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The other day I was in the mood to bake something light and lemony and these super easy cookies fit the bill. There are very few ingredients, take just minutes to bake and are finished beautifully with a dusting of powdered sugar. If you are looking for a simple cookie that just screams “springtime” give these a whirl. Your taste buds might do a little dance for joy!

Ingredients for super easy lemon cookies

Melt butter, then add eggs, cake mix and lemon juice.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet.

Ready for the oven.

Bake until cookies are just set - about 8 minutes.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar...

and Enjoy!

Lemon Cookies

1 box Betty Crocker Lemon Cake Mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter then combine with remaining ingredients. Drop by onto a baking sheet and bake about eight minutes or until cookies are just set. Do not let them get brown because they will get hard and goodness knows lemon cookies should be soft and luscious. It’s a law written somewhere, I’m sure!

Remove from the oven and while warm, dust with powdered sugar. Sit back and enjoy!

See, I told you they were easy!

Happy Lemon Cookie Baking!

She Who is Desperate for Spring

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Banana Pudding

Hubby likes bananas. As in if we don’t have any, he goes a little bananas. Other than meat, they are the one thing he thinks he must have on a daily basis.

The other day, I was feeling particulary generous and offered to make him banana pudding. After his comment that he didn’t think we had any instant in the pantry, I was less inclined, but forged ahead anyway. I’m glad I did because the pudding was really good – smooth and creamy with just the right amount of banana flavoring.

The recipe is easy, so make it and enjoy!

The ingredients - all simple and good.

Blend dry ingredients in a heavy-duty saucepan. If you don't have a heavy pan, cook this via the double boiler method. It will take longer, but you won't run the risk of scorching your pudding.

So, I forgot to take a photo of the milk being added to the dry ingredients and then cooking until it starts to thicken. Once that happens, add about 1 cup of the milk mixture, stirring in just a bit at a time, to your beaten eggs.

Pour egg mixture back into the pan and stir continuously.

When it has thickened, add in the banana flavoring and remove from heat.

Slice a banana and line dessert bowls with Nilla wafers and banana slices. Pour pudding on top.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap, pressing it down on top of the pudding to keep a film from forming. (say that fast three times in a row!) Refrigerate for at least an hour.

 

You can serve plain or...

add some whipped cream or...

dip bananas in chocolate and add to pudding with a few more Nilla wafers.

Banana Pudding

1/3  cup sugar
2     tablespoons cornstarch
1/8  teaspoon salt
2  cups milk
2  large eggs, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons banana flavoring

1 banana

Nilla wafers

Slice banana. Line dessert cups or bowls with Nilla wafers and banana slices, set aside. Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl. Set aside.

In 2-quart heavy saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Gradually stir about one cup of the hot mixture into eggs, a few spoonfuls at a time,  then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. (Note, if you mix the eggs and the milk mixture together all at once, you’ll end up with eggy lumps that will not be the most palatable thing you’ve ever tried to swallow.)

Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in flavoring.

Pour pudding into dessert dishes. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Store covered in refrigerator. When ready to serve, garnish with whipped cream, banana slices (dipped in chocolate if you want some added deliciousness) and a few Nilla wafers.

Enjoy!

She Who Doesn’t Always Have Instant Pudding

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Hubby and I are not huge turkey fans.

To be quite honest, we’d prefer just about any other meat to turkey.

But then…

We discovered these really tasty Turkey Breasts from Butterball.

They come precooked, smoked and flavored and are piping hot and ready to eat in just 30 minutes. The meat is moist and tender and wonderful. It is so fast and easy to make – just like the package says… everyday. As in you can make it for an everyday dinner not as in I’m eating this every day. Eww! I like it, but it isn’t chocolate, after all!

 

To prepare, I put the breast in a foil lined pan and bake according to package directions.

When it is piping hot, just slice and serve. How easy is that?

 

And delicious! Especially if you drain off the juice and make something wicked like potatoes and gravy to go along with the turkey!

Happy Entertaining!

She who now likes turkey

 

 

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If you’ve followed along with my blog this week, you have a fun appetizer with the fruit slush recipe from Tuesday, Cupid’s Bread from Wednesday and an easy recipe for Manicotti yesterday.

Today’s post is the final touch to your amazingly easy Valentine’s Dinner that is sure to knock the socks off your sweetie-pie.

Chocolate Mousse (from a mix, of course) fills these beautiful and simple meringue shells. Garnish with raspberries and chocolate hearts and you can’t go wrong!

Ingredients for Meringue Shells

Beat egg whites, add in vanilla and cream of tartar. Gradually beat in sugar and continue to beat until stiff and glossy.

Oh... shiny and so lovely!

You can drop dough by spoonfuls on baking sheet or pipe with pastry bag. I like the piped version better.

Piping a shell...

Make sure you make the sides higher than the middle. You are essentially creating a meringue nest.

Bake shells until lightly browned and set, then turn off oven and let them rest for one hour before removing to cool.

While shells are cooling, make chocolate hearts. Melt about two tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave (nuke in 10-15 second intervals so you don't overcook). Spoon melted chips into a Ziploc bag, cut a hold in one corner and pipe heart shapes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

 

Pop in the freezer until set and ready to use.

 

When you are ready to serve, fill shells with Chocolate Mousse.

Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a rapsberry.

Garnish with chocolate hearts (you can add a swirl of chocolate or raspberry syrup to the plate as well if you like.) Then watch your Valentine melt in a puddle at your feet!

 

Meringue Shells

3 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

Chocolate Mousse Mix

Raspberries

Whipping Cream

Chocolate Hearts (see directions above)

Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add vanilla and cream of tartar; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is glossy.

Drop eight mounds onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Shape into 3-in. cups with the back of a spoon. (Or pipe through a pastry bag.) Bake at 225° for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until set and dry. Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour.

Cool on wire racks.  Fill shells with chocolate mousse (follow directions on package), top with whipped cream and a raspberry and garnish with chocolate hearts.

Happy Valentine’s Entertaining!

From She Who Loves These Shells

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