Carrot Cake

I got this recipe many years ago from a very wonderful lady named Lisa Steinhoff. Like most of the wonderful ladies in my life, she was the parent of one of my students.

2 cups grated carrots

1 can crushed pineapple

1 ½ cups honey

1 ½ cups butter

4 beaten eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Mix all of the liquid ingredients; then add the flour and other dry ingredients. 

2. Mix thoroughly, but do not over beat.

3. Coat a 9x12 glass pan with oil and flour. Tap out any excess flour.

Bake at 350 for about 45 – 50 minutes or until set in the middle. Test by pressing gently to see if it springs back. 

There are two delicious frostings that work with this cake:
First and easiest is to stir together some softened cream cheese and honey. This is best if you're going to serve most of the cake right away, since it needs to be refrigerated.

Second is a frosting made of 1 cup powdered milk, 1/3 cup honey, 1/3 cup soft butter, a tablespoon of orange zest, and a teaspoon vanilla. Sprinkle with coconut if you are a coconut fan.

More options: If you want to make a smaller cake in an 8 x 8 pan, simply cut all of the ingredients in half. The whole recipe will make about 1 dozen muffins. For the small cake and the muffins, the baking time is closer to 30 - 35 minutes.

Muffin photo courtesy of Katie Reid:)

A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.                  John Keats

Mocha Rum Balls

¼ cup instant coffee

1/3 cup rum

¼ cup cocoa powder

2 cups crushed shortbread

1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1. Put the coffee and rum in a bowl and stir until coffee is dissolved.

2. Mix the cocoa powder with the powdered sugar and then add all of the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. It takes a few minutes for the crumbs to absorb the moisture.

3. If the mixture is a bit dry, add a tablespoon of water. You can test this by trying to form a small round cookie using about 1 rounded teaspoon of dough. Press the mixture together and then roll it between both hands to make it round. If it won’t stick together, add more water or honey.

4. After forming the mixture into balls. Roll them in a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa powder. You could also experiment with other coatings, such as raw sugar, coconut flakes, or melted chocolate or leftover cookie crumbs.

5. These area traditional holiday treat, but there is no reason that the holiday can’t be Easter or Valentine’s Day or the Fourth of July. One of the best things about these cookies is that they can be frozen and saved for one of those occasions where you need to come up with a dessert, but have no time to make it. 

The recipe makes about 4 dozen small cookies. The ones you see below were rolled in eggy shapes, dipped in colored frosting and then rolled in chopped walnuts. (I did not put walnuts in the dough; instead I crushed a Heath bar and added it to the dough.)

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.

Anthony J. D’Angelo

Honey Yogurt Salad Dressing

We usually pour salad dressing from a bottle, but occasionally it's nice to put it in a bowl and show it off a littel.

¼ cup honey

¾ cup plain yogurt (coconut yogurt for dairy free salad dressing)

1/3 cup rice vinegar

¼ cup water

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Dash of onion powder

Pinch of dried or fresh dill weed

Combine all of the ingredients and mix with a hand blender until the mixture is smooth creamy.

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
Confucious

Strawberry Mascarpone Trifle

A trifle is a layered dessert that can be made in an infinite variety of ways. You can follow these instructions precisely or make some substitutions and come up with your own signature dessert.
Trifles look beautiful in a deep, clear glass dish with relatively straight sides.  The same layered dessert can be made in individual parfait glasses.  The idea is to create a visual treat. The ingredients can be prepared ahead and layered an hour or so before serving.

Layers:
Sliced strawberries
Half of Mascarpone/Cream mixture
Chocolate
Fresh blueberries
Strawberries
Mascarpone/Cream mixture
Chocolate

Refrigerate after assembling, and serve using a large spoon so that you can reach all of the layers for each portion. If you assemble the dessert in individual glasses, serving is much simpler. If you don’t have parfait glasses, large wine glasses will work just as well to show off your creation.

Advance Preparation

2. Strawberries can be sliced and refrigerated one day ahead. About two and one-half cups of sliced strawberries are needed for this recipe.
3. A good quality dark chocolate bar can be broken into small bits and stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container. About 3 ounces of chocolate should be enough for this dessert.
4. Mix 8 ounces of softened mascarpone, 1 cup cream, 1/3 cup raw sugar or honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon spiced rum with a mixer in a glass bowl. Whip at a medium speed until the mixture has at least doubled in volume. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate on one of the lower shelves.

Some Possible Substitutions or Additions

Vanilla wafers or other shortbread type cookies
White cake or sponge cake or chocolate cake pieces
Bananas, blackberries, raspberries or other fruits
Whipped cream or pudding in place of the mascarpone/cream mixture (You could use ice cream if you are going to eat the dessert immediately after assembling it.)
Drizzle caramel sauce instead of or in addition to chocolate.
Have some fun. There is virtually no way to mess these up!

A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.
Elbert Hubbard

Pomegranate Pesto Dressing

This salad dressing is dedicated to Robin because she always gives me pomegranate jelly!

1 tablespoon pomegranate jelly

3 tablespoons pomegranate balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

¼ cup water

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons basil pesto

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup sesame oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine all ingredients and mix with a hand blender for about 2 minutes. The dressing should thicken slightly and become very smooth.

If the dressing is too tangy, add a little more oil; if it does not have enough bite, add a bit more lemon or vinegar.

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
Mother Teresa