Lemon & Lavender Tea Cookies

5 Ingredient Lemon & Lavender Tea Cookies

You will need:

1 box lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs. dried lavender
granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Roll the dough into 1" balls. Roll dough in some granulated sugar. Bake for 12 minutes. Makes 24 cookies.

Think Spring!

Super Bowl Caramel Corn

I decided to post this recipe because it was a big hit tonight. It was so good we actually polished off the entire bowl before halftime... Yum! I also wanted to share a picture of my vintage popcorn popper. I found at a thrift store a few years ago for only $2 and love it! Just add some oil & popcorn kernels, then turn the handle as it starts to pop. It makes the best popcorn ever!

Caramel Corn

Ingredients

• 7 quarts plain popped popcorn
• 2 cups peanuts (optional)
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

3. Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.

4. Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

5 Ingredient Fix

This is one of our favorite shows on Food Network. The recipes are simple and use everyday ingredients.

About the Show

In her new daytime cooking series, 5 Ingredient Fix, host Claire Robinson proves delicious dishes only need five ingredients or fewer to make cooking easier, faster and down right irresistible. Claire shows viewers how to enhance the natural flavors of carefully-selected, fresh ingredients to illustrate her belief that each ingredient should truly stand out in a recipe. With eclectic and elegant menus perfect for every occasion, her straightforward cooking style promotes healthy, seasonal eating as well as stress-free shopping. Claire minimizes fuss and maximizes taste to achieve mouth-watering meals in no time!

Millionaire's Shortbread

Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson
Prep Time: 15 min Inactive Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 30 min Level:
Intermediate Serves:
2 dozen Ingredients
Shortbread:
2 sticks butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for preparing pans
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for preparing pans
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Caramel Layer:
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter
Chocolate Topping:
3/4 pound good-quality milk chocolate
Directions
Shortbread:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter 2 (8-inch) square nonstick pans and coat with flour, tapping off excess. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse once. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles peas. Press the shortbread mixture into prepared pans and bake until golden brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Caramel Layer:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the condensed milk and 2 tablespoons of butter. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Continue stirring over the heat until mixture becomes thick and amber in color, about 15 minutes. Pour the caramel over the cooked shortbread and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Topping:

In a glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Once chocolate has melted, pour it over the cooled caramel layer. Cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes, and then place in the refrigerator to cool completely, allowing chocolate to slightly harden but not get hard. Cut into 2-inch squares and enjoy, or store in an airtight container, at room temperature, or my favorite - keep in the refrigerator for a yummy sweet and cool treat!

A really simple cookie recipe

Lemon & Lavender Tea Cookies

You will need:

1 box lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs. dried lavender
granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Roll the dough into 1" balls
and then roll in the granulated sugar. Bake for 12 minutes. Makes 24
cookies.

Think Spring!

Tostones: Crispy Fried Plantains Recipe

If you have ever eaten at San Chez in downtown Grand Rapids, (our favorite restaurant) you may have tried their Tostones, or Twice Fried Plantains. For those of you who have never tried them, Plantains are found in the produce section and look like large green bananas. The secret to making the crunchiest and best tostones is to pick the largest and greenest plantains. Plus, you must double fry the slices. Tostones can be served with rice and beans, but at our house we like to sprinkle them with coarse salt while they are still hot and serve them with salsa.

Crispy Fried Plantains

4 plantains, (as green as you can find them)
Salt
Vegetable Oil

Peel the plantains and slice them into 1" rounds. (Holding them under warm running water helps loosen the peel). Place the slices in a bowl of warm, salted water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Fill a large frying pan with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat to medium-high. Working in batches, fry as many plantain slices as will fit into one layer until they begin to turn golden. Remove plantains from pan and drain on paper towels. On a cutting board, flatten each slice by covering with small plate or the back of a spatula and press down as hard as you can, (the thinner the slices, the crunchier the tostones). Fry the flattened slices again until golden brown and crispy. Place on paper towels again to drain as you remove them from the pan. Salt to tast and serve right away.

Multigrain Pasta with Sweet Potatoes and Leeks

Serves 4

12 ounces multigrain penne pasta
2 tsp. olive oil
3 leeks, sliced and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 c. fresh sage, chopped
2 small sweet potatoes, or butternut squash (1 lb)peeled and cut in 1/2 inch pieces.
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped, toasted almonds (optional)

Cook the pasta according to the directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring until softened for about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sage and cook 2 more minutes. Add the sweet potato, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper and cook, covered, stirring twice until just tender for about 6-8 minutes. Stir in reserved cooking water and simmer, stirring until potatoes are fully tender, about 2-4 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and nutmeg and toss. Divide among individual bowls and sprinkle with toasted almonds.