Ending the Week Sweet

I lucked out with a 4 day weekend this week. I always have Thursdays off and then all of my classes got cancelled on Friday, but I’m not complaining. :-)

A lot of you have been asking what I have been up to lately, so I figured other than just sharing the recipes and meals I’ve been making/eating, I’d share a few pictures of what’s been consuming my time lately.

• A lot of studying—with mid-terms next week things get pretty busy as in reading, reading, reading, and memorizing.

• Packing for spring break—I’m taking a trip out to Boston starting next weekend for a few days to visit family. Any blogger’s in the area?—shoot me an email!

• Reviewing ALOT of great products I can’t wait to share!

• Enjoying the outdoors—I’ve been doing a lot of snowmobiling and four wheeling.

• Hanging out with my main squeeze and flying in his airplane. We flew up North to my hometown last weekend which was a lot of fun.

• And of course I couldn’t have a post without a new and sweet recipe right?! This cake is infused with a blend of aromatic spices, a fruit, AND a veggie! What a way to get five a day!!

Spiced Apple Carrot Cake

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1  cups  flour

1/2 + 1/4  cups Splenda (what I used) or  granulated sugar

1 1/8  teaspoons  baking soda

1/2 + 1/4 teaspoons  baking powder

1/2+ 1/4  teaspoons  cinnamon

1/8  teaspoon  ground cloves

1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg

1  teaspoons  unsweetened cocoa powder

  pinch of  freshly ground black pepper

1/8  teaspoon  salt

1/2  cup  unsweetened applesauce

1/2 c egg beaters

1/2 + 1/4  cups  packed coarsely grated carrots (about 3 medium)

1/2 + 1/4  cups  packed coarsely grated tart apples, such as Granny Smith (about 2 medium)

Frosting:

4 oz fat free cream cheese

1/4 c powdered sugar

1 tsp  coconut extract

2/3 c Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 8 inch square pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, splenda or sugar, baking soda, baking powder, spices, cocoa, pepper, and salt. Whisk to combine, then stir in applesauce and eggbeaters. Stir in carrots and apples.

2. Pour into pan and bake until cakes pull away from pan sides and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 25 minutes. Transfer cakes to cooling rack and let cool 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.

3. Beat cream cheese, cool whip,  and extract until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until combined.

4. Once cake is cool, cut in half and cut each half in half horizontally. Spread some frosting over it, then top with second layer. Generously frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Cut into 8 double-layer slices.

 

Anything new and exciting you’ve been up to?

Gourmet Goodies

 

Good Monday morning all.

How did the weekend go? Lots of candy, costumes and all things spooky? I did the norm—shopping, baking, cooking, cleaning, and actually got around to playing my Wii for awhile. Did you notice something missing there? No homework! Yes, it was a dream, and I savored the fact that I didn’t have to crack the books for once.

So I know everyone is probably tired of hearing/seeing candy after Halloween, but you must give these sweet treats a chance! They are not typical candy, but something I like to call gourmet goodies. I recently was so lucky as to have a chance to sample the divine Amella Caramels. Here’s a bit about the company:

  Our team at Artisan Cocoa has created an exciting and new taste sensation for you to enjoy.  Amellas are an all-natural buttery caramel made using pure cocoa butter, real fruits, nuts, and vegetables all hand dipped in the finest chocolate.

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They make 3 amazing flavors of caramels:

• Carrot Cake
• Passion Fruit
• Black Forest

If the names don’t have you salivating, the pictures will!

My Chew Review

Carrot Cake

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you know I am a die-hard carrot cake fan—but in cake form. In caramel form, I wasn’t so sure. It sounded amazing, but how could they capture that carrot cake taste and place it in a caramel form with an equal great taste experience? Apparently I don’t have to worry about it because the folks at Amella Caramels figured it out for me! I was in love at first bite! It was actually a really crazy experience, because you bite into it thinking your going to get a fluffy cake texture, but instead it’s a smooth and chewier texture, but still has that carrot cake taste—I was amazed! Not only is this flavor delicious, it also has a great visual appeal with a dark carrot hue, bits of roasted pecans, and the “icing” is a tasty layer of white chocolate. My favorite of the three!

Black Forest

Check out the details in these caramels! You can definitely tell they are handmade with tender loving care. I am a huge cherry fan, and love that this caramel is 70% dark chocolate. You better believe it makes for a rich and satisfying chocolate experience. Although the chocolate flavor is present, it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the cherry and vanilla flavors, it balances out perfectly. I also really like the addition of the dark chocolate sprinkles as well. Second favorite!

Passion Fruit

Who would have thought that a fruit flavor and a caramel flavor together would meld into another one-of-a-kind caramel experience? I sure didn’t until biting into the Passion Fruit caramel. The slight tart taste of the passion fruit somehow highlights the creamy caramel deliciousness. It’s hard to explain—it’s one of those things you need to taste for yourself! This is good, however it would be one that I would eat occasionally—not everyday more often like the Carrot Cake flavor.

Overall thoughts:

Amella Caramels are to die for! If you’ve never experienced the delight of trying cocoa butter caramels, don’t hold off too much longer! I have a feeling I am going to be slightly disappointed when eating everyday caramels now, just because these take it up a notch…or five! =)

Another noted thing I like about the caramels is how they’re packaged—it makes the whole experience a little more fun!

Plus the nutritionals for these caramels aren’t half bad meaning you can eat more of them. Check those out here.

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Amella Caramels would also make a fantastic gift for the upcoming holiday season. I am hoping Santa would possibly leave some under my tree.

Thanks again to the wonderful caramel creators at Amella Caramels for the awesome opportunity to spread the word!

Fruit + Veggies = ?

It seems these days we are always hearing messages whether it be in print, on tv, or from your doctor that we should be meeting our quota of daily fruits and veggies. (Find out how many you really need here) For me, it’s never been a big deal, because thankfully fruits and veggies are always welcome on my plate! There is never really a meal that I eat that doesn’t have some type of produce.(Either fresh, frozen, or canned.) But for others who can’t down broccoli, or moms that have picky kids, you need to find recipes that can “sneak” produce in foods in unlikely ways. Today’s recipe contains one veggie and two fruits, so if you eat a slice (which is not hard to do!), you’ll knock off some out your daily fruit & veggie quota.

Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes: 16 slices

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 c cake flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 2 egg whites, room temp
• 1/2 c granulated sugar (or Splenda if you prefer)
• 1/2 c apple butter (I used 1 jar of carrot baby food instead)
• 1/4 c canola oil
• 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 carrots, coarsely shredded (about 1 1/2 c)

Frosting:

• 1 (8 oz) package fat-free cream cheese, at room temp
• 1 1/2 c confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 c plain reduced-fat (2%) Greek yogurt (I used Yoplait Thick and Creamy Cinnamon Roll yogurt instead)
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (nuts are optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 2 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl—set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs and egg whites on high for about 2 minutes, or until thickened. Gradually add the granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture and beat until just blended. Stir in the pineapple, carrots, and raisins.
• Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let pan cool on racks completely.
• To make frosting, with an electric mixer on high speed. Beat the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Place 1 cake layer, rounded side down, on a serving plate. With a narrow metal spatula, spread 1/2 c frosting over the layer. Top with remaining layer, rounded side up. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle walnuts on the top of the cake.

[[Recipe adapted from here.]]

Carrot cake has to be one of my favorite cakes out there! I think my mom may have passed her love of it on to me—but I’m not complaining! What is your favorite cake to eat? Or are you just a frosting eater? Any super recipes?

Good for You Goodies: Nutritious Creations Cookies

--Happy Humpday—everyone! Yesterday was like the first taste of spring here. A high of 44 degrees which was like a heat wave! So I went for a nice stroll and finished off the night with some Cold Stone Creamery. You all know I love that place! 8-) Now the post today is basically a 2nd edition to my 1st video post on the other goodies Nutritious Creations sent me. If you missed the video post, check it out here. I hadn’t yet tested the cookies when I did the video post, but now that they are all in my belly I can share the chew review!

The Good for You Goodie: More Cookies!

The Company: Nutritious Creations

The Chew Review: Honestly, I loved every single one of these cookies & I am a pretty fussy person when it comes to cookies and food in general, but gosh, I have been delighted by all of these products I’ve received and can’t say I’ve had to stop eating something or give it away because I didn’t like it. Cheers to that! But I still did have some favorites in this bunch, I will start with my least favorite and save the best for last…

• Wheat Free Carob Chip Cookie

Just because this was my least favorite does not mean it wasn’t good just to let you know! I was anticipating a chewy chocolate chip cookie, but instead this was definitely a crunchy cookie which the crumbly texture. I prefer chewy, but I am still working my way through this giant cookie. Here’s some extra info: A Large crunchy cookie made with rice and oat flour, loaded with all natural carob chips (a great alternative to chocolate), a divine treat that’s a great source of energy. 100% vegan.

• Sugar Free Snack-A-Doodles

• I loved the square shape vs. a normal circular cookie—very stylish! (are cookies stylish?) Anyway, even though these are sugar free they are sweetened with Splenda, so definitely not lacking on the sweetness. Any slightly more chewy than the Carob Chip cookie. Each 1 oz cookie is Sweetend with Splenda & Maltitol. They Have No Transfats, No Hydrogenated Oils, No Dairy, & are Kosher by Kof-K. These Cookies are Crispy & 100% Delicious.
• Low Fat Rocky Road Cookies

The look of these immediately got me thinking, “What a loaded cookie!” and isn’t that how cookies should be? Fortunately it also delivered a loaded taste somewhat reminiscent to a good ol’ campfire s’more! It had me wanting s’more.(no pun intended)This scrumptious cookie is filled with lots of yummy bits, marshmallows, almonds, walnuts, & chocolate chips. All wrapped up in a low fat decadent chocolate cookie. Only 170 Calories, 3 Grams of Fat, & 3 Grams of Fiber. Go for it, these cookies rock!!

• Gluten Free Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am a total fan of coconut because it takes me to the beach(mentally of course, bummer it’s not for real!) I could smell the coconut right when I opened the package which is a sure sign it was gonna be loaded with coconut taste & that it was! And no fake coconut tastes here, all real, so yes, it did bring me to a tropical place all the way through!Soft, moist and chewy, this cookie is a great combination of coconut and chocolate. A creamy, melt in your mouth, one of a kind taste. This tropical treat will take your taste buds on a healthy vacation. Sit back, relax and enjoy!

• Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cookie

Anyone who is a fan of carrot cake will no doubt love these cookies! It was so moist it practically broke pieces off itself for me to devour! Packed with raisins and walnuts it was such a treat, but oh so healthy and to top it off it was extreme spicy goodness. My top pick for carrot cake anything! Yumm.. A delicious, sweet, spiced, soft, moist cookie with raisins & walnuts. No refined sugar, transfat, dairy, cholesterol, eggs, wheat, & no hydrogenated oils. The only flour used in this cookie is rice, potato, tapioca & almond. 100% Vegan.

Clif Carrot Cake Bar Bonanza

Clif bars have been a big buzz around the blogging world lately, so when our campus store got some in, I made sure to buy em' up! For starters I got a Carrot Cake flavor and the Oatmeal Raisin Walnut. I decided to dive into the Carrot Cake one first, just because it fit in with the theme of my "orange lunch"; pumpkin, carrots, etc. anyone? The meal just screamed major source of beta-carotene, which we all know is good for your eyes =) Anyway, I wasn't sure what to expect from these Clif bars, especially since I am so fussy when it comes to snack bars in general. So did Clif Carrot Cake pass my test?

Report Card:

Taste-B+

Texture-B

Nutrition-A-

Fullness Factor(how long did it stay in my tummy)-A

Overall grade- A-

Why I graded the way I did:

First off, when I opened the package, it was big! And I immediately smelled the aroma of spice, which was great! The texture was a bit sticky for me, and a little tooo chewy for my likes. But the taste of this gem totally made up for the texture. It was spicy, sweet, and flavorful all in one bite. This bar boasts 5 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein so I knew right away it would keep my stomach from grumbling for quite some time, about 3 hours to be exact. Not exactly like a slice of carrot cake, but pretty darn close & it's healthy so I will take it!

I want to try their Banana Nut Bread and Iced Gingerbread next... So until then, Clif--you just made a spot in my snack drawer!

A Cake Turned Cookie Journey

My inspiration for this recipe came from a funny restaurant story that took place about 2 years ago. I was at a restaurant in town and my mom and I were out for dinner. She loves carrot cake and suggested we split a piece after seeing the gigantic portion sizes. I finally agreed after much convincing on my mom's side. The conversation went like this, "Oh c'mon Cass, it's healthy. It has carrots, pineapple, and your just having half a piece." "Alright, I guess I will." I was so easily persuaded. So then the waitress brought out the 2 slices topped with a rich cream cheese frosting. She smiled and said, "Wow, I just got done throwing the box for this cake in the garbage and I glanced at the nutritional info; over 1,000 calories for one piece!" Needless to say, I about lost my appetite, but still ate it anyway, and it was good. (Yes mom, I know you are reading this and laughing that I was so easily swayed by you back in the day.) But not only did I know it wasn't healthy to have a piece of that decadent cake very often, it would be very time consuming to recreate with its' seven layers and all. So I set out to find something easier to make. Once again it started with Betty Crocker Carrot Cake mix. Why not make cookies topped with a little light cream cheese? Such a small package with a big delight.(And A LOT healthier might I add) So therefore my Carrot Cake Cookies from a box were born. But wait! There's more; I have a scrumptious recipe for from-scratch carrot cake cookies w/out the cream cheese that I made up by experiment one day. Turns out these are now a family favorite. I also bake them as much as I can for one of my mom's friends dad's who claims, "I eat the whole bag in one sitting!" Make sure you try both recipes, each have a different style/taste to them, it just depends whether you have a lot of time or not.


Betty Crocker Carrot Cake Cookies w/Cream Cheese Frosting

1 box Betty Crocker Carrot Cake Mix

1/3 C vegetable oil
2 eggs

1 tub of Betty Crocker Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Decorative Sprinkles(optional)

1.HEAT oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.
2.BAKE at 375°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.
3.SPREAD frosting over warm cookies. If you are adding sprinkles like I did, now would be the time to do so. Let frosting set before storing. Store in tightly covered container.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Carrot Cake Cookies from Scratch

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ cup flour
2 cups coarsely shredded carrots
1 cup nuts
1 cup quick oats
1 cup corn flakes (I usually use Curves cereal in Honey Oat)

1/4 C raisins(optional)
2 tbsp granulated sugar

1.POSITION 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2.USING an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs, vanilla and baking soda on medium speed until fluffy, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Mix in flour on low speed. Stir in carrots, nuts, oats, and corn flakes.

3.DROP heaping tbsp of dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake until golden. 15-20 min. Transfer to rack to cool.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen

Enjoy!