Thanks to all of you who suggested questions. If I haven’t been to your site yet to grab them, I will be there soon! This week’s questions come from karen. Great questions, Karen! =)

1. What is your favorite main course to prepare?
Chili.  I don’t need a recipe.  It’s all in my head.
2. What is your favorite side dish to prepare?
Muffins to go with the chili.
3. Do you like to bake? If so, what is your favorite?
Bonnie Butter Cake - It’s my favorite cake!

Bonnie Butter Cake with Easy Penuche Frosting 

Cake:
1 3/4 c. sugar 
2/3 c. butter 
2 eggs 
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla 
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour or 3 c. cake flour 
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/4 c. milk  

Heat oven to 350^.  Grease and flour 9 x 13-inch pan or 2 9-inch round layer pans, or 3 8-inch round layer pans. Mix sugar, margarine, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy.  Beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally, 5 minutes.  Beat in flour, baking powder and salt, alternately with milk on low speed. Pour into pan(s).  Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, oblong 45 to 50 minutes, layers 30 to 35 minutes; cool.

Frosting 
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 c. packed brown sugar 
1/4 c. milk 
2 c. powdered sugar      

Heat margarine in saucepan until melted.  Stir in brown sugar.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir over low heat 2 minutes. Stir in milk; heat to boiling.  Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir in powdered sugar gradually.  Place in bowl of ice and water; beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency.  If frosting becomes too stiff, heat
4. What one dish would you like to learn to cook?
Risotto.  It looks so good, but it’s kind of putzy!
5. What is your worst cooking disaster?
When I forgot to put cornmeal under the pizza, when my pizza stone was new.  It stuck to the stone soooo bad.  We had to eat something else for supper.

My work Christmas party is tonight!  We always do it way after Christmas!  The host is making beef tenderloins and cheesy potatoes.  The rest of us are bringing a dish to pass.  I decided to bring a dessert, since many people were bringing something besides dessert.

I decided to bring Cinnamon Apple Cake from Cooking Light.  The cream cheese in the batter give this cake lots of moisture. Because it’s so tender, use a serrated knife for cutting.

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup (6 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2 large)
 Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, and beat at low speed until blended. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl; stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of pan. Cool cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the baking time by 5 minutes.

Yield: 12 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 281(28% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 1.8g,mono 3.7g,poly 2.6g); PROTEIN 4.8g; CHOLESTEROL 39mg; CALCIUM 89mg; SODIUM 234mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.3g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2000

It’s smelling so good in my house right now.  I can’t wait to try some.  13 people gave this recipe 5 stars!  I didn’t realize that, until it was in the oven.  I found the recipe in one of my Cooking Light magazines, not online.

My kitchen is sooo cozy, which is nice, since it’s only in the single digits outside.  Brrrr.