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.It’s been a grey sort of day, one of those fall days where the wind and the sky let you know that it truly IS about to be winter. On days like these, if I can’t just curl up in a blanket for a nap with a good book, then I bake. The oven warms [...]
.It’s been a grey sort of day, one of those fall days where the wind and the sky let you know that it truly IS about to be winter. On days like these, if I can’t just curl up in a blanket for a nap with a good book, then I bake. The oven warms the house, and just smelling fresh baked goods makes everyone feel cheery and well…warmer. I received a lovely box of pie fillings from Lucky Leaf, last week, to get me all stirred up and inspired for holiday baking. I loved their theme for this campaign, “Good Things Come to Those Who Bake”.
Anyway, today being the perfect day to bake something delicious, I tested out a recipe for Blueberry Crisp with Pecans. It’s the easy, can-throw-it-together-in-five-minutes-if-unexpected-company-shows-up, kind of baking. But, go for it anyway, they will never have to know that. Really. My lips are sealed!
Warm Blueberry Pecan Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream! Mmm
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Mmmm hmmm … and now, here’s how easy it is for you to make it for your very own, “singin’-the-blues-’cause-it’s-cold-and-dreary-and-grey” family. You’re getting BIG mom points for this one!
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Ingredients
- 2 (21 oz) cans Lucky Leaf Premium Blueberry Pie Filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Thoroughly grease a 9x13 baking pan.
- Pour both cans of blueberry pie filling into the baking pan and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle blueberries with brown sugar and then cinnamon.
- Layer the dry cake mix, and then the pecans, over the top of the blueberries, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Drizzle melted butter over the whole thing.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. The blueberry sauce will be bubbly and the batter will have set and browned.
- Serve plain...
- or even better, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Enjoy!
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We’ve talked about Lucky Leaf pie fillings, before. These are not just syrup with a few pieces of broken fruit floating around. I love that Lucky Leaf pie fillings are chock full of fruit or berries and dripping with delicious fruity glaze. The quality has been consistent, every time I have opened a can and the flavor is terrific! Lucky Leaf Pie Filling comes in ELEVEN different fruit flavors, plus 2 light varieties and seven cream pie flavors. There truly is something to satisfy every sweet tooth. Your holiday baking couldn’t get any easier. Just check out all the great recipes and video tips at the Lucky Leaf website.
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GIVEAWAY
One lucky Busy-at-Home reader is going to get a head start on their holiday baking. Lucky Leaf will ship a seasonal kitchen towel and can of Lucky Leaf Pie Filling to the winner of our drawing, so be sure to enter.
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Lucky Leaf giveaway prize for a Busy-at-Home reader!
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MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Lucky Leaf and pick a recipe you would like to try. Leave a comment on this post telling me what it is. Register your entry on the Rafflecopter form below. That’s it! Happy Baking!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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I received Lucky Leaf Pie Filling and a Hot Dish Carrier to test in my own kitchen and to collect information for this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the products.
.Have you tried all of the Lipton Tea and Honey varieties? They come in premeasured single-serve (to go), or pitcher-sized packets. I am typically not a sweet tea person, but these are actually SOOOO good for making DELISH alcohol-free hot toddies — mock toddies. And here’s a secret that surprised even me. As much as [...]
.Have you tried all of the Lipton Tea and Honey varieties? They come in premeasured single-serve (to go), or pitcher-sized packets. I am typically not a sweet tea person, but these are actually SOOOO good for making DELISH alcohol-free hot toddies — mock toddies. And here’s a secret that surprised even me. As much as I am not a sweet tea person, I am even less of a GREEN tea person. I just can’t take it. I like my tea black and unsweetened. But, shocking as it sounds, I cannot get enough of Lipton’s Blackberry Pomegranate Green Tea. I know, I’m reeling from the shock of it, too. :) There’s just no way around it. Iced, or hot in a toddy, it’s the bomb!
Lipton Tea & Honey are available in several delicious flavors and come in single serving (To Go) sticks or Pitcher Packets.
Lipton To Go Packets come 10 to a box and in six different flavor combinations: Black Currant Raspberry Black Tea, Lemon Iced Black Tea, Peach Apricot Black Tea, Mango Pineapple Green Tea, Blackberry Pomegranate Green Tea, and Strawberry Acai Decaf Green Tea. The Pitcher Packets make a quart at a time, come 6 packets to a box and are available in four flavors: Lemon Iced Black Tea, Peach Apricot Black Tea, Mango Pineapple Green Tea and Blackberry Pomegranate Green Tea. Each flavor is sweetened with honey and there are only 5 calories in an 8 oz. serving of these flavorful teas. They are great, as they are, or used as an ingredient in a recipe.
My challenge with this new product was to create a recipe for a Tea and Honey “mocktail”. That SO works for me, since we don’t usually keep alcohol around the house. I love the idea of special drinks, in beautiful glassware, rimmed with sugar or salt or fruit! They’re so festive and perfect for holiday celebrations. But, now that cooler weather has set in, here, the cocktail that comes to mind is a hot toddy – also perfect for holiday celebrations, but equally as welcome watching a ball game, sitting around a fire or curled up with a blanket in your favorite chair. Toddies are soothing for sore throats and their warmth encourages sleep, even without the alcohol, so they’re perfect for relieving the symptoms of a nagging cold. There are so many variations in toddy recipes and it seems that everybody’s Grandma had a secret formula, but there are a few things that tend to be consistent – tea or water, some sort of citrus, honey, warm spices and alcohol (usually brandy). Whether you make a single serving, or large entire pitcher, the sense of home, warmth and comfort will wrap around anyone you serve it to.
I used two "To Go" packets of the Lipton Tea & Honey Blackberry Pomegranate Green tea in a quart of water. I loved the gorgeous ruby color and the fragrant scent of this tea!! It was delicious over ice, too!
For my “mocktail” I wanted to have a distinct, rich, fruitiness that you would normally get from a good peach brandy, without actually adding alcohol, creating warmth through the aroma of cinnamon, and maybe even cloves. I would also need honey. The tea I selected solved both the fruitiness and honey ingredients. I chose the deep, rich flavor of Lipton’s Blackberry Pomegranate Black Tea “To Go” Packets. I opted for orange as the citrus and since I didn’t have whole cloves on hand, used only cinnamon sticks as my spice. NOTE: You could use ground spices in this recipe, if you want, however, you will want to strain the finished drink through a cheesecloth before serving, since they don’t dissolve into the beverage, well, and will rise, leaving a thick layer of spice at the top of the pitcher or glass. Steeping the tea with the whole spices and then removing them before serving, provides the flavor and fragrance, without the extra work.
This recipe could easily be tripled, quadrupled or more, and kept warm in a crock pot to serve at parties and potlucks. If doing that, I would heat the whole batch in a pot on the stove, instead of in the microwave. You could also experiment with different flavors of tea (I think the Peach Apricot would be excellent) and substitute lemon slices for the orange. It's a versatile and simple recipe that you will be able to make your own.
Ingredients
- 2 "To Go" (single serving) packets Lipton Tea & Honey Blackberry Pomegranate Green Tea
- 4 cups water
- 1 orange
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Mix the tea and water in a one quart canning jar.
- Cut the orange into thick slices. Cut one slice in half and add both halves to the canning jar.
- Add the cinnamon stick to the jar.
- Heat in the microwave, on full power, for 3-4 minutes.
- Pour your warm, delicious Blackberry Pomegranate mock toddies into mugs and garnish with remaining orange slices and a cinnamon stick, if desired. Serve.
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I found Lipton Tea & Honey packets at our local Walmart, in the tea and coffee aisle. You can see my entire shopping trip by viewing my Google+ album. You can also learn more about Lipton’s new Tea & Honey varieties by following them on Twitter and liking them on Facebook. You’ll want to keep up-to-date on any specials, coupons or new recipes they post there. With the holidays just around the corner, the possibilities for some delicious “mocktails”, for your own parties, are only limited by your imagination!
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I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Lipton. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product. #CBias #SocialFabric #FamilyTeaTime
Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy Sunday night supper, something to take to the church potluck or a new twist on appetizers for your buffet table, you can’t help but be the hit of the party with these sliders. I have pinned several versions on my Pinterest recipe boards and, of course, it [...]
Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy Sunday night supper, something to take to the church potluck or a new twist on appetizers for your buffet table, you can’t help but be the hit of the party with these sliders. I have pinned several versions on my Pinterest recipe boards and, of course, it is always my intention when I’m pinning them, to actually go ahead and make them. Last week, I finally got around to putting them together and oh gravy! These are really good! The recipe I tried comes from Janelle at Comfy in the Kitchen. I didn’t change much, other than using half white bread and half whole wheat, plus mixing up the deli meat and condiments a bit . Next time, I do think I will cut the brown sugar in half, since my crew prefers not too have to much sweet with their savory. But, sugar aside, these are fantastic! You really do have to try them. Your family will crown you Chef Extraordinaire! You know you want a crown. :) Okay, enough with illusions of grandeur. Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!
These delicious poppyseed sliders will make you swoon. I used smoked turkey in half of them and ham in the other half. They're served hot, with the wonderful caramelized sauce and ooey, gooey, melty cheese.
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Ingredients
- 1/2 lb deli ham, thinly sliced
- 1/2 lb deli smoked turkey, thinly sliced
- 12 white American cheese slices
- 2 (12 ct pkgs) dinner rolls (I used 1 white and 1 wheat)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- To build the sandwiches, I sliced the white rolls and place two slices of ham on each roll with a little Miracle Whip.
- Then I cut the cheese slice into quarters and used 2 quarters on each sandwich.
- For the smoked turkey sliders, I used the wheat rolls and barbecue sauce instead of mayo. Otherwise, they were assembled in exactly the same way as the ham.
- I put all 24 sandwiches into my 9x13 stoneware baker. Any 9x13 cake pan will work.
- To make the sauce, add butter, mustard, Worcestershire, poppy seeds, and brown sugar to a medium saucepan.
- Bring the sauce ingredients to a boil.
- Drizzle the entire pan of sauce over the sandwiches in your baking pan.
- Your sandwiches will be completely coated. Most of the sauce will stay on top of the rolls, because they are pressed together so tightly in the pan. Some may seep down to the bottom and that's okay.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes or so to caramelize the sauce on top of your sandwiches.
- Remove from oven and serve. We ate ours with a fresh veggie salad. SO good!!!!
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/smoked-turkey-and-ham-sliders-with-caramelized-poppyseed-glaze-delish/Over the past two years, I have begun weeding out more and more of my expensive and toxic household cleaners and replacing them with homemade substitutes that work as well, or even better. You’ve all probably seen my homemade laundry detergent recipe (20.4¢ for homemade vs. $12-$14 retail) and I’ve recently added a homemade “shout” laundry stain remover [...]
Over the past two years, I have begun weeding out more and more of my expensive and toxic household cleaners and replacing them with homemade substitutes that work as well, or even better. You’ve all probably seen my homemade laundry detergent recipe (20.4¢ for homemade vs. $12-$14 retail) and I’ve recently added a homemade “shout” laundry stain remover recipe (now tested successfully on both colors and whites, by the way.) Even our liquid hand soap has been replaced by my homemade foaming soap version. Why would I go to the time and trouble of making these products at home? Cold hard cash! They can all be made for pennies on the dollar, when compared to what you are spending to buy them at the store. Plus, they don’t actually take that long to make — some only a few minutes!
Beyond that, homemade cleaners, made with natural products, are better for the environment and exponentially better for your family’s safety and health. The chemicals and ingredients (and their fumes) in typical household cleaners can be terribly dangerous and many build up in our systems over decades of use. Even liquid hand soap, many shower gels, lotions, face soaps and dish soaps, sadly, even many toothpastes, now contain the “antibacterial” ingredient, triclosan. In my opinion, you wouldn’t need to read more than one or two articles about this pesticide, before you would refuse to expose your home and family to it, but that’s a post for another day. :) With homemade cleaners, you can be confident you are providing the safest and most economical options for your family because you know exactly what you’ve put in them. It makes sense for your health, your budget and the environment.
I needed to make a quick Walmart run to restock a few ingredients to make my favorite DIY cleaning products. The most critical need was for vinegar. I was completely out. You are welcome to check out my whole shopping trip in this Google+ album.
My local grocery store offers a great variety of vinegars for all my cooking needs, plus the white vinegar I like to use in my homemade cleaning supplies.
One of the most commonly used ingredients in making your own household cleaners and even personal care products is vinegar. Raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar has some incredible health benefits, that we can discuss at another time, but today, I want to talk about white vinegar. White vinegar is readily available and very inexpensive, usually around $2.50 a gallon, in our area. I was excited to see that Heinz is marketing a cleaning strength white vinegar, now, with a slightly higher acidity (6% as opposed to 5%) than standard white vinegars. This little boost in acidity, adds extra oomph and effectiveness to my homemade cleaning products without a noticeable increase in cost. Score!
Only $2.98 for a whole gallon. That will make tons of "just for pennies" cleaning supplies!
If you haven’t cleaned with vinegar, before, you’re missing out on a very effective multi-purpose cleaner or cleaning ingredient. For those just getting started with natural cleaning supplies, the biggest objection to vinegar is usually that they are afraid their home will smell like vinegar. Honestly, you don’t notice the smell unless you are using it straight, and even then, that vinegar fragrance dissipates pretty quickly. But, you can try this great tip I found over at Frugal Freebies for scenting your vinegar and then you won’t have to worry about it at all!
There are literally hundreds of uses for vinegar, some pretty well known, others may be new to you. For instance, did you know that not only is vinegar good for taking the itch out of bug bites, if you put it in a spray bottle and spritz it on your skin, the smell will go away in a few minutes, but you will be protected from bug bites for the rest of the evening? Nothing could smell worse or be worse for you than the commercial bug repellents being sold, now. I’m so excited to try this, next summer! Along the same vein, pouring vinegar around the outside of your kids’ backyard pool will keep flies and pests away and if you do the same around the children’s sandbox, not only will it repel bugs, but it will keep neighborhood cats from using it as a litterbox. I hate that! This is such a good idea.
Of course, vinegar is one of the most commonly used natural cleaners for glass, mirrors and windows. My problem has always been that I still ended up with streaks when using it straight. Then I read Andrea’s post, over at Simple Organized Living. Her glass cleaner still utilizes the acidity of vinegar for super cleaning and degreasing, but with the addition of a couple other ingredients, leaves glass sparkling and streak-free!
Ingredients
- 2 c. water
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients by pouring them into a spray bottle, replacing the lid and then shaking. You definitely need to shake this, again, before each use, because the cornstarch will settle to the bottom, but you will have sparkling clean, streak-free windows for pennies!
- Here's my mirror before cleaning with my homemade window cleaner. I had no idea how hard it is to take a picture of a mirror and have the schmutz actually show up, but it's there -- all the smudges and spots there in the center.
- And here's the after, with fingerprints, smudges and spots cleared away and the mirror completely streak-free!
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/best-diy-bathroom-spray-tub-scrub-and-window-cleaner-recipes/Did you know that using a cotton ball to blot vinegar on cold sores will help dry them up? Mix one part vinegar with 10 parts water and apply it in the same way, to help clear up acne. Apparently, even warts can be treated by dotting a small drop of vinegar onto the pad of a bandage and then applying directly to the wart. Replace the bandage each evening, for 7 days, and the wart should be gone.
When it comes to cleaning your house, there are even more practical uses for vinegar:
- Use in the laundry to soften clothes and reduce static cling. Just pour it into the fabric softener dispenser in your machine. The vinegar smell has never been in our clean clothes, afterward.
- I use white vinegar to clean the tub of my washing machine, by adding vinegar to the fill line in my soap dispenser and then running the cleaning cycle.
- Vinegar is food safe, so there are many ways to use it in the kitchen, like cleaning the inside walls, shelves and drawers of your refrigerator. You can also use a solution of 1 part vinegar, to 1 part water, to safely clean the residue from fruits and vegetables.
- Use white vinegar in your dishwasher, in place of Jet Dry, to eliminate water spots and help rinse away soap residue.
- Use vinegar as one of the ingredients to make your own bathroom cleaners. These are my two most favorite recipes for cleaners that disinfect and clean like crazy in the bathroom. Love them!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Borax
- 1 teaspoon finely grated Fels Naptha
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon castile soap
- 18 drops lavender essential oil
- 5 drops tea tree oil
Instructions
- Boil the water and vinegar, together.
- Dissolve Borax and Fels Naptha in boiled vinegar water.
- Cool to room temperature and add castile soap and essential oils.
- Mix thoroughly and pour in a spray bottle.
- Label bottle clearly and use this cleaner to clean the vanity, toilet and tub surfaces in your bathroom.
- It polishes the chrome fixtures and leaves them shining.
- I was almost too embarrassed to show you these pictures. Since we have bought this house, I have struggled with some sort of orangey build-up stain on the grout in our shower. I'm so excited, because this is the first product I have ever found to kill and remove whatever it was.
- Great all around cleaner that has the natural disinfecting properties of tea tree oil and lavender.
- For a super difficult build-up of soap scum or lime scale and tougher stains, spray the affected area with this cleaner; and then use my Bathroom Scrub recipe, below, to put the sparkle back in your bathroom.
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I found this next recipe over at Cajun Joie De Vivre and it is definitely a keeper! I have changed very little, but the recipe below is how I make it. I use it for tough lime, soap scum build up and other stains in the bathroom; and I actually use it on my kitchen sink, too! It works better than any commercial bathroom cleanser I have ever tried and its so inexpensive to make, requiring only small amounts of ingredients that I always have on hand, because I use them in many other cleaning supply recipes, as well. This is another staple, that will make cleaning your bathroom so much easier!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup Castile soap
- 1/4 cup washing soda
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 20 drops lavender essential oil
- 5 drops tea tree oil
Instructions
- Mix baking soda, salt and washing soda.
- Stir in the vinegar and allow it to foam up and then settle back down.
- Add coconut oil, castile soap and essential oils.
- Mix until all ingredients are combined. The mixture will be moist, but crumbly. Pack into a container with a tight-fitting lid.
- To use, spritz the affected area with the spray bathroom cleaner, from the recipe above, or with water. Let it set for a couple of minutes and then sprinkle a small amount of this scrub on a damp cloth to clean built-up soap scum, hard water or lime deposits and other tough stains.
- The power of this inexpensive, all-natural cleaner is evident in the picture, below. The left side has already been scrubbed and the right is about to be. When I first discovered this formula, the author wrote that I would be scrubbing off build-up that previous cleaners left behind and I didn't even know was there, until I started scrubbing with this one. She understated the issue!
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For the purposes of economical, ecologically sound and effective DIY household cleaners, white vinegar will be a must in your cleaning arsenal. I think Heinz Cleaning Vinegar provides the best value and cleaning power for the money spent and it will be a staple under my kitchen cabinet.
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I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and HEINZ. #CBias #SocialFabric #HeinzVinegar
Apple butter is a thick, fruity, cinnamony spread that is simple to make from just a few ingredients if you have your own apple trees. We don’t have trees and only picked up enough apples for some apple crisp baking, this year. So no canning for me. Fortunately, apple butter is readily available, year-round, in [...]
Apple butter is a thick, fruity, cinnamony spread that is simple to make from just a few ingredients if you have your own apple trees. We don’t have trees and only picked up enough apples for some apple crisp baking, this year. So no canning for me. Fortunately, apple butter is readily available, year-round, in the jam and jelly aisle of most supermarkets. It’s non-dairy, even though “butter” is part of the name. That’s just referring to its smooth, spreadable consistency. Apple butter reminds me of everything I love about fall — cooler, crisp air; lots and lots of baking and the aroma of warm spices, like cinnamon, wafting from my kitchen. It’s not just great as a spread on toast and English muffins, it’s fabulous to bake and cook with, too. I had a chance this week to create a recipe using Musselman’s Apple Butter and oh man! – it hits on every delicious count. This recipe would be great for gift-giving and for holiday buffet tables. You can serve it warm from the oven, but our family likes it, best, served cold. The rich, warm flavors of the apples and spices, and the moist texture, are magnified after a few hours in the refrigerator. Like other quick breads, you should be able to make this ahead and freeze it for several months. I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to make it into muffins, either. I hope your family enjoys Apple Butter Quick Bread as much as mine has.
All the best things about fall, baked into a delicious appley, cinnamony loaf! The flavor, texture and doneness of this loaf were perfect, even though, as you can see, it sunk a little in the center of the top of the loaf. I'm not sure what that's about, but if one of you can lend some insight, I hope you'll clue me in.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup apple juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup apple butter
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup unbleached, all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugars together.
- Mix in the eggs,
- the apple butter and apple juice
- and the vanilla.
- Beat until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and continue mixing until everything is incorporated and a thick batter is formed.
- Pour the bread batter into a well-greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 65-70 minutes.
- Serve this delicious bread, warm from the oven or cool and then refrigerate. Our family likes it best cold, as the moistness and flavor are magnified after being chilled.
- As you can see from this picture, my loaf formed a slight indentation in the top of the loaf. I'm not sure why, but it didn't affect flavor, texture or doneness in any way, so if yours does the same -- no worries. It will be fabulous!
- To freeze, wrap cooled bread tightly in plastic wrap and then insert in a ziptop freezer bag or wrap with two layers of aluminum foil.
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Print a coupon for 40¢ off a 28 oz jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter.
The product package I received to review and the same product package that a lucky Busy-at-Home reader will win, to help kick-start their fall and holiday baking! It includes a jar of Musselman's Apple Butter, a wooden spurtle (A spatula and/or flipper originating in Scotland in the 1400's, which is perfect for reaching into and scraping the sides of condiment jars!) and three recipe cards featuring apple butter -- Sweet Potato Apple Butter Casserole, Monkey Bread, and Apple Butter Marinade for Chicken.
GIVEAWAY
Mandatory Entry: To enter the giveaway, visit the Musselman’s website and look through the delicious recipe options utilizing apple butter. Leave a comment on this post telling me which of the recipes you would most like to try. Register your entries using the Rafflecopter form, below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received a jar of Musselman’s Apple Butter, recipe cards and a spurtle to test them in my own kitchen and create a recipe. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. The views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product. The recipe is a Busy-at-Home original.
Talk about a dream machine!!! I’ve been having a BLAST testing my new Blendtec Total Classic Blender with the WildSide jar and the Twister Jar accessory. I have been putting them through the paces, so I could report to you about the quality of this powerful and versatile kitchen machine. In case you hadn’t guessed, I am head-over-heels for [...]
Talk about a dream machine!!! I’ve been having a BLAST testing my new Blendtec Total Classic Blender with the WildSide jar and the Twister Jar accessory. I have been putting them through the paces, so I could report to you about the quality of this powerful and versatile kitchen machine. In case you hadn’t guessed, I am head-over-heels for the Blendtec! It’s 1560 watts of incredible power with a 4″ precision tuned blade. I was amazed when I looked at the blades in both the Wildside Jar AND the Twister Jar. To look at them, they are about 1/16″ thick and blunt — no sharp edges. You KNOW the first thing I did was reach in and run my finger across it. While it wasn’t 100% blunt, my finger definitely didn’t meet any sharp edges, unlike the multitude of other blenders I have owned, over the years. The Wild Side Jar (it has an extra 5th side) holds almost 3 quarts and is BPA-free, so it can tackle jobs that other blenders simply don’t have the capacity to handle. And speed!!!! Oh my goodness! It’s phenomenal how quickly you can whip up something healthy and delicious, with little, to no, effort. This professional quality appliance will change the way you work in your kitchen. You won’t believe everything I’ve done with it, so far!
This is the Blendtec Total Classic Blender, Wildside Jar, Twister Jar, cookbook and spatula I reviewed and the same set that one lucky Busy-at-Home reader will win for their own kitchen!!!!
From the moment I started reading about the Blendtec, I knew that making ice cream would be my first attempt at using it. I was so curious as to how ice cream could be frozen without an ice cream machine or without being full of gritty, ice crystals. Well, the Blendtec performed beyond my wildest dreams AND provided something I never thought could happen — a healthy ice cream that my kids will eat. After reading through the options in the included Blendtec cookbook, I made a few variations of one of their ice cream recipes. The beauty of it is that you can make different flavors for different family members, so everyone can have their favorites and a batch is literally done in LESS than 60 seconds!
I actually made three different flavors of ice cream in a span of about 20 minutes. Taking pictures of the steps, the finished products and enjoying their yumminess took way more time than actually making the ice cream. Using frozen fruit, coconut milk, lemon juice and only 2-3 Tablespoons of sugar, I could mix up a batch in less than 60 seconds! It's absolutely DELISH - creamy, smooth, & satisfying!
- First I made raspberry, then peach and then pineapple. You can’t believe how good (and how much healthier) these are compared to commercial ice cream!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 2 - 3 Tablespoons sugar (to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 rounded cups frozen fruit (choose your favorite)
Instructions
- I used the Twister Jar for this recipe, but I think it would do just as well in the Wild Side Jar.
- Simply place all the ingredients in the jar, in the order listed. If you're using the Twister Jar, hold the Twister Lid with one hand and with the other hand, select the Speed Up button (up arrow) to Speed 7 and run for 40-50 seconds or until smooth. Turn the twister Lid counter-clockwise while blending.
- If making this in the WildSide jar, I would double the recipe and select the Ice Cream button to make it.
- Serve your delicious, healthy, soft-serve ice cream immediately.
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I haven’t tried it, yet, but I’m toying with the idea of freezing mashed pumpkin or canned pumpkin in ice cube trays, then using that in place of frozen fruit and adding in all those warm, fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves to make a pumpkin pie version of this ice cream. I’ll let you know, if I get it done. :)
Next I tested the ice shaving (crushing) feature. All the promos say that the Blendtec can turn ice cubes into snow in seconds. Not chunky ice crystals or gritty, slushy ice, but snow. Oh my gravy! They didn’t lie.
I started with 5 cups of ice cubes in my WildSide jar.
I put the lid on the jar and selected the Ice Crush button. It's pre-programmed and shut itself off automatically at the end of the cycle.
Extraordinary! I've never seen so much power and the job was completed in seconds! It's, literally, snow. This would make fantastic blended drinks, smoothies and snow cones. Yum!
Next, I filled my WildSide jar with a combination of veggies, that I just had in the fridge. I broke them into chunks and added about 3/4 cup of water. I don’t know if your family is like mine, but they love veggies and their flavor, IF they don’t know that’s what they’re eating. I have been camouflaging vegetables in my family’s favorite dishes for years; and after seeing all that the Blendtec can accomplish, I had an idea. With the cool fall weather, soup is a staple in our home and no matter what kind I make, I love to cook lots of vegetables in the stock for the flavor and nutrition. Not being fans of very soft-cooked vegetables, my family rarely wants to eat them, though; and I either puree them and add them back to the stock, or simply throw them out. I knew with more liquid and a few seasonings, I could use these vegetables to make my own version of V-8 juice, but I wanted to make a slightly thicker, albeit smooth base to add to soups.
The veggies I used to make my veggie "soup and stew base". It was just what i had in the fridge and it turned out SOOO good!
So I pureed a full blender jar of RAW veggies in only 3/4 cup of water, adding about 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons of worcestershire and 1 teaspoon of salt. The resulting “vegetable base” was delicious and perfect to bring extraordinary flavor to soups and stew broths! It’s simple and you can use your family’s favorite vegetables, herbs and seasonings. I normally wouldn’t put cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber or tomatoes in my chicken soup stock, but the addition of the extra fiber, flavor (and antioxidants) was a huge hit! The other “up-side” to prepping the vegetables in this way is that I’m not fishing hot, cooked vegetables out of my stock, then trying to blend hot vegetables and liquid in the blender and then, finally, adding them back to the stock pot. Much simpler and safer, this way!
The resulting veggie base had great flavor to impart to soups and stews. I'm guessing it would be fairly easy to mix into spaghetti sauce and casserole sauces, as well. I poured some in this bowl to try and give you an idea of how thick and rich it is. This is about 1/3 of what the batch actually made, so it would definitely add fabulous flavor to a batch of homemade chicken stock or a beef stew gravy. Yum!
After vegetables, I decided to make a typical blender or food processor staple — bread crumbs. The difference was I was going to use fresh bread, not dry or toasted. Typically, that choice would result in a blender full of gummy dough balls. There is definitely no reason to go to the expense of buying pre-made bread crumbs, any longer. Use your own homemade bread and you’ll know exactly what’s in them. Plus, you can season them as you wish. Of course, if you have day old or dry bread, it will be simple to make your bread crumbs, but if you don’t — no worries. Blendtec’s got you covered. :)
I tore four slices of bread into large pieces and put them in the WildSide jar. I used the "Speed Up" arrow button to go to speed one.
In about 15 seconds, I had these gorgeous bread crumbs -- perfect for meatballs, topping casseroles, meat loaf or breading something to be fried. Super simple! They could easily be seasoned or toasted.
Curious, and maybe even a little skeptical, the final task I out set out to accomplish with my Blendtec was grinding meat. I know all of you struggle, just as much as I do, navigating the grocery store in light of steadily rising food prices and incomes that don’t keep up with the increased cost of living. Paying nearly $4.00 a lb for hamburger is very difficult for me to justify. So when I saw bottom round roast go on sale for $1.98 in one of our local markets, I decided to put the Blendtec to the test. I know you will be as excited as I am at what I achieved and the potential for savings and better nutrition that can come from grinding meat, fresh, in your own kitchen.
Bottom round roast for $1.98 a lb. I intend to turn it into very economical, fresh and lean ground beef!
I cut the roast into approximately 2 inch cubes. I will do a better job of trimming the fat BEFORE cubing it, next time. The thicker pieces of fat, didn't grind as easily as the meat and a few larger chunks of fat needed to be picked out of the finished meat. But, no one was more surprised than me at how quickly and effectively the Blendtec produced ground beef from my roast.
Can you believe it! I couldn't be more pleased!
The hamburgers were easily shaped and fried, just as though I had purchased the meat, already ground.
Delicious, inexpensive and easy!
I don’t have one reservation about the Blendtec Total Classic Blender with the WildSide jar. Upon first receiving it, I was disappointed to learn I had been sent a factory reconditioned base with new jars. My disappointment was immediately alleviated when I learned that reconditioned Blendtec blenders have the same 7-year warranty as the new models, because they have been restored to like new condition, often having been returned for cosmetic reasons. Any necessary repairs are made and the good as new appliance is ready for a new owner. The giveaway winner will receive the same high quality items that I’ve been testing in my own kitchen — a factory reconditioned Blendtec Total Classic Blender Base with new Wild Side Jar and new Twister Jar!
There is so much more I’m excited to try with the Blendtec, but this post is getting longer and longer and I definitely need to leave room for the giveaway! There are dressings, and sauces, dips and nut butters, hummus and freshly milled flours, in my very near future. The potential of this amazing appliance is limited only by imagination. I can’t wait to test it further and I can unreservedly recommend it as a professional-quality, essential, kitchen appliance that will eliminate the need for, and most certainly outperform, many of your other appliances. You’re going to LOVE it!
GIVEAWAY RULES
- You must be 18 or older and reside in the United States to enter.
- Mandatory Entry (must be completed, before optional entries will be counted.) Leave a comment on this post telling me the first thing you would make if you win this fabulous Blendtec. Then use the Rafflecopter form, below, to register your entry!
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I received a Blendtec Reconditioned Blender with Wild Side and Twister Jars in order to test them in my own kitchen and gather data for this review. No monetary compensation was received. The views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product. Links in the post include my affiliate ID.
Thursday night is Grandkids Night. No matter what other hubbub and chaos are happening the rest of the week, I know that Thursday night is just going to be smiles, hugs, fun and laughter and I never get tired of it. I love having this established tradition and feel so blessed to have the grandchildren [...]
Thursday night is Grandkids Night. No matter what other hubbub and chaos are happening the rest of the week, I know that Thursday night is just going to be smiles, hugs, fun and laughter and I never get tired of it. I love having this established tradition and feel so blessed to have the grandchildren living nearby. There are certain things that are a given about going to Grandma’s — playing Barbies or watching movies with Aunt Rissa, snuggling with Grandma and Grandpa, playing hide and seek around the dining room-kitchen-front room “loop” with Uncle Michael AND dessert! :) It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular to impress and dazzle, but when it IS something out of the ordinary, the oooohhhs and aaahhhs and happy giggles put Grandma’s Thursday night fun over-the-top.
Our local Walmart carried the Vanilla and Chocolate flavors of new Cool Whip Frosting.
Tonight, I decided to take everyday cupcakes and make them something special using the new Cool Whip Frosting I found at Walmart. You can check out my Google + album if you want to see my whole shopping trip. Cool Whip Frosting comes in three varieties: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Cream Cheese and wow! is it delicious! I discovered that it is comparably priced to other pre-made frostings, but the light, whipped cream texture, with the delicious creamy flavors is sensational and very different from others we’ve tried. You can pick it up in the freezer case, right next to Cool Whip. I let mine thaw in the fridge overnight, since I didn’t need it until the next day, but I’m sure it would thaw much more quickly on the counter. With my favorite chocolate cake recipe, Cool Whip Vanilla Frosting and a few sliced strawberries our everyday dessert for Thursday Night with the Grandkids made Grandma a rock star!
I took my favorite cake recipe and used it to create these simple, but delicious, Chocolate Strawberry Cloud Cupcakes with new Cool Whip Frosting. Were they a hit? You bet!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 tubs Cool Whip Vanilla Frosting
- 1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Add eggs, vanilla and milk and beat hard to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. (Batter will be very thick and fluffy.)
- Beat in the boiling water.
- Grease or line 24 muffin tins and use the batter to fill cups about 2/3 full. This recipe should make 24 cupcakes.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
- Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
- When cupcakes are cool, slice off and set aside the tops.
- Place a generous dollop of Cool Whip Vanilla Frosting on the bottom portions of the cupcakes.
- Arrange strawberry slices over the frosting.
- Using a small amount of frosting as "glue", attach the cupcake tops over the strawberries.
- Frost the tops and decorate with more strawberry slices.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
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If you’d like more information about Cool Whip Frosting or ideas for making your own everyday dessert something special, be sure to check out these recipe ideas from Kraft and like Cool Whip on Facebook.
I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Kraft Cool Whip. #CoolWhipFrosting #CBias #SocialFabric. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
End of summer is a crazy time. We’re still finishing up those last fun, warm weather activities and trying to squeeze every drop of freedom and fun out of the last days of warmer weather. As we do that, though, the schedules, time crunches and added responsibilities of everything that goes with fall and back-to-school [...]
End of summer is a crazy time. We’re still finishing up those last fun, warm weather activities and trying to squeeze every drop of freedom and fun out of the last days of warmer weather. As we do that, though, the schedules, time crunches and added responsibilities of everything that goes with fall and back-to-school gets tossed into the mix and we can get overwhelmed. By the end of the day, I’m tired and if I don’t have a plan or an option for something “quick”, it won’t be long before I have succumbed to the urge to “just order in” or hit a drive-thru. This is a bad habit to fall into, for our health and for the health of our grocery budgets. There is no way around the fact that, cooking at home, we will spend a fraction of the money it takes to eat out. The trade-off is in time and sometimes, you and I both let that get the best of us. You’ll love the solution I’ve found for those occasional harried evenings. Of course it would be from a brand I know and trust – Kraft.
All you need for DELICIOUS bacon cheddar cheese burgers!
Kraft Fresh Takes include packets of cheese and/or bread crumbs, spices and seasonings. Everything you need to prepare a delicious meat dish, in one handy package! This is the contents of my Bacon Cheddar.
Kraft Fresh Takes are a brand new way to “spice up” a quick meal at home and serve food your family will love, for a lot less than a “drive-thru dinner. I got to test them, this past week and I really loved the bacon cheddar variety! You know, I mixed it up a little though, since these tasty products were designed for breading/coating chicken, fish or pork chops. Something about seeing the words bacon and cheddar made me think BURGERS! I had a 2 1/4 lb package of ground chuck and I simply mixed in the contents of both the cheese and crumb packets from two Bacon Cheddar Fresh Take packages. Then I grilled them up, along with some fresh sweet corn and we had one of the most delicious and easy suppers I’ve prepped in a long time!
Who wouldn't love this delicious dinner? And it's so simple and fast to prepare!
It was a quick weeknight supper that had the whole family raving and I am anxious to try some of the other varieties, soon (I have a 4 Cheese package in my fridge as we speak. :) ) And as a hint, I have another idea for “thinking outside the box” with these, because I think some of them would be fantastic in quick weeknight casseroles – blending in the cheeses and then topping with the flavorful bread crumbs, for a flavorful, crunchy topping. That means that Kraft Fresh Takes have a ton of versatility, offer some tasty alternatives to the same old, same old and can help you make a “quick supper” a powerhouse of flavor and texture. They are available in six great flavors: Italian Parmesan, Chili Lime and Panko, Rosemary and Roasted Garlic, Cheddar and Bacon, Southwest Three Cheese, and Savory Four Cheese.
Ready to head to the grill with everything prepped and together in my handy-dandy Quirky Porter BBQ Prep & Serve Tray! I absolutely love it!
Don't those look fabulous?!!! It was such a tasty, simple dinner and quick and easy to prepare. It's easy to make something amazing, with Kraft Fresh Takes, for a weeknight supper!
One lucky Busy-at-Home reader is going to win a prize pack from Kraft that includes coupons for FREE Kraft Fresh Takes, a Quirky Porter BBQ Prep & Serve Tray (my new favorite grilling tool), and a Fox Run Mesh Food Cover!
The Kraft "Make Something Amazing" Prize Pack that one of you will win! (The Fresh Takes will come in the form of a coupon for FREE product, so you can select your favorite variety!) and you'll also receive a Quirky Porter BBQ Prep & Serve Tray and a Fox Run Mesh Food Cover.
GIVEAWAY:
- You must be a resident of the U.S. and at least 18 to enter.
- Mandatory entry MUST be completed before any other optional entries will be accepted.
- Winner will be chosen in a random drawing from all eligible entries.
MANDATORY ENTRY: Go to the Kraft website and check out the recipe ideas for all the great new Fresh Takes flavors. In a comment on this blog post, tell me which recipe you would love to try and the Fresh Takes variety it calls for. Or if you have an idea of your own, choose one variety and tell me how you would use it. Click the DO IT and then Enter button in the Rafflecopter Form, below, and you are entered. You will unlock all the optional entries at that time and you can add as many of them as you would like, to increase your odds of winning. Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received the Kraft Fresh Takes prize pack, pictured above, in order to test the products in my own kitchen and collect data for this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product. While Busy-at-Home administers the giveaway and randomly selects the winner, the prize is provided and shipped by Kraft Foods.
How did I ever miss that August 10 is National S’mores Day?!!! I shudder to think of the marshmallow chocolatey graham goodness I’ve been missing by being so uninformed. No worries, though! We’ve marked it on the calendar and I promise to consume one or two extra to make up for previous years. :) You [...]
How did I ever miss that August 10 is National S’mores Day?!!! I shudder to think of the marshmallow chocolatey graham goodness I’ve been missing by being so uninformed. No worries, though! We’ve marked it on the calendar and I promise to consume one or two extra to make up for previous years. :) You probably should, too. Just sayin’…
The indoor "campgrounds" and s'more building central at BlogHer 2012, sponsored by Hershey's.
I got to meet with the great people from Hershey’s while I was at BlogHer, in New York, last week. I had a blast visiting their “Bondfire” Camp Out in a Suite on the 43rd floor of our hotel! Today, I received a fun basket of tasty ingredients to be sure we didn’t miss out on this sweet national holiday. It’s hard to beat going to the mailbox and finding a basket of Graham Crackers, Marshmallows and Hershey Bars. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it — right? That basket also included the coolest pair of adjustable length marshmallow toasting forks, that I have ever seen. Love it! Even better news? One Busy-at-Home reader will win their own handy dandy S’mores Kit, to kick off all their fall bonfire, marshmallow-toasting revelry in style!
The basket I received had marshmallows, Hershey bars, graham crackers and marshmallow roasting forks. A giveaway winner will receive the same great prize!
Whether you make them inside, under the broiler, or outside roasting the marshmallows over a flame, s’mores are a universal treat that transcends all generational barriers. Everybody loves the ooey, gooey, chocolatey yum smooshed between two graham crackers! It’s the perfect balance of taste and texture and s’mores are super simple to make.
Just fire up the grill, set a bonfire ablaze, or heat up your broiler while you assemble the short list of ingredients.
I rounded up the ingredients and headed for the grill. I'm loving those adjustable length marshmallow roasting forks!
There are no special tricks to roasting the perfect marshmallow. ”Perfect” is directly related to the preferences of the roaster. Some aren’t happy until their marshmallow is a flaming orb of molten sugar, gradually cooling to an ashy, burnt mass. I’m more of a golden brown and gooey kind of marshmallow roaster. If you insist on flaming orbs, though, it’s okay with me. It’s just yuck — that’s all. :)
The adjustable forks allowed me to get the marshmallow near the flame without toasting my hands!
Once your marshmallow is cooked to suit your particular fancy, place a square of Hershey chocolate on top of a graham cracker square. Then slide the toasted marshmallow onto the chocolate, so the heat from the marshmallow can begin to soften and melt the chocolate.
It’s only a matter of seconds after you put the second graham cracker square on top, that the heat of the marshmallow really begins to melt into the chocolate and meld the flavors. One bite of the sweet, crunchy sandwich will send the gooey chocolate and marshmallow oozing out the sides (and probably down your chin) and you will have achieved the perfect s’more. Enjoy!
Happy National S'mores Day!
Entering the giveaway is EASY. As the mandatory entry, leave a blog post comment telling me whether you like your Hershey Bars plain or with almonds, then hit the DO IT button in the Rafflecopter form below, and you’ll be entered, as well as opening up additional optional entries. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received a basket of s’mores making supplies from Hershey’s to test in my own kitchen and to use in the collection of info for this post. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product. Giveaway prize will be shipped directly to the winner by Hershey’s.
Have you ever eaten Red Velvet Cake? Or baked one? As a Midwestern girl, who has been baking for more than 40 years, you would think that I would have run across one. But yesterday, I baked, and tasted, my very first. I read websites and recipes that claimed Red Velvet Cake for “the south”, [...]
Have you ever eaten Red Velvet Cake? Or baked one? As a Midwestern girl, who has been baking for more than 40 years, you would think that I would have run across one. But yesterday, I baked, and tasted, my very first. I read websites and recipes that claimed Red Velvet Cake for “the south”, but then there were some northern-folk who felt that their formula was probably the original. I never did discover where the idea actually started, but after a little research, their was no question people felt very personally attached to the memories Red Velvet Cake evoked and the recipes are handed down in families like a precious heirloom. Interestingly, they all come with their variations and quirks, making each unique and a custom creation. Rather than re-invent the wheel, I took bits and pieces from the different recipes I found and baked one for myself, which I think probably turned out to be pretty traditional, other than the fruity twist.
Red Velvet Cake with Raspberries
Isn't it gorgeous! This would be so pretty at Christmas time or add some blueberries to the raspberries and it would be perfect for the Fourth of July!
My interest was first piqued with the idea of baking a Red Velvet Cake, because of the new air freshener scents I received from Renuzit, this week — Chocolate Covered Cherries and Red Velvet Cake. I have shared with with you, before, how strongly I feel about certain scents and fragrances, (whether it be in laundry detergent, dish soap or air fresheners), to create a mood or set the tone in a home. Memories and experiences just seem to be so vivid and fresh when they are evoked by a smell that takes you back to the moment you experienced it. In my childhood, Chocolate Covered Cherries were the ultimate delicacy and the gift my dad received for every birthday, Father’s Day and Christmas. They were one of his favorites and if we were allowed to sample one — well that was just next to heaven. :) Cakes and cookies baking were common scents in our home, growing up, and a memory that I have spent years recreating for our own kids. I so enjoy being in the kitchen and expressing my love for my family through the foods I create for them there. Nothing is so welcoming, comforting and homey as a house filled with the smells of baking. These new Renuzit fragrances capture those warm, welcoming memories in deliciously extravagant scents. Check out Renuzit’s Facebook page to hear even more about their Tempting Indulgences air fresheners. You’re going to love them! And, when you smell them, and see these pictures, you’re going to want to eat Red Velvet Cake, too! But, I want to tweak this recipe some more. You can read about it in my notes, below. I just want it to be PERFECT for you and I don’t think it’s there, yet! Not a baking-fail, per se, but not yet, special. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, check out what I did and these gorgeous pictures!
It's amazing! The air freshener smells exactly like the cake I baked. It's uncanny how they can create those fragrances!
Since baking happens at our house on a very regular basis, I had nearly everything, on hand, that I needed to whip up a Red Velvet Cake; but, I was out of buttermilk. I decided to make a quick run to Walmart to get some and to grab a couple ingredients for some other recipes that were swirling and gelling in my brain over the last couple of days. It was going to be a quick “in and out”, so I did a very dangerous thing. (Insert crazy, sinister, oh no, not that, music here.) dun–dun–dun– I went in without a list! Please, do not try this at home! A trained professional navigated the store, without a list, and still came home with items not needed and neglected to purchase things they were planning to get. Actual dings were put in the budget in the making of this list-free shopping trip, both at the store and in the needed gas to repeat the trip for the unpurchased items. This is never a good idea for the family budget. So, don’t follow my bad example. Always shop with a list. :) If you want to see my entire shopping trip, check out my Google+ album.
Buttermilk. The original reason for entering the store and necessary for my cake. I bake with it often enough to need to keep it on hand, but not often enough to go through fresh buttermilk, every week. This powdered buttermilk is a fantastic option for me and always handy in the baking aisle.
I buzzed the air fresheners and end caps at our local Walmart to see if they were stocking the "yummy" new Renuzit scents. Not yet. 
If making this recipe, again, I would eliminate the vinegar and baking powder, (even though every Red Velvet recipe I found did use them.), increasing the baking soda to 2 teaspoons. Activating the baking soda with the vinegar, rendered it useless as a leavening agent, and seemed to contribute to the dryness of the cake. I prefer baking soda to baking powder in cakes, as I prefer very moist, dense cake. Baking powder creates more of a dry, airy, "box-cake crumb", in my opinion. I would also add an extra 1/2 cup butter, another 1/4 cup of cocoa and 3/4 cup of boiling water, as well as using all-purpose, instead of cake flour. . -- lol -- So basically, I would rewrite the recipe, again, and it would be nothing like a traditional Red Velvet Cake, but it WOULD be gorgeously red PLUS stupendously delicious. Once I have a chance to test those changes, and be better satisfied with the result, I will update this post with the new measurements.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 oz. red food coloring
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- 1 pint fresh raspberries
- fresh mint leaves
for the Cake
for the Frosting
for decorating and garnish
Instructions
- Grease and flour 3 eight-inch pans or 2 nine-inch pans.
- Sift cake flour into a bowl. Add cocoa, baking powder and salt to flour.
- Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time and then add the vanilla and food coloring.
- Add 1/3 of dry ingredient mixture.
- Mix in 1/2 of buttermilk.
- Add 1/3 dry ingredients.
- Last half of buttermilk.
- Last 1/3 of dry ingredients.
- Mix baking soda and vinegar together in a small bowl and quickly stir the mixture into your cake batter.
- Divide batter, evenly, between prepared pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (May need up to 30 for 9 inch pans)
- Toothpick inserted in center will come out clean.
- Cool, in the pans, on a wire rack for about 10 minutes and then remove the cakes from the pans and allow them to finish cooling completely.
- Use your favorite cream cheese icing to assemble the layers and frost the cake.
- Decorate with raspberries and mint leaves.
- Enjoy!
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