Lemon Layer Cake

 

This has become my favorite cake. It began as a quest to find a wonderful Lemon Layer Cake recipe. I never found one. But I did find many recipes and out of that muddle I ended up with this. I love it.

 

Please be sure use real ingredients. Real butter. Crisco shortening. Cake flour. And freshly squeezed lemon juice. All those things do make a difference in how the final product tastes.

 

  Lemon Layer Cake

 

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup solid shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs, room temperature

2 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon cake flour

¾ cup milk

¼ cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

¾ teaspoon baking powder

 

Cream together butter and shortening. Add sugar and continue to beat until completely smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one until well blended. Slowly add flour and milk, alternating between the two. the lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon extract. Add baking powder last.

 

Line four cake pans with wax paper, using butter generously to coat the bottoms and sides. Divide batter evenly between the four pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a wood toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pans and let the layers cool.

 

Frosting

 

Two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

1 cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

Yellow food coloring

 

Beat cream cheese and butter until well blended. Slowly add powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add yellow food coloring to the shade of yellow you prefer. It doesn’t take much.

 

Spread frosting between cake layers and on the top and sides of the cake. Serve immediately or refrigerate. This cake also freezes well.

Peanut Butter Cake

Some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever known have shared some of the most amazing recipes. This recipe came from a sweet lady who left us many years ago. I loved her smile and her kindness. This recipe is a sweet memory she left behind.

Naturally, I changed the recipe up just a bit. The crunchy peanut butter gives it a texture you might expect in a cake from your grandmother. If that’s not your thing, it’s certainly okay to use smooth peanut butter.

The filling really needs time to thicken. I recommend cooking that first. If you have any left or just need a special snack, the filling is absolutely wonderful on graham crackers.

Peanut Butter Cake

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Mix well. Pour the batter into four well-greased baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes or until the center tests done.

Filling

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup milk

1 ½ cups crunchy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Cook on medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat when mixture begins to boil. Let mixture cool, then refrigerate until it begins to thicken.

Spread mixture between cake layers.

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup butter

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

3 tablespoons milk

Mix all ingredients together. Add extra milk, if necessary, to create a smooth consistency. Spread on the top and sides of the cake.

Bacon Cheeseburger Crescent Ring

A co-worker recently raved about a Pillsbury Crescent Roll Ring he and his wife cooked. It sounded delicious so I had to check it out. When I googled it, I found numerous recipes for crescent roll rings. They all looked easy but, well, we know how that sometimes can be.

I chose this recipe and, with slight modifications from the original, I gave it a try. Oh, my! It was easy and it is absolutely delicious!!!

Bacon Cheeseburger Ring

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

1/3 cup ranch dressing

4 slices cooked bacon, torn into small pieces

2 cans (8 oz. each) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls

16 hamburger dill pickle slices

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Open the crescent rolls and cut the dough so that two rolls are together. On a large nonstick baking sheet, arrange crescent rolls in a circle. These slices will overlap. Make sure to leave an opening about 5-7 inches in the center.

Mix the cooked ground beef, ranch dressing and bacon together in a bowl. Coat the beef thoroughly with the dressing and bacon. Spoon this mixture on to the inner edges of the ring.

Place two pickle slices on each section of the ring. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Gently roll the dough over from the outside and attach it to the inside dough.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crescent roll crust is lightly brown. Let it sit 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Black Bean Soup

We here in the Deep South have experienced the summer that won’t seem to end. Who knew we’d have 101-degree temperatures in late October? We have set temperature record after temperature record.

The end is coming. We have flirted with the 40s at night. There was no better reason to finally try a new soup recipe.

This soup was easy to make and is simply delicious. BUT please make sure to plan ahead. The beans need to be soaked overnight. It made more than enough for us to eat and then freeze a portion for a cold winter night that is coming again. I just know it.

The recipe comes from Shirley Edberg. I found it in a recipe book compiled by The Citizens Bank many years ago. I changed it up a bit to suit our tastes. Serve it over white rice and it makes a complete meal. I hope you enjoy it.

Black Bean Soup

1 lb. black beans

1 ½ lb. smoked sausage, cut into ¼-inch slices

3 medium onions, chopped

3 (green) bell peppers, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used ¼ tsp garlic powder)

Salt and pepper to taste (This wasn’t needed)

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse.

Slowly brown sausage. Place in a large soup pot.

Sauté onions and bell peppers until onions are clear. Pour into soup pot.

Add remaining ingredients, including drained and rinsed beans, to the pot. Cover with fresh water and slowly bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until beans are done but not mushy. This takes about 2 hours.

Serve over rice, cooked in a separate pot.

P.S. This soup freezes really well.

Chicken Casserole

Some days you've just got to go with what you have. It was one of those days. I needed lunch and I needed it quickly. I found a few recipes -- google is a wonderful thing -- but I didn't have time to cook chicken down and I didn't have all the ingredients for any one recipe. So I adapted and this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Chicken Casserole

2 cans (12.5 oz. each) chunk chicken breast, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup*
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped onion
32 Ritz crackers

* you can substitute cream of mushroom soup

Place the chicken in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Combine the soup, sour cream and onion. Spread it on top of the chicken. Crumble the Ritz crackers over that.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin-Ginger Cupcakes

This recipe comes from the December/January issue of allrecipes magazine. I was draw to it because of the pumpkin. There's just something about the holidays that makes me gravitate toward pumpkin. How about you?

Maybe it's just part of the holiday season. Maybe it's all about cool temperatures and a roaring fire. Pumpkin speaks to coziness and contentment. Add a few more spices and everything smells wonderful and tastes divine.

This is an easy recipe. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes.

Pumpkin-Ginger Cupcakes

2 cups flour
1 (3.4-oz.) package instant butterscotch pudding mix
1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 24 muffin cups or line with paper liners.

Mix together flour, pudding mix, crystallized ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, ground ginger, salt and cloves in a bowl.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer at medium speed until lite and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture, pumpkin, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until just incorporated. (Batter may appear curdled or separated.) Pour into prepared muffin cups.

Bake until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer muffins to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting

8 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
crystallized ginger for garnish

Beat together 2 cups of powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla in a very large bowl until smooth. Beat in remaining powdered sugar until smooth, adding more milk if necessary to make frosting spreadable.

Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish with crystallized ginger.

Cheese Pennies

I found this recipe in the December issue of Alabama Living magazine. It reminds me of cheese straws, which is something I totally love. Okay. Maybe not exactly, but close enough.

Cheese Pennies

1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine, softened
1/2 pound grated cheddar cheese
1/2 package dry onion soup mix, shaken well before opening
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Cream margarine and cheese together. Add soup mix, salt and flour. Blend well.

Divide into fifths. Shape each section into a long "snake" one inch in diameter. Chill.

Cut into 1/4-inch slices. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Bake slices at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until well browned. Remove immediately and cool completely.

Makes 3 1/2 to 4 dozen. Store in airtight container.