really good recipes

Steve & I had the pleasure of having both our parents visit us for Mother’s day again this year.  This gave me a reason to play around with creating cute jar desserts for all of us to enjoy.  Last years mini no-bake cheesecakes were quite the hit, so I scoured high & low to find a pick that could compete.  The choice ~ lemon cream cake.

The original recipe called for creating this cake in a 10″ pan and cutting it in half to spread the lemon cream mixture between the two cakes.  I’m fairly certain if I tried this feat the cake would not turn out so pretty so I decided to break out my mason jars and create 8 individual cakes instead.

Here’s what you need:

Prepare the white cake mix as the box states and add the sour cream and vanilla.  Spray eight 8 oz wide mouth mason jars with a non-stick cooking spray and pour batter inside.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Cut in the cake to create a space for the cream and remove top.   Cut off excess cake to create a flat cake top.  (These extra pieces are great for snacking and dipping in the magnificent cream you’ll be mixing up next!)

Beat the whipping cream, Mascarpone cheese, lemon juice, zest and powdered sugar until creamy and stiff.  (caution: splatter alert)  Also in case you were wondering… Mascarpone cheese is a fancy Italian cream cheese you can find in the specialty cheese section at most grocers.

Taste this mixture and you’ll want to dip anything and everything you can find in it.  I think this alone would make a fabulous fruit dip!

Fill the center of your cakes with this cream and place the top cake back on. Then add a bit more of the cream for the frosting.  This next step I feel is optional but it does give it that extra punch of lemon taste.

Mix 1/4  of the lemon cake mix with 4 tablespoons of room temperature butter and sprinkle on top.

Once assembled I kept these in the fridge for storage & took them out an hour or so before serving.

I’m happy to say they were a hit with the moms and the dads too!  This is definitely a great light dessert (in taste… not in calories :-) that is perfect for a spring or summer party.

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I think the title of this book sums up my feelings about this classic comfort food.  It was hard to pick which recipe to try first, but this one won the family vote.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 tablespoons of butter at room temperature

sourdough bread

brie

fresh chopped fresh thyme

black forest ham

granny smith apple

The combination of the tart crunchy apple, salty ham & creamy brie with a kick of thyme was quite tasty.  I added a little side salad and made Jule a happy gal when she returned home hungry from her soccer game.

Do you have a favorite recipe that’s been handed down for generations?

In honor of all moms and grandmothers everywhere, we bring you some simple dessert bar recipes that are sure to satisfy any craving…

Your favorite sandwich as a kid has just morphed into a dessert! Check out these Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars from Jackie over on the Domestic Fits Blog.

We found the recipe for these Strawberry Pie Sour Cream Crumb Bars on the Crunchy Creamy Sweet Blog (even the name of the blog sounds delicious).

Jennifer from The Rebel Chick came across this recipe for Layered Coconut Chocolate Cream Bars in an old cookbook and shares it with us here.

These Cranberry Bliss Bars might remind you of your favorite treat at an “oh-so-famous” coffee shop. Get the lowdown over at What’s Cooking with Ruthie.

What would Mother’s Day be without this family favorite? The  Love of Family and Home Blog shows us how easy it is to whip up these Brown Sugar Lemon Bars.

And one more for the chocolate lovers out there~Julie’s Eats and Treats kicks brownies up a notch with these Chocolate Cherry Bars.

Give her a break on Mother’s Day…how about breakfast in bed or start a Mother’s Day Brunch tradition at your home?

Here are some quick and easy recipes to get you started and make mom’s day :)

Check out  the Ultimate Blueberry Muffin recipe on the  Zoe Bakes Blog.

Or you can whip up these delicious dried cherry and orange scones for mom (absolutely divine with coffee or tea).  Carla from Chocolate Moosey will show you how.

Satisfy mom’s sweet tooth with these Chocolate Chip Pancakes. Jennifer from Juanita’s Cocina shares this recipe that she remembers from her childhood.

Surprise Mom with a delicious new spin on an old favorite…Strawberry Stuffed French Toast.  Nikki from Seeded at the Table has all the directions right here.

 Bobbie from The Experimental Foodie Blog came up with these cool  Star and Bacon Egg Cups.  All you need to make them are a few simple ingredients and a muffin tin.

Ever wonder how to make the best scrambled eggs EVER? Dine & Dish spills the secret ingredient here .

…what to do with all of those pretty leftover eggs?

We’ve rounded up a few scrumptious recipes that incorporate hard boiled eggs for you to try~

A Couple Cooks will show you how to whip up this fancy looking dish~Asparagus with Greek Yogurt.

We promise you, this is not your grandmother’s egg salad…meet the Egg Salad BLTA (bacon-yes bacon!).  Get the scoop on this yummy sandwich from Chung-Ah on the Damndelicious Blog.

Here’s another spin on the  old favorite ~the avocado egg salad wrap. Ashley from the Neverhomemaker Blog says that it is one of her new favorite recipes!

Are salads more your speed? Crunchy goodness abounds in this Crispy Chickpea Cobb Salad that we found on the Take a Megabite Blog.

You might even be lucky enough to get the kids to help out with this one~Grilled Cheese Easter Eggs are fast, easy and tasty! Camilla shares the recipe on her Family Chic  Blog.

Christie  from the Zestuous Blog shows us how to incorporate a little color into an old favorite. Her Creamy Purple Potato Salad is the perfect side dish for a springtime dinner.

And last, but not least…the Amazing Hard Boiled Egg Chocolate Chip Cookie.  Stephanie from the Plain Chicken Blog says she was amazed at how great these turned out :)

Calling all wine lovers: The flavor of your favorite drink can turn an ordinary meal into a gourmet dinner.

Check out these mouth-watering recipes we came across~

Cranberries aren’t just for Thanksgiving anymore–this pork tenderloin with cranberry wine sauce from Kitchen Confidante is sure to be a satisfying dish.

Back To Her Roots serves up a delicious side for your steak dinner…drunken mushrooms.

Tracey from Culinary Adventures adds white wine into her delightful recipe for caramelized sea scallops.

Chicken is a staple dish for many…we bet this Chicken Balsamico from Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen will turn up your tastebuds!

Renee from the Magnolia Days blog  has come up with another delicious dish from the sea~shrimp fra diavolo (easy enough for a weekday dinner!).

This yummy chicken with a creamy chive sauce recipe from Maeghan over at The Way to His Heart blog takes chicken to the next level with the addition of shallots and white wine.

I’m usually cold all winter long so when given the opportunity to wrap my hands around a warm mug of goodness… I always say yes.

Here are some seriously good sips I stumbled upon that are going in my recipe Rolodex.

Here’s an alternative to the traditional chocolate…a vanilla almond steamer. Head on over to A Farmgirl’s Dabbles to get the scoop on the recipe.

Over on the Eat, Drink, Love blog–Stephanie has whipped up something for all the s’mores lovers. Toasted marshmallows are the perfect topping!

Do you prefer coffee over chocolate? Cook The Story offers up this recipe for a coffee float with a surprise secret ingredient…ice cream!

Is tea more your “cup of tea”? Cozy up with a Spiced Chai Tea Latte over at Dine & Dish.

A delicious unexpected twist to the ordinary cup of chocolate- Nutella Hot Chocolate!  Get the low down on this delightful drink over at Kirbie’s Cravings.

Warm your heart with the perfect marriage of mint and chocolate.  Take a trip over to Cooking for Seven for all the details on making the perfect Peppermint Hot Chocolate.

I know Santa is in the spotlight this Christmas season,  however I must admit that I’m a bit more smitten with snow folks.

I like to see them in my neighbor’s front yards, watch Frosty on TV and create clever edible versions of them to bring to holiday parties. (I can’t help it… I’m guilty of having that kitschy kitchen gene)  If you suffer from a similar condition… I think you’ll like a few of our finds.

I’ve seen fancier melting snowman cookies but these cuties from Kitchen Meets Girl are by far the easiest to make PLUS there is a peanut butter cup involved and that’s always a bonus in my books.

How sweet would it be to bring a plate of these white chocolate covered cherry snowmen to your next winter cocktail party?  These would be festive for New Year’s Eve too!  Buzz on over to Blisstree for the details.

Here’s a cupcake twist on one of my favorite pairings… gingerbread & cream cheese!  These cuties are easier to make than you think… a cake mix & doughnut holes are your secret weapons.  Erica’s Sweet Tooth will fill you in on the rest.

This treat is for those of you who like to mix salty and sweet!  I’ve made chocolate dipped pretzel rods before, but these characters from Spoonful are taking it to the next level.

I thought this was a good time to take a break from the snowman sweets and introduce this handsome fella from That’s So Michelle.  Why make an ordinary cheese ball for your Christmas gathering when you could create this clever snack scene?

Go grab some gumballs & transform them into sweet snowman for fun favors to give out this winter season.  Skip on over to Glorious Treats for the simple instructions.

These white chocolate dipped dudes from Brown Eyed Baker are perfect for peanut butter lovin’ fans.  Who knew Nutter Butters could be disguised as snowmen?

I’ve always been curious about making hot chocolate squares and seeing them paired with a cute snowman marshmallow makes me want to make them even more now.  Buzz on over to Blondie & Brownies for the full recipe.

Since my lasagna cups have made it to our regular dinner rotation, I decided to try a similar spin on fish tacos. The corn tortillas get nice and crunchy in the oven and the spice rub on the fish really gives it a perfect punch of flavor.  This recipe is for 3 servings of 2 cups per person.

Here’s what you’ll need: 1 large muffin tin, 6 corn tortillas, shredded cabbage, 3/4 lb white fish of your choice, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, grated zest of 1 lime, 1 diced avocado, fresh salsa

Cut up fish in 1 inch cubes and pat dry (this is very important because wet fish = soggy tortilla bottoms).  Combine spices and lime zest in a bowl & toss fish in spices until covered.  Spray muffin tin with Pam.  Heat tortillas in microwave for 20-30 seconds until hot & pliable (this is very important because if they aren’t hot enough they will tear when you try to put them in the tin).  Use a cup to help push the tortillas in the large muffin tin.  It’s ok if the sides fold in a bit.

Place cabbage in first, then divide the fish equally between the 6 cups and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.  Lift out with a fork and  top with cubed avocado & fresh salsa. Serve with rice and chips for a tasty meal.

For more tasty recipes made in a muffin tin check out this wonderful recipe book, Muffin Tin Chef. (Broccoli Mushroom Fritattas are on my list to make next)

Are you signed up for a cookie swap this year? Want to add a new recipe or two to the mix?

We’ve scoured high and low to find a scrumptious collection of recipes that are fairly simple to make and will get rave reviews from your hungry elves.

We’ll start off with the most simple recipe of all from Our Best Bites.  Just add Nutter Butters, M&M’s, pretzels and frosting to your shopping list to whip these up for your kiddos… in fact the kids probably could make these by themselves with a little guidance from mom.

Here’s another easy one from Created By Diane that only needs 4 ingredients.  If you don’t already know… I believe in the power of cream cheese.   So when I see it combined with gingerbread, powdered sugar & vanilla – I already know it’s gonna taste Amazing (with a capital A)!

If classic chocolate chip cookies still rank #1 on your list, why not put a holiday spin on them for Christmas?  Head on over to I Wash You Dry to make these mint truffle stuffed delights.

These festive looking cranberry bliss cookies from gimme some oven were inspired by the similar scrumptious bars at Starbucks.  These too have cream cheese on the ingredient list so you might be seeing these on my cookie platter this year.

Speaking of coffee… if you can’t get enough of the taste in the cup, how about these pretty chocolate espresso snowcaps from buns in my oven?

I’m happy this salted caramel chocolate trend is still popular. (I have a weakness for those Trader Joe caramels!)  Now maybe I can make these tasty morsels to satisfy those cravings.  Pop on over to The Comfort of Cooking for all the details.

Okay… I did save the most labor intensive recipe until the end, but I couldn’t resist sharing such stunning treats.  These peppermint pretties from Pastry Affair could easily be packaged singly & passed out at the office, school, salon or any other place you want to celebrate the season.