Has it Been That Long??

My, how time gets away from me!  Although I have not committed to post recipes on a consistent basis, I had no intention of letting so many months go by!  Even though I have not posted any new recipes recently, I visit my blog often when I am home or traveling because I have found that it is a great way to store recipes rather than printing recipes and filling numerous books or recipe files.  This paperless recipe filing is wonderful and it travels well! 

Over the past months, I have accessed my recipes from my son and daughter-in-law's home in Tennessee as I visited our new grandson, Cade.  Holly had to go back to work for five weeks before school was out for the year so I had the precious opportunity to stay with them for two weeks and while I was there besides taking care of Cade (joy, oh joy!), I cooked a few meals. A couple of the recipes I accessed while I was there were shrimp scampi and cheddar biscuits.  If you are like me and love recipes, consider saving the links to all your favorite sites on a blog.  You don't have to make it public but it's a great way to save recipes without having a plethora of paper in your cabinet.

I have been busy, as usual, baking and trying out new recipes.  I have discovered several new recipe sites.  As I was searching for an ice cream cake recipe, I came upon Laura in the Kitchen.  Her site includes many demonstration videos and some tempting treats.  I made her Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Ganache and the Oreo Ice Cream Cake for our April/May Celebrating You birthday event in May.  The cake was oh-so-moist but I wasn't a big fan of the peanut butter filling.  Next time I think I will opt for a traditional buttercream or maybe even the stabilized cream from my triple chocolate cake.  The Oreo ice cream cake was perfect and loved by everyone!  It would be a great dessert for you to try this summer for a special treat for your family/friends.

We had the privilege this month to go on vacation with our boys and their wives (and our new grandson!) to the ocean--our favorite place.  Each family was responsible for cooking the dinner meal and I took a couple nights.  What a nice treat to be cooked for!  Our youngest son enjoys cooking and made a great meal of chicken fajitas, guacamole, cheese dip with nachos.  Emily made a delicious baked spicy chicken spaghetti (I'll have to get her recipe and post it later).  Since we could get fresh shrimp, I opted for shrimp scampi again since it's one of our favorites and I also made fish tacos.  This recipe came from the Pillsbury bake-off last year and is very good.  One night I made the banana cream supreme which is a Pampered Chef recipe.  It is a delicious and oh-so-easy dessert to make.  I chose to buy a graham cracker crust rather than make it in a springform pan (I was on vacation after all)!

Last night we had an ice cream social at church.  I was surprised to find that very few families at our church own an ice cream freezer.  There were only three of us who made homemade ice cream--two of us brought peach and one brought strawberry.  In a taste test, the strawberry ice cream won.  So much for the five-star recipe I found on My Recipes.com.  It was good but a bit too sweet.

So as you can see, I have been busy in my kitchen and in other kitchens which may explain why I haven't posted much recently!  Until next time . . .

This One Is for Jared

I have been cooking for my husband and sons for a total of about 32 1/2 years, and when I make one of their favorite recipes, I can't help but think of them.  Today's recipe, banana cake, always makes me think of Jared.  This is one of his favorite desserts along with coconut cream pie.

I acquired this recipe the first year Jeff and I were married and living in Houston, Texas.  I worked at Tenneco, Inc., in the internal audit department with a woman by the name of Wanda.  Her mother made this cake and Wanda brought it to work one day.  I have been making it ever since.  (There is a whole history inside every recipe!)

If you have few good ripe bananas, consider making this--it might just end up being one of YOUR favorite recipes!

Click here for the recipe.

Hostess Has Nothing On Me

How long has it been since you have had a Hostess cupcake?  You know--the chocolate cupcake with the white cream filling inside and the chocolate ganach topping with the signature white stripe on top?  It's been a LONG time since I have had one but I decided this week that I wanted to make a filled cupcake for our February birthday celebration.  My sister happened to have this marshmallow cream recipe and shared it with me along with a couple tips about how to successfully fill the cupcakes. 

I started with a basic Devil's food cake recipe.  Using an old-fashioned ice cream scoop, I scooped a level scoop of batter into my large greased muffin tins and ended up with nicely rounded topped cupcakes.  I made the filling while the cupcakes were baking and made the ganach while the cupcakes were cooling.To fill the cupcakes, I used my Pampered Chef apple corer and gently pulled a section out of the center of the cupcake, keeping the "plug" in tact.  I piped the filling into the hole I had created and filled it almost to the top.  I then cup off about half of the cake from my "plug" and inserted the stub back in place to cover the cream.   Holding the cupcake gently, I dipped the top into the ganach letting the excess drip back into the pan.  I put them in the refrigerator to set up.  Meanwhile, I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips (separately) and piped heart shapes out onto waxed paper, refrigerating them to set up also.  Just before serving, I simply placed the hearts on top of the cupcakes pressing the tips gently to "glue" them into place. 

The cupcakes were very good and one of our guests, Jerry, made the comment that Hostess had nothing on me!  Thank you, Jerry.  Come any time! We love a happy guest!  Hope your birthday was special.

Click here for a printable version of the recipe.

Granola Cereal Take 2

My husband is a big cereal fan and especially enjoys grain cereals with raisins and nuts. If you buy much cereal at your house, you know that while the cost is going up, the size of the box is going down. So I decided recently to make my own granola mix and after two recipe trials, I think I've found a winner. The two recipes were very similar (oats, dried fruits, nuts), but the ingredient that made the second recipe stand out was the sweetener. The first recipe has maple syrup as its sweetener while the second recipe calls for brown sugar and honey. The other thing that set the second recipe apart is that the dried fruit isn't actually baked with the granola which keeps them nice and soft. They tend to dry up when they are baked.

The granola is good with milk and also makes a nice topping for yogurt. I haven't had the opportunity to figure out how much it costs to make a recipe, but I'm sure its significantly lower than the boxed cereals at the grocery--and probably a lot better for you. Give it a try and see what you think!

Click here for a printable version of Homemade Granola.

Tyler Does it Again

My favorite Food Network chefs seem to go in cycles.  I find one, make many of their recipes, watch their program over and over again, then get a little tired of them and move on.  (Sounds like my past relationships with hair dressers!)  My new favorite chef is Tyler Florence.  I love to watch him cook--he makes everything look so good.  I will have to say that every recipe of his that I have tried has had wonderful flavor.

So it just seemed natural to turn to Tyler recently when I was looking for a new recipe for shrimp scampi.  I was not disappointed.  This recipe has a very fresh and sigificant flavor.  I have made it a couple times recently because it's a very quick but hearty meal.  Watch Tyler make this dish.  You will be inspired!

Refreshing New Remake!

At times one of the hardest things about meal preparation for me is coming up with side dishes and different salads to serve with a main entree.  I can get in a rut and get very tired of the same old thing.  That's why I was delighted this week to find a remake of a salad from my childhood that was delicious and really, in my opinion, even better than the original recipe.  My husband has never liked carrot-raisin salad.  Something about horrors of the cafeteria lunchroom.  Personally, I didn't buy my lunch much at all when I was in school.  Mom usually provided with us a sack lunch that contained a sandwich, "nice" fruit and a cookie.  I preferred Mom's lunch over the cafeteria soup/sandwich any day--except for the day they served grilled cheese and tomato soup.  That day, I opted to buy.

Anyway, back to the carrot-raisin salad.  I ran across this recipe on "Once Upon a Plate" blog this week that had a refreshing remix of this old favorite.  It doesn't call of a "recipe" but rather simply grating a Granny Smith apple (skin on), grating carrots, tossing in dried cranberries and walnuts (I used pecans simply because that's what I had).  To dress the salad, squeeze the juice of a lemon, add a little honey, sugar or sweetener, and a dash of salt over the mixture and toss lightly. 

And there you have it--an easy, tasty salad.  I am happy to say I have successfully banished my husband's school cafeteria horrors.

Plan B

One night last week my plan for dinner was a dish in my old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook called Chicken Supreme.  It's a baked chicken dish that has great flavor but takes time to bake.  After working at the church all afternoon, I got home at 5:00 and decided that I didn't want to wait until about 6:30 to eat.  Now the question was, what to fix with the bone-in chicken breasts I had thawed out.  There across the page from the Chicken Supreme recipe was a beautiful picture of fried chicken.  These days I try to stay away from fried foods, but I decided it would be a nice treat for a cold winter evening.  Okay--so fried chicken--Plan B! 

What goes best with fried chicken?  Mashed potatoes, milk gravy, peas and golden cornbread.  I turned my oven on "broil" (or so I thought!) and inserted my cast iron cornbread muffin tins and began to assemble the rest of the meal.  I cut the breasts in half, started heating my oil for frying, double coated the chicken (first in seasoned flour, then in for a swim in milk and egg, then for a second coating of the flour), and got it into the hot grease.  I made my cornbread batter, peeled and diced potatoes and got them on the stove.  I put my peas in a dish and seasoned them with dried onion flakes and got them ready for the microwave.  After turning the chicken to allow the second side to brown, I decided it was time to put the cornbread in.  I donned my oven mitt to take out my sizzling hot tins...only I realized when I opened the oven door that it was not sizzling--in fact, it wasn't even warm.  Instead of hitting "broil" then "on" I hit "broil" and "off" which I have done several times recently!

Plan B:  Make fried corn bread!  Now, if you aren't from the South, you may not be familiar with fried corn bread.  As Paul Deen says, "In the South, we fry everything."  I had never had this version of cornbread until I got married.  My mother-in-law, whom I have referred to before, was a wonderful cook, as was her mother.  Katherine made fried cornbread for particular meals--fried cube steak and chipped beef and gravy.  I became a fan.

So Plan B seemed like a good fit for tonight's meal.  The best part of fried corn bread is that it is quick.  Using the same batter for corn muffins or sticks, you heat a skillet or griddle and make pancake-like rounds and cook them until they are golden brown.  Keep them warm in the oven (hit "bake" then "on!") while you make a stack.

You can eat these cakes with butter like you would a normal piece of cornbread or you can layer your mashed potatoes and gravy on top, my particular favorite.  Either way, they are a tasty, quick cornbread addition to any meal.

In summary, it's always good to have a Plan B!  I hope you'll give mine a try.

Click here for a printable version of the recipe.

A Party Fit for a Queen

The ladies at our church are beginning a new Bible study this month.  Our study is "Esther--It's Tough Being a Woman."  If you're familiar with this book of the Bible, you know that Esther was chosen to be the queen to Xerxes, so as we planned the introduction to our Bible study, it just seemed appropriate to make it fit for a queen.  We decorated the fellowship hall with pinks and purples, provided goody bags with makeup samples (remember the beauty regimen Esther and all the other contestants went through?), and served a banquet of desserts. 

We began our evening watching the Anita Renfro's William Tell Mom.  Wow--it IS tough being a woman when you hear all we are responsible for!  We all took the Lipstick Personality Test (check yours out!), then enjoyed some tasty desserts and tea.  Following our refreshments, we watched the introductory session to the Esther study.  It was a special evening.  I know the Lord has some great things in store for each of us over the next 20 weeks.  If you live in Eastern Kentucky, I invite you to join us each Wednesday evening from 7:00-8:00.  If you have never thought of God's word being filled with intrigue, I urge you to fasten your seat belt and hold on tight!  There are highs and lows, dips and turns like you can't imagine!

I made Ina Garten's orange-cranberry scones--a must if you're entertaining a queen!  We served various flavors of teas and I also decided to dig out an old recipe for a spiced tea mix.  It turned out that both were big hits.  If you want to treat someone like a queen, mix up a batch of scones (yes--there's LOTS of butter in the scones, but if you make them dainty, you don't need to feel guilty!), stir up a recipe of spiced tea and lift your pinkie high!  We may not be Esther, but as followers of Jesus Christ, we are daughters of the King and personally, I can't think of any other royal family I would rather be a part of!

A Long Winter's Nap?

Wow--where have the months gone?  Some of you might think I had hibernated for the fall and winter, but it is much the opposite.  We launched a new children's program in November requiring much time and effort.  I'm happy to report that "Creekside Kids For Christ" has completed its second full month and I am so thankful for God's goodness.  He has blessed with a complete staff of faithful leaders and we have had two wonderful months.  I can only anticipate what God has in store for the future of this ministry. 


Although I haven't posted any recipes, I have continued to be very busy in the kitchen.  My husband and I began "Celebrating You!" which is a monthly birthday celebration for members of our congregation.  We invite those who have had a birthday during the current month to our home, along with their families.  I serve a special dessert and we enjoy some sweet fellowship while celebrating the birthday people.  I have served warm chocolate molten cakes, yellow cupcakes with buttercream icing, apple cake with caramel sauce, homemade apple turnovers and a pumpkin ice cream dessert.  (Those of you with December birthdays are invited to the January celebration!) 


Now that we are back in the pastorate, Jeff and I were happy to be able to host the board of elders' and their wives once again for a special Christmas dinner.  I love to have the opportunity to set a pretty table complete with crystal and silver and pretty holiday decorations.  I always labor over the menu and my husband labors over my labor--always concerned that I will try yet another new recipe, which I always do!  This year was no different.  Two of the items on the menu were new to me, the others tried and true.  Our menu was:

Fig and Bleu Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (new)

Green Bean Bundles (new)

Wild Rice

Baked Apricots

Asian Salad with Red Wine Vinegar Dressing

French Bread

Chocolate Cheesecake

Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal and Jeff breathed a sigh of relief! 

Newcomer's Dinner

Last Sunday my husband and I, along with one of the members of the board of elders and his wife, hosted a dinner after church for those who are new to our church within the past year.  While not everyone was able to join us, we had a nice gathering and a great time of fellowship.

Time spent around the table sharing a meal provides a relaxed atmosphere and a great opportunity to get to know others on a deeper level.  Every time I host guests, I realize it is so worth the effort and something I want to do very often.  I encourage you to host others around your table.  The meal doesn't have to be elaborate and the setting doesn't have to be formal; just share what you have and be relaxed.  Planning ahead and getting as much done prior to guests arrive helps me to be able to focus on my guests once they arrive.  I am notorious for trying a new recipe or two when I have company--probably not the best thing to do!  Stick with a tried and true favorite of your family's so you set yourself up for success.

The menu for last Sunday's meal was made up of some of my favorites--some very old recipes, others relatively new--but all tried and true!  I was blessed to have several ladies from church volunteer to bring dishes to contribute to the meal so I didn't have the responsibility for the entire meal.  My meal consisted of:

Chicken Bake

Fresh Green Beans

Shoepeg Corn

Frozen Fruit Salad

Homemade Crescent Rolls

(along with two delicious desserts--one chocolate peanut butter and the other a yellow cake with mandarin oranges)

Several at the newcomer's dinner asked for the recipe for the chicken casserole and the frozen fruit salad. When others ask for the recipes of the dishes you have served, you can be pretty certain they enjoyed the meal--just be sure to follow through and actually give them the recipe! 

So how about hosting someone this weekend?

Click on chicken bake and frozen fruit salad for a printable version of the recipe.

A Labor of Love

A labor of love--that's what this cake is all about for me.  It's one of those recipes that isn't necessarily difficult, just time consuming--but I must say worth every minute!  If you (or the one you love) is a chocolate fan, this is the cake for you.  While it does have three separate layers of chocolate, the stabilized cream in the middle keeps it from being over the top with chocolate.  It is decadant to say the least. 

The first time my husband and I had this cake, it was a gift from a dear lady in our church in Murfreesboro, TN.  She had a friend make this cake for my husband's birthday.  Picture this two-layer devil's food cake with a buttercream icing and a covering of chocolate ganache, topped with chocolate roses and served on a white chocolate platter!  Now THAT is over the top!  It was beautiful.  The friend of our friend was kind enough to share the recipe and it has been the birthday cake of choice for my husband ever since.

I have found that it works best to make this cake in stages:  First make the cake and either let it cool completely or even freeze the layers.  Next, make the stabilized cream and let it set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow it to set up.  Finally, make the chocolate buttercream icing and the ganache.

Be sure to cut a piece of cardboard the size of the cake to put the cake on it before you begin layering.  Without the cardboard, it will be almost impossible to move to a platter.  (Trust me--I speak from experience!!)

This week when I made this for my husband's birthday, I made the layers in square cake pans so I could make a half of a cake since it was just the 2 of us celebrating.  I knew a whole cake would be way too much to eat (or too much temptation TO eat!) so I cut one layer in half and stacked the half cake.  The other layer is in the refrigerator for the next time I need a dessert along with the other half of the icing.  I only made a half recipe of the stabilized cream.

Here is the finished product.  It's looks like a HUGE oreo.  Make sure you get a bit of the cream, the icing and the ganache with each bite of cake.  It is like a fork full of love!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Summer Days

Summer seems like a blur!  Every year when summer arrives, my husband and I always  comment about how quickly it will fly by--and it always does.  This summer was a great one filled with several trips and many good times.  Here's a short list of how we spent our summer (and my excuse for not posting!):

• We started the summer off by spending a week at Myrtle Beach with our oldest son and his wife.   Love the beach!!
• We were blessed to be able to attend the international youth convention for the Church of God in Orlando, Florida, with our youth.  On the way home we got spend the afternoon at Daytona  Beach.
• We hosted my brother and sister-in-law for a few days and took them to see Cinderella at Jenny Wiley Theatre (which was great), we spent one afternoon out on beautiful Paintsville Lake, and did some siteseeing.
• We attended a reunion in our hometown of my youth group's sharing group.  It was a little bit of heaven!
• I was able to visit my parents a couple times during the summer months as well.  An added bonus.
• We spent our anniversary in Columbus, Ohio, to see Wicked which was absolutely fabulous.  I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it.  We had dinner with some dear friends.  Wonderful food and fellowship.
• We went to Tennessee for a very quick (but great) visit to see our sons and their wives.
• I attended a Beth Moore conference with the ladies from our church and one of my sisters in Lexington. Spiritually refreshing!

As I reflect on these special days, I am recalling some special meals and treats as well . . .  penne carbonara, homemade peach ice cream, salty caramel ice cream, and fresh catch Pontchartrain at Landry's in Myrtle Beach. Often when I enjoy a special dish at a restaurant, I come home and do some searching on line in hopes of recreating it.  Sometimes I am successful at creating a similar taste, other times, not so successful. Another dish I had this summer that I loved was grilled tilapia with a mango salsa which I had at Cheddars.  Here is the recipe I found and loved.  The only change I made was omitting the jalapeno pepper.  I put it in at first but ended up taking it out.
 
I hope your summer was enjoyable, whether you spent some days away on vacation or found some fun and relaxing things to do at home.  The important thing is making the most of each day that the Lord blesses us with.  Why not make some homemade ice cream, grill some burgers, or spend the evening outside enjoying the sounds of summer before September rolls in?  It will be here before you know it!

By the way, here is the recipe for the strawberry cake I promised in a previous post.  It is Delicious!!

Berry Good!

This is the wonderful season for great summer fruit.  I like apples, tangerines, bananas, and grapefruit, but I love watermelon, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, cantaloupe and honeydew.  I am willing to pay higher prices during the off season to get these fruits if they are shipped in and tasteful.  But, while the season is here and they are easily available in the grocery store, I try to keep my refrigerator stocked with fresh finds.

I also take advantage of the availability of these great berries and fruit to make fresh cobblers.  Our grocery store recently had blackberries for $1 for 6 oz. so I made my husband so happy and made a cobbler with them.  With just two of us here at home, I decided to make a small cobbler.  I should have made it full size because it was eaten very quickly and I must say, it was very good. 

I encourage you to buy what you find fresh and sweet in the produce section or at your local farmer's market.  Your family will love you for it!

Juicy Blackberry Cobbler

4 c. fresh blackberries

2 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

Pastry (recipe follows)

2 T. melted butter

2 T. sugar, divided

Combine blackberries, sugar, and water in saucepan.  Cook over medium heat 10 minutes; stir gently. 

Pour half of berry mixture into a greased 12  2 x 2" baking dish.  Roll pastry to 1/8" thickness on a lightly-floured surface.  cut into 1" strips, and arrange half of strips in a lattice design over berry mixture.  Brush with 1 T. melted butter, and sprinkle with 1 T. sugar.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until pastry is lightly browned. 

Pour remaining berry mixture over baked pastry.  Arrange remaining pastry strips in lattice design over berries.  Brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. 

(I used coarse sugar crystals.  You can find these at Wal-Mart on the baking aisle or with Wilton cake decorating items.)

Pastry

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 t. salt
1/2 c. shortening
1/4 c. plus 1 T. cold water

Combine flour and salt; cut in shorteningwith a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle water 1 T. at a time evenly over surface; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Shape into a ball. Chill.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Comfort Foods--Even in the Summer!

I came across one of my favorite comfort foods on Everyday Food on PBS--pot pie.  I love pot pie and have tried many recipes.  This recipe has a very good flavor to it.  The "gravy" has a nice rich flavor although I did thicken it a bit more than the recipe called for.  These were made in invidivdual 12 oz. baking dishes.  I realized when I was assembling them that the gravy was still a bit thin, but after they were baked, we added cooked macaroni to them as we ate them (which we always do), and that really helped to soak up the gravy.  The puff pastry is delicious on top of the pot pies. 

Another recipe from PBS was a comfort food to serve alongside hamburgers--onion rings.  This recipe caught my attention because they are not fried but baked in the oven.  They have a unique batter of egg, buttermilk, flour, and cayenne pepper then they are dredged in a mixture of ground corn flakes and bread crumbs.  I used Panko crumbs.  The next time I make them, I plan to put half of the corn flake/bread crumb mixture on the plate at a time as it seemed to clump easily when the onion rings were dredged.  They were very good though and baked up nice and crisp.  They were a great addition to our meal of grilled hamburgers and cole slaw.

So if you need a little comfort--even in the summer, give one of these a try.

A Nice Surprise!

I came across this recipe recently from Cooking Light and was delighted that it was as delicious as it was easy.  Canned salmon is such a great buy and a staple you can always keep in on hand.  Be sure to make the sauce to serve with the patties.  It really takes them over the top.  So, if you forgot to thaw something out for dinner, pull out a can of salmon and the can opener and give this a try. I think you'll be in for a nice surprise.

Serving suggestion:  Salad:  Fresh spinach with red onion slices, almonds, cucumber and strawberry quarters with a red wine vinegarette; Vegetable:  Green beans cooked with diced onion and bacon; Rice pilaf.

A Twist on a Strawberry Favorite

I found this recipe a couple months ago when I wanted the taste of angel food cake and strawberries but I wanted to make it ahead of time and not have the last-minute preparations.  It was a big hit and made a classic dessert more special.  I made it again this weekend when my sons and one of my daughters in law surprised me and came home for Mother's Day.  It's easy to put together and can be put in the refrigerator for later or can be eaten right away.

Since strawberrys are in season and they are delicious and plentiful, it would be a great time to give this twist on a classic dessert a try!

 

1 (10 inch) angel food cake

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced

1 (18 ounce) jar strawberry glaze (or a can of strawberry pie filling)

1. Crumble the cake into a 9x13 inch dish.  
2. In a medium bowl, cream cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in whipped topping. Mash the cake down with your hands and spread the cream cheese mixture over the cake.
3. In a bowl, combine strawberries and glaze until strawberries are evenly coated. Spread over cream cheese layer. Chill until serving.

(I layered the ingredients and made more of a trifle out of it. I put some of the strawberry mixture on the bottom, angel food cake, the creamed mixture, more of the strawberry mixture, angel food cake then I topped it with Cool Whip.)


Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Spring Flavors in Beverage

At our Bible study salad luncheon today, I decjded to serve fruit tea as one of the beverages.  I thought it would be refreshing.  The days have been unusually warm and tea is such a great thirst quencher.  The recipe I used is one a pastor's wife passed along to me and I am happy to share it. 

As tea refreshes us, may we refresh others by speaking the truth of God's word to them.  Perhaps they will be so refreshed by it they will ask us for the recipe, and we will have the privelege of sharing Christ with them.  What a joy that would be!  Be refreshed then refresh.

Fruit Tea

2 family-size tea bags

1 c. sugar

1 can frozen orange-pineapple juice

Brew tea for 3 minutes.  Stir in sugar until dissolved.  Add juice and water to make a gallon.  Garnish with lemon or orange slices.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Spring Flavors

When I think about spring, images of daffodils, pansies, phlox, redbud trees, and Forsythia bushes are vivid. I see yellow, smell grass, and hear the chirping of birds. Refreshing, isn't it? How the Lord refreshes me each spring. As creation wakes from winter and bursts with new life, it reminds me of what God does in the heart of each of us who realize we are in darkness without Him, invite the Light of the World into our lives and accept His love and mercy. I say it every year, but spring is my favorite season!

Some of my favorite flavors for spring are citrus desserts. For Easter, I fixed a double citrus tart. It has a delicious gingersnap crust and uses frozen orange juice concentrate and lemon juice. Try it for a light yet rich dessert. One of my all-time favorite lemon cakes is a recipe I have had for many years. This recipe was given to me by a co-worker at Tenneco Oil in Houston, Texas, some thirty years ago. (I don't feel as old as I sound!). I love the fact though that recipes have stories and memories. They connect us to our past. I plan to make this cake for a salad luncheon this week after our ladies' Bible study. Who knows--thirty years from now, someone may say they got this recipe from their pastor's wife at First Church of God, Little Paint. Enjoy spring--in your life and flavors.

Lemon Jell-O Bundt Cake

1 yellow cake mix

1 small box lemon Jell-O

4 eggs

1 t. lemon extract

3/4 c. oil

*******

4 T. melted margarine

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

In large mixing bowl, dissolve lemon Jell-O in 3/4 cup of boiling water. Set aside and allow to cool. When cool, add cake mix and then one egg at a time, beating after each egg. Mix in lemon extract and oil. Pour into greased Bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then invert onto large plate.

In a small bowl, combine melted margarine, powdered sugar, and the juice of one lemon (approximately 3 T.). Mix well. (You may need to add more powdered sugar.  It needs to be a thick but not pasty.)  Pour over warm lemon cake. (Glaze will run off sides of cake some. I take a spoon and scoop up what comes off the sides and place it back over the cake to create a nice thick layer of the glaze.) Allow to cool.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

A Two-Hour Bread

In trying to be a good steward of my time, I decided not to post recipes just for the sake of posting.  I plan to use my blog if someone asks me for a recipe or if I try a new recipe I think others might enjoy.  Thus the reason I haven't posted anything in March!

Recently my sister wrote about a homemade French bread she tried that is actually ready from start to finish in two hours! Bread hasn't really been my forte' in the past but I have tried this recipe and am happy to report I had good success with it--the second time anyway!  The first time I made it, everything was going along nicely and the loaves (it makes 2) were just about ready to go into the oven when the power went off and stayed off for about three hours!  The bread deflated some but I decided to go ahead and bake it when the power came back on.  The loaves were a little flat, but the flavor was still very good.  This week I made homemade spaghetti sauce and decided to try the bread again.  It worked perfectly.  It's so nice to have two loaves--one to keep and one to share. 

I am planning to try a new recipe for Easter dinner (surprise, surprise!) and I'll post it--if the power doesn't go out while I'm in the process! 

French Bread

2 T. active dry yeast

2 c. warm water (110-115 degrees)

2 t. salt

1 t. sugar

4-1/2 to 5 c. bread flour

1 t. cornmeal

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add the salt, sugar and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into two 12 inch long loaves. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cornmeal. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

A Winner--Hands Down!

If you have never had chocolate eclair dessert, you don't know what you have missed! It is a super easy dessert to make but it is always a favorite of my guests. It is very creamy and the chocolate icing on top makes it a melt-in-your mouth favorite. Just be sure you make this 6-8 hours before you want to serve it to allow time for the graham crackers to soften. If you haven't chosen a dessert for your special Valentine yet, you're in luck! Assemble today and enjoy tomorrow!

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

2 (3 oz.) pkgs. instant French vanilla pudding
3 c. milk
1 (8 oz.) carton Cool Whip
1 pkg. graham crackers

Mix pudding and milk; fold in Cool Whip. Line a 9x13 pan with graham crackers. Spread 1/2 of pudding mixture over graham crackers. Top with another layer of graham crackers. Spread rest of pudding mixture. Top with one more layer of graham crackers.

FROSTING:

6 tbsp. cocoa
6 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. corn syrup
3 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Melt cocoa and butter together. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Spread frosting over graham crackers. Refrigerate overnight.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.