Key Lime Cake!

  

 

 

This pretty "Key Lime Cake" just looks like Spring to me!  I love the taste of key lime and there aren't many good recipes that you use it in.  This cake is a good change of pace from Key Lime Pie!

This is a really moist cake and it great for special occasions, because even though it's really fairly easy to make, it looks like you fussed.   It's prettiest made as a three layer cake, but you can also make it in a 9"x13" pan.  Here is what you will need:

 

 

1 box lemon cake mix (make sure you get a full size cake mix and not those they have reduced to 10.5 oz.)

1 pkg. (3oz.) lime gelatin (Jello)

3/4 cup orange juice

2 tsp. vanilla

5 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

 

Glaze

1/2 cup key lime juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

6 cups powdered sugar

*This is basically a recipe and a half of cream cheese frosting, but you need this much for the three layers.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Mix cake mix with lime gelatin and orange juice.  Add vanilla, eggs. and oil.  Mix until well blended, but do not over mix.  

 

Prepare three 9" cake pans by placing parchment or wax paper circles cut to fit in the bottoms.  Spray with nonstick spray or butter and flour them.  Divide the batter evenly.  Place in oven for 17 to 20 minutes. Remove to cool.  If you use a 9"x13" pan, bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

 

Combine the 1/2 cup lime juice with the powdered sugar.  While the cake layers are still warm, poke a few holes in them while still in the pans with a fork or toothpick and pour the lime juice glaze over each one.   Allow them to cool in the pans. 

 

Prepare the cream cheese frosting by creaming the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until it is light and fluffy.

 

Place a layer of the cake on a cake plate and frost the top, repeating with the other two layers. 

 

 

Frost the entire cake and if you want to garnish use some lime slices!  Place in the refrigerator and keep chilled until ready to serve.  This is a very moist cake and it gets even moister the next day!

 

 







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Two Ingredient Lemon Bars!

 

I love lemon desserts, so these lemon bars were especially interesting to me when I first saw the recipe.  I think this recipe originated on the Betty Crocker website, maybe on the back of an angel food cake mix originally.  I am really not sure.  Then, like so many of these old recipes, because of the Internet and food bloggers and Pinterest, it started really circulating again.

 The original recipe and most of the versions you see on the Internet call for a box of angel food cake mix and 1 can of lemon pie filling.  That works pretty good, but the results are more like a lightly flavored lemon sponge cake.   I used the angel food cake mix and 2 cans of lemon pie filling and I think it turned out much better and more like lemon bars.  The consistency was not as spongy and the flavor of lemon was more intense, but not over powering.  There is an added bonus to these, they are almost fat free.  For those watching your weight or cholesterol, they are a nice sweet treat.

This is all you need: 

1 (16 oz.) box angel food cake mix
2 (21 oz.) cans lemon pie filling  (some brands are 22 oz. and that is fine)
powdered sugar for garnishing (optional)

This is all you need!

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9"x13" baking pan with nonstick spray.  Mix the cake mix and the lemon pie filling by hand, just until the cake mix is all moistened.  DO NOT use an electric mixer on this.   If you use an electric mixer or over beat this, it will put too much air in it and it will rise up and out of your pan and you will have a mess.   It works perfect if you just stir it by hand until it's all moist.   You will notice that is gets sort of bubbly and that is normal.

 

 

Spread evenly in the baking dish and place on the center rack in your oven for approximately 25 minutes.   It will just be starting to brown on the edges.  Don't let it brown on the top.  The full 25 minutes are usually needed.  

 

 





Remove and allow to cool.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut in squares. That's all there is to it!

 



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Tropical Coleslaw!

 

 

 

 

Several of you have asked for a coleslaw that is just a little lighter and not as creamy or mayonnaise based.   Sometimes it's good to have something a little different with certain dishes.  This coleslaw is definitely light and refreshing.  It just tastes like summer and warmer weather to me.   For those interested in the traditional coleslaw, you might want to check out Mama's Coleslaw which is a really good creamy type of coleslaw.   

 

This dish can be modified somewhat to suit your tastes, but the dressing is what really sets it off for me.   Here is what you will need for this:

 

 

1 (12 oz.) pkg. broccoli slaw mix

1/2 cup sweet onion, diced

2 cups fresh pineapple, diced and reserve 2 Tbs. juice  (can use canned pineapple tidbits)

1 cup dried cranberries (can use raisins)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup honey mustard dressing (can use light or fat free)

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 Tbs. pineapple juice (used from the fresh or canned pineapple)

1 tsp. celery seed (optional)

1/2 cup real bacon bits or an equal amount of crisp cooked bacon, crumbled

                                                                                                    

                                                                                           

Place the first 6 ingredients in a salad bowl.  Whisk together the honey mustard dressing, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice and celery seed until the brown sugar has dissolved and blended.  If you do not care for honey mustard, you can also use 1/2 cup of Italian dressing as a substitute in this.   I prefer the honey mustard, but both are really good.

Pour over the slaw ingredients and toss lightly. 

 

You can sprinkle with bacon and serve immediately or refrigerate.  Toss the slaw well before serving, if you refrigerate this and sprinkle the bacon on just before serving.  This slaw gets better as it marinates, but is also fine to serve immediately!

 

Tropical Coleslaw!

 

 





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Easter Bunny Cake!

  

 

We took "Mama's Southern Coconut Cake"  and turned it into a cute bunny cake for the Easter holiday!  The actual pattern for the bunny cake was from an old Betty Crocker cake decorating book originally published in 1984.   Of course, you can make any type of cake you want and use butter cream frosting or any frosting you normally use for decorated cakes, but we thought this fluffy, marshmallow like frosting was more suitable for a bunny and Easter!

 

This was really easier to make than you would imagine and the results will wow your Easter guests, especially the children!  The cake is so pretty it can take center stage on your Easter buffet or table.   This only uses one layer of the actual cake, so you can freeze the other layer for a future use or you could make two bunny cakes and give one to a friend or make cupcakes with half of the batter and decorate them with some of the green coconut grass and jelly beans and place them on the platter or cake board around the bunny.  I thought of this after we finished this cake and wished I had thought of it earlier.   If you have children for Easter, the cupcakes will be so much easier for them to hold and eat or maybe not, but they are just more fun than a slice of cake...lol.    We also doubled the frosting recipe for this because it takes quite of bit to glue everything together and then plump Mr. Rabbit up so that he doesn't look  too skinny.  Nothing worse than a skinny bunny.   Here is what you need for this:

 

1   15.25 butter cake mix (Be sure to get the full size cake mix and not the reduced size some companies are now marketing)

3 large eggs

1 cup Sprite or 7 Up

1 stick of butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla 

Icing

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 cup white corn syrup

6 egg whites

2 tsps. baking powder

4 cups shredded coconut, divided (2 for the cake and 2 tinted green for the plate)

green food coloring

1 bag multi colored jelly beans

pink construction paper or card stock for bunny ears

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Mix all of the cake ingredients together with a wire whisk until well blended. Don't use an electric mixer for this.  Mama says it makes a cake dry when you beat the batter up too long. Butter and flour 2  9 inch round cake pans.   Divide cake batter between pans.  If you are making cupcakes, pour one layer and pour the rest in cupcake liners.

Place in oven and bake for 20- 25 minutes.

 

While the cakes cool, make the icing.

 

Place the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a sauce pan on medium heat.  Using a candy thermometer cook to the soft ball stage or 240 degrees, stirring constantly.  The mixture should become almost clear.   You can also do this in the microwave to make this step easier.  Cook on high for 4 minutes, remove and stir well and then cook for about 3 more minutes on high.  This could vary by a minute or two depending on the power of your microwave. It still needs to reach the soft ball stage.

 

 

  With an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the baking powder until it reaches the soft peak stage. 

 

 Slowly pour in the syrup and keep mixing until the icing stands in peaks.  This takes some time to accomplish so don't give up on it. Just keep beating it and eventually the peaks will form.  Now you are ready to assemble the bunny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take one of the cake layers and cut it in half right down the middle.  Put the two halves together with the round side up.  Cut a notch, about 1/3 of the way up from the front edge to form the head.  Don't make this notch too deep or big.

                                     Here is a different angle so you can see the cut.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                    

  This is how big one of the notches you cut out will be.  This will be used to make the tail.

 

Place the two cake halves on a pretty platter or a cake board.  It needs to be fairly large to hold the bunny and the surrounding grass.  Glue the cake halves together with a generous amount of the icing.

 

Take the cake notch and stick it on the end for your tail with frosting.  Then you just frost the entire bunny with a generous amount of frosting.  Really plump up the sides.  They look better fat than too skinny.  Sprinkle two cups of the white coconut over all of the rabbit.

 

Use 2 black jelly beans for the eyes and 1 pink one for the nose.  Place your ears by sticking them into the frosting on the top of head.  You can make the ears out of pink construction paper or stiff card stock.  We actually used some bunny ears we found in the Easter section at K Mart.

 Place the other 2 cups of coconut in a Ziploc bag with 3-4 drops of green food coloring and mix it up to dye the coconut.  Sprinkle the green coconut around the bunny and then use the rest of the jelly beans to garnish.  If you used the other half of the cake batter for cup cakes you will need more green coconut and jelly beans to decorate the tops of those.

 

 "Easter Bunny Cake"

 

 

 



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Buttons and Bows Cherry Pound Cake!

 

 

 

This cake is so cute and is just perfect for Easter with it's pretty pastel colors.  It would also be great for a shower or a girly girl birthday celebration.   Even though it looks time consuming, it's really very easy to decorate.  Anyone can do it.  

 

The cake itself is absolutely delicious.  It reminds me a lot of a cherry flavored Kentucky Butter Cake with cream cheese frosting. If you are a pound cake lover, this will be a cake you will love!  This recipe was adapted from a recipe that was printed way back in 1998 in a Southern Living 20th Anniversary edition cookbook.    Here is what you will need:

 

1 cup butter, softened

1/ 2 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

1 (10 oz.) jar of maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. vanilla

3  3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup milk

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

1  (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1  (16 oz.) box of powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Garnishes:  1 pkg. melt-away mints, bow, silk flower

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer until it's creamy.  Add in sugar and beat 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating.  Stir in the almond flavoring, vanilla flavoring, and the cherries.

 

Combine the flour and salt.  Add to the butter mixture alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.   Mix after each addition, just enough to blend the ingredients. 

 

Pour the mixture into a well greased and floured tube pan.  You can use the nonstick spray that has flour in it also. 

 

Bake in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours.   A pick inserted in the center should come out clean.  Ovens vary in temperature, but from my experience this cake usually takes the full 2 hours.  Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

 

To make the cream cheese frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until it's creamy.  Gradually add the sugar and vanilla beating until it's light and fluffy. 

 

 

 

After the cake is frosted, place the melt-away mints evenly dotting it all over top and sides.   We used the Smooth and Melty Petite Mints by the Guittard Chocolate Company.   Most candy sections in the stores carry them.   Add a pretty bow that coordinates with the colors of the mints and a silk flower to the center.  That's it!  Wasn't that easy?   

 

Buttons and Bows Cherry Pound Cake!

 

 





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Sunflower Peeps Cake...Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting!

 

 

 

This is a different little Peeps cake for Easter made to resemble a sunflower.  I love sunflowers.  I just think they look so cheerful.  The great thing about this cake, is not just that it is cute as a button for your Easter celebration, but the cake itself is one of the most moist and delicious chocolate cakes you will ever make.  It is made with mayonnaise in place of the eggs and oil.  Before you go all, 'ooooh that's gross' on me, think about it...mayonnaise is baically eggs and oil and a little vinegar which when combined with soda makes a chemical reaction that causes things to rise.  Are we starting to get the picture now as to why mayonnaise works and it works beautifully.

 

 If that is not enough to entice you to make this, it is frosted with a chocolate cream cheese frosting.  Yep, that's right, I said....chocolate cream cheese frosting!   It's every bit as good as you might imagine and it spreads like a dream!   It also doesn't taste as much like cream cheese as plain cream cheese frosting does.  Not that I ever thought that was a bad thing, but believe it or not, some of you don't care for it!   Here is what you will need for this cake.

 

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup carbonated beverage (Coke, Sprite, 7 UP)

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

 

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa

pinch of salt

4 cups powdered sugar

 

Garnish

Yellow Peeps Chicks (enough to go around the top edge of your cake

6 oz. chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together.  Cream sugar, mayonnaise, carbonated beverage,  and vanilla.   Add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Stir until well blended.   Prepare two round 8" or 9" pans by spraying them with nonstick baking spray with flour in it or greasing and flouring them.  You can also ensure the cake will turn out by cutting two rounds of parchment or wax paper and placing in the bottom of your pans.  Spray paper and all with nonstick spray.   I used 8" pans to make the cake a little higher and smaller for the sunflower.  If you don't have 8" pans, you can use the 9", you will just need more Peeps to go around the top.

 

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove and let cool for about 15 to 20 minutes before turning them out of the pan.  

 

Prepare the cream cheese frosting while the cakes cool completely.  Beat cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy.  Add the salt, cocoa, and vanilla and blend together.  Gradually add in the confectioner's sugar.  If it's too stiff add about a tablespoon of half and half.  I don't usually have to do this, but if you get too much sugar in it, you might.
                                    

When your cakes have cooled, place them on your cake plate and frost. 

 

Press the Peeps around the edge of the cake while the frosting is fresh and still soft.  Then sprinkle the chocolate chip in the middle for the sunflower seeds.   There you have it, the Peeps Sunflower Cake! 

 

 

 

 

 



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Baked Spaghetti!

 

We love pasta and casseroles made with pasta, especially anything Italian.  This casserole is a great diversion from the usual spaghetti and sauce we all rely on a few times each month when we are trying to feed a family.   The great thing about this is also that it can be made ahead and baked later or even frozen.   Sometimes when we are having a spaghetti dinner, I just cook about double the usual amount and make this baked spaghetti for another dinner later in the week or freeze it for a day when I don't have time to cook.   Here is what you will need for this: 

 

1  1/2 to 2 lbs. ground chuck

1 medium onion, diced

1 Tbs. garlic, minced

1 jar (24 oz.) marinara or pasta sauce of your choice

1(6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 1/2 cup water

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 Tbs. sugar

8 oz. spaghetti, cooked according to package direction less 1 minute (al dente)

2 Tbs. butter

16 oz. ricotta (can use cottage cheese)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided

2 cups cheddar cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese

 

Brown the ground beef, garlic and onion in a skillet.  Drain any excess grease.   Add in the pasta sauce, tomato paste and water and stir to mix well.   Add seasonings and sugar.  Cover and let simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 

 



Mix the ricotta or cottage cheese, sour cream and 1/2 cup of Parmesan.   Mix the warm spaghetti that has been well drained with the 2 Tbs. of butter. I like to break the spaghetti in half before boiling it for this, so that it cuts out easier after baking. The butter keeps the spaghetti from clumping and getting dry while baking.   Spread the spaghetti evenly in a 9"x13" baking pan that has been sprayed well with nonstick baking spray.   Spread the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the pasta.

 

Sprinkle with 1 cup cheddar and 1 cup Mozzarella.  Ladle the sauce evenly over all.

 

Sprinkle with the other 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 cup mozzarella and the other 1 cup cheddar.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.   Uncover and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is just starting to brown and bubble.

 

Baked Spaghetti!

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Blueberry Pie!

 

I get a lot of requests for a good recipe for blueberry pie.  Since blueberries are one of my favorites, this wasn't a much of a problem for me.  It's also a really easy pie to make.  I used fresh blueberries and actually I think they are best in this, but you could substitute frozen or canned berries that have been drained.   Here is what you will need:

pastry for a 9 inch two-crust pie
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 cups fresh blueberries (can use frozen or canned that have been drained)
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. vanilla
4 Tbs. butter, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie pastries.  Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.  Combine sugar mixture with the blueberries.  Pour into the pastry crust.  Sprinkle with the lemon juice and the vanilla.  Dot the top with pats of 2 Tbs. of  the butter, reserving 2 Tbs. to brush the top crust with.

 

Cover with the top crust, either whole with some slits cut in it all around for venting or in a lattice pattern.   The lattice pattern tends to not bubble over as much.  Brush the top crush with the other 2 Tbs. of butter melted and sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of sugar.  Place the pie on a cookie sheet and place in the oven.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.  The crust should be brown and the juices just starting to bubble. 

Blueberry Pie!

 

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Bacon Ranch Pull Apart Bread!

 

 

If you love bread and cheese like I do, this is going to be right up your alley.  This takes a simple loaf of French bread and some cheese and a few other things and makes a loaf of yummilicious goodness! This is so good with pasta dishes...spaghetti, lasagna or with soups.  It also makes a great casual party appetizer.  Here is all you need for this:

1 loaf French bread (can use sourdough or Italian)
1/ 2 cup butter, melted
1/2 packet of dry Ranch dressing mix
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup of real bacon bits or you can use bacon cooked crisp and crumbled

Place the bread on a sheet of foil and cut it in about 1 inch squares, but not all the way through.  Just cut down about 3/4 of an inch.   I just cut on the diagonal, because my bread already had the baker's cuts going one way like that.   If your bread is smooth, you can just cut straight across horizontally and vertically.



Mix the dry ranch dressing mix with the melted butter.  Pull the bread slightly apart and pour the butter mixture over and down into the cuts.

 

 

 

Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese and the mozzarella cheese and push some of it down into the cuts of the bread.   Finish by sprinkling bacon evenly over the top.   Cover loosely with foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Uncover and increase the oven temperature to 425 and allow to bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese just starts to brown. 

 

 

You can garnish with some sliced green onions or chives or serve just as it is, piping hot from the oven.  Just pull this off in big chunks.  I will warn that it is addictive!

 

 

 



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Creamy Tortilla Soup!

 

 

We really love soups and even though we eat them more in the cooler months, we actually have them year round.  Since the weather here has decided to turn cold and wet again, soup was on my mind.  I sort of wanted chili, but not really.  Then I thought about something with chicken, but spicy and I wanted creamy.  That was when I remembered this version of tortilla soup.   It's a little spicy, but not too spicy and it's a little more cheesy and creamy than other versions I have eaten.   It's also easy and quick to get on the table.  Here is all you need:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts, cut in bite size pieces
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbs. garlic minced
1/2 red or green bell pepper, diced
1 pkg. taco mix
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (if you don't like too much heat, omit this)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz.) can of tomato sauce
1 cup salsa
2 cups chicken broth
2 cans Mexican style corn
1 can black beans or ranch style beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup Velveeta cheese, cubed (can use cheddar cheese)
2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded (can use plain Monterrey Jack)

For garnishes:  tortilla chips, sour cream, more shredded cheese, sliced olives


In a soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté the chicken in the olive oil.  Cook until the chicken is done and slightly browning.  If there is too much liquid in your pot, drain some of that off as you sauté the chicken, because you will end up poaching it instead of browning it. 



 Just as the chicken is starting to brown, add the garlic, onions, and bell pepper and sauté them lightly.   Sprinkle with the taco seasoning.   Pour the cup of water in the hot pan and as you do this, deglaze the bottom of your pot by scraping up any bits that have stuck to the bottom.  Be sure to get it all off the bottom and stir the taco mix with the water until it is well mixed and dissolved.   This assures your soup won't stick as you add the other ingredients and cook it.

Add all of the other ingredients, except the cheeses.  Bring this up to a boil, stirring several times to be sure it doesn't stick.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.  Add the cheeses.  Do not allow the soup to boil after the cheese is added.  Stir often until the cheese has completely melted and incorporated with the broth of the soup.   If you do not want as much spice, you can use plain Monterrey Jack cheese instead of the pepper jack cheese.   Also, if you are one of those folks, and there are a few, that think Velveeta will cause you to fall over dead at the dinner table, you can use cheddar for the Velveeta.   I will caution that the cheddar does not melt as well and become as creamy as the Velveeta does.

When I serve this soup, I like to put some tortilla chips in each bowl and ladle the soup over them and then garnish with whatever you like....more shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa, green onion.   Just put the garnishes out in bowls and let everyone garnish to their tastes.



Creamy Tortilla Soup!



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Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage!

 

I get a surprising number of requests for "Corned Beef and Cabbage".  I am going to be honest with you though,  Corned Beef and Cabbage is not really a southern Kentucky kind of dish.  I was never really sure why this would be the case, because of the large percentage of those living here with Irish heritage.  However, when I researched the dish, I found out that it's actually an Irish American tradition and dish and not much of an actual Irish one at all.  From what I read, the Irish did produce beef and corned beef, but most of the working class folks did not eat a lot of beef, because it was very expensive and their cows were for milking, not eating.   What they did eat, was a lot of pork, which they cured and could keep easier and was more available and less expensive.  That is very much how my grandparents, who were farmers, lived right here in Kentucky.   They relied heavily on pork, much more than beef or even chicken.  Cows produced milk, butter and such and chickens laid eggs.  You didn't eat those because they produced things you could eat, sell or trade.

 

It seems the corned beef became an Irish American favorite from the unique blending of Jewish Americans and Irish Americans when they both began settling in New York City.  The Jewish delis in that area are known for their wonderful way with corned beef and pastrami.   I love good pastrami and you actually cannot hardly find it here in southern Kentucky, I guess because so few people eat it.

 

This is my version of "Corned Beef and Cabbage" and it's probably a little different than the traditional you might be served in the northeast or even in the mid west, but it does result in a very flavorful, delicious meal.  Here is what you will need:

 

4-5 pound corned beef brisket (the kind with the little seasoning packet)

3 medium size onions, quartered

2 cups water mixed with 2 Tbs. beef bullion granules or 1 can beef broth

2 Tbs. minced garlic

seasoned salt

black pepper (fresh ground is best)

5-6 carrots, peeled and cut in thirds

5-6 potatoes, peeled and cut in fourths

1 head green cabbage,  cored and cut in four wedges

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbs. spicy brown or Dijon mustard

1 Tbs. prepared horseradish

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

 

 

In a large, 5 to 6 quart, slow cooker place the quartered onions on the bottom.  Rinse the corned beef brisket off with cool water and pat dry.   Place it on top of the onions.  Sprinkle lightly with seasoned salt and grind fresh black pepper over it.  Sprinkle the contents of the seasoning packet over the brisket.  Sprinkle the minced garlic over all.  Mix the water with the bouillon powder and pour around the meat.  Don't pour it over the top, it will wash all of your seasoning off of it.  

 

Set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.   When it has cooked for 4 hours, add the potatoes, carrots and wedges of cabbage right on top to the pot. Sprinkle the vegetables with some salt and pepper.   Cover and cook for 4 more hours on low. 

 

With a large spatula, carefully remove the meat to a large baking dish.  Mix the brown sugar, mustard, prepared horseradish and Worcestershire sauce until smooth and pour it over the brisket.  Place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes uncovered.  You might need to add just a little water to the bottom of the pan, but don't add much.   If this seems like a lot of cooking time, it is.  Brisket is a very tough cut of meat.  It needs the long slow cooking and lots of it.

 

This just puts a nice brown glaze and finish on the meat.  It might just be the southerner in me, but this step just makes this thing called corned beef better.   Let the meat sit and rest once out of the oven for about 15 minutes.   Slice, across the grain, in nice even slices.   Be sure to slice across the grain or you will have corned beef strings.  If you cut the wrong way it shreds and this is not a cut of meat to shred.

 

I just placed the brisket in the serving pan that I would serve the entire dish in at the table, so that all I had to do was place the cabbage, carrots and potatoes around the slices of meat and ladle some of delicious juices over all.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





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Key Lime Fudge...Only Two Ingredients!

 

 

This key lime fudge is perfect for St. Patrick's Day or the Easter holiday and it only has two ingredients and takes just minutes to make! 

 

 

They have Key Lime frosting out for the spring season and you need white baking chips. You only need a 12 oz. bag of chips and not this big huge bag.  I buy in bulk!  You will also need some Spring sprinkles.

 

 

1  16 oz. can of Key Lime frosting
1  12 oz. bag of white chocolate chips
Spring, St. Patrick's Day or Easter Sprinkles

Place the chips in a glass bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds, stir.  Microwave for about 1 more minute and stir again.  Do this until the white chips are completely melted.  This depends on your microwave.  Mine took about 2 minutes.  

Remove the top and the aluminum from the top of the frosting.  Microwave it for about 20-30 seconds.  Be sure to remove all of that foil or you will have fireworks in the microwave.  There is a reason I know this!  Stir the frosting into the melted chips and blend really well. 

Pour this into a 8"x8" or a 9"x9" pan that you have lined with wax paper.  You can spray the dish with nonstick spray if you don't have wax paper, but I think the paper works better.

 

Sprinkle with whatever sprinkles you want to use as soon as you pour it in the pan and it has not set yet.  If you wait until it has set, they will not adhere and will all fall off.  

 

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, overnight is best.   Turn it out and peel the paper off.  Cut in 1 inch squares.

 

This Key Lime flavor will be great for St. Patrick's Day or Easter, but you can make virtually any combination with this you like, just by changing the frosting and the chips.   I think lemon would great for Easter also!  Do this with the kids, they will love experimenting with the flavors and putting the sprinkles on.

 

                                                                     Key Lime Fudge!

 





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Watergate Salad!

 

This is definitely one of those "oldie but goody" recipes.  Watergate Salad was all the rage back in the late 1970's and on into the eighties.    It seemed any church potluck, family reunion, or after funeral spread would always have a Watergate Salad.   I have researched and looked all over to find out where this salad got it's name.  One can surmise it had something to do with the political scandal, but there is actually no proof that it does.   From all accounts I have read, no one really knows where the salad, and  there was also a cake, got the name.   What is known is that the pistachio pudding was marketed by the Kraft company in 1975 and the Watergate Salad and the Watergate  Cake followed shortly thereafter.   

 

Wherever it evolved from, it is always a hit with those who enjoy these creamy, fruity concoctions.  My husband loves this salad, which is really a light dessert.  To be honest, I haven't made this in years, so he was happy to see it re-emerge.   It is just the perfect salad for Easter or in this case St. Patrick's Day with it's pretty pastel green color.  This is the original Watergate Salad recipe also.  I wasn't really sure, but Mama looked hers up in an old cookbook from the seventies time period.   Here is what you will need:

 

 

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, with the juice (don't drain)

1 (3.5 oz.) box instant pistachio pudding

8 oz. frozen whipped topping

1 cup nuts, chopped

1 cup miniature marshmallows

 

Mix the pineapple with it's juice with the dry pudding until well blended.  Mix in the whipped topping.  Fold in the nuts and marshmallows. 

 

 



                            Pour into a pretty glass bowl, cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

 

 

Watergate Salad!



 

 

 





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