Memories and healthy recipes for your dinner table.
Italian spiced pork chops, sounded delicious and was; that is if you do not over cook the meat. I am not a big fan of the modern kitchen that is fitted with every kitchen tool imaginable. While they may be convenient they are expensive and …
Talk about blast from the past. I have not eaten a “pig in the blanket” since I was a little girl. The kids were a little skeptical at first, you know the whole something new hurdle. My sister-n-law Roxanne showed us how to make these …
Think celestial rays of sunshine coursing through the vibrant cover of blue sky. The pure taste of summer. The stringent scent of lemon pops with tart clean refreshment. But, in cake form. I had a blast making this cake. I loved the velvety smooth texture of the batter. The fragrant aroma of the lemons reminiscent of lemon ice. And the silky buttery lemon flavor that makes it irresistible not to cut another sliver.
Source: Cook’s Country August/September 2008
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
3 tbsp grated lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp buttermilk
Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a glass 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
Combine flour, powder, soda and salt in a medium bowl. Combine buttermilk, lemon juice and vanilla.
Beat granulated sugar and lemon zest until moist and fragrant, about 1 minute. Reserve 1/4 cup of sugar mixture; cover and set aside. Add butter to remaining sugar mixture and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time, until incorporated. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions. Mix until smooth about 30 seconds.
Scrape batter into prepared pan an smooth top. Bake until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.
For the glaze:
While cake cools, whisk confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk until smooth. Gently spread over warm cake. Sprinkle evenly with reserved sugar. Cool completely, at least 2 hours.
Variations:
Substitute for cake flour- 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 5 tablespoons corn starch.
A friend of mine from Houston Texas introduced me to the pleasures of cucumber salad. She was obsessed with cucumbers and red onions in vinegar. We ate bowl fulls to curb our hunger. I am the only one in the house who will eat this …
Growing up, we always had turkey on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Stephen is not a fan of turkey, so we only have it on Thanksgiving, because it just seems right to have turkey on Thanksgiving. For our Easter feasts so far, I have tried lamb and ham. With Spring comes all the beautiful and lush scenery. A pallet of pastels and fragrant flowers. For Easter, I felt we needed something light. This year, I was anxious to try this recipe for apricot and mustard glazed pork roast. The vibrant image of the apricot’s orange flesh felt like spring to me.
Source: Family Circle
2/3 cup apricot preserves
2 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 pound lean boneless pork roast
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix preserves, mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Place roast, fat side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Spread about 2/3 of the glaze all over roast.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Brush on remaining glaze and roast another 35-40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
Cover meat loosely with foil and let rest for at least 15 minutes. Temperature will raise to 160 degrees. Cut into very thin slices and serve.
Note: can be made up to one day ahead; do not slice. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This recipe calls to bake the ham in a baking bag. I cooked the ham covered in my roasting pan until the last 20 minutes and it was still tasty. Source: Cook’s Country January 2008 1 Cinnamon stick, broken into rough pieces 1/4 tsp whole …
While we teach the kids the importance of sharing, sometimes it is better to choose your battles. So it is with the case of the one-eyed woolly monster. My friend relayed a story once about her husband and cereal. Growing up, it was first come, …
The weather was absolutely gorgeous today, a perfect day for a picnic. We ran around the backyard with Police Officer Mason in hot pursuit. Mason is a no-nonsense cop. Forget the ticket for speeding, we had to go straight to jail on the trampoline, where I jumped until I had to leave to start dinner. As I cooked, the kids took advantage of the warm weather spraying themselves with the water hose. I did not have the heart to make them come inside and so decided we would have a picnic. A perfect meal for a perfect day.
I know this salad may seem a little weird, but it tastes phenomenal. It is super quick, healthy and goes well with seasoned pork chops and roasted potatoes.
Source: Rachael Ray
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
4 oz baby spinach
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Heat oil in a skillet, cook red onion over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Stir in the grapes and 1/4 cup water and remove from heat. Stir the spinach, almonds and balsamic vinegar into the onion mixture, season with salt and pepper. Serves 4
You can have a picnic anywhere: in the backyard, on the floor under the dining table, in a tent made of blankets, or an actual tent inside or outside the house. Give everyone invited an assignment to bring something. It could be food, a song …