Lemon Bundt Cake with Nut Topping

I went to Phoenix last weekend for a friends temple sealing. I stayed with an old family friend from when we used to live there almost 30 years ago. Joleen generously shared some of her great recipes with me. This is one of them (and I'm sure I'll be posting the rest as I make them)!

Lemon Bundt Cake with Nut Topping
(thanks to Joleen Hunt)

1 c. chopped pecans (I love the "cookie pieces" that you can buy, already chopped tiny)

1 lemon cake mix

1 small box of lemon instant pudding

4 eggs

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. water

3 good dashes of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour your bundt pan. Sprinkle 1 c. nuts over the bottom of the pan. Mix all cake ingredients together and beat for 2 minutes. Pour batter over nuts.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Cool. Invert onto serving plate.

Glaze

1 stick butter

1/2 c. water

1 c. sugar

Mix glaze ingredients on stovetop over medium heat, for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour glaze into bundt pan. Invert cake back into bundt pan. Let stand several minutes until glaze has been absorbed. Then invert one last time onto serving plate.

Baked Creamy Chicken Penne

This recipe came from Celia Fielding, via our ward email recipe swap. She calls it "Creamy Chicken Spaghetti," but when it came time to make it last night, I realized I was out of spaghetti, so I substituted mezze penne instead. Also, since you bake the pasta dish, I felt it needs to be included in the name since it takes on a "new idenitity" when baked. But however you make it and whatever you call it, it's good.

Baked Creamy Chicken Penne
(thanks for sharing Celia!)

8 oz mezze penne (or thin spaghetti, or any pasta, really)
Chicken broth made with water and bouillon or base (about 3 cups)
4 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1 cup chopped green bell pepper (optional)
¾ cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Worcestershirt sauce
2 Tbsp chopped pimiento
3 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
½ to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese or shredded cheddar cheese for topping.

Put enough chicken broth in a large saucepan to cook spaghetti; bring to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling chicken broth until tender.
In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add flour, stirring until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk; cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened. Add green pepper, 3/4 cup shredded cheese, the cream of mushroom soup, garlic powder, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and pimiento. Add chicken and cooked spaghetti; transfer to a lightly greased casserole. Top with Parmesan cheese or more shredded Cheddar cheese and bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

I have always said I didn't like ginger cookies--usually because they were "snaps" and more crunchy, which isn't my thing. However, I tasted these cookies at a friends house (who loves to bake more than me!) and fell in love. She got the recipe from allrecipes.com.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies
(thanks to Rachel Corbett, for re-introducing ginger cookies to me)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Big-Soft-Ginger-Cookies/Detail.aspx


2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.
Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Coconut-Pineapple Loaf Cake

Coconut-Pineapple Loaf Cake
(MS EveryDay Food, June 2008)
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/coconut-pineapple-loaf-cake?autonomy_kw=coconut-pineapple%20loaf%20cake&rsc=header_1


1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, drained well

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, tossing occasionally, 6 to 10 minutes; set aside. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch (8-cup) loaf pan; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low, and alternately add flour mixture in three parts and sour cream in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).
Using a rubber spatula, fold pineapple and 1 cup coconut into batter. Spoon into prepared pan, and smooth top; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes (cover pan with foil halfway through). Let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Broccoli Salad

Tonight we are having BLT's for dinner. With them, we'll have chips, watermelon and this salad. It is a favorite of mine--and that's coming from a non-broccoli eater. Marc first had this salad at a SuperBowl party in Rochester, NY a few years back and begged me to get the recipe and make it. I fell in love with it, too!

Broccoli Salad
(thanks to either Jessica Lee or Jessica Moore!)

2 large bunches broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 red onion, chopped small
1 lb. Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1-1 ½ c. sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
1-1 ½ c. craisens

Dressing:
1 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. (red wine) vinegar
2 c. sugar

Mix all salad ingredients together.
Toss salad with dressing.
Best if refrigerated for a few hours before serving.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This is a favorite salad of mine. It has a light lemon-poppyseed dressing that is perfect for the summer. An old friend came by for lunch today and so I added some chicken to make it more of a meal. Don't worry too much about exact amounts of the salad ingredients (the only things I measure are the dressing ingredients), just use these salad ingredients in the amount you like--you can't go wrong! YUMMY!

Strawberry Spinach Salad
(I think I got this recipe from a neighbor in Boise, ID or maybe a friend in Rochester, NY--I can't remember!)

Salad:
1 pkg (6 oz.) baby spinach
¼ small red onion, sliced thin (about ¼ cup)
½ medium cucumber
½ c. sliced strawberries
¼ c. sliced almonds, toasted

Dressing:
½ tsp. Lemon zest
2 Tblspn. lemon juice
2 Tblspn. white wine vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
1 Tblspn. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. Poppy seeds

Whisk dressing ingredients together until well blended and refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine salad ingredients, toss with dressing, sprinkle almonds on top.
Serve immediately.
Serves 8-10.

French Onion Salisbury Steak

This is SO good. I have made this dish a few times when my parents or my in-laws came into town. They all liked it. I made it today (because I happened to have parsley on hand and didn't know what to do with it) and Marc and I loved it, once again. Definitely worth sharing. Unfortunately, we gobbled this up before I could get a picture of it.

French Onion Salisbury Steak
(Cuisine At Home magazine)

1 ¼ lb. ground chuck
¼ c. fresh minced parsley
2 T. scallions, minced
1 t. kosher salt
½ t. black pepper
2 T. flour
1 T. olive oil
2 c. onions, sliced
1 t. sugar
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. tomato paste
2 c. beef broth
¼ c. dry red wine (I use cooking wine)
¾ t. kosher salt
½ t. dried thyme leaves
Cheese Toasts (see below)
4 t. minced fresh parsley
4 t. Parmesan cheese, shredded

Combine chuck, parsley, scallions, salt and pepper.
Divide evenly into 4 portions and shape each into ¾ - 1” thick oval patties.
Place 2 T. flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour.
Reserve 1T. flour.
Heat 1 T. oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Add patties and sauté 3 minutes on each side, or until browned, and then remove from pan.
Add onions and sugar to pan; sauté 5 minutes.
Stir in garlic and tomato paste: sauté 1 minute, or until paste begins to brown.
Sprinkle onions with reserved flour; cook 1 minute.
Stir in broth and wine, then add the salt and thyme.
Return meat to pan and bring soup to boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion soup ladled over.
Garnish with parsley & Parmesan cheese.

Cheese Toasts

4 slices French bread or baguette, cut diagonally, about ½” thick
2 T. butter, softened
½ t. garlic, minced
pinch of paprika
¼ c. Swiss cheese, grated
1 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place bread on baking sheet
Combine butter, garlic and paprika and spread on one side of each slice of bread.
Combine cheeses and sprinkle evenly over butter.
Bake until bread is crisp and cheese is bubbly, about 10-15 minutes.