Lemonade Cake

I finally made a winner!  My little Sting beane is so hard to cook for.  First, he has a sever food allergy to milk.  That, in and of itself, is very hard to work with.  The second reason he is hard to cook for is that he does not care about food at all. 

This is something I dont' get.  I love food.  Everything I do revolves around food.  Where we will eat.  What I will cook.  What do they have for dessert.  All the key questions.  None of this matters to String beane.  He is totally unimpressed with food.  So it is pretty much a bummer to cook for him. 

Monday we had some family come visit so I made a new cake recipe.  Lemonade cake!  What do you know?  String beane liked it so much, he asked for seconds and then actually asked for a piece of Lemonade Cake for the next day!  This is a bonanza! 

Here is the magic cake recipe.  It is adapted from two different recipes I found online.  I made them milk free for our family.  Feel free to use regular cow milk in the recipe.  I am sure it would be wonderful.



Lemonade Cake



Ingredients

1 Lemon boxed cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

4 eggs

1 1/4 cup milk (I used Almond Milk)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbsp Lemonade from concentrate 

Glaze: 

2 Tbsp Lemonade from concentrate

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp water



Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Spray 2 8″ round cake pans generously with cooking/baking spray.

In mixer beat all your ingredients on low for 30 seconds and then on medium for 2 minutes.

Keep the remaining frozen lemonade concentrate in the freezer…you will need it again.

Bake according to package directions (I baked for approx 30 minutes) until cake is set and toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool in pan…about an hour. Do not remove.

When the cakes are cooled level them off so they are flat on top.

Poke holes in the cake with a fork.  Make your glaze.  In a bowl, mix the Lemonade concentrate, powdered sugar, and water.  Pour the glaze equally over the cakes, still in the pans.  Wrap with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight. 

Frosting Ingredients

1 lb confectioners sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (I used Fleishman's Unsalted Margarine -Milk Free)
3 tablespoon frozen lemonade concentrate

To make the frosting, beat together sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in the remaining ingredients until combined.

Transfer one cake to a cake stand or large platter. Using an offset spatula, spread the top of the cake with a layer of frosting. Place the second cake on top of the first. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of both layers. Slice and serve.

I could not believe how good this cake was!  It was so refreshing and cool tasting.  It did not make me feel like I was already breaking my resolution.  Oh, Well!

I am so happy the my String Beane liked it so much.    Make yourself some.  You won't regret it!

I adapted this recipe from Cookies and Cups and also the Deen Bros. recipes.

I am linking up at Metamorphasis Monday and theses other Awsome Parties!

 

Menu Plan Monday January 2

I am out of my schedule!  I will be very happy to get back in our groove.  String beane went back to school today and Butter beane goes to preschool tomorrow.  I also get me hair done tomorrow and that always makes me feel good. 

We had some family come visit us New Year's Day and so we had a big family meal that has carried us through today.  So I got to start my weekly menu plan with leftovers!  Woot!  Woot!

I am hoping that I can get my act together this week and get my juju back.  I have a lot of resolutions to keep. 

Here is our meal plan for this week:

Monday

Left over Turkey

Black Eyed Peas

Rice

Broccoli

Sweet Potato Casserole

Lemonade Cake (Recipe to come)

Tuesday

PF Changs Copy Cat Lettuce Wraps

Simple Sesame Noodles

Wednesday

Honey Glazed Chicken and Bacon Bites

Corn

Garden Salad

Thursday

Meatloaf

Hassleback Potatoes

Left Over Salad

Friday

Taco Salad With Fritos

I am linking up with Menu Plan Monday.  I hope you all have a great week.  I hope we can all get back into the groove!

Top 10 of 2011

I started Homegrown Beanes in July of 2011.  I have really loved having a creative outlet!

Staying home with 3 little ones all day is a blessing but it can feel a little isolating at times.

Making new blog friends and having new people to "talk" to has been a pleasure.

I have tried to post one new recipe each week.  I have really enjoyed seeing which recipes have caught the eyes of people and which did not.  I am going to list the top 10 recipes viewed on my blog for 2011 (July-December)!  Check them out and see what you think.

#10 
 The Day After Thanksgiving Leftovers

#9 
Halloween Snake Sandwich

#8 
Frugal Advent Calendar

#7 
Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

#6 
Biscoff Buttercream

#5 
Christmas Gift Ideas

#4 
Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

#3 
Easy Egg Rolls

#2 
Applesauce Cake in a Jar

And, By Far, the #1 most viewed link in 2011 was

Copycat Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

Thank you so much for making this first attempt at Blogging so fun and rewarding.  I love to read all your positive comments.  You cannot imagine how much it helps and lifts my spirits.  Thank you so much!!!

Happy New Year from Homegrown Beanes!

Campfire Chicken and Rice

I have never been a "camper".  I have always loved the idea of camping, but have never really done it.  I get so excited about the thought of going camping but then the realization about the bathroom situation occurs to me. 

I am meant for more luxury than the woods.  I just was not made to rough it.  I like having electricity and plumbing.  So no real camping for me.

The camping food is appealing.  I love S'Mores and cooking hot dogs on a stick.  Mr. Homegrown does too.  We are kindred spirits.  He built a fire pit in our back yard several months ago.  The little Beanes and I have had a great time eating hot dogs and S'Mores outside.

For Christmas, Mr. Homegrown wanted a Dutch Oven so he could expand our outside dinning menu.  He got one and tonight was our his first try at dutch oven cooking.  It went well.  It was yummy.  We all liked it.  Mr. Homegrown is proud of Himself.  And it is not a hard recipe to make.  You can also cook it in the oven inside your home if you want to.

 Here is Mr. Homegrown putting the dutch oven on the fire pit.

 Here is the chicken and rice just before we put the lid and the hot coals on the dutch oven.

 Mr. Homegrown is putting the lid on the dutch oven.

 There are hot coals under the dutch oven and more hot coals on top of the dutch oven.

 An hour and 15 minutes later, he is going to remove the lid to check the progress.

What do you know?  It worked!  We had delicious Chicken and Rice for dinner.  And you can too!

Ingredients

1 whole fryer chicken

1 cup rice, uncooked

1 can of cream of chicken soup (I used a homemade concoction that has no milk in it)

1 can water

1 can of chicken broth

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 packet of Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix

Directions

Spray the dutch oven with cooking spray.  Put on cup of rice in the bottom of the dutch oven.  Wash the chicken and cut it into parts.  Put the chicken pieces on top of the rice.  Sprinkle with the Vegetable Soup Mix, salt, and pepper.  Mix the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and one can of water together and then pour over the chicken.  Put the lid on.  Place the dutch oven on top of some hot coals.  Place some hot coals on the top of the dutch oven.  Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

Alternately, cook in a covered casserole dish in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

This was a fun family fun day/night.  I still think that the best part of camping is the food. 

I am linking up at Metamorphosis Monday and these other Awesome Parties!

Menu Plan Monday December 26

My house is a disaster!  It looks like a Toys R Us exploded in every room.  My little Beanes are so excited and having such a great time playing with their new toys.

My little Jelly Beane is so cute to watch playing with her baby dolls.  She brings them to me, I take them and make fake crying sounds.  She takes them back and hugs them and swings side to side.  It is so cute.

Butter Beane and String Beane have successfully killed every alien in the house and rid the world of harm.

I am planning an easy meal plan this week so I can clean up and begin my New Year's resolution of becoming more organized.  I think this is the 20th straight year of resolving to be more organized.  I hope this is the year that it will stick. 

Monday

Shrimp with Lobster Sauce

Rice

Tuesday

Out of Town

Wednesday

Left overs

Thursday

Easy Baked Chicken and Rice

(Mr. Homegrown will be trying out his new cast iron Dutch Oven and cook this on the camp fire!)

Friday

Slow Cooker Shredded Korean Beef Tacos

Mandarin Oranges

Rice

I hope you have a great week and can get cleaned up from Christmas.   I think I will be vacuuming up Christmas tree needles for a month!

I am linking up with Menu Plan Monday.  Go over and check out the other menus.

Christmas Day Pork Roast

This was our Christmas dinner this year!  It is so good and so easy to make.  That is a winning combo if you ask me. 

The pork roast is so sweet, which makes Mr. Homegrown happy.  It is cooked in brown sugar and apple juice.  I also throw in some raisins.  I have made it in the past using a mixture of dried fruits.  That really throws it over the top.  But I only had raisins on hand and did not want to buy anything else so raisins it was.

As a bonus, the pork is roasted in a turkey bag so there is no mess! 

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon flour

2 pound boneless pork roast

1 cup apricots (dried)

1 cup dried apples

1 cup dried prunes

(or a handful of raisins!)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup apple juice

Directions

Dust cooking bag with flour.  Put pork and fruit in oven bag.  Put in a roasting pan.  Stir the brown sugar and apple juice together in a bowl and then pour over the pork and fruit.  Tie the cooking bag and pierce four holes in the bag.  Cook for 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees or until the pork reaches 160 degrees. 

You may also put all of the ingredients in the cooking bag and marinate for a few hours before cooking. 

When the roast is done, let it rest for about 20 minutes before you slice it.  Serve it with the fruit and juices.

We had this with some mashed potatoes and broccoli.  It was a delicious meal.  It really could not be easier to do and you look like you have really done something when you bring it to the table!

I am linking up at Metamorphosis Monday and these other Awesome parties!

Friday Favorites

I cannot believe that Christmas is Sunday!  I hope I am ready because the little Beanes are sort of vibrating with excitement. 

I have been doing a lot of baking for Christmas this week.  I am sort of on a sweets over load right now.  So my Friday Favorites this week are all main dishes.  They all look great and I can't wait to give some of them a try.

Here they are:



BBQ Chicken Pizza Soup

I love BBQ chicken pizza so this soup sounds intriguing.

PF Chang copy cat Lettuce Wraps

Yum!

Slow Cooker Shredded Korean Beef Tacos

I have never had these but they are looking good to me.

Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip

The sauce recipe sounds like Outback's Blooming Onion sauce!

Mongolian Beef PF Chang Copy Cat

It seems that I am on an Asian kick this week. 

I am linking up again at Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  Go over and see what every one else has bookmarked.  What have you found this week?