Praline Grahams

Another easy recipe! I'm all about easy recipes!

Praline Grahams

1 C. butter
1 1/2 C. packed brown sugar
2 C. chopped pecans
1 sleeve of graham crackers+

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10x15 cookie sheet with heavy duty foil. place graham crackers in the pan, break into squares. In saucepan, combine butter, sugar and pecans. Melt and bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Stir the boiling sugar mixture constantly. Spread over the crackers and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely and use a spatula to lift off.

Rolo Pretzel Treats

This is so easy and such a wonderful little snack!

Rolo Pretzel Treats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 bag of Pretzels (twisted or squares)
Rolo Candies
Pecan or Walnut halves OR M&Ms

Preheat oven to 300º

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place pretzels on cookie sheet. Place unwrapped Rolo on the pretzel. Place in oven for 3-4 mins. Remove from oven and place pecan half or M&M on top of soft Rolo candy and press down. Let sit to cool.

I removed the cookie sheet from under the parchment paper and allowed them to cool on a cooling rack on top of the parchment paper.

DO NOT REMOVE the Rolo covered pretzels from the parchment paper prior to the candies setting! (Can you say HUGE mess?!?)

Aunt Carol's No-Fail Pie Crust Recipe

My mother made the BEST pies EVER!! Her crust was always light and flaky, melt-in-your-mouth, good-to-the-last-bite wonderful. I cannot tell you how many pie crusts I watched my mother make and how many pies my mother baked in her lifetime, but every single time, the crust was pure perfection!! Try as I may, I've never been able to master the art of the pie crust until a woman on a cross stitch message board shared her secret recipe. I've made this a couple of times, and every single crust has been wonderful. Not quite as light and tasty as Mom's but it's a close second.

AuntCarol’s Pie Crust-Never-Fail Type

This pie crust recipe is one that SUPER easy to roll out – one that never gets soggy – leaving that last piece of pie as good as the first – it’s the only pie crust recipe I’ll ever use – it’s the BEST –

Ingredients

1 egg
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon WHITE vinegar
7 tablespoons water
1 cup shortening (CRISCO)
3 cups flour

BEAT egg.

ADD salt, vinegar, and water.

ADD CRISCO. BLEND with fork, while ADDING flour, about a cup at a time.

FORM into one big dough ball. THEN DIVIDE into 3 equal-sized dough balls (or you can divide it into 2 equal-sized dough balls like I did just today).

ROLL OUT thin on a lightly floured surface and then PLACE into pan of your choice.

Note: Prepared pie shell should be put into the refrigerator 30 minutes before filling – and REMEMBER all fruit pies must be baked on the lowest rack in your oven –

ENJOY -

After you've put your crust into the pie plate, trimmed and fluted it, take all the little leftover pieces and roll them into a ball. Roll out with a rolling pin, cut out shapes with cookie cutters, if you like, or cut into strips, then put onto a piece of foil. Prick the crust with a fork (to allow steam to escape) and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on the top. Cook at 350º (or whatever temperature your pie recipe calls for) until nice and brown. Some of my fondest memories are when Mom would let us use her cookie cutters and make "pie dough cookies". She also allowed us to decorate the tops however we wanted, with sprinkles, colored sugar, and all those fun baking toppings we didn't use often!!

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

As a rule in our house, we're not mayonnaise eaters. We're Miracle Whip kinda people, so if I have to have mayonnaise for a recipe, I try to use it up or else it'll sit in the fridge til it's past its "use by" date. Since money is tight right now, I went looking for some creative, yet tasty uses for the mayo I currently have on hand. (I had used some of it in a pasta salad, but had more than half a jar left.) This is what I found, and it was perfect for just the 2 of us.

This cake comes from a time in American life when eggs and sugar were rationed and any kind of dish including them was a treat. The mayonnaise takes the place of oil and eggs and makes the cake moist and tasty.

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3/4 C mayonnaise
1 C sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C baking cocoa
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 C water

Frosting:
2 T butter, softened to room temperature
1-1/2 C powdered sugar
2 T baking cocoa
2 T warm milk
1 t vanilla extract
pinch salt

In a large bowl, beat mayonnaise, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; add to mayonnaise mixture alternately with water, beating well after each addition.

Pour into a greased 9" square baking pan. Bake at 350º for 25-30 mins or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting: In a small bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, cocoa, milk, vanilla, and salt. Frost cake. Store in the refrigerator.

As you can see, I sprinkled some chopped nuts on top of my finished product because it looked too plain without them!

Cowboy Cookies

Cowboy Cookies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1/2 C butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 C light brown sugar, packed
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 C flour
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 C rolled oats (I used Quick Oats, what I had on hand)
1 C (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 375º. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Beat butter with sugars in large bowl until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda in small bowl; stir into butter mixture. Add oats, chocolate chips, raisins, and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2" apart onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake 10-12 mins or until lightly browned around edges. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Makes about 4 doz. cookies

Absolutely delish!! You can't eat just one! LOL

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I found this relatively easy recipe for flour tortillas online at the Pioneer Woman's new recipe website/community, Tasty Kitchen. I decided to give it a go since we love flour tortillas. I have very fond memories of going to my grandmother's house and eating fresh tortillas slathered with butter, then dipped in syrup. My mom never could master the art of making flour tortillas, but my great-grandmother was a pro! I think it helped that she was of Mexican decent and made them her entire life. The rolling pin she used is now in my dad's possession. I think the next time I go visit, I'm going to bring it back with me!

A couple of notes before I post the recipe. Make sure your surface is very well floured, as well as your hands, and your rolling pin. You don't want it to be overly floured, but you don't want the tortillas to stick to the rolling pin or the surface. Also, make sure that your griddle or skillet (preferably cast iron) is nice and hot when you start. If you have too much flour on your tortillas when you throw them on the griddle, the flour will burn and you'll end up with little black flecks of flour on your tortillas. (As seen in the pic above! LOL) Do NOT add all the water at once!! You probably won't need all the water, so add slowly and then mix to the proper consistency. It shouldn't be too wet or 'stringy' when you pull it. It also shouldn't stick to your hands. If it does, add more flour. Because I added all the water, I had to add a lot of flour to get it to the desired consistency. I had approx. 2 dozen tortillas of various shapes and sizes.

Flour Tortillas

* 3 cups White Flour (I used All-purpose)
* 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* 5 tablespoons Cold Butter, Shortening, Or Lard (I used butter, of course!)
* 1-¼ cup Warm Water

Preparation Instructions

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add shortening/butter and either combine in food processor or cut into dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Add warm water 1/2 cup at a time until mixture is a soft dough. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time until dough is soft and slightly sticky, but not wet.

Shape dough into 12-15 balls, about the circumference of a silver dollar/50pence. Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface until dough is about 1/4inch thick.

(It works really well to have one person rolling out tortillas while another one cooks them).

Heat a frying pan or griddle until water dances on the surface. Place one tortilla in the pan and cook for about 30 seconds, or until edges start to pull away from the pan and small air pockets start to form. Flip tortilla over and repeat on the other side. Tortillas will have some parts which are more brown.

Repeat for all tortillas. Serve warm, or package in airtight container once cooled. Use within a week, or up to a month if frozen.

My Favorite Summer Drink

There's just something about lemonade and summertime that go together. Nothing like cold lemonade to quench your thirst during the long, dry, hot days of summer.

Several years ago, I found this incredibly simple recipe for homemade lemonade in the back of a Beverly Lewis book. I make it frequently during the summer. (I even make it in the winter when I get the urge for something different.) It's crisp and refreshing.

Here's what you'll need:

3 Lemons
1/2 C sugar
1 qt. water (4 Cups)

Wash lemons and cut in half.



Squeeze juice from lemons into a large pitcher.


(I cheat and use my electric mini juicer. It's the best $5 investment I've made!)

Add sugar.



Fill pitcher with 1 qt water.



Chop rinds into 8-10 pieces and let soak in lemonade. Stir well until juice gets syrupy. (I don't know what this means, but I just stir it till the sugar's melted.)





Let sit for awhile, then strain rinds out of juice and refrigerate. Drink within a couple of days.



Old-Time Lemonade
3 Lemons, rinsed
1/2 C sugar
1 qt (4 C) water

Wash lemons and cut in half. Squeeze juice from lemons into a large pitcher. Add sugar; fill pitcher with 1 qt. water. Chop rinds into 8-10 pieces and let soak in lemonade. Stir well until juice gets syrupy. Strain rinds out of juice and refrigerate.

Alfredo Sauce

I don't know where I got this recipe, but it's absolutely delicious! Don't ruin it by using too much garlic and invest in real parmesan cheese so it's not grainy. Don't skimp on the butter, either. Been there, done that and it's not good. Believe me!!

Alfredo Sauce
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese (optiona, but I use it)
1-¾ cup Parmesan cheese
1-½ cups heavy cream (go for the good stuff!)
3 cloves garlic minced (2 large cloves or 3 small cloves)
salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
In a saucepan, melt butter add heavy cream and cream cheese. Simmer
this until melted and stir until well blended. Add Parmesan and garlic
powder. Simmer for about 15 minutes on low add salt and pepper. Serve
immediately with your favorite pasta.
1 cup of chopped cooked chicken or turkey can be added. 1 small onion
finely chopped can be added when melting butter and sautéed until
transparent.

I usually serve this without meat over fettuccine noodles with Garlic Bread and a salad. Very yummy!! It's best to prepare your pasta first, drain it, then put it back in the pot with a bit of olive oil mixed in so the pasta doesn't stick together. Add the entire batch of sauce to the pasta and you're good to go.

Mexican Chicken (or turkey)

I make this whenever I have leftover chicken from cooking a whole chicken. You can also use turkey when you have leftovers at Thanksgiving or Christmas. You can use both white and dark meat. Personally, I think the dark meat tastes better in this particular recipe. This is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day, after it's had time to marinate overnight in the fridge. Serve with a nice salad and you've got a great, easy, one-pot meal.

Mexican Chicken (or Turkey)
---------------------------
1 pkg corn tortillas (about 8 or 10)
4 C turkey or chicken, cut or torn
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 t garlic salt
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
1 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes (any speed)
2 cans (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 t chili powder

Line an 8" square baking dish with some of the tortillas (4 or 5). In
a large bowl, mix the turkey pieces, onion, cheese, and garlic salt.
Add the remaining ingredients. Pour into baking dish on top of
tortillas. Cut several tortillas into fourths and push them down into
the mix. Top with more cheese. Bake for 30 mins at 350º.

*I always dip the corn tortillas I'm going to put on the bottom of my dish in hot oil to make them more pliable and not stick to the bottom of the dish. I don't dip in hot oil the ones I put on the top. I also have made it both with the chili powder and without. It tastes great both ways.

Daddy's Fruit Salad

My daddy used to make this for Christmas, but Mark & I make it all the time now. This is an excellent way to use up excess fruit you have on hand. It's also great to take for church pot lucks and family get-togethers. It's so easy, all-natural, and good for you to boot!

Ingredients:
1-2 Ruby Red Grapefruit (esp. the red Texas variety)
2-3 Apples (We use Gala, but any will do)
2 Oranges (seedless)
2-3 Tangerines or Clementines
Grapes (red or green)
Bananas
Fresh Pineapple chunks, optional
Chopped Nuts, optional
Coconut, optional

Rinse the fruit. Peel the oranges, tangerines, and/or clementines and remove all excess rind and that white stuff on the outside of the fruit.

The first step is the messiest but the outcome is so worth it! After peeling your grapefruit, be sure you work over a large bowl so you catch the juice as it dribbles down your hands and arms.

Peel and skin the grapefruit. You only want the flesh of the fruit, not any of the white stuff that's part of the rind. Then pull open the skin of each section and get the fruit out. (The skin and white stuff from the rind is really what makes the grapefruit bitter.) Crumble the grapefruit sections up into a large bowl.

Peel and chop up the remaining fruit. Mix it all together. Add nuts and coconut, if desired.

Cover and store in fridge. Best when left overnight or all day to marinate.

Sunday's Best Oven Fried Chicken

Lest you thought we existed on only desserts and snacks, here's a great tried & true chicken recipe for you. This chicken really isn't fried; it's baked in the oven. However, it does have that fried chicken taste. Once you get the hang of this recipe, it's fairly easy to make. The original recipe makes enough to feed a small army, so I cut the recipe in half. Feel free to use the original amounts, half it, or double it to suit your needs.

Sunday's Best Oven-Fried Chicken
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3-1/2 to 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C all purpose flour
1 t celery seeds
2 t onion powder
1 t paprika
2 T lemon pepper
1 T salt
1 T fresh chopped thyme
2 lg. eggs, room temperature
3/4 C buttermilk (I use plain skim milk w/ 1 T vinegar added)
One 16 oz. package seasoned bread stuffing mix, crushed (I put it in a large ziplock and whacked it with the rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy glass, but I think bread crumbs would work well, too)
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Adjust the baking rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 400ºF.

1. Rinse the chickens thoroughly under COLD water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, celery seeds, onion powder, paprika, lemon pepper, salt and thyme. Set aside.
3. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together thoroughly. Pour into a shallow bowl.
4. Pour the crushed stuffing mix into a separate shallow bowl or large paper plate.
5. Pour the melted butter onto a baking sheet.
6. Dredge the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour mixture, then in the buttermilk mixture; thoroughly coat in the crushed stuffing mix.
7. Transfer chicken to the baking sheet and gently roll the pieces in the melted butter until lightly coated. (I use a 9" X 13" casserole dish)
8. Bake for 25-35 mins OR when the juices flow clear after a knife is inserted into the thickest part of the breast.
9. When the chicken is fully cooked, transfer the pieces to a platter lined with paper towels. Serve. Allow to cool to room temp before storing in fridge.



I use the Pepperidge Farm stuffing that comes in the large bag. This time I got sage and it tasted too much like turkey stuffing, so I might go with something different next time or try seasoned bread crumbs.

These taste great the next day, too!

If you use chicken tenders or smaller chicken breasts, cut your cooking time and check for doneness.

Don't skip the butter! This really does make the coating nice and crispy. Plus, who doesn't like the added taste the butter gives the finished product?!?

Chunky Monkey Muffins

This is another one of those recipes you can use if you have ripe bananas sitting on your counter. They don't taste like banana muffins, though. They are very easy to throw together and VERY good!

Chunky Monkey Muffins (Makes 12)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup mashed bananas (approx. 2 or 3 bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease bottom of muffin pans or use paper muffin liners. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add mashed bananas, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Blend well. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Fold in chips and chopped nuts. Fill muffin cups full. Bake 20 - 25 minutes.

**I ended up with 18 muffins, but I didn't over-fill my muffin cups. I also used regular sized muffin tins and not the jumbo sized muffin tins.

Dinner Plans

In an effort to use the food in the pantry and in the fridge, I've made a dinner menu for the next week or so. In the past when I've ventured to make a menu, I never stuck to it and changed it when I wanted to. This time, I've written it down for all the world to see and am kind of looking forward to sticking with it! I just do dinner because I work and don't get up and cook breakfast and because lunch usually consists of leftovers from the night before. Also, I usually only cook every other day since it's just me and DH. Otherwise, we'd be overrun with food!

Week One: 1/11-1/17
Sunday~Sunday's Best Oven Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry fluff, cottage cheese

Monday~leftovers since I work the late shift

Tuesday 1/13~DH's making Egg in the Holes for breakfast!! Dinner will once again be leftovers from Sunday since I'm working the late shift.

Wednesday~Chalupas and salsa/chips

Thursday~DH's night to cook! (woohoo!)

Friday~Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwiches (from the PW Cooks site) and oven fries

Week Two-11/18-11/24
Sunday~Hamburgers, cottage fries, pork 'n beans

Monday~Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, salad

Wednesday~Chicken Veggie Stir Fry & rice

Thursday~DH's Night to cook!

Friday~Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken, veggies

Saturday/Sunday~Chicken soup

We'll see how it all goes down, but maybe by posting it on here I'll stick to it!

(c:

Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread

Sometimes, I end up with bananas that look like this on my kitchen counter. Not very often, but occasionally.



I know that for some of you, these bananas may be just the right speed for your tastes, but for me, they're well past their prime for eating. Not wanting them to go to waste, and having time last weekend to actually do something with them other than toss them into the freezer, I made banana bread.



This bread is always so moist and delicious! The recipe makes 2 loaves, so I usually keep one at home and take the other one to work.

Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Makes 2 9"x5" loaves

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon (can try 1 t)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (or macadamia nuts)
1/2 C grated coconut (optional)
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (approx. 5-6 medium)
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
3 teaspoons vanilla (can try 2 t)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9"x5" loaf pans.

Combine first 5 ingredients and stir in nuts. Combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and combine until just moistened. Divide batter between the 2 loaf pans.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Note: Good with grated carrots substituted for the pineapple.

Enjoy!

(c:

My Momma's Cornbread

This is my momma's recipe and is perfect every time! Make sure you set your eggs and milk out to get room temp, about an hour before beginning. Here's what you need to know about cornbread.

Use this kind of cornmeal to promote the economy in San Antonio. That's why my mom used this brand exclusively, since we lived in San Antonio. If I try to buy a different brand, I hear my mother speaking to me from beyond the grave!!



Even though my mom swore by Clabber Girl baking powder, I use Rumford. It has no aluminum in the mixture and doesn't leave an aftertaste. Believe me, you'll want to spend the few extra pennies on the Rumford brand. It really makes your baked goods taste better. Besides that, it comes in a pretty red can!



Stephanie's Mom's Cornbread
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sift together:
1 C flour
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 T sugar

Add: 1 C cornmeal

Combine:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 C milk
1/4 C vegetable oil

Add liquid to dry ingredients, mixing only until all flour is dampened. Pour into well-greased 8"x8"x2" pan. Bake for 30 mins. Do NOT over bake.

Commentary

This is the most important thing you need to know so that your cornbread has a nice, crispy crust on the sides & bottom and so that it won't stick to the pan. When you turn your oven on to preheat, pour about a tablespoon (or so...I usually end up with "or so") in your 8" x 8" square pan. Then, POP THAT BABY IN THE OVEN WHILE YOUR OVEN IS HEATING. Your pan should look something like this, minus the scratches and well-used look.



I usually pour my milk into a 2-cup measuring cup, then I add the eggs and oil and mix it all together. Don't use olive oil! It really tastes gross. Don't ask me how I know.

Here's what your mix should look like when dampened. It's okay if a bit, like in this pic, isn't totally wet.



If you want to swirl the mix around to get those little pieces wet, that's fine. Also, as you're mixing, make sure you tilt your bowl and rake your fork across the bottom of the bowl to get the dry stuff that's stuck down there on the bottom.

When ready to pour your mix into the pan, remove the hot pan from the oven and very, very gently, swirl the liquid oil around. Don't get too excited and burn yourself, though.

When you pour your batter into the pan, the oil will be displaced along the sides and into the corners of the pan. During baking, this is what creates the crispy crust. You may even hear a little sizzle. Good!



Seriously, do NOT over bake the bread. If your oven cooks hot, start checking it at about 25 mins. You'll be able to smell it baking, and it will smell heavenly! You want it nicely browned, not too pale and definitely not too brown.



When your cornbread is finished, it nicely makes 9 pieces of bread if you make 3 cuts each direction. If you have a family of 4, that's 2 pieces each, then you fight over the last piece. The center piece is the most coveted, be warned. Again, don't ask me how I know this.

Here's a side and bottom view of the finished product.



And a pic of the inside.



Served with the taco soup from my previous post.

Taco Soup

The weather turned cold on Sunday and I had some hamburger meat to use up, so I made taco soup. And in my house, you can't have taco soup without cornbread, so I whipped some of that up as well.



Taco Soup
~~~~~~~~
1 lb. ground beef, browned
1/4 medium onion, diced
salt & pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cans pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn (you could use frozen)
1 can diced tomatoes

Optional toppings:
cheese, grated
avocado
sour cream
cilantro sprigs

1. Brown the ground beef. I dice about 1/4 of an onion and throw it in with the beef as well as adding salt & pepper. Drain any grease.
2. Add the other ingredients. If you don't have all the seasonings, you can substitute taco seasoning. I find taco seasoning too salty for my tastes so I use the seasonings so I can control the salt content as well as the hotness level.



3. Add enough water to cover, and stir.
4. Cover with lid, turn heat to medium, and bring to a boil.
5. Once boiling, tilt lid so it's covering most of the soup but the steam can escape (this keeps it boiling), reduce heat to half and continue to boil, stirring occasionally.

If you're making cornbread to go with your soup, remove the lid from the soup and turn it to simmer when you put your cornbread in the oven.

When ready to serve, top with cheese and/or your choice of toppings. I used cheddar cheese and a sprig of cilantro. That cilantro really gave the soup a nice flavor!! Slurp!



Cornbread recipe coming in the next post!

Lemon Pound Cake

My husband LOVES lemon cake. If he had a choice between lemon and chocolate, he'd take lemon. Don't know what's wrong with that boy, but I love him anyway! For the past several years, I've been on the hunt for a light, lemony cake for him. I think I've finally found the perfect cake.

LEMON POUND CAKE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 (16-oz.) box Betty Crocker or Pillsbury lemon or yellow cake mix
1 (3-oz.) box instant lemon pudding
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. lemon extract (optional) –or- juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon, zest of or 1 tsp. lemon zest spice
1/2 cup oil

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 T. milk
1 T. butter, melted
1 tsp. lemon extract or juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients and bake for 35-40 minutes in a greased and floured bundt or tube pan. Prepare glaze and pour over hot cake.

Here are some notes:

>Zest-the rind of the fruit and only the rind.

>I used fresh lemons since I actually had some on hand. If you don't have one of those fancy schmancy zester grater things, you can use your regular cheese grater, but use one of the sides with the teeny tiny holes. If you have a toothbrush or a pasty brush, you'll need that to get the zest out of said teeny tiny holes. It really makes a big mess, but it'll do in a pinch. You can also peel the rind (not the white icky tasting pith or membrane) then finely chop it with a knife. Next time, I think I'm going to thoroughly clean and sanitize one of the files my husband uses out in the garage and use that. (That's what a zester sorta looks like!)

>Let the cake sit for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate. If you need help learning how to turn out a cake, please let me know and I'll take step-by-step pics for you. :) During this time, prepare your glaze.

>Prior to glazing, I poked some holes in the top of the cake so that the cake could absorb some of the glaze.

>The glaze recipe makes a TON of glaze. Too much really, for this cake. I'd cut the recipe in half unless you want to eat what you don't pour on the cake.

>If you use sugar to coat your pan instead of flour, you'll get a nicely crunchy outside to your cake.




Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!