::Corn On The Cob Cake::

 If you have me on facebook, then you have already seen this! But, for those of you that don't, here you go! I had saw this cake a couple years back in a magazine and thought it was so cool. So, as I was going up and down each isle in Wal-Mart and came across Candy Corn (can it be that time of year already?); I knew I had to try making the cake. I also, for the first time, made fondant. I dropped my "info" off at the Cakery in Bismarck for a cake decorating class, as that as been a dream of mine; to take a cake decorating class and decorate cakes on the side! So, I haven't received a call yet, but until then I'll test the waters on my own. So, here is my first of many cakes that I will try. It's a little sloppy and I will need alot of practice, but until my classes and much practice...here you go! Enjoy!

::Corn On The Cob Cake::

 The cake shaped and covered in candy corn...

...or is it? :)



My first ever fondant!



The "husks"



Before the "husks" go on...

There you have it!

::The Bread::

So, here I go again, bragging up the Pioneer Woman; but then again, she totally deserves it. We have something in common, besides the love for all things in the kitchen. I have a recipe that I make that people refer to as "The Dip" (which, sadly, I can't believe I haven't blogged about it yet) and she has a recipe that people refer to as "The Bread." It goes something like this, "Maxi, are you going to bring the dip?" "Maxi, I need your recipe for the dip!" "Maxi, will you make the dip?" Okay, I'll stop; but just showing you how it became known as "the dip." This is how the Pioneer Woman named her recipe for "The Bread." So now that that's out of the way. You need to take a deep breath in...and exhale. This is to prepare yourself. For what? For a loaf of french bread and 2, I repeat, 2 sticks of butter. Only 2 ingredients and you HAVE to "burn" it a little; what more could you ask for in a recipe? Oh, and did I mention it's amazing?! Enjoy!

::The Bread::

1 loaf french bread

2 sticks butter

Cut loaf of bread in half and spread 1 stick of butter on each half; making sure to cover every area. Place bread on a pan and place in the oven at 350 degrees for about ten minutes; or until all the butter is melted into the bread. Then, crank up the broiler to high and leave in until the top of the bread is a little "burnt" (see pictures below)! Slice and enjoy!

The ingredients! Simple, cheap, & (un)healthy.

The bread; split. Which I definitly split unevenly! You can definitely tell one sits a little higher than the other!

Butter...and A.L.O.T of it!

Close up.

Pure butter. Pure deliciousness.

Ready for the oven!

 Prior to the butter being melted into the bread.

Now, the butter is melted in.

This is where the flavor happens! If you don't make it "burnt like" it won't taste like it should.

I'm sure the butter just burnt off. hhahhaha ....yea right.

Ready for some slicing!

Shown as served with the ::Spaghetti Pie::!

My husband ate almost half..of a half. I had some left over homemade pizza sauce that he dipped it in!

Enjoy!

::Spaghetti Pie::

This is a great alternative to traditional spaghetti and seems a little more "hearty" as well. I think what makes it that way is the spaghetti "crust." Let's see what other words I can put into quotations.. :) In one of my first posts I think I mentioned a cookbook I had received for a birthday gift from my old roommate and great friend Josh. Some of you may have heard the story before, but, for those of you that haven't here it goes. In my first year of college I lived with 3 other guys, so I cooked for them and they had my back and always had their eye out for me. We had fun times together! Anyways, since I cooked all the time for them and their guy friends that would come over, Josh gave a cookbook-how fitting! So, I got this recipe from that cookbook.

This would work out good to prepare ahead of time and then when ready just pop it in the oven to bake. I am sure it would freeze well too! Enjoy!



The recipe.

From: Favorite Recipes Past andd Present; First Bethany Lutheran Church

With a name like that...I guess spaghetti is a must!

I didn't have a fresh grated parmesan so I just used the reg stuff. Also in the photo is a couple of the other ingredients for the hamburger mixture.

Along with some green pepper...

And onion too!

The boiled noodles.

Butter...of course.

Parmesan cheese...

And the egg..which as to be beaten good...to be the binding agent!

All mixed in.

The pie plate. I must admit...prior to this picture I had just removed the sticker, as I hadn't used it yet. Ooops...

Press the noodle mixture in the pie plate like you would a crust; so it goes up the sides.

Close up.

Fry up the hamburger, onion, and pepper until veggies are tender and hamburger is browned.

Like so.

Then add the tomato ingredients.

Sugar...

oregano...

and garlic salt.

Mix..and you will get this lovely filling to go on top of the noodle mixture.

Like this!

Close up and ready for the oven.

For some reason...I felt the need to add a little cheese on top towards the end of the baking time. But you don't need to.

Looking good, looking good!

A close up! The crust is so good!

And slice like a pie.

Enjoy!

::Homemade Tomato Soup::

Just when I thought I couldn't get anymore sick of tomatoes; I make ::Homemade Tomato Soup:: See, about two weeks ago I was on a canning spree, of 90lbs of tomatoes. Yes, crazy, I know. In the end I ended up with two kinds of salsa, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, and tomato juice. Oh, let me not forget the late lights, an empty bottle of propane, and all the splatters of tomato juice; heavenly! Oddly enough, I used store-bought (besides 1 can) tomatoes for this soup. This soup is super easy to make and very delicious too. I love soups, mainly brothy type ones with lots of flavor. Since it's getting chilly out, soup tastes even that much more tastier! Enjoy!

::Homemade Tomato Soup::

3 cans tomatoes (I used 2 of stewed and 1 petite diced)

1 med. onion (choppe)

1 tablespoon garlic

2 cups water

2 chicken boullion cubes

salt/pepper

garlic salt

onion salt

italian seasoning

1/2 tsp baking soda

cream (can use milk or half-and-half)

Saute onion in olive oil with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups water and chicken boullion cubes; dissolve. Add the 3 cans of tomatoes and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add 1/2 tsp baking soda. Then add desired amount of cream (I used about 1/3-1/2 cup). Heat & serve.

I think I add onions to everything..what can I say..besides...flavor?! :)

And garlic too! Did you know...if you brown/burn garlic...it gets a bitter taste? So, for the solution; saute the onions and then added the garlic.

No boiling up a chicken to get the broth...just use some cubes!

I added 2 cups of water to the onion/garlic mixture and then two of the cubes.

And you will get this lovely broth concoction!

So, I had one jar of stewed tomatoes left from last year, so I used that one, plus...

One can store-bought stewed tomatoes and one can petite diced tomatoes...

I then added the ^above^ for some more flavor...I sprinkled back and forth a couple times

The tomato mix...but not done yet!

I just bought this seasoning..thought it might be interesting to use in some things...so I added this to it....

and freshly ground pepper...not done yet!

A dash of sugar...cause...why not?!

Once everything is mixed in and before you are ready to add the cream (or milk or half and half)...you need to add Baking Soda. Why? Well, because tomatoes are highly acidic, they will curdle the milk if you don't add a "base" to neutralize the them. Baking Soda is a "base" that will do just that, and wahlah, you will have uncurdled tomato soup. Amen.

Add more or less cream as desired. I didn't add a whole lot, just enough to make it creamy looking. Before I added the cream I dished some up without the cream and ate it like that...and it was fabulous. But I tried a spoonful of the "creamy stuff" and it's worth the cream too!

Up close and personal.

Enjoy!