White Texas Sheet Cake

1 cup butter
1 cup water
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup chopped nuts (opt)

In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup butter and water to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, 1 teaspoon almond extract, and baking soda until smooth. Pour batter into a greased 10 x 15 x 1 in pan (cookie sheet with sides). Bake at 375 degrees for 20 -22 minutes or until cake is golden brown and tests done. Cool for 20 min.

To make frosting:
Combine 1/2 cup butter and milk in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Mix in sugar and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Stir in pecans. Spread frosting over warm cake.

Tri Tip Roast (or steaks)

3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 pounds tri tip roast (or steaks)

Combine garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix together and rub it into both sides of the meat. Sear both sides of meat on hot grill, then cook 20-24 min (for roast) or 7-8 min for steaks or until center is pink for medium rare. Slice meat against the grain.

Tri-tip roasts are popular in California (aka Uncle Floyd and Santa Maria); it's a flavorful cut, perfect for barbecuing and grilling. Triangular in shape, it is also called sirloin tip, culotte steak, triangle steak, and Santa Maria-style. The tri-tip cut is rather lean and can get tough if over-cooked. So, don't trim the fat before cooking (it will be needed to keep the steak tender). This cut can be hard to find outside of California, though both Costco and Sam's Club carry it. You can also use this recipe with a flank steak.

If you don't have a grill, you can prepare the tri-tip by browning it in a hot cast iron pan on the stove top, then placing it a 325°F oven until the internal temperature of the steak/roast reaches 130°F.

Some tips about cooking steak/tri tip:

Don’t cook the meat direct from the fridge, let it set out room temperature (about an hour, it will be okay)

Ordinarily you shouldn't salt your meat until after it cooks, as salt sucks the moisture out of meat. But with tri tip this isn't the case as this recipe uses a dry rub.

Serve it medium rare, as tri tip will dry out

Don’t prick the meat with a fork at all as the juices will run out

8 to ten minutes on grill, let sit. Put in oven to hold warmth, wrap in foil

Let it rest 5 – 10 minutes before slicing or serving

Cut the Tri Tip into 1/8 - 5/8" serving slices. The Tri Tip has a "grain" like wood and you must cut with it. If you cut it against the grain it will be tough to chew.

Happy tri tipping!

Cowboy Caviar

The first time I had this I thought it was a salad but it is actually supposed to be served with tortilla chips. You take your pick.

1 can shoepeg corn, drained
1 can blackeyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 chopped tomato
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 avocados, chopped
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Mix together:
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
Add liquid to the rest of ingredients and stir gently.

Key Lime Pie

I just posted this recipe to my ward's recipe blog. We have an enrichment focus group recipe exchange once a month it's lots of fun to meet with all the ladies and chat and eat. This month's theme was Summer Favorites. Nothing is more summery to me than Key Lime Pie. This is my family's (I think Devry made it first) adaptation of Martha's recipe. Enjoy!

Key Lime Pie – Martha Stewart
Martha says, "Look for brightly colored, smooth-skinned limes that are heavy for their size. Small brown areas on the skin won't affect flavor or succulence, but a hard or shriveled skin will. You'll know the pie is done when the center is set but still quivers when the pan is nudged. Before serving, chill the pie in the freezer for 10 minutes; this will make slicing easier."

* 1 1/2 cups graham-cracker crumbs
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
* 5 tablespoons sugar
* 1 (14 ounces) can sweetened condensed milk
* 4 large egg yolks
* 1/2 cup freshly squeezed key-lime juice
* 1 tablespoon grated key-lime zest, plus more for garnish
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine graham-cracker crumbs, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl; mix well. Press into a 9-inch pie plate, and bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.
2. Lower oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, gently whisk together condensed milk, egg yolks, key-lime juice, and zest. Pour into the prepared, cooled crust.
3. Return pie to oven, and bake until the center is set but still quivers when the pan is nudged, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Shortly before serving, combine cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon over cooled pie; garnish with zest. Serve immediately.

Dana’s Substitutions:
Because I’m not as hard-core about my ingredients as Ms. Martha and in the interest of saving time I use a few short cuts. I use a ready made graham cracker crust and I use bottled key lime juice. The brand I can find the most is “Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice”. Also for the zest I use a lemon because key lime juice is yellow so it’s not such a jarring contrast in the baked pie as the zest from a regular lime.

curry chicken

2 cloves of minced garlic
1 white onion
2 T sugar
1 can coconut milk
1/8 c (yellow) curry powder (more or less, depending on your taste for it)
4 large chicken breasts, cubed
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
cashews or peanuts (optional)

In a large saucepan, sautee garlic and onion in butter. Add coconut milk + 3/4 can of water, sugar, and curry powder. When sauce is blended, add potatoes and chicken. Cook for 20 min. or until potatoes are soft and chicken is cooked through. Add nuts for last 5 min or so.

Serve over rice.