Easter (catch up!)

Spring still waiting for winter to be over.  Easter was very cool.  We went to church out in Bedford.  This is the first time both kids have gone, and they both have commented, several times, that they really liked it.

Dinner:  Ribs, homemade bread, deviled eggs, and asparagus with Trevor making his now-famous hollandaise sauce.

I made a different cake for Easter--still carrot, but with a basket decoration.  It was super easy, and I think the kids liked it.  I was pretty happy that I was able to make this look so good!

Holly's birthday recipes

A wonderful friend made this for us a few weeks ago. Our mutual soccer teams were supposed to be playing each other, and they were going to come for dinner after the game. The game was rained out, just giving us more time to enjoy our company. It's worth noting that our team color is blue; their team color is green.



Holly requested this same cake for her birthday.

JELLO POKE CAKE

2 (8 or 9 inch) white cake layers, baked and cooled
1 small box green jello
1 small box blue jello
2 cups boiling water*

Place cake layers, top side up, in two clean round cake pans. Poke each cake with a fork at 1/2 inch intervals, being sure to go all the way down to the bottom of the pan.

Open each box of jello and put into its own bowl. Dissolve in boiling water (1 cup per bowl), stirring well.

Carefully spoon one bowl over each cake. The jello will overflow and run down the edges of the cake (inside the pan). That's okay, just go slowly, and cover the entire cake with the jello.

Chill in fridge for 3 or more hours. (I didn't have this much time, one hour was sufficient.)

Dip one cake pan in water for 10 seconds, then unmold onto a serving plate. Top with frosting. Dip other cake pan in warm water for 10 seconds, unmold and place carefully on top of frosted cake; frost over all.

*I used a can of Diet 7-Up that we had on hand for 12 oz. of the water.

This is a fun recipe to play with. Pair up different jello flavors, and different pop flavors for variety, or to suit your purpose: red and green for Christmas; pink and red for Valentine's Day; orange and grape for Halloween, etc.


WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened (I always use the reduced calorie)
1 c. sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 t. vanilla extract
1-1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

In a small bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth; fold in whipping cream. After frosting cake, chill in fridge to set frosting.

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We've had my long loved fajita recipe for many years. This one beats my old one hands down. This was fabulous tasting and easy, easy to make.

BETTER STEAK FAJITAS

1/4 c. lime juice
1/3 c. water
2 T. oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 t. soy sauce
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. liquid smoke flavoring (I don't have, so I skipped)
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (gives a small kick and won't harm even small children!)
1/2 t. black pepper
2 lbs. your choice of fajita meat (I used flat iron steak)

Mix marinade ingredients together in large heavy duty plastic bag. Add meat, press out air to seal, place bag in fridge for several hours or overnight.

Bbq meat to desired doneness; let rest 5 mins., and slice thinly to serve.

Banana Bread!

I should have posted this recipe ages ago; I've been making it for 20 years or so. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo; everyone ate it too fast, and I froze the second loaf.

KONA INN BANANA BREAD

2 c. sugar
1 c. soft butter (I used half margarine)
6 ripe bananas, mashed (about 3 c.)
4 eggs
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2-1/2 c. cake flour (whatever, I've always used regular flour)

With electric beater, cream together sugar and butter. Add bananas and eggs, beating until well mixed.

Add baking soda, salt, and half of the flour; beat until flour is incorporated. Mix in remaining flour by hand. ***

Grease two loaf pans, taking care to well grease the corners and bottoms. Pour batter evenly into pans, and bake at 350 for 50 minutes until firm in the centers and edges begin to pull away from the sides.

Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before turning out of pans. These freeze wonderfully.

*** I often add in a cup of chopped nuts. If I forget, I add chocolate chips, but these are actually best without. (Imagine me thinking anything is better without chocolate...) The recipe is flexible, and you can be too.

Recipe - Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

Oops!!! I told someone this recipe was already up, but I realized I'm still waiting to get the picture out of my camera. I'll add the picture later.

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YUM!!!!! We've been making this for years, many thanks to our former neighbor Marilyn, who first made it for us.

TEXAS CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

2 sticks of butter
1 c. hot water (I'll use any leftover coffee when possible)
4 T. cocoa
2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk*
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla

*Put 1/2 t. vinegar in measuring cup; add milk to equal 1/2 c. Let sit for 5 mins., stir before using.

In a pan on the stove, melt butter, water and cocoa over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

While waiting for it to boil, mix sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl. When cocoa mix boils, pour it over the sugar mix, and mix by hand until well blended. Add remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 in a lightly greased pan until done. I use a 9x13 pan and bake for 25 mins., until done To make a "real" sheet cake, use a jelly roll pan, and adjust time accordingly.

Frosting:

5 T. milk
4 T. cocoa
1 stick butter
1 t. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar (about 4 c.)
1 c. chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or your choice)

Boil milk, butter and cocoa together on stove, stirring well. Pour over powdered sugar. Add vanilla and nuts, mixing very well. While still warm, pour over warm cake.

Recipe -- Cool Lemon Cake

This was our Easter dessert, the inspiration for my new "Cake of the Week" plan. (Why do I think I'm really going to regret this?)

COOL LEMON CAKE

1 package lemon cake mix
1 c. hot water
1 c. cold water
2 (3 oz.) packages of Lemon Jello
1 c. milk
1 (3.4 oz.) package of instant Lemon Pudding Mix*
8 oz. container of Cool Whip, thawed

Prepare and bake cake in a 9x13 baking dish, according to package directions. With a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.

Combine hot and cold water with ONE package of lemon jello. Stir until dissolved, and pour mixture over cake. Chill in fridge until cool.

In a bowl, combine milk, pudding mix and remaining package of jello. Stir until dissolved. Fold in Cool Whip and spread over cake. Refrigerate until serving.

*Original recipe called for Vanilla Pudding Mix.