Fresh Raspberry Almond Tray Tart

An almond cookie crust goes perfectly with sweetened cream cheese, topped with raspberries and a touch of honey. Voilà, an impressive Easter dessert for a crowd is served.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1/2  cup cold butter or margarine, cut into pieces

1     pouch Betty Crocker™ sugar cookie mix

3/4  cup chopped almonds or pecans

Topping and Glaze:

1     package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/3  cup sugar

6     cups raspberries

1/3  cup red currant jelly

2     tablespoons honey

Directions:

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, cut butter into cookie mix using pastry blender or fork until crumbly; stir in almonds. Press dough in bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of pan.
• 2 Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• 3 Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended and smooth. Spread evenly in cooled cookie crust. Top with raspberries.
• 4 In small microwavable bowl, stir together jelly and honey. Microwave uncovered on High 20 to 30 seconds or until thin enough to glaze. Brush glaze over berries. Refrigerate 2 hours. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Cover and refrigerate any remaining tarts.

Expert Tips:

Mascarpone cheese can be used in place of the cream cheese.
Any berry can be used with the raspberries; try a delicious mix of blackberries, strawberries and raspberries.

Source:  bettycrocker.com

Lemon Cream Cheese Bundt Cake With Lemon Glaze

What's better than cake? A beautiful bundt cake you can make in one bowl!

Ingredients:

Cake:

1    box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ yellow cake mix

1    cup milk

1    package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

2    tablespoons grated lemon peel (from 2 large lemons)

1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)

3    eggs

Glaze:

2    cups powdered sugar

2    tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)

Directions:

• 1 Heat oven to 325°F. Generously spray 10- or 12-cup fluted tube cake pan.
• 2 In large bowl, beat Cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Pour into pan.
• 3 Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; turn upside down onto cooling rack or heatproof serving plate, and remove pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• 4 Place cake on serving plate. In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar and lemon juice, a little at a time, using whisk until thick glaze forms. (You may not need all the juice.) Pour evenly over cake. Store cake loosely covered.

Expert Tips

Mix up this basic recipe with different citrus fruits, like orange or lime.
Grate the lemon peel right into the bowl with the other ingredients to keep all those bright citrus flavors from drying out in the air.

Source:  bettycrocker.com

How To Make A Princess Cake?

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Source: bettycrocker.com

Speckled Egg Malted Milk Cake

This bespeckled beauty, with its clever play on everyone’s favorite malted milk candy eggs, is just the dessert to get guests talking (and leave them wanting more!).

Ingredients:

Cake:

1          box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ white cake mix

1/2       cup malted milk powder

1 1/4    cups water

1/3       cup vegetable oil

3          eggs

Frosting:

1 1/2    cups unsalted butter, softened

4          cups powdered sugar

1          teaspoon vanilla

            Dash salt

            Liquid blue food color

Speckling Chocolate:

1         tablespoon unsweetened baking cocoa

4 1/2   teaspoons vanilla

Phyllo Nest:

1/3      cup kataifi (shredded phyllo dough)

1         tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

3         speckled candy-coated malted milk egg candies

Directions:

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; set aside.
• 2 In large bowl, stir together cake mix and malted milk powder with whisk. Add remaining Cake ingredients; beat with electric mixer on low speed until well combined. Divide batter evenly among pans.
• 3 Bake 22 to 28 minutes or until cakes spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool cakes in pans on cooling racks 5 minutes. Turn cakes out onto cooling racks; cool completely, about 30 minutes. Level cakes using large serrated knife or cake leveler, if needed.
• 4 To make Frosting, in large bowl, beat softened butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on low speed until incorporated; beat on high speed 3 minutes. Add vanilla and salt; beat 1 minute longer. Add blue food color 1 drop at a time, beating until a light blue color is achieved.
• 5 Fill and frost cooled cake. Refrigerate frosted cake 1 hour or until frosting is dry to the touch.
• 6 In small condiment bowl, mix baking cocoa and vanilla. Load unused (new) stiff-bristle paint brush with cocoa mixture. Using fingers, flick loaded brush bristles toward cake creating a splatter pattern. Re-load brush; cover entire cake with chocolate speckles. Refrigerate cake 30 minutes.
• 7 To make Phyllo Nest, heat oven to 375°F. Butter 1 muffin cup in regular-size muffin pan. Tear off 1/3 cup portion of kataifi; place in muffin cup in a circular nest shape. Gently brush phyllo nest with melted butter. Bake 15 minutes or until phyllo is golden brown around edge. Gently remove nest with fork; cool on cooling rack. Attach cooled nest to cake with dot of frosting. Place 3 speckled egg candies inside nest.
• 8 Before serving, bring cake to room temperature. Store cake loosely covered with plastic wrap.

• Expert Tips

  Buy a new stiff-bristled craft brush to use for cake-speckling purposes. Most any size will work, but a 2-inch brush or larger will cover more surface area and make quicker work.
  Kataifi can usually be found in the frozen grocery aisle with the ready-made pie crusts and puff pastry. It can also be found at Middle Eastern grocery stores and international markets.
  The malted milk egg candies can be speckled with the chocolate to match the cake perfectly. Cover your work surface and lay the candies on a paper towel before you begin speckling them. Allow the candies to dry for 5 minutes before transferring them to the nest on top of the cake. 

Source:  bettycrocker.com

Farro With Sweet Potatoes, Braised Kale And Celery Root

Yield: 8 servings

Cook Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients:

12 cups water

1 bunch kale--stems removed and reserved, leaves stacked, rolled and sliced crosswise

2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving 

1 pound celery root, peeled and chopped into ¼-inch pieces

1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 dried bay leaf

1 cup farro

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces

2 tablespoons chives, roughly chopped

½ cup arugula leaves

1 lemon, halved

Directions:


1. In a large pot set over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the kale stems and 2 tablespoons of the salt. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl; discard the kale stems.
2. In a large skillet set over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add the celery root, onion, garlic and bay leaf and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chopped kale and 6 cups of kale stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the kale and celery root are tender, about 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Save the cooked vegetables.
3. Make the farro: In a medium saucepan, add the farro and cover with 3 cups of reserved vegetable stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the farro is tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in the reserved cooked vegetables.
4. While the farro cooks, make the sweet potatoes: To a medium pot, add the sweet potatoes and enough water to nearly cover them (you want the water level about ½ inch below the potatoes). Set over high heat and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Strain the potatoes into a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl (reserve the cooking liquid). Transfer the potatoes to a blender along with ¾ cup of the reserved cooking liquid (enough to make a semi-thick purée). Add the remaining 1½ teaspoons of salt and purée until smooth, adding the remaining ¼ cup of cooking liquid if needed.
5. Serve the sweet potatoes topped with the farro-vegetable mixture, chives, a few arugula leaves, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.  

Calories per Serving: 157; Sodium: 611mg; Total Carbohydrate: 31g; Fiber: 5g; Fat: 3g

Source: tastingtable.com

Roasted Sweet Potato Buttermilk Hotcakes With Sorghum, Crushed Pecans And Soft Cream

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes

 Ingredients:

6½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons chilled for greasing ramekins

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring ramekins

1 large sweet potato, poked all over using a fork

2½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

3 large eggs

⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1¼ cups buttermilk

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup lightly toasted pecans, roughly chopped

Sorghum syrup

Lightly whipped cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter eight 4-ounce ramekins. Lightly dust each ramekin with flour, shaking out the excess.
2. Place the sweet potato on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until very tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Scrape the flesh from the skin and purée it in a food processor until smooth. Chill the purée and set it aside.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder over a bowl; add the salt and set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, and slowly drizzle in the melted butter. Add the sweet potato purée and whisk until fully combined. Add the buttermilk and vanilla.[Stir to combine.] Add the dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Scoop ⅓ cup of the batter into the prepared ramekin dishes. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean. Remove from the oven and rest for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with a sprinkle of pecans, a drizzle of sorghum and a dollop of whipped cream.

Source: tastingtable.com

Million Dollar Pound Cake

Just seven ingredients—and all of them common pantry staples—are all you need for this rich classic. Top with ice cream or seasonal fruits for a tasty combination.

Ingredients:

1 pound butter, softened 

3 cups sugar 

6 large eggs 

4 cups all-purpose flour 

3/4 cup milk 

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 


Directions:

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. (The butter will become a lighter yellow color; this is an important step, as the job of the mixer is to incorporate air into the butter so the cake will rise. It will take 1 to 7 minutes, depending on the power of your mixer.) Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. (Again, the times will vary, and butter will turn to a fluffy white.) Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow yolk disappears.
Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. (The batter should be smooth and bits of flour should be well incorporated; to rid batter of lumps, stir gently with a rubber spatula.) Stir in extracts.
Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. (Use vegetable shortening or butter to grease the pan, getting every nook and cranny covered. Sprinkle a light coating of flour over the greased surface.)
Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Note:

For testing purposes only, we used White Lily All-Purpose Flour.

  

For the best results, preheat your oven to 300º before you begin. We also soften butter at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Source: Southernliving.com

Muffuletta

Ingredients:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ medium carrot, thinly sliced

½ rib celery, thinly sliced

½ cup finely chopped cauliflower

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ cup pitted green olives, finely chopped

¼ cup brine-cured pitted black olives, preferably kalamata, finely chopped

5 pepperoncini, stemmed and thinly sliced

2 jarred roasted pimento peppers, finely chopped

Salt, to taste

1 6-inch-round Italian loaf with sesame seeds, split horizontally and hollowed out

4 ounces thinly sliced provolone

6 ounces thinly sliced mortadella

6 ounces thinly sliced hot soppressata

 

Directions:

1. Prepare the relish: Combine the olive oil, carrot, celery, cauliflower, dried thyme, chile flakes and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and add the vinegar, olives, pepperoncini and pimento peppers. Season with salt and mix together.

2. To assemble the sandwich, divide the olive salad between the top half and bottom half of the bread. Layer the provolone, mortadella and hot soppressata on the bottom half of the bread, making sure none of the meat or cheese flares out over the sides of the bread. Carefully cover with the remaining top half of the bread and cover the entire sandwich in plastic wrap. Transfer it to a baking sheet or cutting board and weigh it down with a heavy item, such as a cast iron skillet or a large can of tomatoes, for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. 

Yield: 1 sandwich

Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus pressing time
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes, plus pressing time

   

Source: tastingtable.com

Bacon Cheeseburger In Buns

"This is a fun way to serve bacon cheeseburgers without all the fuss of assembling the sandwiches to serve a gang. These convenient packets can be dipped into ketchup or barbecue sauce as you eat them."

Ingredients:

• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
• 2/3 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• FILLING:
• 1 pound sliced bacon, diced
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
• 3 to 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• Ketchup or barbecue sauce, optional

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt and 3-1/2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels. In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add bacon and cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from the heat.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into fourths. Roll each portion into an 12-in. x 8-in. rectangle; cut each into six squares. Place 1/4 cup meat mixture in the center of each square. Bring corners together in the center and pinch to seal.

Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush with butter. Serve warm, with ketchup if desired. Yield: 2 dozen.

 

Source: tasteofhome.com / shared by Marjorie Miller of Haven, Kansas.