Layered Lemon Coffee Cake

 My 12 year old daughter made this for me for my birthday and it was so delicious!  She bought lemon curd at the grocery store to save a step but she made the rest following these directions.  Find this and more great recipes HERE.

Crumb Topping:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Dash of salt
• 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 5 Tablespoons sugar
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter-melted and slightly cooled

Cake:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter-softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 1 cup lemon curd (store bought or homemade)

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese-softened
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 4 Tablespoons sugar

Homemade Lemon Curd:

• ½ cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1. To make homemade lemon curd, in a sauce pan melt the butter.  Remove from the heat, add sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest, whisk to combine. Add eggs and whisk well. Place over medium heat and cook for 5-6 minutes until all sugar dissolve and the mixture is thick enough to hold the marks from a whisk. Cool completely.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 8 x 8 x 2 inch square baking pan (or 9 x 9 inch pan) with parchment paper leaving an overhang the sides, spray with non-stick spray and set aside.
3. First make the crumb topping. In a bowl stir together flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt. Then add melted butter and stir with a fork until pea size crumb form. Set in the fridge until ready to use.
4. To make the cake beat softened butter for a minute, then add sugar and beat until creamy. Add lemon zest, vanilla and eggs and mix to combine.
5. Add sour cream and mix well, then mix in flour, baking powder and salt. Spread half of the batter in prepared pan.
6. Spread 1 cup of lemon curd over the batter but don’t go all the way to the edges (or it will burn during baking).
7. Spoon remaining batter on top.
8. Beat cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and egg until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture over the batter.
9. Sprinkle with crumb topping and bake about 45-55 minutes or until the center has set. If it browns too much tent the top with aluminum foil.
10. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then pull the paper and lift the cake and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
11. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.

Parmesan, Mushroom, and Spinach Gnocchi Soup

 After realizing that mushrooms are a good way to fill up my husband (who is allergic to beef, pork, and chicken), I began looking for recipes that use them instead of meat.  Thanks to SaltandLavendar for this and many others great recipes!

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 2 sticks celery chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 16 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced or chopped
• 4 cups chicken or veggie broth
• 2 dashes Italian seasoning
• 1 pound potato gnocchi
• 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Prep your onion and celery and melt the oil & butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat.

2. Add the onion and celery to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes (it's ok if the onions brown a bit). I like to cut up the mushrooms while it's cooking to save time.

3. Stir in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Add in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or so. Once the mushrooms start to release water, give it a good stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. 

5. Add the chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and gnocchi to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat so it's gently simmering for 5 minutes.

6. Stir in the cream, spinach, and parmesan cheese. Increase the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes or until the spinach is tender and wilted, the cheese melts into the broth, and the broth has thickened up a bit. 

7. Season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately. If you wish, you can grate some extra parmesan cheese on top of the bowls

Gigi's Overnight Brunch Casserole

This is always a favorite and I make it for Sunday mornings a lot because I do all the work on Saturday and let it chill til the morning.  I think sausage is the best meat to use but any of them work nicely.

Ingredients:
1 pound sausage or bacon or ham
1/2 pound grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 slices of bread
3-4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
dash of pepper

Directions: Use a greased 9x13 casserole casserole dish.  Place bread as liner in bottom of dish.  Layer cheese, then meat. Sprinkle these evenly over the bread.  Mix together eggs, milk, salt, mustard, and pepper.  Pour over casserole.  Chill over night.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Mark's favorite Sausage Gravy

My husband orders sausage gravy almost every time he eats breakfast at a restaurant.  I used to think that something like that would be too difficult to make correctly but I finally got up the nerve to try it.  And guess what?  This recipe is super easy!!  It has never failed me.  I usually double the recipe and then freeze part of it for later and it always heats up nicely.  If I have time, I will make biscuits, but I most often serve it over sourdough toast and my husband loves it just the same.

Ingredients:
1 pound bulk sausage
3 cups milk
1/3 cup flour
pepper to taste

Directions: Brown sausage in skillet.  Stir in flour til dissolved.  Add milk.  Cook until it begins to bubble, stirring regularly.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer, stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes.  Season with pepper as  desired.

Mom's snickerdoodles

We all love these cookies!   And my girls really enjoy rolling the dough in the cinnamon/ sugar mixture!
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350.  Mix softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs well in a large bowl.  Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.  Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.  Chill dough and chill an uncreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.  Meanwhile, mix 3 Tbs. sugar and 3Tbs cinnamon in a small bowl.  Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture.  Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.  Place on unglazed cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes.  Remove from pan immediately.

Easy and Quick Pizza Dough

We often make pizza because it is one of the few meals that all 7 of us love.  If I haven't had time to soak my grain the day before to make the healthier version, I give my girls a treat and let them make this delicious 15 minute pizza dough.  Crispy on the bottom and soft on the top, it is just so delicious!  I double the recipe and let them each make their own big pizza the way they like it and then they can have leftovers to take to school for lunch.  Thanks to Homegrown in the Valley for such a delicious and easy recipe!

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast 

1 teaspoon honey

1 cup warm water (110 degrees)

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Whisk yeast, honey, and warm water together in a bowl. Cover and let it stand about 10 minutes. It should be frothy, like the first picture. See how much the yeast loves honey? Sugar can also be used.
2. Stir in flours, salt and oil. I do this with my dough hook in the Kitchenaid but you can kneed it by hand.
3. Move dough to a floured surface, cover with a towel, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
4. Now you can either use your dough as is or if you have a few more minutes, shape it and let it sit again for another 5 minutes or so to let it develop a little more flavor.
5. Bake your crust in the oven at 450 degrees until it starts to brown, then add your ingredients and continue to bake until the cheese is melted.

Read more: http://homegrownandhealthy.com/painless-pizza-crust/#ixzz5A3nM9tKx

Papa Eric's Waffles

The girls love Papa Eric's waffles more than any other so I finally remembered to ask him for the recipe.  I didn't try to make it healthier by soaking the batter because I was afraid I would ruin the recipe, but I did use half whole grain flour and half unbleached all purpose flour, and I also substituted my sucanat for white sugar and used half butter and half coconut oil for the oil.  (I tripled the recipe and didn't want to use up my stash of either oil at once.)  My girls agreed that they were the best waffles we had made and I freezed half of them for easy breakfasts on school mornings.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 egg yolks beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups milk
3 egg whites beaten stiff

Directions: Measure dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Blend.  Combine egg yolks and milk.  Stir into dry ingredients.  Stir in cooking oil. Carefully fold in egg whites.  Do not over-mix. Pour approximately 2/3 cup batter onto preheated grid.  Close and bake

Lemon cream punch

When we ran out of sherbet at my daughter's party, we had some lemonade leftover as well as some sprite and vanilla ice cream.  My mother-in-law added them to the punch bowl and everyone agreed is was amazing!  I wish I had actual quantities to write down, but I don't.  I just wanted to add it to the blog so we can remember to try it again soon.

I would guess:
1 1/2 cups lemonade
1 1/2 cups sprite
1 pint ice cream

Sherbet punch

My daughter requested this punch for her birthday and it was a quick and delicious punch!  Everyone loved it!

Ingredients

• 1 tub of lime sherbet
• 1 2-liter Sprite

1. Grab a punch bowl. 
2. Spoon the sherbet into the punch bowl.
3. Pour the Sprite over the sherbet and stir.
4. Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Vanilla Custard

When my girls do swim team in the summer, they are always hungry and I try to find nutrient dense recipes to fill them up.  This custard is both delicious and healthy.

• 3 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey
• ⅓ cup arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoons gelatin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

1. Whisk together arrowroot and gelatin in a small bowl.
2. Into a medium saucepan, pour milk, egg yolks, maple syrup, and sea salt.
3. Sprinkle the arrowroot mixture over its surface, and whisk again to combine.
4. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring CONSTANTLY until the pudding begins to thicken. It will start to steam first, which is your sign that the custard is almost done.
5. Once thickened, remove immediately from the heat.

Cheesy Garlic, Sausage, and Bacon Pasta

My husband absolutely loves it when a recipe contains more than just one meat.  And I love anything with a cream sauce.  So this recipe makes us both happy!  I got the idea from this recipe, but the whole carbonara process seemed too time consuming to try out with a fussy baby on my hip so I just added some flour and cream to the bacon and sausage drippings to make a normal cream sauce for the pasta and it was delicious!  But I'm sure actually making it as carbonara wold be wonderful as well so feel free to give yourself more time than I did and try it out.

• 3 Tablespoons of flour
• 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 1 1/2 pound of spaghetti - cooked
• 1 lb of sliced smoked sausage
• 1/2 pound of bacon - after cooked cut into pieces
• 1- 2 teaspoon of minced garlic *depending on taste
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 extra cup of Italian blend cheeses* (can be the mixed bag style in stores)

Directions:

Fry bacon and use drippings to brown sausage. Reduce heat and add garlic to simmer with sausage.  Add a few tablespoons of flour to create a roux and mix well.  Add cold cream and stir til the sauce thickens. Add Italian blend cheese.  Add bacon and pasta and combine.  Sprinkle Parmesan on top and serve.

Soaked crepes

My girls love crepes.  I love them because they contain lots of eggs to fill my girls with protein.  Most of my girls put cream cheese in the middle and pour syrup over top.  If we have fresh berries, we add those as well.  I use this recipe with my freshly milled spelt flour by soaking the flour overnight in the milk with a bit of apple cider vinegar added to make it healthier.  I usually triple this batch to have some to freeze for busy school mornings.

• 3 eggs
• 1⅓ cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon melted butter, cooled
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• *sugar for sprinkling

In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, milk, flour, salt and slightly cooled melted butter. Add in the sugar and vanilla if making a sweet crepe. If making a savory crepe, leave the sugar and vanilla out.

Mix well with a wire whisk until well combined. Keep the whisk in the bowl and continue to mix the batter occasionally as you make the crepes.

Heat a 8" non-stick skillet to medium heat.

Use a paper towel to lightly grease the pan with butter.

Pour ½ cup of crepe batter into the pan and tilt pan so the batter covers the pan in a thin layer. Cook until the edges start to lightly brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip over and cook for a few more seconds until done.

Sprinkle about a ½ teaspoon of sugar over the crepe and roll them up, or fold them into fourths.

Keep them covered with tinfoil to keep them warm until they’re ready to serve.

Serve with fresh berries, powdered sugar, whipped cream or nutella!

Mini quiche muffins

Karis has really gotten into cooking lately and one of her favorite meals is mini ham and cheese quiche muffins.  She even makes her own crust.  She got her crust recipe from Genius Kitchen and her filling recipe from here.

Crust:

• 1cup flour
• 1⁄2teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4cup olive oil or 1⁄4 cupcanola oil
• 1⁄4cup ice water (I use refrigerated water)

1. Mix flour and salt with fork.
2. Beat oil and water with whisk or fork to thicken.
3. Pour into flour and mix with fork.
4. Press into 9" pie crust.
5. Fill with quiche mixture and bake at 400F until done.
6. NOTES: I've never made this with canola oil.
7. You can double the recipe, divide dough in half, and roll out into a pair of rounds for two-crust pies.
8. This recipe is not suitable for baked pie crust shells.
9. It makes a nice, flaky crust that's suitable for everyday use.

Filling:

• ½ lb. ham, cubed
• 1 cup fresh milk
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Arrange the pastry dough on a round baking dish.Blind bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the beaten egg, salt, pepper, milk, and cheese. Mix well.
4. Add the cubed ham to the egg mixture and stir.
5. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Pour the entire mixture in the baking dish.
6. Place it back in the oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350F.
7. Remove from the oven.
8. Serve. Share and enjoy!

Summer Bounty Sausage Casserole

I stumbled upon this recipe when looking for a yummy but different way to enjoy our home-grown tomatoes and zucchini.  I wan't sure if my husband would like it since casseroles aren't his favorite, but both times I made it recently he raved about all the different flavors inside.  He wanted me to make sure I kept the recipe for next summer!  Thanks, Carrie, for such a winner!  The only thing I did differently was to make my own cream sauce instead of canned mushroom soup.  And I can never put just one clove of garlic in... I probably used at least 5!

• 1 lb . Ground Italian Pork Sausage
• 2 c . Finely Diced Zucchini
• 4 c . Cooked Rice, (white brown or long grain)
• 1 c . Diced Fresh Tomatoes
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced
• 10 oz . Cream of Mushroom Soup or homemade cream sauce
• 1/2 c . Low Fat Chicken Broth
• 1 c . Part Skim Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Start by preparing your rice. Depending on which kind you use this can take any where from 5-20 minutes. I used instant white rice so mine only took about 5 minutes.
3. While the rice is cooking, brown the sausage in a skillet on top of the stove until it is cooked through and no longer pink; then drain off any excess grease and place in a bowl.
4. Add the remaining ingredients minus the cheese to the bowl and mix well.
5. Place the mixture in an oven safe casserole dish, sprinkle with the cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

Leah's Paleo fudge

My friend Leah posted this yumy recipe and I just had type it out so I could remember it!

1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (we use almond or sunflower butter)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla

Mix together until smooth (I use my food processor). Put into muffin liners (I used miniature ones here), and freeze/refrigerate

Karis' favorite strawberry oatmeal bars

• Karis made these wonderful bars from Pioneer Woman for a "how-to" presentation at our homeschool co-op.  They immediately became her favorite bar recipe!
• 
  
• 1-3/4 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• 1-1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1-1/2 cup Oats (quick Or Regular)
• 1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 jar (10 To 12 Ounce) Strawberry Preserves

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 or 8 x 10 baking dish. 

Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle half the mixture into the pan and pat lightly to pack it a little tight. Spoon strawberry preserves evenly over the surface, then use a dinner knife to carefully spread it around. Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly again. 

Bake until light golden brown on top, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan. 

When cool, cut into squares and serve. Yum!

Karis's Favorite Toffee Cheesecake

Karis made this for my dad's birthday and it is probably one of the best cheescakes I have ever eaten!  She got it from a Philadelphia Cream Cheese book.

Ingredients:
2 pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chopped toffee bars, divided
1 graham cracker crust

Directions:  Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until well blended.  Add eggs; mix until blended.  Stir in 3/4 cup of the chopped toffee bars.  Pour into crust.  Sprinkle with remaining toffee bars.  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set.  cool.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Easy Addicting Corn

My family loved this recipe! Thanks Budget Savvy Diva!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Bag of Frozen Corn - 16 oz
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter
• ⅓ Cup of Parmesan Cheese
• ¼ Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
• ½ Teaspoon of Pepper
• ½ Teaspoon of Paprika

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Over Medium Heat Melt Butter In A Medium Size Skillet.
2. Add frozen corn ( do NOT add extra water)
3. Cook for about 5 -7 minutes - stir every 2 minutes. Add seasoning keep stirring till all corn is well coated.
4. Add cheese - stir for about 10 seconds
5. and you are DONE! Enjoy!

Pioneer Woman's Chili!

I love the flavor of this recipe from The Pioneer Woman!

• 2 pounds Ground Chuck
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced (optional)
• 1 can (12-14 Oz. Size) Tomato Sauce
• 1 can (10 Ounce) Ro-tel (diced Tomatoes And Chilies)
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground Oregano
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
• 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1 can (14-ounce) Kidney Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 can (14-ounce) Pinto Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1/4 cup Masa (corn Flour) Or Regular Corn Meal
• 1/2 cup Warm Water
• Individual Bags Of Fritos
• Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Diced Red Onion (Optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Brown ground chuck with garlic in a pot over medium-high heat. Add tomato sauce, Rotel, salt, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. 

Add drained and rinsed beans. Stir to combine, then cover and simmer for another 20 minutes. 

Mix masa with water, then add to the chili. Stir to combine and simmer for a final 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside. 

Serve by slicing the Frito bags open lengthwise. Pile in chili and cheese, and diced onion if using. Serve immediately with plastic forks. A crowd-pleaser!