I found a new recipe for carrot cake. I haven't tried it yet, but the ingredients look like a good combination of spices and everything that makes a great carrot cake. It is a Mazola Corn Oil recipe and can also be found on their web page at Mazola.com. I like the size of this recipe. It isn't a large cake, but just large enough. I found the recipe in one of their newspaper ads. The recipe is posted below the Lasagna recipe.
Yesterday I made lasagna. There's a bit of time consumed in putting a pan of Lasagna together but it was well worth the effort. Not only did it taste great but I made enough to have left overs.
I tried a few things different with this Lasagna. I baked it in a cooler oven than I usually do (325 degrees instead of 350)
Lasagna
Brown in a 3 qt. pan: 1 1/2 lbs. of ground meat, 2 T. olive oil, finely chopped onion, 2 cloves of garlic.
add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper; Cook till light brown, drain off excess liquid. Add 16 ounce can tomato paste, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 can diced tomatoes or pureed tomatoes, 3 cans water, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil. Stir well, cover with lid. Simmer on low about an hour. Add more water if needed.
Boil 9 lasagna noodles in salted water for about 12 minutes.
Drain and rinse with cool water, set aside.
In bowl, mix 2 cups ricotta cheese, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 beaten egg, 1 teaspoon dried parsley.
In a 13x9 pan, spread 1/2 cup of sauce in pan, place 3 lasagna noodles on top of sauce,
Carrot Cake
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup Mazola® Corn Oil
1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract
1-1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon Spice Islands Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups grated carrots
3/4 cup chopped walnut OR pecans, divided
Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons butter OR margarine, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon Spice Islands Pure Vanilla Extract
1 to 2 teaspoons milk
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Mix sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt; blend well. Stir in carrots and 1/2 cup nuts until combined.
Pour batter into a greased 8 OR 9-inch square pan; bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Frost cake when cool. Use remaining nuts to garnish top of frosted cake.
For frosting: beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add enough milk to make desired spreading consistency.
