JulieD'sBlog
• Mar. 10, 2009 - Orange Julie-us
Orange Julius is a wonderful treat for the warmer days (or any day for that matter).
It is a family favorite around here and I wanted to share it with you!
Orange Julius
1 can of orange juice concentrate (6 oz if you can find it or just half of the larger one)
1 cup of milk
1 cup of water
1/2 cup sugar
2 or 3 drops of vanilla extract
9 ice cubes
Place all ingredients in your blender and blend until all is mixed well.
Enjoy!!!! |
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• Mar. 5, 2009 - A Little Taste of Spring
Even though I enjoyed the snow on Sunday and Monday, I am getting excited about spring. I am itching to get out on our backporch and fill containers with lovely geraniums, bacopa, ivy and other beautiful flowers and plants. I'm also excited about the beautiful jeweled hummingbirds who will be constant visitors to our feeders until the end of September. They never fail to entertain us and cause us to marvel at their Creator.
Samuel often asks, "Mom will you make ____________ soon?" This week it was lemon bars. It didn't take long for me to get in the kitchen and bake a sheet of those yummy, sweet and tart confections. I thought I'd share the recipe with you all -- in case you are also longing for spring.
Lemon Bars
Crust: 2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
2 sticks softened butter
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Filling: 4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional)
Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350
and lightly grease a 13x9x2 baking pan
Make the crust by combining all of the ingredients using
a food processor, fork or pastry blender. Once it is combined
well, press the dough into your baking pan.
Bake crust for 20 minutes.
For the filling mix the eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice and zest
together and pour over the baked crust. Bake for 25 minutes longer.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, when the bars are done.
Enjoy your little taste of spring!
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• Nov. 20, 2008 - S'more Brownies
I have always loved S'mores so when I saw this recipe for
S'more Brownies in Paula Deen's Christmas Issue, I knew I had to make
them for my family. They tell me they are delicious.
S'more Brownies
(Makes 24 brownies)
15 whole graham crackers, divided
1 (19.5 brownie mix)
3 cups miniature marshmallows
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13x9 inch baking pan with heavy-duty foil.
Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Place 10 whole graham crackers evenly over bottom of prepared pan;
breaking crackers apart as necessary to cover bottom of pan.
Crush remaining 5 graham crackers; set aside.
In a medium bowl, prepare brownie mix
according to package directions. Pour over
graham crackers. Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven; sprinkle evenly with
marshmallows and crushed graham crackers.
Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Cool completely and cut into squares.
Enjoy!
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• Oct. 4, 2008 - Cupcakes
Bethany loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, so when I saw this recipe in a Barefoot Contessa Cookbook I knew I had to make them for her 18th birthday. They were a hit so I thought I would share them here.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Icing
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.
Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.
Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. |
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• Jul. 12, 2008 - Sugar Cookie Cake
I mentioned that I had made a Sugar Cookie Cake in my last post and many of you asked for the recipe. I first read about this cake on Kelli's blog. She linked her post to Amy's blog at Simple Folk, for the recipe. I have made this cake twice and my family loves it!
Enjoy!
Sugar Cookie Cake
3/4 cup cold butter, cut in pieces
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix butter, sugar and flour into crumbs. (I used a food processor for this step) Reserve one cup of the crumbs and set aside.
Stir the baking soda into the buttermilk and add to the crumbs. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Pour batter into a 9x13" greased pan and top with the one cup of reserved crumbs.
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
Serve with fresh fruit and whipped cream.
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• Jul. 5, 2008 - Bluegrass Salad
Bluegrass Salad
Southern Living Magazine
2 Heads of Romaine Lettuce, cleaned and torn in bite size pieces
2 pears, chopped
Asparagus Tips, steamed until tender and then cool (add as many as you like)
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans (you may saute them in 1 teaspoon butter before adding to the salad.)
1/2 cup blue cheese
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Toss all ingredients together and toss with dressing. (Below)
Salad Dressing:
1/2 cup Canola oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 T. Balsamic vinegar
2 T. sugar or honey
Place all ingredients in a jar and shake very well. Drizzle over salad.
Enjoy!!!
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• Apr. 23, 2008 - New Recipe
Recently I discovered a new recipe that my family and friends have really enjoyed. It's called Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding and it originates from Paula Deen.
2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed
Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Enjoy!!!!
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• Dec. 20, 2007 - Cheesecake Christmas Trees
I wanted to share a delicious and such a cute idea for a Christmas dessert. I made these last year for a dinner we had for some dear friends. They are cheesecake Christmas trees and you make them from a store bought, frozen cheesecake. Here's the recipe:
Cheesecake Christmas Trees
1 to 2 peppermint candy sticks
1 (30 oz.) frozen New York-style cheesecake
1 (7.25 - 0z) bottle chocolate fudge shell coating
1 (6.4 oz) tube green easy-flow decorator icing
12 red m&m's
1. Measure 1/2 to 3/4 inch from end of peppermint stick, and make a small cut using a sharp knife. Gently break peppermint stick at cut. Repeat procedure with remaining peppermint stick to make 12 pieces.
2. Remove cheesecake from box according to package directions. Let stand 5 minutes. (Do not thaw.) Carefully cut cheesecake into 12 wedges. Gently push 1 peppermint piece partially into curved edge of each cheesecake wedge to form the tree trunks. Place wedges on a wire rack on a baking sheet and freeze 10 minutes or until firm.
3. Remove pan from freezer; evenly coat tops of each cheesecake wedge with fudge shell coating, allowing excess to drip down sides and curved edge. Freeze 5 minutes.
4. Remove pan from freezer; squeeze icing on top of each wedge in a pattern using ribbon tip. Place 1 red m&m at tip of each slice. Freeze at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Yield: Makes 12 servings
from Southern Living Nov. 2006
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• Nov. 12, 2007 - Our Week-End and a Recipe
I trust all of you had a wonderful week-end with your families. We sure did.
Friday night we attended a beautiful piano recital at a local college. The recital was given by a remarkable young lady in our church. She played completely by memory for close to an hour. We were so blessed to be a part of Julia's recital.
Saturday was spent grocery shopping, watching football, folding laundrey and grilling out that night. We've been busy the last few week-ends so it was nice just being home together.
Yesterday, Sunday, we joined with an African American church in our city to worship together and pray for the persecuted church. We were so blessed to hear from a man from Samaritan's Purse about how the Lord is moving in some parts of our world where Christians are persecuted. I was amazed at this man's stories and convicted of how much I take for granted. We need to pray daily for our brothers and sisters in these lands where they aren't able to worship freely, the missionaries who boldly serve Christ in those areas and the that the Lord would change the wicked hearts of the dictators.
I made a pot of black bean chili that a friend told me about. It in the November issue of Southern Living. I made a few changes and the entire family loved it. Here's the recipe:
Black Bean Chili
3 (15-oz.) cans black beans, drained
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1.5 pounds ground chuck
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14-oz.) can chicken broth
1 (14.5-oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 can of Rotel tomotoes
1 can of shoepeg corn
Toppings: sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, lime wedges, sliced jalapeño peppers, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes, corn chips
Brown the ground chuck, onion and green pepper until meat is cooked through and the onion and pepper are softened. Drain off grease and return to pot. Add the black beans, tomatoes, seasonings, black beans and corn. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a little while.
Enjoy!
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• Oct. 18, 2007 - David's Favorite Cake
One of the first recipes I got from my mother-in-law was for her chocolate pound cake. She had made this cake for David on his birthday and when he came home to visit for years. One of my first Christmas gifts, as a new bride, was a bundt pan so that I could actually bake the cake for David.
Recently two friends asked me for this recipe, so I thought I'd just share it with all of you; my dear readers. I know a few of you make a different version of chocolate pound cake and I would be interested in knowing the differences.
Chocolate Pound Cake
Pre-heat oven to 325
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup crisco shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup milk
1 T. vanilla
In a mixer, cream butter and shortening. Add sugar. Cream until fluffy.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternating with the 5 eggs, adding one egg at a time (just beat until yellow from eggs disappear)
Add cocoa and milk to the batter.
Stir in vanilla.
Spoon batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake for one hour and eight minutes. (tester should come out clean) Let cool in pan, on a cooling rack for ten minutes. Hold your breath, say a prayer and then turn the cake onto a cake platter or serving dish. (Can you tell I've had a few cakes break when I turned them out? If this happens just piece it together with the wonderful icing below or make a trifle! ) 
Chocolate Icing
1/2 cup butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 egg
2 cups powdered sugar
(you may add more if you want a thicker consistency)
pinch of salt
2 t. vanilla
1 t. lemon juice
In a saucepan melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together. Turn heat off and with a hand mixer, beat egg into warm chocolate mixture. Add powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon juice. Spread all over the cake once the cake is completely cooled. I like to make extra icing and fill the well of the cake with it. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!
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