Light and Luscious Lemon Pave

4 eggs, separated

3/4 c sugar

1/2 T oil

1 t vanilla

3/4 c cake flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

Lemon Filling:

5 egg yolks

1/3 c sugar

1/2 c lemon juice

4 T butter

1 t fresh grated lemon peel

1/2 c heavy cream

Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

1 1/4 c butter, softened

2 t grated lemon peel

3 T lemon juice

3 c powdered sugar

Place egg whites in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to speed 8 and whip until stiff but not dry. Remove from bowl and set aside.

Place egg yolks and sugar in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to speed 6 and whip until thick and lemon colored, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape the bowl. Add oil and vanilla. Turn to speed 4 and whip for 30 seconds. Gently fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Fold half of flour mixture into egg mixture. Repeat with remaining flour mixture.

Pour batter into a 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan which has been lined with wax paper, greased and floured. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Immediately loosen cake from pan and invert onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar; cool completely.

Cut cake crosswise to form 3 5x10x1-inch layers. Spread lemon filling between layers. Cover cake tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Frost and decorate with lemon buttercream frosting.

To make lemon filling:

combine egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in double boiler over boiling water. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is very thick, about 5 minutes; do not boil. Remove from heat. Add butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating thoroughly until incorporated. Stir in lemon peel. Cover mixture and refrigerate 1 hour.

Place cream in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to speed 10 and whip until stiff. Fold whipped cream into egg mixture. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make lemon buttercream frosting:

place butter, lemon peel, and lemon juice in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to speed 6 and beat 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl.

Sift powdered sugar into bowl. Turn to speed 2 and beat 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Sift powdered sugar into bowl. Turn to speed 6 and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Sweet and Saltines

40 saltine crackers
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1¹⁄3 cups)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large jellyroll pan with aluminum foil and the saltine crackers.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and bring to a boil. Boil for 5
minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly. Put the
jellyroll pan into the oven and watch closely. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes, or until just bubbly.
Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. When the chips melt a bit,
spread them over the crackers with a knife. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or
until completely cold. They will form one big sheet. Break up into pieces. Store in an airtight
container.
Substitute graham crackers for the saltines for a sweeter snack. Use 1 stick of butter instead of 2
for a crunchier, saltier cracker.

Monkey Bread Muffin Cups

2 tubes of biscuit dough (I like pillsbury) (20 biscuits in total)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar

Spray your muffin tin with non-stick spray. Cut each biscuit into 4ths. So in total you should have 80 little pieces of dough. In a bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Dip each piece of dough into the cinnamon-sugar mixture until totally covered. Divide evenly between the 6 cups. (about 13-14 in each cup) In a saucepan boil the butter and brown sugar. Spoon about a tablespoon of the brown sugar/butter mixture over each muffin cup. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until baked through. Best when hot and fresh out of the oven!

Vadalia Onion Salad

2 Chicken breast cooked (cubed or shredded)
Lettuce
2 cups cooked rice
Pineapple or Mandrin Oranges
Vadalia Onion Dressing (you can find this at Costco, obviously you will have a lot of it, but it last a long time and you can use it for other recipes).
Crispy lo mien noodles (these are in the Asia section of the grocery store)
Cheese

Just start layering everything. Rice, Salad, chicken, pineapple, cheese, dressing, crispy noodles.

Coconut Chicken w/Pina Colada Dipping Sauce

Coconut Chicken
12 chicken tenders (ya know, more or less...)
1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)
1/2 C flour
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you want to skip the spice for the kiddos)

preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Chop the coconut into smaller pieces. Mix with Panko Bread crumbs and also add the garlic powder, salt, curry powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. (I used chiplote chile pepper instead).

Put everything into there dishes, Bread crumb mixture, egg (beated a little), and flour. Dip the chicken first in the flour, egg, then bread crumb mixture. Repeat this with all your pieces of chicken. I would do atleast 3 pieces at a time, just so you don't have to keep washing your hands, or use one hand for flour and egg and the other for the bread crumbs. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 20 min. You could dip them in Ranch, Sweet and Sour sauce, or in the Pina Colada Sauce. Enjoy!

Red Lobster Pina Colada Dipping Sauce
1 cup Pina Colada Mix or Coconut Milk
1/4 cup Water
2 tablespoons Crushed Pineapple (drained)
1 tablespoon Sweetened Coconut Flakes plus
1 teaspoon Sweetened Coconut Flakes
3 tablespoons Powdered Sugar plus
1 teaspoon Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Corn Starch
3 teaspoons Cold Water

Mix Pina Colada Mix, water,crushed pineapple, coconut, and powdered sugar in a sauce pan. Heat on medium low temperature until sauce begins to simmer, stirring frequently. Let mixture simmer slowly 10 - 12 minutes. Mix corn starch and water together, add to sauce and blend well. Let mixture simmer for 3 - 5 minutes longer while stirring during and after adding cornstarch. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature. Sauce is served at room temperature. Enjoy!

Soft Olive Oil Lemon Sugar Cookies with Low-Fat Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep time: 10 minutes

• Cook time: 10 minutes
• Total time: 20 minutes
• Servings: 18

• 1/2 cup(s) of pure olive oil
• 1 cup(s) of low-fat vanilla yogurt
• the juice of one lemon
• the zest of 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup(s) of granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cup(s) of all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• decorative sprinkles
• Low-Fat Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
• 4 ounce(s) of 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 2 tbsp. of strawberry jam (the redder,the better)
• 1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
• 4 cup(s) of powdered sugar
• 1 pinch of salt

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat cookie sheets with olive oil cooking spray.
2. In large mixer bowl add olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed until completely combined (dough should be a bit sticky).
4. Roll out onto a floured surface until dough is about 1/8 inch thick.Cut into desired shapes and place 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 10~12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Frost with Low Fat Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting, and top with decorative sprinkles and enjoy!!!
6. Low-fat Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting: In mixer bowl add cream cheese, jam, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low/medium speed until smooth.

Chicken Paninis

8 slices of Italian bread, buttered on one side
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 squares of aluminum foil (approx 12x18 inches each)
1/2 cup Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette salad dressing (or other Italian dressing)
1 tomato, sliced
8 slices of bacon, cooked (I bake my bacon on a baking sheet at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes)
4 slices of pepper-jack cheese

For the chicken

1. Marinate chicken in the dressing for at least 1 hour or overnight
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Center one chicken breast on each of the squares of foil
4. Fold up foil sides and double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Repeat to make two packets
5. Place packets on cookie/baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes
6. Remove from oven and set aside to cool
7. Once cooled, remove chicken and slice into 1/4 in slices on a slight diagonal

Assemble Sandwiches

1. Preheat griddle pan on medium-high heat
2. Place one slice of bread, butter side down
3. Stack 1/4 chicken, 2 slices of bacon and 1 slice of pepper-jack cheese
4. Top with one slice of bread, butter side up
5. Gently place sandwich onto griddle pan and immediately top with panini press, large skillet or foil wrapped brick
6. Let sandwich cook for 2-3 minutes until bread is golden brown and toasty
7. Remove the press/skillet/brick and gingerly flip sandwich; Replace press/skillet/brick on this side
8. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown
9. Remove sandwich and gently peel apart to add tomato to sandwich
10. Repeat steps 1-9 for all four sandwiches

Frosty Orange Creme Layered Dessert

2 cups orange sherbet
1 package cream cheese
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tub (8 oz) cool whip

First, line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with foil. Spread the sherbet onto bottom of prepared pan to form even layer.Freeze 10 min.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually add condensed milk and juice, beating until blended. Gently stir in cool whip. Pour over sherbet in pan.

Freeze 3 hours. To unmold, invert pan onto plate; remove foil.


**I increased the sherbet to about 3 cups and would next time only use half of the creamy topping. While it is incredibly good, the topping is pretty rich. It turns out to be twice as much as the sherbet and I think it would taste much better and more balanced, if the two flavors were equal in quantity to each other.
But don't let this fool you. It is the perfect cool, sweet treat.

Avacado Salsa

• 2 large ripe tomatoes
  
• 1/2 cucumber (Is this throwing you off? It threw me off too but actually REALLY makes the dish.)
  
• 1 green onion
  
• 1 avocado
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups of cottage cheese
  

Chop up all of the veggies, slice the onion, and mix together with the salt and pepper. Serve over cottage cheese and eat with tortilla chips. Oh yum! I'm hungry all over again.

Grilled Peach Salad

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Salad:

• 3 peaches, pits removed and cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups mesclun greens mix
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Preheat a grill pan to medium-high heat.

Dressing:

Combine the rice wine vinegar and Dijon in a small bowl. Slowly pour the olive into the bowl, whisking constantly to emulsify. Season with salt.

Salad:

Place the peaches in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and toss well. Place on the grill and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

Place the mesclun mix in a large bowl. Add chopped pecans, feta, and cooked peaches. Drizzle salad with dressing and toss to coat.

Orange Coffee Cake

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 1 (16.3-ounce) can refrigerated biscuits (recommended: Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers)
• 1/4 cup minced walnuts
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange zest

Glaze:

nocoupons

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons orange juice, or more as necessary

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

Separate the biscuit dough into 8 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in the center of the pan. Cut the remaining biscuits in half, forming 14 half-circles. Arrange the pieces around the center biscuit with cut sides facing in the same direction. Brush melted butter over the tops of the biscuits.

In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, granulated sugar, and orange zest. Mix well and sprinkle over biscuits. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, and orange juice. Blend until smooth adding more orange juice, if needed, to thin. Drizzle glaze over the warm coffee cake and serve.

Guacamole

Ingredients

• 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Fiesta Fondue

Ingredients

• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can Cheddar cheese soup
• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar
• 1 cup chunky chipotle salsa
• 1 cup whole milk
• Dippers: cubed French bread, jicama sticks, corn tortilla chips, warm flour tortillas

Directions

Stir all ingredients except dippers in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until cheese melts and mixture is smooth. Transfer mixture to a fondue pot, chafing dish, or ceramic bowl. Serve with bread, jicama, tortilla chips, and tortillas.

Strawberry Sauce

• 1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Egg, Sausage, Grits Trifel

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup quick cooking grits
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoon butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 eggs
• 2 breakfast sausage patties
• Cheddar, shredded for topping
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• Sour cream, if desired
• Chopped chives, optional for garnish

Directions

Grits:

Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup quick grits, reduce heat and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and butter and salt and pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat and simmer until cooked.

Hard Boiled Eggs:

Add 4 eggs to a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring up to a rapid boil then turn off heat and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes. Let cool then peel and chop.

Sausage Patty:

Place sausage patties on a preheated greased skillet over medium heat. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until done. Chop coarsely.

Assemble Mini Breakfast Trifles:

Spoon grits into trifle bowls. Sprinkle in cheese. Add chopped hard boiled eggs. Spoon chopped sausage on top and add the tomatoes on top of the sausage. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups softened butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups of white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp of vanilla
6 cups flour
2-3 cups of chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate!)
*Nuts can be added if you are crazy like that

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar JUST until blended and not a second more!

2. Add the eggs and mix EVER so LIGHTLY (this is the key!).

3. Add the rest of the ingredients except the chips. Mix until JUST blended, never over-mix!

4. Stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Cool in fridge for 30 minutes, you want the butter to start to solidify.

6. Drop about the size of a tablespoon of dough onto cookie sheets and bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes.

7. Take out of oven and let sit for another minute on cookie sheet before transferring to another surface (do not transfer to cooling rack, it can dry out the cookies).

8. ENJOY!


*I half the recipe, the yield is huge if you make the full one!