Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

I am in love with Trisha Yearwood's Southern Kitchen.  I love her show.  I love her food.  I love her.  All of her recipes remind me of things my mother and grandmother would make.  Especially her cakes.  When I saw this one I knew I had to make it.  And I'm so glad I did!

Ingredients:  lime jello, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, vegetable oil, orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla extract, eggs, key limes, powdered sugar, butter and cream cheese.

Mix the sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and jello in a bowl.  You could also just buy a white cake mix and mix in the jello.  It think that's what I'll do next time.

Then mix in the vegetable oil, orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla extract and eggs.  The batter will turn a fantastic shade of bright neon lime green.

Turn it out into a greased and floured cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Hands down the easiest from-scratch cake recipe ever.

While the cake is baking, juice the key limes (or regular limes if you are like me and too lazy to deal with juicing  25+ key limes).

Add equal parts lime juice and powdered sugar to a bowl.

Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved to make a glaze.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven poke holes in it with a toothpick or skewer.

And pour the lime glaze over the hot cake.

While the glazed cake cools, add the softened butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a mixer.

And cream together for about a 30 seconds or so.

Then mix in the powdered sugar on low speed until combined.

Plop it onto the cake.

And spread it to the edges of the pan.

Until it's smooth and even.

I love the freaky alien green color of this cake!

Mmm.  I would have never thought to pair cream cheese icing with lime cake.  But it's absolutely perfect.  I've also never thought of glazing AND icing a cake.  And these are just some of the reasons why Trisha Yearwood is my new hero!

Link to the printable recipe:

Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Source:  Trisha Yearwood

Hot Corn Dip

Corn.  Cheese.  Chipotle peppers.  What's not to love about this?  This dip is creamy, cheesy, spicy, corny (corny?)...YUMMY!!

Ingredients:  cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, canned diced green chilies, mayo, garlic powder, canned corn, tomato, cilantro and green onions.

Shred the cheeses.

Add all the ingredients except the tomato, cilantro and green onion to a bowl.

And mix them together.

Turn the mixture out into a baking dish.

And bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Chop up the tomato, cilantro and green onion.

And sprinkle over the dip.

Serve immediately with tortilla chips.  WOW.  Trust me, this is so good.  Make it this weekend and serve it with margaritas!  Your friends will thank you ;)

Link to the printable recipe:

Hot Corn Dip

Source:  Gina Marie's Kitchen

Salsa

There could not be an easier, more delicious salsa recipe.  My friend Katie used to make this back when we were college roommates.  Alot has changed since those days, but this is still the best homemade salsa I've ever had!

Ingredients:  canned crushed tomatoes, Mexican Rotel, green onions, garlic, Tony Chacere's Original Creole Seasoning, cilantro and jalapenos.

Roughly chop the jalapeno, garlic, green onion and cilantro.  Remove the seeds from the jalapeno if you want to keep it mild.  I personally like it spicy!

Add all the ingredients to a blender.

And blend on low for about 30 seconds.

That's it!  Easy enough for a poor college student.  Fresh and delicious.  Best. Salsa. EVAR.  You can eat it right away but it gets better after it sits in the fridge for a couple of hours.  Of course I had to test this batch 10-15 times first ;)

Copy and paste the recipe below into Word for printable version:

Salsa

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 can Mexican Rotel
1/2 bunch green onions, 3-4 in. of green tops
1 clove garlic
4-5 tsp. Tony Chacere's Original Creole Seasoning
1 tbsp. cilantro
1-2 jalapenos

Mix in blender.

Tequila Lime Chicken

It's getting hot outside.  Time to grill!  I'm always looking for new ways to make grilled chicken.  This recipe goes great with margaritas ;)  It would be good in tacos too.

Ingredients:  tequila, limes, oranges, chili powder, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper and boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Juice the limes and oranges.

Mince the jalapeno and garlic.

Mix all of the ingredients together.

And submerge the chicken.  Cover and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or overnight.

When you take it out of the fridge it the acid in the citrus juice will have cooked the chicken a little and it will start to look opaque.  Don't worry - it won't affect the flavor.

Then grill it! (or make your husband grill it).  Yum!

Link to the printable recipe:

*Note:  the recipe is VERY limey.  I would suggest 3/4 c. lime juice and 3/4 c. orange juice.

Tequila Lime Chicken

Source:  Barefoot Contessa

French Dip Crescents

French dip sandwich wrapped in a crescent roll....W-O-W.  For some reason these called to me from the scores of crescent roll recipes that litter Pinterest and I had to make them.  Probably because anything that says "french dip" on it makes my mouth water.  HOLY COW.  So scrumptious and EASY!

Ingredients:  crescent rolls, roast beef, provolone cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, horse radish, olive oil, red onion, garlic, white wine, worcestershire sauce and beef broth.  The recipe calls for flour...but I ended up omitting it.

To make the horseradish sauce, mix equal parts mayo and sour cream.

And horseradish to taste.

Mix it all together.  Reserve some for dipping later...

Unroll the crescents on a baking sheet.

Spread on a little of the horseradish sauce.

Layer with a slice of roast beef.

And 1/2 a slice of provolone.

Then roll them up starting at the wide end and ending at the narrow end.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 13 minutes.

To make the au jus, chop the onion and saute in the oil on low heat for about 20 minutes until caramelized.

Throw in some minced garlic the last minute or so.

The deglaze the pan with the white wine and worcestershire.

Add the beef broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Strain and discard the solids.

Serve the crescents with the au jus and reserved horseradish sauce.  These are like little french dip sliders.  Perfect for a party or a casual dinner with the hubs.  We ate these with my caesar salad for a casual but elegant Friday night dinner.  Enjoy!

Link to the printable recipe:

French Dip Crescents

Source:  Momma Loves Food