#282: Three Cheese Stuffed Shells

I love the Pioneer Woman, I really do.  Her recipes are fantastic, delicious and funny!  So when I came across this recipe I knew I wanted to try it.  But I also knew I could make it easier and quicker by substituing some ingredints  (sorry to mess with perfection Ree!)  Mine was more like 2 cheese stuffed shells since I omitted one of the grated cheese.   I thought that might be pushing it with my non-cheese loving husband.   I'll admit I was a little leary of serving this one to him.  I was afraid I was going to have to bring the shells to work and start handing them out because he wasn't going to eat them.  BUT he very happily proved me wrong and had seconds!!  We are going to reheat the leftovers for dinner in a few nights too...very good sign for this house!!  These gets 4 stars from this family!

8 ounces, weight Jumbo Pasta Shells
30 ounces, weight Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese (I used part skim)
8 ounces, weight Parmesan Cheese, Grated, Divided (I omitted)
½ cups Grated Romano Cheese
1 whole Egg
12 leaves Basil, Chiffonade (I used dried basil.  I was being cheap!  Not nearly as good I know!)
2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
Salt And Pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (I omitted)
½ whole Medium Onion, Chopped
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
½ pounds Italian Sausage (I used ground turkey)
½ cups Red Wine (I omitted) 
2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
Instead of the following, I used jarred spaghetti sauce:
1 whole 28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
1 whole 15-ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Sugar
½ teaspoons Salt

Cook pasta shells for half the cooking time; make sure not to overcook. Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside.  Heat olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add Italian sausage and brown, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Pour in red wine and let it cook for a minute or two.

Pour in cans of crushed tomatoes and stir. Add sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check for seasonings; can add crushed red peppers if you like a little heat.

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, half the Parmesan, Romano, egg, salt and pepper, basil, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Stir until combined.

To assemble, coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce. Fill each half-cooked shell with the cheese mixture. Place face down on the sauce. Repeat with shells until cheese mixture is gone. Top shells with remaining sauce. Sprinkle on extra Parmesan.  (Obviously you can tell that I skipped this step.  We didn't need the extra calories!) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

#281: Elegant Fruit Bliss

I'm always on the lookout for fruit dishes that my family and I will eat.  I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try with a few changes.  Overall, we really enjoyed this.  I cut back on the honey but it was still plenty sweet to me!  I didn't think this was anything super special, but if you are looking for a slightly different twist on fruit salad, this is a nice one to try. 


1 medium cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 large navel oranges, peeled and sectioned (I omitted)
2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
2 medium kiwifruit, peeled and sliced (I omitted)
1 cup green grapes (I omitted)
1 cup red grapes
3/4 cup peach or apricot nectar (I used apple juice instead)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the peach nectar, honey, lemon juice and vinegar; drizzle over fruit and toss to coat. Chill until serving.

#280: Banana Muffins

I have about a dozen frozen over-ripe bananas in my freezer, so the girls are going to take some form of banana bread to school to share with their friends this week.  I found this recipe online and figured I'd give it a try.  These are SUPER moist and I can't wait for the girls to try these for breakfast tomorrow.  YUMMY!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted
I also added about 1/8 c chocolate chips (since we had some left in the pantry)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.  Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

#279: Toasty Deli Hoagie

We are not a sandwich eating family.  I love sandwiches, but I am the minority.  So when I found this recipe I figured we'd give it a try and see if I could convert the girls to "my side."  :)  Brian basically ate roast beef and bread.  The girls had deli meat, cheese and mayo.  I however, made this closer to the original recipe...and I LOVED it.  I'm already looking forward to lunch tomorrow.  My goal of converting the girls was pretty much unsuccessful, but this was so good, I really don't care.  Seriously, this is 100 times better than one from Subway.  (Sorry Subway!) 
PS...don't make this on the day that you decide to start counting calories.  Do you know how many calories are in ONE piece of salami??   I had to omit it from my sandwich!  I love salami too. 

1 loaf French bread (we used brat buns)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli smoked turkey
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
6 slices hard salami (I omitted)
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, julienned
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound sliced provolone cheese (I omitted)
1-1/2 cups guacamole  **see note below

Cut French bread in half lengthwise; place cut side up on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 4-5 minutes or until toasted.
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic; spread over bread bottom. Layer with turkey, ham, salami, pepper, onion and cheese. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until meat is heated through; broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Spread guacamole over bread top; place over cheese. Cut into six slices.

**If you are only making one sandwich, Wholly Guacamole sells single serving 100 calorie packs**

#278: Sour Cream Pancakes

I love weekends because I can make breakfast for the girls and try out new recipes on them.  I found a recipe for Silver Dollar Sour Cream Pancakes in my Kraft foods magazine recently.  It uses very few ingredients and I had them all on hand, so we made this today.  These were a big hit with Allison.  I made a half batch and there are none left!  Allison says, "These are GOOD."  :) 

2 eggs
1 c sour cream
1/3 c flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Beat eggs in a medium bowl with a whisk until well blended.  Stir in sour cream.  Add remaining ingredients; stir just until moistened (do not overmix). 

Heat a large skillet on medium heat.  Spoon 1 tbsp batter into skillet for each pancake; cook 2-3 min or until bubbles start to form on tops and bottoms are golden brown.  Turn.  Cook 1-2 minutes to brown other side. 

#277: Grilled Chicken and Peaches

Not a very pretty picture...sorry!

The original recipe that I found was for Chicken, Peach & Bell Pepper Skewers, but I needed to get dinner on the table fast, so we just grilled the chicken and peaches in large pieces and didn't bother with the skewers (I was also out of peppers).  The girls and I were the only ones to try the grilled peaches and got a big thumbs up from Allison and I.  We all enjoyed this recipe, but next time I would let the chicken marinate longer.  I didn't read the recipe ahead of time so I didn't realize it was supposed to marinate up to 2 hours...ours marinated about 5 minutes.  :)  It was still really good though.  I'd definitely make this again.

2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Lbs Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 Peaches (firm, but ripe), cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Bell Peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces

Place the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the chicken, peaches and bell pepper pieces to the marinade and toss to coat.  Marinate covered in the refrigerator up to 2 hours.  Grill skewers on medium-high heat for 6 minutes, turning halfway through.

#276: Crockpot Ravioli Casserole

The name of this recipe is very misleading.  There are no ravioli in this recipe at all.  :)  Brian says it should be called spaghetti with meat sauce.  Basically, that's exactly what this is. 
I liked this, but would probably only give this 3 1/2 stars.  Brian however had seconds and is saving the leftovers for lunches (great sign!).  I really give this lower stars because I can make spaghetti w/meatsauce in a pan and not take as long to cook.   It is good though. 

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used 1 lb ground turkey)

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes (I substituted 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt/pepper
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed (I omitted)
16 oz. bowtie pasta, cooked  (I used penne since we had that on hand)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Put in crock-pot and add sauce, tomatoes and seasonings. Cook for 6-7 hours on low. (In my opinion this is too long!  I added my meat cooked and frozen and after 5 hours it was starting to stick and burn a little on the edges).  Add the last 4 ingredients during the last 30 minutes of cooking and turn crock-pot to high. (I also didn't have to cook this any longer.  I just mixed the cooked pasta and cheese into the meat mixture and combined).

Guest Post by Allison: Yogurt Sticks

Allison made "Yogurt Sticks" for dessert for her and Chloe tonight.  Below you will find her recipe (courtesy of PBS Sprouts) and comments.

"You have to have some yogurt.  Then stick the spoon through and put it in the freezer.  Then it's done."

Review: "These were good.  I liked them because we made them out of yogurt.  Chloe thinks it's ice cream."

The real recipe:
Small Danimal Yogurt Cups
Plastic Spoons or small popsicle sticks. 

Poke the spoons through the lid of each Danimals cup.  Freeze until firm.  When ready to eat, peel off the lid, pop out of the container and enjoy. 

#275: Kitchen Sink Cookies

Do you like crunchy, crispy large cookies?  Who doesn't right?!  Well if you are one of those cookie lovers, then you NEED to try this one.  There were several left over from Chloe's birthday party and I could have sent them home with her Uncle "Cheesehead" Mike (sorry Mike!), but decided to save the extras and send to her to share with her friends at school on Monday.  (Let's be honest, I figured if I saved them for school I wouldn't have to make something else tomorrow...aka lazy!) 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
2 cups shredded coconut (I used about 3/4 c and no one could tell they were in it)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups mixed jumbo raisins (I omitted)

Heat oven to 350 Degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, beat in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.

Stir in chocolate morsels, coconut, oats and raisins. Drop batter by 1/4-cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets (parchment paper worked fabulously), about 2 inches apart. Press to flatten. Bake at 350 Degrees F. for 25 minutes or until light brown around edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  (Watch these cookies!  If you don't make them as big as they are supposed to be they naturally won't take as long to cook.  Ask me how I know!)

#274: Baked Ziti

Looking for an easy meal to make and able to prepare ahead of time?  Then look no further because this is the recipe to make.  I made this 2 days before our birthday party and just had to pop it in the oven for about an hour the day of the party.  It was really yummy too and went over very well!!  (With my additions/changes of course).  :)   PS...if you forget to take a picture of your meal and realize it as it's almost gone, I strongly suggest not yelling "stop eating the ziti!" because people naturally assume something is VERY wrong with it.  Nope, nothing wrong with the ziti, just a crazy lady needing to get a photo.  A very crazy lady. 

1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 onion, chopped (I omitted)
1 pound lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)1/2 lb bulk italian sausage (out of casings)
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
I also added crushed red pepper and some minced garlic to my sauce6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream (I omitted, see next ingredients below)15 oz low fat ricotta
1 egg
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.  In a small bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Mix until well combined.  Set aside. 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown onion, italian sausage and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Pour a little bit of extra spaghetti sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan until lightly coated.  Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, ricotta mixture, 1/2 sauce mixture.  Then Combine the remaining ziti with the remaining sauce mixture and pour over the top of the baking dish.  Top with parmesan cheese then mozzarella.  

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheeses are melted and lightly browned.  

#273: White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

My friend Jen found this blog/recipe and sent it to me to try.  (Thanks Jen!)  Of course I was happy to oblige and try these truffles for her.  The recipe says to let it set in the fridge for 2 hours and then roll into little balls.  Well after four hours, I gave up on trying and went to bed.  My mom (who was visiting that night) helped me out by rolling them the next day when they finally firmed up enough to hold a shape.  She said they were a bit sticky and more work than she would have liked so she wouldn't necessarily make these again.  However, these little chocolate lemon balls are addicting and I could easily see making this again.  In fact, they practically melt in your mouth so you eat several at a time.  :)  NOT talking from experience here!! 

1 cup white chocolate
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
pinch salt
1 tsp. lemon extract
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Yellow food coloring if desired

Melt chocolate, butter and cream over a double boiler or in a microwave. Stir until smooth.  Stir in salt and extract. (You can also add a few drops of yellow food coloring to make these brighter/more yellow).  Allow to cool slightly before covering with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm enough to handle.  With a melon baller or small spoon scoop out mixture and form into 1 inch balls. Toss with powdered sugar to coat.  Store covered in the fridge for up to one week. Freeze for longer storage.

Makes: 24

#272: Orange Yogurt Smoothie

My family was coming to spend the night and my sister suggested I make one of my smoothies for breakfast.  I knew this would be an excellent opportunity to try yet another new recipe, so I made this smoothie recipe for us to try.  We all agreed it was good, but very yogurty (yes, I know that's not an actual word!).  Although we enjoyed this, I think there are other healthier, fruity smoothies I'd rather make in the morning. 
The following recipe make a full blender of smoothie, so plan to share with several people.  :)

2 cups (16 ounces) vanilla yogurt
2 cups (16 ounces) peach yogurt
1/2 cup thawed orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 cups ice cubes

In a blender, combine the first four ingredients; cover and process until smooth. Add ice cubes; cover and process until smooth. Pour into glasses; serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

#271: Spring Vegetables

I found this recipe in my Family Circle Magazine (along with scallops, but I just ignored that part of the recipe.  I had the snap peas and peppers on hand, and I love roasted asparagus, so I figured this would be an interesting new recipe to try.  I wasn't sure I was going to be a total fan of this though because the veggies were basically "boiled" in chicken broth but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  Chloe also really enjoyed the asparagus!! 

1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped (I used about 1 clove...6 sounded like a lot!)
1 pound sugar snap peas, strings removed
2 pounds asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces, woody ends removed
1 large leek, rinsed and sliced (I omitted)
2 red sweet peppers, diced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (I used dried)
2 teaspoons garlic-pepper seasoning (such as McCormick), plus more for serving (I omitted)

In a large 8-quart pot, bring broth to a simmer; add garlic and simmer for 1 minute. Add snap peas, asparagus and leek. Cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Stir in red pepper, thyme, 1 teaspoon of the garlic-pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, covered, 1 minute. Remove from heat.

#270: Creamy Berry Goodness

I was looking for a fruity, sweet side dish to serve at Chloe's birthday and came across this recipe at Becoming Betty.  It looked easy, it looked interesting and I figured we would give it a try.  This went over well with the women in the group and was VERY easy to make.  I'm going to make it again next weekend for my family, so we'll see if they enjoy it as much as we did today.


20 oz Frozen mixed berries
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
32 oz non-fat vanilla yogurt
1 small package of cheesecake pudding mix


In a large bowl combine cool whip and yogurt.  Sprinkle in the pudding mix and fold in until well combined.  Stir in the berries.  Chill until ready to serve. 

#269: Homemade Hamburger Helper

Yes, my family does eat Hamburger Helper.  It was on clearance and I couldn't pass up the price.  Then I started freezer cooking and it sat in our pantry for months.  MONTHS!  So one day we finally ate it.  It was ground beef and shredded potatoes.  We ate it, we enjoyed it (it wasn't anything super special but can Hamburger Helper be "special?"), and then I figured I could easily recreate it.  So I did.  Our verdict: everyone enjoyed this!  Chloe was the only one who had a little left on her plate when she was done...but there wasn't much left. 

3/4 lb ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
1 bag refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
1/2 tbsp oregano
1/2 tbsp italian seasoning
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c shredded cheese (mexican blend or cheddar)

In a pan, sautee the onion and ground turkey until cooked through.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.  Remove from pan and set aside.  In the original pan, heat up olive oil and begin to brown the hash brown potatoes.  When potatoes are mostly browned and cooked through, return the cooked ground beef to the pan and mix with the potatoes.  Season the mixture with oregano, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Top with shredded cheese, let the cheese heat up so it begins to melt. 

#268: Strawberry Cake

I was looking for a treat for Chloe to bring to school for her birthday (yeah #2!), and I came across this recipe from Becoming Betty and I thought it would be perfect...and girly!  It was a big hit and super, super yummy! (And the first cake that I made from scratch...not from a box!)

Cake:

1 1/3 cups fresh strawberries
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 cup whole milk, room temp
2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temp
4 egg whites, room temp

Frosting:

3 Tbs. strawberry puree
1 cup unsalted butter, slightly cold
pinch of coarse salt
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla

Place strawberries in a food processor and process until pureed. You need about 2/3 cup pureed. Save any extra for the frosting. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, mix together milk, vanilla and strawberry puree. In your mixer, cream butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add eggs and egg whites until blended. With the mixer still on, add half the flour mixture and mix until blended. Add the milk mixture and mix until blended. Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until blended, scraping down sides if you need to. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely in pan before frosting.

Mix butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer to low and slowly add powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add vanilla and strawberry puree. Mix until blended. Do not overmix or frosting will get too much air in it. Frosting should be creamy like ice cream. Spread over cooled cake before serving.

#267: Mommy's Meatballs

I did take a picture of the meatballs, but do you know how un-photogenic meatballs are??? 

I took the recipe from the Meatball Sliders recipe and changed it up a little bit.  This mommy thinks she makes good meatballs!  :)  Hopefully others will enjoy it too.  I made these for Chloe's birthday parties (yes I said parties), and there might be a few less because I keep sneaking some.  The measurements for the oregano and italian seasoning are estimates because I don't measure those out. 

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 c Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
1 clove minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c milk
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried italian seasoning

Roll into small golfball size balls and place on a well-greased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, turn meatballs and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until cooked through. 

#266: Crunchy Broccoli SLAW

I'm sure you notice that part of the title of this recipe (slaw) is capitalized.  That's because the previous post is very similar but is really a different recipe (one is a salad one is a slaw).  I found this recipe in my Real Simple Magazine paired with oven-fried chicken.  That recipe will probably be coming in the future as well.  I actually liked this more than the previous broccoli salad, and I wasn't sure I was going to like this with the milk (milk and broccoli don't seem to go together), but this was really good!!


1/4 c light mayo
1 tbsp cidar vinegar
1/4 c buttermilk (I used skim)
3/4 lb broccoli, chopped (or 12 oz broccoli slaw)
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
1/2 small shallot (I used red onion)


In a large bowl whisk the mayo and vinegar, salt and pepper.  Add the broccoli, carrot, and shallot and toss to combine.

#265: Crunchy Broccoli SALAD

I know I ripped this recipe out of one of my magazines, but I have no idea which one!!  Chloe is my broccoli lover, so when she saw me eating this she asked for "bokli," but was very disappointed when she realized it was not the "bokli" she liked.  :)  I guess she's not a fan of uncooked broccoli.  I however, really enjoyed this and I am also not a huge fan of this raw vegetable.  I sure liked this though!

1/3 c light mayo
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar (I used splenda)
6 c broccoli florets, washed
1 red pepper, sliced
1/4 c sliced almonds, toasted (I used walnuts)

In a large bowl combine broccoli and red pepper.  In a small bowl combine mayo, red wine vinegar and sugar.  Pour over vegetables and toss to combine/coat.  Refrigerate.  Garnish with toasted almonds just before serving. 

#264: Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cinnamon Roll Cake....just the title makes you want to run out and get all of the ingredients to make this, right?  Fortunately I had all of the ingredients on hand so this was even simpler to make!  I made this for the girls to take to school with them tomorrow, but we had to cut into it and try it first.  2 thumbs up from all of the members of this family! :)
Yellow Cake Mix
4 eggs
¾ cup oil
1 cup sour cream

Grease a 9x13 pan.  Mix all ingredients above and pour HALF of the mixture into the prepared pan.  Set aside remaining half.

Combine:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Sprinkle half of the sugar cinnamon mixture over the batter in the 9x13 pan.  Add the remaining batter.  Sprinkle the remaining sugar cinnamon mixture over the top of the cake batter.  Use a butter knife to swirl the cinnamon sugar into the batter.  Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Let cake cool 10 – 15 minutes before icing.

Cream Cheese Glaze
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
4-5 tablespoons of milk

While the cake is cooling, beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Slowly add milk until you reach the desired consistency. Spread frosting on warm cake before serving.