Five Minute Frosting Recipe

Let me tell you a little secret: I don’t really love frosting as much as other people do. In fact, I hear a lot of negative remarks about my favorite frosting, which is stabilized whipped cream. When it comes to something like buttercream, a little goes a long way for me and most recipes make way more than I care to use.

Yesterday I decided to make a chocolate cake — nothing exciting, just a Funfetti mix. However, I didn’t have any frosting in my cupboard and I really didn’t feel like making a big batch, knowing I only wanted to use a little. Well friends, Five Minute Frosting came to my rescue! Not only does this frosting come together super fast (five minutes is not an exaggeration), but it is rich and fudgy as well. I think this will be my go-to recipe in the future because I always have these ingredients on hand and it makes just the right amount to top a Bundt cake, which is my preferred pan (it cuts easy slices, and I love that)!

Fudgy Five Minute Frosting

This frosting recipe comes together fast and makes just the right amount to top a Bundt cake or a small batch of brownies. For a standard cake or a thicker coating, you may want to double the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp boiling water
  • pinch salt optional

Instructions

  • Add softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt (if using) to a medium bowl. Add hot water 1 Tbsp. at a time, whisking until mixture becomes smooth
  • Frost cake, brownies, or cookies as desired. The frosting will thicken as it cools, so if that happens add a little more hot water.

Notes

The salt in this recipe is totally optional. I feel like the tiniest pinch enhances the chocolate flavor.
Replace the hot water with hot coffee for an even richer flavor. 

I think it would be easy to change up the recipe as well. Omit the cocoa powder and add a little flavored extract to create different flavors (or even add a couple drops to enhance the chocolate flavor — I bet mint would be delicious). I’m also curious about replacing the cocoa powder with PB2 for a peanut butter frosting. I will definitely be trying that in the future!

Bedtime Ritual


Like many other women in their 40s, sleep can often be a problem for me. Sometimes I’m up for hours in the middle of the night, other times I can’t turn off my mind enough to wind down and fall asleep. 

I’ve found a few products that help me, but this is one of my favorites — the Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra, which contains valerian. It might be mind over matter, but I swear it helps me relax and makes falling asleep much easier. And it doesn’t cause me to have weird dreams, which is a bonus! 

Menu Plan Monday, 2023 Week 6

You guys, I am sorry for the lame posts the last few days, I have just been so busy during the day and by the time I think about blogging I am just wiped out. Honestly I barely even have a meal plan this week because Drew is travelling for work and I have barely even considered it. I’m throwing some ideas together but… I may very well just be throwing dinners together, LOL. I’ll see how the week goes. 

  • Sunday: Pot roast, mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli
  • Monday: Baked ziti & sausage, Caesar salad
  • Tuesday: Chicken curry, basamati rice
  • Wednesday: Tuna melts, cole slaw, French fries
  • Thursday: Take-out (?)
  • Friday: no idea 
  • Saturday: no idea

Friday night there is a dance, and my daughter is going and then her friend is sleeping over afterwards. Saturday, Drew and Noah will be in the city — Noah has his audition for Berklee. Thankfully no plans for Sunday, so hopefully it can be a day to relax!

Hope you all have a great week!  

Sweet Dreams

Did I just remember we still had peppermint stick ice cream and mini lava cakes leftover from Christmas in the basement freezer?

You bet I did! I’m totally going to enjoy it while watching a couple episodes of That 90s Show. 

Menu Plan Monday, 2023 Week 5

I’m already two dinners into the week, but better late than never for my Meal Planning Monday post, right? Well, you’ll have to forgive me — we were dealing with some heating issues today (all fixed for now, thankfully). As you can imagine, I was otherwise occupied! 

Anyway, I wanted to mention that last week got thrown so off the rails. I am not sure why I even made a meal plan up because I barely followed it at all. We will see if this week goes any better! Hopefully it will.

Sunday: MYO pizza (we use an Aldi cheese pizza and everyone tops a quarter of it with their favorite toppings), Buffalo wings.

  • Monday: Drew’s marinara with hot Italian sausage, whole wheat spaghetti, Caesar salad
  • Tuesday: Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
  • Wednesday: Something in the Crock Pot – haven’t decided yet
  • Thursday: Cod piccata, roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli
  • Friday: Probably take-out
  • Saturday: Copycat Texas Roadhouse Roadkill burgers, oven fries, garden salad

For baking, I have some tired bananas for banana bread will definitely be find its way into the oven on Wednesday. I also have a new recipe for Indian Lentil Soup that I want to try. I’m hoping it’s close the soup I used to get an a local Indian restaurant. 

Are you trying any new recipes this week?

Menu Plan Monday, 2023 Week 4

 

Sunday: Bacon cheeseburgers, oven fries

Monday: Sheet pan Greek chicken & potatoes, salad

Tuesday: Meatballs & sausage, whole wheat pasta, steamed broccoli

Wednesday:  Chicken korma, rice, cauliflower, cucumber & onion salad

Thursday: Crock Pot beef stew, garlic-cheddar biscuits

Friday: Naan pizza, salad

Saturday: Buffalo chicken salads

R.I.P. Ronzoni Pastina

 

Did you hear the news? Ronzoni is discontinuing production of its pastina.

Maybe it’s a Northeastern thing but I am just shocked. They claim there aren’t enough sales, and I’m just like… what? What the heck are people putting their soups when they’re sick? Pastina with chicken broth and Parmesan is the go-to! Oh well. I know other companies make it, but it still comes as a huge surprise to me.

Weekly Menu Plan, 2023 Week 2

Happy Monday everyone! It is a chilly one here — 34 degrees as I type, brrr. We’ve got a busy week over here. Tonight I have my monthly meeting with the Board of Trustees. I always try to do a slow cooker meal whenever I have an evening meeting like this (or book club, or a committee meeting). The evening meetings are probably the least favorite part of my job, but board members are all volunteers, and many of them also have full-time jobs so we have to schedule around their availability. This week also starts high school musical rehearsal. My senior has one of the lead roles for Once Upon a Mattress, and I am so happy that this year rehearsals will be right after school with a much earlier pickup than in years past. 

Anyway, here is my plan for the week. Something will change, I am sure. It did last week! There was an extra day when we got take-out, and I switched a few things around, but it all worked out great. 

Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Crock Pot Mexican chicken over brown rice (bumped from last week)
Tuesday: Chicken fettuccini Alfredo, garden salad 
Wednesday: BBQ pork tenderloin medallions, broccoli, smoked gouda mac & cheese
Thursday: Naan pizzas, salad
Friday:  Turkey burgers, fries, salad
Saturday: ??? Maybe pizza ???

One thing I would like to do to better help me plan is to do a freezer inventory. I grocery shop based on sales, and then meal plan based on what we already have. I’ve been buying chicken breast like crazy because ShopRite has been selling it for $1.99/lb, but after I vacuum sealed everything yesterday and I was putting it in the deep freezer I realized that I have so much chicken breast. So I need to do a little freezer organization. I also need to use up a lot of what is in there so in the spring we can wheel it outside and defrost it. I love my stand-up freezer, and it was definitely the best pandemic purchase we made, but it does require upkeep and a good defrost is long overdue!