As promised, here’s the second trifle I told you about. And my personal favorite. 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, I love, loooove a good chocolaty trifle, but something about this lemon variety won me over. Maybe the sweet, lemony syrup- soaked angel food cake, or the lemon-vanilla pudding between layers, or the slices of fresh, ripe strawberries…whatever it is, this dessert is a WINNER! And so ideal for a summer cookout! No one wants to turn their ovens on during the hot summertime, so this trifle is where it’s at. No oven required.
Summery Lemon Strawberry Trifle
1 angel food cake, cut into cubes
3 large lemons
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 3.4-oz. boxes vanilla pudding mix
3 3/4 cups milk
1 16-oz. container Cool Whip
1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons (be careful not to get the white pith or you’ll end up with a bitter taste). Squeeze the juice from the lemons into a small bowl and set aside. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring the water, sugar, and lemon peels to a boil and simmer until sugar has dissolved (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove peels.
Whisk the pudding mix and milk until thick, about 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved lemon juice. Set aside.
In a trifle dish or large glass bowl, place half of the angel food cake cubes in an even layer; drizzle with half of the lemon simple syrup. Layer half of the sliced strawberries, then spread half of the pudding, then half of the Cool Whip. Repeat layers. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Serves 12.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
This week, I’ll be sharing not one, but two awesome trifle recipes! I know…that’s kinda weird to just randomly post a bunch of trifle recipes, but I have a reason. 🙂 We threw a graduation party for the son of our good friends a couple of weeks ago and when I asked his mother what his favorite dessert is, she told me he loves chocolate cake and my lemon-lime sugar cookie truffles. I wanted to do something unique that incorporated both of his favorite things, and after lots of thought, ended up making two kinds of trifles- chocolate and lemon. They were both a huge success! I really love this kind of dessert, not only because can they be made ahead of time (and should be!), they’re super simple to throw together and the result is always fantastic.
This trifle features chocolate cake soaked with coffee, then drizzled with a bit of hot fudge and layered with chocolate pudding and cool whip. I’m not kidding when I say this is decadent. The best part is, the longer it sits, the better it gets. I love “soggy” desserts, so naturally, this one ranks pretty high on my list. If you’re looking for a dessert that looks beautiful, tastes amazing, and requires minimal time and effort, this one’s for you!
Decadent Chocolate Trifle
1 chocolate cake, baked, cooled, and cut into cubes (you may have some left over- save ’em for a snack!)
hot fudge, for drizzling
1/2 cup freshly brewed coffee that has been allowed to cool
2 3.4-oz. boxes chocolate pudding mix
4 cups milk
1 16-oz. container Cool Whip
Whisk together the pudding mix and milk until thick; about 2 minutes. Set aside.
In a trifle dish or large glass bowl, place half of the cake cubes in a single layer; spoon over half of the coffee, then drizzle a small amount of hot fudge over the cake. Spoon half of the chocolate pudding and spread evenly, then half of the cool whip. Repeat layers, reserving one or two small pieces of cake for the top. When layers are complete, crumble the cake and sprinkle over the top of the cool whip for decoration. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Serves 12.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
The crock pot is seriously one of my greatest friends in the kitchen. I love having dinner mostly prepared for me at the end of a long day. Especially if it’s juicy, tender green chile pork. Yum. The best part about this recipe is that it can be used for multiple meals. I made tacos with it the first meal, then salads, then sandwiches. It’s the pork that keeps on giving.
Crock Pot Green Chile Pork
boneless pork roast (or loin), about 2 pounds
bunch cilantro (do not chop- just leave it on the stems)
salt and pepper
juice of 2 limes
juice of 1 orange
1 small can diced green chiles
dash liquid smoke
Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. When done, remove cilantro stems and shred meat to use for tacos, salads, or sandwiches. Serves about 6-8.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
There’s a joke (sort of funny, sort of not) in our family now that these are “tornado cookies”, because I baked them the day of the tornado last month. Chuckle. Sort of.
These are some seriously good cookies. It’s a marriage of two awesome cookies- chewy M&M cookies and rich chocolate sugar cookies. Yeah baby. I used Martha Stewart’s recipe for chocolate sugar cookies (which would’ve been awesome on their own), and since I was craving M&M cookies, threw some M&Ms in. I was verrrrry happy with the results! Chewy and deeply chocolaty with the nice crunch of M&Ms. I can’t wait to make these again; hopefully minus the tornado this time. 😉
Chocolate M&M Sugar Cookies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, substitute 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups M&Ms
Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and corn starch in a medium bowl; set aside.
Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in shortening (or additional butter). Add egg and vanilla; mix until creamy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the M&Ms.
Drop dough by tablespoon-size scoops onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are firm, 9-11 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 days. Makes approximately 36 cookies.
Recipe source: adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies cookbook
Cassidy was obviously a fan. 🙂
Are you scared of greens? Does kale or spinach send you running in the opposite direction? Well, fear, be gone, because I have news for you- there’s nothing easier or tastier if you know how to prepare them! I know a plate of soggy kale might seem unappealing to those of you who aren’t big into greens, but I promise it’s just the opposite! Joel and I both love kale (even Cassidy loves it!); in fact, it’s just about our favorite green. I keep a giant bag of frozen, chopped kale in the freezer and put it in soups, casseroles, smoothies, and much more. But my favorite way to prepare it is simply sauteed. It’s amazing how much flavor is packed in these amazingly healthy greens.
A church friend and neighbor of ours is going through some health issues and he and his wife have decided to completely change their lifestyle. They’re exercising and eating healthy- no processed or refined foods. I recently talked with them about their new diets and found out they’re trying to eat as many healthy vegetables as possible. So of course, I asked them if they’d tried kale yet. Since they hadn’t, and seemed a little hesitant, I decided to post this recipe for them. Getting healthy is serious business and I want to help them find some recipes that are super good for you, yet delicious as well.
The kale is blanched, then simply sauteed with a little pancetta (which could absolutely be left out), garlic, and a little red pepper for some heat. Ready in 7 or 8 minutes, full of flavor, and packed with nutrition! Say yes to kale!
Sauteed Kale
1 pound fresh kale, washed, ribs removed, and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon diced pancetta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
pinch red pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop the kale in and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes, until it starts to wilt. Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the olive oil. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for a minute or so.
Using a large slotted spoon, remove the kale from the boiling water and place directly in the skillet with the pancetta and garlic. Sautee for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper. Serves 4 as a side dish.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
When I was growing up, I was sort of a picky eater. Ok, not sort of. I was a total brat. I hated Mexican food (gasp!), spaghetti sauce, onions, peppers, and lots of other random things. I mean, how is it possible that I hated Mexican food?! Especially when, now, I could eat it 5 days a week! Ugh. What a weird kid. If I smelled onions and peppers cooking, I automatically knew I’d be shunning dinner that night. So naturally, when my mom or anyone else would make goulash (not that my mom ever really made goulash all that often), I’d not-so-politely refuse.
Nowadays, I love the smell of peppers and onions cooking together! Throw in some ground beef, tomatoes, and whole wheat macaroni and I’m more than thrilled to fill my plate with it! So is Cassidy! (SUCH a great eater!)
This is one of those meals that comes together really quickly and has that great comfort factor. You know, like, after surviving a tornado and your family could really use some good, comforting food? Yeah, it’s perfect for that. And chances are, you most likely have all of these ingredients in your fridge/pantry already! This is one of those perfect weeknight meals…
Goulash
1 pound lean, ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 15oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
bay leaf
splash white vinegar
1 1/2 cups whole wheat macaroni pasta
In a large skillet, cook the ground beef, onions, and peppers over medium-high heat until soft. Drain any fat. Reduce heat to medium-low and add in tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, bay leaf, and vinegar. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente; about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and stir it into the meat mixture. Simmer on low for another 5-10 minutes. Serves 4-6.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original