Lemon Legend (also known as Lemon Fluff Freeze)

This has been Steve's favorite recipe for most of his life. Here's the recipe as I received it:

3 eggs, separated
5 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 pint cream
graham cracker crumbs.

Now, the truth:
I usually quadruple the recipe, and I use Cool Whip instead of whipping cream. This is an easy recipe, but it messes up the entire kitchen - lots of bowls and utensils.

Here are the quadruple amounts and directions:

1 dozen eggs, separated
1 1/4 Cups lemon juice
2 Cups sugar
36 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
about 1/2 box of graham cracker crumbs

• Beat the yolks until they are thick. Add the lemon juice.
• Beat the whites until they are stiff.  Add the sugar.
• Fold the two mixtures together.
• Fold in Cool Whip - this takes a lot of folding.
• Sprinkle crumbs in the bottom of two 9X12 pans.
• Spread the lemon mixture on top of crumbs.
• Sprinkle more crumbs on top.
• Cover and Freeze.
• To serve, cut in squares.  

This keeps a long time covered tightly in the freezer.  

Chocolate Quick Fix

I found this recipe in some magazine recently, tried it, and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. It makes one large serving of gooey chocolate cake.

In a coffee mug (or small microwave-safe bowl)

mix 2 Tablespoons each of:

• All Purpose flour
• cocoa powder
• milk (I used skim, since that is what I had)
• vegetable oil
• chocolate chips

Add and mix thoroughly:

• 3 Tablespoons of sugar or Splenda
• 1 beaten egg
• splash of vanilla extract

Microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Tip out onto plate to serve, if desired -- or eat out of the mug.

Note: It rises far above the top of the cup as it cooks and sinks as soon as the microwave goes off.

Wacky Wednesday #7 - Gracie Allen

I just discovered that Gracie Allen (the funny girl to George Burns's straight guy routine a generation ago) was a cook after my own heart:

Gracie Allen's Classic Recipe for Roast Beef
1 large beef roast
1 small beef roast
First, take the two roasts and put them in the oven.
When the little one burns, the big one is done.

The Joy of Garlic

I just read this quote for the first time. I like short summations of ideas -- and GARLIC!

Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; Wine and tarragon make it French.

Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek.

Soy saucemakes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.

-Alice May Brock, author (1941- )

Dorothy's Caramel Frosting Recipe

My DH's mother was well-known in Corbin, KY, for her caramel cake. She baked yellow layers then filled and frosted them with this icing. This week, I topped (and filled the hole in the middle of) my Christmas jam cake with this delicious caramel frosting. The flavors were absolutely delicious together.

5 Tablespoons margarine or butter
1 Cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt the margarine or butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and let this come to a boil. Add milk and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar gradually, beating until smooth.

You can find a couple of easy, kid-friendly, and extremely tasty recipes for Christmas candies and cookies at Sleepless Juggler, my daughter's new blog. She posted recipes for Paula Deen's Hidden Mint Cookies, Buckeyes, and Peanut Butter Kisses.

Recently my sister Carol posted a recipe for her wonderful apple pie and one for her pecan pie. These are both also fantastic dishes.

Christmas Cakes

Ummm -- I wish you could all smell our house right now. I just finished baking and frosting two cakes: A chocolate pound cake with dark chocolate fudge frosting and a jam cake with creamy caramel frosting.

These are "made from scratch" cakes baked from long-standing family recipes.

The cakes are pictured with a gift basket that our neighbors brought over as I was taking the cakes out of the oven.

The chocolate pound cake and fudge frosting are my Mother's recipe. The jam cake recipe is from a family friend, and the wonderful caramel icing is my mother-in-law's recipe. She was well-known all over her home city of Corbin, KY, for her caramel cake, on which she used this frosting.

To paraphrase Emeril, I wish my blog were a smellablog, so you could enjoy it with me. I've probably gained five pounds just by breathing for the last hour!