This Southern girl loves biscuits and gravy, I grew up eating it and I know my way around a skillet making it.   Dolly's recipe is seriously good, knock your socks off gravy.  This gravy thickens quickly and smells amazing from the thyme and pepper.   Don't be tempted to omit the thyme, trust me, it's what takes it over the top.  It's subtle, not overpowering.  

Ingredients

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2½ cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream*

Biscuits sausage patties and bacon for serving

Steps

In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, thyme and pepper. Gradually whisk in milk and cream until smooth.

Pour the mixture into skillet or saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened.

Serve over biscuits and sausage patties.

*If you want to reduce the calories use Half & Half or Fat Free Half & Half, that works well, also.

😋

🥕 I absolutely loved this salad and they took it off the menu.  I've searched the web, looking for the "authentic" salad and found it on their website.  Chick-fil-A was kind enough to share if after they discontinued it.  This is so easy to make, and it's just SO good. 🥕

4 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 (8oz) can or 2/3 cups crushed, unstrained pineapple
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 tablespoons fresh, unstrained lemon juice (no seeds)

Makes 13-14 servings

Simply mix all ingredients together and enjoy!  How easy is this.  

Note:  Finely shredded carrots do work the best for this recipe.  It's a little elbow grease, but use your box grater on the fine setting, turn on some music and start grating... 

They even give us a link to download a recipe card, what a great company this is.  Here's the click

🥕

It doesn't get any easier than this, it's a dump, stir and pour loaf of pure yummy deliciousness.  Grab your ingredients, get ready, set, go and voila you have a loaf of hot fudge brownie bread.  You can thank me later 😁

Ingredients

1 box of Brownie Mix, my favorite is Ghiradelli
1-11 oz. jar of Hot Fudge Sauce, Smuckers is great, so is Mrs. Richardson
3 large Eggs
1/3 cup Canola Oil

9x5 Loaf Pan

Steps

In a med bowl combine all of the ingredients, mix until smooth.

Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and fill about 3/4 of the way up.  Bake it at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until it’s cooked all the way through.  Test at 45 minutes and if it isn't done and it looks like it's getting too brown, poke holes in foil, make a tent and put over it loosely to finish cooking.

Note:  I'm a big believer in parchment paper slings, because your bread will lift right out.  Just spray the pan, take parchment paper, and fit lengthwise in the pan with the sides hanging up at the top, spray the parchment paper and your bread will lift right out.  Just let it cool about 10 minutes and go for it.  Here is an example for you.  Trust me, best tip EVER!

Serve it warm and gooey with a cold glass of milk or a cup of coffee.  SO . GOOD ! 

 

🤎

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup basmati or long-grain white rice ~ I used basmati
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steps

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the rice and sauté until the rice begins to brown a little, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a small glass bowl, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in the microwave, about 30 seconds. Stir in the lime zest and juice.

Pour the lime butter over the hot rice, add the cilantro, and stir until combined. Season with the salt and pepper.

🌿

These adults only brownies are Ralph Lauren's favorite. The secret to these brownies, other than the intense chocolate flavor, is the glaze on top.  It's spiked with a healthy dose of rum.  The rum breaks through the sweetness and gives these brownies a wickedly different kind of indulgence. It also makes it an adult treat since the glaze never gets hot enough to cook the alcohol off.   Just leave a few without the rum glaze if you have kids in the house

Legend says that Ralph loved Nana’s brownies so much that he offered to put a brownie department in his stores so he would not have to wait until his October birthday when she would make another batch for him.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour 250 grams
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped (170 grams)
2 sticks unsalted butter 230 grams
3 cups sugar 600 grams
6 large eggs
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts plus more for garnish

Rum Glaze

6 tbsp. unsalted butter 84 grams
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate chopped, always buy good quality chocolate
1/2 confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 tbsp. dark rum or brandy 56 ml

Steps

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13 inch metal baking pan.  Make a saddle so you can lift cooked brownies out of pan by lining pan with parchment paper, coming up the sides enough to lift it out.  Also spray both the pan and the parchment paper with cooking spray. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter with the sugar over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla until mixed but not frothy. Stir in the chocolate mixture and then the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Spread in the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are set and a cake tester comes out with a few crumbs attached. Let cool. The brownies should sink a bit as they cool, that's what you want, you don't want to overcook them.

Meanwhile, make the rum glaze: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar and salt. Stir in the vanilla and rum, and keep warm.

Spread the brownies with the warm rum glaze so that it drips off the edges. Cut into 2-inch squares and decorate each with a walnut half. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Notes

You can also sprinkle some chocolate chips on top before baking. 

HALF BATCH:  Use and 8 inch square pan and bake for 35 minutes or until internal temperature is about 208-210.  Brownies will puff up and sink a bit as they cool. 

😋 

Absolutely, positively, without a doubt,  the best lemon pie recipe of all time.  This famous pie is just perfection.  This the pie your mother and your grandmother made, the one that has been on family tables for generations and often times the old recipes are best, and this is the BEST of the BEST.  You won't find a better lemon pie recipe, I've made it for years and years and it never fails. 

Filling:

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups water
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoons vinegar
3 tablespoons butter

Never-Fail Meringue:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
3 egg whites
 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

Directions:

1. Bake prepared pie crust according to provided directions. Of course homemade is best and I love the vintage Crisco recipe, but Trader Joes makes a wonderful frozen crust.  You must let it come to room temperature before putting in your pie pan or it will break into pieces.  It's worth the effort, though, Trader Joes crust is the best I've found, but of course Pillsbury works, too.

2. To make filling, mix sugar and cornstarch together in the top of a double boiler. Add the two cups of water. Combine egg yolks with lemon juice and beat until well mixed.

3. Add to the rest of the sugar mixture. Cook over boiling water until thick — about 25 minutes which will eliminate any starchy taste.

4. Add the lemon extract, butter and vinegar, and stir thoroughly.

5. Pour mixture into deep 9-inch pie shell, and let cool.

5. To make meringue, blend cornstarch and cold water in a saucepan.

6. Add boiling water, and cook, stirring until clear and thickened.

7. Let stand until COMPLETELY cold.

8. With electric beater at high speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar, and beat until stiff but not dry. Turn mixer to low speed; add salt and vanilla.

9. Gradually beat in cold cornstarch mixture. Turn mixer again to high, and beat well.

10. Spread meringue over cooled pie filling.

11. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Note:

If you want a sky-high meringue, like the ones you see in bakeries, just use 6 egg whites (save yolks for another recipe), and double the sugar....I just use the same amount of cornstarch/water mixture when I use 6 egg whites.

#lemonpie #annlanders #dearabby #famouslemonpie #lemonmeringuepie #worldsbestpie #awardwinningpie #yummy #homemade #foodie #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx #crisco #traderjoes #easterdessert #inagarten

All you need is a tube of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, a container of lemon curd, some sugar, a little spice and in five minutes you can have these in the oven.  They are delicious and off the charts with WOW factor. 

1 package of refrigerated Pillsbury crescent rolls
1/3 cup of good quality lemon curd
6 tablespoons turbinado (coarse) sugar (you can just sprinkle on regular sugar if you don't have this)
milk to brush tops of rolls
ground cardamom to dust 
confectioner's sugar to finish
sprinkle of sesame seeds for a little crunch (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.   Lightly spray the paperwith nonstick spray.  Set aside.

Unroll the crescent rolls and separate them at perforations. Place one portion of lemon curd at the wide end of each roll.  Gently spread it down about half way the length of the dough towards the point, being careful to not spread the curd all the way to the edge. 

Roll up, starting at the wide end towards the small point, totally encasing the lemon curd.   Twist each end into a crescent shape.  Then pinch one end closed and place each on the prepared baking sheet, narrow pointed side down.  Brush each with some milk. 

Sprinkle with the coarse turbinado sugar and dust lightly with ground cardamom if desired.

Add a few sesame seeds and serve...

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven.   Serve warm and dusted with confectioners sugar.  

🍋

#lemon #croissants #lemoncrescentrolls #pillsbury #pillsburycrescentrolls #brunch #homemade #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx #yummy #foodie #yummydessert

If you've ever had the Lemon Cream Cake at Olive Garden, you know just how delicious it is.  This is a copycat recipe that I've made for years now, but wow, does it taste like the OG's.  This is a knockout recipe and shortcuts make it easy to prepare...

Ingredients:

1 pkg. White Cake Mix, plus ingredients to prepare
1 pkg. Lemon Cake Mix
½ cup Sour Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Lemon, juiced
1 cup Whipping Cream
1 pkg Mascarpone Cheese
1 cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
4 Tbsp Melted Real Butter

Directions:

Prepare the white cake according to the directions on the box, adding the sour cream and vanilla. Bake in a 10 inch round baking pan, or if you don't have a 10 inch round baking pan, you can just use a 9" pan and it will be a thicker cake, if you have too much batter, just make a few cupcakes.  A 10 inch cheesecake pan will also work. Cool the cake completely.

For the lemon cream filling, whip cream until stiff peaks form, then fold in the mascarpone, sifted powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest of half the lemon.  For the crumb topping, combine 3/4 cup of the lemon cake mix with the melted butter to make a crumb topping. To assemble the cake, cut the white cake in half to spread the lemon cream filling between the two layers of white cake. Frost the top of the cake with a thin layer of cream filling and sprinkle the crumb topping.  And finally, a dusting of powdered sugar just finishes it off...

Helpful Tips:

 The secret is the mascarpone cheese.

A little lemon zest always makes things better :)

🍋
#lemon #lemoncake #lemoncreamcake #olivegarden #olivegardenlemoncreamcake #yummy #foodie #homemade #easterdessert #jancooksrealfood #jancancook #janspicx

It's Monday and time for a lower calorie recipe.  My month of lemon recipes is winding down, only three more days.  It's been fun posting these  recipes, I think I could post them for a year I have so many.

This lemon pie in a jar is an easy no-bake dessert that won't cost you a lot of calories.  I make it with crushed graham crackers, but you can also make it by putting a vanilla wafer in the bottom of the jar and layering pudding and then another vanilla wafer in the middle.

Ingredients

2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 package fat free, sugar free lemon pudding mix
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup crushed graham crackers or 8 reduced fat vanilla wafers
6 tablespoons whipped cream or Cool Whip

6 small sauce jars

Steps

In a medium bowl, beat the nonfat Greek yogurt with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

Add the lemon pudding mix and lemon juice and beat to combine.

Prepare the jars by placing crushed graham crackers or a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each jar. Top with 1/3 cup yogurt mixture and one tablespoon whipped cream or Cool Whip.

Crush remaining graham crackers or two vanilla wafers and top each lemon pie with cookie crumbles.

Makes 6 jars

#puddinginajar #lemonpuddinginajar #pieinajar #lemonpie #ww #weightwatchers #jancooks #jancooksrealfood #janspicx #yummy #yummyfood #homemade #lowcalorie #dietdessert

It's teatime y'all and this is the perfect springtime recipe.  We don't make lemon curd in the South, but I do have a recipe for faux lemon curd made with cream cheese with lemon zest added to it.   It's a good dupe and really easy to make.  Heaven forbid making real clotted cream, the process is beyond hideous, it takes forever, so this is a good work around. But,  if you want to buy clotted cream, they sell it on Amazon 😏