Lemon Lush

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, combine the flour and butter using a pastry cutter until a ball forms. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and well blended. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. In another bowl, whisk together the lemon pudding mix and milk for 3 to 5 minutes. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Chill until set, then top with whipped topping.

I think it's time to start up my food blog again. Sean requested this and, wow, it's delicious! It's like a mix between lemon bars and lemon pie. I love the cream cheese filling and the crust. 

Crepes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling

Crepes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 t. salt
1 T. sugar (omit if making savory)
2 T. butter, melted
Filling:
1 cup strawberries, chopped
2 T. sugar
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk, stirring to combine. Add the salt, sugar, and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
3. Cook the crepe for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the bottom is lightly browned. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Serve hot. Makes 8-10 crepes.

For the filling: Combine strawberries and sugar and set aside. In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in strawberry mixture until well combined. Put about 1-2 Tbsp. of mixture in each crepe. Roll up and serve with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.

YUM-MY! This was my first time making crepes and I am hooked. I love they they are chewy and sweet. They're so pretty and fancy-looking, too! I am putting two links to crepe recipes that I used. I kinda combined the two.

Crepes (Thin Cakes) from Our Best Bites
Easy Crepes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling from Favorite Family Recipes

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups beef broth
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water

Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, chopped onion, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl until evenly mixed. Shape beef mixture into 4 patties, about 3/4 inch thick.

Fry patties in a large skillet over medium heat until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes. Add beef broth, onion, and mushrooms; bring to a boil. Reduce head to low, cover, and simmer until patties are no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes more. Transfer patties to a platter and keep warm.

Bring onion mixture to a boil. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl; stir into onion mixture. Cook and stir until gravy is thickened, about 1 minutes. Pour over patties to serve.

Brownie Mix Truffles

Brownie Mix Truffles

• 1 box fudge brownie mix + ingredients on back of box (or any fudgy homemade brownie recipe)
• 12oz Baker's chocolate (I used 6oz each semi-sweet and white)
• sprinkles/embellishments

Directions

1. Bake brownies according to package directions then cool completely. Cut off edges then fluff cooked brownies with a fork. Scoop out brownies by the Tablespoon then roll into a balls and place on baking sheets lined with wax paper.
2. Add chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl just big enough to hold it (makes for easier dipping) then microwave for 1 minute and stir. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring between increments, until chocolate is melted. Dip brownie truffles in chocolate then transfer between two forks to let excess chocolate drip off. Transfer back to wax paper then add embellishments on top. Place into refrigerator to harden then package. Store on the counter or in the fridge.

So fun to make these!! They look like they'd be hard to make but it was so easy! And really fun for the kids. And of course they were delicious. 

Lasagna

Lasagna (from Worldwide Ward Cookbook: Mom's Best Recipes)
1 lb. ground beef
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 13-oz. can tomato paste
2-3 T. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated, plus 3 T.
1 16-oz. container of cottage cheese (or ricotta)
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 pkg. oven-ready lasagna noodles

In a skillet, brown beef; drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine oil and hot pepper flakes. Cook about 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add tomato paste and 2 1/2 cans water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add sugar to desired sweetness and salt and pepper to taste. Process tomatoes tomatoes in food processor until smooth and add to saucepan. Add onion. Cook for about 30 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and ground beef. Cook another 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Place small layer of sauce in 9x13-inch casserole dish. Place 5-6 lasagna noodles in dish. Cover with sauce. Sprinkle half the cheddar and mozzarella cheese over sauce. Place another 5-6 noodles over this layer. Spread sauce over noodles and top with the cottage (or ricotta) cheese. Spread evenly. Place another layer of 5-6 noodles and spread with remaining sauce. Top with remaining cheddar and mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with 3T. Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour, or until bubbly and noodles are soft. Allow to cool before cutting. Makes 12 servings.

This turned out great! It was fun making my own meat sauce. Although I didn't like the amount of sugar I added. I would half that amount next time. I also didn't have oven-ready noodles so I had to cook those. I'm always afraid the oven-ready noodles won't cook all the way!

Cafe Rio Recipes

Chicken
5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 small bottle zesty Italian dressing
1 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot. cook on high 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred with fork. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken to keep moist. Keep warm.

Pork
5 lbs. pork roast
1 small bottle honey BBQ sauce
1 T. honey
1 liter Dr pepper or Coke
Place all ingredients in large crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove pork and shred with fork. Place the meat back in the crock pot and leave it on low.

Lime Rice
In a sauce pan saute:
2 T. butter
1 yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
In a large pot bring the following to a boil:
6 2/3 cup water
8 tsp. chicken bullion
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
2 small cans diced green chilies
2 T. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
Add onion and garlic to boiling water. Add 3 cups long grain rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Pico de Gallo
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. pepper
Comibne ingredients in medium bowl.

Cilantro Lime Dressing
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing dry mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tomatillos, peeled
1 garlic clove
1/3 bunch cilantro
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/2 small jalapeno, seeds removed
Blend ingredients together in a blender. Add additional mayonnaise if dressing is too thin. Keep refrigerated.

Serve in the following order:
Tortillas, shredded cheese, Chicken or Pork, Black or Pinto beans, Lime rice, Red and Green leaf lettuce (shredded), Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Parmesan Cheese, Cilantro Lime Dressing.

Enjoy!

Wow, this was amazing! It was a lot of work but totally worth it. And this makes a TON of food. For us we didn't like all that cilantro so I would maybe add it to one component next time and that's it. It's very strong. It was so fun to cook with new ingredients! Like tomatillos. That dressing is so good. Would be delicious on a taco salad or burritos. The pork wasn't as sweet as from the restaurant but I've seen lots of different recipes that use brown sugar. Six Sisters' Stuff has a good one.

Fried Rice

Fried Rice
1/2 c. finely diced cooked ham, chicken or pork
1/2 bag frozen peas and carrots
2 T. oil
1 finely chopped green onion
2 cups cold cooked rice
2 T. soy sauce
1 egg

Fry ham and vegetables lightly in oil. Add onion, rice, and soy sauce. Fry over low heat for 10 minutes. Add one well-beaten egg; cook and stir 5 minutes more. If color isn't dark enough, add a little more soy sauce. Makes 6-8 servings.