Lemon Cooler Cake

Be sure to use fresh lemons and real butter for the full effect.  It was a little dense so I'll try another recipe soon.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tightly packed Tbls. grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
2 Tbls. fresh lemon juice

Lemon Icing (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt (I just stir them together).  Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternatively with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.  Add lemon zest and juice.

Pour batter into prepared tube pan.  Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until cake pulls away from side of pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool cake in the pan, set on a rack, for 10-15 minutes, then gently loosen top edge of cake from pan all the way around.  Invert onto a rack, then spread immediately with the Lemon Icing, using a pastry brush to smooth out if needed.  Below is the cake, fresh from the pan.  At the very top is the cake with the lemon glaze all over it.

Lemon Icing

2 cups (1/2 pound) confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 stick (4 Tbls) sweet butter, softened
2 Tbls. packed grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Mix in lemon juice and zest; spread on warm cake.  It helps to lay down some wax paper underneath the rack where the cake sits.  This catches the drips from the frosting.  You’ll definitely have some run-off.

Potato Salad from Zion Trip

I got this recipe from a blog and I will provide the link because their tutorial is awesome.

I find myself wanting to track it down often to use it.  We aren't big potato salad eaters, but that's only because I never make it! I never think enough ahead to make it. When I made it at the cabin, I ended up using the Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning and everyone seemed to like that because it added a bit of kick to it. I'm hoping to make some today, enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
• 3 stalks green onions, chopped
• 4 hard-boiled eggs
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• ½ Tbs. Montreal Steak Seasoning

Instructions

1. Cut potatoes into even pieces.
2. Place in cold, salted water along with eggs.
3. Bring to a boil. Boil for 12 minutes and remove eggs.
4. Chill.
5. Boil potatoes a few minutes more or until a knife can be inserted into the potato without resistance.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Drain and chill. When cooled, slice potatoes and eggs into bite-sized pieces.
8. Mix all ingredients and refrigerate until use.

Chinese Noodles

PF Changs Lo Mein Noodles
Ingredients

2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan in a slow drizzle) vegetable or wok oil
1 cup (2 handfuls) snow peas, halved on a diagonal
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into match stick size pieces
4 green onion scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
2 inches fresh ginger root, minced or grated with hand grater (I'd just use my dry spices)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lo mein noodles or thin spaghetti, cooked to al dente and drained well
1/2 cup aged tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, several drops

Directions

Heat a wok-shaped skillet or large non-stick skillet over high heat. When pan is very hot, add oil, (it will smoke a bit) then, immediately add the snow peas, pepper, mushrooms, scallions, and bean sprouts. Stir fry for 1 minute to flavor the oil, then add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the cooked noodles and toss with to combine. Add the soy sauce and toss the ingredients to coat noodles evenly with sauce. Transfer the lo mein to a serving platter and garnish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
Cook's Notes:

Wok oil is infused with ginger and garlic and is widely available on the International Foods aisle of the market.
Cooked shredded pork, chicken, or small de-veined shrimp may be added to this dish in any combination.

Red Pepper Relish

Mexican Salad

(To serve 6)

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1/2 can black olives sliced
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
10 oz sour cream
10 oz salsa
  4 diced tomatoes
   2 diced avocado
some diced green onion

I add 1/2 oniion diced and 1 green pepper diced.  I didn't have sour cream so I actually used ranch dressing this time.

Mix all together.
Add broken corn tortilla chips just before serving (or they go all soggy).
Serve in flour tortilla cones.

Classic Macaroni Salad

4 C elbow macaroni, cooked to package directions, rinsed in cool water, and drained

Combine:

1 Cup mayonnaise

¼ C white vinegar

4 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 ½ Tablespoons yellow mustard

1 ½ t.  salt

½ t. ground pepper

Add:

1 large onion, diced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 green/red pepper, diced

Add above to noodles and stir to coat. Chill at least 4 hours (preferably overnight)

*This is my go-to macaroni salad for summer get-togethers. It makes a ton.

Broccolli Salad

Ingredients

• 2-3 broccoli crowns, just the florets, finely chopped (5-6 cups)
• 10 bacon slices, crisp-cooked and crumbled (I used about ½ C of the precooked bacon from Macey’s -found by the ham in the meat dept.- remove the fat, chop it up, and microwave it until crisp)
• 1/3c red onion, diced
• 1/3c sunflower seeds
• 1/3c dried cranberries, chopped (golden raisins are equally good)
• 1/2c mayonnaise
• 2T apple cider vinegar
• 2t sugar (I doubled to 4t)
• salt and pepper
• Add 1 C bow tie pasta cooked to package directions

Instructions

1. To a salad bowl, add broccoli, bacon, onion, seeds, and cranberries. In a small bowl, mix mayo, vinegar, and sugar. Pour dressing mixture over salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (at least one hour).

Notes

This serves 4-6.

I use about half the amount of mayo as other broccoli salad recipes. Feel free to increase the amount if you prefer your salad more dressed.