Gooey Butter Cake

For years, I've been watching Paula Deen make her gooey butter cake on her cooking shows and hearing about how it's one of her biggest hits at her restaurant in Savannah, Georgia.  I've also seen variations of this recipe on the internet, and recently saw a healthier version made on Bobby Deen's new cooking show.  Her son Bobby has started his own cooking show where he takes his mom's recipes and makes them healthier.

Originally, I was all set to make Bobby Deen's version of this cake, gooey with less butter cake.  Then I read some of the reviews for the cake and it just didn't stand up to the reviews for his mom's cake.  I am a big believer in eating what tastes good, but in moderation.  With that in mind, I stuck with his mom's recipe. 

Gooey Butter Cake



Cake batter mixture

Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar (2 cups)



Preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, egg, and melted butter with a hand mixer.  Spread the mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 pan and pat it down.

In another large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until it is smooth.  Then add in the two eggs, vanilla, and melted butter.  Beat all ingredients together with a hand mixer until well blended.  Next, add in the powdered sugar and mix well.  I added in the powdered sugar slowly to make sure it got incorporated well.



Gooey butter cake being put into the oven

Pour mixture over cake batter in pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.  Ovens may very.  It should still be a little gooey in the center when it is done.  You don't want to overcook it, or it will no longer be a gooey butter cake...you'll just have a butter cake.  I baked mine for about 45 minutes and I think it came out great.  It's just a little gooey in the center and the edges are a nice brown color.  When you look at the finished product in the pan before you cut into it, it kind of looks like corn bread.



Slice of gooey butter cake

This is a great cake and it's easy to make.  This is definitely a cake to eat in moderation, so I only gave my daughter a little bit after dinner.  I plan to make this cake again, but I think I will try one of the other variations of it...such as the double chocolate gooey butter cake, the gooey toffee butter cake, or the gooey pumpkin butter cake.  All of them sound yummy. 

And for those of you who want to cut the calories and fat, remember Bobby Deen does have a lighter version of this cake that may be worth a try.  Just saying...

Meals for the week: Baked spaghetti with meatballs and a tender Beef Roast

Since it's Monday, I decided to start out the week by fixing a couple things that would provide leftovers for a few days.  My husband loves spaghetti and meatballs, so I decided to change things up a bit by doing a baked spaghetti with meatballs dish.  I also had a frozen beef roast in the freezer, so I made a beef roast in the crockpot with onions. 

I started out by making my homemade meatballs.  I usually like to let my meatballs cook in a crockpot all day, but to speed things up a bit, I decided to bake them in the oven today.

Easy Meatballs

- a pound of ground beef
- a boxed stuffing mix, such as Stovetop Chicken Stuffing
- 2 eggs
-1/2 cup of water or chicken stock
- a dash of salt
- a dash of pepper
- a dash of garlic salt
- 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese

- a jar of pasta sauce
- chopped onion
- chopped bell peppers, any color
- 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Today, I used chicken stock instead of water and a cornbread stuffing mix.  I actually prefer it with a chicken stuffing mix, but I didn't have one in the house. The chicken stock adds a touch flavor to the meatballs, but water works just as well.   If it seems like you need a little more liquid, just add a little more water or chicken stock. 

Start rolling mixture into generous size meatballs.  I would say my meatballs are about the size of a golf ball.  You can make them smaller, if you prefer, but I think the big meatballs are fun and are good for making sandwiches with if you have leftovers.  The meatballs don't have to be rolled perfect.  They taste just as good if they aren't perfectly round.  Heat up a little bit of olive oil in a pan/pot on the stove.  Place meatballs in the pan over medium heat.  Left them cook for a few minutes, then turn them over.  At this point, you are not trying to cook them through, you are just trying to put a nice sear on them. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Once you've browned the meatballs on the outside, you can remove them from the heat.  Pour a jar of pasta sauce into your pan/pot, then add the onions, bell peppers, and water/chicken stock.  I used Newman's Own Tomato Basil pasta sauce for the meatballs.  Make sure your pan/pot is oven safe, then put it into your oven for 30-35 minutes.  The liquid will keep the meatballs nice and moist.

While the meatballs are baking, it's time to start on the spaghetti.  I am on a kick with making creamy spaghetti, rather than a traditional spaghetti.  I got the recipe from Live with Regis and Kelly when they had a celebrity on there one day cooking their grandmother's recipe.  I've tweeked it some, but the main part of the recipe remains the same.

Creamy spaghetti

- half a box of spaghetti
- four cheese pasta sauce
- 8 oz cream cheese
- one slice of american cheese
- dash of garlic pepper
- dash of oregano, optional


Cook the spaghetti per package instructions.  Once spaghetti noodles are drained, but them back on low heat and add pasta sauce.  Stir in pasta sauce.  Cut up cream cheese into chunks and add to pot.  Tear up the slice of american cheese and add to pot.  Stir frequently until cream cheese and american cheese are melted in.  Add in the garlic pepper and oregano.  Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Spray a 13 X 9 inch pan with cooking spray.  Pour the creamy spaghetti into the pan and spread out evenly.  Once meatballs are done, spoon meatballs over the spaghetti.  If desired, sprinkle half a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese on top.  Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes.

When the spaghetti comes out, let it sit for about 5-10 minutes before serving.  Use a spatula to cut baked spaghetti into squares and serve.  If you enjoy Italian comfort foods, you'll love this recipe.

Beef Roast

- thawed beef roast
- 1 cup of water
- package of beef gravy mix
- salt
- pepper


As for the beef roast, I took a regular beef roast and seasoned it with salt and pepper.  Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray and put the beef roast in.  Cut up a third of an onion and put it into the crockpot with the beef.  Add one cup of water to the crockpot and a package of beef gravy.  Cook the beef roast on high for 6-8 hours, depending on the size of your roast.  When it's done, it will be fall apart tender.  I usually serve it over a slice of white bread, or with some mashed potatoes and corn.  The beef is so tender, it is perfect for making sandwiches the next day.

Baked kale chips

I am new to kale chips, but I think it is a great way to incorporate veggies into your daily diet and it's a great, healthy snack for kids...and yourself.  I first saw kale chips a few years ago on The Neely's cooking show and I've been meaning to make them ever since.  One of my good friends makes them all the time and recommended I try them out.

I used a very basic recipe and you can pretty much season them anyway you'd like, depending on what type of kale chips you want.  I love garlic, so I made garlic kale chips.

Baked Kale Chips recipe

- cleaned and chopped kale
- a few tablespoons of olive oil
- a teaspoon of garlic salt
- a teaspoon of pepper
- a dash of paprika

I set my oven to 325 degrees and let it pre-heat.  To save time, I bought a bag of kale that is already cleaned and ready to cook.  I broke the kale into bite size pieces and took out the stems.  I put the kale into a bowl and tossed it with the olive oil, garlic salt, pepper, and paprika.  I then lined a cookie sheet with wax paper and poured the kale onto the cookie sheet.  Be careful not to overcrowd because it will make the kale steam in the oven instead of getting crispy like a chip.  If you're making a lot, use two cookie sheets.  Bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes.  You will want to keep an eye on it because there is a fine line between it being crispy and getting overcooked.  When it gets slighly overcooked, it has a bit of a burnt taste to it and it becomes super crumbly.  When it's cooked just right, it will be nice and crispy.  You may need to adjust the cooking time by a minute or two based on your oven. 

I like to eat the kale chips while they're still warm, but they still taste good after they've cooled down.  Just make sure to put them in an air tight container so they stay crispy.

I was happy that my daughter enjoyed these chips.  I wasn't sure what she would think at first, but she had fun feeding them to herself.  They kind of break apart in your mouth, so I didn't have to be overly concerned about giving her small pieces.  My favorite part was seeing the green crumbs all over her face when she was done.  I wish I would have taken a picture of that.

Reuben panini and a side of fresh pineapple

One of my mom's favorite sandwiches is a reuben sandwich.  When I was little, there were many years when we had reubens on New Year's Eve for dinner or a snack.  It became one of our family traditions.  My mom never used Thousand Island salad dressing though because she doesn't care for it.  She always used a spicy mustard, which goes great with the corn beef.  We no longer eat reubens for NYE, but we do try to make reubens a few times a year, especially around St. Patrick's Day. 



Reuben Panini

Since I recently got a panini press, I decided to make a reuben panini.  I used hearty rye bread with the rye seeds in it, spicy mustard, deli sliced corn beef, sweet sauerkraut, and sliced swiss cheese.  You can use corn beef that you cook yourself, but I tend to prefer a good quality deli sliced corn beef for sandwiches.  I start out by putting the spicy mustard on one slice of bread.  Then topping the mustard with the sliced swiss cheese.  I add a generous layer of sweet sauerkraut on top of the swiss cheese, then pile on the corn beef.  If you want, you can always add a little salt and pepper on the spicy mustard, but I don't think it's necessary.  The corn beef adds enough salt to the sandwich.  Once the sandwich is assembled, I lightly butter the outside of my bread before putting it on the panini press.  You can skip the butter if you don't want the added fat and calories, but I think the butter makes the sandwich taste even better.  I let the sandwich cook on the panini press for about 8 minutes.  The outside of the sandwich should be lightly browned and the cheese should be completely melted.

My daughter, Kayla, finishing up her dinner.



Fresh pineapple chunks

To lighten the meal up a little, we ate some fresh pineapple on the side.  If I had more time today, I would have made some kale chips, but it just didn't happen.  It can be hard to get stuff done when you have a 14 month old, 2 1/2 year old (my nephew), and 3 dogs running around and demanding your attention.  I do what I can.  If possible, I try to give my daughter some fresh fruit a few times a week, if not every day.  She loves to eat with her fingers, which can get a little messy at times, but I don't mind.  She hasn't quite mastered eating with utensils yet, and she doesn't always chew her food properly...which can be very scary...so I always make sure to cut everything up into very small pieces for her.  It can be time consuming, depending on the meal, but her safety is my main priority.  Some might say that a reuben and pineapple chunks don't really go together, but sometimes I think the quality of the meal is more important than the perfect pairing.

Awesome restaurant quality cheesy broccoli soup

I absolutely adore a good bowl of soup on a cold day.  I have sometimes gone weeks where I've had a cup or bowl of soup every single day during the winter months in Chicago.  That was mostly when I still worked downtown though, and I was forced to walk through the bitter cold.  After walking outside in the windy city on a January day, you need a hot bowl of soup for lunch...trust me. 

On the menu today is a cheesy broccoli soup and freshly baked rosemary olive oil bread.  The soup is a simple and quick recipe that doesn't require much prep work, which is nice for busy mom's and people who don't have a lot of spare time for cooking.  I used a bag of frozen chopped broccoli...but fresh broccoli would work too, one pound of Velveeta cheese cut up into cubes, a 10 oz can of cream of celery soup, a cup of chicken broth...but feel free to use vegetable broth if you prefer, a half cup of heavy whipping cream, and salt and pepper to taste.  The original recipe doesn't call for the heavy whipping cream, but I add it because it makes the soup nice and creamy.  You can also use whole milk instead of heavy whipping cream and it will still make the soup thicker and creamier. 

I use some cooking spray to cover the inside of my crockpot, then I just put all the ingredients in and mix together.  I cooked it on high heat for 3-4 hours.  You can also do it on low heat for 5-6 hours.  Since I was home, I stirred it occasionally to make sure everything was mixed up the way I wanted, and tasted it to make sure it was properly seasoned.  Once you take it off the heat and let it sit for awhile, it will thicken up some more. 

I wanted to serve the soup with a good quality bread, so I decided to bake a rosemary olive oil artisan bread.  No, I didn't make it from scratch, although this bread tastes like you made it from scratch because it's that good.  I had a take & bake bread made by LaBrea Bakery.  It's basically a frozen loaf of bread/dough that you put on a cookie sheet and pop in your oven for 10-12 minutes.  It comes out crispy on the outside and super soft on the inside.  The only way I can describe it is if you were to get a soup bowl from Panera Bread or Au Bon Pain (or a similar place).  You know how the outside of the bowl is kind of hard and crispy, but the inside of the bowl has nice, soft bread?  This bread is the same concept when it comes out of the oven.  It's warm and delicious.  A perfect companion for soup.

There was enough soup for me, my husband, my daughter, and my mom to eat...and we still have some left over for tomorrow.  Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about the bread.  It didn't stand a chance in this house.  We definitely enjoy our carbs around here.  My husband, who loves a good bowl of soup, told me the soup was awesome.  He said if he was in a restaurant and had that soup, he would be wow'd.  He was quite impressed that I made it.  I think that was a compliment.  :)

Since I used chopped broccoli and didn't puree it, I made sure my daughter didn't get any big pieces of broccoli when I fed it to her.  She doesn't completely grasp the concept of chewing all her food yet, so better safe than sorry.  Kayla had some fresh fruit to go with her meal, but the rest of us simply had soup and bread.  With the bread, it was quite filling.

Now I have to think of my next recipe to "wow" my husband. 

Pizza Night

I recently bought some fresh Lou Malnati's pizza dough, so I decided to make a homemade pizza tonight for my daughter and I. She's had pizza a few times now, but not homemade.

I set the oven to 375 degrees. Then I brushed olive oil on my pizza pan. I let my pizza dough set out for a few minutes before working with it. It's best to roll it out on some flour before putting it on your pizza pan. I didn't want a really thin crust, so I didn't roll it out too much. I like a nice thick crust. Once I placed the dough on my pizza pan, I put a thin layer of 4 cheese pasta sauce on it. I sprinkled a little bit of oregano on the sauce. Topped the sauce with a little bit of shredded mozzarella cheese. Then I added some tomatoes, pepperoni, and little chunks of smoked mozzarella cheese. The smoked mozzarella cheese gives it a nice pop of flavor that you don't get from regular mozzarella. I baked the pizza for about 25 minutes or so, depends on your oven and how brown you like it. I like it to just be lightly browned on top and the cheese to be all melted. After I took the pizza out of the oven, I added some fresh basil to it. I put the basil on afterwords so it doesn't get too cooked down and dried out.

My daughter gets really impatient while waiting to eat. So while she was waiting, I gave her some grapefruit to eat and a couple ounces of a strawberry banana smoothie to drink. That seemed to tide her over until the pizza was done and cooled off a little bit. She gobbles food up so fast, it's hard to keep up with her. She's so active though, that you can't even tell how much she likes to eat.

Once the pizza cooled off, I broke up little pieces of it for Kayla and had a slice myself. I like the taste of the four cheese pasta sauce mixed with the other ingredients. And the crust is nice and thick around the edges, but it doesn't get too hard. The crust is a little crunchy on the outside, but soft in the middle, as it should be. Kayla gobbled it up and would have had more if I let her. We finished off our meal with a very small slice of a chocolate seven up cake. I would take credit for the cake, but it was store bought. I didn't have time to bake today since the little one had me up until 6:30 this morning. She is teething and sometimes doesn't sleep well at night. Hopefully, she'll be exhausted tonight so mommy can get some proper sleep. :)

Sunday night dinner

For dinner tonight, I made sandwiches on tomato focaccia bread.  I like to make sandwiches with a nice quality bread because it can really enhance the flavors of the sandwich.  The focaccia bread I used was from Palermo Bakery in Chicago, IL.  If you've never tried it, it is divine.  It makes the sandwich.  On the sandwich, I started with a layer of pastrami, then pepperoni (you can use turkey pepperoni if you prefer), then smoked turkey breast, fresh basil, and smoked mozzarella cheese.  I put a thin layer of miracle whip on the top slice of bread, then added some garlic salt and pepper to it.  Once the sandwich was all put together, I popped it in a 325 degree oven for about 10 minutes, just to heat it through.  The bread remains soft and the mozzarella cheese is melted just enough.  It's perfect.  My husband chose to eat his sandwich with a bowl of leftover chili while watching football.  My daughter and I enjoyed our sandwiches without any sides. 

Then for dessert, I made homemade apple sauce.  You can easily do this on the stove, but I let the apples slow cook in my crockpot today, so then all I had to do was mash them up at dinner time.  When I put the cut up pieces of apple into the crockpot, I filled the crockpot up halfway with some water.  Then I added granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and just a touch of vanilla.  I season it to taste.  I prefer for it to not be too tart, so I may add more brown sugar than most people.  My husband and I both like it sweet.  For the holidays, it's nice to shake it up a little by adding other fruits to it such as cranberries or peaches.  If you add cranberries to it, make sure you cook it with enough granulated sugar or it will be too tart and bitter.  The sugar is a must!

If you don't want apple sauce, skip the last step of mashing up the apples and just serve them in slices.  You've just made easy baked apples.  It really is simple and quick to make on the stove.  And if you do it in a crockpot, you just let them cook for a few hours and you're done.  It's so simple and your family will love it.  Especially the kids.