Lemon cake with Lemon Buttercream frosting

This is a wonderful Spring/Summer cake recipe from Paula Deen's magazine. I made it for my bridge group and they loved it!! You can also use this as a white cake recipe by omitting the lemon zest and lemon juice and increasing the vanilla extract to 1 1/2 tablespoons.

1 Cup butter or I use 1/2 cup(one stick) butter and 1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco, due to my high altitude
2 cups sugar(decrease at high altitude to 1 3/4 cups)
4 Large Eggs, room temature
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder( I decrease this to 2 1/4 teaspoons at high altitude)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, room tempature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 -8 inch cake rounds with nonstick baking spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Spray the parchment paper on top.
 In a large bowl, beat butter or butter and Crisco at medium speed until creamy, gradually add sugar, beating for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs , one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat just until blended.

  In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating at LOW speed just until blended after each addition. Using a soup ladle, spoon batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on the wire racks. Frost with Lemon Buttercream frosting(recipe follows). Spread Lemon Buttercream Frosting between layers and on sides and top of cake. Garnish with shaved lemon slices and zest or sprinkles and flowers. Store cake, covered in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened( I use 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup butter flavor Crisco)
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons milk
5 cups confectioners sugar
yellow food coloring gel or liquid

In a medium bowl, beat butter at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Best in lemon zest, lemon juice and milk. Gradually add confectioners sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in food coloring, a small amount at a time, to reach desired color.

Yummy broccoli casserole

 I 've had this recipe since I was a young bride. A friend and I found a similar recipe and then developed our own from it. This is a wonderful side dish for the holidays as it pairs well with almost anything. It was a staple for entertaining in those days and I still love it!!

3 -10 oz. packages frozen broccoli
1/2 roll of 6 oz. garlic cheese(Kraft)
1/4 lb. Velveeta
1/3 cup milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup(do not dilute)
salt and pepper to taste
buttered bread crumbs(Just mix dry crumbs with melted butter)

Prepare broccoli according to the package. Drain and place in BUTTERED casserole. Heat cheeses, milk, soup in a medium saucepan, until melted and combined(Use fairly low heat). Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over broccoli in the casserole, top with bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chicken Soup Ole

A friend gave me this delicious and easy chicken soup recipe. It pairs well with flour tortillas.

4 frozen chicken breasts
1 Can Rotel tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz. cream cheese
1 TBLS. cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 package dry ranch dressing

Place frozen chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot. Add other ingredients. Cook 6-8 hours on low. Shred chicken when cooked.
Serve with a dollop of guacamole on top and shredded cheese.

Aton family Teagarden Steak

I received this recipe from my cousin Bev Aton when I got married 42 years ago at a recipe shower. She had gotten it from some of our great aunts and it is a wonderful and easy comfort food recipe!!! Serve this over mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes or rice.

Crumble one pound( I usually use 1 1/2 pounds) lean ground beef in a saucepan, Add 2 cups of water, salt and pepper to taste. Chop one small onion, Add to ground beef mixture. Add seasoning salt, garlic salt and seasoned pepper(Lawrys) to taste. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and let simmer for at least 2 hours. Serve over potatoes or rice and top with a big dollop of sour cream.. Yummy on a cold winter's night...

Holiday Au Gratin Potatoes

These are wonderful au gratin potatoes for any holiday meal or for pot lucks!! I got this recipe from a friend many years ago and have always loved it!! It is especially good with ham, prime rib and pork roast or tenderloin.

1 pint(2 cups) sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
7-9 potatoes, peeled and cubed, then cooked in boiling water
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup green onions
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Topping: Combine the following 2 ingredients..
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes

In large saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter, stir in soup, sour cream, green onions and cheese, Combine with cubed potatoes. Put in greased casserole and sprinkle with cornflake/butter topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Tracy's Zesty Salsa

This is a terrific salsa recipe from my friend Tracy Wolfe in Kansas!! It can be made with either fresh tomatoes or canned(She prefers canned, as she says that fresh can be expensive and very labor intensive, because of the blanching and peeling). Salsa is wonderful served with chips, on tacos, enchiladas, eggs, fish, anything and presents so well, as you can see from the picture. Her recipe makes about12 pints or if you want a few jars and some to eat, cut the recipe in half. So use a little creative license and jump in... OLE!

2 very large size cans of whole tomatoes, should be 5 lb. institutional size
or 20 lbs. fresh tomatoes, blanched and peeled

12 jalapenos or other chile if you like it milder, like me( I use Anaheim chiles which have wonderful flavor but nearly as much "heat")

1 green pepper, seeded
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
Habanero chile, if you want even more "heat"
canning salt
Mexican oregano, if desired
snipped fresh cilantro
12- pint canning jars, rings and lids

Put tomatoes, chiles,green pepper, onion, and garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor, working in batches. Put the salsa in a large soup pot on the stove and warm before putting in the hot jars for canning. Add some chopped fresh cilantro RIGHT before filling jars so it doesn't turn dark. Can also add 1 TBLS. canning salt at this point, if desired. Mexican oregano is what keeps you dippin at the Mexican restaurants, according to Tracy. Add a little at a time( 1 teaspoon), tasting as you go. Tracy finds that running all of the jars in the dishwasher, prior to canning, makes this easy. Pull them out and fill to top leaving headroom, with warm salsa while jars are still warm. If you just want to make some to be used fairly soon and to take as a gift. Eliminate the canning salt, and fill jars. Will keep in the frig for quite a while really, with the chiles in there. Boil the jars in a water bath for 15 minutes, remove and let cool on racks. Tighten lids before processing too.

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

I recently made this chocolate Angel Food Cake for a friend's birthday. If you like Angel Food and chocolate, you won't want to miss this one. The icing is a whipped cream combo, so cake is very light and so tasty!! It comes from "Taste of Home" magazine, several years ago.

1. 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar


2. 1 cup cake flour


3. 1/4 cup baking cocoa


4. 1-1/2 cups egg whites(about 11 eggs)


5. 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar


6. 1/2 teaspoon salt


7. 1 cup sugar

Frosting:

1. 1-1/2 cups whipping cream


2. 1/2 cup sugar


3. 1/4 cup baking cocoa


4. 1/2 teaspoon salt


5. 1/2 teaspoon Mexican vanilla

Move oven rack to lowest level and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together sugar, flour, and cocoa 3 times; set aside. In another large metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks form. Add granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in cocoa/flour mixture, about 1/4 at a time. Spoon into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan. Carefully run a knife thru batter to remove air bubbles. Bake on lowest rack for 35-40 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan and cool completely. Run a knife around edges to loosen cake and remove from pan. For frosting, In a mixing bowl, combine the first 5 frosting ingredients, cover and chill for 1 hour. Take out of frig and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over top and sides of cake. Store in the refrigerator. Garnish with chocolate sprinkles, flowers in center, etc. Serves 12-16