Julie's Blueberry Lemon Cake

Julie’s Blueberry Lemon Cake

3 1/3 C flour           
½ t salt
½ t baking soda             
½ t baking powder
Mix together, set aside.

¾ C butter           
2 C sugar
1/3 C fresh squeezed lemon juice     
1 t grated lemon zest
4 eggs                 
1 C + 2 T buttermilk
2 ½ C blueberries (fresh is best, but frozen can be used)

Mix butter until fluffy.  Add sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest, mix well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beat until well blended.  Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk. Batter will be very thick.  Fold in blueberries.  Divide batter into 2, 9inch parchment lined and greased cake pans. Bake @ 350 for 40 minutes (sometimes less) or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on racks for 10-15 min.  Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
2 boxes or 11oz bakers white chocolate
12 oz cream cheese         
¾ C butter soft
2 T fresh lemon juice
Melt chocolate in pyrex in microwave. Stir and let cool.  Beat cream cheese and butter, then add lemon and white chocolate.
Frost cakes and then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Best Turkey Gravy

Best Turkey Gravy

1 Roasted Turkey                   
24 oz chicken broth
1 C water                      
1/3 C flour
1 T fresh herbs such as oregano, thyme or rosemary ( I rarely use any! The drippings are amazing without the herbs!)  
kosher salt
black pepper                   

Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and set aside to rest. Leave the drippings from the turkey in the pan and place the roasting pan over medium heat. Add the broth and water at the same time. Whisk to combine, scraping  the bottom of the pan until all of the bits have come loose. Cook for another 2 to 3 mins. In order to reduce the mixture slightly. Transfer the liquid to a fat separator and let sit for 5 minutes to allow fat to separate. Return 2/3 to 3/4 C of the fat to the roasting pan and place over meidium-high heat. Discard any remaining fat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture starts to thicken and become smooth, approximately 2 to 3 mins. Once this happens, gradually add the liquid back to the pan and whisk until smooth and you have reached your desired consistency, approximately 5 to 6 mins. Remember, your gravy should be slightly thin in the pan as it will thicken once you serve it. Add the herbs and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper.


Note: According to the Gravy's flavor, I've had to add more water to dilute the salt flavor (When I brine the turkey, sometimes I don't rinse it well enough and the salt is too strong.) Wonder flour is great to thicken the gravy after doing this.

Raspberry Pretzel Jello

Raspberry Pretzel Jello

Crust
2 Cups broken pretzels
1/2 Cup melted butter
3 T sugar
Mix and bake on cookie sheet for 5 minutes at 400 degrees.
Cool and place in 9x13 pan.

1st Layer
8oz cream cheese
1 Cup sugar
2 small cans crushed pineapple - drained
8oz cool whip ( I prefer 1 cup heavy cream, whipped)
Mix cream cheese, sugar and pineapple.  Fold in cool whip
and spread over pretzel crust.

2nd Layer
1 large raspberry jello
2 Cups boiling water
2 Cups frozen raspberries
Mix jello and water.  Add raspberries and wait until cool.  Pour
over cream cheese layer and chill until set.

I've used less butter, fat free cream cheese, fat free cool whip and
it still tastes great. But as usual, it tastes best with all the fat!

Yams & Apples

Yams & Apples
 
6 medium yams
3 or 4 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (Granny Smith)
½ cup butter
3 T cornstarch
1 C sugar
1 t salt
2 C water (you could use pineapple juice or orange juice if desired, not me)
2 T fresh lemon juice
Parboil yams about 20 minutes. Cool, peel, and slice in layers in a buttered casserole (9 x 13 pan), alternating yam slices with apple slices.  Yam slices are a little thinner than ½ an inch.  Melt butter in small saucepan. Add cornstarch, sugar and salt.  Blend well.  Add water, cook and stir until sauce thickens.  Add lemon juice, then pour sauce over yams and apples.  Bake at 350 for one hour. 

Origanlly from the Lion House 

Pecan Pie

Perfect Pecan Pie

1 9” Pie crust                   
6 T butter cut into 1 “ pieces                  
1 C packed dark brown sugar
1/2 t salt                                               
3 eggs
3/4 C light corn syrup                         
1 T vanilla
3 C pecans toasted (chopped if you like...much easier to cut and serve with chopped pecans)

Heat oven to 375, place pie shell in oven, if not already warm.  Melt butter, mix in sugar. salt.  Beat in eggs, then corn syrup and vanilla.  Heat to 130 or until mixture is shiny and warm to the touch.  Remove from heat and stir in pecans.  Pour into warm pie crust.  Bake until center feels set yet soft, like gelatin, when gently pressed, 50-60 mins. ( I personally like it cooked until it's a little firmer than jello.) Transfer to pie rack, let cool completely, at least 4 hours.  Serve room temp with whipped cream or ice cream.


Monette’s Pie Crust

2 1/4 C flour
1 C butter flavored Crisco
½ t salt
Cut Crisco into flour and salt with a fork or pastry cutter.

1/3 C cold water (refrigerated -   super cold)

Sprinkle a tablespoon at a time over flour mixture and let sit for 5 minutes.  Mix with fork and work as little as possible. Roll out.  Makes one double crust pie.  Bake as directed.  For single pie crust make sure you use a fork to poke holes all over crust to allow air to escape so bubbles don’t form.

Note: I've only ever used a pastry cloth for my pie crusts...they work great, but if you don't have one, I've heard people using wax paper or parchment....whatever works.