Lemon Bars

I saw this recipe on Cooking Mamas and have wanted to try them for awhile.  They are awesome and easy.  

For the Bottom Layer you will need:


1 Box Lemon Cake mix
1 Stick of Butter (softened)
1 Egg

Mix together and pat down in a 9x13 pan

For the filling you will need:
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar (doesn't need to be level)
1 8oz pkg cream cheese softened
2 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Lemon Extract

Beat together & pour over cake mix & Bake @ 350 for 25 mins or longer, just make sure and watch the top for it to be a light brown color, dust with powdered sugar as soon as they come out of the oven. Make a day ahead if you can they seem to set up a little better.

Cheddar and Herb Biscuits

These taste like the biscuits from Red Lobster.  They were great.

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons butter, cold
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, garlic powder and salt. Cut in shortening and butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Lightly mix in grated cheese. Mix in buttermilk just until moist (dry spots here and there are ok – the biscuits will be tough if they are overmixed). Drop the biscuits onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until browned and golden. While the biscuits are baking, in a small bowl combine three tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Right when the biscuits come out of the oven, brush the butter/herb mixture over the biscuits evenly (alternately, you can dip the top of the biscuit into the butter mixture). Serve immediately.

Crockpot Lasagna

I have always been a little skeptical of crockpot lasagna recipes.  I love lasagna and I thought throwing everything in a crockpot would just make it soupy and overcooked.  I was totally wrong.  I tried this recipe from Tasty Kitchen and it was delicious and so easy.  I chose to eat this over going out to a restaurant for my birthday. 

1 pound Lean Ground Beef
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
2 cups Cottage Cheese
2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese  (I used a cheddar jack blend)
½ cups Parmesan Cheese, Shredded
6 whole Lasagna Noodles, Regular, Uncooked  (I used 8 noodles)
¼ cups Water

In frying pan, brown ground beef and drain fat.  Add water and pasta sauce, reserving a small amount of sauce to line bottom of crock pot. Stir until well blended.  Line bottom of crock pot with very thin layer of sauce, then top with 2-3 uncooked lasagna noodles that are broken to fit shape (some overlap is fine). Cover noodles with half the cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese, then top cheeses with half of the meat mixture. Repeat layers with the other half of the ingredients. Cook on low for 4 hours.

Easy One Pot Tortilla Soup

We generally aren't big soup eaters at our house.  I love soup, but my kids tend to not eat soups well.  This last week when the temperature didn't get above zero, I decided to make soup.  I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and thought it looked easy and good.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It was great.  My kids of course looked at it and claimed they didn't like it, but to my surprise, they ate it!

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
1 whole Red Pepper Chopped
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 pinch Of Cayenne Pepper
2-3 whole Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
⅓ cups Enchilada Sauce
¼ cups Sour Cream
1 can Green Chilis (4oz)

In a large pot, add olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add onion and pepper and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sprinkle in cumin and cayenne and stir. Add shredded chicken.  Pour in chicken stock, chilis and enchilada sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 30 minutes (or longer if you want). Right before serving, stir in sour cream. Serve and garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, sour cream, lime, and cilantro.

**I also added salt and pepper to taste.

Overnight Monkey Bread

I made this for my kids for a Sunday morning breakfast treat.  I regretted it about halfway through our first meeting of church when they were all a little wired.   Otherwise this was a delicious treat if not a little rich. 

From Cook's Illustrated

Dough


2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cup milk, warm (about 120 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (about 120 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons table salt
1 package rapid-rise yeast (or instant)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for work surface

Brown Sugar Coating

1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan generously with softened butter. Set aside.  In large measuring cup, mix together melted butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve.

Mix 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast in stand mixer fitted with a beater blade. Turn machine to low and slowly add the milk mixture. After the liquids are incorporated, switch to the dough hook, increase the speed to medium and gradually add the remaining flour (add more or less as necessary) until dough clings to the hook and almost cleans the sides. Knead until the dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes.

Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball. Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.
While dough is rising, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl. Set aside for the sugar coating.
Remove dough from bowl, and pat into rough 8-inch square. Using bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces.
Roll each dough piece into a ball. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. Roll in brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers.

Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

Approximately one hour before you want to bake your Monkey Bread, remove it from the refrigerator and let the dough come to room temperature and the dough will begin to rise. (It should have risen some in the refrigerator overnight.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

For the glaze: While bread cools, whisk confectioners’ sugar and milk in small bowl until lumps are gone. Using whisk, drizzle glaze over warm monkey bread, letting it run over top and sides of bread. Serve warm.

Spicy Green Beans and Pork

This recipe comes from Prudence Pennywise.  It was really delicious and worth all the ingredients!

1 pound pork tenderloin
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine (I used cooking sherry, but also could have used chicken stock)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon spicy bean sauce (I left this out)
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (I used BBQ sauce)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1 pound green beans, trimmed and snapped in half  (I just thawed a bag of frozen green beans)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup toasted white sesame seeds

Cut pork into the thin possible slices. (I froze my tenderloin.) In a small bowl, toss the shaved pork with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rice wine, and the pepper. Marinate the pork at room temperature while assembling the rest of the ingredients.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, the remaining tablespoon of rice wine, the stock, spicy bean sauce, hoisin, chili garlic sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch, and set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the beans and stir-fry them until they begin to brown or blister, about 10 minutes. Remove the beans from the pan using a slotted spoon and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil.

Return the pan to the heat and add the pork, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry the mixture until the pork is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add the green onions and cook for 1 minute.

Add the reserved sauce and green beans, mix well, and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about one minute. Finally, sprinkle with the sesame seeds before serving. Makes about 5 cups.

Pork Carnitas

So I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen.  I really like shredded pork tacos.  I love the Cafe Rio version, but most times I don't have all the ingredients to make it.  I saw this recipe and thought it looked delicious.  It was awesome!  I actually liked it a little better than the Cafe Rio recipe. 

3 pounds Boneless Pork Shoulder, Cut Into Cubes
3/4 cups Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
½ whole Lime, Juiced
7 cloves Garlic
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Cumin
¼ cups Cilantro, Chopped
¼ cups Chicken Or Beef Stock
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients (except olive oil) and stir. Arrange the pork so it sits as a single layer at the bottom of the pot. Set slow cooker to High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours. 

Once the pork is done, it should be tender enough that you can shred it with a spoon. Heat a pan with the olive oil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork from the pot to the pan. Fry the pork until brown and crispy, breaking it up as you fry it.

Serve on tortillas garnished with chopped onions, avocado, fresh cilantro and lime wedges.