EASY Red Velvet Torte

I have not been sharing much here on the blog lately. Mostly because not much is happening here at the farmhouse except the normal daily things which I'm sure you don't care to hear about. I got my 2 year old potty trained, which to me, is a huge task and one I dread. He still has accidents sometimes but they are few and far between. As with my other 2, he isn't night trained either. For some reason, my boys seem to take awhile for that to develop.

The weather here in NW Ohio has been brutal and some days I feel like all I get done is feed wood into the woodstove (our main source of heat). This week, though, the cold has relented a little and we had some 'balmy' temps in the 40's. That has made for lots of melting snow and flooding. But I'm not complaining; I'm glad to see the snow go! I'm getting anxious for Spring.

And now for the purpose of this post: Red Velvet Torte. I made this cake on Valentines Day but am just now getting it shared. It looks fancy but I assure you, it really is easy. The recipe I got from my mom was chocolate and I wanted something 'Valentiney' so I adapted it to suit me. It was a big hit at our house; really moist and not overly sweet. To make it, you will need:

1 Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 small box chocolate pudding
1 stick butter - melted
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs

Mix all this together until well blended and divide evenly into 2 9" round (or heart-shaped) pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 325*F for 30 min. or until done. Cool 15 min. then overturn them out onto a plate to completely cool. When cool, carefully slice each cake in half.

***A tip for baking cakes to be flatter on top instead of domed is to bake them at a lower temperature. This allows the center to bake evenly with the sides.

For the frosting, mix in small mixing bowl the following:
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Beat until color lightens then fold in 1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip. Divide frosting into 4 equal parts.

Assemble the torte starting with cake and topping each layer with frosting. For the top layer, you can 'decorate' however you wish. I dusted the cake with powdered sugar then made rosettes around the edge. Chocolate curls or hearts would be neat too.

***A tip for getting the frosting on the layers without smearing a bunch of crumbs into it is to put it in an icing bag (or Ziploc with the corner cut off) and pipe it on beginning with a ring or 2 around the outside edge and filling in the middle in a back and forth motion.

Refrigerate the completed torte if not serving immediately. Also refrigerate any leftovers {if you have any}. :)

from the farmhouse

Home Canned Tomato Soup {that tastes like Campbells}

Today I made the last item on my canning 'to-do' list; tomato soup. It is such a GOOD feeling to be finished and put the canners away for another year. My shelves are now full of rows of shiny jars. I just want to stand and stare at them. It's such a satisfying feeling to know that I can feed my family this winter with foods that are a little healthier than store bought food. (And I'm certainly not knocking anyone that eats store bought food; we eat our share of it!)

Anyway, back to the tomato soup that I canned today. This was a first for me and I'm very happy with how it turned out.

It really does taste like Campbells! And it's super simple to make. It does require pressure canning but if that doesn't scare you off, you will be surprised how easy it really is. I started with the recipe found on food.com. After I added the baking soda, I did a quick taste test and found it was much too acid tasting for my liking so I added more sugar a little at a time until it had the flavor I was going for; CAMPBELLS. I ended up adding close to twice the amount the recipe calls for. (Just shy of another 3/4 cup.) After adding the extra sugar, I did the second boil like the recipe directs. The recipe states that it makes 14 pints but I ended up with 15 1/2. I canned the 15 and ate the 1/2 for supper. Just to test it, you know. ;) I always add milk to my tomato soup and I was delighted to find it tastes very much like the Campbells that I love. :)

The recipe as I made it is:

1/2 cup roughly chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
3 cups flour
1/4 cup salt
1 3/8 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
7 quarts tomato puree (juice) NOTE: I strain cored and cooked tomatoes in a Victorio strainer
1 teaspoon baking soda

Follow the directions on Food.com

So now that canning is finished, I hope to start on another project soon. I've been cruising Pinterest a bit, getting some inspiration.... ;)

From the Farmhouse,

Top 3 of 2012

My posting schedule a little behind due to being out of town and not having regular internet access. I had intended to do a 'Top 3 post' on my 3 most viewed posts in 2012. I did not have time to get it written and scheduled to post while I was away so I'm posting now.

I also had planned to share my holiday mantle with you but that didn't happen either. According to a mini facebook poll, you still want to see it so I will see what I can do. :)

Back to the 3 most viewed projects of 2012...

By far, the most popular is my barn door.

Next is my master bedroom makeover reveal.

Before:

After:

And #3 is my roll top desk makeover:

And receiving honorable mention:

My potato salad recipe:

and my Apothecary Medicine Cabinet Door:

This is still awaiting a final reveal; check back!

So there you have some of my (and evidently YOUR) favorite projects from the past year. 

The arrival of my 3rd son at the end of 2011 slowed down some of my 

planned projects but I'm happy to have made some progress. 

Soon, I hope to be able to reveal my farmhouse bathroom makeover.

From the Farmhouse


Linking to:

Tatertots and Jello Best of 2012

What's on YOUR Menu for Memorial Day? {A Recipe for the BEST Potato Salad}

Today was our annual school picnic.

 It's a potluck-type lunch with lots of salads, sweet tea, and strawberry desserts. :) 

In my opinion, no picnic is complete without potato salad. 

And if you're like me, not just any potato salad will work. 

I'm pretty picky about my potato salad. 

I like my potatoes grated, not diced. 

I like a sweeter (but not TOO sweet) dressing with just a bit of zing. 

My grandma USED to have the best recipe. 

That is, until I discovered "Cretora's Potato Salad". 

Cretora is a relative of my husband and makes the. best. potato salad ever. 

Period. 

Since discovering her recipe (and it's original with her!),

 I haven't even wanted to make any other potato salad. 

It's that good. 

Try it for YOUR Memorial Day picnic or next potluck dinner. 

You will make new friends. 

You will take home an empty dish.

And you will never make any other potato salad.

Ok, so maybe you're not like me, but I'll share the recipe in case

you want to make new friends. ;)

CRETORA'S POTATO SALAD

serves 25

5 lbs potatoes (cooked, peeled, and grated)

6 hard boiled eggs (peeled and diced)

3/4 - 1 cup sweet onion (minced)

1 cup celery (diced)

dressing:

2 cups heavy (whipping) cream (this is the secret ingredient!)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 T salt

2 cups Miracle Whip (I use mayonnaise; use whichever your prefer)

3 T vinegar

3 T lemon juice

3 T mustard

1 tsp celery seed

Mix potatoes, eggs, onions, and celery in a large bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together all dressing ingredients. Add to potato mixture. Refrigerate overnight for flavors to meld. Garnish with additional hard boiled egg slices and parsley if desired.

Linking to:

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special

Tater Tots and Jello's Favorite Summer Recipes

From the Farmhouse

Pear Custard Bars or Pear Cheesecake Bars

Pears are in season here in Ohio, prompting me to make one of my all time favorite desserts. I contain myself to making these only about once a year. I got a bushel of pears (to can) on Friday and about 3 of them were ready to eat. SO... what's a gal to do with 3 ripe pears? Make Pear Custard Bars, of course.

Warning: These are in no way low fat, low carb, or low calorie. 

Which translates into: these. are. to. die. for.

So, without further embellishment, here's the recipe:

PEAR CUSTARD BARS

Crust:
1 cup butter (softened)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in flour and vanilla then press into a greased 8X12 baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

In another bowl combine:
2 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Pour over baked crust.

Peel, core, and slice 2 large or 3 small ripe pears. (Note: Canned pear halves can be used but the flavor isn't quite as good.) Arrange the slices over the top of the cream cheese layer. In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tsp. of cinnamon. Sprinkle over the sliced pears.
Return to a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes. Center will be soft set and will become firmer upon cooling. Cool 45 minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Yields about 16 - 18 servings.

Check out that cream cheesy goodness. (Please don't judge me for the amount of calories in these!)
Linking to:




Thrifty Thursday @ Thrifty Decorating

Homemade Maple Nut Granola ~ easy and delicious

I was first introduced to homemade granola while living with my future brother and sister-in-laws. I was teaching school out of my home community and boarding with them. (This was, of course, before I was married.) Previously, I had the notion that granola was gross. I had never tasted it, mind you. I just knew from the name that it tasted like, well, like sawdust. I mean, it even looks unappetizing.

Well, like I said, I was boarding at my future in-laws. I always grabbed a bowl of cereal before heading to school in the mornings. Well, one day future SIL announced that she was out of cereal but she had made granola for me. Um, gulp! Ok, sure. I didn't want to hurt her feelings so I took a tiny bit. After the first bite, I scarfed it down and took a much bigger helping. Surprise! It was not only good - it was delicious!

I have made it myself a few times since then. I won't even try any other recipe - why mess with success? Well, it had been quite awhile since I've made it so Sunday I decided to throw a batch together. That's literally all there is to it - throw it together and bake it. My kids absolutely love it and I'm happy to be feeding them a more substantial cereal than boughten.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it for yourself:

Maple Nut Granola

• 3 cups quick oats
• 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter - melted
• 1/2 tsp. maple flavor
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl, combine butter, flavoring, and cinnamon. Pour over cereal and stir until well combined. Spread on cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir and bake an additional 15 minutes. Yield: About 4 - 5 cups.

If you're consciously trying to cut your sugar intake, you could probably cut the sugar back to half a cup as this is pretty sweet. The graham crackers and coconut both add sweetness in addition to the sugar. I will probably try less sugar then next time around.

Gonna link up here:

What's For Dinner?

It's Saturday and I'm tossing around in my mind what to fix for lunch on Sunday. We typically have a much heartier lunch on Sunday's than any other day of the week. This means I need to think ahead and get my 'ducks in a row' on Saturday. One recipe that keeps coming to my mind is my Herb Roasted Potatoes and Chicken. It's super easy and unbelievably tasty! I thought I'd share the recipe with you. If you try it, come back and let me know what you think!

Herb Roasted Potatoes and Chicken

• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 lbs small red potatoes - washed and sliced approx. 3/4" thick
• 1 lb. whole white mushrooms - washed (optional)

Mix oil and spices in a large bowl. Dredge chicken pieces through the mixture to coat on both sides. Lay in a 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan that has been sprayed with Pam. After all 4 pieces of chicken have been coated, put the vegetables in the bowl with the  mixture and toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer in the pan with the chicken. Roast uncovered @ 375 degrees for approx. 45 min. or until chicken reaches desired doneness. (I use a meat thermometer to determine doneness.)

Serve with salad or other vegetable for a delicious, balanced meal!


This recipe has been linked up with Remodelaholic Recipe Swap Sunday.