Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

L is for Lemon Supreme

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Cooking is a complete mystery to me–not unlike writing.  I don’t know any of the tricks. Sure I can cook a few things really well, but I can’t say they always taste the same.  I know I’m not the only one with that problem. Years ago, I gave my mother-in-law a cake recipe; she made the cake and accused me of leaving out a special ingredient because hers didn’t taste like mine. Mine never tastes like my mom’s did either. No, it’s not psychological.

After taking some of my mother’s cake pans and a pancake griddle—ones Mom always used Crisco and flour on/in, I learned the hard way that they don’t respond well to my spray Pam. What’s up with that?

Mom baked wonderful desserts. A family favorite was the Lemon Supreme Apricot Nectar cake. Don’t be turned off. You can NOT taste the apricot nectar.  The glaze was to die for—sweet and tart. The first time she baked it, she told us she used a toothpick to jab holes in the cake so the glaze would seep through the holes. Before long, we noticed she’d graduated from toothpick to the end of the wooden spoon—with a double batch of glaze. Yum!

So my L word is for my favorite cake, and I’m sharing Mom’s recipe with you.
1 Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix
1 cup of Apricot Nectar
¾ cup of Crisco oil
½ cup sugar
4 eggs
Combine the cake mix, nectar, oil and sugar together and mix well. Then add the four eggs. Mix again, thoroughly. Bake in a tube pan or a Bundt pan at 325 degrees for one hour. Or test with toothpick.
 

Glaze: Mix 1 cup of powdered sugar and juice from one lemon. Stick holes in cake with toothpick (or the end of a wooden spoon) and spread over cake while cake is hot.  You can control the tartness/sweetness of the glaze –more lemon or more powdered sugar.
Baking a cake really is a lot like writing, isn’t it? Sometimes my novels crumble.

Have a good weekend!  I’ll post again on Monday with the letter M.

Happy Birthday to ME!

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Today is my birthday so I thought I’d share one of the easiest cake recipes I know. Since I found this recipe, I never bake any other cake. Oh, lazy me!
Take your favorite chocolate cake mix and pour in one bottle of Chocolate Slim-Fast. Just two ingredients! Mix well. You can bake in a sheet pan, cup cakes or traditional rounds. Just follow the baking directions on the box. This cake is super moist and delish. We usually pile whip cream on top and drizzle some chocolate syrup. Bake nuts in it, or sprinkle on top. Anything goes!

 Hope you have fun on MY special day!

V is for Vegetarian

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Yep, that’s me! My husband and I became vegetarians about a year ago. (Daughter was first.) You would have thought we were slapping our friends and family in the face. I’ve never seen such outrage or heard sarcastic remarks. My goodness, you’d think they all raised beef and their farms were threatened.

Really, there are many kinds of vegetarians and hundreds of very good reasons to be one.  (I’ll keep my own reasons to myself.)There are an estimated 7.3 million people who follow a vegetarian-based diet and 1.5 million more say they follow vegetarian-inclined diets. Believe me when I say, they don’t all live in California.

I do eat some dairy products and fish. I’ve completely given up beef and chicken.  If you entertain thoughts of becoming a vegetarian, check out this wonderful book. It’s the best cookbook I’ve found for vegetarians and it’s called The Vegetarian Bible. There’s not one bad recipe in this book–they’re ALL delish!

Here’s my own variation of one of the recipes. I think you’ll love it even if you’re a meat eater.

Taco Rice and Beans
2 TBS olive oil
1 cup water
1 packet taco seasoning mix
2 cans black beans, drained and washed
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup thick & chunky salsa (your favorite brand is fine)

Heat the oil over medium heat then add seasoning mix and water. Cook and stir until combined and slightly thickened. Stir in beans, rice and salsa. Cook 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

For a great meal fold Taco Rice & Beans into a soft flour tortilla. Add shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend, black olives, jalapeno olives, and sliced avocado. Serves 4 to 6.

Note: The first time our daughter treated us to this meal, I was so overcome with delight, I was absolutely speechless! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me.