Shredded Beef Tacos

5 lb. roast (cross rib or sirloin tip)

2 medium yellow onions, Sliced

1 (4oz.) can chopped green chilies

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

Juices from roast

Place roast in crock-pot the evening before your meal. Put onions on meat. Cover and set on medium and cook all night. (My crock-pot doesn’t have a medium – it’s old, a wedding gift, so I put it on low)
Remove roast the next morning. Put meat and juices in the fridge. The inside of my crock-pot is removable so I just put it in the refrigerator leaving the meat and juices inside.
Before dinner remove the fat and shred the meat and put back into the crock pot with juices and all other remaining ingredients, stirring occasionally over low heat

Would be great in burritos and enchiladas too!

Lemon Crumb Cake

Cake:
2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

4 large egg whites (save the yolks for the lemon curd)

1 ½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

To Make the CakeSift together the flour, baking powder and salt.Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out cleanTransfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

Filling
1/3 cup simple syrup (you will need more simple syrup to brush on the cake) Simple syrup is one part sugar to one part water. Mix together in a sauce pan and heat until sugar is dissolved.

1 package unflavored powdered gelatin

1 batch of lemon curd (recipe follows)

1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup whipping cream

1. Bloom the gelatin in a few Tbs. of water for about 5 minutes. Heat the simple syrup over medium heat and add the gelatin, bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.
2. In a chilled mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.
3. In the mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and the lemon curd until it is well mixed. Slowly drizzle in the cooled simple syrup, scraping down sides as needed. Add the whipping cream and beat with the whisk attachment until incorporated.
4. Chill the mixture until slightly thickened.

Lemon Curd
2 large lemons

4 large egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter, cold

1. Zest the lemons and set aside. Juice the zested lemons and strain the juice. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Stir in the zest and lemon juice.
2. Pour the mixture into a non-reactive saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and pour through a strainer into a glass bowl. Stir in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cool to room temperature then press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface and chill in the fridge until completely chilled and set.

Vanilla Crumb Topping

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. powdered sugar
5 Tbs. chilled butter cut into small pieces
1 tsp. vanilla

1. In a bowl mix the flour and powdered sugar. Cut in the chilled butter until small pea sized balls form. Drizzle the vanilla over and mix to combine. Chill the mixture until needed.

Assembling the cake.
When the cake cooled, brush the tops of the cake with the remaining simple syrup. Spread 2/3 of the filling on the bottom half of the cake. Top with the other layer of cake. Frost the top and the outside of the cake with the remaining filling and then press the crumb mixture onto the sides and top of the cake. Dust with powdered sugar. Chill for several hours or freeze to firm up the filling. Dust extra with powdered sugar before serving.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 Cs cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (2-3 bottles depending on size)
1/2 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
Mix together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.
In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Watch it fizz! Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 – 3/4 full). It will make about 20 cupcakes. Place muffin tins on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Check early and don’t overbake!

Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting. Frost cupcakes with cream cheese icing

Lemon Butter Cream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, very soft
6-8 C powdered sugar
1/2 C fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of sugar, then the juice and the zest. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (I added 6 cups total). Use and store at room temperature. (Don’t refrigerate and it will last in a covered container for about three days.)

Perfect Lemon Cupcakes

1 package lemon cake mix

1 C sour cream

3/4 C water

3/4 C oil

4 eggs

1 small package lemon instant pudding

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed for about two minutes. Use a strong mixer, this batter is thick. For cupcakes, bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (I was able to get 24 very full cupcakes from the recipe). For regular cake, pour into a greased 9×11 pan or two round pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Don’t over bake or the cake will be too dry!)

Top with Lemon Buttercream Frosting and Sliced Berries

Basic Buttercream Frosting

3 sticks butter, softened
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
whipping cream or 1/2 and 1/2 – enough to thin frosting to desired consistency

Beat butter in mixer on medium high for 2-3 minutes or until pale and creamy. Reduce speed to medium and add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition increasing speed to high after all sugar is added.

Add vanilla and food coloring if desired. Beat until buttercream is smooth. Can be refrigerated for several days if covered. If refrigerating, bring to room temperature before using and beat on low until smooth.

Really Good Chicken and Noodles

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 T. fresh rosemary, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 T. honey
8 ounces thin spaghetti (I prefer Barilla Plus)
2 T. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup real bacon bits
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
3 roma tomatoes, seeds and core removed, diced
2 T. capers (optional)

Start a pot of water boiling to cook the pasta. Spray your BBQ grill rack with nonstick spray and fire it up. Sprinkle salt, pepper and rosemary on each chicken breast and grill for 7-8 minutes on the first side. In a small bowl, mix 2 T. of freshly squeezed lemon juice and the honey together, then brush it on the tops of the chicken breasts before flipping them over. Brush the underside as well, and grill for a few more minutes until they are cooked through (actual cooking time will depend on how thick the breast is, and you could certainly pound them thinner to start with to make it go faster). Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Toss your noodles into the boiling salted water if you haven’t already. Once they are nearly done cooking, begin making the sauce. It comes together quickly. In a large skillet, melt 2 T. butter then add the garlic. Saute and stir for 2-3 minutes, then add the bacon bits and cook for another minute. Stir in the remaining lemon juice and all of the zest, then the cream. Stir in the cooked and drained noodles, adding a tablespoon or two of the pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Slice the chicken breasts thinly. Stir in the roma tomatoes and parmesan cheese (and capers if you so desire – I’m the only one that likes them around here, so I tossed a few on my own plate), and serve immediately with a portion of chicken breast strips on top of the pile of pasta.