Lemon Breakfast Cake

Lemon Breakfast Cake

Cake:

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

4 T. oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 t. vanilla

2 c. self rising flour

1T. baking powder

Topping:

rind of one lemon

juice of one lemon

1/2 c. regular flour

1/2 c.  sugar

1 stick melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix first three ingredients until light and fluffy and sugar is dissolved.

Add the flour, baking powder, buttermilk and vanilla.

Mix all the ingredients until fluffy, approx 3 min on med-high speed.

Pour into greased 11x7 cake pan.

While the cake batter is mixing.

Mix together the lemon rind, flour and sugar..

Sprinkle evenly over cake batter.

Pour melted butter over dry mixture.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

When taken out of oven. Prick with a fork and then pour lemon juice over cooked cake.

Sprinkle sugar over top.

Let cool for 15 min. before serving.

Pecan Pie Bars

Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients:

For crust:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

For topping:

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup corn syrup

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9x13-inch pan with foil, leaving enough for a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

First make the crust by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add in the flour and salt and mix until crumbly.

Press the crust into the foil-lined pan and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

While the crust bakes, prepare the filling by combining the butter, brown sugar, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan and stirring it over medium heat. Simmer the mixture for 1 minute, then stir in the chopped pecans.

Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour the pecan filling over the hot crust spreading it to cover the entire surface.

Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Remove the pan and allow the bars to fully cool in the pan.

Use the foil overhang to lift out the bars and transfer them to a cutting board. Peel off the foil, slice into bars and serve.

Spicy Saltine's

• 1 ¼ cups canola oil
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
• 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
• 1 (16 ounce) box saltine crackers
•  Mix the oil, ranch dressing mix, red pepper flakes and crackers in a glass jar and shake until well mixed. Pour over the saltine crackers that are in a large bowl with a lid. Gently mix for 15 minutes. Put on lid and turn bowl over and let it rest for another 15 min.

Chewy Lemon Drop Cookies

chewy lemon drop cookies

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

zest of 3 lemons

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 t. of lemon extract

1/4 cup corn syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons lemon juice

about 1 cup powdered sugar, for coating

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour and salt.  Set aside.

2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, lemon zest,extract, sugar, and corn syrup. Mix until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides.

3. In a small cup, combine the lemon juice baking soda. With the mixer on low, add in flour mixture and lemon juice mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula and mix the dough by hand a few times to ensure an even distribution of the ingredients.

4. Roll the dough into balls, one inch in diameter. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheets , and then toss in powdered sugar to coat.

Super Quick Dinner Rolls

Fluffy Dinner Rolls
3/4 - cup milk
4 - tablespoons butter
3/4 - cup hot water
4 - tablespoon sugar
1 - teaspoon salt
4 - 4 1/2 - cup flour
1 - heaping tablespoon instant yeast

1. Pour your milk into a microwave safe container. Add your butter to the milk and put it in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.
2. While the milk warms preheat your oven to 170 degrees. Turn on the tap to get your water nice and hot. Temperature is important to making these rolls rise quickly. Put your hand in the water to test it. You want it to be just on the edge of unpleasant.
3. Put your milk/butter and hot water in the bottom of your Kitchen Aid Mixer. Add the sugar and salt. Then add 2 cups of flour...let it mix for 1 minute.
4. Add the yeast. Turn the mixer on and add the rest of the flour 1 cup at a time.
5. You have enough flour when the dough scrapes the side of the bowl clean. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes. You need the plastic wrap to trap the heat.
7. Take a stick of butter and coat the inside of a 9x13 pan.
8. Spray your counter, or a cutting board with cooking spray. Lay your dough on top of it.
9. Take a sharp knife, spray it with cooking spray and cut your dough into 12 pieces. Make them as equal as you can.
10. Gently round them into balls, and put them in your buttered 9x13 pan.
11. Put the pan into your warm 170 degree oven. Let them rise for about 20 minutes or until they have risen about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
12. Leave your pan in the oven and turn the heat up to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. This time includes the time it takes the oven to increase in temperature. Bake until golden brown.
13. Brush with a little softened butter and serve warm.

Total Time: about 1 hour 10 minutes

2 Minute Microwave Brownie

Two-Minute Brownie

1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch sea salt
2 T canola oil
2 T water
1/2 t. vanilla

In a heatproof  ramekin, stir together the dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Stir in the oil and water until you have a thick paste.

Microwave on high for a minute, checking it after 30 seconds (microwaves vary) – it will be done when it’s springy on top but still a bit gooey . Eat warm, after you top it with vanilla ice cream.

Beef Curry

3 pounds of  eye round roast beef
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 box of chicken stock
1 cup red wine
3 T. Indian Curry unsalted
1T garlic powder
1T onion powder
1t. salt
1 t. cracked black pepper
1/4 t. cumin
2 cinnamon sticks
3 diced tomatoes
4 large dice zucchini
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 diced red bell pepper
8 cups cooked jasmine rice

This serves 14. But at our house 7 with a couple plates left for lunch the next day.
This is also a cook all day dish. It takes usually 5 hours and is served over rice.

Brown the beef on all four sides in a large pot or dutch oven.
Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock and red wine.
Then add all the spices. Mix well
Place on stove top on simmer with lid on.
This is braising the meat, and takes many hours to do, but it is fork tender when done.
I usually braise for 4 hours, then the last hour I add the tomatoes,peppers and carrots.
About 15 min before the dish is done i will add the zucchini, so it still has some crunch to it.
Take the meat out prior to serving and pull apart.
I usually keep the meat and curry separate for my picky non meat eaters.
I layer mine in a bowl, rice, meat and then curry with veggies..



If this isn't spicy enough for you, consider adding more curry powder. There are a lot of different kinds out there to experiment with.
You can also use whatever veggies you have on hand, good thing about curry , is things are not set in stone.. This is a good way to use up what needs to be eaten, veggie wise.