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©Life of a Foodie and Her Family 2008-2013, Lynn Tabor

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3/22/2014

Key Lime Cake

I love love love Key Lime pie and when I spotted this cake on Pinterest I knew I had to make it.  The original recipe can be found at Your Homebased Mom. I made it yesterday morning.

For the cake
2 C all purpose flour
1 1/2 C sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
2/3 C oil
2/3 cup key lime juice
3/4 cup sour cream

For the frosting
1 C butter, softened
2 – 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
2 – 16 oz boxes confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C key lime juice


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 8-inch cake pans.
Mix together flour, sugar, powder, soda and salt into mixer.
Add eggs, oil and lime juice. Beat until smooth.
Add sour cream and beat until smooth.
Pour in prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Make the frosting:
Mix together butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Add in confectioner's sugar
Add in vanilla.
Add in 1/4 cup of key lime juice.


I made a big woops!  I didn't let the cakes cool long enough in the pan and when I went to flip them out onto a cooling rack it was to close to the edge and when I tried to slide it back a little the cake cracked in half.

So when it was time to assemble, I did not slice the two cakes in half to make four layers.  I also had a bit of a problem with the frosting.  It is very fluffy and the layers didn't really stick to each other so the top slid a bit.  Since I only had two layers I did have extra frosting and used a large star tip to pipe on decorations around the bottom of the cake.

Mine wasn't so pretty, but the taste DEFINITELY made up for it.  This is such a wonderful and refreshing cake.  I would definitely make this again.

3/16/2014

Ravioli Bake

I saw this idea on Pinterest a while ago and thought it would be a good quick dinner idea. I whipped it up on Sunday afternoon.  The original can be found at Line Up and Waiting.

1 package frozen ravioli
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce, I used Spicy Tomato and Basil
Shredded Parmesan to taste

Preheat oven to 400.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Spread half a jar of sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Place ravioli in one layer on the sauce.

Sprinkle with half of the Mozzarella Cheese.

Sprinkle a handful of Parmesan Cheese over the Mozzarella.

Spread the other half jar of sauce over the cheese layers.

Repeat layers and I used a full jar on the top layer.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes.










I added a little more Parmesan cheese when I served this.  This came out really well and would work perfectly for a pot luck dinner.

3/14/2014

Mini Shepherd's Pies

Since it was Spring Break, and didn't have to worry about keeping something hot while I picked up Miss V from school I found this little recipe for Alpha dinner.

The original can be found at Tablespoon.

1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling:  (I doubled this so that I could make some later)

1 bag of frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
2/3  to 1 cup beef broth
1 envelope of brown gravy
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 cups of mashed potatoes

Heat oven to 400°F.

Unroll pie crusts. Roll each crust to 12 inches in diameter. Using 4-inch round cutter, cut 6 rounds from each crust. Firmly press each round in bottom and up side of each of 12 ungreased regular-size muffin cups.

Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Reduce heat to 350°F.

In skillet, heat butter over medium heat until melted and hot. Add onion to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add beef to skillet; cook 5 to 7 minutes longer, stirring to break up any large pieces; drain. Place meat mixture back into the skillet and add the broth and brown gravy mix and cook on medium until thick and bubble.  Add the peas and carrots, salt and pepper.  Cook until veggies are hot.

Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup beef mixture. Top each pie with about 1/4 cup of the warm mashed potatoes. Bake at 350°F 25 to 30 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and mashed potatoes are lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes in pan before serving. Run knife around outside of each pie to loosen before removing.



These tasted great, but were really hard to get out of the pan.  Next time I make them, I will definitely spray the sides of the muffin cups with cooking spray.

Let the leftover filling cool and store in the refrigerator.

Coconut Chocolate Bundt Cake

I made this Friday morning for our Alpha Class.  You can find the original recipe at Just a Pinch.

1 devils food or chocolate cake mix
1 pkg (4 serving size) chocolate instant pudding mix
1 1/3 cup water
4 eggs
1/3 c  coconut oil
1 1/3 cup shredded coconut
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Glaze
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract

Shredded, toasted coconut for the top

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, eggs, & oil in large bowl until blended. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes. Stir in coconut & chocolate chips. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray, or grease & flour (or dust with cocoa), and pour batter into pan. Bake approximately 1 hour (mine was done at 50 minutes). Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, and then remove from pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

To make glaze, combine sweetened condensed milk & chocolate chips in a small saucepan. Over medium low heat, stir constantly until chocolate chips melt and mixture is smooth. Do not allow it to bubble. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Allow to cool for just a bit before glazing cake.

You can sprinkle the cake with the toasted coconut.




This cake was FANTASTIC!

3/13/2014

Mini Apple Galettes

Woops time got away from me and I forgot to post Miss V's Apple Galettes from the other day.

It is one of her old YCA recipes.

Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs flour
3/8 (use 1/4 tsp) ground cinnamon
3 tart apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 unbaked refrigerated pie crusts

Equipment
Measuring cups and spoons
bowl
apple peeler, slicer, corer
Knife
Rolling pin
4-5 inch biscuit cutter/cookie cutter
Baking Sheet
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 400.  Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine the first 4 ingredients together in a bowl.

Cut 5 circles out of each pie crust, re-rolling scraps as needed. (she used a smaller cutter and got 7 out of each crust)

Place heaping tablespoon of apple mixture into the center of each pie crust circle, leaving a 1 inch border.  Carefully fold border toward the center, pleating dough edges to create a round pastry with about 1 inch of exposed filling in the center.  Like a free form tart.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Makes 10 galettes.  (she had 14 smaller tarts)




3/12/2014

Carolina Pulled Pork

Here is my favorite recipe for Pulled Pork.

1 onion chopped, about 1 cup
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 lbs boneless pork butt shoulder roast
1 tbs dry fajita seasoning
2/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
3 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
12 hamburger buns split
2 cups prepared coleslaw

Place onion and garlic in the bottom of the crock pot. Top with pork; sprinkle with seasoning.

In a small bowl, whisk together, ketchup, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and salt until smoother. Pour over pork.

Cover and cook on low for 12 hours.

Transfer pork to plate, reserving sauce in the crock pot; cool slightly. Using two forks shred pork into bite size piece; stir back into sauce.


Serve with coleslaw

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Yesterday I made pulled pork and totally forgot to get rolls on Monday.  Woops and since it is Spring Break Miss V just wanted to stay in her pajamas so I went searching for homemade rolls.  The first place I look is King Arthur Flour.  I found the perfect recipe called Beautiful Burger Buns.

3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast

topping
3 tablespoons melted butter

Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.

Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.

Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter.

Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. This will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust.



These came out GREAT and worked very well with the pulled pork.

3/11/2014

Month 2: Working with Eggs - Shortcut Strata

Miss V loves working with eggs and was bummed she didn't have to separate them.  She was so funny sniffing the Secret Ingredient envelope and after a minute or two said it smells like Nutmeg and she was right!

 The YCA way to crack and egg is to crack it on a flat surface then gently place your thumbs in the crack.  Turn the egg sideways and pull the shell apart allowing the egg to fall into the bowl.











These were pretty good, but with both thought it would be even better with a salty meat like bacon or ham.  We will try that version next time.

Month 4 Knife Skills - Lasagna Americana

So in my last post yesterday I talked about a nice little knife set that I bought Miss V.  YCA has their own knives and one came part of the kit.  This is a great knife for beginners/Kindercooks. When I taught Kindercooks the kids did have a hard time cutting harder vegetables like carrots.

She loves trying to guess the secret ingredient before opening it.  We got the package last Friday and when she opened the package she said "Whoa this stuff is strong!"  I knew what it was immediately.  She then read her materials and guessed oregano.

Anyway Miss V made this last night for dinner.  We did make a few modifications and it still came out fabulous!

 Proper knife skills, curl the fingers under so that you don't cut them.








We all thought this was pretty good.  The recipe called for diced ham, cheddar and mozzarella.  Miss V wanted ground beef instead and we changed the cheeses to mozzarella and Parmesan.

3/10/2014

Paring Knife Set

I always get a bit nervous when Miss V uses our old knives.  They are dull and accidents happen more with dull knives.

Last week I was in Target and found this little set of knives which I thought would be good for Miss V's small hands.


She loves them and they are very easy for her to use.

Mini Cream Cheese Fruit Danishes and Fruit Salad

Today is the first day of Miss V's spring break.  It was so nice to sleep in, but of course that meant she was starving when she did finally wake up.

I had this recipe pinned for months and can be found at Six Sisters Stuff.

So I printed it and handed it to Miss V and away she went.

1 8-count tube refrigerated crescent rolls
Flour for the work surface
4 tablespoons cream cheese
4 tablespoons fruit jam

Directions:
Heat oven to 400° F.  Carefully unroll the dough on a lightly floured surface.  Divide along the dotted lines into 4 equal rectangles.

Working with 1 rectangle at a time, gently pinch and smooth the dough to eliminate the diagonal dotted lines.

Place 1 tablespoon of cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of jam in the center of each square. Fold each corner to the center of the square, pinching them together. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

Allow to cool 15 minutes and then glaze.

1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, vanilla and milk to create icing. You may need to add more milk to get the desired consistency. Drizzle icing over danishes.










While the danish were baking Miss V made a yummy fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, red grapes, apples and mango.


We both loved her breakfast.