This is THE carrot cake. The secret, award-winning carrot cake recipe that I have used in my home-based dessert catering business for years.

It’s the best carrot cake in the world.

The best thing about developing the best carrot cake recipe in the world, is that when you start getting overwhelmed with orders – you have two choices:

a) Open up a bakery (um….no – I like being home with my kiddos and I don’t really think the military would move my bakery from duty station to duty station….)

or b) Start teaching classes on HOW to make that carrot cake.

I chose option ‘b’, of course.

Option ‘b’ works well enough and is really, really FUN!! But what happens when you are stretched so thin by teaching classes and you realize that once the military moves you, your student’s will need a place to find more recipes, more classes, and more talk about food?

That’s when you start a blog.

Friends, thank you so much for following The Flying Kitchen. We have been up and running now for 2 months exactly and we have received hits from all fifty states and over twenty countries. I’m spending more time with my family than ever – and the most wondrous thing about all of this is that my family eats everything that I post on this blog. So…I’m able to do what I love to do – which is teach, write and develop recipes WHILE I’m taking care of my family, which is what I love to do most of all!

Sometimes I think that my kids get tired of me ‘fiddling around’ in the kitchen, and yes, there have been times when I have pushed the envelope once or twice, and my toddler (in protest) had to smash a few eggs to get my attention. I’ve got to hand it to her – that was not only effective, but it did stick with the whole ‘cooking’ theme – which is worthy of applause in of itself.

But then there are times when one of my kids does something so extraordinary that all I can do is stand there and blink my eyes in disbelief. Like yesterday, when my ten-year-old announced that she would like to make a “Lemon Layer Cake”. She found the recipe in a library book and proceeded to make a vanilla sponge cake – from scratch – completely on her own. She THEN pulled out my double-boiler and made lemon curd. LEMON CURD. From lemons, and egg yolks, sugar and butter. Again, totally on her own. And then a glaze to pour over the top of her layer cake. She even knew which cake pedestal she wanted to use. It was glorious. All of it.

And those are the kids of moments that make me just sit in a quiet kind of wonder and think. I ponder that this little person has never had a formal ‘lesson’ from me. She has never read my writing. She expressly picked a recipe that was not mine. And she flew.

If I can offer any advice to any mommy, it is to always follow your passion. Always. And while there may be days where you seem to get little sleep, being mommy-by-day, and graphic designer/writer/student or artist by night – those tired days will not last forever, further; they will fill your home with an energy and enthusiasm that is absolutely priceless!! Find what it is that makes your eyes pop with excitement and run – just run with it!

Or FLY!

Fly until you have reached your pinnacle, then sit on that precipice and rest, and watch the ripple effect of what you have done as it continues to radiate through every fiber of your life. And smile.

Find your passion, friends.

_____________________________

Rabbit’s Envy Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare two 8 or 9 inch round pans.

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups grated carrots

1 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained well

1 cup pecans

1)Open can of pineapple and drain in strainer over a seperate bowl or the sink. You will want the pineapple to sit in this strainer for about 20 minutes so very little juice remains.

2) Chop the pecans very finely. Almost to a powder. Place on cookie sheet and toast in a 400 degree oven for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally – until lightly toasted and fragrant. This is a very, very important step.

3) Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

4) cream butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla and eggs together. Whip until light and fluffy. Add cinnamon and nutmeg.

5) Gently add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture – taking care not to over-beat (over-beating makes a from-scratch cake dry).

6) When the flour mixture and the butter/sugar mixture and well combined, add the grated carrots, pineapple and toasted pecans. Combine gently.

Pour into pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until inside of cake is no longer gooey.

Cream Cheese Icing:

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 packages cream cheese

1 2lb bag of powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Add powdered sugar gradually and whip until the whole mixture is fluffy.

When the cake is cool, layer this icing in between your two cakes then frost the entire cake.

If you would like to decorate your cake with little ‘carrots’, reserve 1/2 cup of your icing and color it with orange and green food coloring.

This is what I’ll be making for our Easter dinner on Sunday! I’m really looking forward to it!

Sometimes, saying something out loud is all you need to do to start believing in yourself. So, if you would please say out loud, “My passion is _____”. Even if you are not sure if THAT is in fact, your passion. It could be one of many – that’s okay. If you would like to take an extra step toward walking the path of your passion, leave a comment telling us what your passion is! I know that putting it out there for all to see IS a bold move, but sometimes making a bold move, while scary, is just what the doctor ordered! So, what’s your passion?!?

Walk in JOY.

Bon appetit, and bonne chance in YOUR Adventures In Cookery,

This Hearty Black Bean Soup is staple in my house.  It’s delicious, high in vitamins and minerals, is high in fiber and very satisfying.  I especially love it garnished with a little sour cream, some grated cheddar and a good amount of cilantro.

This soup freezes very well!  And let me tell you – there is nothing better than pulling a batch of this out of your freezer on those days when you’ve had it ‘up to here’ and want a break already!

This recipe was originally published for my “Five Family Meals For Five Dollars Or Less” class, and can now be found here at The Flying Kitchen for your culinary enjoyment and Adventures In Cookery. 

A huge batch can be made for between $3-$4.  And I mean huge.  Like my size family ‘huge’.  The cost of course, is dependant on where you shop and whether or not you make your own chicken broth.

1 bag dried black beans

12 cups water

1 tsp cornstarch

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

3 Tbs oil

2 onions, diced

2 carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 12-14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 tsp salt

Anywhere from 1/4 to 1 tsp chipoltle chili powder, depending on your family’s ’spice threshold’

1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese (as garnish)

1 cup sour cream (as garnish)

Small bunch of fresh cilantro (as garnish)

Sort through black beans one-by-one (ensuring that all lumps of clay and/or rocks are removed).  Rinse beans under cool water and put in a pot.  Cover beans with 12 cups water.  Bring to a rapid boil, and continue to boil for about 1 hour.  When beans are tender, pour ‘bean water’ out of pan and replace with 2-3 cups cool water and 3 cups chicken stock.  Set over medium heat.  Using strainer, sprinkle 1 tsp corn starch over liquid and stir immediately.  This will thicken the soup.

In 3 Tbs oil, and over medium-high heat, sauté onions, celery and carrots until tender.  Add to the bean mixture and increase temperature to medium-high.  Add tomatoes and stir.  Continue to simmer for 20 minutes.  Serve with sour cream, cheddar and fresh cilantro. 

As you can see, this soup is very easy to make!  I hope it will become a staple in your home too.

Bon appetit and bonne chance in your Adventures In Cookery,