Sunshine Lemon Cake

February 23, 2016 by

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Are you as ready for spring as I am?  It seems we’ve had one thing after another lately, some stressful, some wonderful.  I think that is the struggle of raising a family.  Staying calm through the rainstorms (like finding your bathroom floor is rotting when all you wanted to do was change the vanity!) and remembering to relax and relish in the rainbows and sunshine.  I like to remember how wonderful rain can feel though.  Maybe that’s just because I’m from Washington, but still, the rain can be a fantastic experience.  Every time we have a challenge I am reminded how much I love getting to face them with my husband and best friend.
This is a very happy cake for me.  I first made it when I worked at the Pomeroy Farm Tea Room in high school.  It always reminds me of spring and tea parties.  We always served it with lemon curd at the tea shop, but now I always use French Lemon Cream.
So if life is giving you a bunch of stormclouds and lemons right now, go make your own sunshine. 🙂

SUNSHINE LEMON CAKE

2 3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 T orange juice
2 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of a lemon (finely grated)

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Add  sour cream, orange juice,  extracts, and zest.  Mix well.
Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined.
Pour in greased 9 by 13 pan and bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Or bake in mini bundt pans, 2 (9 inch) rounds, cupcakes, whatever your fancy.  Just reduce baking time accordingly.
Dust with powdered sugar, and top with a lemon cream rosette and serve with fresh strawberries or raspberries.

Filed Under: Cake / Cake Pops, Tea time

Posole (Revisited)

January 25, 2016 by

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This is my ultimate cold weather meal.  Rainy day, snow, whatever.  Who am I kidding… or air conditioned house in the summer meal.   I’ve made this more times than I can count and over the years I’ve tweaked it until it’s exactly how we like it.  I’ve found that chili or cayenne powder is too spicy for us, but chipotle powder adds just enough heat.  Adding some smoked paprika adds that deeper flavor and color without the heat as well.
You can use leftover shredded chicken or turkey as well (I’ve made this many times with turkey leftovers from holidays!)  Just add it towards the end of the cooking so it’s not overcooked.  My favorite though is adding raw chicken and letting it cook in that super flavorful broth.
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POSOLE

1 T olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
4-6 cups chicken stock
15 oz tomato sauce
2 T tomato paste
29 oz can gold hominy, drained and rinsed
2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chipotle powder (more to desired spiciness)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and bell pepper and saute until softened.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add 4 cups chicken stock, tomato sauce and paste, hominy, spices and stir to combine.  Add chicken and cook uncovered on medium low for an hour or until chicken is cooked.  Remove and shred, add back to pot.
Season with salt and pepper, add cilantro just before serving.
Serve with tortillas and tortilla chips for dipping, chopped avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, and lime wedges.

Filed Under: Chicken / Turkey, Soups / Stews

Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips

January 11, 2016 by

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New Year’s Eve was never a huge deal in our house when I was a kid.  Except that we always had soda, chips, and dip.  Which was really unusual in our house to have.  So as an adult, I do the same.. except I think I have a little more fun with it, by making homemade chips.  These are super addictive and WAY more yummy than any that come in bag.   This seasoning blend is great on popcorn too or any time you would use a premade ranch seasoning blend.  I’ve even roasted thin potato slices and it’s great on those too! 
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HOMEMADE SOUR CREAM AND ONION SEASONING BLEND (AND CHIPS!)

Sour Cream and Onion seasoning blend:
3 T buttermilk powder
2 T onion powder (toasted onion powder from Penzey’s is my favorite)
1 T garlic powder
1 T dried dill weed
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar

To make potato chips:
Potatoes, gold or russet, sliced thinly
Oil, for frying

Have a bowl of water standing by.  Slice the potatoes using a madoline or a thin blade on a food processor, place the slices in the water as you work so they don’t turn color.  While they are soaking (this removes the starch so they get crisper) whisk together all the seasoning ingredients and place in a shaker.
Heat oil to about 350 degrees using a fryer, or a dutch oven with a couple inches of oil.
Working in one batch at a time, remove some potato slices and dry well on a tea towel.  Fry for a couple minutes until lightly golden brown.
Remove to a wire rack set over a cookie sheet and let oil drain off for a minute.  Place in a bowl and gently toss with seasoning.
Repeat with remaining batches.

Filed Under: Appetizers / Dips / Snacks

The 25 Days Of Christ

December 17, 2015 by

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We try to keep Christmas less about presents and more about.. well, Christmas.  Traditions play a big part in that.  We really enjoy the little things during this season and my girls can’t get enough “light hunts”! (I pack a picnic for the car and we go for a drive and look for the best Christmas light display!)  A friend told me about The 25 Days of Christ in November and knew I wanted to do it.  While I thought about doing it myself, and making all the ornaments, I knew I wouldn’t get around to it in time.  Winter seems to be when chaos is cued around here.  Last year my husband cut his fingers on the table saw, this year our dog had to have surgery.  I’m pretty sure every year there’s been something!
I did do a little work to finish it, since we got the unfinished ornament set, but honestly, it took me a couple hours in total to do a little minimal painting of the ornaments.
I bought the muslin drawstring bags on Amazon, you can get them on etsy as well.  Stamped the numbers on the bags and tied a small bell to the strings and placed them all in a small crate.  We started on the first of December, and each night we watch a video (only a couple minutes long), read a passage of scriptures, a short quote, and place the corresponding ornament on a small tree.  You start with Christ’s birth, then follow his life after that.  I have it set up on our coffee table where we will all see it often.  There is a corresponding picture to go with most days so I set up an easel so we can display that each day.
I feel like our Christmas has been so meaningful and I know we will definitely do this every year.  I can’t think of a better way to keep the true Christmas spirit than by following the life of Christ through December.   I see that The 25 Days of Christ are sold out, but you can get on their waiting list for next year.

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Filed Under: Christmas / Winter

Marshmallow Lollipops

December 15, 2015 by

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I might have gotten a little carried away… no, not yet.  These are too cute.  Homemade marshmallows are a must for Christmastime for us.  Last minute I decided to do something fun and they couldn’t have turned out cuter!
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I made a double batch of my regular marshmallows, which I put in a large baking sheet, but I’ll include the recipe for a 9 by 13 pan since you may not want a ton of them.. maybe 🙂
If you want step by step instructions for making the marshmallow mixture, refer to my original recipe, here.  You can also make these  any color or flavoring you want by adding candy flavoring and food coloring too.  I like to add a scraped vanilla bean to mine.

MARSHMALLOW LOLLIPOPS

2 pkgs unflavored gelatin (about 2 T)
1 cup cold water, divided
1 1/2 c sugar
1 cup corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Sprinkles, for rolling
sucker sticks

Place 1/2 cup of the water in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the gelatin on top.
Combine in a small saucepan the remaining 1/2 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup.
Put heat on high and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved.
Clip a candy thermometer onto the pan and continue cooking until it reaches 240 degrees F, without stirring, which should take about 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat.
Fit mixer with a whisk attachment and turn on low.
While running, slowly pour in the sugar syrup into the gelatin.
Increase speed to high and continue to whip until mixture becomes thick and cools to lukewarm, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Add vanilla in the last minute.
Mix together the cornstarch and powdered sugar.
Spray a 9 by 13 pan with nonstick spray and coat with cornstarch mixture. (Save the extra)
Spread marshmallow in pan, using a greased spatula.
Dust with more cornstarch mixture.
Let marshmallows sit for at least 3 or 4 hours, or overnight, uncovered.
Turn marshmallows out onto a cutting board, gently pulling out of pan if needed.
Brush off excess powdered sugar/cornstarch mixture.
Cut into 1/2 inch strips (cut along the short edge).

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Roll into a pinwheel, using the sticky cut edge to roll onto itself.

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Keep rolling to the end..
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Roll outer edge in sprinkles. Dust middle with powdered sugar if sticky at all.
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Push onto a sucker stick, about 2/3rds the way through the pinwheel.
Serve on a platter, or cake pop holder.  These would be cute in a little bag tied with a ribbon for a gift too.
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Filed Under: Candy / Confections, Holiday Recipes

Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes

December 10, 2015 by

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I know what you’re thinking.  It’s almost Christmas and you were expecting a decadent dessert or rich holiday dish.  Well, I have a few of those too.  While this may not seem “special occasion” side dish kind of recipe, trust me, it is.  It’s also “monday” kind of special too.  Just before Thanksgiving our 90 pound baby dog was injured and knew I needed to simplify.  It was more important to me that we still have time together as a family than make time intensive dishes.  Instead a sweet potato casserole I opted for roasting them, and tossed in some smoky spices I know we all love.  Everyone loved them and while we usually have some sweet potato casserole left, these were gobbled up until the dish was clean.  I found it so refreshing to have a lighter side dish and the spices cut through all the richness of a holiday meal.  So these are definitely going to be repeated again!
Oh, and the baby dog is done with surgery and doing great!
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SMOKY ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

2-3 sweet potatoes
2 T olive oil
1 T smoked paprika
2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

Peel and chop sweet potatoes into about 3/4 inch cubes.
Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray and spread out potatoes.  Make sure to not crowd the pan.
Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with spices and toss to coat again.
Roast at 450 degrees for about 20  minutes or until cooked through and browned.

Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Side Dishes

Pretzel Toffee with Sea Salt

December 3, 2015 by

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Almond Toffee has always been on my list of Christmas candies to make.  But now that my youngest is severely allergic to tree nuts I came up with a great substitution.  Pretzel toffee!  The pretzels have a good crunch, just like the nuts.  And honestly, I think everyone likes this better!  While you do have to stir a pot for awhile, it does make a large batch and other than a little time is quite easy to make.  And don’t forget to play Christmas music while you cook it, it does make it taste better 🙂

PRETZEL TOFFEE WITH SEA SALT

1 pound butter
2 T water
2 cups granulated cane sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
pretzels
10 oz chocolate chips, I like dark or semi-sweet

Line a 12″ x 18″ cookie sheet with a silicone mat (or spray with nonstick spray).  Lay pretzels out in a single layer on tray.   Set aside.
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Put butter and water in a heavy 12″ pot or skillet over medium-high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until melted, then add sugar and salt as you continue stirring.
Continue cooking, stirring constantly, to 300 degrees F.
Mixture will be a caramel color. Remove from heat. Should take about 20 minutes cook time.
Pour over pretzels in prepared pan and cool about 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate over double boiler or in microwave. Spread over cooled toffee and sprinkle with sea salt.
When chocolate is set break into pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

VARIATION: Break the toffee into pieces and then dip each piece in melted chocolate.

Filed Under: Candy / Confections, Holiday Recipes

Aunt Lela’s Blueberry Pie

November 20, 2015 by

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One of my Mom’s favorite foods from her childhood was her aunt Lela’s blueberry pie.  But sadly, nobody had the recipe.  Before my Grandmother passed away she gave me her recipe collection.  A hodgepodge of index cards and a notebook of recipes my Mom had typed up for her many, many years ago.  Imagine my excitement when I found a scribbled recipe for Lela’s pie!  It seems that splash of vinegar is what I needed to get mine to taste more like Lela’s.  It just takes it to another level.  I’ve tried it with lemon juice as well, but I think the vinegar makes the blueberries taste more… well, blueberry!
I want to share the recipe with you for Thanksgiving.  Make it, you won’t be sorry!
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Some pie tips: My favorite pie pan is the USA pan.  It gets the bottom crust the most crispy and perfect!  Amazon sells them, or Bed Bath and Beyond.
I LOVE this silicone pie pan shield.  Works so much better than foil.  Sold at the same places.
If you want pictures of piecrust in the making, look at this post here.  If you have a food processor, I show how to make a crust in it here.  This is my favorite way to make them because it’s so fast and easy.  The most important thing to remember when making pie crust is to keep everything cold.  You want some chunks of butter so the crust gets flaky and if you are warming the dough with your hands that won’t happen.
Oh, and you’ll have some pie dough scraps.  Just brush them with a bit of butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake.  Your littles will thank you! 🙂

AUNT LELA’S BLUEBERRY PIE

For piecrust:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold & cut into cubes
8-10 T ice water

Pie filling:
3 cups blueberries (don’t thaw if using frozen)
1 cup sugar
2 T cornstarch
pinch salt
1 T white vinegar

Egg wash:
1 egg yolk
1 T heavy cream
1 T vanilla sanding sugar

Make the piecrust:
Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl with a fork.
Add butter and use a pastry blender to cut into the size of peas.
Add water and mix until just starts to come together.
Divide into 2 and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill while you make filling.

Make filling:
Stir all pie filling ingredients together in a bowl.
Roll out one piece of dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick.  Make sure it is bigger than your pie pan.
Fold into quarters and place in pie pan, unfold.  Pour filling in.
Roll out remaining dough and cut circle our of center if desired.  Top pie.
Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut off extra dough.  Crimp edges with fingers.
Cut slits in top.

Mix the egg yolk and cream together and brush on top of pie.
Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, then lower to 375 degrees and bake for 30 minutes longer.  If your crust is getting too dark, cover the edges with foil or silicone shield.
Swat away hot pie thieves.

Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Pie

Bear with me!

November 10, 2015 by

I know some of the links aren’t working, It’s taking me some time but all the links will be fixed soon and you’ll be able to pin from my site now! (yay!) Plus, the recipe index will come in handy to not only you but me!  I totally forgot about that chicken tortilla casserole.. yum.  And printable recipe cards! yay!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Holiday Sausage Rolls

November 7, 2015 by

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Sausage rolls are mainly from England and Ireland, making appearances in a couple other countries as well.  Basically they are sausages wrapped in pastry.  A tasty finger food served for parties and holidays.  Sausage rolls are usually made with puff pastry but I like making them with pie crust.  Especially my pie crust 🙂 Super flaky, buttery, and makes my hubby one happy guy.  My 8 year old is becoming quite the pie dough expert and I can’t wait to make these with her again for the upcoming holidays.
These are a great appetizer for taking to parties or serving before a holiday meal.  You could even make them ahead of time, a few days even and rewarm in the oven before hand.  If you want to make them further ahead of time, I would bake them, then freeze.  Thaw in the fridge and then rewarm in the oven at 350 degrees. (You could probably bake straight from the freezer okay).

HOLIDAY SAUSAGE ROLLS
makes 32 pieces

Double pie crust dough, a double batch of this recipe
Egg wash (one egg beaten with 1 T water)

Filling Spices: (OR use a seasoned pork sausage and skip the seasonings.. but this makes them super yummy!)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried fennel
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried sage

Filling:
1 lb ground pork
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg

Grind spices in a spice grinder if desired.  mix with remaining filling ingredients until well combined.  Divide into quarters.
Roll out half of the pie dough on a lightly floured surface to about 9 by 13 inches.  I have a silicone mat this size I use for a guide.
Cut in half lengthwise.
Shape one quarter of the filling into a log and place on the center of one of the strips of pie dough.
Repeat with another quarter of filling on the other half.

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Brush the length of pie dough and wrap around filling snugly to seal.
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Cut each roll into 8 equal pieces.
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Place rolls on lightly greased cookie sheet.  Cut slashes in top if desired and brush with egg wash.
Repeat with remaining half of dough and filling.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until meat is cooked through and pastry is golden and flaky.

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Filed Under: Appetizers / Dips / Snacks, Freezer, Holiday Recipes, Irish