Lemon Cake...

This is by far the best lemon cake recipe...very light and very lemony. We love it...and fight over the last piece.

Lemon Cake
Ingredients
1 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Cups Cake Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/3 Cup Shortening
1 Tsp Vanilla
2 Tsp Lemon Extract
3 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk
1 Large Lemon Zest

Line two 9 inch round pans with parchment paper...spray sides with Baker's Joy.

Sift all dry ingredients except sugar. Cream eggs, oil, shortening, sugar, vanilla and lemon extract. Alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk. Stir in lemon zest. Divide evenly in pans and bake at 325* for 40 minutes....toothpick test for doneness. (toothpick should come out dry)

Glaze
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Lemonade Concentrate, thawed
Stir together until smooth...
Turn cakes onto a cooling rack...poke hole all over the top of each cake (I use the end of a small wooden spoon) and pour glaze into hole. Spread evenly with a spatula.
Let cool completely before frosting. I freeze the cakes at this point for a couple hours..overnight is even better.

Frosting
8 oz Cream Cheese at room temperature
1/2 Cup Butter at room temperature
1 Tsp Vanilla
3-4 Tbl Lemonade Concentrate
6 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Small Lemon Zest
Cream all ingredients together in order given. You may have to adjust lemonade and powdered sugar for desired thickness. Frost between the layers and the top and sides of cake. Enjoy...

Carrot Pea Salad...

This is Gramma Overstreet's famous Carrot Pea Salad. She would serve it to us whenever we would have dinner at her house. She knew Ken loved it...so she made sure he always had some when we visited. There are so many happy memories associated with dinner at Gramma's. I love her...I miss her...I know I will see her again. Here you go...enjoy this family tradition.

Carrot Pea Salad
1 Head of Lettuce, rinsed and torn
1 Can of Peas, drained
2 Cups Carrots, shredded
2 Stalks of Green Onion, cut into small pieces
Mayonnaise, about 1 Cup
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pineapple Upside Down Cake...

This is by far my father's favorite cake....he asks for it often. Using a cast iron skillet caramelizes the brown sugar, fruit and nuts. It's okay to using a baking pan too...but the top just isn't as crisp.
1/2 Cup Butter
8 Slices of Pineapple
11/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Pecans, halved
1/2 Cup Raisins (optional)
Melt butter in the skillet, sprinkle brown sugar and arrange pineapple, nuts and raisins. Set aside.
Batter-
4 Egg Yolks (reserve egg whites)
11/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Boiling Water
11/2 Cup Cake Flour
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking Powder
4 Egg White, stiffly beaten
Beat egg yolks until thick, add remaining ingredients in order. Gently fold in egg whites. Pour over pineapple and bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Sugar Cookies...

These are super soft sugar cookies...a family favorite.
1 Cup Butter, softened
3/4 Cup Shortening
2 Cups Sugar
Cream the above ingredients.
Add the following ingredients in order.
4 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
4 Tsp Vanilla
7 Cups Flour
Mix thoroughly and chill at least 1 hour.
Roll dough onto lightly floured surface and use cookie cutters dipped in flour to create cookies. Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes.

Caramel Syrup...

Such a yummy treat for breakfast pancakes or waffles.
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
11/2 Cup Butter
2 Tbl Corn Syrup
1 Tsp Baking Soda
11/2 Cup Sugar
Combine all ingredients in a 4 quart pan. Bring to boil stirring constantly for 3 minutes...reduce heat to a slow boil for another 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
1 Tsp Vanilla
Let cool and serve warm...this syrup is easily stored in the refrigerator and warmed when needed.

Mississippi Roast...

This is the absolute best roast I've ever had...it's so easy to drop in the crock pot and let it do it's thing all day. We serve it with the traditional mashed potatoes, gravy and veggies....but our favorite version is Philly Steak & Cheese. We grill up onions, peppers and mushrooms....shred the roast serve in a roasted bun with provolone cheese and grilled veggies. The gravy then serves as a dipping sauce.
1 3-4 lb Chuck Roast
1 oz pkg Ranch Dressing
3-4 Packets of Au jus Mix
1 Cube of Butter
1 Cup Water
6 Pepperoncini Peppers
Place the roast in crock pot, add water, sprinkle dressing and gravy mixes. Add butter and pepperoncini peppers. Cook on low for 8 hours... Enjoy the many ways you can serve this very versatile roast.

Chicken Pot Pie..

If you like pot pies...you will love this recipe. You can really add any veggie you want to...experiment with spices until it's perfect for you. Sometimes when time is an issue, I pick up a cooked whole chicken and pull the meat off for this recipe.
3 lbs Chicken, cooked and cut into bite size pieces
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Large Carrots Cut in half and then cross pieces
1 Large Onion, chopped
1/2 lb. Mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 Celery Stalks, cut into pieces
2 Bay Leaves
Place cooked chicken, veggies and bay leaves in chicken broth, bring to boil and turn down to simmer for 30 minutes.
1/4 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Flour
1 Cup Half and Half
In a separate skillet melt butter, add flour and wire whip into a rue...adding half and half until thick. Gradually pour into chicken and veggies....stir constantly until well blended.
1 Tsp Poultry Seasoning
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
1 Cup Frozen Peas
Add these to chicken mixture, remove the bay leaves and pour into a medium size baking dish.
I use this recipe to make the pot pie crust topper....but you can use it to make biscuits if you prefer.
11/2 Cup Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Milk
Stir baking powder and salt into flour, then cut shortening into flour until small chunks appear. Stir milk into mix and form into a ball. Roll out on lightly floured surface the size of your baking dish. Gently fold the dough in half and half again. Place it on the pot pie filling and gently unfold. Seal the edges by folding dough against the edges of the dish. Bake at 400* for about 20 minutes or until the crust in golden brown.