Out-of-This-World Strawberry Cake

My Grandma Lucy made the most amazing strawberry cake when I was a kid and I've never asked her for the recipe. I've always wanted to make it, though and I stumbled on a recipe that I thought sounded pretty close Two things that make it so yummy: strawberry jello mix and mushed up frozen strawberries.

So, I figured Thanksgiving combined with a family member's birthday was a perfect time to give this recipe a try. Here are the rest of the ingredients:

One white cake mix, one small box of strawberry jello, two tablespoons of flour, one cup of milk, half a cup of oil and four eggs, added one at a time as you are mixing everything together. Then add half a cup of the frozen strawberries. Don't forget to set them out earlier so they will thaw a little bit. You'll need some of the juice for the frosting.Wouldn't you know it, no one is home so I guess I'll have to lick that spatula myself. (Smiling)

Spray two round cake pans with Crisco that has flour added and bake at 325 for about 30 minutes.

Do the toothpick check to make sure they are done in the middle. They come out very moist and spongey.

Let them cool while you make the frosting which is one box of powered sugar, one stick of butter, and a little more mushed strawberries and juice.

You really have to mix and mix and mix. I got nervous and added a little bit of milk, but if I'd cooled my jets, it probably would have been just fine. It has to "set up" according to my mom.

No one is home yet, so I guess I'll have to take care of this one, too:

Now, stack the two cakes (with a layer of frosting inbetween) on the cake stand your grandmother passed down to you that you haven't used because you rarely bake layered cakes, and slather on the rest of the frosting.

Then, take a picture and send it to your grandmother and tell her how much you love and miss her and that you wish she was at your house to share this yummy, out-of-this-world strawberry cake.

And, when you serve it to your friends and family, maybe you will luck out and get a reaction like this, too:

Easy Baking

This Cinnamon Streusel mix made a great quick bread.
Watch the baking time, though. I baked it for the minimum
time suggested and it was just a bit too long.
If you are a fan of crumbly, cinnamony topping,
you will love it!

If you are a brownie fan like me, you've GOT to try these brownies.
They are just the right amount of everything.
Chocolatey and moist, with a flakey top.
They are so good you better buy two boxes.

This stuff has been around a while, but I just
recently began using it.
Two big thumbs up!!
Now, go get to it! You've got guests
coming!

My "Next House" Meal

These are the items that I want to grow myself in the backyard of our next house.
Right now we live close to downtown and we love it, but I really want to be able to grow some basic produce.
So, I'm stating to all of you, right now...today, that I have a new goal of growing a garden when we move into our next house. But, in the mean time, we cook. And, tonight, we cook steak.

Consider this a fair warning: these two simple ingredients will make you the designated steak cooker with all of your friends, family and neighbors. It's dy-no-mite. Wash your steak with water, pat dry with a paper towel, and rub in the lemon pepper. Put them in a plastic bag and pour in the Allegro marinade. Tonight we're using the spicy creole, but the original is great, too. Let them soak in the goodness for about 30 minutes. It tenderizes the meat unlike anything else I've tried. You will barely have to chew. Seriously.

This is garlic in some EVOO (that's Extra Virgin Olive Oil for those of you that have never watched Rachel Ray).

I added these onions and my trusty Lawry's Season Salt to the garlic. Yum.

I usually cut my steaks in half to help them cook faster. Still trying to perfect that fancy criss-cross business.

And, finally...the corn on the cob. I sprayed the foil with that fancy canola oil in a can and added some salt and pepper. I put them on the grill ahead of the steaks ( a bit too far ahead, but they were still good.)

Okay, this concludes my Pioneer Woman Wannabe section of my blog. Now, go cook something delicious.

The Pioneer Woman and Her Lasagna

So my addiction of the week is a fantastic website called www.thepioneerwoman.com

I have a feeling that it started out as a blog, but the author, Ree, was so terrific, that it grew into a full-blown site. She is everything I dream to be as a blogger: consistent, funny, articulate, interesting. We have a lot in common like cooking and taking pictures and in many cases, taking pictures of what we are cooking. Which leads me to this post.
If you have some time, you should go to Ree's site and look at her post on The Best Lasagna Ever. Then come back.
She motivated me so much, that I had to try it tonight. In doing so, I discovered two things: the lasagna IS delicious and I REALLY need to get better at Photoshop!
If you did go see The Pioneer Woman's amazing post, you are going to think mine is a parody of hers. Just know that I gave it my best shot.
So here we go.

Before:


During:

That's my Mario Batali pot. Thanks, Paul! It's the best.



After:



So, I would encourage you to make this big pan of cheesy deliciousness (you can print the recipe off of Ree's site) and go read about how Ree and her hunky cowboy husband fell in love. But make sure you have plenty of time--you won't want to put your computer down.

Betty Crocker and Kraft Foods

I just wanted to give a shout out to my favorite cookie--the easy to bake Oatmeal Cookie from Betty Crocker. These make for some serious delish-ous-ness. I add coconut and mini chocolate chips. Super easy and they taste great. Look for the red envelope in the baking isle at your local grocery.

And, while we're on the subject...
Kraft Foods has a fantastic website.
www.kraftfoods.com
You can create an account, which allows you to have a recipe box. So, as you browse around and find what you like, you simply click "add to my recipe box." Genious.
Another favorite feature is the shopping list. Not sure what to fix for the week? Browse around, select some yummy recipes (based on the ratings from people that have actually tried them) and click on "add to shopping list." More genious. The best part---it organizes your list by isle in the grocery store! It adds every item you need for the recipe and then if you already have some of them at home, you click on the box to remove it from your list. Print it and off you go. Fantastic.
Way to go Kraft.