Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Makes 2-3 dozen


Ingredients:

½ cups butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoons baking powder

⅛ teaspoons baking soda

1-½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cups powdered sugar


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.


In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice.
Scrape sides and mix again.
Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar.
Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly.
Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate.
Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar.
Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Soul Sweet 'Taters

Ingredients
    •    4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds)
    •    1 cup granulated sugar
    •    1 cup milk
    •    2 large eggs
    •    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    •    1 teaspoon salt
    •    1 cup packed dark brown sugar
    •    1 cup nuts of your choice, chopped
    •    1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    •    6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the sweet potatoes on the oven rack and bake until fork-tender, about 45 minutes. When the potatoes are finished cooking, let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Slice them open lengthwise and scrape out the flesh with a fork into a large bowl. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
Add the granulated sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla and salt to the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Mash the mixture with a potato masher until combined and slightly lumpy-you don't want it to be perfectly smooth.
Now, in a separate bowl, mash the brown sugar, pecans, flour and butter with a pastry cutter or fork until thoroughly combined. The mixture should resemble a crumble.
Spread the sweet potato mixture in a 14-cup oval-shaped baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

No Bake Lemon Cream Pie

Ingredients
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust or pre-baked pie crust

Directions
    1.    Place the pie crust in the freezer.    
    2.    Using a large bowl, add an 8-oz. package of softened cream cheese at room temperature, beat with an electric hand mixer on medium until fluffy.    
    3.    Add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, stir in 1/3 cup of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 cup sour cream.    
    4.    Blend ingredients well.    
    5.    Take chilled pre-made pie crust, evenly spoon in the mixture and chill in refrigerator for about 2 hours.    
    6.    To garnish, zest a lemon peel with a hand grater or use fresh fruit (strawberries or blueberries).
    7.     Garnish with whipped cream.

Pomegranate Salad

1 6 oz pkg cherry jello
1/2 c. sugar
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 lg. pomegranate, seeded
1pkg. raw cranberries, chopped
2 apples, chopped
2/3 c. chopped nuts (optional)
Cool Whip or Whipped cream

Dissolve jello as directed, using pineapple juice as cold liquid, add sugar, then fruit. Place in fridge to set up. Before serving, garnish with whipped topping.

Green Chile Beef Tacos

I made this for Sunday lunch, except used pork roast. It was awesome and so tender!

5 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
1 (1 ounce) packet taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) jar green salsa
1 Can Rotel tomatoes w/ lime and cilantro
2 cups beef broth, or more if needed

1. Lay the chuck roast into the bottom of a slow cooker with a tight-fitting lid. Sprinkle the taco seasoning mix over the beef. Pour the green salsa over the beef, followed by the beef broth.
2. Cook on Low for 4 hours. Add more beef broth if needed. Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker; mix with the liquid. Serve hot.

Oatmeal Carmelita Bars

Yield: 24 bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Bake Time: 25 minutes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar
2 cups quick-cooking oats
14 ounces caramel candies, unwrapped
½ cup evaporated milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Add the oats and mix on low briefly to just combine.
4. Transfer approximately half of the dough mixture to the baking dish. Spread and press the dough into the baking dish until you have an even layer with no cracks or crumbles. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.
5. While the dough is baking, combine the evaporated milk and caramels in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture constantly until all the caramels are melted and you have a thick sauce. Allow to cool until cookie base comes out of the oven.
6. Once out of the oven, sprinkle the cookie base evenly with chocolate chips and pecans, and then carefully pour the caramel sauce over the cookie base, nuts, and chocolate. Use an offset spatula to spread the caramel sauce into an even layer.
7. Sprinkle the remaining cookie dough over the top of the caramel-chocolate-nut mixture a handful at a time, making sure to get an even coating over the whole dish.
8. Return the dish to the oven, baking until the topping is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
9. Once out of the oven, cool the dish to room temperature and then refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Black Velvet Cake

Tired of Red Velvet? Maybe black is the new red...

2 1/4 cups cake flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process!)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste (substitute an equal amount of pure vanilla extract for the paste!)

3 tablespoons Pero
1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup half & half
1-2 tablespoons black food coloring (depends on how dark you'd like your cake to be!)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Chocolate marshmallow frosting
one 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme (also known as fluff!)

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream, depending on how thick you'd like your frosting to be

2 T black food coloring
sprinkles or nonpareils, for decorating (optional)


Combine cake ingredients, place in pan(s) and cook, time depending on the size of your pans. Cool, then make the frosting. Enjoy.