Creamy Coconut Pecan Frosting

Whenever there is a party at work or a family gathering, people always volunteer me to make cupcakes. For our family's Memorial Day cookout this year my my father in law requested my German chocolate cupcakes with caramel pecan frosting. Although my cupcake and frosting recipes are usually top secret because of my business, I thought I would share my caramel pecan frosting recipe. It works on so many flavors of cake and tastes awesome on cookies and brownies. Additionally, since it is more of a custard than a frosting, I have even used it as a pie filling.

What you need:

3 Egg Yolks
1 (14 ounce) Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 1/2 Cups Sweetened Coconut Flakes
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Butter

1. Separate egg yolks from whites. Put yolks in a medium saucepan and either discard whites or refrigerate for later use.

2. Combine egg yolks with condensed milk, butter and vanilla extract

3. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium low heat, stirring often. The cooking time here is approximately 10 minutes.

4. Remove the mixture from the heat, then stir in coconut flakes and pecans. Allow the mixture to cool completely and it will thicken as it cools.

Since this frosting is so thick requires a spoon and a lot of care when icing your desserts.

Easy Red Velvet Brownies

Other than my son and my husband, baking is my great love in life and what I do to relax. I've been absolutely hooked since I was given an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas 1994 and spent much of my childhood watching cooking shows on public television. I've run my own cupcake business since 2009 where I have had the opportunity to make cupcakes for weddings and other special events. I am normally a from scratch baker (everything for my business is handmade) but I do have weeknight dessert cravings that I resolve with a pre-made mix. I would much rather doctor up a mix late on a Tuesday night than spend money on overpriced grocery store desserts that don't reflect my personality.

Like most women, if it's sweet I like it. My husband on the other hand is more of a Doritos guy than a dessert guy. There are, however, a few desserts that always catch his attention... key lime pie, tiramisu and especially red velvet cake. Ryan's love for red velvet cake makes choosing a birthday cake or sweet pick me up for him very easy. Last week I wanted to surprise him with something sweet but didn't have the time to do a full-on from scratch ta-da. I decided to cross two things he loves, brownies and red velvet cake. These red velvet brownies are quick and delicious but there are a couple tricks to getting them just right.

What you need:

1 Box of Red Velvet Cake Mix
1/4 Cup of Water
3 Tablespoons of Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 Egg or 1/4 cup of Egg Substitute


1. Grease a 13x9 baking dish with butter, oil or non-stick spray
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Add all ingredients together and mix until well blended using a lightly oiled wooden spoon. The batter will be VERY thick.
4. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Take a plastic sandwich bag, put on your hand like a glove and add a little butter or oil to the outside. Use this to evenly spread the batter out in the pan without it sticking to your hand or the spoon. Make sure the batter is spread evenly or the thinner sections will overcook.
5. Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool slightly before cutting

These are great by themselves, with vanilla ice cream or with cream cheese frosting. They only take 30 minutes from start to finish and are a great break from the mundane of weeknight desserts.

Slow Cooker Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is one of my favorite foods. I love it for breakfast, desserts and snacks. The brand you buy in a tub at the grocery store is delicious, but I end up eating it all in one sitting. At $3.50 a tub, that is not the most cost effective way to satisfy a craving.

I love rice pudding and I also LOVE my slow cooker. A slow cooker is a working mom's best friend so I try to utilize mine as often as possible. Since I created this recipe one rainy Saturday, it has become a go to staple that provides many more servings than the store bought tub for just under the price of the premade brand.

What You Need:

3 cups milk

1 cup  uncooked rice (short grain, like arborio, works best)

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar (I like mine a little less sweet so you can adjust  the amount of sugar to suit your taste)

1/3 cup butter

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

Directions:

Add all ingredients into slow cooker, stir

Cover and set your slow cooker for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours on high 

Stir every 30 minutes or so

Pudding is done when desired creaminess is reached

Serve hot or refrigerate and serve cold

Notes:

Cooking time and amount of liquid required varies slightly depending on the type of rice that you use. This recipe was formulated to my taste but you can experiment with rice variety, amounts of liquid and amounts of sugar/cinnamon to suit the tastes of your family. You can also add raisins if desired.

Also, while most slow cooker recipes can be left alone for hours at a time, I don't recommend doing that with this recipe because of the temperamental nature of rice and dairy when cooked.

When I make this recipe, I usually eat it for dessert and for breakfast.

Happy noshing!