There are a few truths in life that I adhere to.  One of them is...it's very important to make this cake with lemon and lime.  Why?  Because otherwise you'll just be making some "basic" Jello cake and not the one my Grandmother made.  And my Grandmother was a Saint.  (Well, not so much...but she was still my Grandmother!)

I'm going to put her recipe down here exactly as my mother gave it to me.  But I will also tell you when and where I divert from the recipe.  My Grandmother was a Joy of Cooking style cook...meaning, she followed recipes exactly and did things like "chill bowls" and stuff.   I'm a QDM cook....I think you might get the picture...

Ingredients:

 

Cake:

1 pkg. lime jello

1 pkg lemon cake mix (and whatever ingredients it asks for on the back. )

 

Topping:

1 envelope whipped topping mix (I use a tub of cool whip…Grandma just turned in her grave)

1 ½ cups milk (this is if you’re using the packaged whipped topping mix)

1 pkg lemon instant pudding (the 4 serving size)

 

Dissolve jello in ¾ cup boiling water.  Add ½ cup cold water; set aside at room temp.  Mix and bake cake as directed in 13x9x2 glass pan.  (Now, I don’t know what size cake pans I have but I’m sure I don’t have one of these!  Bundt, layer…whatever you have…they all work the same for me)  Cool cake 20-25 minutes.  Poke deep holes through top of warm cake (still in pan) with meat fork or toothpick (I use a toothpick).  Space holes about 1 inch apart.  With a cup slowly pour entire bowl of Jello into holes.  (This is a good trick.  I have one of those glass Pyrex measuring cups with a spout and it helps a lot).  Refrigerate while preparing topping.

 

Topping:  In a chilled and deep bowl blend and whip topping mix, instant pudding and cold milk until stiff. (3-8) minutes.  Frost immediately.

 

*Grandma’s Special Notes:  Use glass bowl for topping.  Cake must be refrigerated. 

*D’s Special Notes:  Why a glass bowl?  And hellsyeah, if you don’t refrigerate your cake it will be mush. 

 

Make some with me on my birthday at the end of this month! 

Coffee is a breakfast food, right?  This is the most-fittingist category for it.

How To Make Coffee

1. get some coffee.  or some coffee beans.  if you get beans, you need a grinder.  get the dunkin' donuts brand.  it's good.

2. have your husband make it. 

3. drink some and also serve it to your friend who is over visiting.  offer her some more.

4. go to the coffee maker to get more and see the pot is empty.  tell her there will be no more since you don't know how to work the coffee maker.

5. the end. 

Oh my goodness. These cookies are SCRUMPTIOUS. Chewy and warm and gooey and even HEALTHY! (I mean, oatmeal and raisins are REALLY healthy, right??) They didn't take that long to make (once I waffled back and forth for an hour about whether or not I wanted to go to the store and get brown sugar, the only ingredient I didn't have.) I didn't even make that much of a mess. I got this recipe from Everyday Food magazine, September 2008.

1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (NOT quick cooking)1/2 cup all-purpose flour1/2 cup raisins (I used a little more than that...probably 3/4 cup or so)1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 teaspoon salt6 tablespoons butter, room temp (it says unsalted butter but I think mine was salted and I couldn't tell the difference)1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar1/4 cup granulated sugar1 large egg
 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (mine was imitation, and they were still delicious.)  

 Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, raisins, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Using an electric mixer (I used a spoon, FYI) beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beat until combined. Gradually add oat mixture, beat until combined. (again, I used a spoon and it was fine. I don't own an electric mixer. For the love of God, I haven't baked cookies since I was 10. For real. I used to bake Snickerdoodles for my Uncle Bill, and after I stopped doing that, all urge to bake just left me. It was replaced by a love of NKOTB.) Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. (I did one sheet at a time. I only own one cookie sheet.) Bake until cookies are golden brown but still soft, 12-16 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on sheets, transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (Yeah. Don't have one of those either.)   Makes 24, except for me it made 20. I must make big cookies.   DELICIOUS.



 

 I call this Easter Potato Bake, but it's so good, you should make it for every holiday. Like Sundays. And Tuesdays.

32 oz frozen hash browns
1 chopped onion
 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
 1 16 oz tub sour cream
2 c grated cheddar cheese
 salt , pepper

  Mix all together, put in greased 9X13 pan, bake at 350 for 1.5 hours covered. Uncover for the last 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Jack is M's grandpa. He makes this caramel corn for her when she goes to see him up north, and it's been a hit with the whole family for years and years.

 

1 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter
 

Mix. Cook until firm ball. (heh. I said "firm ball".) By that I think he means take a bowl of cold water, and drop a bit of the mixture in and see if it turns into a firm ball. I have helped him make this a billion times, but somehow I think I've always missed the firm ball part. Anyway, pour the mixture over popped corn and spread the popcorn over wax paper to cool. Sprinkle some salt over it. Eat. Enjoy.

Marilyn was M's grandma. This is my favorite dessert/snack that she made. It's so easy, and so good.

Grease a large cookie sheet (one with walls...do you know what I mean?) Line with whole graham crackers.

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

Bring those two things to a full boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Pour over the graham crackers. Bake at 350 for 6 minutes. Immediately after removing from oven, sprinkle 12 oz of  milk chocolate chips on it. When melted, spread. When cool, cut.

1 cylinder of crescent roll dough

Butter

Brown Sugar or Cinnamon and Sugar

Pre-heat oven according to the package directions.  Unroll dough on to some wax paper in one rectangle (do not seperate triangles) and press preferations together.  Spread butter over entire rectangle and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or brown sugar.  Starting with the short end of the rectangle roll the entire length of the rectangle and press the end into the roll a little to help it stay together.  Cut into one inch size pinwheels. (This is the part that is not Kid-Made) and place on one inch apart on cookie sheet (Use your wax paper, especially if you've chosen the brown sugar) and bake for the amount of time suggested on package. 

( The brown sugar gets very sticky and chewy. )

I've lived in the south...well, most of my life.  But before that I lived in Western Pennsylvania where everything was boiled and served with Sauer Kraut.  I wasn't introduced to Southern Cooking until my late teen years and still some things amaze me.  I mean, frying an apple???  Is nothing sacred to these people?  (The answer to that, of course, is "No" but thank god, really!)

This portion served me and my two young sons so you may need to double the recipe.

2 large green apples (you know, the tangy kind)

2 rounded teaspoons of brown sugar

a good 2 tablespoons of butter product (I use Country Crock light)

cinnamon  (I guess about a teaspoon)

sugar (just a sprinkle)

Core and cut apples slices and then cut slices in half so you have 1 inch chunks.  It's up to you whether or not you peel the apples.  I left a few peels on to test and they were just as soft as the rest.  Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat.  Add brown sugar and stir until combined.  Add apples and stir to cover apples with mixture.   Cook for at least 10 minutes covered but stirring every minute or so.  Your apples are done when they are soft all of the way through but not mush.  Remember you are using brown sugar so you want to be careful not to have the mixture get too hot or sit for too long or you might risk caramelizing it.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar before serving.  Tastes wonderful with a scoop of Blue Bell ice cream! 

The weather here is cooling off, and there's almost a chill in the air. Makes me want apples.  I've had this applesauce recipe bookmarked for future use for a while now.  This morning I decided today would be the day to do it.

But I said "screw the recipe" and just kind of winged it.  How hard can applesauce be?

1. buy (or pick, I guess) a bunch of apples.  I bought eight.  Four Braeburn, four Pink Ladies.

2. peel them and cut them into chunks.  throw away the cores and peels.

3. Dump Pile-O-Apple-Chunks into the crackpot.

4.  Turn it on.  Walk away.  Carry about your business. 

I had mine on "high" and in about 5 hours the apples were soft and broken down enough to just kind of melt when I stirred them.  (This will make your house smell delicious, by the by.)  I left a few little chunks in mine because that's how I roll. 

 

Result: it's delicious.  Eight apples made about 1/3 of a crackpot full of applesauce.  It's tangy and sweet at the same time, very yummy.

My Opinion: this is good, but cutting up all those apples is kind of a pain in the ass.  My son eats applesauce all the time (Mott's) but the adults don't, so unless I'm feeling extra fall-y, like this morning, I doubt I'll make this again.  But it was good.