Prepping for St. Patrick

If you enjoy key lime pie, then you'll love this cake. And what better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and to encourage spring to arrive than to bake this cake - Key Lime Cake. The pretty pastel green color, the glaze, the cream cheese icing and the combination of lemon, lime and orange flavors really make this an easy and delicious cake.

Key Lime Cake (adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood)

1 (3 oz) package lime Jello
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs

Glaze:
3/4 cup key lime juice

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Icing:
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla
 4 cups confectioners' sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix Jello, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir to mix well.

2. Add the oil, orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until well combined.

3. Pour the batter evenly in greased and floured 9X13 pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

4. Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes.

For the glaze: While the cake is still hot, mix the lime juice and confectioners' sugar together well. Pierce the cake with a fork to allow the glaze to soak in better and pour it over the cake on the cooling rack. Allow cake to cool completely as you prepare the icing.

For the icing: Cream the butter and cream cheese. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until mixture is smooth and easy to spread. Spread the icing on the top and sides of the cake.

You can also use three 9-inch round cake pans and make this into a layer cake.
Enjoy...

Crazy Winter

The weather this winter has been strange. Rain one day, sunshine the next day. Freezing temperatures one day, 60s the next day. Blue skies one day, overcast the next day. Even this weekend we had rain, snow flurries, sunny skies, overcast skies, more flurries, even some thunder and hail - all in one day. Whew! I'm ready for spring.

While avoiding the crazy weather this weekend, I did some baking...

White Chocolate Lemon Shortbread(adapted from Miss in The Kitchen)

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 ¼ cups flour

1 (3.5oz bar) white chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup butter, softened

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Add sugar to mixing bowl along with lemon zest. Using your fingers rub the zest into the sugar.

2. Add flour, chocolate and butter. Combine until the dough begins to stick together.

3. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about ½ inch thickness. Cut out into desired shape.

4. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 300° for about 20 minutes or until light browned around the edges. Cool cookies and spread with the glaze

Creamed Corn Muffins

1 cup self rising cornmeal mix

¾ cup self rising flour

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup frozen creamed corn

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1. Combine all ingredients and stir until moist.

2. Fill greased muffin tins and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown at 375°

Sourdough Coffee Cake

1 cup sourdough starter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour

1. Combine sourdough starter, oil and egg.
2. Stir together dry ingredients and add to sourdough mixture.
3. Put dough into greased 9 inch square pan.
4. Crumble topping ingredients together and sprinkle topping on top of batter.
5. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
Enjoy...

Most Wonderful Time of The Year

This has been a wonderful Christmas for me and my family. 

Nothing says Christmas more than spending time with family and friends,

and traveling to Philadelphia to spend Christmas with our favorite doctors. 

Unlike last year, there wasn't twelve inches of snow. No snow at all. In fact the weather was wonderful.

We attended the performance of Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, visited the Longwood Gardens to see the Christmas lights, prepared and consumed some wonderful and amazing meals,

and ate way too much of the Christmas goodies like these babies....

Lemon Truffles
2 cups white vanilla chips
10 oz lemon curd
3 cups crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup powdered sugar
Optional: chopped pecans and toasted coconut

1. In  a microwave, melt vanilla chips until smooth. Stir in lemon curd, vanilla wafer crumbs, and powdered sugar. Chill until firm enough to handle.
2. Roll into 1/2 inch balls. Roll either in chopped pecans or toasted coconut. Chill until firm.

It was indeed a wonderful, wonderful time. Thank you, Lord for all these blessings!

Enjoy...