Canned Pretzel Bites

Source: https://southernbite.com/canned-biscuit-pretzel-bites/

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Servings: 32 bites


Ingredients
1 (16.3-ounce) can refrigerated biscuit dough (8 biscuits)
2 cup warm water*
1/4 cup baking soda
4 tablespoons butter, melted
coarse salt

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and carefully roll each piece into a ball. Use a knife to make a small slit in the top of each ball of dough.
Pour the water into a medium bowl and whisk the baking soda in until it has dissolved.
Dip each dough ball into the baking soda water and place it, slit side up, onto the prepared pan.
Brush the dough balls with the melted butter and immediately sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until deep golden brown. Serve immediately.
*I made TWO batches and I had enough water/baking soda mix and butter left from the first batch that I didn't need to do more for the second batch.

Chocolate Chip Cake

Source: https://spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com/chocolate-chip-cake/

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time:53 minutes

Ingredients 

Cake 

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 

½ teaspoon baking soda 

½ teaspoon salt 

¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 ½ cups granulated sugar 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

3 large eggs, room temperature 

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature 

1 cup mini chocolate chips 

Frosting 

1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature 

5 cups powdered sugar, sifted 

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 

½ teaspoon salt 

4 tablespoons heavy cream 

⅓ cup mini chocolate chips 

2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips, to garnish the top of the frosted cake 

Instructions 

Cake 

Bring butter, eggs, and buttermilk to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350* F. 

Spray 2 9-inch round cake pans with Baker’s non-stick spray and line with parchment paper rounds. Set aside. 

To a medium bowl mix together 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

To a large mixing bowl beat the butter, on medium-high speed with a handheld mixer, for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. 

To the butter, add the granulated sugar and beat again until fully incorporated. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until all the eggs are fully incorporated. Be sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next one. 

To the bowl of wet ingredients add a third of the flour mixture, mix on low until incorporated, followed by half the buttermilk and mix just until incorporated. 

Add another ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining buttermilk then lastly the final ⅓ of the flour mixture. Be sure to mix each addition thoroughly before adding the next. You will need to scrape down the sides, and bottom, of the bowl as needed to ensure the batter is evenly mixed. The batter will be thick. 

To a small bowl add the mini chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Toss to coat all the mini chocolate chips in the flour. This will help to ensure that the chips do not sink to the bottom of the batter when the cake layers are baked. 

Stir the flour-coated mini chocolate chips into the batter just until evenly distributed. 

Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth to an even layer so that the cake layers bake up evenly.

 Bake for 28-30 minutes or until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

 

Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Be sure to remove the parchment paper to allow the cake layers to cool properly. 

While your cake layers are cooling, you can make the frosting. 

Frosting 

To the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed the unsalted butter for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. 

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix until all the powdered sugar has been added. You will need to stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle attachment, and the sides of the bowl, to ensure that the frosting is being evenly mixed. 

To the bowl add the vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. 

Scrape down the bowl, and paddle attachment, before stirring in the ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips to the frosting. 

To assemble the cake, add one of the cooled cake layers to a cake plate then add 1 - 1 ½ cups of the frosting to the cake and spread to an even layer. 

Top with the second cake layer and frost the sides, and bottom, of the cake with the remaining frosting. Garnish the top of the frosted chocolate chip cake with the remaining 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips before slicing and serving. 

Notes 

Mini chocolate chips work best for this recipe as they are distributed more evenly in both the cake batter, and the frosting, than standard sized chocolate chips are. 

Buttermilk adds moisture and helps to create a tender crumb to the cake. If you do not have buttermilk you can make a substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, or fresh lemon juice, to 1 cup whole milk. Allow the milk to sit for 5 minutes before stirring and adding to the recipe.

 It is important when making this cake recipe that your butter, eggs and buttermilk are all at room temperature before using them to make the cake batter. This will ensure that your batter is smooth and the cake layers bake up properly. 

When making your frosting, you may need to add a little extra powdered sugar (starting with ¼ cup) if the frosting is too loose. Alternately, you may need to add a little extra (starting with 1 teaspoon) heavy cream if the frosting is too thick.

Veggie-Loaded Lasagna Soup (vegetarian)

Source: https://thenaturalnurturer.com/veggie-loaded-lasagna-soup-vegetarian/#recipe

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a large onion)
1 cup diced carrots (about 2 large carrots)
1 cup diced zucchini (about 1 small zucchini) (I used bell peppers because I didn't have zucchini)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar with a bit of sugar)
2 cups pasta sauce
2 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken broth; 2 cups made for a very thick soup; you could easily double it)
3-4 cups loosely packed baby spinach roughly chopped 
6 ounces lasagna noodles (6-8 sheets), broken into about 2-inch pieces (I used oven-ready)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese optional
shredded mozzarella cheese and/or ricotta cheese, for serving optional
fresh basil, chopped for garnish, optional

Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. 

Add onion and carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add zucchini and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 more minutes. 

Stir in ½ teaspoon of salt.
Add balsamic vinegar and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. 

Stir in marinara and broth and bring soup to a simmer.
Once simmering, add broken lasagna noodles to the pot and cook until noodles are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes or according to the cooking time on the box of your lasagna noodles.
After the soup is done cooking, stir in the last 1/4 teaspoon of salt, spinach and grated parmesan (if using) and let the spinach wilt in the hot soup for a minute or two. 

Taste soup for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with a little shredded mozzarella and/or top with a dollop of ricotta cheese, if desired. Sprinkle with fresh basil and enjoy.

Sheet Pan Pancakes

Sheet Pan Pancakes

(Activity Girls recipe)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1-2 cups of mix-ins, such as fruit

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Melt the butter. (Cut into small cubes; defrost for 3 minutes in a plastic bowl with a paper towel over top.) 

3. Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
4. Add the milk and eggs to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly together. 

5. Add the melted butter and mix thorougly. (If you add the butter at the same time as the milk, it cools it off and makes clumps!)
6. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and pour the batter onto the pan, spreading evenly.
7. Spread the mix-ins over the batter and bake for 15 mnutes until golden brown. (If you use baking chips, dust them with flour first to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan.)

Baby Carrots

Buttery Baby Carrots

Source:https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/baby-carrots-recipe-1939523 

Easy Total: 15 min 

Prep: 5 min 

Cook: 10 min 

Yield: 4 servings 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 pounds baby carrots 

3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pats 

1 tablespoon sugar 

1 teaspoon coarse salt 

Directions

Place baby carrots in 1/2-inch of water with butter, sugar, and salt. Bring water to a boil, cover pan, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook carrots 7 or 8 minutes, remove lid, and raise heat to medium high. Reduce water until it almost evaporates, a couple of minutes. Turn carrots in sauce and taste to adjust seasonings and serve.

Baked Brown Sugar Baby Carrots
Source:https://dancearoundthekitchen.com/brown-sugar-glazed-carrots/#wprm-recipe-container-5456

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 35 mins

Ingredients
1 pound baby carrots
3 tablespoons salted butter melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Add the carrots to a 9x13 baking dish.
Drizzle the melted butter over the carrots then sprinkle with salt and brown sugar.
If you'd like to add cinnamon, sprinkle that on top.
Stir to coat the carrots and evenly distribute the brown sugar.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until carrots are tender.