Pamper the Goddess Within Giveaway

To Enter the Pamper the Goddess Within Giveaway, you need to visit: http://lunawolfs.blogspot.com

My company is LunaWolf's Mystical Essence http://lunawolfsmysticalessence.com. I create handpoured soy candles, handcrafted soaps, incense & herbal pillows as well as lotions and other goodies that are handcrafted by other WAHM's in business.

LunaWolf's Mystical Essence is giving away one of our newly released Goddess Pampering Sets.

The purpose of our give-away is to share our products with all and to share this special set with one winner FREE!

Here's to the Pampering the Goddess Within us all,

~Vicki Green
http://lunawolfsmysticalessence.com

Be sure to read my other blog for great recipes, kitchen tips and more too! http://themysticalkitchen.blogspot.com Giveaway drawing will be held on February 24th.

Luscious Lemon Cake

Luscious Lemon Cake

INGREDIENTS
• 4 eggs
• 1 (3 ounce) package instant lemon pudding mix
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan.
2. Beat eggs until thick. Add pudding mix, cake mix, water, and oil; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 50 minutes.
4. In the last 5 minutes of baking, prepare the glaze. Mix lemon juice and 3 cups confectioner's sugar in a saucepan. Heat to boiling. Pour hot glaze over hot cake, and let cool for approximately 1 hour. Carefully invert cake onto serving platter. Finish with a light dusting of confectioners sugar.

Here are a few suggestions for this cake:

• Frost the cake with lemon cream cheese icing from an 8 oz. package cream cheese, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and powdered sugar.
• Instead of flouring the pan, use granulated sugar, which will eliminate the floury residue on the cake.
• Garnish with whipped cream that has had a little lemon juice or extract added.
• If baking in a bundt pan, wait about 15 minutes before inverting the pan to dump it. Some recommend the sides of the bundt pan to be cool before dumping it. You can use a rubber scraper to help release the sides and not scratch the pan.
• The cake is actually better if it sets a day.

WOW! A Chocolate Cake Without Eggs

EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE


INGREDIENTS
• 4 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups water
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt. Add sugar and mix together.
3. Add oil, water and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
4. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

A couple of suggestions for this recipe:
Add a cup or more of semi-sweet chocolate chips for a more chocolatey taste.
Substitute part of the water with milk instead.
Use applesauce for all or part of the oil.
Add 1 tsp. cider vinegar.
It helps to also thoroughly mix the wet ingredients first then add to mixed dry ingredients and combine for about 1 minute.
Pour into cake pans, let sit 5 minutes to let the baking soda start to work then bake about 30-35 minutes for 2 round cake pans


We hope this recipe will assist those looking for cake recipes that contain no eggs or dairy (butter).

Shared with permission from: Linda Dougherty http://www.CakeIdeas101.com

Caramel Apple-Tini

Caramel-Appletini

1 oz Stoli Vanil Vodka
1 oz Shakka or Dekuyper Luscious Red Apple liquor
2 oz apple juice
1/2 oz caramel flavoring syrup
1 oz caramel sundae topping

Pour everything but the topping in a shaker tin over ice. Shake until well chilled. Dip rim of martini glass in caramel, drizzle caramel into glass. Pour martini. Garnish with two speared green apple pieces.

The Red Fairy Cocktail

Mix in shaker:
1 oz Absinthe
1/2 oz Grenadene
1/2 oz Red Bull

Shake well; Strain into glass,
(can also be made as a shot)

Cranberry Candle Cups

SUPPLIES:

4-6 clear martini glasses or wine goblets
1 12-oz. bag Ocean Spray® Fresh Cranberries
4-6 votive candles*
Greenery or flowers, if desired

DIRECTIONS:

Fill glasses 2/3 full with fresh cranberries. Nestle a votive candle on top of the cranberries. If desired, add a few blossoms or sprigs of greenery.

Be careful to keep lit flames from directly touching the cranberries; the heat of the flame could cause the berries to burst. Do not leave lit candles unattended. Discard berries when they become soft, which can range from a few days to about a week.

* Variation: To use taper candles, start with empty glasses. Use candle putty to secure candle to the bottom of the glass (glasses with a flat bottom work best). Add fresh cranberries around the sides of the candle, filling 2/3 full.

Source: http://www.oceanspray.com

Easy Stir Fry

Ingredients
1 lb top round steak cut into thin slices
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
16 oz frozen oriental vegetables
8 Tbsp cooking wine or sherry
8 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch water

Directions
Heat oil in skillet. Add beef and season with salt & pepper. Cook until almost done. Add frozen
veggies and cover. Turn heat to medium low and cook until veggies are soft. While meat and
veggies are cooking, mix wine, soy sauce and brown sugar in a medium sauce pan and mix well.
Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Mix cornstarch with water to form a runny paste. Turn up
heat to medium high and add cornstarch mixture to wine mixture stirring constantly until thick.
Once veggies are soft, pour thickened wine mixture over meat and veggies and mix well.
Serve over white rice.

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 30 Min
Total Time: 40 Min
Servings: 4

Homemade Cajun Spice

1 box salt
1 1/2 ounces black pepper
2 ounces ground red pepper
1 ounce garlic powder
1 ounce bottle chili powder
1 ounce accent
Mix all ingredients together. Store in tightly closed jars in cool place.

Lazy Gal Cobbler

"LAZY GAL COBBLER"
1 lg. can sliced peaches (heavy syrup)
1 stick butter
1 c. self-rising flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. milk
Mix flour and sugar. Add milk; stir to make batter. Put butter in 13 x 2 x 9-inch baking dish. Melt in oven at 325 degrees. Pour batter into melted butter. DON'T STIR. Now add peaches. DON'T STIR.
Bake at 325 degrees until crust forms and browns, about 35 minutes.
Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Source: Cooks.com

PF Changs Lettuce Wraps

* Cooking Time: 20 minutes
* Servings: 4
* Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
* 16 Boston, bib or iceberg lettuce leaves
* 1 pound ground chicken breast
* 1 large onion - chopped
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1/4 cup hoisin sauce (Asian section of supermarket)
* 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
* 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
* 2 teaspoons Asian chili pepper sauce (or use 1/8 teaspoon cayenne)
* 1 can (8 ounce) sliced water chestnuts - drained, finely chopped
* 1 cup matchstick cut carrots
* 1/2 bunch of green onions thinly sliced
* 2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook chicken in large skillet over medium heat, until brown, stirring often breaking up the meat.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and chili sauce.
3. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Add water chestnuts, carrots and green onions.
5. Cook until onions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Stir in sesame oil.
8. Arrange lettuce leaves on the outer edge of platter.
9. Spoon meat mixture in center.
10. Allow guest to spoon mixture into leaves and eat like a taco.

Source: http://www.cdkitchen.com/