Brayden's Birthday!

This past week was Brayden's birthday. We went out on Friday night with a bunch of friends and than played games after. The following day we floated down the river with Brayden's moms family. Later that day we went out to dinner with a few of Brayden's family members, and my parents. We ended the weekend by seeing Hercules and having a BBQ. It was a really fun weekend!

 (Brayden's moms family)

 (Braydens sister and her husband)

Since we were having people over on Friday night I decided to make a Better Than Sex Cake. For those of you who don't know what a BTS Cake is your missin out. They are soo good!

Here is a basic tutorial on how to make them!

 I use the Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake mix, following the exact ingredients and baking time on the back of the box for a 9x13 pan. Which varies from brand to brand,  so be careful for that.

 (You of course need to lick the beater. Haha!)

Mine baked for 23 minutes.

To make sure my cake was done I stuck a knife in the middle of it. Now if you pull it out and it has cake stuck to the knife it is not cooked, if it looks like mine did^ than it is done. A little trick my mama taught me (:

Take a straw, any kind of straw, and poke holes all over the cake. This does not need to be done any certain way, it is literally so easy and can't be messed up. Even if you stop paying attention an poke the same spot 5 times like I did (right side) lol.

Take 1 can of 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk and any caramel topping and mix together in a bowl. I typically use like the same amount of caramel to the 14 ounces. (Aka, 14 ounces of each) You can adjust this depending on preferences though. Once they are mixed together and the cake has cooled pour the caramel/milk over the cake and it will seep into the holes.

Now this is where mine is different. Most recipes say to put cool whip on top, YUCK! Cool whip is just nasty. It tastes like chemicals and is not even worth the calories in my opinion. I would way rather make my own whip cream. I just use my kitchen aid to blend heavy whipping cream + a little powdered sugar to taste. Yes, it is that simple. I typically make mine barely sugary due to the cake being so sweet itself. 

Now you can get these (chocolate and toffee) or just the toffee bag, either way is good. You can even get a few of the candy bars and crunch them up yourself if that's what you prefer.

Sprinkle over the top, and your done! Make sure to keep it refrigerated.

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Taco Bean Soup

Ok guys, let’s talk about this amazing Taco Bean Soup. 

Me, Brayden, and a couple of our friends were going out camping at Yuba Lake one weekend. We usually always split up the meals, and this time we were in charge of Friday night’s dinner. I knew it would be hard to make something elaborate as we would already be getting there late, and hey were camping – it’s okay to be a little more laid back for meals. 

Throughout the week I was brainstorming ideas when I remembered this amazing Taco Bean Soup Brayden's mom has made for us a handful of times. It is fast, simple, and tastes like a million bucks – can’t beat that! I asked his sweet mom for her recipe, and after making it 3 times now, I am still awed everytime.

Now… It’s your turn to make it!

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 7-8 servings

2 pounds ground beef

1/4-1/3 onion, chopped very fine

2-3 (15 ounce) cans Hunts tomato sauce - I typically use about 2 - 2 1/2 cans depending on how thick I want it

1-2 (15 ounce) cans white kidney beans (drained)

1 (15 ounce) can butter beans (drained)

1-2 (15 ounce) cans whole kernel corn (drained) – I typically do 1.5 cans, but you can do more-less depending on preference

1 (15 ounce) can stewed tomatoes - I prefer original over the Italian or Mexican version

1 (15 ounce) can peeled/diced tomatoes (optional)

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers (optional)

(sometime’s I will even blend up my peeled/diced tomatoes and green chili peppers if I have picky eaters that don’t want chunks – me haha!)

taco seasoning mix to taste – I typically do about 1-2 ounces

Directions for medium/large pot

1.    In a medium/large pot, add the onions and the ground beef. Cook until the hamburger is browned over medium ish heat. Make sure you put salt/pepper on your hamburger. Once the hamburger is fully cooked you will want to drain it, and put it back in your pot.

2.    Place the white kidney beans, butter beans, corn, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, peeled/diced tomatoes, green chile peppers and taco seasoning mix into the pot. Mix to blend, and cook on very low setting for 30 minutes to an hour.

Directions for slow cooker

1.    In a small/medium pan, add the onions and the ground beef. Cook until the hamburger is browned over medium ish heat. Make sure you put salt/pepper on your hamburger. Once the hamburger is fully cooked you will want to drain it, and put it inside the slow cooker.

2.    Place the white kidney beans, butter beans, corn, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, peeled/diced tomatoes, green chile peppers and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend, and cook on Low setting for 8 hours.

 (My blended stewed tomatoes, peeled/diced tomatoes, and green chili's)

 (Browned  ground beef and onions)

 (Dump all the cans in and stir)

(Taco seasoning) 

Viola, its finished!

           Enjoy, xoxo.