Sock-It-To-Me Cake

This recipe came from my mother-in-law. I have no idea what the name "Sock-It-To-Me" comes from, but it's one of my favorites. Super easy and sweet enough on it's own to not need frosting.


Printable Recipe

Sock-It-To-Me Cake

Filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Cake:

1 white or French vanilla cake mix with pudding in the mix

3 eggs

3/4 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

8 ounces sour cream

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

Mix together filling ingredients and set aside.

Mix together cake ingredients.

Pour half the batter into greased pan.

Sprinkle filling on top of batter.

Pour remaining batter into pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Serve warm or cold.

Snickerdoodle Bread

I love cinnamon desserts during the winter, and this one did not disappoint. Absolutely amazing straight out of the oven, and still fabulous cold. This is one of my favorite new quick breads, and it got rave reviews at a meeting.

Printable Recipe

Snickerdoodle Bread

 adapted from Key Ingredient

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 pkg Hershey's cinnamon chips

Topping:

3 Tbsp. sugar
3 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350.

Grease 2 loaf pans (or 4 mini loaf pans).

Cream butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy.

Add eggs and mix well.

Add vanilla and sour cream and mix well.

Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix until all combined.

Add cinnamon chips and stir by hand.

Spoon batter into loaf pans until about 2/3 full.

Mix 3 T. sugar and 3 t. cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle over the batter in each loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes (35-38 minutes for mini loaves).

Let cool before removing from pan.

S'Mores Pie

If you know me well enough, you know my deep and abiding love for S'mores. They are the only reason I tolerate camping, and it always makes me a little sad at the end of summer. No longer--I can make this pie any time and have S'mores all throughout the year. I don't know if that's such a good thing, which is probably why I let this recipe sit for awhile before I made it. But it was so amazing when I did. Very easy and satisfying.

Printable Recipe

S'mores Pie

from Life as a Lofthouse

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 (7 ounce) jar Marshmallow Creme (do NOT use regular marshmallows)

4 Regular sized Hersheys Bars, broken into pieces

wax or parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch glass pie pan with baking spray.

Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy and combined.

Add egg and vanilla until incorporated.

On low speed add in flour, graham cracker crumbs and baking powder. Divide the dough in half.

Press half of the dough in the bottom and sides of the prepared pie pan.

Evenly spread the Marshmallow Creme over the bottom of crust.

Spread the broken chocolate pieces on top of the Marshmallow Creme.

Form the remaining dough into a ball and place it on a piece of wax or parchment paper.

Top with another piece of wax or parchment paper and flatten into a 9 inch circle with a rolling pin.

Carefully peel off the top piece of wax paper.

Flip the crust onto the top of pie and peel off the other piece of paper.

Pinch the dough together to form the crust.

Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool until just slightly warm and then slice and serve.

Pecan Pie

This is a recipe from my grandmother. We've been making this version as long as I can remember. The few times I've tried something else, it's been a disaster, and we always run back to this one. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

 Pecan Pie

3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup dark corn syrup (or light, for a slightly less sweet pie)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pecan halves
1 9-inch pie crust


Beat eggs well.

Add sugar, salt, melted butter, corn syrup and vanilla. Mix until combined.

Add pecans. Pour into pie crust.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between outside and center of filling comes out clean.

Cool before serving.

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving is almost here, and I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet. By far my favorite pumpkin pie recipe. It always turns out well and is very light and creamy. This is Paula Deen's recipe, but I can't believe there's only half a stick of butter! :)

Printable Recipe

Pumpkin Pie

from Food Network

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional

1 piece pre-made pie dough

Whipped cream, for topping


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern.

Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up.

Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. (I don't have pie weights, so usually I just prick holes in the crust, put the foil on, and don't worry about weighing it down.)

Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights, and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer.

Add the pumpkin and beat until combined.

Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined.

Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined.

Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set.

Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

It's rainy and cold, so it felt like a good day for fall treats. I found this recipe in my search for a good caramel corn. Amazing! And I actually had all of the ingredients (except almond bark, so I substituted white chocolate morsels and it worked out just fine). Twelve cups of popcorn might sound like a lot, but it's really not. This would be a great one to hand out as gifts. We also used the caramel mixture to make a caramel apple--definitely my go to recipe to make those in the future. SO much better than the bag of caramels.

Printable Recipe

 Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

from Our Best Bites

12 cup popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)*
1 cup roughly chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup light corn syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)
1 stick real butter (1/2 C)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
3 squares almond bark (or 1/2-3/4 cup white morsels and 1 TBSP shortening)

*You can use air popped or microwave popcorn. If using microwave, it's better to use a “natural” flavor that’s low in butter and salt.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Place popped popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a 2-qt, microwave-safe bowl. Mix well.

Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture.

Pour corn syrup (or honey) over the top of everything.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds and then stir to combine.

Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes.

Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.

Remove from the microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda.

Pour the caramel over the popcorn and pecans.

Stir immediately until everything is well coated.

Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Give it a final stir and spread it out on a clean piece of parchment, waxed paper, or foil.

Melt the almond bark according to package directions. If using white morsels, place in microwave-safe bowl with the shortening, and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until melted.

Drizzle over the popcorn mixture; allow it to harden, then break into pieces and enjoy!

Caramel-Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

It's already September?! Every year keeps flying by faster. I've tried to hold off on the "fall" recipes, but it's felt like fall here in Alaska since mid-July, so I can't stop myself anymore. These cookies are so amazingly good. C'mon, apple-flavoring and caramel mixed in a cookie? How can you resist? You can either eat these straight out of the oven (give them just a couple minutes to cool off though--that caramel gets HOT!) or warm them for just a few seconds in the microwave. They're best if the caramel is soft and gooey

Printable Recipe

Caramel-Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

 from The Cooking Photographer

1 cup butter, very softened
1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (7.4 ounce) box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix *Not sugar free*
2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) bag Kraft Caramels


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Line rimless cookie sheets with parchment paper. (I used my Silpat--had a little trouble with some of the caramel, but in a pinch, it works.)

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

In a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, salt, and all 10 packets of apple cider mix until smooth and fluffy.

Beat in eggs and vanilla extract, then mix in the flour mixture until just combined.

With a standard cookie scoop, scoop the dough, scraping off the excess as you go up the bowl.

Flatten the dough slightly in your hand and place a caramel in the center.

Work the dough around the caramel sealing VERY well (so the caramel won't leak out).

Place the cookies two inches apart on the sheets.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

After baking, carefully slide the parchment with the cookies onto the counter.

Let cool until they are no longer soft but still slightly warm.

Twist gently to remove, and cool the rest of the way upside down on the parchment or on a cooling rack.

Makes 51 cookies.

Blackberry Cheesecake Torte

I'm sure you've heard this from me before, but you're not going to find a lot of cheesecake recipes on here. Whenever I see a recipe that takes 4 blocks of cream cheese, I skip over it, no matter how good it looks. I could tell myself, "The serving sizes are very small, so it's not so bad." But who am I kidding? No one's taking a tiny slice if it's that good. But this recipe miraculously only uses ONE! And it is oh, so good. I got it off the back of the package of blackberries, which isn't always the best source, and I'm not a huge fan of blackberries anyway, but the result was amazing. You've got to try it!

Printable Recipe

Blackberry Cheesecake Torte

1 package (12 oz) frozen blackberries, thawed and drained

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

9-inch graham cracker crumb crust

1 package cream cheese (8 oz), softened

2 large eggs

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar & cinnamon, and sprinkle over the berries, tumbling and coating them. Let sit 10 minutes.

In an ample bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar on medium speed until well blended.

Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Pour filling into the crust.

Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, until filling is set.

Remove from the oven, and arrange berries on top.

Bake 10 minutes, until the sugar on the berries is melted.

Let the torte cool partially.

Top with whipped cream if desired. Serve warm

Makes 8 servings.

Peanut Butter Fudge Iced Brownies

I've had the recipe for this old-fashioned peanut butter icing stored away for awhile and finally got around to making it. It's probably good I waited, since I keep sneaking in and cutting off a piece of brownie when no one's looking. One of my boys even declared it as "the best brownie I've ever had." Should I be offended that I took the quick way out and made a boxed mix instead of making some of my other amazing brownies? This one is the best? Technically it's more about the icing, so I can accept that.

Printable Recipe

Peanut Butter Fudge Iced Brownies

from Southern Plate
 

1 box brownie mix, prepared according to package directions (or your favorite recipe)
1-1/2 cups sugar
7 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Prepare brownies according to package directions and allow to cool completely before beginning icing.

In heavy saucepan combine the sugar, milk, shortening, margarine, and salt.

Bring to a rolling boil while stirring constantly.

Once it reaches a rolling boil, stop stirring and let boil for two minutes.

Remove from heat and quickly stir in the vanilla and peanut butter.

Beat until smooth and quickly spread over the brownies.

Allow to cool completely and then serve.

Strawberry Shortcake

No real recipe, but we made a few loaves of Strawberry Pecan Bread, and I thought we should use it for the base of Strawberry Shortcake like I had mentioned. AMAZING!!! By far the best strawberry shortcake I've ever had! Seriously, please make this soon. And invite me over for some.

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Pecan Bread

I know the last few posts have all been desserts, but I'm not even going to apologize. First, these recipes have been so good, it's a crime not to share them; and second, if you can't find a good meal in all the posts so far, I don't think there's much more I can do. :) We had some strawberries that were barely hanging on, and I was afraid I'd have to throw them out, until I remembered seeing this recipe a few days ago. I can't say enough good things about this bread. Absolutely wonderful! Moist, just the right amount of sweetness, and perfect for a snack anytime. This is one you have to try!

Update: I found this recipe on another blog (http://www.thecountrycook.net), and she suggested using this a base for strawberry shortcake, with strawberries and whip cream. I think I'm going to have to try that!

Printable Recipe

 Strawberry Pecan Bread

by Southern Plate 

Prep Time: 10 mins.   Bake Time: 45 mins.

1 cup fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1 cup white sugar, plus two tablespoons
1-1/2 cups self rising flour
2-1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans

Place strawberries in a small bowl and pour two tablespoons of sugar over them. Stir and set aside.

In mixing bowl, place flour, baking powder, salt, remaining sugar, oil, eggs, and cinnamon. Mix until well combined.

Add pecans and strawberries and mix again until well combined.

Pour into greased and floured loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan ten minutes before turning out of pan to cool completely.

Brown Butter Creamy Apple Pie

I was so excited to make this pie again so I could get a picture of it to post. Got everything ready, made it, took the picture, and ate it, but something seemed just a little wrong. It wasn't until I was looking at the picture that it dawned on me--I forgot the streusel topping! So, picture this pie with a delicious, crumbly topping. That said, this is one of the best apple pies I've ever had. I guess you can skip the homemade whipped topping if you're trying to save time, but it's such a bonus that I don't recommend it. I had extra whipping cream left over anyway from making White Chicken Pizza and Caramel Pecan Brownies, so it was a nice way to use up the rest of the container. Hmm, don't think about calories with that menu. But this pie is the healthiest choice, right? It's full of fruit! The hardest part is waiting the extra two hours to let it cool, but you can do it!

Printable Recipe

Brown Butter Creamy Apple Pie

from Pillsbury

Filling

¼ cup butter

½ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apples (5 medium)

1 frozen deep dish pie crust

Streusel

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ cup cold butter

Topping

½ cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla

Place cookie sheet in oven to heat, then preheat to 400°F.

In 1-quart saucepan, cook 1/4 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and lightly browned.

Cool completely, about 15 minutes. 

In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the egg with wire whisk until light and fluffy.

Beat in 2 tablespoons flour and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Beat in cooled butter.

Gently stir in apples.

Pour into crust-lined pie plate. 

In medium bowl, stir together all streusel ingredients except butter.

With pastry blender or fork, cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle over apples.

Place pie on cookie sheet in oven. 

Bake 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes longer or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.

Cool 2 hours. 

In small bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form.

Add remaining topping ingredients; beat until stiff peaks form.

Pipe or spoon onto pie.

Caramel S'more Bars

When I saw this a few days ago, I already had everything planned out that I was taking to the barbecue on Memorial Day. But I'm pretty susceptible to the powers of suggestion, so when I read that these bars would make our get together "spectacular", I had to agree. And it doesn't hurt that I LOVE S'mores. Which means I'm having a love affair with these bars. Wish I could share them with you all, but you'll just have to whip up your own!

The only thing I had an issue with was the caramel sauce. I had to let it boil a little longer than this says because it was still pretty liquidy (I had already added the vanilla and salt, and was letting it cool, but it wasn't setting up). For some reason, there are issues anytime I make a recipe from someone in Utah. I'm guessing there's some kind of climate difference that I'm not taking into account. Or that it's been raining. Anybody have a degree in food chemistry? I'm leaving the recipe the same, but you might have to add a couple extra minutes of boiling.

Printable Recipe

Caramel S'more Bars

from Jamie Cooks It Up!

Prep. Time: 10 min.  Bake Time: 13 mins

 14 whole graham crackers (about 1 1/2 packages)
1 (12 ounce) package milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
5 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
dash salt


Preheat oven to 350.

Place a Silpat or parchment paper on a large cookie sheet.

Break each graham cracker in half and lay it out on the pan. Don't worry if the edges of the crackers don't all touch; the caramel will help to bind them together.

Spread the chocolate chips out evenly over the crackers and sprinkle them with the chopped pecans.

Toss the mini marshmallows evenly over the top of the chocolate.

Place butter and brown sugar in a medium sized sauce pan.

Heat it on the stove over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.

Once the mixture starts to boil and the ingredients have combined well and are no longer separated, remove the pan from the heat, and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and a dash of salt. (You might need to boil it a little longer and then allow to cool just a bit so it can set up).

Drizzle the caramel all over the top of the marshmallows.

Bake at 350 for 12-13 minutes. You want to watch for the marshmallows to puff up and get golden brown along the tops.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the bars cool completely before cutting. They are much easier to cut if the chocolate and caramel has had time to set up.

After the bars have come to room temperature, you can put the pan in the fridge for 10 minutes or so for the chocolate to set up, or if you'd like them a little more gooey, skip the refrigeration and eat them as is.

Makes 30 to 40 bars.

Awesome Oatmeal Cookies

I've searched long and hard for the perfect oatmeal cookie recipe. After countless attempts, I think this one is it. While I've never had an oatmeal cookie from Starbucks, I kept running across descriptions that include "cult-following" and "absolute be all end all best oatmeal cookie I had ever tasted", so I knew we had to try it, and this does makes a dang good cookie. Because the Commissary was out of the big box of dark raisins, I had to get the tiny boxes and empty them all out (see what I do for the sake of a picture?). This also taught me that the little boxes are a rip-off. It took all but two of them for my 1/2 cup. Go with the big box.

Printable Recipe

Awesome Oatmeal Cookies

from Southern Plate

1 stick margarine, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (granulated) sugar

1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark raisins (plus more for putting on top)
1/2 cup golden raisins (plus more for putting on top)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup diced walnuts, optional
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


Place sugars and margarine in mixing bowl. Mix until well blended.

Add egg and cinnamon, and mix again.

In separate bowl, place all remaining ingredients.

Stir with a spoon and dump into mixing bowl with wet ingredients. Mix until well blended.

Spoon by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.

Top with a few additional raisins of each color.

Bake at 350 for twelve to fifteen minutes until the edges are lightly browned.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from cookie sheets and cooling completely.

Makes about 2 dozen

Baked Apples

It was cloudy and cool out today, so even though it's nearing the end of May, it felt more like fall weather. And that made me want apples and cinnamon. We went with baked apples. It's a pretty simple recipe, but it sure was a nice dessert. We topped it off with caramel sauce.

Printable Recipe

 

 Baked Apples

from Food Network

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
6 same-size Granny Smith apples
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 teaspoon-size pieces
1 cup apple juice
Caramel sauce (optional)


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Core apples, making sure not to puncture the bottom of the apples so that the juices will remain inside.

Remove skin from 1/2-inch around top of apples at the opening.

Fill each cavity with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Top each apple with a teaspoon of butter.

Place apples in casserole dish and pour apple juice around them..

Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove from heat, garnish with caramel sauce if desired, and serve.

Unfried Fried Ice Cream

I've only had fried ice cream once, when I was about 12 years old, but I remember thinking that it was pure heaven. I even have a recipe for fried ice cream that's been sitting in my binder for years, but I've never attempted it. When I saw this recipe on Southern Plate, it seemed like the best of both worlds. The delicious flavor without actually frying! My boys love Honey Bunches of Oats (the Almond variety--they ask for "Flakes with Nuts" when I ask what they want for breakfast), but I hate that the end of the bag has so many crumbs left over. So I've gotten in the habit of pouring the crumbs into a plastic baggie (because there are always a lot of decent-sized flakes mixed in), and we save it up until we have enough to make these. Always a favorite, and it's super easy but impressive enough for all of us.

Printable Recipe

Unfried Fried Ice Cream

from Southern Plate

1/2 gallon Vanilla ice cream

3 cups Honey and Oats Cereal (or any cereal you'd like to try--get creative!)

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon


Scoop frozen ice cream out onto waxed paper lined baking sheets and place in freezer for at least an hour, or until hardened. 

During that time, place cereal in gallon zipper bag and crush. (Since I had the cereal saved in a small bag, and it was already crushed, I just mixed the cereal into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.)

Melt butter in microwave, and stir in sugar and cinnamon.

Pour into bag with cereal and seal.

Knead with hands until well mixed.

Pour out onto lined baking sheet and place in oven at 350 just until toasted, about five minutes. Keep close watch as cereal will burn easily.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Roll hardened ice cream balls in mixture, pressing lightly as you do so.

Place coated ice cream in 9x13 dish and return to freezer or serve immediately. 

For serving, drizzle with honey and top with whipped cream and a cherry.

Makes 10 scoops.

Lemon Chess Pie

Another favorite from Southern Plate. This pie makes me think of summer, and summer is something we're definitely in need of in Alaska. When I made it, I didn't have lemons, just a bottle of lemon juice, so I didn't add the lemon zest. We thought it was fine without it. And I love that even though you have to separate the eggs, you're not just using the yolks, or just the whites. I hate throwing them away or trying to find some way to use them up quickly in another recipe. It's nice to avoid the problem altogether.

 I have to ask you to forgive the picture again. I baked it for an extra 5 minutes, trying to get it to set in the oven (which it never did), so the top is browner than I'd like. I'm not sure what the problem is. Partially my horrid oven, but since I used RealLemon juice, I had to do 8 Tbsp to get it close to 2 large lemons, so the filling seemed too liquidy anyway. Guess it's another one to experiment with (I think this happened last time I made it), but it's still delicious! Even though it didn't set in the oven, it did set more after sitting on the counter for an hour, and after chilling in the fridge, it was just right.

Printable Recipe

Lemon Chess Pie

from Southern Plate

1 cup sugar

4 Tbsp. butter

Grated rind and juice of two large or three small lemons

4 eggs, separated (Separate carefully--there can't be any yolk in the whites, or they won't foam up well.)

1 deep-dish pie crust (baked)


Cream sugar with butter until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg yolks.
 
Add grated lemon rind and juice, beat in.
 
Beat egg whites in a separate bowl (with clean beaters) until stiff. (Egg whites at room temperature will foam more quickly than egg whites that have just been taken out of the refrigerator.)

Gently fold whites into lemon mixture.

Pour into pie shell and bake at 350 until set and light, about twenty five to thirty minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake

We've had this cake as a dessert, we've had it for breakfast, and it just gets better each time I make it. How could you go wrong with blueberries? Or a cake you can eat for breakfast? Since we don't normally have fresh blueberries on hand (expensive!), we've always used frozen, and it's amazing. This is also another recipe for which I'm so glad to have found the powdered buttermilk! Makes life so much easier. And I know it does call for Kosher (coarse) salt. Maybe I'm the only one, but for some reason I had it in my head that this must be an expensive variety, or hard to find, so for a long time, I just used regular salt. And then I actually looked for Kosher salt. Not expensive, not hard to find. All of these years wasted. But no matter. Moving on! I highly recommend that you try this one right away. And then thank me by making me one too.

Printable Recipe

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake

from Alexandra's Kitchen

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (I'm not a butter snob--you can use whatever you want)
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon (I always forget to buy lemons, so I use 4 tsp. bottled lemon juice)
3/4 cup & 2 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (or I use a 12 oz bag of frozen blueberries, thawed & drained)
½ cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. sugar (for sprinkling on top)


Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 3/4 cup & 2 Tbsp of sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour. (If you are using frozen blueberries that have been thawed, pat them dry between  a few paper towels before tossing with the flour. I actually wait to add them to the flour until right before I'm going to fold the blueberries in.)

Whisk together the remaining 1 & 3/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.)

Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 9-12 servings.

Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

Banana bread is one of my favorites, and I've gone through a lot of recipes in my search for the perfect one. I wanted one that was moist and had a good crust, and this one has both. It has a yummy streusel topping and center, and what's best is that you get two loaves out of this, so you can share with a friend. Or have an extra loaf for yourself later. I have looked all over for the original recipe, but it has completely disappeared. If I ever find it, I'll be sure to give the creator credit! (Please don't judge the bread by the picture. Our oven is kind of finicky, and this batch is a little overdone. The streusel is usually much more crumbly.)

This also is great for mini loaves to give to friends! It makes 4 loaves and then I had enough to do a dozen mini muffins (apparently I was in the mood for tiny food). If you make mini loaves, reduce the baking time by 1/4 (so 38-45 mins) and leave the temperature the same.

Recently, I found something wonderful in the beverage aisle that's been a big help in baking: powdered buttermilk! No more making my own every time I need it for a random recipe. Maybe I'm the last person on earth to discover it, but in case there's one other person that hasn't seen it, here you go! Just put the dry amount (for example, it's 4 Tbsp. buttermilk powder to make one cup prepared) in with the dry ingredients, and then add the water (1 cup) with the liquid. For this recipe, just add the buttermilk powder with the flour and everything, and then stir in the water. Couldn't be easier!

Printable Recipe

Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

3 large bananas
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup flour


Preheat oven to 350. Grease two bread pans and set aside.

In an electric mixer, mix bananas and sugar until the banana is completely mashed.

Add in the butter, eggs and vanilla extract, and mix until well creamed.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix well. Mix in the buttermilk until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the crumb toppings with a pastry cutter or fork until crumbly.

Pour half of the bread batter into the two bread pans. Then layer half of the streusel topping on top of the bread batter.

Pour remaining batter over the crumb mixture and then top with the rest of the streusel topping.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Makes 2 loaves.

Coconut Cake

I tried out this recipe last year for our dessert on Easter, and it was fabulous! It's not so much the cake (you can use any box cake you want), but the icing makes it so good. And the best part is that it's a refrigerator cake, which means it tastes even better if it's been sitting in the refrigerator for a couple days. That frees you up from making one more thing right before the meal. Love it! I've already got mine sitting in the fridge, ready to go.

This originally came from one of my favorite blogs, Southern Plate. The woman who writes it, Christy Jordan, is about the sweetest person I've ever, well, not met since she's lives about as far away as you can get from here, but I almost feel like she's a dear friend. If you haven't seen her blog, be sure to do so!

For our Easter meal, we're having: Ham, Green Beans, Scalloped Potatoes, Megan's Macaroni & Cheese, Deviled Eggs, 60 Minute Rolls, Fruit Salad, and Coconut Cake. Can't wait! And come back next week for some ways to use up leftover ham!

Printable Recipe

 

Coconut Cake

from Southern Plate

1 box yellow cake mix
2 cups sugar
16 ounces sour cream
12 ounces coconut (frozen, bagged on shelf, or canned)

1 1/2 c whipped topping

Prepare cake mix according to package directions in a 13 x 9 pan.

Combine sugar, sour cream, and coconut. Fold in whipped topping gently. Chill.

When cake is finished baking, let it cool for 10 minutes. Poke holes all over the top of the warm cake, then spread the icing over the cake.

Cover and refrigerate 1-3 days before serving.