Angel Food Cake

For me it was not my birthday unless I had an angel food cake. I always loved how light they tasted. I would eat 1/4 of the cake and it was the best thing ever. The tradition still lives on. My husbands birthday is on Tuesday and guess what I am making an angel food cake!Angel Food Cake

1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup cake flour
1 ½ cups large egg whites (about 12)
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. almond extract
¼ tsp. salt

1. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375 F.
2. In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and flour; set aside. In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with kitchenaid mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed, adding vanilla, almond extract and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not under beat.
3. Sprinkle powdered sugar-flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time, over egg white mixture, folding in with rubber spatula just until sugar-flour mixture disappears. Push batter into ungreased 10 x 4 inch angel food cake pan (tube pan). Cut gently through batter with metal spatula or knife to break air pockets.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heat-proof funnel or bottle. Let hang about 2 hours or until cake is completely cool. Loosen side of cake with knife or long metal spatula; remove from pan.
5. Spread or drizzle Lemon glaze over top of cake.

*Note: To cool angel food cake, immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof bottle or funnel (plastic funnel can be wrapped with foil to make heat proof).

Lemon Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp. lemon juice
2 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice

In a large bowl pour lemon juice on top of sugar. Miss in until it is smooth. Pour over cake

Caramel Corn

There is nothing better than fresh caramel corn. It melts in your mouth it is so yummy. As a family we love making this treat together. We pop fresh popcorn into the largest bowl we can find. We make fresh caramel. We all have stir as fast as we can with wooden spoons. We work as fast as possible . It is one of our favorite treats.

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups corn kernels

1. In an air popcorn machine. Pop the popcorn into a large bowl.
2. In a saucepan combine butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Let it boil and constantly stir for about a few minutes.
3. Add baking soda to caramel mixture.
   
4. Put caramel and popcorn into a large brown bag and shake it up.
5. Lay caramel on parchment paper and let it dry.
   

Bridal Shower Punch

This year I have had a lot of friends who have getting married. For every bridal shower that have been a part of there seems to be a trend. That trend is this refreshing punch.

Lime maid Concentrate
Sprite
Diet Sprite
Ice
Cucumbers

Pour ingredients into a large punch bowl and let your guests enjoy

Cake Cookies

I love cake cookies. They have found their way into my sister and my mouth on several occasions. They have a way of brightening up the day. They taste so yummy. They are so sweet. I love these cookies. They are also the easiest thing to make ever.

Cake Cookies
Box of your favorite cake mix
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
Favorite Frosting

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
   
2. Mix together cake mix, butter, and eggs
3. Roll into individual 1 inch balls
   
4. Bake for about 10 minutes
   
5. Let cool
   
6. Frost and enjoy
   

Chili

Growing up every Halloween we got together with some family and friends and ate chili, cornbread, and went trick or treating. We would all eat large bowls of chili. We would eat a ton. We would play with our friends. The adults would socialize. This was one of my favorite parts about Halloween.

Chili:

1 pound of ground beef
1 tbl 1/2 tsp Chili powder
2 tbl paprika
2 tbl crushed red peppers
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 can black beans
1 can kidney means
1 can chili beans
1 can of ranch style beans
1 can of tomato chunks
1/2 onion chopped
1 green pepper
Sour cream
Shredded cheese

1. Brown meat with spices in the bottom of a large stock pot
2. Chop onion and pepper
   
3. Open up cans of bean, train only kidney and black beans
   
4. Dumb beans, tomato, onion, and pepper into the pot
   
5. Let simmer until it is warm throughout (30 minutes)
6. Taste and add spices to taste
   
7. Serve in a bowl with sour cream and shredded cheese
   

Lime Rickey

Growing up in California I did not have the opportunity to have Lime Rickey's that often. Whenever I came up to Utah to visit my Grandma that was the first place I wanted to go. I wanted to go to this whole in the wall shake shack that served Lime Rickey's. My sister and I loved them so much that as a little kids instead of opening a lemonade stand on our street we opened a Lime Ricky stand with our next door neighbors. We actually made good profit from it. It is so yummy. I still crave this drink sometime to this day.

Lime Rickey:
Ice
Sprite
Grape Flavor
Lime

Add desired ice and sprite to cup
Add a splash of grape juice
Squeeze a little lime juice into the cup
Place another lime on the side for decoration

Roasted Vegetables

My family loves vegetables. Our favorite way to eat vegetables is roasted. We eat them in the summer on a warm day. We simply wrap them up in tin foil when they are lightly coated in olive oil and salt and pepper. It is so yummy. It is still just crispy enough but it is soft at the same time. In the winter the bbq is traded for an oven. It is my families favorite way to eat our vegetables.

In the oven

Ingredients:
About a 1/2 pound of desired vegetable (carrots and asparagas work well)
3 tbl of olive oil (could be more or less just add slowly at a time)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt

Procedures:
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F

Place vegetables in a large ziplok bag
Pour olive oil and spices into the bag and shake till vegetables are coated evenly
Place on a jelly roll pan
Bake until tender
Serve