Lemony Limoncello Trifle 🍋

This lemon trifle is perfect for summer backyard get-togethers. This lemon cake is light and fluffy, so you'll have room for seconds! With tangy lemon cake, and generous creamy vanilla pudding and mascarpone layers, this cake is a sure hit at your next summer party. 

Ingredients

1 box of lemon cake

3 eggs

1 cup of oil

1 cup of water

1 box of dry lemon pudding mix (for cake)

1 box of dry vanilla pudding mix (for filling)

2 cups of cold milk

1 small carton of whipping cream

2, 8oz. containers of mascarpone cheese (allow to soften)

Powdered sugar

Vanilla extract 

Limoncello (or Lemon juice for non-alcoholic version)

Simple syrup 

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon 

Mint leaves for garnish

Weapons of Choice

2, 9" cake pans (greased)

Electric mixer

Large mixing bowl

Rubber spatula

Lemon zester (or cheese grater)

Lemon juicer

1 fork

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Cake: Prepare your box cake mix as per instructions: eggs, oil, and water. The box will call for 3/4 cup of oil, but we add a little more oil (a full cup) to keep the cake moist. Add lemon pudding mix and 1 tbsp. vanilla extract, and beat on medium high for a full 2 minutes. Pour batter evenly into both pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Set cakes aside, and allow to completely cool. 

Filling: To large bowl, add 2 cups of cold milk, vanilla pudding mix, and 1 tsp. of vanilla extract. Beat on medium for a few minutes, and place in refrigerator. Allow at least 5 minutes for pudding to set in refrigerator. After pudding is firm, add 2 cartons of mascarpone cheese, and mix well. Add simple syrup until mix reaches desired sweetness. 

Building your trifle:

Take your trifle dish and flip upside down over one layer of cake (still in the pan). Use the rim of the trifle to press into, and "cut out" the center of your cake. Remove the cut edges of the cake, and you'll be left with your first layer for your trifle dish. Repeat cuttings your other cake layer. Clean the crumbs from the edge of your trifle. Use a large spatula and carefully lift one cake from its pan, and press into the bottom of your trifle dish. This layer may be slightly too big, but that's OK! Just press lightly until layer is mostly even. With your fork, poke holes in the cake, and drizzle limoncello over the layer, being careful not to saturate the cake. If you don't wish to use limoncello, squeeze one half of a lemon over the layer instead. Add half of your pudding mascarpone mixture to the cake layer, and spread evenly. Next add your other cake layer. Repeat steps above with poking holes into this layer; drizzle limoncello (or lemon juice), and add the other half of your pudding mascarpone mixture. Add cake to refrigerator to set. We let ours set uncovered, overnight, to let the flavors have a chance to marry. 

Whipped cream: 

Before serving, prepare your whipped cream top layer. Add one carton of whipping cream to your large mixing bowl. Beat cream on medium until your cream starts to thicken. Switch off beater and add 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of lemon, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix on medium for a few seconds, and sample the whipped cream mixture. Add additional sugar, lemon, and vanilla to desired taste and sweetness. Mix for another minute or so until whipped cream stiffens. Spread whipped cream evenly over the top of your pudding layer. 

Zest the skin of one lemon over your whipped cream. 

Add a few mint cuttings for garnish. If you're feeling extra fancy, sliced lemon or spiraled lemon with your mint would add a pretty touch! 

Cake can be returned to the refrigerator for an hour or so before serving.

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Mini Lemon Olive Oil Cakes 🍋

🌿🌹🐣🐇 Happy Easter! 🐇🐣🌹🌿

It's Easter 2020, and most of us who celebrate are celebrating indoors. The world is several weeks into our COVID-19 quarantine, and with so much time on our hands, what better time to try new recipes? What better time to make lemons into...lemon cake!

We came across several recipes for Lemon Olive Oil cake, and thought we'd create our own. The result is sweet and savory mini lemon cakes, perfectly paired with coffee or ice cream. For our mini cakes, we used our Spring themed Nordic Ware Backyard Bugs Baking Pan.

This recipe filled our Backyard Bugs pan twice, and would easily yield enough batter for 1 bundt pan, two 8" cake pans, one 9" x 13" sheet cake pan, or two dozen cupcakes.

We created a simple lemon glaze for our cakes, to show off the cute bug details, but these little cakes would be perfect with a lemon cream cheese icing, or just a dusting of powdered sugar.

                       🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 white or yellow cake mix
1 package of vanilla or lemon pudding mix
3 eggs
2 lemons
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze:
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp. of butter
5 tbsp. of white granulated sugar
Limoncello (optional)


Weapons of Choice:

Large mixing bowl
Electric mixer
Cake pans of choice (greased and dusted with flour)
Juicer
Knife
Small microwave-safe bowl
Zester or fine grater
Measuring cup and spoon
Toothpicks


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 °

In large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, olive and vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. On medium-high speed, beat mixture until fully blended.

Using a zester or fine grater, zest the skin of both lemons, and add to cake batter. Slice both lemons, and juice well. Strain lemon juice, and reserve half of the juice for your glaze or icing. Add half of your lemon juice to cake batter. Scrape pulp from strainer, and both lemons; extract and discard seeds. Mince lemon pulp well, and add to cake batter.

On low speed, incorporate lemon into cake batter.

Pour half of your cake batter into each greased/floured pan. Bake at 350° for 27 minutes, or until center of cakes pass the toothpick test.

Directions for Glaze:

Add juice of one lemon, two tbsp. of butter, and 5 tbsp. of sugar to a small bowl. Microwave for two minutes. Add one to two tbsp. Limoncello (optional). Stir well. Let glaze cool and thicken before pouring over cakes.

Dust with powdered sugar or lemon zest (optional)

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Mascarpone Trifle

Mascarpone Trifle

Perfect for summer, our mascarpone trifle is juicy, sweet, creamy, and savory. Serve this up with a tall pitcher of sangria, and your favorite summer pasta salad. A trifle dish makes a beautiful presentation, and the best part is, leftovers are easy to store...not that there will be any!

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 vanilla cake mix
3 eggs
Oil (follow box instructions plus 1/4 cup extra)
Water (follow box instructions)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
Vanilla pudding mix

Fruit and fruit glaze:
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
2 seedless clementines, peeled and sliced or wedged
5 strawberries, sliced
1 jar of peach marmalade
1/2 shot of liqueur (we used limoncello)

Mascarpone:
1 8 oz. package of mascarpone
1 small box of white chocolate, vanilla, or french vanilla pudding mix
2 cups of cold milk (for pudding)

Directions:

Fruit glaze:
Add jar of marmalade and a half of a shotglass of liqueur to sauce pan. Bring to a boil while stirring. Turn off heat and allow to cool.

Mascarpone:
In a small mixing bowl, repare pudding mix, and place in refrigerator to set. Once set, add container of mascarpone to pudding, and mix well.

Cake:
In a large mixing bowl, prepare cake mix as per instructions. Add two teaspoons of vanilla, and about a 1/4 cup more oil. Add pudding mix. Mix well until thoroughly blended. Pour evenly into two greased 8" round cake pans, and bake at 350 degrees for 35 min. Remove cakes from oven, and allow to cool.

Assemble your trifle:

Cut about a 1/2 inch around the edge of cake to seperate the edge. Remove cake from pan, and place bottom side up into trifle. Poke holes in cake, and drizzle 3/4 of the marmalade over cake. Add half of the mascarpone mix to almost the edges of the trifle. When the next cake layer is added, it will push mascarpone layer outward. Cut around edge of second cake layer, and place on top of your mascarpone layer, bottom side up. Add remaining mascarpone, and spread evenly to the edges of the trifle.

Now, get creative!
Arrange fruit on top of cake in a decorative pattern: We added strawberries in the middle, forming a circle; next we added a ring of clementines; next we added a ring of kiwi. A good rule of thumb is to eyeball how much of each fruit you have, and add the least amount in the middle, followed by the second least; then add the most amount of fruit around the outside. You could arrange a striped pattern of each type of fruit. You could even alternate pieces of fruit in a pretty circular pattern. Last, brush fruit with remaining marmalade to glaze.

Place trifle in refrigerator to chill for two hours.

Spinach Enchilada Lasagna

Ingredients:

24 corn tortillas (small)
Two 8 oz. packages of shredded mexican cheese
32 oz. of green enchilada sauce
1/4 pint of heavy cream
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 8 oz. can of black olives, diced
1 whole yellow onion, diced
1 package of fresh spinach
1whole avocado
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

In a large pan, add 3 tbsp of oil. We use a pan large enough to fry 4 tortillas at a time. Over medium heat, lightly fry tortillas on each side. We find it easiest to coat  one side of each tortilla with a bit of oil, then flip immediately and let heat until the tortilla lightly bubbles. Flip, and fry the other side—each side should cook for about 30 seconds, or until you see the bubbles. Transfer each tortilla to a paper towel- covered plate. Repeat until each tortilla is fried.

In medium sauce pan, add enchilada sauce, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, and then heat on medium until sauce starts to bubble. Remove from heat, and add just enough sauce to cover the bottom of a 9x13” lasagna pan. Add 8 tortillas to the bottom of the pan, spread apart to completely cover the bottom. Add a layer of cheese, onion, olive, and spinach. Add a few ladles of sauce to lightly coat the layers. Lightly dip each tortilla in the sauce, and add the next layer of 8 tortillas to the dish. Layer ingredients as before. Coat tortillas with sauce, and add the final layer of 8 tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over lasagna. Sprinkle entire top of lasagna with cheese and onion. Add a layer of olive and avacado down the center for garnish.

Cover pan with foil, and bake at 350° for 30 minutes, the bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

Oreo Cookie Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Fancy Brownies

Wow! That title was a mouthful...and so are these gooey, blissful, sinful, fancy brownies. Each bite of cream cheese and semi-sweet chocolate is pure deliciousness. 

Enough already. You get the hint, and you also need to get to the market.

Your shopping list below...😊

Topping:
16 oz. of cream cheese--softened
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbsp. of pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
A handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Brownie:
1 package of brownie mix
1 egg (or more, if the box calls for it)
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 tbs. of butter or margarine--melted
16 Oreo cookies--crushed
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Water (gradually added as needed)

Weapons of Choice:
1 large mixing bowl
1 medium mixing bowl
Whisk
Spoon
Butter knife
Measuring cup
scraping spatula                                        9"x13" baking or brownie pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crush Oreos well in large refrigerator bag. Melt butter in medium bowl. Add crushed Oreos to bowl, and mix well; crumbs will be slightly softened. Add chocolate chips and fold into cookie crumbs. Set cookie crumb mix aside.

In a large bowl, prepare brownie mix according to instructions on box; we added more oil to ensure the cookie crumbs would not dry the brownie mix. After adding oil, mix well. Add egg and mix well. Add cookie crumbs and mix well. Dough will be stiff. Add a few tablespoons of water and mix. Continue to add a little water at a time until brownie mix becomes relatively easy to stir. Scrape mix into greased 9"x13" baking pan, spreading mix evenly into pan (you may use a smaller pan for taller brownies). 

Add cream cheese to large bowl and whisk until creamy. Add egg, vanilla, and sugar--mix well.

Scrape cream cheese onto brownie layer. Carefully spread cream cheese mix across brownie layer, taking care to not mix brownie crumbs into your cream cheese (these brownies are fancy). Sprinkle chocolate chips over cream cheese. Using the blade of a butter knife, run blade back and forth through the width of the pan (see picture). This adds a little extra fanciness to your already fancy brownies.

Bake ar 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Let cool before serving...or not. 😉

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, and full of good stuff like vitamin C, potassium, and B vitamins. Sweet potatoes are yummy on their own, but sweet potato casserole is an easy side dish that compliments many Fall dinners. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, yet some recipes call for a cup (or more) of white sugar, which can hide the natural flavors of the vegetable. Our recipe uses brown sugar, and calls for just a quarter of the sugar that would normally be used. We think you'll agree, our recipe enhances the natural sweetness and flavor of the sweet potato.

Give our sweet potato casserole a try! We're confident you'll love it too!

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato 

6 large sweet potatoes--peeled
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup of margarine (or butter)
2 tablespoons of pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (or cinnamon sugar)


Topping

1/3 cup of flour
3 tablespoons of melted margarine (or butter)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

Optional:
Chopped pecans
Miniature marshmallows (add marshmallows to top at the last 10-15 minutes of baking time)

Weapons of Choice:

1 dutch oven or 9x13" casserole dish
1 potato masher
1 small bowl



Directions

Peel potatoes, and cut into 1" - 2" pieces.

Add potatoes to large pot of water, and bring to a boil.

While potatoes are boiling, make your topping:
Add flour, sugar, cinnamon, and melted margarine to small bowl, and combine ingredients until crumbly:

Set topping aside.

When potatoes are fork tender, remove from heat and drain.

Return drained potatoes to pot, and using a potato masher, mash potatoes well. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and margarine to mashed potatoes. Mash again, thoroughly combining all ingredients until mixed well. .

Add cinnamon or cinnamon sugar to taste. Mix well.

Add crumbled topping to potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Creamy Lemon, Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Happy Thanksgiving!...Well, maybe 3 days ago!

Thanksgiving is over, and like most Americans, our fridges are filled will leftovers. What to do with all of that leftover turkey? Sure, we could make the same old boring sandwiches, but don't we eat turkey sandwiches all year round? I know I do--turkey clubs are awesome!

So, what about soup? Soup is comfort food, and what better way to face the chill than with a hot bowl of creamy turkey soup?

This recipe uses up that leftover turkey, yet tastes nothing like those holiday leftovers you're growing weary of. We think you'll agree, this lemony twist on leftover turkey will be one "leftover" recipe you'll turn to often.


Ingredients:

2 cups of diced, cooked turkey
2 packages of instant wild rice (cooked)
15 baby carrots--chopped
2 stalks of celery--chopped
1 large yellow onion--diced
4 tablespoons of butter (heaping)
4 teaspoons of flour (heaping)
2 cans of chicken broth
1 pint of half & half
2 lemons--juiced
Parsley
Salt and pepper


Directions:

Prepare the two packages of instant wild rice, and set aside. *We had one box of wild rice with barley on hand, and it worked well. ☺

In a Dutch oven, melt butter on low heat, then add carrots, celery, and onion. Toss veggies in melted butter. Cover, and cook on medium heat (stirring often) until vegetables are tender.

Uncover, add 1/2 can of chicken broth to your pot, and let simmer. Slowly add flour and stir until dissolved. Add the rest of your can of broth, and allow broth to bubble. Add second can of broth, and carton of half & half. Stir well. Add parsley (about a teaspoon), and stir well again.

Add diced turkey and stir into broth.

Add lemon juice. Be sure to strain pulp before adding.

Add a few dashes of salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered on low for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy! ☺

Spinach Enchiladas

The Saucy Sicilians decided to spice up our Sunday afternoon with a little something South-of-the-border. We had some green enchilada sauce on hand, and it does no good just sitting on the shelf. With the addition of spinach and Mexican cheeses, these enchiladas were an amazing meat-alternative dish! Served with Mexican rice and vegetarian beans, we could barely move after two servings. Yes, they're that good! 


Ingredients:

Ingredients for the Sauce:
1 can of green enchilada sauce
1 can of diced green chilies
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp of margarine
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup of Half & Half
Sugar
Salt
White pepper (or black fine pepper, if you don't have white)

Ingredients for the Enchiladas:
24 small corn tortillas
Vegetable Oil (optional)
1 package of fresh spinach
1 package of Mexican cheese (reserve a handful to sprinkle over top of dish)
1 small can of diced olives
3 green onions, chopped
Sour cream (as a topping)

Weapons of Choice:
Large sauce pan
9" x 13" baking pan (or dish)
Stir spoon
Paper towels
Fry pan (optional)

Directions for the Sauce:
In a large saucepan, saute margarine, garlic and onions on high for about two minutes. 

Add enchilada sauce, green chilies, and juice of lemon. 

Add half & half and, bring sauce to a simmer. Add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.


Directions for the Enchiladas:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spread some of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking pan. Have a towel handy, because this next part is messy. ☺

It's your preference if you prefer to lightly fry your tortillas in oil before filling and rolling. We choose not to as a healthier alternative, but this method of frying will make your tortillas a bit more pliable, and may ensure they do not break apart when filling and serving. We microwave ours for a few seconds with wet paper towels. Either method works well. 

Take softened tortillas and fill with cheese and spinach. Carefully  roll each tortilla, and place seam side down into your baking pan (this is where that towel comes in handy). Repeat with 12 enchiladas per row; you will end up with two rows. 

Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce over your rolled enchiladas, coating each enchilada generously. Sprinkle cheese, green onions, and olives over enchiladas. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until dish is bubbling. 

Plate enchiladas, and top with sour cream. Serve with rice and beans. 



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Our sides:

Our simmering homemade Mexican rice with green onions, tomatoes, and Spanish rice seasoning.

Vegetarian Refried Beans

Spiralized Zucchini and Squash with Alfredo

Spiralized vegetables are a tasty and healthy alternative to durum wheat pasta, and even whole wheat pasta. Looking for a way to cut carbs and add more veggies to your diet? Want to learn how to make our version of almost-guilt-free Alfredo? Try this amazing recipe! 

Spiralizing: The New Noodle

Just what the heck is spiralizing? A Spiralizer is a simple machine that creates pasta noodles from vegetables. Using a hand crank, fresh vegetables--such as squash and zucchini--are pressed through a blade to create long vegetable noodles. Our spiralizer came with three different blades, so we decided to use all three to try the different cuts and textures: spiral ribbon cuts, shoestrings, and vegetable "noodles". 

Wondering where to buy? We got ours here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/paderno-sprializer/

You can also find spiralizers on Amazon, but who doesn't like perusing Williams-Sonoma. 

We decided to test run our new gadget by spiralizing summer squash and zucchini. Machine operation is incredibly quick and simple, and the machine itself is easy to clean. 

The different cuts were impressive! The straight blade (left) would be excellent for cucumber salad, and the chipper blade (center) would be perfect for creating curly fries and onion rings. The shredder blade (right) is ideal for creating pastas. 

For our "test run", we decided to try spiralizing our squash and zucchini with the skin left on. This resulted in a crunchy texture to the noodles. We determined we'd like this dish even more if we skinned our veggies first, resulting in a softer texture. Saute time is only 5 minutes, which is just long enough to soften the "pasta", but not enough time to tenderize the skin. No worries--that's what test runs are for, and through trial and error, we save our readers time!  But, if you prefer skin-on, go for it! 

The recipe...

Ingredients for Noodles:

2 large, straight summer squash (peeled) (note: the straighter the veggie, the easier to spiralize)

2 large, straight zucchini (peeled)

1 Tbsp olive oil

Ingredients for Alfredo:

1 tsp of minced garlic

2 Tbsp of margarine

2 Tbsp of all purpose flour

1 Tbsp of olive oil

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1 cup of skim milk

1 cup of Italian cheese (we used a blend)

A dash of Garlic salt and pepper

Weapons of Choice:

Paderno Spiralizer

Large saute pan

Tongs

Medium stirring spoon 

Directions:

Using your favorite spiralizing blade, spiralize zucchini and squash. Place into saute pan and add about a Tbsp of olive oil. Saute on high heat, tossing noodles and olive oil with tongs. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until noodles cook down, and water starts to accumulate at bottom of pan. Remove from heat. 

Place noodles in large strainer, and set aside. 

While noodles are straining, make your Alfredo. 

Add garlic, olive oil and margarine to saute pan. On medium heat, saute until garlic is lightly browned. Add flour; stir well until flour is completely saturated. Mixture will be slightly lumpy.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken broth, and continue to stir well until flowery lumps disappear. 

Add milk, and stir until sauce becomes bubbly and takes on a creamy texture. Once sauce bubbles, add cheese, and stir until cheese melts completely. 

Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. 

After sauce is to desired thickness, add strained noodles, and toss until noodles are completely coated. 

Then serve! 

Healthier Eating:

To be mindful of our hearts and waistlines, we often cook using ingredients which are lower in fats, cholesterol, and sodium. For this recipe, we use skim milk and margarine. If you choose, you can create a richer sauce using cream or whole milk, and real butter. However, once you add cheese to our version, this sauce is so good, you won't be able to tell the difference. And unlike Alfredo made with cream, this sauce does not take on a sticky, pasty consistency when the pasta cools. Take our advice, and give our healthier version a try. We don't think you'll be disappointed.