Mint Frosting

I love cupcakes! If you're going to make cupcakes, then why not make homemade frosting too? Mint is refreshing and perfect for St. Patrick's Day (or any day)!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter, room temperature
1 lb box Confectioners Sugar 
1 tsp Vanilla 
3-4 Tbsp Milk
1/2 tsp Mint Extract
1-2 drops Green food coloring 
Directions: 
Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and milk in a mixer on low speed. Then beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until creamy. Scrape down bowl and add in mint flavoring and food coloring and mix another 30 seconds or so. Enjoy!  

Homemade Granola

My brother sent us some granola for Christmas that we devoured. I found a recipe that used Maple Syrup and made some changes. Here is what I came up with!
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup nuts (unsalted cashews & almonds)
2/3 cup pure VT maple syrup
1/3 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup seeds (pumpkin)
pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup dried fruit* (cranberries)

Directions: Preheat oven to 300. Prepare a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Coarsely chop nuts. Mix all ingredients together (*except dried fruit) in large bowl. Toss. Spread into baking sheet and place in oven. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for a total of 40 minutes. Stir in dried fruit and cook for 10 minutes more. Cool and serve. Time for a parfait!

Veggie Lo Mein

This is just like my stir fry, but with some (whole wheat) spaghetti thrown in instead of rice. Yum! Perfect for families, just use your favorite veggies in with pasta and voila! Dinner is served.

Ingredients:
Chopped veggies! Such as...
Red Pepper
Carrots
Water Chestnuts
Zucchini
Pea Pods
Mushroom
Onion
Garlic
Spaghetti
Directions:
Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions. Stir fry veggies in oil (olive or other) for 1-2 minutes each starting with onions and garlic, then hardest veggies first. Add pasta and stir in a couple dashes of stir fry sauce, such as Trader Joe's Soyaki to taste. Enjoy!

Mocha frosting

One more frosting recipe worth sharing! This was the crowd favorite at my 40th birthday cupcake & wine tasting party! Pair with Chocolate cupcakes and you have a winner. MMMMMMM mocha.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Butter
4 cups Confectioners Sugar
3 Tbsp Cocoa
1 tsp Instant Coffee
1 tsp Vanilla
4-5 Tbsp Water
Directions:
In a separate bowl, whisk together confectioners sugar, cocoa, and instant coffee (like Starbucks Via). Using a mixer, cream butter (room temperature), and slowly add in dry mixture on a low speed. Stir in vanilla and water to reach desired consistency at medium speed. 

cream cheese frosting

Ingredients:
1 stick Butter
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 tsp Vanilla
1 lb Confectioners Sugar
Directions:
Thaw ingredients. Works best if butter and cream cheese are room temperature! Add butter and cream cheese to bowl for mixer. Blend together. Add vanilla. Gradually add entire pound of sugar. This makes plenty of frosting! I might even try 1/2 recipe next time.

Nan-Nan's Carrot Cake

It is an honor to make this family recipe! Such a wonderful, moist, delicious carrot cake. I can't say enough good things about it. We celebrated my father-in-laws birthday and this cake made the occasion extra special. The cake is rich and full of texture. The frosting is simple and simply delicious.

Ingredients:
2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cup Canola Oil
4 Eggs
.....
2 3/4 cup Carrots, grated
8 1/2 oz crushed Pineapple
1 cup shredded Coconut
3/4 cup Walnuts, chopped
.....
2 cups Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
2 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Combine sugar, eggs, oil in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix carrots, pineapple, coconut & walnuts, set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients and set aside. Alternate adding carrot mixture and dry ingredients to the batter. Pour into a prepared 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 for 55 minutes. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting. Enjoy! Cherish!   

Brown Rice Salad

The perfect summer salad - lemon & honey mustard with grains, nuts & veggies. A meal in itself! A friend of mine posted this recipe on her blog, living~from~balance. I added a few touches...Yum! Did I say how much I love this recipe?!
Ingredients:

4 cups short grain Brown Rice, steamed
1 Red Pepper, diced
1 Carrot, shredded
2 Scallions, sliced
1/2 cup Cucumber, seeded and diced
1/4 cup Feta, crumbled
1 cup Peas, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup Nuts, roasted
1/4 cup Seeds, toasted
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt & pepper
Dressing:
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
4 Tbsp Lemon juice, fresh
1 Tbsp Honey Dijon Mustard
Directions: Cook rice and let cool (I measured about 1-1/2 cups uncooked rice, to make enough for this recipe). Chop veggies and add to the cooled rice. I used roasted almonds and cashews for the nuts and roasted pumpkin seeds. Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk dressing together and pour over salad. Enjoy!