Easy Moist Applesauce Cake with Caramel Apple Drizzle

2 cups flour

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp ground clove

1/8 cup milk

1 tbsp vanilla

1 cup applesauce

½ cup soft butter

2 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

(if you want you can add raisins or nuts but my family wont eat the cake if I do)

I start at the top of the ingredient list and add everything to my Kitchenaid's bowl. I

 mix until smooth. I use 2 - 8” rounds. You can however use a bunt pan, muffin pan

 bread pan etc. I just like the caramel sauce in between the layers :)

Bake until a knife pulls out clean about 20-25 min at 350

for the caramel sauce:

Since I used canned applesauce (that is just what I had in the pantry) I had some

 left in the can. I used 15 caramel squares and about 1/8 cup of applesauce tossed

 them in a microwavable bowl and microwaved for about 4 min stopping every min 

to stir until smooth. Use ½ the sauce between the layers and the other half on the 

top. SOOOO GOOD!

Wall Basket Hanger / Shelf / Organizer DIY EASY!

I have had this massive drive to organize the last week. So I decided take advantage of that pregnancy

nesting urge to clean out cupboards and organize closets and embrace it while it lasts! My 3 year old

and the new arrival will be sharing a very small room. I have been worried about the clutter, so I put

my thinking cap on and took note of the building materials that I had around the house and this is what

I came up with:

When I was at the dollar store I saw some great colorful plastic baskets. I immediately got an idea for

wall storage! I purchased 8 baskets in rotating colors and sizes. I remembered that we had some left

over very nice 1” thick ceder fence pickets left over from a job that my hubby had recently done. So I

grabbed 2 of the pickets the baskets a box of 3/4” wood screws and some washers (I found them

floating around in the bottom of the tool box that fit the heads of the screws) and a random can of ½

full wood stain that I had.

I took the fence picket and cut off the end that had the dog ear with a skill saw. I then I got out the

sander and sanded the corners of each end so they wouldn't splinter. I stained the side that was NOT

ruff as well as all 4 edges but I didn't feel that the back needed stained since it would not been seen

once it was hung. After the board dried (it was a sunny day so it took about 30 min for it to dry) I

placed the baskets in front of it and organized how I wanted the lay out to look. I put two screws near

the top of each basket with washers around them so they wouldn't rip out as easily over time. WALA!

EASY! Mounted it to the wall and filled with those pesky stuffed animals that build up!

I repeated this but cut the picket shorter to hang over the babies crib.


Total out of pocket cost (for both hangers) was the $8 for the baskets, everything else I had here at home

Orange-and-Ricotta Pound Cake

I found this recipe online and modified it. The original recipe called for orange zest and a liquor, stuff that often I just don't have on hand unless I make a special shopping trip (my kiddos are not big citrus fans) we do however always have frozen OJ on hand and a small arsenal of baking extracts. The recipe turned out amazing! Its soft, moist, fluffy and OH so YUMMY!

3/4 cup soft unsalted butter 

1 1/2 cups flour 

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ cup frozen Orange Juice

2 Teaspoons almond extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease pans a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan or a few smaller pans. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to blend.

2. Using a mixer, cream the butter, ricotta and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange and almond extract until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, 45 to 50 minutes or about 35 minutes for mini pans. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Italian Pizzelles

Italian Pizzelles Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon anise seeds

In my kitchen aid I added added everything and mixed until smooth then put a tablespoon on each section of the Pizzelle maker. You can roll them lay them flat etc. They harden fast so if you plan on shaping them you best hurry. They taste like a vanilla wafer or a waffle cone. Fast pretty and easy to make if you have the iron of course :) 

These are great paired with ice cream. You can even roll them in cone shape and have an ice cream cone