Cocinando con Alena

One of my all time favorite southern classic desserts, that is excellent during the holidays, and even better everyday! The Best Louisiana Crunch Cake Ever Servings: 8-10 Ingredients:     3 cups cake flour     1 teaspoon salt     1 teaspoon baking powder     1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda     2 cups granulated sugar     1 cup butter, softened     4 large eggs, room temperature     1⁄4 cup sour cream     1 cup buttermilk     2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract     1⁄4 cup granulated sugar     1⁄4 cup sweetened flaked coconut Directions:     1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.     2. Sift together cake flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Set aside.     3. In a large separate bowl, beat butter until very fluffy (approx. 5 minuets) then add 2 cups of sugar. Continue to beat until light and fluffy (approx. 2 more minutes).     4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure that each egg is thoroughly blended before adding the next egg.     5. Mix in sour cream and

An easy cheesy dish that uses up that Christmas or Easter ham! My family looks forward to this one! Ham & Potato Casserole makes 6 servings Ingredients:     6 small potatoes, peeled and cubed     3 tablespoons butter     2 cups cubed fully cooked ham     1 small onion, finely chopped     1/4 cup butter     3 tablespoons all-purpose flour     1 1/2 cups milk     salt and ground black pepper to taste     1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese     1/4 cup bread crumbs Directions:     Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).     Grease a 1 1/2-quart baking dish.     Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the ham and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.     Stir potatoes into ham mixture; transfer to the prepared b

Each scrumptious morsel is totally satisfying and packed with vitamin-rich zucchini, yet strikingly low in calories, carbs, and fat. Zucchini Cakes   Ingredients:     1 large zucchini, grated     1 large egg     1 c. panko bread crumbs     Salt and pepper to taste     1 tbsp. Adobo spices     1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated Instructions: Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Heat a large pan on medium, and spray with Pam. Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into 2-in. (diameter) patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. Cook each side for about a minute and a half, or until the outside is golden brown. Finish the cakes off in the oven. Stick them on a baking pan and broil them for 1-2 minutes. Serve hot, alone or with ranch dressing. Makes about 12 cakes.

  Kentucky Butter Cake If you prefer your cake with more sauce, just make a double batch. It is heavenly Ingredients: 3 c all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 c real butter 2 c sugar 4 eggs 1 c buttermilk 2 tsp vanilla extract BUTTER SAUCE: 1 c sugar 1/4 c water 1/2 c butter 1 tsp vanilla extract Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour bundt pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, set aside. Cream: 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar for about 5 minutes, Then blend in eggs one at a time. Mix in buttermilk, and vanilla, adding alternately buttermilk and flour mixture into creamed mixture. Pour in bundt pan and bake for 1 hour. Butter Sauce: In medium sauce pan on medium heat mix sugar, water and butter, bring to low boil , stirring until sugar is dissolved, add vanilla, When cake is still very hot, leave in bundt pan, poke small holes in top Drizzle butter sauce over cake

This recipe was an evolution!  I just set out to adapt a recipe that used cake mix but make it without cake mix.  I did it, the cake part itself turned out great!  I was really proud of myself but overall I thought the cake was too sweet.  However, I loved the glaze on it!  It was just like a donut glaze, and since the overall effect of the cake was that of a coffee cake and I had just bought a butt load (yes, I said butt load) of apples, I thought I’d make an Apple Fritter Cake!  Also, because I wanted to cut down on the overall sugar content I changed my base recipe and decided to start my adaption from my all time fave Joy the Baker.  She has this awesome Strawberry Coffee Cake that is a big hit in this house.  It is one of my husband’s favorites, so I know it is good. The tart apples cut the sweetness a bit.  Cinnamon just makes it better.  It really tastes like an apple fritter!   Apple Fritter Cake Ingredients: For Filling: 1 heaping cup of sliced apples (I cored and

A Martha recipe that is SOO simple with easy ingredients. Serve with oven roasted sweet potato wedges and steamed broccoli.. Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin Ingredients:  4 tbs butter 2 tbs honey 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning 1/2 tsp black pepper 3/4 cup water Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an ovenproof pot, heat butter and honey over medium heat until melted.  Sprinkle pork tenderloin with Cajun seasoning and black pepper.  Brown each side for 5 minutes in the honey butter.  Lower heat if honey begins to burn. Place pot in oven and roast uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes*.  Remove pot from oven and transfer the pork to a plate. Cover with foil.  Add water to the pot and stir over medium heat.  Simmer for about 5 minutes, until sauce is reduced slightly.  Slice pork on the diagonal and drizzle sauce over top to serve. *NOTE:  May need to cook longer depending on the size and thickness of the pork tenderloin.

The best part about this recipe is that it only requires 3 ingredients and it is absolutely delicious. Italian Dressing Caramelized Chicken The ingredients you’ll need:     2.5 lbs-3 lbs Chicken Breast     1 packet (.7 ounce) of dried italian dressing mix     1/2 cup packed brown sugar Directions: 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 2. Line a 9×13 pan with a large piece of aluminum foil to prevent sticking. 3. Combine the packet of dried Italian dressing mix and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. 4. After cutting access fat off chicken breasts, dip each piece and coat with the mix on each side. Any extra coating that remains can be sprinkled over. 5. Place chicken in oven for 20-25 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken breasts) and flip each piece over. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. Turn oven on broil for 2 minutes, flip chicken and broil for another 2 minutes. Serve with rice, couscous, and quinoa. Enjoy!

Mouthwatering deliciousness is this pork tenderloin recipe. I can’t describe just how good it is. Jill’s Pork Tenderloin Ingredients:     3 pounds Pork Tenderloin (1 Pkg. Of 2 Tenderloins), Cut Into 4 Pieces Total     1 pound Bacon     ¾ cups Soy Sauce     1 Tablespoon Minced Onions     ½ teaspoons Garlic Salt     1 Tablespoon Wine Vinegar Or White Vinegar     ¼ teaspoons Salt     1 dash Pepper     ¾ cups Brown Sugar Directions: Wrap the tenderloin pieces in bacon. Place in an 8 1/2″ x 11″ pan. Poke holes in meat with a fork. Combine rest of ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Pour marinade over meat. Refrigerate, uncovered, 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Bake in a 300 degree oven for two to three hours. If the bacon burns, place foil over the top after approximately 1 1/2 hours of baking. Remove from oven, cut meat into small pieces and allow the meat to soak up the excess juices in the pan.

How fun are these?! I mean, cupcakes are cool, but ice cream cone cupcakes are AWESOME! I’ve seen this done before, but stumbled across a site with some great tips and pointers on how to get them to turn out as beautiful as you see in the picture. Go check it out over at A Spotted Pony ! Recipe >> Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes @ aspottedpony.com

Woop woop! Another amazing rendition of a box cake mix. The recipe I followed was called Chess Squares, but they’re also known as Gooey Butter Squares by Paula Deen. I’m going to call them Chess Squares because Gooey Butter Squares just sounds like a two-bite heart attack. The recipe, thanks to Kevin & Amanda’s blog , talks about how they wanted to originally try making something called “ Crack Pie ” (I hope to try this one day!), a dessert from Momofuku Milk Bar in New York. They were turned off from trying it because of the 22 ingredients and almost 2+ hour prep time! Thank goodness they shared this quick version! I found this recipe on Pinterest. First of all I love that it is easy and starts with a boxed cake mix and second of all it has cream cheese in it! Seriously anything with cream cheese grabs my attention. I made these delicious bars and they did not disappoint. Give them a whirl, they are rich, gooey and satisfying. (They could also be a good dessert to make

Made these for dinner this evening and they were fantastic! The sauce for the chops is awesome. Tastes almost identical to Jack Daniels sauce you get at TGIFridays.. Crunchy Honey Garlic Pork Chops Ingredients: 6 to 9 pork chops, not too thick 2 eggs 4 Tbsp water 2 c flour 1 tsp salt and pepper 1 tsp garlic powder canola oil or vegetable for frying FOR THE GLAZE: 1 1/2 c honey 1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 tsp ginger 1 dash(es)cayenne pepper, or to your taste 1/2 c soy sauce 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped 2 Tbsp butter Directions: Whisk the eggs and 4 tablespoons water in a shallow dish. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in another shallow dish. Dip the chops in the flour, then over into the egg, then back over into the flour mixture again. This is what puts the extra crispy coating on the chops. Be sure to get plenty of flour on this last coating, then shake them a little and place in a pan with about a half inch of oil. Be sure the oil is hot, but not too

Sweet potato chocolate chip cookies- these may be the best healthy clean eating cookie I have ever had! They are moist and soft just the way I like my cookies. The sweet potato acts as a natural sweetener and the addition of nut butter gives them a richness I love. Here is the recipe rundown- You will need: baking pan, parchment paper, large bowl, food processor, medium pot, mixing spoon.  2 cups pureed sweet potato (about 2 medium sweet potatoes) 1/2 cup oat flour (can be sub. w/ another kind of flour) 1/2 cup nut butter (Recipe to homemade Nut Butter) 2 eggs 3 T maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla Spices: 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp La Boite Yemen #10 (a blend of ginger, cinnamon, and clove- sub with 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp clove, and additional 1/4 tsp cinnamon) 1 tsp cacao powder 1/4 tsp allspice 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 1. Boil a medium pot of water. Peel and dice sweet potatoes, add t

I vaguely remember that Lauren Conrad shared the link to the Inquiring Chef and found it really interesting because it wasn’t just a recipe but a post on millennials and what people do after doing some obligatory travelling and then returning home. She spends some of her Saturday afternoons baking and she shared the tarts as one of those recipes. Not one to brag *ahem* but these turned out perfectly on the first bake. Such a simple recipe to follow, I was surprised at how easy the cookie crust was and how the filling baked nicely. The dough was straightforward to make and I would certainly recommend trying to keep it in the fridge for the full half an hour, I made two batches of this and the second time I didn’t leave it in as long and was a lot stickier when moulding into the bun tins. The lemon filling was probably fiddly just for the pure reason that I had to separate the yolks from the white and put them in the right bowl. Pour in the filling bang in the oven and they’re don

Inside Out Caramel Apples Slices Ingredients     3 whole Large Granny Smith Apples (or Any Apple Of Your Choice)     1 whole Large Lemon     2 cups Caramel Squares, Unwrapped     2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup     ¼ cups Chopped Pecans (optional)     Chocolate Sauce (optional) Instructions: Note: these are still sticky and slightly messy, just like a traditional caramel apple. And totally worth it!     Cut your apples in half and use a melon baller to scoop out the insides, leaving the walls intact at about 1/2 to 1/4 inch thickness.     Squeeze the juice from the lemon onto the apples and allow to set. (This will keep them from turning brown right away.)     To make the caramel sauce, melt the caramel squares in a sauce pan over low heat, with the corn syrup. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes.     Using a paper towel, wipe your apples down, removing the lemon juice as much as possible. (Important: if the inside of your apple is too wet, the caramel won’t stick.

This is a recipe passed down to me from my great grandmother Pearl. I absolutely love this pie and I hope you do too! French Coconut Pie Ingredients:     3 whole Eggs, Beaten     1-½ cup Sugar     1 cup Flaked Coconut     1 stick Butter, Melted     1 Tablespoon White Vinegar     1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract     1 pinch Salt     1 whole 9" Uncooked Pie Shell Directions: Mix filling ingredients well and pour into the pie shell. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.