Lemon-Lime Chicken

1 whole chicken
2 to 3 lemons, sliced
2 to 3 limes, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
garlic, as much as you want
fresh rosemary and oregano (supplied by school garden)
1 stick of butter, cubed

Rinse chicken.

Plop it into the crockpot.

Peel your garlic and shove a bunch of the whole cloves into the bird cavity and throw some more on top and around the chicken.

Slice the lemons and limes and put slices on top, around, and inside the bird

Wash the rosemary & oregano and do the same. If you are using dried rosemary, use a good amount---probably 2-3T of dried herbs.

Place cubed butter on top.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Sugary Tequila Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
4 teaspoons tequila
Grated zest of 2 limes
Grate zest of half an orange
2 cups all-purpose flour
Granulated sugar for coating


Directions:

1. Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until it is smooth. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and silky.
2. Beat in 1 of the egg yolks, followed by the salt, tequila, grated lime zest, and orange zest. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, beating just until it disappears. It is better to under beat than over beat at this point; if the flour isn’t fully incorporated, that’s ok -- just blend in whatever remaining flour needs blending with a rubber spatula.
3. Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and divide it in half.
4. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
5. Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches (2.5 to 3.2 cm) thick. Get the thickness right, and the length you end up with will be fine. Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 2 hours. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)
6. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. While the oven is preheating, work on the sugar coating: Whisk the remaining egg yolk in a small bowl until it is smooth and liquid enough to use as a glaze.
8. Spread the coating sugar on a piece of wax paper. Remove the logs of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap them, and brush them lightly with a little egg yolk. Roll the logs in the sugar, pressing the sugar gently to get it to stick if necessary, then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/4 inch (7 mm) thick.
9. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) space between them.
10. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned. (It’s fine if the yolk-brushed edges brown a smidgen.) Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.

Crockpot Refried Beans

INGREDIENTS2 lbs pinto beans
1 large onion, chopped
4 Tbsp. jarred minced garlic
*Up to 2 1/2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cumin
10 cups hot water

* You can use as little as 1 Tbsp. It depends on how you like your beans.

DIRECTIONS
Rinse the beans in a colander. Pick out any bad beans.
Combine all the ingredients in the crockpot. Remove any floating beans. Cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours and on LOW for 2 hours.

Uncover, and remove extra liquid. Leave enough liquid to reach the desired consistency when the beans are mashed. (We like our beans somewhere between the very-liquidy restaurant style beans, and the canned version of refried beans.)

Mash beans with a potato masher to desired consistency.

Serve warm. Store in air-tight containers in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks, or freeze in ziplock bags for later use.

Melted Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

Cake
• 1 box cake mix (18.25 oz) in any flavor
• 1 pint ice cream, melted
• 3 eggs
Glaze:
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

How to Make

Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease cake pan liberally with cooking spray or butter and flour.
3. Mix the cake mix, eggs and ice cream together and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
4. Follow box for baking times. Time will vary based on type of pan you use.
5. Let cool and remove from pan.
6. Allow to cool on wire rack.
Glaze:
7. In medium saucepan combine ingredients with a whisk over low heat.
8. Stir until glaze is smooth.
9. Pour over cake.

Notes

**I have had mixed feedback on this recipe. All I can say is that I have made it numerous times and it turns out perfect. Make sure your ice cream isn't still frozen, because if it's still cold your batter will be cold and your cake will not cook all the way through.

Peanut butter banana bread with chocolate chips

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 medium bananas, mashed
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
⅓ cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x4-inch loaf pan and then line with parchment paper so that it hangs over the two long sides.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the banana, peanut butter, sugars, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until completely combined and there are no spots with raw flour. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top into an even layer. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. If your bread appears to be browning too quickly, place a tented piece of foil over it (I did this at the 45-minute mark).
6. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. The cooled bread should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap; it can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.