Betty Crocker Carrot Cake

So I substituted 1/8 cup oil for organic coconut oil and 1/8 cup oil for butter for more flavor.   The cake turned out wonderful.  I also made my own frosting using 3/4 pkg cream cheese, cream, powdered sugar, lemon zest and butter.  Tasted great. 

First Attempt at a Pan Pizza

These are pics of my attempt at Pan Pizza.  The outside browned before the center was done.  I guess I will have to cook on a lower temp next time or use my small pizza pans.  It was still very yummy anyway.  Note: I use tomato paste with oregano, garlic salt and thin it with a little water for a quick sauce. 

Coconut Brownies

So a coworker gave me a wonderful recipe for Best Ever Brownies. I went to the cupboard to pull out the crisco for the recipe and there was none.  So I improvised with Coconut Oil.  The only mistake I made was I did not cook them long enough but the batter was so damn good.  Chocolate and Coconut Oil are a match made in heaven...  I served with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries and whipping cream.

1/2 C Butter
1/2 C Shortening (melted coconut oil cooled to room temp)
2 C Sugar ( I added 1 C Organic Cane Sugar)
4 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 C Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 C Unsweetened Cocoa ( I used Natural-Wish I had used Dutch)
Chocolate chips and nuts optional
Beat 1st 5 ingredients until well blended.  Add dry ingredients until just mixed.  At this point add your chips and nuts.  Bake @ 350 in 8"x8" pan for 30 minutes, mine needed another 5 minutes I think.

Failed Lemon Buns

Ok, so here is proof that something can look absolutely fabulous and taste yucky!  My failed attempt at Lemon Buns... Oh I had high hopes and so did the vultures looming for any castaways.

My Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This is my homemade spaghetti sauce.  It is an evolving recipe but the pic below shows all the ingredients I add.  I brown 1/2 lb ground beef, draining after. Add Cabernet to my liking and cook down.  I use Penzey's Spices; I add rehydrated onions, oregano, paprika, pizza seasoning, my homegrown/homemade pesto.  To this I add one can tomato paste then can petite cut tomatoes with one can water.  Season with Lawry's Garlic salt, fresh ground pepper and salt.  Simmer for 1/2 hour until sauce is cooked down.  If I like I will saute fresh cremini mushrooms and add.

Bolognese Sauce from The Best Recipe book, Christopher Kimball

This is one of my favorite dishes due to the complexity of the sauce.  It is made in many layers and is rich and savory.  Lovely.  This has onions, carrots, celery, beef, white wine, half and half, with canned tomatoes.

Lunch for Jessi

So I had my daughter and her husband over for a special luncheon plus I had my daughter living at home with me stay home from school so she wouldnt miss out.  I made Ina Garten's Indonesian Ginger Chicken with Roasted Vegetables, Rice, Italian Rolls (took out the Italian in them) and Lime Mousse Petites.  Here are the pics.  I will post the recipes for anyone who would like them, except Ina Garten's Chicken.  Link to Chicken:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/indonesian-ginger-chicken-recipe/index.html

Fetish for Penzey's Spices

For Fun, just before organizing my spices, I took pics.

Making Raspberry Jelly and Syrup

I have Heritage Fall Bearing Raspberry Bushes and have been canning them for years.  This years harvest canned.

Lemon Creme Cake

This is the one of the most delicious cakes I have made. I have actually succumbed to Duncan Hines cake mixes after being humbled by my husbands philosphy of make it simple. I used to believe that if it isnt homemade it isnt worth my time but he told me to add a package of pudding to the cake mix and in a fit of laziness I listened. Also on the box it says to cook at 325 instead of 350 for darker pans and it produces a moist coarse crumb cake the equivalent to a cake made from scratch. I put on a layer of homemade lemon curd (recipe follows) with my homegrown/homemade blackberry jelly and then frost with a lemon cream. The lemon cream is 2 cups whipped cream with 1/4 cup powerdered sugar, thickened with a teaspoon of hot water/knox gelatin. Then after whipped, I fold in 1/1/3 cups homemade lemon curd. It is a fantastic cake.

Lemon Curd Recipe:

1/2 Cup Butter

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

Grated rind of two lemons

1 Cup Lemon Juice

8 Egg Yolks

2 Egg White

In double boiler melt butter and sugar.  Stir in lemon rind and juice.  Beat egg yolks and stir into lemon mixture: Beat egg whites and fold into mixture.  I had to put back into my kitchenAid mixer and remix.  Pour back into double boiler.  Stir constantly for 20 minutes until thickened.  Can pour into canning jars and seal following canning instructions on internet. 

Luxury Salad

Sooo... In Black Books, my favorite britcom, Bernard, the proprieter unwisely decides to turn his bookstore into a restaurant by night after experiencing the brewed bean leasure bookstore complete with fluffed up lime colored couch forced upon him by Manny. He makes this absurd creation named Luxury Pie into which goes everything but the kitchen sink. With ingredients flying he makes a detestable loathesome creation.

Well, Luxury Salad is the name my old man gave to my salads, although they are not loathesome. I prepared these almost daily in an effort to look (be) more healthy-HA! Here are some pics of my Luxury Salads. They are an easy way to use Costco's laughable copious portions of vegetables. Some days they include cottage cheese with tuna, cottage cheese with sliced beef and a mixture of cheeses and nuts. Others include a southwestern flare of black beans with rice or corn seasoned with one of my favorites, dried ground Chipotle.

S & W Tomatoes are Shite

These are pics of my recent nightmare with S&W Organic Tomatoes. Only about 1/2 of each can is usable and the other half includes ends, stems and skin. I will not buy their tomatoes again. I can't believe a company sells this kind of garbage in America and gets away with it!