The Cake by Hannah

A small town girl spreading kindness like buttercream frosting

Our Holiday Meal Plan

Hey, hey gals! Can you believe it’s almost Christmas Eve?! I have been a day off in my head and definitely woke up thinking today was the 22nd. Yikes, I have a lot to do today. I will be headed out to grab all of our holiday meals and thought I would share with you! If you are part of my emails and enjoy The Cake for Dinner… I promise it’s returning. I took a break during the holiday season because we have zero consistency and eat out so much more than usual. I will share more about out holiday season soon, but I have just been trying to be completely present! Thanks for understanding. I can’t wait to kick off the new year with healthy meals for your family, though. It’s going to be a blast to start the new year together in good spirits and health.

Christmas Eve: 

I grew up eating a special lasagna meal served on my mom’s fancy china on Christmas Eve. It was tradition to go to the candle light service at church followed by our meal together at the table by candle light with my mom’s red table cloth and lace linens. It always felt so special. Then, all my siblings and I would get into our Christmas jammies and sleep in our sleeping bags on the floor of one of our rooms. My parents would come in and film us on the big Camcorder, asking us what we thought Santa was bringing us as we would sleepily recite all of our hopes and dreams for Christmas morning. I can still remember those nights with my siblings on the floor, giggling and falling asleep to the sounds of the hum of our space heaters. I have carried this meal on in my own family, served on my great grandma’s special china that I inherited.

Momma’s Lasagna Recipe

Christmas Morning:

We ate my mom’s easy breakfast casserole every single Christmas morning after opening gifts. By breakfast, my grandparents had made it over to the house and we would all eat together. We are from San Antonio, so topping this dish with salsa is a must. Then, when Paul and I got married, we were so broke that our first Christmas at our apartment had no presents. We only were able to buy some special food to make. So, I decided to make the breakfast casserole and added to our traditions with this amazing French Toast Casserole. It’s seriously become famous among my friends, and they now make it for their own Christmas morning breakfasts and brunch parties. There are always leftovers, and that is our lunch as well as we prepare for dinner.

Momma’s Breakfast Casserole

French Toast Casserole 

Christmas Dinner: 

Our first Christmas I made rosemary lamb and risotto. It was fantastic. However, some of our family doesn’t do lamb, so we save that dish for other special occasions now. Instead, we do a traditional ham, corn casserole, and sweet potato casserole. Of course served with mulled wine (easy recipe found here).

I have made a slew of different Sweet Potato Casseroles over the years, trying different recipes out. And, y’all. I found the best one. I made it for Thanksgiving and it was such a hit. I found it on Holly Furtick’s Instagram and decided to give it a shot… and wow. I MEAN. This is officially my family’s sweet potato casserole dish.

Casserole:

3 Cups Mashed Sweet Potato (I used 6 massive sweet potatoes… I am not sure if it was 3 cups, but it was the perfect amount IMO)

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c. milk (we use Almond to make DF)

1/2 c. melted butter (we use Earth Balance to make DF)

Topping:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. flour (we use Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose 1-1 Gluten Free)

1/3 c. melted butter

1 c. chopped pecans

Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 350, prepare a 9×13 baking dish for casserole
  2. In a large bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and 1/2 c. of melted butter. Blend and spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish.
  3. In separate bowl, combine the topping mixture together, blending all ingredients well. Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole.
  4. Bake for 40 minutes until the filling is hot and topping is golden brown.

The YUMMIEST Winter Crock Pot Short Ribs

 

You guys, I am telling you… this is so easy and SO yummy. It tastes like home, if you know what I mean hehe. Like, just SO GOOD. This meal is perfect for a hostess who maybe doesn’t want to make a ham or turkey for a Christmas party or is having people over for the holidays. If you have family staying with you, count this IN as one of your meals for the week while they’re in town. It is impressive and hearty, but doesn’t take a whole lot of time. You can be the hostess with the mostest without having to slave in the kitchen all day!

Right now, Costco has these amazing packages of short ribs for about $20. They feed 8-10 (or, you can make it all for your smaller family and freeze for future meals like we did!). I saw them while perusing the aisles trying to make my meal plan two weeks ago, and I knew I needed them. I have NEVER made short ribs, but I eat them. And I love them. And I figured I would find a recipe to make them with.

ALAS! 8 hour, fall apart short ribs you will drink the juice from. I am serious… They’re that good. I poured the juice over pasta, potatoes, and salad as a dressing. I am low-key drooling thinking about it all over again. i found a recipe on Pinterest to make this in a skillet but just figured it’d work in the Crock Pot, too. And… IT SO DOES.

8 Hour Crock Pot Short Ribs

Package of defrosted and pat down short ribs

2 cups of red wine (use a Red Blend, Malbec, or Cab! I used Malbec.)

1 garlic clove, chopped (disperse over meat evenly)

Rosemary, peeled and chopped finely

16 oz. beef stock

Salt and Pepper

I served this on top of pasta with asparagus the first night we ate it, and then on top of mashed sweet potatoes with honey brussels sprouts the second time we ate them. It’d be amazing shredded on top of a baked potato, too! Honestly, it’s just good on anything. 😉

 

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Y’all KNOW I am all about that pumpkin. ALL THINGS PUMPKIN. Yep, gimme. Today we have Carleigh’s mama’s Pumpkin Bread Recipe for all of you, and I know I cannot wait to give it a go in my kitchen.

Happy fall, y’all!

xoxo, Hannah

Pumpkin Streusel Bread

Bread

3 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2-4 teaspoons cinnamon (depending on how much you like! I use 4)

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

2/3 cup water

1 can (15oz) pumpkin

Streusel

4 tablespoons butter, cold

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup all purpose flour

Pumpkin Glaze

2 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

1-2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 9×5 bread pans.
  2. In a bowl, mix together oil, brown sugar, and white sugar. Once combined, add in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
  3. Add pumpkin. Set bowl aside.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
  5. Alternately add dry ingredients and water to the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir until combined.
  6. Divide batter equally between the 2 bread pans.
  7. In a small bowl, combine flour, butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar for the streusel until it’s in pea-sized crumbles. Spread streusel all over batter.
  8. Bake for 50-55 minutes.
  9. For the glaze, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, salt to taste, and 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Mix until combined.
  10. Once bread has finished baking and cooled, drizzle the glaze over the bread. Enjoy!!

Meals for Your Family!

Hiya, friends! One of the things I absolutely get asked the most is “What do you eat?” A. It’s a valid question considering my husband and I both have ridiculous food allergies and intolerances. B. I get it! It’s so hard cooking meals every night, whether for 1 or 10. Because of this, I started my weekly meal plan email The Cake for Dinner. It’s been so fun hearing from those of you who have already started using my weekly meal plans to help alleviate the stress of answering the dreaded question, “What’s for dinner?” If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting for?! Follow this link to join the community.

Today, in the name of meal planning, I am sharing meals for your family that I often go to for planning our week. When you get my meal plans, I send you the meals for that week, budgeting tips, and the shopping list by category. So this is just a glimpse at the goodness you could be part of every Sunday when that The Cake for Dinner meal plan hits your inbox! Find many of these on my Eats Pinterest Boards, and join the party over there.

A List of Family Meals 

Pulled Pork, Sweet Potato (mashed or baked), green vegetable

Pulled Pork and Rice Bowl (or quinoa), with corn, tomatoes, broccoli 

Stuffed Pulled Pork Peppers

Chipotle Bowls (Steak, rice, tomato, salsa, beans)

Chicken Fried Rice

Crockpot Pork Chops, Carrots, and Sweet potatoes 

GF Sweet and Sour Chicken

Turkey Taco Burrito Bowls

BLT Pasta

Spaghetti

Lettuce Wrap Burgers

Greens Bowl (Sweet potato, greens, egg, and avocado)

Chinese Lemon Chicken (with rice, broccoli, red pepper)

Loaded Burger Salad Bowl

Cheese and Rice Broccoli Bake

Steak & Baked Potato 

Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potato

Salmon, quinoa, greens

Chicken, sweet potato, brussel sprouts 

Mediterranean Chicken Bowl (on romain lettuce, cucumber, tomato, hummus, feta)

Chicken Sausage Pasta (squash, zucchini, broccoli, onion & pasta sauce)

Fall Harvest Bowl (Chicken, sweets, apples, brussel sprouts)

Sausage and cooked carrots 

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad 

Taco Night

Sheet Pork Tenderloin and potatoes 

Vegan Fettaccuini 

Shrimp and pasta 

Peanut Thai Chicken, Broccoli and rice 

Three Meals That Actually WORKED From Pinterest

I am all about easy but good meals, but I run out of ideas pretty quick and I find chicken and broccoli on our dinner table way more than I would like to admit. So as a challenge to myself, I find meals on the reg on Pinterest that look like something I could do… and then ACTUALLY DO IT. Sometimes, they’re too complicated or a fail. But here are three meals I have done recently that really did work!

GF Biscuits and Gravy: One night, I just really was craving it. I don’t know why… but I had to have biscuits and freaking gravy. This is my friend’s go-to recipe that we had at brunch a few weeks ago and DANG it was good. So I stole it!

Country Gravy, Drop Biscuits (Sub flour for all purpose 1-1 gluten free if needed!)

Orange Chicken: So. Dang. Good. I had never thought before to use orange jam to create orange chicken… but it made sense and was easy!

This recipe +you can get rice noodles in the ethnic food aisle at my grocery store!

Protein Banana Pancakes: 2 eggs, 1 banana, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp. chocolate protein powder, 1/4 c. gf pancake mix (We use Bob’s Red Mill)

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