Doctored Cake Mix Recipe

These tweaks make a cake-mix cake denser, moister, and more like a pound cake. Perfect for carving or stacking for fancier cakes.

Cake mix
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk (whole milk will give best results)
1 TB oil
1 small box (4 serving) of powdered pudding mix of a complimentary flavor.

Mix ingredients together. Pour into greased cake pan and bake at 300-325 for a little longer than recommendations based on the cake mix instructions. Just check with a tooth pick every 10 minutes longer than the recommended time.

Delicious!

Roasted Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Coconut Curry Peanut Sauce

Coconut Curry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup Lite coconut milk
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1-2 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp garlic

Method:

In a medium sized bowl whisk together peanut butter, coconut milk, orange juice, lime juice, and honey. Add curry, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic.

Mix until smooth and even and set aside.

Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded or sliced
• 1 pint red, orange, and yellow mini bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 2-3 cups matchstick carrots
• 1 oz can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 3-4 green onions, sliced
• 2 oranges; skins removed and thinly sliced
• Zest from 2 oranges
• 1 head of lettuce leaves rinsed and patted dry
• Chopped peanuts
• Snipped cilantro
• Wonton strips (optional)
• Lime wedges

Method:

In a sauté pan over medium heat, pour desired amount of curry sauce over sliced chicken. Heat for 1-2 minutes, or until sauce starts to bubble. Remove from heat.In a sauté pan over medium heat, pour desired amount of curry sauce over sliced chicken. Heat for 1-2 minutes, or until sauce starts to bubble. Remove from heat.

To assemble wraps:

Place curry chicken inside lettuce leaf, top with carrots, chestnuts, peppers, cilantro, green onions, peanuts and wonton strips. Squeeze lime juice over top, if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings

Amy Richardson Studio 5

Royal Icing

3 egg whites
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. almond extract or white vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in bowl and beat on medium high for a full 10 minutes. Icing will become thick and glossy but will not increase in volume. Keep covered with damp cloth while using, removing small portions to bowl as needed. Tint if desired. To thin, add a few drops of water. Royal icing hardens with a nice sheen.

Gingerbread

4 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
2 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp clove
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup shortening
2/3 cup molasses
2 eggs

Mix together. Grease and flour pan; use either a large sheet cake pan, or divide dough and make thinner gingerbread in two cookie sheets. Press/roll into pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. If using the smaller cookie sheets, reduce baking time to 18 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes. While gingerbread is still warm and soft, cut out shapes for the gingerbread house. Cool on rack. Assemble with royal icing when cool.

Turkey Tetrazzini

From Connie Zierke, a favorite of Justin's using leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

3 cups of wide egg noodles
2 cups (or however much you have) of diced turkey leftovers
1 yellow onion, diced small
1/2-1 cube butter
2 small cans of mushrooms
1 can of turkey/chicken broth, at least
At least 1 can of evaporated milk
Ground sage
Salt
Pepper
Flour for thickening


Boil egg noodles. Put in a 9 x 13 casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Stir in turkey.

In a large sauce pan, sautee onions in at least 1/2 cube of butter (add more butter for desired taste/calories). When they are almost finished, add drained mushrooms and sautee. Slowly stir in evaporated milk. Add broth. If you desire more sauce, add more milk and broth, keeping the ratio about 1 to 1. Make a thickening paste with flour and water. Thicken until a gravy-like consistency. Add salt, pepper, and sage to taste. Pour over noodles in casserole dish.

Bake at 350 until sauce bubbles, about 30 minutes.

Praline Cheesecake

Crust
1 1/2 cups of Nilla Wafers, crushed (about 50)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Praline
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Cheesecake filling
3 pkgs (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl, combine wafer crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press into the bottom of a greased 9-inch spring form pan. Sprinkle pecans evenly over crust.

To make praline: In a saucepan bring butter and brown sugar to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour over pecans and crust. Refrigerate while making the filling.

To make filling: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs. Beat on low speed just until combined. Pour on top of crust.

Place pan on a cookie sheet with an edge/lip (some butter from the praline will melt out while baking). Bake at 325 for 50 minutes. Turn off oven. Leave cheesecake in oven for 30 more minutes. Do NOT open oven at all during baking or the cooling off period. This helps prevent cracking. Remove and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen edge of crust with a knife. Cool 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight.

Cutting tip: Run knife under hot water to heat the metal. Wipe dry and make one slice. Clean the blade, run under hot water, dry, and make second slice. This make all the slices pretty and smooth.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (canned)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
Mix then pour in 1 quart pan. Add topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or almonds)
1/3 cup butter (don't melt)
Mix with fork then sprinkle crumbs on top of potatoes
Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes
Double for a 9 x 13 pan.  Enjoy!!