Dessert
If you are like our son Robby, you can’t wait for March to roll around for those Shamrock Shakes from McDonalds! Robby absolutely loves them and will make a special trip across town for them. So for him to have them all the time and to save a little bit of money, here is the copy cat version! I might also mention Robby found this recipe and sent it to me to be sure he could get them ASAP! This recipe makes enough for two shakes!
INGREDIENTS
1 pint of vanilla ice cream (2 cups, I used Ben & Jerry’s)
1 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon green food coloring
Whipped cream, optional
Green sprinkles, optional
Maraschino cherries, optional
DIRECTIONS
Place the ice cream, milk, peppermint extract and food coloring in a blender. Blend until mixed through. If you want a thinner consistency add just a little more milk until desired consistency. Pour into two tall glasses and top with whipped topping, cherry and sprinkles if desired. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
I made this cake for my husband Jim’s birthday and we absolutely loved it! This cake was moist and full of flavor! We really loved the fresh taste of the strawberries! I will be making this again and again! I found two recipes on Pinterest, one for the cake and one for the frosting and combined them! I can get lost in Pinterest some days!!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup of margarine (2 sticks)
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons lemon zest
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream
12 ounces fresh strawberries, diced
1 container of white frosting (I used a buttercream frosting)
1 box strawberry Jello mix (3 ounce box)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a bundt pan with non-stick spray and set aside. In a large bowl mix ( I used my stand mixer) butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and lemon juice, mixing well. Add baking soda and sour cream mixing well. Stirring by hand add the flour until well incorporated. Fold in the strawberries. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes in pan. Invert onto serving platter and let cool completely.
When the cake is completely cooled you can make you frosting. Put your frosting in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until frosting starts to melt. You want it to be smooth. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Once smooth take half of the frosting and place into a Ziploc bag. In the other half, still in the saucepan, add 1-2 tablespoons of the dry jello mix and stir getting the desired color of red/pink. Mix well and add this half of the frosting to another Ziploc bag. Snip a small hole in the bottom corner of the bag making a pastry like bag.
Starting with the white frosting drizzle the frosting back and forth over the cake, do the same with the red/pink frosting until you have the desired amount of frosting and color on the cake. I did not use all of the frosting on my cake.
Enjoy!
Lemon rice krispie bars? Need I say more? Are you ready for the flavor of spring and summer, but stuck in cold snowy weather? Here is your answer, bring those flavors into your kitchen! These rice krispie bars came with mixed reviews. I think mostly due to the fact we are so used to the regular flavor of Rice Krispies and this is so different! If you like lemon you will enjoy these!
INGREDIENTS
4 1/2 Tablespoons of butter
The zest of one lemon
The juice of one lemon
1 1/2 bags (10 oz. bags) of marshmallows
2/3 cup Duncan Hines lemon supreme cake
6 cups Rice Krispie Cereal
DIRECTIONS
Prepare an 8 x 8 or a 13 x 9 pan with non-stick spray and set aside. In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat with lemon juice and lemon zest. Add in marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Slowly stir in the dry cake mix. Once combined, remove from heat and stir in cereal. Use a greased spatula and press mixture into prepared pan. Cool on the countertop for about 30 minutes, slice and serve!
Enjoy!
This recipe can be found at www.sweetasacookie.com
This recipe comes from Taste of Home and is absolutely terrific. For those of you that have not had a zucchini cake it is almost impossible to tell the zucchini is in there, so not only is this a much healthier cake, but the zucchini keeps the cake super moist! Moist, chocolately, healthy and delicious! Yup, this is a keeper for sure!!
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil on medium speed for one minute. Add eggs, applesauce and vanilla, beat one minute longer. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt, add to the sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating until just blended. Stir in zucchini and mix through. Transfer mixture to a 13 x 9 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Place in heated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and pecans and bake an additional 10-15 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy!
This apple cake was so easy and absolutely delicious! I had to beat the boys away from this more than once! This lasted less than 24 hours before the boys were scraping the dish for crumbs! Needless to say this hit the family favorite file quick! I also liked this, but I think I would like the addition of chopped pecans. I guess I’ll just have to make it again. I am sure the boys wouldn’t mind it one bit!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups peeled, diced apples (I used Granny Smith)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
NOTE- Because this cake was such a huge hit I made it again this time with chopped pecans and it was absolutely delicious!
Either way you make it I have no doubt it will be loved!
TOPPING INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
NOTE: if you don’t want to make the caramel, simply buy good quality caramel and drizzle over the cake when cool!
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a large mixing bowl beat together oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon and beat together until well combined. Stir in your chopped apples. Pour the cake batter into your prepared dish and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the center is cooked through. Cool completely before adding the caramel.
To make the caramel combine the brown sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan over medium high heat stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Once at a boil let cook WITHOUT stirring for three minutes and remove from heat. Immediately pour the glaze over the cake and let cool for one hour prior to cutting and serving.
Enjoy!
