Lemon Icebox Cake

It's FRIDAY! Have you had a great week? I sure hope so! Congratulations to everyone who has a jar of Biscoff Spread coming your way! :)

I promised today would be a share and review of the cake I made for our Valentine's Day celebration; here it is! It's a Lemon Icebox Cake from Cookie Baker Lynn.

It was tasty. It was NOT worth the trouble it took to make!!!!! How do I score this? I'm giving it a personal NO, THANK YOU - but that's because it is a FUSSY frosting/lemon mousse. SERIOUSLY.

I made the angel food cake in two 8" square pans; I had a tube pan, but didn't use it once in the three years I had it, so I got rid of it. The cake was very good; angel food cakes are a bit fussy, but one usually goes into scratch-baking it knowing that fact.

The lemon mousse/frosting? THAT was kind of crazy. First, you make very sour lemon curd. Then you whip cream, add gelatin, and add it to the curd to make lemon cream. And FINALLY you add meringue to the whole thing, split the cake into 4 layers, and stack.

If you decide to make this, it's GOOD. It's a big cake, light and fluffy and lemony and a treat. But go into the process knowing it will take you a good two days to make sure everything is ready to go. And it's NOT cheap; between the cake and the mousse, it took about 16 eggs. For ONE ingredient in ONE recipe.

I'm glad I tried it. I'm glad I made it for my dad - he despises chocolate, so we can't serve any when we do a special event together. But I'm not saving the recipe.

OK, I'm outta here!! :) Let me know what you think of this one. I'd love to hear if you're planning on making it! Take pictures, and tell me your story! :)

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! It's another busy one for us - we're out of here SOON! BE BLESSED!

Lemon Lover's Cookies

It's WEDNESDAY! :D Are you having a good week?

Today's review is for another Taste of Home recipe, this time for Lemon Lover's Cookies.

Yes, they're very, very lemony. And if that were all that was required of a good cookie recipe, then I'd give this one a different review! :D I'm saying NO, THANK YOU to these cookies.

Why? Because they broke if you looked at them the wrong way! They shattered coming off the cookie sheet; they crumpled when you moved them - and heaven forbid you should try to pick one up to frost it!

No, the taste was good, but it wasn't worth the frustration and waste. I broke about a fifth of the number of cookies I made. Yes, it was that bad! (Can you tell I was frustrated? I made these for my cookie exchange on the 21st of last month, and it's still irking me. LOL!)

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day, and let me know if you're trying something new! Be BLESSED!

Roasted Cabbage

It's FRIDAY! How was your Thanksgiving? Are you still stuffed? :D Are your festivities continuing through the weekend? Are you decorating? :D

Anyway. Here's another recipe from our hostess luncheon; it's Roasted (I Wish It Was Grilled) Cabbage from Green Lite Bites.

The original blogger said she liked her cabbage crunchy; I don't so I put the wedges in for about an hour and 15 minutes. And they were still crunchy.

I'm going to give this a NO, THANKS. The Worchestershire sauce was a bit overpowering. I think we're going to try frying up the leftovers, and see if we like it that way better. So watch for an update; I'll need to do that this weekend, more than likely - I need the fridge room! :D

OK, I'm outta here! Working away for the open house! I hope you're coming. :)

Enjoy your weekend!!!! Be BLESSED!!!

Gingered Chicken Thighs

It's FRIDAY!!!! Have you had a good week? Got fun plans for this weekend? If you're in the Middle Tennessee area, come see me tomorrow night; I'm working at Lebanon's Cedar Grove Cemetery Walk!

Anyway. :) Today's recipe is another Taste of Home, for Gingered Chicken Thighs.

I have to tell you: it took me a LONG time to decide this one got a NO, THANK YOU from us. It wasn't BAD, but neither of us wanted to eat the leftovers. :)

Now, I will admit that I used lemon juice instead of orange juice, but that's not what did it for us, I don't think. The flavors were super strong, but good - at first. It just didn't sit right, and when smelling the leftovers, it was totally overwhelming. (Of course, I'm not feeling tiptop right now, anyway.... :D)

Do let me know if it intrigues you enough to try it! I'd love to know what you think. :)

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL weekend! BE BLESSED!!!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

 Good Wednesday Morning!

What a week it's been. Here's hoping things sail a little smoother for a while!

Have you tried anything new lately?

Here's my newest try; it's from the Just a Pinch Recipe Club, which I've mentioned several times - for Pumpkin Bundt Cake.

I can't quite decide about this cake. It's SUPER-simple, and nicely moist without being too much so. But it's lacking...something. Mom and I talked about it maybe needing a struesel layer, or more spice, or something. I did add extra cinnamon - my pumpkin pie spice didn't smell like much, so I added more cinnamon. I always add more cinnamon. :D

I think I have to give it a NO, THANKS, just because I've got SO many dessert recipes already. But it made a BEAUTIFUL cake, and would be easy to transport. I might come back to it and play with it a little, but I kind of doubt it. It IS good, though. :D You should try it, and tell me what YOU think.

OK, I'm outta here. I think Mom and I are going to go to the county fair for a little this evening; I think we need just some FUN time. Have a wonderful, BLESSED day! Hug someone, too. :)

Peachy Keen Bars

 Good Wednesday morning! How are you doing today? Are you having a good week? Tried anything new?

Today's recipe came from Just a Pinch - I've mentioned them before; Kenn and I went to a luncheon where we got to try out some award-winning recipes. :) This one is called "Peachy Keen Bars".

I made these JUST to show you! :D Well, the core family is enjoying them.... :D

This is an extremely easy recipe; it does have four separate layers, but it's still very easy. And if you keep canned peaches in your closet, you've probably got everything in your pantry you need!

I'm on the cusp about what to recommend about this recipe. I didn't tweak anything, just FYI. It's good, but it just doesn't knock me out. So I'm giving it a YES, THANK YOU - a mixture of both! :D I might use the recipe again if I need something quickly, or to take to someone - it's that easy! :) It's not super-sweet, but it is rich; if you like coffee, this definitely would benefit from a cup. :)

OK, I'm outta here! It's a busy day! Have a wonderful day - and be sure and let me know if you try something new, something I've recommended, or find something you want me to try! :D BE BLESSED!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Welcome to August! :) Can you believe how quickly the year is passing?

Today's recipe is from With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart, for cream cheese pound cake.

This was a LOT of batter; I made some of these mini bundt cakes, and cooked the rest off in a loaf pan.

I don't know. Maybe it would be better with the glaze. Maybe it would be better with strawberries. But I'm not overjoyed with this recipe. It's just OK. And with all the recipes out there to try, I doubt I'll come back to this one. So I'm going to give it a NO, THANKS - but I love her blog! :)

OK, I'm outta here. Do let me know if you try something new! It's fun to do! :) Be BLESSED!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Good Monday Morning! :)

How are you doing today? Did you have a good weekend? Try anything new? Y'all are SO quiet out there! I'd love to have a comment.... :D

This is a no-bake cheesecake from Eat Good 4 Life. Go ahead, check it out. I'll wait. :D

First, let me say: I love cheesecake. I could eat it all day, every day. :)

Now, cheesecake in itself is relatively low in carbohydrates; usually where it runs into problems with carbs is in the crust and add-ins. So, I did the crust with only peanuts, no cereal or oats. Because both of those can be pretty carb-heavy, even though whole grains are supposed to be good for you. But I digress. :D

For the cheesecake itself, all I changed was using full-fat cream cheese instead of the lower-fat; the substitutions for lower fat items usually increases the carb count.

I'm afraid this one is getting a NO, THANKS from me. It was OK, but didn't knock me out. It was nice to have in the fridge for when I had to have something sweet. :) But I won't make it again. There are too many other things out there to try, and too many cheesecakes that beat this one. :)

OK, I'm out of here - my aunt from Missouri is visiting us this week. :) Lots to do, lots to make, lots to procrastinate about. :D

Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED, my friends! And let me know when you try something!

Almond Joy Bars

It's FRIDAY! Have you had a great week? Looking forward to the weekend? Trying anything new tonight? :D

Today's recipe is from Just a Pinch recipe club, and for Almond Joy Bars.

I have to say: these are COOKIE bars. They're rich, and the chocolate on top is incredibly thick. The coconut and cookie layer are yummy, but I found the name misleading. I pried the chocolate off my bar, because it was just too overpowering. I did put almonds on mine, but you couldn't taste them because of the chocolate layer.

My dad doesn't like chocolate, so he pried off the chocolate, too. :) Mom LOVED them! :D Kenn liked them, too. But I'm the one who bakes desserts around here.

So, because there's SO much other stuff to try out there, and because these bars were a bit labor-intensive, and because the chocolate was just too much, I'm going to give these a NO, THANK YOU. Tasty, yes. Going back to? No.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Try something new! :) And be BLESSED!

Basic Pasta

Good Monday morning! Did you have a good weekend? Did you try anything new this weekend?

I did - it was a big entertaining weekend, and I can't wait to show you some of those recipes. But today's is one I tried a while ago.

Here's another from a recipe website, AllRecipes.com. And it's for Basic Pasta.

I do not have a pasta machine, so that probably had a lot to do with this. I didn't care for it - it was too heavy. But I suspect a lot of that had to do with my not being able to get it as thin as it should have been. But this is definitely a NO, THANK YOU. If I ever get a pasta machine - or if someone wants to send me one to review (even if it's a Kitchen Aid mixer attachment! :D HINT!!), I'll try it again. But for now, it's getting gone from my box!

Keep watching! :) And if you have anything you want me to review, please let me know!!! :) Be blessed!!!

Mushroom Skewers

Good morning! How's your week going? Are you managing to keep cool? Today's not supposed to be TOO bad here in middle Tennessee; we'll see, though. :)

Today's recipe comes from Dinners & Dreams, and is for Mushroom Skewers.

I requested we make these for my birthday dinner, and my mom readily agreed; we really do like mushrooms around here. And what could be better than starting with baby bellas?

We doubled the recipe, because the original said she'd used them in sandwiches in following days. And that sounded good to us! So on we went.

The ONLY tweak I did on this recipe was to use red curry paste instead of the harissa; we didn't have any on-hand, we needed such a small amount, and it's really nothing any of us would use for anything else. The red curry paste is very mild, so it didn't make a huge impact on the recipe.

The baby bellas were very fresh; the skewers split some of the stems, as you can see from my picture. But they marinated beautifully, and grilled up very nicely.

Unfortunately, no one was knocked out by them. I really didn't care much for them; everyone else said they were "ok". Frankly, I'd much rather have them done in a pan with garlic and butter. The balsamic stained my fingernails for two days, too! :D

So, these are getting a NO, THANKS from me. If you like strong vinegar taste with mushrooms, go for it! I love balsamic vinegar, but not in this usage.

Have a wonderful day! Let me know if you try anything! :) Be blessed!

Make-Your-Own Rotisserie Chicken

Hello, one and all - or all of one, if that's all who's here! :D I hope you're enjoying my blog; I am really enjoying doing it. I love to try things out! :D

Today's recipe I'm reviewing is from Busy-Mommy.com, and it's on how to make your own chicken that tastes like a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

I love rotisserie chicken; it's versatile and easy to use, tender and juicy. HOWEVER. This recipe makes it in your crock pot.

I'm a huge fan of the IDEA of cooking meals in a crock pot; what could be better than sticking ingredients in in the morning, and having dinner ready later?

In practice, however, I have to tell you: I think the crock pot dries meat out. It LOOKS wonderful, and if tenderness is your game, it wins, hands-down. But JUICY? Nope. Not in my experience.

So, as it stands, I have to give this recipe a NO, THANK YOU. The flavor was great, so I think I'll try it in the OVEN next time, and I think that will change the whole thing for me. But even in my second-day meal, which is sauced with olive oil, the chicken was dry. I'll let you know when I do it in the oven!

OK, I'm outta here! :D Have a WONDERFUL, BLESSED day - and let me know if you've had the same experience with your crock pot, or if I'm doing something wrong. :D

Zucchini Chips

Hi! So glad you've come back! :)

These are zucchini chips; I got the recipe from Vittles & Bits.

It's a super-easy recipe, especially if you use a mandolin to slice your zucchini, which I did.

However, I found that, for me and my oven, there was an incredibly thin line between "crunchy" and "burnt-tasting". They take a really long time to dry, and I thought about using our dehydrator to do them instead.

I still might do that in the future, but Maggie's original recipe says, " These are best eaten within a couple hours of removing from the oven, as they start to get chewy if left out." I *might* try it if someone blesses us with a lot of zucchini, but to me, these chips were a lot of effort for little pleasure. My chips were either chewy or half-crisp or too-crisp (read: burnt). They might be healthy, but they use a lot of resource for little pleasure.

So, I'm going to have to rate these a NO, THANKS. But let me know if you try the recipe, and what you think - and how you did them! :)

Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!