Grilling out! Or in...

This week I decided to do something in keeping with our season, but sadly I do not have a grill yet. That didn't stop me though, and I pulled out that grill pan I've mentioned before (get one if you don't have a grill!) and decided to go for it. I started with one of the more obvious southern classics, barbecue chicken, but our grocery store didn't have chicken thigh and leg quarters, so I had to try something new. I bought 3 whole chickens and broke them down myself! It might seem a bit daunting but it really isn't that difficult once you get down and dirty. It might not look perfect, but when you don't have any other options it'll definitely do in a pinch (And is a much cheaper option too!). I didn't wander into it blindly though, and if you're interested in doing the same I'd suggest checking out Alton Brown's video on butchering a chicken here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbc1aW5C1W0, he starts getting to the butchering around the 5 minute mark, don't worry about the dinosaur it'll make sense eventually! I also wanted to grill a vegetable and a dessert, something not a lot of people associate with the grill so I decided to do grilled bacon wrapped asparagus and grilled peaches with berry sauce as well. Everything turned out amazingly tasty and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

Barbecue Chicken

Ingredients

Brine:

• 2 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 chicken legs and thighs, still connected, bone in, skin on, about 10 ounces each

The Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 slice bacon
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours (if you've only got 15 minutes, that's fine). Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to cook all of the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low and cook for 20 minutes. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the chicken at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basting the legs.
Preheat oven 375 degrees F. Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium heat. Lightly oil the grills surface so it won't stick. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and cook, turn once mid-way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then brush liberally, coating every inch of the legs with the barbecue sauce and then return to the oven for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting the chicken for a second time half way through remaining cooking time. Serve with extra sauce.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Bundles

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears, trimmed 4 to 5 inches long tips
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• A few grinds black pepper
• 4 slices center cut bacon or pancetta
• Chopped chives or scallions, optional garnish

Preheat oven, if using, to 400 degrees F.

Lightly coat asparagus spears in extra-virgin olive oil. Season the asparagus with black pepper. Take a quick count of the spear tips. Divide the total number by four. Gather that number of spears and use a slice of bacon to wrap the bundle and secure the spears together. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

To grill, place bundles on hot grill and cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes until bacon is crisp and asparagus bundles are tender.

For oven preparation, place bundles on slotted broiler pan. Bake 12 minutes.

Grilled Peaches with Berry Sauce

 

(it refuses to load this the proper way! Gah interwebs why do you hate me so?)

Ingredients

• 1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries in syrup, slightly thawed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 fresh peaches, peeled and halved
• 5 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon butter or margarine

In a blender or food processor, process raspberries and lemon juice until pureed. Strain and discard seeds. Cover and chill. Place the peach halves, cut side up, on a large piece of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. x 12 in). Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle into peach centers. Sprinkle with vanilla; dot with butter. Fold foil over peaches and seal. Grill over medium-hot coals for 15 minutes or until heated through. To serve, spoon the raspberry sauce over peaches. 

Enjoy guys :) I know I'm not usually a big fan of asparagus but this was amazing! Hopefully you all like them too! 

Beef Burgundy

This week I made Beef Burgundy, a rich beef stew, along with a creamy Parmesan Polenta, which paired amazingly well together in a meal, I just ladled the soup over the polenta in a bowl and yum! The stew takes around 3 hours to make, so definitely start that first and make whatever side you're pairing with it while it cooks in the oven for 2 hours. Polenta is an Italian dish made with cornmeal, something very similar to grits if you've had those (but I think polenta tastes better) that reminds me a lot of how we usually use mashed potatoes. It pairs well with meats, and can be mixed up with different flavors, seasonings and cheeses. I was not too big of a fan of the flavor in this polenta, so I will definitely have to try another and share it if I like it better, but the good thing about it is, it's cheap to make! Another one of the neat things with polenta is, when using it in leftovers, you can let it solidify in a flat pan, and cut shapes out of it, and then grill or saute those shapes to use the next time! (I have a mickey mouse head cutter that I'm particularly fond of) Try it and let me know what you think! It definitely can be a nice change of pace from mashed potatoes :) 
  


Beef Burgundy

• 3 lb boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes, or bite sized pieces
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 ounces of bacon (about 4 slices), chopped
• 1 lb white button mushrooms, quartered
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 T all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine (pinot noir is what I used)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 t dried thyme
• 1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a dutch oven until it starts to smoke. Add half of the beef and brown for about 10 minutes, removing the beef and repeating with the other half of the beef, adding an extra tablespoon of oil for it. Add the remaining oil to the pot and return the heat to medium until shimmering. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft, then stir in the garlic and the flour. Cook that for one minute before adding the wine, scraping up any browned bits off the bottom as you stir it in. Add the broth, bay leaves and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover, transfer the pot to the oven and cook until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. While it's in the oven, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Add the mushrooms to the bacon grease and cook until brown, about 10 minutes. Add the pearl onions and cook until browned as well, about an extra 3 minutes. Pull the stew from the oven and stir in the vegetables along with the parsley. Remove the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the bacon just before serving! Enjoy!

Creamy Parmesan Polenta

• 3 T unsalted butter
• 2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated (about a cup)
• 6 cups of water
• salt
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely ground cornmeal (coarse is best, but if you can't find it fine will do alright, it'll just be a bit more gluey than smooth)

 Bring the water and 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Slowly add the cornmeal (very slowly!) while whisking in a circular motion to avoid clumping. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring often and vigorously, scraping the pots corners, for about 30 minutes. Stir in the butter and 3/4 cup parmesan, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese right before serving.

Slice and Dice, or just Slice

This week I picked up something from the little girl I watch all week, so the weekend has been pretty miserable, but I managed to scrape together a few easy recipes and definitely satisfied my pizza cravings. For these you can buy the premade dough at the store of course, but making it at home really is pretty simple and easy if you have the time. It's also cheap! One of my favourite things about pizza is how versatile it is, the ones I did here have pretty standard toppings, but there's no limit to what you can put on them. I've heard of pizza with an egg cooked on top of it, mayonnaise drizzled on another, and got a request for a chinese pizza, which I just might have to try to tackle sometime. So, while the recipes I'm sharing are very tasty, mix it up and make it your own :)

Basic Pizza Dough

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar 

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Hand tossing dough is really fun, especially when you start getting fancy with it. I tossed mine up in the air a few times, but be careful, don't want to lose all your work on the floor!



Basic Cheese Pizza

• 1 cup of crushed tomatoes
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1/2 pound of mozzarella either grated, or if fresh, sliced
• Basic Pizza dough mentioned above

Preheat oven to 500 degrees and place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven. In a food processor or blender combine tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and blend or process until smooth. Spread sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border along the edge of the dough. Sprinkle basil leaves on top of the sauce and then top with the parmesan. Finally sprinkle with the mozzarella and bake on the pizza stone for 8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the edges are golden brown. If you don't have a pizza stone follow the cooking directions outlined in the pizza dough recipe. Enjoy!

Three-Cheese Garden Pizza

• 1 pkg refrigerated pizza crust (or the pizza dough recipe mentioned above)
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
•  1 t italian seasoning
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced

If you have a mandoline, they're really handy for all of the vegetable slicing and are pretty decently priced, you can get ones that also grate and such too. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Unroll the dough onto a lightly greased stoneware pan, and stretch it to the desired size. Mix the oil with the garlic in a small bowl and brush over the top of the dough. Bake just the crust for 7 minutes, remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Combine all the cheeses in a large bowl and stir in the italian seasoning. Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture over the crust and then top evenly with all of the vegetables. Bake 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serves 6, or can be used as a delicious appetizer.

Whats your favorite pizza toppings? Anyone like anything really odd? 

We're going to Disney World..

This week was awesome, Saturday my parents showed up along with my sisters and the next day we headed to Orlando, where we had a fun week filled with Disney world, Universal Studios, and the beach. It was wonderful to see my family, and to get away from the house a little. It's been getting a little bit lonely and the break was refreshing. We just returned last night, and needless to say I didn't have any time to try out new recipes, but I definitely made a point to try some new foods and thought I'd share some of the meals here with you all! Maybe I'll even attempt to recreate some of them sometime on here :) Next week I'll resume my usual pace with some new recipes for you all to try, but for now, here's the awesome vacation food :) (forgive the quality, they were all taken with my cell phone)

 Starting off are these cornish pasties with garden salad, which I had at the Three Broomsticks in the wizarding world of harry potter in Universal studios. They were delicious; warm pastry filled with potatoes, vegetables and ground beef and wonderfully spiced. Also here I got to try butterbeer, which to my best guess is a mixture of cream soda and butterscotch and is simply delicious, especially when partially frozen into a slushy form! Definitely something I'm going to try to recreate at home sometime.

Next up is something I know most people haven't heard of before, or even knew you could eat, and these are fried zucchini flowers. They're the flower of the zucchini plant and are usually stuffed with something, in this case a mixture of ricotta, parmesan and I something else I couldn't quite put my finger on. They might sound weird, but they were actually very tasty, and the flavors mixed together really nicely. Not sure where one would go about finding and purchasing zucchini flowers, but if I can I may have to try these as well.

 Now for something a little more normal, but still something I had yet to try myself, white asparagus with cherry tomatoes. They were drizzled with olive oil and seasoned nicely. I don't think personally I'm too big of a fan of asparagus, but these went very well with the tomatoes and I did like it quite a bit. Was a very nice side dish to the fried zucchini flowers!

It also just so happened to be close to star wars weekend in Disney and I just happen to be a huge nerd. I might have picked up a hitchhiker or two along the way... Well that's it for now, next week I'll have some fresh new recipes to share, but in the meantime, whats the strangest new food that you've tried recently?

Everyone loves pie!

So this will have to be a very quick blog post, my family is visiting, just arrived yesterday, and we're about to leave for Orlando and Disneyworld here in just a little bit. Next week I'll share pictures of all the wonderful foods I get to try there, but for now, lets get to the recipes!
I decided to do pies, so I'll start off with my pie crust recipe, and then the different fillings that go with it. Also I'll share my recipe for oven roasted chicken, you can use whatever chicken you'd like, but I love making chicken this way, it always comes out moist and flavorful and delicious! Sorry I don't have any pictures this week, I'll add them when I get the chance but right now my house is too hectic! Enjoy!

Never-Fail Pie Crust

• 2 cups of flour
• 3/4 cup crisco
• 1/4 cup water

Measure 2 cups flour into bowl. Add crisco. Before blending, take out enough flour to add to the water to make a runny paste. Blend the flour and shortening until it makes a crumb like mixture and then add the paste and mix. Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. This makes enough for one pie, a top and bottom crust.

Oven Roasted Chicken

• Chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper
• Any other seasonings you'd like, I use garlic powder personally

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub the chicken in the oil and then season liberally with your salt pepper and seasonings. Place in foil and wrap up tightly so all of the moisture stays in. Bake in the oven for about an hour.

Apple Pie

• 1/2 cup of sugar

  1/4 cup flour

  1/2 t cinnamon

  1/2 t nutmeg

  1/8 t salt

  8 cups thinly sliced peeled and cored granny smith apples

  2 T butter

  Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one pastry round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. 

In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/4 cup flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir in apples until well mixed. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over filling. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate.
5 Roll other round of pastry into 10-inch round. Fold into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape. Unfold top pastry over filling; trim overhanging edge 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute as desired. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Serve warm if desired.  Personally I do a lattice top because my pie crusts always stick to the surface and it looks beautiful. 
Optional: Brush the top of the pie with milk and sprinkle with sugar, it gives it a beautiful top.

Chicken pot pie

• 3 cups of shredded chicken breast
• 2 cups of mixed veggies
• 1/3 cup of butter
• 1/3 cup of chopped onion
• 1/3 cup of flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1 3/4 cup of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of milk

Heat oven to 425 F, and prepare the pie crusts as directed in the apple pie recipe. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.  Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

I like Chinese

Well all the preparations for this week's blog post have definitely been interesting. I decided to do a few of my favourite Asian dishes: pot stickers, sesame chicken, and veggie chow mein. I got the first recipe from a guy named Alton Brown, if you haven't heard of him he's a personality on the Food Network, and he is what I would consider to be the foremost expert on all things food related. If you haven't seen his show "Good eats" I'd highly suggest checking it out. So while the ingredients may seem a bit odd, trust me, it is delicious! As for everything else, I had an interesting time finding some of these ingredients. A bit of advice, even though it may seem a bit racist, if you can't find any of the ingredients google an asian market in your town or area. If you can't find something there, call you local Chinese restaurant and ask them where to get it, that's how I found my sesame seeds.

Alton Brown's Perfect Pot Stickers

 (You're gonna want a bit of "burnt" looking on the outside, gives them a nice crisp done texture)

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 35 to 40 small wonton wrappers
• Water, for sealing wontons
• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 1/3 cups chicken stock, divided

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl (pork through cayenne). Set aside.
To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth (I used a sheet of paper towel soaked in water). Brush 2 of the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.
Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. (heat the pan til it's screaming hot and pour the water in, loosening up all the burnt and cooked in food) Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.

Sesame Chicken
 

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 dash sesame oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cubed
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon chile paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 quart olive oil for frying
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Sift flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder into a bowl. Pour in low-sodium soy sauce, sherry, 2 tablespoons water, vegetable oil, and a dash of sesame oil; stir until smooth. Stir in chicken until coated with the batter, then cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Dissolve 1/4 cup cornstarch into 1/2 cup of water, and stir into boiling sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens and turns clear, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and keep sauce warm.Heat olive oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to a temperature of 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Drop in the battered chicken pieces, a few at a time, and fry until they turn golden brown and float to the top of the oil, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. To serve, place fried chicken pieces onto a serving platter, and pour the hot sauce overtop. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds to garnish. Makes 6 servings.

 

Veggie Chow Mein 

• 12 cups of water
• 10.5 oz fresh, thin chinese style egg noodles (any thin egg noodles will do)
• 2 t sesame oil
• 1 T cooking oil
• 2 cups fresh bean sprouts
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup canned, sliced bamboo shoots, drained
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion
• 3 T dry sherry
• 3 T oyster sauce
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1 t sugar
• 1 t sesame seeds

Measure water into dutch oven or large pot. Bring to a boil and add noodles. Boil, uncovered, for about 1 minute until tender but firm. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain once more and return to the same pot. Add sesame oil and toss, set aside. Heat wok or large frying pan on medium-high heat until very hot. Add cooking oil and the next 4 ingredients. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes and then add the green onion. Stir and then add the next 4 ingredients. Stir once more before adding the noodles. Stir fry for about a minute until heated through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve! Makes about 8 servings.

Meat in a loaf!

So this week was another rather random week, trying to throw together relatively cheap recipes that would still taste awesome! I settled on meatloaf, because well everyone loves meatloaf, and it's one of the most fun things to play around with. I've done mexican meatloaf before, adding salsa, green peppers, queso fresco and tortilla chips, but this time I wanted to do something a little simpler, while still being fun and different. Then I was craving something sweet, so I decided to make a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Sadly I couldn't eat it all, so I gave some to my friend Amanda, but I'd be a bit worried if I ate the whole thing on my own!

Awesome Meatloaf

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 4 slices of bread
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of ketchup
• 1 packet of dried onion soup mix
• 6 slices of bacon
• 1 block of pepperjack
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl, and add the salt and pepper to taste. Place into a loaf pan and hollow out a depression in the middle large enough for the cheese, and wrap the rest of the beef mixture around it. Top with the bacon and bake for about an hour, or until browned all the way through. The bacon may turn the beef a bit pink on top, but don't worry, as long as it's brown through the middle it's done :) I baked mine on a pan because my loaf pan was full, and you can do it this way if you'd like, but is up to you :)


Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting

 Cake ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Frosting ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Enjoy! How do you like to make your meatloaf? Let me know!