Triple Lemon Cake

ingredients

Cake:

1 cup raw sugar, or to taste

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup self-rising flour

1 tablespoon warm water

1 lemon, zested

Topping and Filling:

3 1/2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 lemon, juiced, divided

3 1/2 tablespoons raw sugar

instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a 7-inch round baking dish with parchment paper.

Beat 1 cup raw sugar and 1/2 cup butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy; beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well before adding the next egg. Stir flour, water, and lemon zest into creamed butter mixture until batter is smooth. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven until top of cake springs back when touched, about 30 minutes. Cool cake completely.

Beat confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, and lemon juice together in a bowl using an electric mixer until topping is smooth and creamy. Mix 3 1/2 tablespoons raw sugar and remaining lemon juice together in a separate bowl to make the filling.

Slice the cooled cake horizontally, forming 2 round cakes. Poke holes into the bottom cake and pour lemon-sugar filling over cake. Place second cake over the bottom cake and spread the topping over the top cake.

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Tres Leches - Three-Milk Cake

ingredients

Cake

1 cup sugar

5 large eggs, separated

1/3 cup whole milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Generously butter a 13x9-inch rectangular baking dish the deeper the better, I usually use one that has over 2.8 quart capacity.

Beat ¾ cup of the sugar with the egg yolks until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes or so. Fold the vanilla, flour and baking powder along with the milk.

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, adding the cream of tartar after 20 seconds. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and continue beating until the whites are glossy and firm, but not dry. Gently fold the whites into the yolk batter. Pour this into the buttered baking dish.

Bake the cake until it feels firm and an inserted toothpick/cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Take out of the oven and place on a wire rack to cool off. After 10 minutes of so, with a spoon, gently scrap away the top crust of the cake, exposing the layer underneath, using a fork, gently pierce the cake all over. At this point, let the cake cool completely.

Make the Milk soaking cream.

instructions

1 - 14 ounce can Sweetened Condense Milk

1 - 12 ounce can of Evaporated Milk

1 can (use the empty one of the Evaporated Milk) of whole milk

1 - 6.7 ounce can of Heavy Table Cream

1 tablespoon of rum (don’t skip this, it gives it a whole other dimension, and you will not taste it)

3 egg yolks (save the whites for the topping)

Warm up the whole milk until almost hot, using the microwave or over the stove top.

Pour the hot milk into a container or blender and then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix/blend until fully combined. I usually take a taste at this point add more rum or cream if needed, You don’t want this to be overly sweet cream and the Heavy cream and rum tends to tone down the sweetness.

Pour the soaking cream over the cool cake, the cake should automatically start soaking up the cream, but if it pools in any particular area, just move it around so it will absorbed.

Cover with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator while you make the Meringue toping.

Note: the Heavy Table Cream can be found in most Latin supermarkets and in some cases in your local supermarket in the “Latin” or “Ethic” food section. If you can not find it, you can use Sour Cream instead, measure the amount using the empty can of the evaporated Milk - about half of the can, or if you have a scale then measure the 6.7 ounces needed. Also if you are worried about the “raw” egg factor in the soaking milk, you can exclude, but since you are warming up the milk, this will “cook” the raw eggs when mixing.

Meringue

1 cup sugar

¼ cup of water

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

3 eggs white (saved from the Soaking cream)

¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Place ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar in a heavy saucepan with ¼ cup of water. Cover and cook over high heat, for 2 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook the sugar to the soft ball stage, 239F on a candy thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the egg whites to soft peaks with the cream of tartar. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beating to stiff peaks. Pour the boiling sugar syrup in a thin stream into the whites and continue beating until the mixture is cool to the touch and is nice and glossy white, add the vanilla extract and mix once more until incorporate.

Finishing the cake

Take the cool cake out of the refrigerator and using an offset spatula, spread the meringue all over the top of the cake. Once is fully covered, I like to put some maraschino cherries on top (use a paper towel to dry the liquid off a bit). Cover again with foil and back into the refrigerator it goes. You can served this the same day its made, as long as you give it at least 2 hours of refrigeration time. It’s best the next day.

Note: You will have some meringue left over, which gives you a perfect excuse to make chocolate cupcakes in order to frost them with the left over.

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Mint Chocolate Eclair Cake

ingredients

1 box chocolate graham crackers

2 (3 1/4-ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding

3 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 tsp mint extract, divided

green food coloring

1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed

1 can chocolate frosting

instructions

Spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Line the bottom of the pan with whole graham crackers.

In bowl of an electric mixer, mix pudding with milk, a few drops of green food coloring and 3/4 teaspoon mint extract; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.

Heat the container of prepared frosting, uncovered in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir in remaining 3/4 teaspoon of mint extract. Pour over the top of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours before serving.

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"Cracked Out" 7up Biscuits

ingredients

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 Tbsp dry Ranch dressing mix

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 strips cooked bacon, chopped

1/2 cup 7-up

1/4 cup melted butter

instructions

Preheat oven to 450.

In a medium bowl, combine Bisquick, sour cream, Ranch, cheese and bacon. Stir in 7UP. Stir just until combined. Makes a very soft dough.

Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Cut with a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9-inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

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Crazy Caramel Apple Pie Bombs

ingredients

12 frozen white dinner rolls, (uncooked)

2 medium apples, (I used gala)

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

30 vanilla caramels, unwrapped and divided

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp heavy cream

Flour, (for dusting)

instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place dinner rolls on a microwave safe plate and microwave on defrost for about 2 minutes (or until dough is no longer frozen, but not cooked).

Butter a small casserole dish (approximately 9”x6”) and set aside.

Peel, core and dice apples. Place them in a medium size bowl. Add sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat. Set aside. Unwrap and cut 18 caramels into quarters. Set aside.

Lightly flour your countertop.

Toss 1 piece of dough in flour and flatten and stretch like you are making a mini pizza. Stretch dough to about 3” across.

Reserve ¼ cup apple mixture. Add a tablespoon of apple and 6 of the cut caramel pieces. Pull the edges of the dough together to create a ball. If they ball won’t seal, tap your finger tips into the flour and crimp the seal together.

Place dough ball in prepared dish. Repeat until all apple pies are in dish. Brush apple pies with melted butter (use it all). Sprinkle with reserved apple mixture and brown sugar.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the pies are no longer doughy.

Meanwhile, place 12 remaining unwrapped caramels and cream in a microwave safe bowl and heat until melted. Stop microwave and stir every 30 seconds. Once you have a smooth mixture, set aside to cool.

Remove from oven and drizzle with caramel sauce.

Serve and enjoy!

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Gooey Caramel-Pecan Cake

ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ devil’s food cake mix

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

20 caramels, unwrapped

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup whipping (heavy) cream

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 container Betty Crocker™ Whipped chocolate frosting

instructions

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans, or spray with baking spray with flour.

Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for two 8-inch or 9-inch rounds. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In 1-quart saucepan, heat caramels, butter and whipping cream over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. (Or place caramels, butter and whipping cream in 4-cup glass measuring cup; microwave uncovered on High 1 to 3 minutes, stirring once or twice.) Stir pecans into melted caramel. Cool 30 to 45 minutes or until firm enough to spread without running over edge of cake.

Place 1 cake layer on plate, round side down. Spread with 1 cup of the pecan filling. Top with second layer, round side up. Spread remaining pecan filling into 4- to 5-inch circle on top of cake. Spread chocolate frosting on rest of top and side of cake. Store loosely covered.

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Cookies ‘n Cream Cake!

ingredients

Cake

1 Box white cake mix

Eggs, water and oil as called for on the box

~OR your favorite white cake recipe

15 Oreos, crushed

Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar

1 (8 oz) container Cool whip, room temperature

15 Oreos, crushed

¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract

instructions

Cake: Grease and flour two or three 8″ pans (Marina uses three, I use two because I don’t have three). Prepare cake according to package directions (or recipe directions), stirring in the crushed Oreos to the batter before dividing between prepared pans. Bake as directed on box or in recipe, but start checking 5 (or more) minutes early if you choose to do three layers as they will bake faster. Remove cake layers from oven and allow to cool completely on cooling rack. Frosting: In mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar. Add vanilla, mix well, and stir in Cool whip (do not beat it in or your frosting will turn out runny). Mix well. Fold in crushed Oreos until well blended & frost cooled cake. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve and refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 1 (8 inch) 2 or 3-layer cake * Cake may be baked in a 13 x 9 inch pan or you can even make cupcakes; change the baking time according to the package instructions or your recipe.

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GARLIC LEMON PASTA AND SHRIMP!

ingredients

12 ounces thin spaghetti or linguine

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh grated lemon zest

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or the juice of one lemon)

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)

instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions, or until al dente.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. After 2 minutes, turn the shrimp over, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, the garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon zest and white wine to the shrimp. Stir to reduce the wine slightly. Stir in the lemon juice.

3. Ladle 1/3 cup of the cooking water into a large serving bowl. Drain the pasta and add to the bowl. Pour the shrimp with the sauce over the pasta. Add the pine nuts and Parmesan and toss to mix and coat. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and extra red pepper flakes on each serving, if desired.

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Make-Ahead Cheesy Turkey Chili Bake

ingredients

1 1/4 lb ground turkey

1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix

2 cans (19 oz each) Progresso™ cannellini beans, drained, rinsed

1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso™ green chiles, undrained

1 can (11 oz) Green Giant™ SteamCrisp™ white shoepeg corn

1 jar (16 oz) Old El Paso™ Thick 'n Chunky salsa

2 cups shredded Mexican four-cheese blend (8 oz)

instructions

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat turkey and salt to taste over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients except cheese; stir to combine. Spread in baking dish. Top with cheese. Spray piece of foil large enough to cover baking dish with cooking spray. Cover baking dish with foil, sprayed side down.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of casserole reads 165°F. If desired, serve over rice with favorite chili toppings: cilantro, green onions, sour cream, yogurt, salsa, guacamole.

To freeze: Spray 2 (8-inch) disposable foil cake pans with cooking spray. After covering pans with sprayed foil, place pans in gallon-size resealable freezer plastic bags, or wrap in double layer of plastic wrap. Label and freeze. To bake: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove from plastic, and place foil-covered pans on cookie sheet. Bake 40 to 50 minutes. If baking from frozen, bake 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

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Chicken Tikka Masala – God Save the Curry

I probably get more requests for Indian food than any other ethnic cuisine, so I was very excited to be posting this chicken tikka masala; until I found out it’s actually a British recipe. It was the same feeling I had when I found out that pizza wasn’t invented in New York. 

So technically, I still owe you an authentic Indian recipe, but in the meantime I think this will do nicely. While this is a stripped-down version, where we’ve cut out several time-consuming steps, it was still incredibly delicious, and very Indian curry-like. 

As I mention in the video, this is usually done with heavy cream, but I like to use coconut milk instead. It’s probably a little better for you, but above and beyond that, the subtle sweetness it provides works beautifully with the spices in the dish.

By the way, you can substitute chicken breast here, but since we’re not doing the traditional yogurt marinade first, I believe thighs work much better in this version. Usually chicken breasts are marinated in yogurt first, and then cooked in a tandoor oven, before being added to the sauce. It is a great way to do it, but even without that step, I thought this was excellent. So, I hope you give this American version of a British version of an Indian curry a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions of Chicken Tikka Masala:

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 or 3 tablespoons clarified butter

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup tomato paste

4 garlic cloves, finely grated

1 rounded tbsp finely grated peeled ginger

1 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato puree

1 can (13.5-oz) coconut milk, or about 1 2/3 cups heavy cream

1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth, or as needed (use to adjust sauce consistency to you liking)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

salt to taste

4 cups steamed rice

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps – Not Exactly P.F. Chang’s, But Close Enough for the Internet

I don’t do a lot of copycat recipes; mostly because I don’t eat at the restaurants people are requesting the recipes from. I mean, unless they're going to throw in a couple bottles of wine, I’m not going to Olive Garden to figure out how they do their breadsticks. These chicken lettuce wraps however, are a delicious exception.

When I go back to visit my mom, we usually make it to P.F. Chang’s at least once, and always start the meal with their very popular chicken lettuce wraps. Off the record, they do a good job with most of the dishes I’ve had, but the wraps are clearly my favorite.

There’s an addictive quality to the contrasting combination of flavors and textures, and since this recipe has been requested many times, I decided I’d give it a go. Fair warning, I did almost no serious corporate espionage to find out what’s actually in these, but regardless, I loved how this came out, and it seems close enough.

One key here is to use a very large, non-stick pan, so the braising liquid/glaze sticks to the bits of food, rather than the bottom of the pan. Other than that, the technique is pretty simple, and not a lot can go wrong…unless you try to use chicken breast. Even if you think you don’t like them, use thighs, because in this you will. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 8 large or 16 smaller lettuce wraps:

Chicken mixture:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped

1/2 cup yellow onion, minced

1/3 cup green onion

1 can (8-oz ) water chestnuts, drained, minced

1 cup diced shiitake mushrooms

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

For the glaze:

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 tsp mustard powder

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp red chili flakes, or to taste

4 garlic cloves, minced

about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, basil leaves, and green onions to finish

iceberg lettuce leaves as needed