Pistachio Cake with Blueberry Lemon Compote

This is a green tube cake made by altering a cake mix with pistachio pudding and green food coloring.

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 7 drops green food coloring


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.

2. In a large bowl mix together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in eggs, water, oil, almond extract and green food coloring. Blend ingredients, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.

3. Pour into prepared 10 inch tube pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Lemon Blueberry Compote

• 2 c of flash frozen blueberries, 1/2 lemon, 2 tsp of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, a pinch of ground clove.

Pour your frozen blueberries into a nice, small pot with a good lid. Start cooking over medium heat. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon and also the zest of 1/2 lemon. Add your brown sugar, cinnamon, and clove. Heat until bubbly, warm, and a little sticky.

This is also good added into a little sweetened Mascarpone cheese.

Pour the blueberries over the warm, Pistachio Cake and enjoy!!!!

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake (RECIPE IN A JAR)

This makes a great gift for friends and family for every occasion from Christmas to birthdays, to mothers day's and even just a pick me up for someone who is feeling down.

For this recipe you will need a jar that holds around 1 quart. If your jar is airtight add the ingredients directly otherwise place them into an airtight or ziplock bag and attach the recipe card instructions.

Tie the whole jar up with some cellophane or add some curling ribbons and a bow to finish off this gift

Recipe in a Jar

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 cups cake flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup poppy seeds

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend with a wire whisk. Store the mix in an airtight container.

Tag Instructions:

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake

3/4 cup butter
6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract (not lemon juice)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 pkg. Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake Mix

Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8- to 9-cup Bundt pan.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after
each addition. Add the milk, extracts, and lemon zest. The mixture will look
curdled. Add the Cake Mix, and continue to beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes
until mixture is smooth. Pour the batter into greased pan and bake for 45 to 55
minutes. Glaze: Combine sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat,
and bring to boil for 3 minutes. When cake is removed from oven, poke cake all over
with a wooden skewer and brush glaze over cake. Let the cake stand for 1 hour and
remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap.

Lemon Body Scrub

I love the idea of the this Lemon Body Scrub. 
It's just perfect for the summer season we going into.

Lemon and Honey Body Scrub

• 6 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 5 drops of lemon juice
• honey 

1. First mix sugar and salt well.
2. Add lemon juice and honey to get a thick paste




You're ready to go you can use this scrub all over your body it makes your body soft and sweet smelling! Great for feet & heels too.

BATH JELLY

Bath jelly is a fun alternative to bath gel and can be found in all the popular bath shops such as Lush.  This soap recipe is perfect for kids and although it is not an actual Lush recipe it is a great bath jelly recipe.  Kids love the process of making it.  Great for gift ideas to do with them too.

1 packet of Unflavored gelatin 15g (1tbs)
1 tsp of Salt
1/2 cup of Liquid soap
3/4 cup of Water
Food Coloring
Fragrant oils or essential oils
Plastic storage jar with lid



Empty the packet of gelatin into a bowl and set aside. Boil 3/4 cup of water using a saucepan or kettle.
Carefully pour the hot water into a mixing bowl and mix it with the gelatin powder. Let the gelatin dissolve completely.

Next pour the liquid soap into the gelatin mix.
Add 2 drops of food coloring into the mix and also add your fragrance oil. Add about 5 drops and stir it very gently so the bubbles do not become too agitated.

Add any remaining ingredients.
Pour the mix into a clean storage container and allow to set for several hours in the refrigerator.
Add a small toy into the Jelly before it sets to give the kids an incentive to get to the bottom of the Jelly soap.

Dispose of the jelly after several weeks or if mold is present. Avoid mold by keeping it in an airtight container in a cool place at all times.  Add a plastic spoon to the jar to make use easier.

HOW TO USE :  Place a small amount of jelly under warm running water to use.
For firmer Jelly that you can slice. Add 3 tsp of gelatin to the above ingredients.

KABAYAKI SAUCE (Also called BBQ sauce for Unagi/Freshwater EEL)

I LOVE Sushi, especially BBQ Unagi.  The BBQ sauce is really called Kabayaki sauce, and  is traditionally served over eel.  It is also very good with rice, or other types of fish such as Salmon, Talapia, shrimp, crab etc. 

Kabayaki sauce: 

1. 1/4 cup of soy sauce
2. 1/4 cup of mirin
3. 1/4 cup of sugar

Mix the all of the ingredients well in a small pan, then turn the heat on low and let it simmer for a few minutes, stirring every minute or so if the sugar shows any sign of settling at the bottom. Then take it off the heat and let it cool.  

I like to put leftover Kabayaki Sauce in a squirt bottle & store the refrigerator. It keeps well for quite awhile.

Did you know that you can also find Unagi, prepackaged and frozen for a fraction of the cost that you would pay in a Sushi Restaurant?  Its very easy to prepare, just follow the directions, typically its cooked in the oven on 400 Degrees for about 5-7minutes.  I personally like to still go out for Sushi. Its one of my few guilty pleasures that I look forward to whenever the opportunity pops up.  This is great to keep on hand tho for cravings and the sauce is really delicious on many different seafood dishes, and even Pork, Chicken, or Veggies & Rice.

Hiccups

If you get the hiccups, go get a spoonful of peanutbutter and eat it slowly.  This has never failed, it works every time trust me.

Brown Sugar Pudding & Dumplings

 

This recipe was handed down from my great grandma's mom who was born in the 1800's. It's really delicious and comforting on a cool spring or autumn night.  My boys love this easy old-fashioned dessert warm, topped with cream, ice cream or whipped cream.  

1. 1 cup water 
2. 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, reserve 1/4cup
3. 1 tablespoon butter
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
7. Pinch each nutmeg and salt
8. 1/4 cup evaporated milk
9. 1/2 cup raisins
10. Ice cream 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring water and 1/2 cup brown sugar to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in butter and vanilla until butter is melted. Pour into a greased 1-qt. baking dish; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and milk just until blended. Stir in the remaining brown sugar. Fold in raisins. Drop by spoonfuls over sauce.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

Spoon into dishes. Serve with ice cream. For a nice change, this is also good with fruit... I like to use apple pie filling, or sliced bananas, its very versatile dessert, many fruits go well use what you like best.