chocolate sheetcake.

sunday, may 26th

chocolate sheetcake.

this is an all time favorite of mine. i love this cake way too much and always feel extremely guilty when i make it because i just eat it. probably a good half of it actually. it's nicknamed "strip cake" because the best way to eat it is just cutting a little strip at a time. of course more cake is consumed this way but it makes one feel better for eating so much. i also love this cake because there is plenty of space to decorate. this week i decided to turn my cake into a missionary name tag for my best friend rachel anderson. i did it too fast and didn't use a tip so it wasn't my best work, but it was still fun. 

i present you with chocolate sheetcake by whitacakes. 

chocolate sheetcake

melt and boil: 

2 sticks margarine

4 1/2 T cocoa

1 cup water

in a mixer combine:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

add hot mixture to your dry mixture and mix wel. add 1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla. bake at 375 for 20 minutes. *in the even that you don't have buttermilk substitute with 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1 1/2 tsp of white vinegar*

icing:

melt and boil:

1 stick margarine

4 T cocoa

6 T evaporated milk

add 1 tsp. vanilla and enough powdered sugar so your icing is thick but thin enough to spread. ice cake while warm.  

peanut butter bars.

sunday, may 19th

peanut butter bars. 

peanut butter bars 

aunt phoebe's recipe

3/4 cup each-margarine, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 tsp soda

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup oatmeal

mix together. press into large, ungreased cookie sheet. bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. frost with chocolate frosting from chocolate sheetcake recipe. when cool. a recipe and one half will fill a sheet cake pan. 

freshest strawberry pie in town.

sunday, may 12th

fresh strawberry pie. 

i don't know why i was so exhausted yesterday, but i was. hence the sunday baking post being posted on monday. my apologies. 

for mother's day i decided to bake my mother a fresh strawberry pie. this recipe is so simple and exceptionally delicious. something that really makes this pie different is the crust. my grandmother found this crust recipe on the inside of a gold medal flour bag years ago. needless to say, it changed our family's life-at least when it comes to baking pies. the recipe is so simple and the crust comes out golden brown, flakey, and adds the perfect amount of saltiness that compliments any pie filling it is paired with. the only downside with this crust: it sometimes requires a little patch work before cooking, causing *a little* frustration at the beginning of your pie making experience. don't get discouraged though! give and take pie dough where it's needed, do all of the patchwork necessary, and your crust will still turn out looking fabulous. the filling is really easy as well and doesn't take a long time. i make it using the microwave but i'm sure the stovetop works great also. enjoy!

great and easy pie crust

mix together with a table fork: 

1/3 cup mazola oil

1 cup gold medal flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

add 2 tablespoons water and mix well

slightly moisten counter top so a sheet of waxed paper will adhere to the counter top. place dough on waxed paper (press dough into a thick circle shape) and put another sheet of waxed paper on top. roll out pie crust between the two sheets. remove top sheet, flip pie crust (which is still adhering to bottom sheet) into pie pan. gently peel off remaining sheet of waved paper and shape pie crust in pan. if baking the shell without filling, prick the pie crust in several places with a fork (sides and bottom). 

bake at 425° for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. may need to be pricked again during baking to prevent bubbling (especially during first 5 minutes of baking). 

fresh strawberry pie

(substitute strawberries for raspberries or peaches if desired)

glaze-- simmer 3 minutes:

1 cup fresh strawberries mashed 

2/3 cup water

blend and add to mixture:

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/3 cup water

boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. cool. 

fill baked pie shell with about 3 cups strawberries, halved. pour glaze over berries, working some of it down into the pie. 

refrigerate 2 hours before serving. serve with whipped cream and garnish with berries, if desired. 

sunday baking: wheat bread, grandma blackham style.

sunday, may 5th
wheat bread.

here we go folks. i'm a recent byu grad who loves food. a lot. i've heard that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so naturally i am trying my best to perfect my cooking and baking skills. when the time comes #myhubbybetterbeready though, cause my food is go-oo-ood. 

i've also decided to take on a small cooking challenge in addition to my sunday baking. i am creating my own julie & julia -camille & camilla- cooking blog. i'm using camilla saulsbury's cookbook "500 best quinoa recipes" as my guide. stay tuned for some healthy, fresh, sunny summertime recipes.

wheat bread

grandma blackham's recipe

3 T yeast- ½ C water, sugar

Mix together and set aside

3 qts wheat flour

2 qts hot water

3 T. salt

1 C oil

1 C honey

Stir all these ingredients

Add yeast then add:

2 C white flour

1 qt wheat flour – add part then knead and work the rest in.

Let raise 1 hour. Roll out into loaves.

Let raise then bake 350° for 35 minutes.

Makes 8 round loaves in juice cans.

love circle loaves of bread. juice cans-who would have thought.