rainbow cake

My mom always made us rainbow frosting cakes for our birthday, this cake is taking "rainbow cake" to a whole new level! I may attempt it someday.

Ingredients for Special Butter Cream Frosting

• 2 cups shortening
• 8 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract
• 6 fluid ounces heavy cream

Honey Of An Oatmeal Bread

Original Recipe Yield- 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 1/3 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

Peanut Butter Granola Balls

Peanut Butter Granola Balls

• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cups granola
• powdered sugar

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, honey, nuts, vanilla extract, and cinnamon until well blended. Add granola and stir together until well coated. Wet your hands, then form the mixture into 2 inch balls. Roll the balls in the powdered sugar. Store in refrigerated in a covered container. Makes 2 dozen balls.

Orange Rosemary Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (2.5 pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the orange juice, olive oil, chives, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken in the mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.
2. Preheat the oven broiler.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade, and shake off excess. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes; set aside.
4. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet. Broil 30 minutes in the preheated oven, 6 to 8 inches from heat. Turn and brush frequently with the remaining marinade mixture, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup lard
• 6 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (I used green onion for color)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (didn't have)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
• 2 carrot, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Roll one ball out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate. Roll out top crust and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C.)
3. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Blend in flour, salt, pepper and onion. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened. In a separate pan, saute mushrooms in 3 tablespoons of butter, then stir into saucepan. Stir in chicken, carrot, celery and potatoes. Mix well and pour into bottom pie crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown, and filling is bubbly.

Morning Buns

Morning Buns
It is best to make these over two days. Make the dough the first day (it can take about 8 hours), leave it in the refrigerator overnight and bake the buns in the morning. They absolutely must be eaten while they’re hot and fresh.

Dough:
2 oz. (1/2 cup plus 4 1/2 tsp. Dry nonfat milk powder
2 1/3 cups cold water
2 1/2 lb. (8cups) unbleached flour
5 tsp. Salt

Butter Block:
1 1/2 lb. (48 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 2-inch cubes,
slightly softened
2 Tbs. Unbleached flour (about)

Filling:
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground clove

Proof the yeast by dissolving the dry yeast in a small amount of warm water, sugar and flour. Next, combine the yeast with the nonfat milk powder, water, flour and salt to form a lumpy under mixed dough. (Don’t over knead or the buns will be tough.)

Croissant dough needs to be kept cold. Cover a bowl with the dough in it and let it rise in the refrigerator for one to two hours, until it has doubled in size.

Next, add the flour to the softened butter by knead it into the butter. You must use the best unsalted butter. The better the butter, the less water it has in it.

Roll out the butter mixed with flour between two pieces of floured waxed paper. Form it into a 10 x 12-inch rectangle. Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator. The butter should be chilled to the consistency of modeling clay. If it’s too cold it will break into chunks and if it’s too warm, it will be absorbed too much into the dough.

When the dough and butter are evenly chilled, roll the chilled dough into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Unwrap the chilled butter and lay it on the upper two-thirds of the rolled dough. Fold the lower (unbuttered) third over the center third. Bring the upper third down over the center, as if you were folding a letter. Make it into an even rectangle.

Then turn the dough 90 degrees, so the short open ends are at 6 and 12 o’clock. Roll the dough until it doubles in length, rolling toward the open ends, not toward the folds. Fold in thirds again, as you would a letter. Rotate 90 degrees again, doubling in length and fold again. After the two turns, seal the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours. Then repeat the set of two turns again and follow by refrigerating overnight. The cold rest keeps the butter from melting and oozing into the dough. If the dough shrinks rather than expands and won’t roll out after one of its refrigerated periods, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes.

The dough can be frozen for future use at this point if you are now bored with the whole idea of making the buns. However, if you are up to it, take the dough out the next morning. It will be only slightly larger than when the turns were completed.

Roll out the finished dough, dust it with a mixture of the brown sugar and spices, roll it into a tight coil and cut into individual rounds. Put each round into a greased muffin tin and be sure each is firmly in contact with the bottom of the pan. (Otherwise the air in-between will burn the buns. Don’t let the dough get too warm as you are working it. Keep putting it in the refrigerator if necessary.

Now there is one more rising, this time in a warm spot. It should take about 45 minutes. It is ready when you poke your finger in the side of the pastry and the indentation remains.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. If the top starts to burn during baking, cover with foil. And put foil under the muffin tin to catch any drips.

Seriously Delicious Frosting

Seriously Delicious Frosting Recipe:

1 cup milk + 2 Tbsp. flour....whisk until smooth and cook over med heat until thickened. Remove from heat. Cover with plastic and cool thoroughly.

Cream 1 cup butter (softened), 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add thickened milk mixture, beating until light and creamy.

thanks Brooke!