White Texas Sheet Cake

This treasure of a recipe came from our University of Michigan Ward cook book.  It is the other cake recipe with almond extract and I love it!  I just wish I had nicer baking sheets that weren't bowed so the cake would come out more even.    Nevertheless, it is still an awesome treat and even better if you have nice baking sheets.

Ingredients

Cake:
1 c. butter
1 c. hot water
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. sour cream
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder

Frosting: 
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring butter and water to a boil.  Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients until smooth.  Pour into greased 15*10*1 inch baking sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until cake is golden brown and tooth pick comes out clean.

Meanwhile, for frosting, combine butter and milk in saucepan.  Bring to boil.  Remove from heat; add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Spread over warm cake.  Store leftovers in refrigerator.  Makes 16-20 servings.

White Cake Box Add-ins

I have been looking for a way to dense-up and dress-up the box cake mix for taste and texture purposes.  I find cake made strictly from the box mix and directions crumbles and falls a part much too easily.  I just tried a this one from Our Best Bites that I really like.  I also realized how much I like anything with almond extract in it.  I have a white sheet cake recipe with almond extract that I love.  I will post it.  Now I just need to find some thing for chocolate cake.

Easy White Cake

Ingredients
1 box white cake mix (Duncan Hines super moist is best)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract (use clear vanilla for a pure white cake)
1 tsp almond extract

Directions
Mix all dry ingredients with a whisk, then add wet ingredients. Beat for two minutes until fluffy.

For Cake: Pour into greased, floured pans (fills two 8 or 9″ rounds) and bake according to cake package directions.

Tip:  When cakes come out, cool for 5 minutes on wire rack, then cover with two sheets of plastic wrap (in a “+” sign), turn them out and wrap the plastic around them. Allow to cool all wrapped up (keeps the moisture from evaporating out) then pop in freezer on a cutting board to keep them flat. Once they are frozen, they are super easy to frost and defrost in about a half an hour.

For cupcakes: fill paper liners 3/4 full and bake according to box directions.  Makes 36 cupcakes.

Kierstin's Notes:  I poured it all into a 9*13 pan and baked it for over an hour at 325 degrees until it was done.  I used the dark and it was still pretty white.  I also used half milk and half water.

Bunny Buns (Easter)

Bunny Buns

This recipe was first printed in the Friend in 1980 and reprinted in the April 2011 Friend Magazine.  This was our second year making them for Easter.  Delicious!

Ingredients:

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

5 1/2 cups flour, sifted

Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 teaspoon butter

Instructions:
1. Wash hands with soap and water.
2. Sprinkle yeast in the warm water and set aside.
3. In another bowl, blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Cool until lukewarm, then add eggs, water with yeast, orange juice, and orange peel.
4. Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough. Let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Knead dough 5–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover bowl with a clean towel and put it in a warm place. Let dough rise for 2 hours, or until double in size. Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long. Roll between hands into rounded snake shapes. Cut one strip into pieces 1/2 inch long, and roll into balls.
7. Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop.
8. Cover bunnies and let rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 12–15 minutes.
9. For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, water, and butter together. Frost bunnies with the glaze while they are still warm.

Baked Deli Sandwich

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
2 T butter, melted
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp pizza seasoning or italian seasoning
1/4 pound sliced deli ham
6 thin slices part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 pound sliced deli smoked turkey breast
6 thin slices cheddar cheese
pizza sauce, warmed, optional

On a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, roll dough into a small rectangle.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the butter and seasonings.  Roll out dough into one 14X10 inch rectangle.  Brush with half of the butter mixture.  Layer ham, mozzarella cheese, turkey and cheddar cheese lengthwise over half of the dough to within 1/2 inch of edges.  Fold dough over and pinch firmly to seal.  Brush with remaining butter mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Cut into 1 inch slices.  Serve immediately with pizza sauce if desired.

Notes:  I don't use that much meat and cheese because my girls don't like too much meat on them.  I just put on what looks right and grate some cheese on top.  We also really like using barbecued pork using the pork I have canned with monterey jack cheese.  I just buy a small bottle of the WalMart store brand pizza sauce to use for dipping.  I got this recipe from Cherise.

Pizza Rolls

Pizza dough (I think you could use frozen roll dough)
mozzarella cheese, shredded or cubed
pepperoni, cut into fourths
1/2 green bell pepper, diced small
1/2 small onion, diced small
1/4 c chopped olives

Roll pizza dough out into a large rectangle.  Using a pizza cutter, cut into 12 pieces.  Layer the toppings in the center of each square of dough; about 2-3 T total of toppings on each.  Now stretch and fold the dough around the toppings, pinching to seal edges.  Now place seam side down in a lightly greased casserole dish or glass baking dish.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle generously with garlic salt and italian seasoning (oregano, basil and thyme, etc).  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until rolls are light brown. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.

Santa Fe Chicken and Rice

1 cup cooked rice
1 pound chicken tenders
1 cup salsa
1 (11 oz) can Mexicorn
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

Prepare 1 C rice.  While rice is cooking, spray skillet with cooking spray.  Add 1 pound chicken tenders.  Cook until no longer pink.  Add cooked rice, salsa, Mexicorn, and cheese.  Heat through until cheese melts.  Serve plain or in tortillas with sour cream and additional salsa.

In place of chicken tenders, I use one pint of canned chicken.