Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

8 oz cream cheese
1-1/2 c butter
3 c sugar
6 eggs
3 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract
1 c blueberries (or more, more would be better)

Cream the cream cheese, butter and sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add flour, one cup at a time, beating after each addition.
Add vanilla and lemon extracts.
Fold in blueberries.
Pour batter into greased and floured Bundt pan.
Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Turn oven down to 325 degrees and bake another 55 minutes.

A little powdered sugar glaze would look good on it.

Snickers Cake

1 German chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1-1/3 c water
1/2 c oil
1 (14 oz) bag caramels (unwrap them)
1/3 c butter
2 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped pecans

Mix cake mix as directed on box, adding eggs, water and oil.
Pour half of batter into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 340 degrees for 20 minutes.
Put caramels, milk and butter in sauce pan and melt over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramel is smooth.
Pour caramel on cake as soon as it is finished baking.
Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans on top of caramel.
Spread remaining cake batter on top.
Bake 20 more minutes at 350 degrees.

Diet Peanut Butter Brownies (12 brownies - 130 calories each)

cooking spray

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1 cup PB2

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp water

1/2 cup raw honey

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a nonstick 9 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Beat the egg and egg white in a small bowl with a whisk.
In a large bowl combine the PB2, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and mix well with a spatula. Add the egg and egg whites and stir. Add water, honey, vanilla and stir with a spatula until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool, then cut into 12 bars cutting 3 rows x 4 rows.

Chicken Soup (Crockpot)

2 lb chicken breast
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 c celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
thyme
sage
rosemary
bay leaf
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
8 c chicken broth
2 c wide egg noodles

Place chicken with everything else (except noodles) in crockpot. Cover and cook 6 hours or until chicken and vegetables are tender.

Dice the chicken. Stir in noodles. Cover and cook on high 15 to 20 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Garnish with parsley.

Lemon Cheese Layer Cake (make when you have lots of time)

Lemon Curd:
1-3/4 c sugar
3/4 c butter, softened
4 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 TBS lemon zest
3/4 c lemon juice

Cake Layers:
1-3/4 c sugar
1 c butter, softened
4 large eggs, separated, room temperature
1 TBS orange zest
3 c cake flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c orange juice

Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting:
3 c powdered sugar, sifted and divided
1/2 c butter, softened
1 TBS orange zest

Prepare lemon curd. Beat sugar and butter at medium speed until blended. Add 4 eggs and 3 egg yolks, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in lemon zest. Gradualy add lemon juice, beating at low speed until just blended after each addition. (Mixture will look curdled.) Transfer to large heavy saucepan. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 14-to-16 minutes or until thickened, coats the back of a spoon, and starts to mound slightly when stirred. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Place plastic wrap on surface of warm curd (to prevent film from forming) and cool one hour. Chill 8 hours.

Prepare cake layers. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat 1-3/4 c sugar and 1 c softened better at medium speed until fluffy. Add 4 egg yolks, one at a time, until just blended after each addition. Stir in orange zest. Sift together cake flour and dry ingredients. Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with 1 c orange juice, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until blended after each addition. Beat 4 egg whites at medium-high speed with mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into batter. Fold remaining egg whites into batter. Pour into four greased 8-inch round cake plans. Bake 17-20 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, turn out and allow to cool completely.

Reserve and refrigerate 1 c lemon curd. Spread remaining lemon curd between cake layers and on top of cake. Insert skewers 2-to-3 inches into cake to prevent them from sliding. Immediately wrap cake tightly in plastic wrap and chill 12-to-24 hours. Will set up firm overnight, ripen flavor and make more secure and easier to frost.

Prepare frosting - beat all ingredients together.

Remove and discard skewers. Spread frosting on sides of cake. Spread remaining curd over top of cake for decorative finish.

Lemon Velvet Cake

Ingredients

1-1/4 c sifted all purpose flour
1-1/2 c sifted cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 c sugar
2/3 c vegetable oil
1/3 c shortening (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon extract
3 large eggs
1-1/2 c buttermilk
zest of two lemons, grated and finely chopped

Frosting:

8 c powdered sugar
2 c butter
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp minced lemon zest (optional)
4 TBS milk

Grease and four two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

Sift both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set aside.

With electric mixer, beat oil, shortening, vanilla and lemon extract. Beat at high speed with whisk attachment until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs one at a time.

Fold in lemon zest.

Fold in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Begin and end with dry ingredients. Do not over-mix.

Pour batter into two cake pans.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes an turn out to finish cooling.

Make frosting. Mix together powdered sugar, lemon zest and butter until it becomes crumbly.

Add lemon extract and a little of the milk.

Beat until smooth and fluffy, adding only enough milk to bring frosty to spreadable consistency.

Fill and frost cake.

Chicken Crescent Roll Ups

Rotisserie chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2-1/2 c milk
1 c shredded cheese
2 (8 oz) cans crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large saucepan, heat soup, milk and 4 oz cheese over low heat.
Separate crescent rolls into triangles.
Place chicken on large end of each roll and top with a little cheese.
Roll up and place in sprayed 9x13 baking dish.
Pour 1/2 soup mixture directly into dish (not on top of crescent rolls).
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until rolls rise slightly and lightly brown.
Pour remaining soup mixture into dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Return to oven a few minutes, until cheese has melted.