Holidays
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!
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!
Happy New Year! My holiday decorations are put away and I am ready to start the new year! One of the things I did after cooking my turkey this year was to make turkey broth in the crockpot! You can use chicken, beef and even fish to make broth. We have all heard about the benefits of broth and how it helps in digestion and gives our immune system a boost, but it has become so popular there is even a take out window in NYC that serves just broth. It is also a main staple in the LA Lakers diet!
I have never made broth in a crockpot and could not wait to give this a try. Let’s face it throwing everything in the crockpot and letting it go for 18-24 hours does not get much easier. I started this in the evening and by morning my house smelled fabulous. Anyone walking by the crockpot that day was drawn to the slow cooker…it smelled just so good! I did add some chicken base to my broth to boost the flavor a little more. Adding this is certainly up to you and the amount you add is totally up to you as the flavor of the broth will not always be the samel I add this by taste at the end of my cooking time. I also added roasted garlic paste to my broth at the end of the cooking time. If you use the chicken base be careful adding salt as the base has salt in it already.
I also added 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, why you ask? Well the vinegar allows the minerals to be extracted from the bones and using apple cider vinegar has many of its own health benefits. You could also use freshly squeezed lemon juice. The recipe below is what I used, but you can add any root vegetables and seasoning you like.
NOTE
When the broth has been stored in the refrigerator it will be almost jello like, that is what you want this means that you have gotten a significant amount of nutrients in your broth. This is a great base for any soup or stew you might be making!
INGREDIENTS
1 turkey carcass, most of the meat cleaned off
1 onion, quartered
3 carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery, roughly chopped
3-4 garlic (or garlic paste added at the end of cooking time)
2 bay leaves
1-2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Cold water
Chicken or turkey base to taste, added at the end of cooking time
DIRECTIONS
Using a large slow cooker turned on low, add all ingredients except the chicken base. Fill the crockpot to the top with the cold water to the top. Cover and let cook on low for 18 to 24 hours. In the last hour of cooking add the chicken base and roasted garlic if you are using that and/or any other herbs or seasoning you would like. Cover, let cook another hour and check for seasoning, adjust if needed. Shut slow cooker off, remove top and let cool. When it is cool enough to handle strain the broth. I used a colander that I lined with cheesecloth and store in mason jars in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
My entire family loves pierogies! I usually make them using left over mashed potatoes after the holidays but this year I saw a recipe from Chef Michael Symon using a sausage/apple stuffing that was stuffed into the pierogies! Well since I make my Thanksgiving and Christmas stuffing with all of the same ingredients this was the perfect way to use up leftover stuffing.
You can certainly use almost any stuffing you like but the addition of maple sausage, apples, bread crumbs works really well with this recipe. Feel free to check out my stuffing recipe on website.
NOTE – Chef Symon suggested serving with some pan fried kielbasa, who am I to argue with Chef Symon.
INGREDIENTS
PIEROGI DOUGH
3 large eggs, divided
3/4 cup sour cream
8 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons water
Salt and pepper to taste
FOR SERVING WITH
4 Tablespoons butter
1 medium onion peeled and sliced
1 pound kielbasa, cut lengthwise
Sour cream
DIRECTIONS
For the pierogi dough- In a large bowl add one egg, sour cream, butter, chives and salt. Mix by hand to form a batter. Place flour on a work surface and form a well in the center. Add the sour cream batter to the center of the well and mix by hand until a light dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest for at least two hours. To assemble, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a small bowl add the remaining two eggs and two tablespoons of water and whisk to combine and set aside.
Remove the dough from the fridge along with your leftover stuffing and place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough to about 1/8 inch thickness and cut into 3 inch rounds. Brush each round with egg wash. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the stuffing into each round. Fold the dough over into a half moon shape, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. At this point you can refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
Add the pierogi to the boiling water in batches, cooking for 3-4 minutes after they float.
Meanwhile preheat a griddle to medium heat. Place the kielbasa on the griddle cooking until browned. 8-10 minutes. Remove to a platter.
In another sauté pan over medium high heat, add butter and onions, cook onions until they are soft. Add the pierogi in batches and cook until golden brown. Transfer to a platter with kielbasa. Serve with sour cream.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!
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