Benefit of the Weekend

I keep a little notebook of quotes I love next to my bed. When I find new ones I love, I flip it open and write them down. And sometimes I spend lazy mornings reading all the treasures I've collected. One of my favorites from a BYU class remains some of the best advice I have ever heard. "Always give your spouse the benefit of the doubt and assume he or she did not intend to hurt you". No matter the situation, whenever my feelings are hurt (I am the super sensitive type so it happens more than necessary really) before I take offense I always seek clarification and I ALWAYS assume my sweetheart did not mean to hurt me. This is good because he never means to hurt my sensitive heart. He is very good to me. Always patient and caring, and really much more than I deserve. He is definitely my best bud and I never get tired of spending time with him. I am so happy that today is Friday, and as soon as my love gets home from work I get him all to myself for the whole weekend. :)

We're under attack

Anyone else have attack of the dryer sheets going on at their house? I swear I throw them away when I fold the laundry, but they are always popping up in random places around the house. They are everywhere! I just don't understand it.

Mmmm Cake

"Mmm cake" is what my husband says when he walks in and sees me baking. This one I have been wanting to do for quite awhile, I just never have devoted the time. In the spirit of Easter though I decided to give it a try. If you like carrot cake please try this one! Its super moist and delicious even a week later. And I did a little experiment with the frosting this time, and it totally paid off. So YUM!

Mmm Carrot Cake

1/4 cup melted butter (plus more for buttering the pan) cooled

1 cup crushed pineapple(drained)

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

3 large eggs

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups finely grated carrots lightly packed

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons dried ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup crushed peacans (I just used mine for topping)

Preheat oven to 350. butter and flour two round cake pans and set them aside. 

Put the eggs in the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat for 10 seconds on medium speed. Add the oil, butter, vanilla, carrots, coconut (PS if you don't like coconut or are allergic you can omit it, just add 1/2 cup more shredded carrots. It really doesn't make the cake taste like coconut though so just try it. ) and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until combined. Add it slowly to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the chopped nuts with a spoon if you want them in the batter (I just put mine on top because my husband is not crazy about nuts so I wanted him to have the option to pick them off. I happen to love them so I needed them to be somewhere). Divide the batter between the 2 pans.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a fork comes out clean when inserted in the middle.  Let them cool for 15 minutes and then invert them onto cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting. 

Mmmm Frosting

2 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each)

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

1 small jar of marshmallow fluff (chilled overnight in the fridge)

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Make sure cream cheese and butter are room temperature before starting. Put the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in a stand mixer and mid on medium speed until smooth and combined. Scrape the sides a few times to ensure its all mixed in. Add the jar of marshmallow fluff (spray the spoon you will use to get it out with cooking spray, it makes clean up much easier). Mix until combined. Add in the sugar 1/2 cup at a time and mix until creamy and combined. If you want it to be thicker add more sugar but this was perfect for me. Frost the cake and cover with the pecans.

Sunshine :)

The older I get the more I realize that more often than not, it's the little things that matter. This bowl always makes me smile. It sits in the middle of the kitchen table and is full of lemons, limes, and oranges from my parents house. I cook with the fruit all the time as it is one of my favorite ingredients, but the best part is that even on the rainy days, it brings a little sunshine to my soul.  :)

Bread and Jam

I decided to be show my amazing Mormon wife skills by baking some bread. And then I thought while I'm at it I will make some strawberry jam to go with it. Not going to lie...it was GOOD! and SOOO easy! YUM!

 Recipe 

Honey Whole Wheat Bread 

2 packages regular active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 cups hot water (not boiling)

4 cups whole wheat flour

2-3 cups all purpose flour

In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in warm water; set aside. In a large bowl mix honey, brown sugar, melted butter, salt,  and hot water. Cool 5 minutes.

To cooled honey mixture, beat in 3 cups of the whole wheat flour with an electric mixer on low speed. Make sure you scrape the bowl frequently, until moistened. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Attach the dough hook to the mixer. Add the remaining wheat flour and the yeast. Start mixing in the all purpose flour 1 cup at a time up to 2 cups and then add a spoonful at a time until dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. 

Knead dough in mixer with 1/4 cup flour (more if it is still too moist) for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy. Grease a large bowl with cooking spray or butter and place dough in bowl turning it to grease all sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place (85 degrees F) for 40-45 minutes until doubled in size. **tip if your house is not this warm (mine totally isn't) turn your oven on 200 degrees for 15 minutes then turn it off and place bread in oven with door slightly ajar and allow to rise.**

Generously grease 2 loaf pans with cooking spray or butter. gently push fist into dough to deflate and divide it in half. on floured surface roll each half of the dough out with a rolling pin into an 18x8 inch rectangle. Starting with one 8-inch side, roll the dough up tightly, pressing to seal after each turn (this part is important!). Pinch the edge of the dough into the roll to seal and pinch each end to seal. Fold the ends over and place it seam side down in the pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for another 40 minutes or until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 375. Uncover and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 and bake 10 more minutes. immediately remove from pans and place on a cooling rack. rub some butter over the top. Devour! YUM!