Category: <span>Josmo’s Cafe</span>

1 box lemon cake mix

1 (4-serving) box lime-flavored gelatin

4 eggs

2/3 cup each water and vegetable oil

1 teaspoon lemon extract

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice (or regular lime juice if Key lime is not available)

HEAT oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.

COMBINE cake mix, gelatin, eggs, water, oil and lemon extract in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into the prepared pan.

BAKE 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

MIX the confectioners’ sugar and lime juice until smooth. Remove cake from the oven (leave the oven on) and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert the cake onto a baking sheet and remove the pan. Slowly pour the glaze over the cake, giving it time to soak in. Return to the oven for 5 to 8 minutes.

COOL completely on a wire rack, then use two flat spatulas to lift it onto to a serving plate.

Yield: 12 servings.

adapted from the King Arthur Flour recipe

Makes 18 muffins.

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 large eggs

1/3 cup honey

½ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup light brown sugar – packed

2 cups unpeeled shredded zucchini

½ cup shredded coconut

Glaze and Topping

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 T milk

1 cup toasted shredded coconut

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Insert muffin liners. Coat with Pam spray.
2. Make toasted coconut for the topping. Spread 1 cup coconut on baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 4 minutes shaking the pan after 2 minutes. Watch so it doesn’t burn. Set aside.
3. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt. Set aside.
4. In a larger bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, oil and sugar.
5. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture until combined. Stir in zucchini and ½ cup shredded coconut.
6. Pour batter into muffin pans filling 2/3 full.
7. Bake for about 18 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
8. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, mix sugar and milk. Drizzle glaze on warm muffins and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

½ cup canola oil

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla

¼ tsp nutmeg

2 large eggs

¼ cup milk

1 ¾ cup flour

1 T baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

½ jar Smucker’s caramel sauce

½ cup chopped pecans

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square pan.
• Using an electric mixer, beat together sugar, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture and the milk alternately to the brown sugar mixture just until blended. Stir in the apples.
• Pour apple cake batter into the pan. Bake about 30-40 minutes until cake springs back when touch lightly in center.
• Take out of the oven. With a fork, pierce the cake all over. Warm the caramel sauce in the microwave for about 15 seconds just so it pours easily. Pour the warm caramel sauce over the cake. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
• Serve warm or at room temperature. Increase decadence by serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 or 9 inch Pyrex baking dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Fruit Filling

6-7 large cling-free peaches

1 cup blueberries

1/4 cup tapioca

2 T flour

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Skin and slice the peaches and put in large bowl. An easy way to peel the skin off the peaches is by immersing the peaches in very hot water for about 10 minutes. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Using a paring knife, start at one end and gently pull off the skin. Slice the peaches.

Add  the rest of the filling ingredients to the sliced peaches. Toss well. Set aside for 10  minutes while making the crumb topping.

Crumb Topping

1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter cut into small pieces

With a pastry blender, mix together all the ingredients until mixture is crumbly. You may need to use your hands to finish mixing.

Pour the fruit filling into the pan. Top with the crumb topping.  Bake for 45 minutes until brown on top and fruit is bubbling.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon for topping

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar plus 2 tablespoons sugar for topping

1 cup canola oil

3 cups chopped peeled apples (use a variety of baking apples, if possible)

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, 1-1/2 cups sugar and oil. Stir in apples; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in pecans.
2. Pour into two greased and floured 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

Notes: I make this in small loaf pans to give as gifts. Makes 5 loaves. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness. Don’t let them over bake.

Be sure and let the apples stand in the egg mixture for the full 5 minutes. Adds extra sweetness and flavor to the apples.

Originally published as Apple-Nut Quick Bread in Country Woman Christmas Annual Cookbook 2007

Celebrate March Madness by making this yummy, fudgy, and sinfully rich pie – even if you’re not a Tar Heel fan!

• Pastry for a 9-inch, single-crust pie (store-bought)
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 ounces) chopped pecans
• 2 eggs, beaten well
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350˚. Line a 9-inch pie pan with crust and then crimp the edges decoratively.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat, tilting and swirling the pan to melt it evenly. Remove it from the heat and add chocolate chips. Stir quickly to melt the chocolate chips in the warm butter and combine them well. * see note

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and sugars and stir with a fork or a whisk to mix well. Add the pecans and toss to coat evenly with the flour mixture. Add the eggs, vanilla, and the chocolate mixture. Stir to mix everything together evenly into a thick, rich, nutty chocolate filling. Pour the filling into the piecrust.

Place the pie on the lowest shelf of the oven. Bake until the pie is puffy, handsomely browned, somewhat dry, and firm in the middle, 30 to 40 minutes. Place the pie on a cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel and let cool to room temperature.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

From Southern Pies: A Gracious Plenty of Pie Recipes, from Lemon Chess to Chocolate Pecan by Nancie McDermott (Chronicle Books, 2010).

* I always melt butter and chocolate in the microwave using a 8 cup Pyrex™ measuring cup.  I put both in the cup and melt on low power – 30-40% – for a minute or less at a time, checking and stirring until just melted.

This yummy cheesecake-style pie was shared with me by my client Sarah Kueffer, co-owner of Integrity Midwest Insurance in Lawrence, KS. It’s delicious!

 (2) 9” graham cracker crusts

16 oz cream cheese

¾ cup sugar

3 eggs

¾ tsp salt

1 ½ cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix the above ingredients and pour into the crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the center is almost set. Remove from oven and increase the temperature to 425 degrees.

Combine the next set of ingredients using electric mixer on slow speed and spread on pie. Bake 5 minutes and cool on wire rack.

1 ½ cups sour cream

3 T sugar

¾ tsp vanilla

1 can mandarin oranges, drained (11 oz)

Before serving, pies can be decorated with additional mandarin oranges and chocolate chips.