lemon cake pops or mini cupcakes

thebabycakeshop.com


Last month I was asked to make some goodies for Mothers day. I racked my head for some ideas on what to make. I decided to do a chocolate chip cookie, a plain sugar cookie, and a lemon cake pop. I figured with that selection I would have all my bases covered. Mothers who love chocolate ...check, mothers who love plain ...the sugar cookie, and those that like fruity...the cake pop. I knew I had the two cookies covered but I had to find a recipe for the lemon cake pop. I was given a cake pop machine from my son for Christmas and I love it!!! SO after reading through many recipes I chose this one. IT IS SO GOOD!!!! I tried the cake pops dipped in white chocolate, the cake pops dipped in a lemon glaze, and the cake pops dusted with powdered sugar. Every one of them were worthy!!!



1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3-4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:
Melt butter and set aside to cool briefly.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer at medium high speed, beat together sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice 1 minute. Add melted butter and beat 2 minutes at medium-high speed.
Beat in vanilla and lemon extract. Add flour mixture and beat just until blended.
Fill each well with about 1 tablespoon batter and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and glaze or coat, as desired.

I took some of the cake pops and put them in little muffin liners and voila they looked like little cupcakes :)

Chicken Ceasar Sandwich in the slow cooker

www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

I first had this sandwich at a bunco party and thought it was wonderful. The other day I was looking for something I could make ahead and take to baseball games. Something quick and easy. I remembered this and text my friend and asked her for the recipe. It worked out perfectly!! Not only is it sooo good on buns but my kids like to eat it with pretzel chips. It is also one of those meals you could serve for a large group of people .... simple and yet with the right sides its a great meal.



2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing (I like Cardini's and Brianna's Asiago Caesar)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (if you don't have fresh use around 2 teaspoons of dried parsley)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns


Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon and drain the water from the slow cooker. Place chicken on a cutting board and pull chicken into shreds, discarding any fat.
Place chicken back in the cooker and pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. I really make sure that I discard any fat pieces so by the time I was done I only used about 1/2 cup of dressing but you make need more if you have more chicken. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot.
Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto each slider bun if you are making sliders or more for regular sized buns. Top with extra shredded Parmesan cheese and lettuce to serve