Scrumptious Potato Dish & Yummy Carrot Cake

I have a couple of friends who post recipes regularly on their blogs and I love that......so I'm stealing the idea! I created a Hayden's Heroes cookbook as a fundraiser for the CF Foundation and it has all of my favorite recipes in it plus those of family and friends. I think that once a week I will plan to post a recipe from the book that we have tried and love.

I thought I'd post a couple of my favorite Easter recipes. I realize that it probably would have been more helpful if I had shared these a little earlier than the night before Easter. Sorry. I have pregnant brain and apparently can't think that far ahead.

This first recipe is for Sinful Potatoes and it is, hands-down, my favorite side dish. I could literally eat an entire 8x8 pan by myself as a my main meal. You can make it for any kind of meal - it goes with everything- but it's especially yummy with ham so my mom prepared it a lot for Easter lunches.

Sinful Potatoes

1 2lb. pkg. frozen O'Brien potatoes, thawed

1/2 c. melted margarine or butter

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 c. sour cream

unseasoned bread crumbs

1. Combine all ingredients, except bread crumbs in a large bowl. 2. Spread into a 9x13 baking dish. Cover entire surface with bread crumbs. 3. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

This next recipe is for a really yummy and moist carrot cake. I make this every year for Easter and decorate the top with some small turquoise ceramic eggs that belonged to my Nana.

Carrot Cake

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 c. white sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 c. grated carrots

1 c. chopped pecans

Frosting:

1/2 c. butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two round cake pans; set aside. 2. Beat together eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. 3. Stir in carrots; fold in pecans. 4. Bake 40-50 minutes.

Frosting:

Combine all frosting ingredients but pecans and beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in pecans. Frost cake once cooled.

I hope everyone has a Happy and Blessed Easter tomorrow!