Lemon Squares

You will need:

For crust:
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup butter, melted

Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup all purpose flour
5/8 cup lemon juice (I know in the picture I have fake lemon juice, but DON'T use it!!!!!! It's all I had and I promise you will regret using it. Use fresh squeezed lemon juice!!!!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and confectioners' sugar. Blend in the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Combine the sugar, baking powder and 1/4 cup of flour so there will be no flour lumps. Stir the sugar mixture into the eggs. Finally, stir in the lemon juice.

Remove crust from oven.

Pour mixture over the prepared crust and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until bars are set.

Top with confectioner's sugar. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Triple Strawberry Cake

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package strawberry cake mix
• 1 (3 ounce) package flavored gelatin
• 4 cups water
• Homemade whipped cream (below)
  
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare cake according to package directions. Bake as directed for a 9x13 inch pan. Allow to cool.
2. Prepare the strawberry gelatin according to package instructions, using the 4 cups of water. Poke cake with toothpick. Pour over cooled cake while still in liquid form; the cake will absorb it. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until gelatin is set.
3. Spread whipped cream over cake and top with sliced strawberries.

Whipped Cream Icing

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.

Tator Tot Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 lb. tator tots

cheddar cheese

Directions:

Brown meat; drain. Pour in an 8x8 dish. Add soup and mix with beef. Cover with a layer of tator tots. Bake at 350 for 30 mins. Cover with cheese and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.

From Meredith at From Our Kitchen to Yours

Chicken, Spinach, and Ricotta Quesadilla

This is SO yummy! It tastes like something you would get in a cute and very chic little cafe or bistro!

You will need:

(I'm just going to list ingredients because the measurements depend on your taste and how many quesadillas you are making.)

Chicken (I always use a rotisserie chicken.)
Spinach wraps
Cheese (I used Mexican blend, mozzarella would be good, or whatever cheese you like best.)
Ricotta cheese (I used a little less than half a cup to make two big quesadillas.)
Fresh Spinach
Diced Onions
Olive Oil (Just a drizzle for the pan)

Prepare chicken (cook or shred in my case. Easy!)

Drizzle a little olive oil in a skillet and turn on medium-high. Put onions in and stir for about 2-3 minutes.

Add spinach and cook until wilted (About 1 minute). Place spinach and onion mixture on paper towel lined plate to drain.


Mix cheeses and chicken in bowl.

Spread chicken and cheese mixture on half of the spinach wrap. Make sure not to get too close to the side, so it doesn't ooze out while you are cooking it. Top cheese mixture with onions and spinach. Fold in half and cook in skillet on medium.

And now eat it! :) It is very yummy!

Marshmallow Fruit Salad

My father-in-law always makes this on every holiday. It's so yummy and a great low fat snack or dessert!

You will need:

Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream (Nonfat or light)

1 bag of mini marshmallows
1 can of fruit cocktail
1 can of Mandarin oranges

Notes:
You can use whatever kind of fruit you prefer! I love Mandarin oranges, so I use a big can of them!
I also use two sweet-n-lows to make it sweeter.

Mix together and serve!

An Award!!!!

Sweet Lindsay at Lindsay's Kitchen gave Piece of Cake recipes its first award! Thanks so much! I am thrilled!

This award has a little questionnaire about me! Here we go:

(1) Your Cell Phone? Blackberry

(2) Your Hair? Blonde

(3) Your Mother? Passionate

(4) Your Father? Hardworking

(5) Your Favorite Food? Mexican

(6) Your Dream Last Night? School

(7) Your Favorite Drink? DC

(8) Your Dream/Goal? Motherhood

(9) What Room Are You In? Living Room

(10) Your Hobby? Blogging

(11) Your Fear? Death

(12) Where Do You Want To Be In Six Years? Family

(13) Where Were You Last Night? Home

(14) Something That You Aren't? Unhappy

(15) Muffins? Blueberry

(16) Wish List Item? House

(17) Where Did You Grow Up? Collierville

(18) Last Thing You Did? Olympics

(19) What Are You Wearing? Pajamas

(20) Your TV? On

(21) Your Pets? Fiona

(22) Friends? hubby

(23) Your Life? Good

(24) Your Mood? Tired

(25) Missing Someone? Family

(26) Vehicle? Volvo

(27) Something You Aren't Wearing? Shoes

(28) Your Favorite Store? Target

(29) Your Favorite Color? Turquoise

(30) When Was The Last Time You Laughed? Today

(31) Last Time You Cried? Yesterday

(32) Your Best Friend? Trey

(33) One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Kroger

(34) Facebook? Ugh...

(35) Favorite Place To Eat? Chuy's

And this award goes to...

From Our Kitchen to Yours--I've gotten some great recipe ideas from here! It's awesome and so helpful!

Wearing Gackey's Apron--LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this blog. She has the best ideas!

June Cleaver Cooking Club-- This blog is such a cute idea. She gets people to send their recipe ideas in and posts them! There's some great recipes on there!

Low Fat Beef Nachos

These are really simple to make and are low in fat! Perfect for this Superbowl Sunday!

You will need:

Lean Beef (I use Laura's Lean Beef.)
Baked Tostitos
Frozen chopped onions
Taco seasoning
Fat Free or 2% cheese (I used Mexican blend.)
Fat Free or Light Sour Cream
Salsa (I used Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa.)


Preheat oven to 350. Spread chips on aluminum foil topped baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese on top of chips. When oven is preheated, bake until cheese is bubbly. Broil for about 2 minutes to let chips get crispy. (Make sure to watch it, so it doesn't burn!)

While chips and cheese bake, brown beef. Add taco seasoning and chopped onions.

When chips are ready, they will look like this.

Now, plate it! First chips, then beef, then sour cream, and salsa. You can also add any other topping you'd like!

Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa

This recipe is from Pioneer Woman. I followed every word of her recipe. So check it out.

You will need:

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
¼ teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro
½ whole Lime Juice

Pour can of tomatoes into food processor or blender.

Then pour two cans of Rotel.

Now add 1/4 cup of diced onions.

and 1 clove of chopped garlic.

Thankfully Pioneer Woman told me how to chop the jalapeno. First slice in half lengthwise.

Then cut those in half. Now you have fourths.

Then slice those into thin pieces.

Add to the tomatoes.

Now add, 1/4 tsp salt.

And 1/4 tsp sugar.

Add the juice of a lime. Use the juice of a whole lime if it's small and half of one if it is a big lime.

Add cilantro.

And 1/4 tsp ground cumin. Pulse until it is desired consistency.

Serve with chips!

Diet Coke Cupcakes

Now get ready, this is the most complicated recipe on Piece of Cake Recipes. Are you ready? :)

You will need:

1 can of diet soda (diet coke for dark cake mix, diet 7-up for light cake mix)
1 box cake mix
1 box fluffy white icing by Betty Crocker
cupcake liners
cupcake tin

Pour cake mix in bowl. Pour can of soda into bowl.

Mix together. Pour into cupcake liners. Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes.

Now for the fluffy white icing. Boil water according to directions on box.

Pour icing mix into mixer bowl.

Add water to mix and beat on low for 30 seconds.

Beat on high until stiff peaks form.

Make it a pretty color.

I used these.

Now get your cupcakes out of oven. Note: They will not be as pretty as regular cupcakes. They will be flat and their texture will be different.

Frost with icing.

Enjoy your guilt free sweets!


I told you this recipe was SO difficult! ;)

recipe from Shannon at the Willcutt Girls.