Cream Cheese Frosting

I think cream cheese goes with most anything.  When I was thinking about Emilee's birthday cake this year, I knew that I wanted white frosting with chocolate on top.  I am not a fan of white frosting, then one night I remembered the cream cheese frosting I found on the food network.  I changed the recipe just a little and added extra powder sugar, to make it a little stiffer. The cake ended up tasting wonderful, it was the perfect mixture of chocolate and cream cheese.  

Cream Cheese Frosting

courtesy of Paula Deen, the Food Network

16 oz. Cream Cheese, softened

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

4 1/2 C. powdered sugar

Mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together.  Gradually add the powdered sugar, until well mixed.  Enjoy.

Caramel Brownies

These are always a favorite. My family loves them, and I can never seem to keep them around for longer then a couple days. When I went away to school, the same thing happened with my roommates, everybody loves them, Its a garanteed success.

Batter:

1 package of German Chocolate Cake mix
3/4 Cup of Margarine
1/3 Cup evaporated milk.
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
Caramel:
50 light Caramels
1/3 Cup Evaportated milk
Melt together in a double boiler
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9in pan. Combine cake mix, margarine, milk by hand, or pastry cutter till the dough holds together. Press 1/2 of mix into pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle Chocolate chips on baked crust. Pour caramel over chips. Crumble remaining cough over caramel mixture. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
*I like to add a few more caramels to my mix, but I would go over 60. Also when spreading the top layer on. Flatten it out in your hand, It is easier and covers more surface area. With the chocolate chips, if you dont like whole chips in you brownie, leave them in the oven for a little bit, no longer then a minute, then try to spread the chips. Just be careful not to break the brownie. this way you get more of a layer of chocolate then, chunks.

Oatmeal Cookies

The last couple of weeks I have wanted oatmeal cookies.  I pulled out the recipe I've had forever and they didn't turn out the way I wanted.  So a couple of days later I made them again and got them to work, they taste wonderful.  I love how light they are.  We ate almost all of the cookies that day, Adam has already asked for more.

Oatmeal Cookie

1/2 Cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1 1/4 Cups flour

1/2 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Cups quick oatmeal

1/2 Cup coconut

Preheat the oven to 375.  In mixing bowl cream the butter and sugars.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Stir in the remaining ingredients until mixed.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.