Karma's Lemon Jello Cake

There are no words for me to adequately describe how much I love this cake. I got the recipe from the lovely Karma Bennett. Well, I guess I got it from Kace, but she got it from Karma for me. I don't even think you have to be obsessed with lemon like Tyrel and I are these days...this cake is just so good. And it's easy. Seriously, make this.

Lemon Jello Cake
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. lemon jello (small pkg.)
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup water
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Put all ingredients in a bowl and beat with a mixer for 5 minutes. Bake in a greased 9x13 pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. While hot, puncture cake with toothpick. Let it cool for five minutes and then pour the glaze evenly over cake.

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp. melted butter
juice of one lemon
It is thin but it soaks deliciously into cake.


I almost ate the entire cake by myself last time I made it. So good.

Homemade Bagels

I never thought about making my own bagels until I was given a little tutorial at a Relief Society activity last week. They're easy, delicious and cheap! This recipe is just for plain bagels, but when I made them a couple days ago I made some blueberry ones and also some cinnamon sugar ones and they both turned out good good good...especially the cinnamon sugar ones! So you could really try whatever flavor of bagels you and your family love. You can really make them whatever size you want so it's very convenient.


Bagels
Recipe from Merri Shumway

2 tsp yeast
2 C warm water
1 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
5 C flour (white or wheat or any combination of the two)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees (yes, I really mean 500 - HOT!)

Mix the first four ingredients in a dough mixer (I'm sure you could do it by hand if you don't have a mixer). Add flour gradually. Mix dough in mixer for four minutes. Let dough rise (covered) for 20 minutes. Roll or pat the dough out about 1 inch thick. Cut with a round cutter, whatever size you want. Make a hole in the center of each round with your thumbs. Place bagels on a lightly floured towel or pan and cover; let rise for 20 minutes. During the last five minutes of rising get a big pot of water boiling on the stove. Place three or four bagels (or more if you made them tiny) in the pot of boiling water for 45 seconds; then turn the bagels and leave for 30 more seconds in boiling water. Remove bagels from water with big slotted spoon or spatula and place onto greased cookie sheet. After you've boiled all the bagels place your pan in preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes. If you've made smaller bagels they may only need 8-10 minutes to bake.

This recipe makes 12 big bagels, which fit perfectly on one big cookie sheet. They're great hot out of the oven and also delicious when toasted. You can freeze these in a vacuum sealed bag and use them as you need them.

Fast & Easy FLUFFY Dinner Rolls

So I don't know if anyone even still checks this blog, but if you do you're in for a real treat with this recipe. I just discovered it on this blog. I always want to have fresh rolls for dinner, but I hardly ever make them because they take forever and most recipes make a million rolls. Well this recipe today makes only 12 rolls - perfect for a small family's dinner. AND it's a way fast and easy recipe. I really don't think you can go wrong if you just follow the instructions. They're really big and fluffy and pretty - they turned out prettier than any rolls I've ever made without my mom's help. I think you could make up to 24 rolls if you wanted smaller ones. Seriously, you guys gotta try these.

Time: about 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 12 rolls
Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

3/4 C milk
4 T butter
3/4 C hot water
4 T sugar
1 t salt
4 - 4 1/2 C flour
1 heaping T yeast (active dry or instant)

1. Pour your milk into a microwave safe container. Pyrex glass measuring cups work fabulously. Add your butter to the milk and put it in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.
2. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. While the milk is getting nice and toasty, turn on the tap to get your water hot. Temperature is important to making these rolls rise quickly. If you add cold water, your rolls are going to rise at a snail's pace, and you'll feel like cursing. I put my hand in the water to test it. You want it to be just on the edge of unpleasant.
3. Put your milk/butter and hot water in the bottom of your Mixer. Add the sugar and salt. Then add 2 C of the flour...let it mix for 1 minute.
4. Add the yeast. Turn the mixer on and add the rest of the flour 1 C at a time.
5. You have enough flour when the dough scrapes the side of the bowl clean - don't add too much. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.
6. Cover with plastic wrap (or leave lid on mixer if you have a Bosch) and let sit for 5 minutes. You need the plastic wrap/lid to trap the heat.
7. Coat the inside of a 9x13 pan with butter or cooking spray.
8. Spray your counter, or a cutting board with cooking spray. Lay your dough on top of it.
9. Take a sharp knife, spray it with cooking spray and cut your dough into 12 pieces. Make them as equal as you can....perfection is not necessary.
10. Gently round them into balls, and put them in your buttered 9x13 pan.
11. Put the pan into your warm 170 degree oven. Let them rise for about 20 minutes or until they have risen slightly above the rim of the pan.
12. Leave your pan in the oven and turn the heat up to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. This time includes the time it takes the oven to increase in temperature. If your oven takes a long old time....you will of course need to increase the baking time. Bake until golden brown.
13. Brush with a little softened butter and serve warm.

Way easy. Way good.

Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

Ok, if you like chicken noodle soup you gotta try this. It's seriously creamy yummy goodness and way fast and easy to make.

2 qt (8 C) water
8 chicken bouillon cubes
6 1/2 C wide egg noodles
1 large or 2 regular cans condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3 C cooked chicken, cubed
1 C sour cream
minced fresh parsley (if desired)

Bring water and bouillon to a boil. Add noodles; cook uncovered until tender (don't overcook noodles!). Do not drain. Add soup and chicken; heat through. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. Sprinkle with parsley if desired. Serve with yummy breadsticks or rolls.
Yield 10 servings.

The recipe doesn't call for vegetables but I add them just to add some color, flavor and nutrition. I like to use carrots, peas and corn but you could add anything that sounds delicious to you. I also like to use canned chicken in a pinch. I've never made this with homemade noodles but I think it would be delicious! This recipe makes a whole big pot of soup, so you could easily half it for less people.

German Pancake

If you haven't made this before, you'll see that it puffs up really big like this when first taken out of the oven.   It's so pretty and fun to make if you have an urge for something different, or have just about run out of enough milk for cereal!   Although this recipe calls for at least 1/2 cup of milk.  In my house growing up we called this breakfast dish Dutch Babies.  But, I've seen it called other things including the puffy pancake, or a Bismarck.  It's all the same.  So, here's the simple recipe.  

2 T butter                    *maple syrup

1/2 flour *fresh raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries

1/2 cup milk *confectioner's sugar

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 475.  When the oven is hot and close to ready, put the butter in a 10-inch round pan and heat until melted and slightly bubbling.  Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, milk, and eggs, then pour into the pan over the melted butter.    Bake for 12 min. or until the batter is puffy and golden brown.  You are now ready to drizzle the whole thing w/ warm maple syrup, your favorite berries, and confectioner's sugar.  My favorite way to eat this is to squeeze a generous amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice over the top, sift next with powdered sugar then add some berries if you have them.  You can cut into quarters and fold in half to eat w/ your hands, too.  Serves 2, enjoy! 

 P.S.  Thanks for letting me join your blog!  I've referred to it several times and enjoyed many delicious meals!..so, As they say in Sweden, varsagod!  'Help yourself' to this delicious treat!

Bowtie pasta with Sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms and navy beans

Recipe found here


[Note: This recipe could be altered in a thousand different ways based on what you've got lying around. Me? I just used what I had on hand, so don't feel beholden to the ingredients list. Experiment, have fun, and don't be afraid of the "I" word!]

3 oz. whole wheat penne (or any non-spaghetti whole wheat pasta)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup canned navy beans, drained
1 link Aidells Portobello Mushroom Chicken/Turkey Sausage, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
Several sprays of Pam

1) In a medium pot, cook the pasta in boiling water for about five minutes.

2) Heat a medium-sized pan coated with cooking spray over a medium flame, until hot. Lay the sausage in the pan in one even layer, and cook until the first side browns, about five minutes. Flip to cook the other side until just brown, several minutes more, and remove to a separate bowl.

3) Pour a small amount of pasta water into the sausage pan, and over lowered heat, scrape the fond (that awesome brown gunky residue) off the bottom with a wooden spoon to form a murky brown liquid that just covers the bottom of the pan.
[Note: I know it looks a little gross, but trust me--the flavor it imparts is worth it. - Rachel]

4) Add the tomatoes and mushrooms to the sausage pan, and simmer until softened and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.

5) In the pasta pot, replace the water with the vegetable broth. Simmer the pasta in the broth until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. 
[Note: If your veggies are starting to dry out, you can add in some of this broth.] 
[Other note: The whole wheat penne I use tends to be pretty tough, so even a longer submersion still leaves it pretty al dente. Feel free to adjust times according to your texture preferences. - Rachel, again.]

6) Drain the pasta, and add to the tomato/mushroom mixture. Add the beans and sausage, and cook to warm through, about two minutes. Combine and serve.

tasty. cheap. easy

Raspberry Mousse Tres Leches

White Almond Sour Cream Cake (WASC)

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 teas. salt

4 egg whites

1 1/3 cups water

2 Tbls. vegetable oil

1 cups (16oz carton) sour cream

1 teaspoon clear vanilla flavor

1 teaspoons almond extract

Instructions

Mix all dry ingredients by hand using a whisk in a very large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Bake at 325 degrees

Raspberry Mousse

Ingredients

3 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

2 cups raspberries (I use frozen,thawed)

1/2 cup sugar

1 TBL lemon juice

1 TBL unflavored gelatin

Ice Water

Instructions

Chill heavy cream for ten min in the freezer, then put in the fridge. You want it COLD. 

In a small pan, add raspberries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook on med low until the sugar dissolves. As it's cooking, press raspberries against the side of the pan to remove the fruit from the seeds; kind of puree. Let it come to a small boil, then remove from the heat. Press the raspberries through a fine sieve into a metal bowl. You want to get as much raspberry puree as possible without the seeds so you'll have a smooth mousse. Put the metal bowl into a bowl (or sink) of ice water; be carefull not to let any water get into your raspberries. Whisk the unflavored gelatin into the raspberries as it cools, until it thickens into a thick sauce. Let it cool down completely in the icewater. 

As the raspberry puree is cooling, whip your heavy cream into soft peaks. Add the confectioners sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold your whipped cream into your raspberry puree. 

2 cups raspberries

Sweetened Condensed milk

Evaporated milk

Cream

Dessert Assembly

Put your first layer of cake down. Drizzle all three types of milk on the cake. And a thin layer of raspberries. Top with a layer of raspberry mousse. Repeat.