Carrot Cake Roll (AKA Kitchen Fail)

Quite frankly, with the cost of groceries these days, I just decided to get a box mix to make this cake, and I'm glad I did! Major fail! LOL, we discovered that our kitchen floor has sagged under the counter and stove, so the oven is not level. It doesn't make a big difference for the most part, but for a thin sheet cake to roll and not crack, the thickness has to be consistent. You can see the sliced roll is thick in spots and thin in others. BUT it tastes amazing! 

Carrot Cake mix (follow mix instructions)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook cake in a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. 

Cream Cheese Icing:

8oz Cream Cheese, softened
16 oz Powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Mix cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and mix.

For roll: 

Damp kitchen towel
Parchment paper
Sugar

Place damp towel on counter. top with a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with sugar so the warm cake doesn't stick. Invert cake onto parchment and towel. Remove top parchment paper. The take the end of the towel and start rolling the cake end to end. tuck the end of the towel in and set aside to cool to room temperature.

When the cake is at room temperature, unroll and ice the cake. Roll and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Chicken Lo Mein... More Chinese Takeout at home!

I didn't have the Lo Mein noodles, so I just used what I had in the pantry. Angel Hair Pasta worked just fine! 


Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein

8 oz Angel Hair Pasta or Spaghetti

2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

1 head of broccoli cut into flowerets
1 carrot, matchstick cuts
1 onion halved and sliced
1/2 cup water chestnuts
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic minced

Cook the noodles one minute shy of the directions.
Drain and toss with a little oil in a bowl to coat. 

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium to medium-high heat.Cook the chicken about 5-10 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove from the pan and add in the vegetables and garlic and cook them for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently until just softened.

In a bowl add water, cornstarch, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce. Mix to dissolve the cornstarch and pour into the skillet. Bring to a low boil to thicken the sauce.

Add in chicken and noodles. Stir until heated through. Serve! 

Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry

When I made the stuffed flank steak rolls, I had marinaded steak left over from the trimmings. So I decided to use it in a stir fry. When starting from scratch, use the marinade recipe below.

Marinade:
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

1 lb Sirloin, Chuck or London Broil, sliced thin against the grain

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 sweet onions, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 cup carrots, cut into thin strips

Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup water

In a small bowl, add marinade and beef. Toss to coat. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat about 1 minute. Add beef, breaking up clumps of beef with wooden spoon; cook 1 minute without stirring. Flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until beef is browned around edges. Transfer beef mixture to clean bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet; heat over medium-high heat about 1 minute. Add vegetables and cook until tender-crisp. Return meat to skillet. 

In a small bowl mix sauce. Add sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil until thickened. stirring constantly. Serve over rice.

Shared on Meal Plan Monday 

Just For Fun ~ What it takes to make 15 Gallons of Mama's Slaw

30-32 large heads of Cabbage

5 lbs of Carrots

3 or 4 gallons of Mayonnaise

(Depends on the yield from the cabbage)

1 bottle Lemon Juice

1 bag Sugar

Salt and Pepper

Multiple Coolers and Zip-Loc Bags

3 stations:
Peeling and cutting Carrots and Cabbage
Grinding Carrots and Cabbage
Mixing (Notice that I had to use one of the babies' chairs
 as a stool because the bowl/tote was so big! LOL)

Elliott took the pictures, 

but he was on the Cutting and Peeling Station.
The hubby was grinding and I was mixing.

And, THIS is the look I get 

when I try to tell him how to do something! LOL