The 10 Best Cake Recipes

    No matter if you have a birthday, an anniversary, or a holiday coming up, a great homemade cake makes it feel even more special.  In fact, any time is a good time for a piece of cake.  These are 10 of my best cake recipes that I have shared thus far.  Be sure to try one (or all) of them and let me know which is your favorite!

 1.  Death by Chocolate Cake.  We call it by this name because there are so many layers of delicious chocalateliness.  

2.  Cinnamon Roll Cake.  It is super moist and takes about 10 minutes to mix it up and less than 30 minutes to bake.  A treat well worth the effort. 

 

3.  Wacky Cake.  This cake is called a Wacky Cake because it requires no eggs, no milk or no butter but yet it turns out super moist!  Try it for yourself to see!

 

4.  Pumpkin Sheet Cake.  This cake is right up my husband's alley.  If you could smell this cake right now, y'all would be begging for a slice!  Oh, by the way, did I mention that it takes less than one hour, start-to-finish, to make?!  It's true!

 

 5.  Pound Cake. This pound cake truly is the best pound cake you will ever taste.  

 

6.  Classic Texas Sheet Cake.  The Classic Texas Sheet Cake is a family favorite and most have heard of it, ate it and loved it.  Everyone I know makes theirs slightly different from one another but this is the recipe that I have used for over 20 years.  Why change a good thing?!

7.  Homemade Spice Cake Mix.  There is something so warm and inviting about a spice cake.  They smell so good and taste even better.  I am providing you a recipe that will make you a "mix" So anytime you want to enjoy a spice cake, you only need to add the wet ingredients and you will be ready to go!  

 

8.  Cherry Dump Cake.  The cake turns out so pretty due to the bright red of the cherries and it is such a super moist and delicious cake.  My secret added ingredient that makes my Cherry Dump Cake so much better than others out there is almond extract.  Almond flavoring and cherries pair together perfectly.

 

 

9.  White Sheet Cake.  You might think a white sheet cake sounds boring compared to other flavors but you would be WRONG!  This cake is super moist and rich.  This cake would be perfect for brunch, a potluck or just for dessert at home!

 

10.  Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake.   I whipped up this pumpkin dump cake and it is just as good as the others.  In fact, out of the ones I make, this one is my husband's favorite.

 

 

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Easy Meal Plan for the Upcoming Week

    To try to make your life easier, I have compiled some easy recipes to make your weeknights run smoother.  Each of these recipes are tried and true.  Make one.  Make all.  Enjoy and feel good about making yourself and your family a wonderful homecooked meal!

 

1.  Roast Dinner in a Cast Iron Skillet.  A complete meal cooked in your cast iron skillet.  The roast is juicy and tender and the entire meal is scrumptious!

 2.  A Complete Chicken Dinner cooked in a Crock Pot!  Crock pot cooking is a great way to conserve time and energy.  Throw all the ingredients into the crock pot in the morning and a delicious meal awaits you when you are ready for supper!  Win-Win!

 

3.  Foil Pack Barbecue Chicken with Vegetables!  I love cooking meals in foil packs.  You get a great dinner with virtually no clean up.

 4.  Pizza Tater Tot Casserole.  I love any and all kinds of tater tot casseroles but this one sure is a huge hit with the entire family.  Mixing together 2 family favorites, pizza and tater tots, you can not go wrong. 

5.  Smoked Sausage & Brussels Sprouts Skillet Meal.  A super, easy dinner to prepare and one that everyone should love. 

 

6.  Easy Homemade Tostados.  Another easy meal.  Quick to make and enjoy.  The longest part is assembling them but well worth the time.  

 7.  Garlic Steak and Potato Foil Pack Dinner.  Another foil pack dinner that is full of flavor and little clean up.  These are also known as hobo meals.  Love them!

 

 

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7 Soup Recipes to Keep You Warm on Chilly Days and Nights

    There is nothing that warms the body and soul as much as soup does.  Not only that, but soup is also healthy and delicious. Serve soup with some yummy cast iron skillet cornbread or crusty homemade bread for a perfect meal!

    We enjoy soup all year long but when the weather turns chilly, we eat soup at least a few times a week. I am so excited to present this list of soups here today.  Find you a favorite (or two) and make a pot of soup for your family tonight!  

1. The Ultimate Potato Soup Recipe!  My all time favorite soup is potato soup.  It was my favorite as a little girl and now that I am in my early 50's, potato soup is still my favorite.  This is a recipe that I have perfected over the past 25+ years.  Try it and see why!

2.  A No-Soak 15 Bean Soup Recipe. If you are looking for a really hearty and filling soup recipe, this one is a perfect choice.  Your house will smell wonderful as it cooks and will make your mouth water all day long.  

3.  Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup.  If I had to choose a 2nd favorite soup, this would be it.  We serve this once a month all year long.  It is a thick and hearty soup that just makes one smile with each bite!

 

4.  Homemade Tomato Soup.  This is a classic tomato soup recipe that pairs perfectly with a grilled cheese sandwich or with a pimento cheese sandwich.  Yum!  

 

5.  Cauliflower Soup.  Cauliflower is all the rage right now but I've been loving cauliflower for years and this creamy, rich soup is one of the reasons why.  Whether you are on a cauliflower kick or not, this recipe is sure to please. 

6.  Smoke Sausage & Radiatore Soup.  This soup is my oldest son's favorite soup.  He is 22 and often will pull out my recipe and make it on his own to enjoy.  It's a tomato based soup with smoke sausage and pasta.  What is there not to love?!?

7.  Creamy Chicken Taco Soup.  This is a really quick soup to mix up and has an amazing taste. Great to eat with a few tortilla chips.

    Hope you found at least a few recipes to try out and when you do, please come back here and comment how you liked it.

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How to Cook the Perfect Porterhouse Steak

    A porterhouse steak is a true thing of beauty.  It is a large cut that has both the New York Strip and a Filet Mignon; which is separated by a T-bone.  With a porterhouse steak, you truly get the best of both worlds.  A perfect marriage cooked beautifully in a cast iron pan.  It will be juicy, flavorful and have the perfect crust on the outside!

 

    I start off cooking the steaks in the cast iron skillet on the stove top and then move them into the oven to finish them off.  By doing so, you get a beautiful sear on the outside and a juicy center on the inside.

 

2" thick porterhouse steak

3 T. butter, room temperature

1 T. olive oil

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. rosemary

1 tsp. thyme

salt & pepper, to taste

 

    

    First things first is to get your porterhouse steak to the correct temperature before cooking it.  Thirty minutes before you want to start cooking it, place your steak on a plate and set it on your countertop.  It needs to warm up some before cooking.  This will help the steak cook more evenly.  

    After the steak has warmed up, preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

     Heat up your cast iron skillet over medium heat on your stove top.  Heat it until it is nice and hot.  It has to be good and hot to get a good sear on the steaks.  Add in the olive oil and let it heat up a bit too.  Pat dry your steaks and season the steak on both sides with the garlic powder, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.  Put the steak in the hot skillet.  Sear both sides of the steak, it will probably take 2 minutes per side) and then transfer the steak to the preheated oven.  

    The steak will cook in the oven for about 6-10 minutes or until the steak reaches desired cook and temperature.  

    As it cooks, mix together the rosemary and butter.  After the steak has cooked for 3 minutes, spoon on the butter mixture onto the steak, put back into the oven and allow the steak to finish cooking.  

    Salt the steak right BEFORE slicing and serving.  Salting this cut of meat any earlier will draw out a lot of the moisture and the steak will be dry.  

    Allow the steak to rest for 5-7 minutes before serving.

**** Cooking time/temperatures****

For a medium steak, 6-7 minutes (135-140 degrees).

For a medium well steak, 8-9 minutes (145-150 degrees).

Remember steaks will raise about 5 degrees as it rests.

Serve steak with juices from the skillet drizzled over the top!  

    Be sure to try some of my homemade steak sauce too!  This steak is perfect as is but you can always pour a bit of homemade Alfredo sauce  or Mushroom Gravy on top to really make it extra special.

 

 Serve with a side of homemade onion rings for the perfect meal!

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True Southern Pimento Cheese Spread Recipe

    People are always asking for my Pimento Cheese recipe so to appease the masses and save myself some time, I am sharing the recipe here today.  This is a true Southern classic and makes the perfect sandwich spread.  My boys love to eat it on tortillas but it great on homemade bread too.  I even like it with celery sticks. 

 

Southern Pimento Cheese Spread

5 c. grated Cheddar cheese or Colby Jack cheese

2 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. chopped pimentos

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. sugar

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

 

    Mix all ingredients together, except for the pimentos.  After mixed up real good, fold in the pimentos.  Chill for an hour or two before serving.

 

    If you love cheese, you'll love my Homemade Creamy Macaroni & Cheese recipe too! 

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Homemade Pineapple Bread

    I love making fruit breads.  Not only do I make the "normal" ones like banana bread and pumpkin bread, but I also make a wonderful strawberry bread, blueberry bread, and a peach bread too!  Today I am sharing my pineapple bread recipe.  It turns out so moist and delicious.  It does not have an over-the-top pineapple flavor...just the perfect amount!

 

 

Homemade Pineapple Bread

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter

20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained (but save the juice)

2 lg. eggs

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

 

For the glaze:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

3 T. reserved pineapple juice

 

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter a large loaf pan and set aside.

 

    In a small bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.  In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.  Mix in the sugar mixture and mix well. Open up the crushed pineapple.

 

    Stir in the drained crushed pineapple.  Pour the batter into the bread pan.

 

    Place in the oven and bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  

 

    Allow the bread to cool for at least 20 minutes.  As it cools, prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and juice together.  When the cake has cooled, pour the glaze over the top.

 

     

    Leave the glaze like it looks above or spread the glaze out evenly over the top.  

 

    Serves 12 and each serving has 50 carbs.  

 

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Microwave Chocolate Brownie in a Mug

       I love desserts and share many recipes on my blog for full size cakes, pies, fruit breads, cookies, brownies and more.  My mother-in-law enjoys my recipes but she lives alone now that her husband is gone.  She wanted me to come up with some single serving desserts and that is just what I have done.  This single serving brownie is chocolatey and indulgent.  It truly takes just a few minutes and is a cup of pure heaven.  

 

 Microwave Chocolate Brownie in a Mug

 

•  1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. + 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 3 T. cocoa powder
  
• 3 T. milk
•  2 T. butter
• 2 tsp. chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of instant coffee (optional)

     In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients.

 Pour or scoop the mixture into a microwavable safe mug. 

      Microwave 45-60 seconds, depending on your microwave.  It should be moist looking when done, not dry.  It may not look done, but it is.  Allow to cool for a minute or two and enjoy.  Goes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, drizzled with a bit of chocolate syrup.  Yum!

    

    Two other single serving recipes you are sure to love are my Chocolate Chip Recipe for One.  It makes just 2-3 cookies and takes only 15 minutes from start-to-finish and my Peanut Butter Mug Cake without using flour recipe,

 

 

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