they consider making a shaped card or don't even try because they don't have a fancy die-cut machine. For me, I just go old school all the way.

Trace a bowl onto folded cardstock. Make sure you leave a good hinge on the left side.

Cut outside of the pencil line with decorative edged scissors.

Don't forget you can always cut shapes out of your patterned paper and use them as embellishments. Here I used the flower motif as a tree.

Don't forget to link up your one sheet wonders and projects HERE and to enter the giveaway. Any comment between the 1st and 14th counts as an entry

Cake #19: Honey Bun Cake

When I saw this recipe for Honey Bun cake at The Country Cook I was intrigued because I hadn't seen anything like it before and you pour the glaze over the hot cake and eat it while the cake is still warm.

Talk about instant gratification. I was less thrilled about the base being a box mix.

Oh the horror!

This cake is so good. Holy cow! We unanimously decided it's in our top three best cakes from the project so far and there was a great change over in birthday cake plans. 

It's pretty darn insane - and a total sugar bomb. In a good way.

Imagine a cinnamon bun getting frisky with a yellow cake and making a beautiful baby... here's that baby:

The big changes I'd make next time is is reducing the brown sugar and cinnamon swirl to 1/2 or maybe 3/4 of a cup and to cut back on the glaze by about half. Otherwise it was perfection. 

If you have leftover pieces, warm them in the microwave for about 10 seconds, it really livens up the flavor.

*Note*

We made this a second time with adjustments so this current recipe reflects our changes

Ingredients:

1 box (18.25 Oz. Box) Yellow Cake Mix

4 Eggs

1 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup apple sauce (if you don't have applesauce use 3/4 cup oil)
1 tsp Vanilla

3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1 cup Powdered Sugar

3 Tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, applesauce and oil. Mix until well-incorporated. It’s okay if it is lumpy.

In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon until well-blended; set aside.

Pour half of the cake batter into a greased 13×9 pan, spreading the batter out into a thin layer. Add all of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture to the top, covering the entire layer of batter. Pour the rest of the cake batter on top, and spread the batter until the cake is even. Take a knife and use it to make swirl patterns around the cake.

Place the cake into the oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze. In a bowl, mix the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until glaze is of desired consistency. 

When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately pour glaze onto the hot cake. You might have to pick up the cake and tilt it to spread the glaze evenly. Let the cake sit for a few minutes so the glaze can set and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cake #18: Cinnamon Chip Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pin It

Remember playing Master Mind as a kid and your opponent would say, " right color wrong space" and you knew you were close to a win but still had some thinking to do? This is my Mastermind Cake.

I made an incredibly delicious Cinnamon Applesauce Cake last night and it was moist and had a spicy depth of flavor that was truly impressive.

But...

A dense cinnamon applesauce cake in June was a classic case of, "right color wrong space" or more specifically, "right cake, wrong time of year"

Spicy, apple goodness screams fall. It was like taking a bite of corn mazes, leaf piles and bonfires.

It was unsettling.

My kids liked it. Give three teenagers cake and they rarely complain.

I loved how it wasn't too sweet and the ingredients were more wholesome then most.

My husband did not like it at all. He thought it was a weird spice cake. One bite was more than enough.

Not one to give up with half a cake in the house, I re-read the recipe, decided it wasn't any worse then your average batch of pancakes, so I served the rest for breakfast with big glasses of milk.

There were hoots and hollers all around as this was, "the best coffee cake ever". So there you have it.

Thanks to Culinary Concoctions by Peabody for the great recipe. She found an earlier version at the always incredible Smitten Kitchen.

Cinnamon Chip Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

For cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour (next time I'll try fresh ground wheat flour for one cup - I think it'd be perfect)

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

4 ounces butter, at room temperature

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 ½ cups applesauce (no sugar added or homemade if you have it)

½ cup chopped walnuts  (I'm allergic so we skipped them. Plus, I don't like crunch in my cake.)

½ cup Hersey’s Cinnamon Chips (These are one of my very favorite things on the planet!)

For frosting

1 package of cream cheese, at room temperature. I used 1/3 less fat Neufchatel Cream Cheese.

3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

¼ tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour (or use spray) 3 mini loaf pans or use an 8-inch cake pan.

Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in applesauce.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts and cinnamon chips. The batter will look a little curdly and uneven but don’t worry, it will all bake up perfectly in the end.

Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes (it took 47 minutes up here at 6050ft). 

Make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon, beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon chips. This does triple duty as it adds flavor decoration and keeps your plastic wrap from sticking to the cake. 

Don't forget to link up your one sheet wonders and projects HERE and to enter the giveaway. Any comment between the 1st and 14th counts as an entry

One Sheet Wonders: One More Card

I couldn't help myself, I was having so much fun with my one sheet wonder paper that I made one more card. And you wouldn't believe how old the embellishments are... like about ten years. Crazy!

I've loved all the postage stamp cancellations I've seen cropping up online but lacked the rubber stamp. Then it occurred to me that I have about a gazillion real canceled stamps and sure enough I found one I liked.

I used the card sketch provided by Diana Fisher of Sketchy Thursdays for Scrapbook Circle:

Speaking of, "You Did It", Rebecca from Crafty Me tried out making her own One Sheet Wonder and she did an awesome job. Here's her sheet:

And here is the layout she made with it:

Rebecca, can you shoot me an email with your mailing address? I want to get a prize out to you for being the first person to post their project. 

There's still six more days to post your sheets and projects to Mr. Linky.

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Huge thanks to Jennifer for featuring my Gallery Shelves on Sunshine and Chaucer:

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This is my entry for Wee Memories Free For All Challenge.