Fluffy Lemon Buttercream Frosting

John's favorite birthday cake is an orange cake, with lemon frosting. I always used canned frosting but am trying to go with making my own now (I do still use cake mix!). So I searched for a recipe and this one is awesome! I can't remember where I got it to give credit, and anyway I tweaked it quite a bit (the original was too thin and didn't make enough).

It still doesn't make as much as I would like for a double layer cake. Next time, I would like to use something like lemon curd for the filling, or increase the amount of frosting by about half. For now I am too lazy to do the math so just know that this makes enough for a double layer cake and filling - just not overly generous thickness!

INGREDIENTS:

4-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest, chopped fine
2 T lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix the butter, lemon zest and vanilla together. Blend well.

Add milk and blend well.

Add the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.

Beat on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.

Stir in the lemon juice.

Frosts a 13x9 sheet cake generously, or a 2 layer cake/filling not as thick.

I hope you enjoy! We thought it was absolutely delicious!

Chocolate Mousse Bars

My daughter's Girl Scout troop made their own cookbooks a few weeks ago. They were told to each bring a recipe to share with everyone the following week. So she went home and went searching for a recipe online! I have no idea what search terms she used but she came up with this one - and it was a keeper!

Here she is with her cookbook.

Chocolate Mousse Bars

1 - 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 can sweetened condensed milk, divided

4 eggs

1 pkg (3.9 ounce) instant chocolate pudding

1-1/2 cups whipped cream, slightly sweetened (or use Cool Whip)

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 F.

Spray a 9 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips: in microwave safe bowl, heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Then heat for 15 seconds at a time until melted and smooth, stirring in between.

Mix into melted chips: sugar, flour, 1/4 condensed milk and 4 eggs, until well blended. Pour into the prepared 9 inch square pan.

Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not overbake!). Cool completely.

Beat dry pudding mix and remaining condensed milk with whisk for 2 minutes. Stir in whipped cream. Spread over cooled bars.

Melt remaining chocolate chips (careful not to burn!) Drizzle over pudding layer.

Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Yum!

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Fried Apples 'n Onions

This dish comes from a book in the Little House Series, "Farmer Boy". It was one of Almanzo Wilder's favorite dishes. I've made it several times over the years (since Evan was into the Little House series at the age of 8) and each time I make it, I wonder why I don't make it more often! I'm not sure the kids agree - they are not really into savory cooked fruit - but I love it. It's very homey and comforting.

Here is the original recipe:

Fried Apples’n'Onions

• 1/2 pound bacon or salt pork, sliced
• 6 yellow onions, sliced in large “C” pieces
• 6 tart apples, sliced, with skins on, in large half moon shaped pieces, or cored and sliced crosswise as circles
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar (optional)

1. Fry bacon or salt pork slices in a skillet until brown and crisp. Set them aside.
2. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet, and add the onion slices. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes and then cover with layers of the apple slices. Sprinkle with the brown sugar (if using). Cover the skillet and cook until tender for a few more minutes. Move to the plate with the bacon or pork and serve together.

I adapted it slightly (of course!) and never get out the recipe to make it so it's probably a bit different every time. First of all, the above recipe makes way too much for us. Last night I used one large sweet onion and two medium apples (whatever kind I happened to have). I use 1 T olive oil instead of bacon fat, and sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of bacon bits in while it's cooking. This is more a simplicity issue than a health one. We always cook more bacon than we need and freeze the leftovers so we have homemade bacon bits when we need them. I also don't think it needs an as much bacon as called for, unless you're serving as a breakfast main dish. I put just enough for some nice bacony flavored goodness. I never add the sugar, but the apples I have sitting around are usually the sweeter apples we keep around for snacks. Taste it and see if you think it needs any; it will depend on what kind of apples you use.

This adaptation made enough for 3 generous adult servings or 6 smaller ones.

This dish is wonderful with pork of any kind. I think next time I make it I will smother pork chops with it and bake, covered. It's also wonderful over rice or mashed potatoes. Yum!

Daddy Pork Chops

By John.

Ingredients:

1 lb Pork loin or 8 thin pork chops

1 cup AP flour

1 tsp Slap Ya Mama (A cajun seasoning similar to Tony Chacheres)

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp lemon pepper

1 tbs paprika

1 cup whole milk

1 egg

4 tbs cooking oil (I use peanut oil)

Preparation:

This is really paneed (sp?) pork. The kids call it "Daddy Pork Chops" because in our family, daddy makes them. They are a family favorite. They are fairly easy to make and if there are any left overs (rarely around here), they make killer sandwiches for lunch the next day...

You can use either thin cut lean pork chops or pork loin. I prefer the loin but either is fine. If you use loin, cut cross sections of meat approximately 1/4" thick. Trim excess fat from the edges of the meat. Pound the meat to tenderize and flatten it so that it winds up about 1/8" thick. Whisk the dry ingredients together to make a dredge (or use your own favorite dredge). Whisk the egg and milk together to make an egg wash. Dip individual pieces of meat in the egg wash. Remove from the wash and shake off excess. Dredge in the flour mixture. Remove and shake off excess flour. Set aside on a wire rack to dry. Once all pieces are dredged, repeat the dredging process so that all pieces have been done twice. After the second dredge, let the meat rest for approximately 10 min on the rack to allow the coating to set.

Panee (fry) the dredged meat in the oil over medium-high heat two or three pieces at a time - don't crowd the meat. Editorial note: nothing beats cast iron for this (or almost any other) type of frying. Cook for about 2 min per side (or until golden brown). Transfer the meat to a rack in a warm oven to rest. Repeat the process until all meat is cooked (be sure to allow the pan and oil to come back to temperature between batches -hot oil prevents the finished product from being too greasy).

Chicken Tacos

We used to make this a lot but hadn't had it in awhile. It's always just something I "throw together" with no recipe. Tonight I made it a completely different way, and the kids asked me to write it down so I wouldn't forget next time!

Chicken Tacos

5 chicken breasts (I had boneless in the freezer, but bone-in would be fine)

water to cover about half

1/2 tsp salt

Boil, covered, until chicken is done (maybe half an hour)

Remove chicken from broth. Remove half the broth and reserve; reduce the remaining broth by half. Meanwhile, shred the chicken. Put chicken back in the pot and add:

2 cans Rotel tomatoes with green chili

2 recipes taco seasoning

1 cup liquid - can be salsa, or water, or more broth.

Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth or salsa if you need more liquid.

Serve with the usual fixins - shells or tortillas, lettuce, tomato, etc.

This served 8 hungry people with enough left over for lunch tomorrow.

Pasta with sausage, basil and mustard

My sister-in-law made this tonight and it was divine!!

1 pound penne pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil

1-1/2 lb italian sausage

3/4 cup white wine

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 T grainy mustard

pinch of crushed red pepper

1 cup thinly sliced basil

Cook the pasta as directed on the package.

Heat the oil, add the sausage and brown, breaking apart into small bits. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the cream, mustard and red pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the pasta and basil and serve.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

I didn't have much luck recently with the recipe I thought my Mom used, from Joy of Cooking. So I decided to Google for a different one. What can I say - I had a "hankerin'"!

This turned out very well. It does not keep well and is best served warm. We didn't try to re-warm it, but the part that sat out till room temp was not nearly as good. Ice cream is great with this!

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain flour

1 pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

4 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 cup milk

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

1 cup soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons boiling water

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Grease a 8 or 9-inch square cake pan with butter or non-stick spray.

Place the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl.

Add the milk, butter, egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix until well combined.

Pour into the greased dish. Set aside.

Boil the water then stir in the brown sugar and cocoa powder.

Pour carefully over the pudding over the back of a large spoon. DO NOT STIR. Get as even as possible.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Yum!

Individual Mini King Cakes

This is a cute snack for kids of all ages, especially now at Mardi Gras! I was looking for something to do with my Brownie Troop and they've been wanting to cook. I found this online and, as usual, tweaked it a little bit. They were fun to make and taste great, too! Enjoy!

Individual Mini King Cakes

One package of canned cinnamon rolls (8 rolls) with icing.

Green sugar sprinkles

Purple sugar sprinkles

Yellow sugar sprinkles

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Open canned cinnamon rolls and separate into individual rolls.

Take one individual roll and unroll it in to full length. Fold in half. Twist together. Form into a circle and pinch the ends closed.

NOTE: the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls do not unroll, they are like biscuits, so don't buy those! The package faked us out. They look right in the picture but it's really biscuits with indentations that make it look right when baked. We made it with the Winn-Dixie store brand and those worked great. I don't know what other kinds unroll, so you may have to try more than one. You can do this with the biscuit kind but it won't be the same effect.

Place rings on the cookie sheet, far enough apart so that they do not touch. We placed a pecan half inside each one, as they used to do before the invention of the "plastic baby". You can also use a bean, or of course a real plastic baby!

Bake according to the directions on the can.

Get everything else ready while the cakes are in the oven:

Put the icing that came with the rolls into a bowl. Add milk, a few drops at a time, and stir in until it forms a thick glaze. You want it to be thin enough to drip from a spoon, but not as thin as a traditional glaze. Stir well.

If you prefer homemade icing, add milk to powdered sugar until it's the desired amount and consistency.

While the rolls are still warm, spoon the glaze over each. Let it drip down the sides. Immediately sprinkle with colored sugar. Cool if desired, or eat them warm!

We didn't have time to make our own colored sugar in the Brownie meeting, but they would like to try it sometime. Here's how:

Put granulated sugar in a bowl or ziploc bag. Add a drop or two of the desired food coloring(s). Stir or shake thoroughly, adding more color if needed to get the shade you want. be careful, though, you don't want the sugar to dissolve!

Hawaiian Rice Salad

I found this recipe a few years ago when I was invited to a Luau potluck. It was so enjoyed by all that I sent out the recipe by request. I forgot all about it until recently when someone brought it to another party and said she'd gotten the recipe from me! I lost mine in a computer crash so she sent it back to me. It's delicious!

• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 cups drained pineapple chunks, reserve liquid
• 2 cups sliced celery
• 2 cups cooked chicken, cut in bite-sized pieces
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine rice, pineapple, celery and chicken. Blend 1/2 cup pineapple juice with mayonnaise. Add to rice and chicken mixture. Toss lightly. Serves 6.
Garnish with sesame and/or celery seeds (optional)

CREAMY TACO SOUP

I really have nothing to say about this soup, other than YUMYUMYUM.

It is a low carb recipe. If you don't care about carbs, you can add corn, and you could also use regular black beans. The black soybeans are low in carbs and taste just like regular black beans. But they are expensive and hard to find.

CREAMY TACO SOUP

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 recipe taco seasoning
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 10-ounce cans Ro-tel tomatoes, undrained (tomatoes with green chilies)
2 cans beef broth

1 can black soybeans

2 cups finely chopped cabbage

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

In a large soup pot, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic; drain. Add the spices and cook a couple minutes. Drop the cream cheese in bits into the meat. With the back of a big spoon, smash it into the meat until no bits of white remain. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through.

Makes 8 cups or 6-8 servings
Freezing not recommended

Creamed Spinach

We love creamed spinach and have tried several recipes. One of our main requirements when searching was that it had to be able to use frozen spinach.

My sister-in-law made this at Thanksgiving and I had to bug her for the recipe! It's now my favorite. I normally double it because we really, really love it. It's low carb too!

2 tbsp butter

1/2 c chopped onion

2 tbsp flour (see note at the bottom)

3/4 c half and half

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 c shredded swiss or mozzarella

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/4 t gr nutmeg

Melt butter in skillet, add onion and cook till tender. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 min. Stir in 1/4 c half and half till smooth. Stir in spinach, cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and remaining half and half. Spoon into baking dish and broil 5 inches from heat until hot and bubbly.

This serves 2 in large ramekins. Carrie doubled and cooked in shallow pyrex.

Notes:

Substituting flour for low carb diet: I have used soy flour (same amount) and it turned out great. I also left the flour out entirely once when I had no soy flour. It just wasn't as thick. You could use cream instead of half and half to make it thicker, or maybe just half the amount of half and half. Replacing with sour cream will also leave it thicker in the end.

Additions (we have tried all of these and they are delicious!):

2 pieces of bacon, crumbled
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Top with sprinkled parmesan cheese before broiling.

It's also great if you don't broil it at all!

Sugar Cookie Icing

I found this while making Christmas cookies with the kids and it was the best one I've found yet. It takes color really well and the touch of lemon tastes great. Play around with other flavors if you like!

NOTE: This doesn't make much. We went through 4 batches before we were done with the sugar cookies. it does get hard fast and it was easy to whip up more as needed.

Ingredients

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• assorted food coloring

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each till desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Low Carb Eggnog

This was really delicious! I will probably never buy store eggnog again, even if I am using real sugar. The kids love it too - without the alcohol, of course!

Egg Beaters - 6 eggs worth (so you don't have to cook the eggs)

4 cups almond or soy milk

2 cups half and half or heavy cream (depends how thick you want it)

1/2 cup Splenda Granular, or sweetener of choice

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sprinkle of nutmeg, cinnamon to taste

optional: booze to taste - Try all rum or brandy, or half of each.

I don't have the carb count; there are apps you can use if you want to.

** Try using the ice cream freezer! As a soft serve, it is just like the expensive stuff from the Daiquiri Shop. Frozen hard, it is an excellent ice cream (hide from the kids if you used the booze!). Alternatively, freeze in small containers after alcohol is added. Thaw slightly and then you can put in the blender for that perfect daiquiri texture.

** If you don't want to use Egg beaters, mix up everything but the booze and simmer, stirring, for a minute (should reach 160 degrees F) so the eggs cook.