carrot cranberry cake with orange cream cheese frosting

"vegetables are a must on a diet.  i suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie."

-jim davis

[via gingerbread bagels]

mmmm...  here's another one from gingerbread bagels!!  this looks so good!!  it reminds me of the cranberry-orange dish that i make for thanksgiving.  what a perfect fall treat.  oh, and what is that??  cream cheese in the frosting?!  oh my...

For the Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups sugar

1 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

1/2 cup canola oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups shredded carrots

1 (8 ounce) can of crushed pineapple, drained well

2/3 cup dried cranberries – tossed with 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted walnuts, chopped

For the Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange zest

Chopped unsalted walnuts, for topping.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.

Grate 2 cups of carrots. (I typically use a food processor with the shredding disc blade but you can do this by hand)

Drain the crushed pineapple really well. (I put the pineapple in a strainer and press the juice out with my hands.)

Toss the cranberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour.

And measure out the chopped walnuts.

Set the shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, cranberries and walnuts aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar, buttermilk, canola oil, eggs and vanilla extract on medium speed until completely combined.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients on low speed. Mix until just combined.

Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together.

Add in the shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, cranberries and walnuts. Fold them in.

Pour the cake batter into a lightly greased 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Spread the batter out evenly.

Bake the cake at 350 degrees F for 25-28 minutes.

Cool the cake completely on a cooling rack. While the cake is cooling, make the orange cream cheese frosting.

Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth for about 2 minutes. Do not over mix.

Add in the orange juice, vanilla extract and orange zest. Mix.

Slowly add in the powdered sugar on low speed until combined. Then increase the speed to medium and mix for about 2 minutes.

Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake. If you like, top the cake with chopped walnuts.

Cut into pieces and enjoy!

[source]:  carrot cranberry sheet cake with orange cream cheese frosting from gingerbread bagels

love.nu

i sense there's something in the wind

“pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite,

all are on their rounds tonight;

in the wan moon's silver ray,

thrives their helter-skelter play.”

-joel benton

[raceytay via etsy]

halloween is only a week away now!!  i'm sure everyone is finalizing fun plans for parties, etc.  as for matt & me, we will be spending the day celebrating our 2nd anniversary [& you can be sure there will be tons of delicious food involved]!!  i won't have use for these this year, but here are a few fun adult [as in alcoholic] halloween party goodies +plus some other fun stuff:

who knew tonic was so awesome & could be used to make glowing drinks?!.... as long as you have a black light.

be careful, the drunken gummies might take you down with them.

kah sells their tequila in these awesome skull bottles, which i love!!  totally dia de los muertos-esque.  i may be picking up a couple of the smaller ones.  on that note, crystal head vodka is sold in a.... yep!  crystal head bottle!!

here's a sweet idea for a trick-or-treat minicure.

these halloween candies will completely ruin your appetite.  i love candy, but i can't imagine putting this stuff in my mouth.  like.  ever.

if you still haven't brought home a pumpkin [like me] [fail] and you have a fresh&easy near you, their pumpkins are decent-sized and cost $6 for 2!!

also, fresh&easy makes pumpkin pie cheesecakes as a seasonal dessert... matt & i got one for thanksgiving last year, and it was to-die-for [no pun intended].  we have been checking every week to see if they have them in yet, but so far no dice.  i can't believe they don't have them yet!!  i need to feed my craving!!

have a swankified, scrumdiddlyumptious week!!

love.nu

this is halloween: candy bark s'mores

"after eating chocolate you feel godlike, as though you can conquer enemies, lead armies, entice lovers."

-emily luchetti

[via gingerbread bagels]

today is national recipe day, which is why i want to share with you this awesome-tacular recipe that i just discovered and now desperately want to try.  if you know me, you know that i love candy & chocolate & marshmallows & halloween [after all... i was married on halloween], and so why not put them all together into one glorious recipe?!!  i have the recipe here, but i will recommend following or at least reading the blog post and directions of the creator of this wonderful little treat.  it is a fantastic blog that i came across today on my quest for yummy things.  i am a sucker for food blogs, and this girl speaks my language.  can i have some now?  is it ready yet??

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Halloween Oreos, chopped
1/4 cup candy corn
1/4 cup Halloween Kit Kats, chopped
1/4 cup Fall colored Peanut Butter M&Ms
8 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips (I recommend Guittard or Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. I don’t recommend Nestle, it doesn’t dry very well and will still be soft the next day.)
8 ounces milk chocolate chips
4 ounces orange candy melts

20 graham cracker sheets
20 marshmallows


First make the candy bark:
Chop the Halloween Oreos and measure out 1/2 cup. Chop the Halloween Kit Kats and measure out 1/4 cup. Measure out the candy corn and the M&Ms. Set the candy aside.

Place a large piece of parchment paper down on the counter.

In a large microwavable bowl, melt the semi sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips together.
Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper. Spread it out into a 9 by 12 inch rectangle with a spatula.

Melt the orange candy melts in a small microwavable bowl.
Place drops of the melted candy in rows of three.
Using a knife, swirl the chocolate down and up and then back and forth.
I always go back and swirl the chocolate in different places where there aren’t many swirls.

Place the candy and cookies on top of the melted chocolate. Let the candy bark dry for at least 4 hours.

Once the candy bark has dried, chop it into about 20 pieces. Set the candy bark pieces aside.


For the s’mores:
These are the directions to make 20 s’mores at a time. Feel free to do however many you want at a time.

Break the 20 graham cracker sheets in half.
Place a piece of candy bark on 20 of the graham cracker pieces.

Take a baking sheet and line it with foil. Spray the foil with non stick spray.
Place the marshmallows on top of the foil. Put the baking sheet under the broiler until the marshmallows are toasted.

Put a toasted marshmallow on top of each candy bark piece.

Take the other graham cracker pieces and press them on top of the toasted marshmallows.

Enjoy!

[source]:  halloween candy bark s'mores from gingerbread bagels

love.nu

i'm waiting for my moment

“a girl should be two things: classy & fabulous.”

-coco chanel

[rollercoasterflight via flickr]

I'm gearing up for the weekend and our neighborhood garage sale tomorrow morning!!  You know what that means... donuts & making money (a lot we hope)!!

In the spirit of the season, here are some Halloween costume ideas from celebrities.  Fun to see them dressed up!!

InStyle Costume Ideas

BuzzSugar Pop Culture Costumes

Here are a few other costume ideas that I thought were creative.

Carrie

Little Miss Sunshine

Lieutenant Uhura

And here's one I couldn't resist sharing.... Sarah Michelle Gellar's little girl as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz last Halloween.

[via celebritybabyscoop]

One of my biggest pet peeves are "sexy" Halloween costumes.  Just another excuse for girls to wear next-to-nothing.  Huffington Post did an article on 13 costumes that have no business being "sexy".  Some of them are pretty funny!!

The best costumes are classy & creative... stay classy ladies!!

love.nu

simply irresistable: snickerdoodle cupcakes

“until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with the cupcakes you baked."

[via a farmgirl's dabbles]

it's the time of year for baking now, right?  i made my own version of these little guys a few years ago, just by adding cinnamon to regular vanilla cupcakes, but i'm betting these are loads better.  despite the quirky name, snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies, and the cupcakes are pretty awesome too.  if you try them, let me know what you think!!

for the cupcakes:

1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1-1/2 c. cake flour (not self- rising), sifted

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 T. cinnamon

1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1-3/4 c. sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla

1-1/4 c. milk

for the cinnamon-sugar dusting:

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 T. sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.

Divide the batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Mix together the 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl for dusting the frosting. Set aside.

Yield: about 28 regular size cupcakes

for the cream cheese frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 c. powdered sugar, sifted

Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and cinnamon and beat just to combine.

Slowly add sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip (I used Ateco No. 808), pipe frosting on each cupcake. Immediately finish by dusting the frosting with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

[source]:  snickerdoodle cupcakes from a farm girl's dabbles

love.nu

we are the lucky ones

"autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile."

- william cullen bryant

[georgiannalane via etsy]

here's a little taste of what i'm listening to this week.  mood music for autumn, rainy days, and quiet afternoons.  what i won't tell you is that i'm also listening to the wicked soundtrack (oops, i just did).

glittering cloud
imogen heap

mad world
gary jules

the funeral
band of horses

keep myself awake
black lab

monsters
hurricane bells

don't forget to breathe
bitter:sweet

micro melodies
the album leaf

somewhere only we know
keane

where the fence is low
lights

french exit
the antlers



love.nu