I try to prepare meatless foods on Monday.  It is better for our planet to try to eat meatless a few time a week and since so many of the blogs I follow remind me of this, I tend to comply.  One of our favorite recipes is homemade macaroni and cheese.  I love it, it’s easy to make and easy on the budget.

Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb pasta of your choice

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups of milk

2 cups cheddar cheese

4 ounces goat cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cook pasta according to directions.  Set aside when finished.  Melt the butter in a sauce pan, once melted and the flour and whisk.  When smooth, add the milk and cheese.  Once cheese is melted add pasta, mix, put in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.  Absolutely delicious.  I serve with a salad and dinner is served.

What are your favorite meatless meals?

 

During the spring, a coconut cake is a yummy dessert that is not very hard to make. This is a great treat to make for Easter, or just any spring day.

I think that cakes are one of the most enjoyable desserts to make. I love finding new recipes that create new challenges when baking. I am always learning new things every time I make a new dessert, and this one was no exception. This recipe helped me progress as a baker, but it was still a fun and not to hard recipe to recreate.

I got this recipe from https://www.shugarysweets.com/

Supplies:

Two 9-inch cake pans

Baking spray

Mixing bowl

Ingredients:

For the cake:

5 egg whites at room temperature

3/4 cups of milk

3/4 cups of softened unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups of granulated sugar

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1/2 tsp of almond extract

2 1/2 cups of cake flour

1 Tbsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of kosher salt

1 cup shredded and sweetened coconut

For the frosting:

1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter

2 8 ounce packages of softened cream cheese

6 cups of powdered sugar

1/4 cup of heavy cream

2 cups of shredded, sweetened coconut

Directions:

Time to start the cake! The first thing that you will want to do is preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Then whisk all of the egg whites together with 1/4 cup of milk in a small bowl until they are slightly combined and then set them aside.

Now, in a mixing bowl beat the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract at medium speed for two minutes. Add in all of the dry ingredients and mix them until they are combined. Beat the egg white mixture in until everything is blended completely. Add in the rest of the milk and beat it for 3-4 minutes, then fold in the coconut.

Take out the two 9-inch cake pans and spray them with the baking spray. Pour the batter evenly into the two pans and bake them for 26-28 minutes, or until they are completely cooked through. Then remove them and let them cool on a wire rack.

Now that the cakes are finished, you can start making the frosting! Beat the butter and cream cheese for three minutes using the whisk attachment on an electric mixer. Add the powdered sugar and heavy cream to the mixture. Then beat it together for and extra 4-5 minutes.

It is finally time to assemble your cake. Place one layer of cake onto a cake stand.  Once the cake is completely cooled, spread the frosting onto this layer, and then add the second layer. Then add frosting to the rest of the cake. Add coconut to the top and sides of the cake. Now that the cake is finished, grab a slice and enjoy your delicious coconut cake!

I hope that you enjoyed creating this very springy cake, and I hope that you found it very delicious.