GULF COAST GRAM

Carne Guisada

2012-01-13T07:29:00.006-06:00

Carne guisada is a dish I almost always have when we go to lunch at our local Taqueria. I've wanted to make it for a while and went online to see how to do it plus talked with some people at work who have made it. I have to say I think I got it pretty close. Except for the beans, rice and flour tortillas, this was a good match.

3 tablespoons oil
Approximately 2 pounds stew meat
1/2 small onion chopped
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
A shake or 2 or of cumin
2 tablespoons flour
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can beef broth

Season meat and in a large pot cook the meat and onion in the oil until no longer pink and onions are translucent. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of flour over meat. Add tomatoes and broth. Cook over low heat with a lid for 2 hours stirring often. I added a little flour and water at the end to thicken up the gravy. This makes a rich gravy when done. Serve with rice, beans and flour tortillas for scooping up the yummy meat and gravy.

Black Magic Chocolate Cake

2012-01-12T20:26:00.005-06:00

There are probably 100's of recipes for chocolate cake. I have several here on my blog that I've done and all were good but I think this might be one of the best according to my trusty taste-testers at work. Don't let the addition of a cup of black coffee put you off with you as it helps enhance the chocolate. I should have taken a picture of the inside, it is truly dark chocolate it's a very moist cake. I baked this in my new Nordic Ware pan that has snowflakes on it and had planned to dust it with powdered sugar but sadly that didn't work out and I had to top it with some frosting to cover up the top.

BLACK MAGIC CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong black coffee, cooled
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Batter will be thin. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan or two 9 inch cake pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes for a 9x13, or 30-35 minutes for layer pans.

FROSTING
1/2 stick butter
6 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter and cocoa and stir until smooth. Add cream and vanilla. Pour mixture over powdered sugar and mix well. Add milk if too stiff. Frost cooled cake.

Banana Pudding

2011-12-29T21:32:00.004-06:00

I recently had my son's girlfriend's family over for dinner. This was requested for dessert. I think I have finally found my true recipe for banana pudding with this one.

BANANA PUDDING

4 egg yolks
4 Tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box Nilla vanilla wafers
3 bananas
Cool Whip or whipping cream for topping.

In a sauce pan mix egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix well with a whisk. Stir constantly for about 10 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat. In a glass bowl start out with vanilla wafers, then bananas, then pudding. Repeat layers. Place in refrigerator for several hours until cooled. Top with Cool Whip or whipped cream and a final layer of vanilla wafers. Even better the next day.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

2011-12-11T06:41:00.004-06:00

Christmas baking continues. I couldn't find my Mom's peanut butter cookie recipe. This isn't quite it, but I think this will do.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw for a sparkly effect).

Mix sugars and shortening together until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Mix in peanut butter until smooth. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together. Add to creamed mixture. Scoop dough onto cookie sheet and criss-cross with a fork dipped in water. Sprinkle sugar over and bake at 375 for 13 minutes until lightly browned.

Extreme Brownie Cookies

2011-12-06T22:04:00.006-06:00

My first Christmas party tomorrow evening. I am taking along these cookies. I found this recipe on Cook Eat Share of which I am a member. I'm not a big fan of chocolate, but if you are these would definitely do the trick. Here is my version.

EXTREME BROWNIE COOKIES

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 stick butter
3 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup toasted chopped pecans

Melt chocolate chips and stick of butter. Set aside to cool. Using a mixer beat the eggs and vanilla until frothy. Slowly add the sugar and beat until mixture ribbons off beaters (about 3-4 minutes). Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture. Mix flour, salt and baking powder. Add to batter and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. At this point the mixture is like thick cake batter. Chill until set. Scoop mixture into walnut-sized balls (I used a cookie scoop) and place onto parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes. Let the cookies cool a bit before taking them from the cookie sheet as they tend to crack. Makes 4 dozen.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COCONUT MACADAMIA COOKIES

2011-12-05T08:32:00.007-06:00

I was looking for new cookie recipes for this holiday baking season. I got this one looking through the Pioneer Woman's website Tasty Kitchen. I couldn't find macadamia nuts in my little one-horse town so I substituted toasted pecans. These are a crispy/chewy chocolate chip cookie. I think the macadamia nuts would have made this a much better cookie but these weren't too bad. Here is my version as I made them.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COCONUT MACADAMIA COOKIES

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup toasted macadamia nuts (I used toasted pecans)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In your mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth.

Mix in the flour mixture until just combined and then stir in the chocolate chips, coconut and nuts.

Take double the amount you would make for a cookie form it into a ball in your hands. Hold the ball with both hands and break it apart in half, like you are cracking an egg. Place each half, craggly-side up, on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, making sure to leave plenty of room for the cookies to spread.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the cookies are just barely golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave on the cookie sheets to cool at least 10 minutes.

Tres Leche Cake

2011-11-21T05:57:00.004-06:00

We celebrated my son's birthday this weekend. Per his request he wanted a tres leche cake. I went in search of a recipe and found one on A Farm Girl Babbles which was interpreted from an Alton Brown recipe. I always thought a tres leche cake would be too 'wet' but surprisingly the cake soaks up all that liquid and makes a good cake.

Here is my version.

TRES LECHE CAKE

For the cake:
1-3/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the glaze:
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half and half

For the topping:
2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 9 x 13 pan with Pam.
Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low, and with the mixer still running, very slowly add the sugar. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla and mix again. Add the flour mixture to the batter in three batches and mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. It will seem like a small amount of batter for a cake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over a lot with a fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:
Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and the half-and-half in a medium bowl. If you have a bowl with a pour spout, that works great! Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. It will seem like a lot of glaze. Take your time and let it keep soaking in as you pour. The cake will not completely soak up the glaze until it has sat overnight. Place it in the refrigerator and finish the following day.

For the topping:
Place the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment on low speed, whisk together until stiff peaks are formed. Increase mixer to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping onto the cake. Chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Sheet Cake

2011-11-03T23:34:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite blogs in my Google Reader is Jenny from Picky Palate. She recently posted a recipe for this Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Sheet Cake. Pardon the picture, I dropped my camera and it sustained an injury so I took this with my Blackberry. We had a party at work for Halloween and I took this for dessert. Our theme was a Slumber Party and we all wore our comfy pajama pants and slippers to work. We had a popcorn machine and we hooked up a DVD player to a projector and watched Poltergeist. We also had nachos and pizza. It was a fun day and we all decided we'd love to wear our pajamas every day to work!

CINNAMON ROLL PUMPKIN SHEET CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
3.4 ounce box Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
1/2 cup sour cream
15 ounce can pumpkin
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream or milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a large jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Place cake mix, eggs, oil, milk, pudding, sour cream and pumpkin into a stand or electric mixer, beating until well combined, about 1 1/2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly.
Place butter into a microwave safe bowl and melt, about 30-40 seconds. Add brown sugar and cinnamon to bowl, mixing until combined. Drizzle mixture evenly over cake then take a knife and run it through to swirl.
Bake cake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through and remove. Place powdered sugar and cream into a large bowl and mix until creamy and smooth. Drizzle over warm cake then let cool for 20 minutes before cutting into squares. Refrigerate if not serving same day.

Church Lady Strawberry Cake

2011-09-30T19:07:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the messy picture but I forgot to snap one before everyone dug in. I call this Church Lady Strawberry Cake because I think it is in most every church fund raiser cookbook I own. Another birthday at work and the birthday girl said she liked strawberry so I brought this.

CHURCH LADY STRAWBERRY CAKE

1 package white cake mix
1 package (3 ounces) strawberry Jello
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup mashed strawberries with juice

Strawberry Icing
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 pound confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup mashed strawberries with juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine cake mix and dry Jello in a large bowl. Beat in oil, eggs, water, vanilla and strawberries. Pour into 9 x 13 pan sprayed with Pam. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and frost with strawberry icing.

For icing, beat the cream cheese and confectioners sugar together until smooth. Add strawberries and juice and vanilla until creamy. Frost top and sides of cake.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

2011-09-05T18:48:00.005-05:00

A birthday in August for a coworker and I thought I'd try my hand at a chocolate chip cheesecake. My first time trying one and it was pretty good. This one doesn't rise really high and is a pretty dense cheesecake. It reminds me a little of the cheesecakes you buy at Sam's or Costco.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Set crust aside.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk. Beat well. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat on medium speed until smooth. Toss 1/3 of the miniature chocolate chips with the 1 teaspoon flour to coat (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Mix into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips.
Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Turn off oven (do not open oven door) and leave the cake in the oven to cool in the oven for another hour. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate before removing sides of pan. Keep cake refrigerated until time to serve.

Banana Bars

2011-09-04T11:21:00.005-05:00

I needed a dessert recently and had some ripe bananas to put to use. I found this recipe on a 'Best Ever Cookie Collection' site. I love a quick recipe that doesn't even require a mixer.

BANANA BARS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed bananas (2 to 3 very ripe medium-sized bananas)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with Pam. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the bananas , vanilla and pecans. Stir until well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it out evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled you can sprinkle with powdered sugar. I just made a quick cream cheese frosting for them.

Baked Toasted Ravioli

2011-08-14T16:54:00.004-05:00

I had my son, his girlfriend and his 2 boys over for dinner. I served this as an appetizer with my homemade pizza and salad. I've had these in a restaurant when they were fried which are delicious but baking them wasn't too bad either.

BAKED TOASTED RAVIOLI

1 package frozen cheese ravioli, thawed
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with foil and place racks on cookie sheet. Dip thawed ravioli in egg and then bread crumbs. Spray with Pam Olive oil spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with jarred or homemade marinara sauce.

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2011-08-07T16:31:00.006-05:00

I haven't taken anything to work in a while. I was bored today and although we are suffering with triple digit heat I decided to bake! Well, crank the A/C down a bit and pretend it's not sweltering and voila cookies are done. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I think the addition of some toasted coconut and/or craisins would have given them a bit more flavor but I went with what I had on hand.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES

1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the creamed mixture. Add the oats, white chocolate chips and pecans. Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

Summer Sunshine

2011-07-30T13:41:00.005-05:00

This is a recipe from my friend who made it while I was on my trip to Oregon. She used roasted corn from Trader Joe's for this. I love Trader Joe's. There is a rumor that we are getting one in Houston and I can't wait! This truly does taste like summer and sunshine. Very yummy.

SUMMER SUNSHINE

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 or 3 carrots shredded or use bagged shredded carrots
5 or 6 ears of corn cut from cob or use a bag of frozen
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet. Add chopped onion. After cooking for 1 minute add carrots. Cook 8 minutes. Add corn. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add milk salt and pepper.

Lavender Sugar Cookies

2011-07-25T22:52:00.012-05:00

Back in June I took a trip to the Texas Hill Country to see the Lavender Festival. Sadly due to the drought and excessive heat this year the lavender fields were dry and not blooming.

Last week I was fortunate enough to travel to the Portland, Oregon area to visit a friend and got to see the most beautiful lavender fields. They were amazing. The area is so lush and I have never seen such beautiful flowers. It was a welcome escape from the horrible summer we are experiencing. The weather there was just wonderful and I enjoyed every minute. My friend is a superb cook and thought these cookies would be a good showcase for our lavender. These cookies are taken from a recipe of Penny McConnell from Penny's Pastries in Austin, Texas.

AMAZING SUGAR COOKIES

Butter Sugar Cookie Dough

1 cup butter, salted
1 cup granulated sugar (7 oz.)1 large egg
2 tablespoons whipping cream
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups (15 oz.) unbleached flour, unsifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
We added 2 teaspoons culinary lavender to these cookies.

Cookie Glaze

3 to 3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon flavoring (almond, orange, lemon, etc.) We used lavender syrup.
1/4 cup warm water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or in a heavy-duty mixer, combine butter and sugar using low speed with mixer. Do not over mix. Add egg, whipping cream, vanilla and almond extract all at once to butter/sugar mixture. Mixture will probably look curdled. Mix just until combined.

In separate bowl, mix flour with baking powder. Add dry ingredients to liquid. Mix to form dough. Give dough a quick knead, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on parchment-lined sheets until set and very lightly browned around edges about 12 minutes. Cool before decorating. Mix up glaze and drizzle over cooled cookies.

This dough rolls out beautifully. A good tip is to use powdered sugar instead of flour to roll out to keep the cookies from tasting too doughy.

Banana Split Cake

2011-07-11T23:31:00.003-05:00

Finally a birthday at work to give me a reason to bake. Although the birthday girl did not want a lot of attention, it really became a 'Monday Cake' instead. This is a Southern Living cake.

BANANA SPLIT CAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups mashed banana (about 4 bananas
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple drained (save juice)
1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained.
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Jar of hot fudge sauce

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together eggs, oil, and buttermilk. Add oil mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in banana and next 3 ingredients.

Drain pineapple, reserving liquid. Drain cherries and pat on a paper towel. Chop cherries (save about 6-8 for top of the cake). Stir pineapple and cherries into banana mixture. Spoon into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (This took a bit longer than an hour in my oven. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and cool on wire rack.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Add pineapple juice until a nice consistency to pour over the cake. Pour hot fudge sauce over and garnish with chopped pecans and cherries.

Toasted Pita Chips

2011-05-14T15:06:00.005-05:00

This is another recipe I have had in my files forever and never got around to trying. I recently found some really healthy pita bread made with oat bran and lot of other healthy things so I thought it would be a good time to try this out. Served with some roasted garlic hummus and it was pretty good.

TOASTED PITA CHIPS

4 pita bread rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sesame seeds
Parsley
Garlic powder
Sea salt
Pepper

Cut pitas in quarters. Split each quarter in half. Brush outside with cooking oil; sprinkle with sesame seeds, parsley, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper. Place on 15x10x1 inch foil lined baking sheet. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Check often to make sure they are not getting too brown.

School House Rolls

2011-04-27T17:32:00.004-05:00

When I was in elementary school the lunch ladies would make the most wonderful yeast rolls. Sometimes I would just have rolls for lunch with a glass of sweet tea. Over the years I have looked for a recipe to make them. When I visited my friend's Mama last month I was talking about these rolls and she had a clipping from their local paper that had a recipe for these rolls. They are pretty near to what I remember, except for the wheat flour. If I made them again I might try to use all white to see if that recreates from my memory the lunch ladies rolls from the past. These are a really dense, yeast-flavored roll. I'm usually challenged by yeast but this recipe doesn't involve a lot of steps and has such a quick rise time, they were really easy. I guess lunch ladies don't have a lot of time to wait around for rolls to rise when they are feeding lots of hungry kiddoes!

SCHOOL HOUSE ROLLS

2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons yeast (3 packets)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup powdered milk
24 ounces (by weight) or 4 cups white flour
6 ounces (by weight) or 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
Plus some additional flour to achieve correct consistency.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine warm water and oil in bowl of a mixer. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, yeast, salt, powdered milk, white and whole wheat flour. Using a fairly heavy duty mixer slowly add flour to liquid beating with each addition. Add sufficient white flour so that the dough is not sticky. Knead dough into a ball and place in a large bowl. Cover with a cloth and let rise for 15 minutes in a warm place. Punch down , cover and allow to rise another 5 minutes. Shape into 2 ounce pieces of dough (about 1/3 cup) and place in a greased a 9 x 13 baking pan. (I got an additional pie plate of about 5 rolls too). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until nicely brown. Baste with butter when you take them from the oven.

Easter Cupcakes

2011-04-26T08:48:00.007-05:00

When my friend came to visit last month I asked her to show me a little about cake decorating. She is a pro. Off we went to Hobby Lobby to buy some supplies. I think decorating cakes is best left to the experts, me not so great. I tried my hand at making some 'grass' for these cupcakes. Our Texas Coast humidity was in it's Easter finest and I think the icing could have been a bit stiffer to make a better showing, but for a first time it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately the cake portion of this recipe from Joy of Cooking was a bit dry. My son reminded me of a trick to brush simple syrup on the cakes to help with that.

VANILLA CUPCAKES
(from Joy of Cooking)

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. With a mixer beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt. With mixer on low alternately add the flour and milk just until mixed in. Evenly fill the muffin cups with batter and bake for 17-20 minutes until just set and a toothpick comes out clean. When the cupcakes are cool, frost with buttercream frosting.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk or cream.

Cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and milk. Mix until light and fluffy. Can add food color and decorate as desired.

Peach Cobbler

2011-04-20T23:48:00.004-05:00

Last month for a birthday I was asked to make peach cobbler. I am as challenged with pastry as I am with yeast breads. This is a good recipe and if you are good at making lattice this is worth trying.

PEACH COBBLER

6 cups sliced peaches, fresh, canned or frozen, drained.
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

BUTTER CRUST

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Whisk together flour and salt. Cut in butter with hands or pastry blender. Add ice water and press together to form a ball. Chill dough for about 1/2 hour. Roll out onto floured surface and cut into strips.

In a saucepan put peaches, butter, flour, sugar and cinnamon and bring just to a boil. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Top with pastry. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Miss Dorothy's Pimento Cheese

2011-04-16T14:50:00.006-05:00

When I started my job eons ago our receptionist's name was Dorothy. She was a prim and proper lady from the top of her perfectly coiffed bun to the tips of her high heel shoes. Like we do now, we have gatherings for birthdays, showers, retirement parties and the like. Miss Dorothy always made her pimento cheese. I have to admit that I have never been able to completely match hers, but this is a close second. We always called her our Yellow Rose of Texas and she was a special lady. We had a wedding shower Friday and I decided to take this. Pardon the picture because I took it last minute before we made sandwiches out of it.

MISS DOROTHY'S PIMENTO CHEESE

12 oz. mild cheddar cheese, grated
2 green onions chopped fine
4 oz. jar diced pimentos (no need to drain)
About 1 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 boiled eggs, chopped very fine
2-3 tablespoons milk

Grate cheese into a bowl. Add pimentos, onions, eggs, and pickle relish. Stir in mayonnaise. Take a knife and cut through mixture making the mixture creamier. It helps to put a few tablespoons of milk and stir to make it even creamier. Can be served as a dip with chips or spread on bread for sandwiches.

Pink Lady Cake

2011-04-08T10:24:00.005-05:00

Another birthday at work last week. I have a recipe for a strawberry cake that is made from a cake mix and jello but went in search of a scratch cake that was comparable. The first one that came up was from a well known blog Smitten Kitchen. I searched further and it seems this particular cake has been done a lot. It comes from a cookbook called Sky High: Three Layer Irresistable Cakes. I need to check the library for this book. If this cake is any sampling then it must be a good one. This cake gets mixed up in an unusual way. The recipe seems long, but I believe it's worth every step. This is definitely a cake to try.

PINK LADY CAKE
(adaptation)

For the cake:
4 1/2 cups cake flour
3 cups granulated sugar
5 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups pureed frozen strawberries
8 egg whites
2/3 cup milk
3 drops red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray or butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment or waxed paper and spray or butter the paper. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the electric mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. (I just used a whisk.)

Add the softened butter and strawberry puree and mix to blend the ingredients. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. The batter will resemble strawberry ice cream at this point.

In another large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk, vanilla and red food coloring and blend. Add the whites to the batter in two or three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well and mixing only to incorporate after each addition. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans.

Bake the cakes for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the layers to cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert and turn out onto wire racks and peel off the paper liners. Let stand until completely cooled before assembling the cake, at least an hour.

I made a standard cream cheese frosting and added 2 tablespoons of strawberry juice for the frosting.

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk or cream
2 tablespoons strawberry juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream ingredients together and frost layers and cake.

Marilyn's Birthday Cake

2011-03-26T17:17:00.007-05:00

I posted last year about reconnecting with a dear friend from long ago. I went to visit her in Oregon in September last year and just recently she came to visit me here in Texas. We had so much fun reminiscing and talking about all kinds of things and catching up. Her Mama and Daddy live in San Antonio so we went there and I got to do the tourist thing with a trip to the River Walk (along with the entire state of Texas who were visiting there for Spring Break I do believe!) This is the cake that Marilyn says is what she has for her birthday. I have to say I think this is one of the best cakes I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. The picture was taken with one of her Mama's orchids. I don't know which is more beautiful! I don't know how we ever lost touch with each other, but I hope to spend the next 30 years making up for that!

COCONUT CREAM CAKE

CAKE
1 cup (8 oz.) cold butter, diced
2 cups (14 oz.) sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspons vanilla
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups sifted cake flour (10.5 oz)

1 1/4 cups (10.75 oz) coconut milk

COCONUT PASTRY CREAM
1 cup (8.5 oz.) coconut milk
1 cup (8.5 oz.) half-and-half
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup (3.5 oz.) sugar
1/4 cup (1 oz.) cornstarch
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups coconut
1 cup (8 oz.) whipping cream

CAKE
Set oven at 350 degrees. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment paper, grease again. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy - about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down after each addition. Add vanilla. Add half of dry ingredients (which have been combined), add half of the coconut milk, then other half of dry ingredients, then remainder of coconut milk. Be sure to scrape bowl down after each addition. Pour batter into cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until layers test done. Cool.

PASTRY CREAM
Whisk sugar and cornstarch together in a medium-size bowl. Add eggs and whisk until smooth.
Place coconut milk and half-and-half in a saucepan and heat to simmer. Ladle out about 1/3 of the liquid and stir into the egg mixture. Pour egg mixture back into saucepan and heat, stirring constantly until it boils. Let boil for 1 minute, stirring all of the time. Add vanilla and coconut and stir until combined. Place plastic wrap over custard so that it is touching the surface. Refrigerate until cool. Whip cream and fold into the cold pastry cream.

NEVER FAIL BOILED ICING
1 cup (7 oz.) sugar

2 egg whites
3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

In double boiler, combine ingredients except vanilla, and beat over boiling water until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla last - takes about 5-7 minutes using electric mixer.

TOASTING COCONUT
3 cups coconut, toasted in oven - at 300 - watch closely and stir a couple times (10 minutes.

ASSEMBLY
Split cake layers in half. Fill with coconut pastry cream. You will have four layers. Frost with Boiled Icing, then cover in toasted coconut.

Valentine's Bake Sale

2011-02-12T10:51:00.007-06:00

My little community has a bake sale the weekend before Valentine's Day to earn money for the Heritage Society. Here are my contributions for the sale.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 cups flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 squares unsweetened chocolate squares
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 sticks butter
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs

In a saucepan, melt 2 squares chocolate, butter, and cocoa powder until melted. Set aside. In a bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt. Add chocolate mixture, sour cream, water and eggs. Add vanilla. Mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into a bundt pan that has been well greased. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Remove from pan. I melted some chocolate chips and drizzled over or you can dust with powdered sugar.

STRAWBERRY HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 24 oz. carton frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
1 cup oil
4 eggs

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, salt. Add oil and eggs and blend well. Add vanilla. Mash the strained strawberries and add. Pour into a greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. Can make a glaze with the strawberry juice and powdered sugar and pour over.

CINNAMON ROLL CAKE

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs. Add dry ingredient. Beat until well combined. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. Glaze with cinnamon sugar glaze.

Glaze:
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons cinnamon

In a saucepan melt ingredients together. Poke holes in cake with a fork and add glaze over cake.

Hot Fudge Sundae Sauce

2011-01-16T10:56:00.004-06:00

I love to bake and I asked my 5-year-old grandson what he wanted for dessert when coming for dinner. Thinking I could do anything he requested he said........ice cream........vanilla. So much for having to come up with a stellar dessert. Anyway, not to be deterred I pulled out a recipe I've had in my files forever for this hot fudge sauce. I did go 'all out' for my grandson in buying Gold Rim Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (a Texas tradition). Still, no sauce for him. A real purist it would seem. I think the others enjoyed the sauce.

HOT FUDGE SAUCE

2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter
1-1/2 cups evaporated milk (I used half and half)
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a slow boil and cook for 8 minutes. This stays well in a mini-crockpot for warming.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2011-01-02T08:55:00.005-06:00

Happy New Year. Hope everyone had a great holiday and looking forward to the new year and new beginnings. I recently made this for a coworker's birthday. It was a request from the birthday girl, and I this fulfilled the wish pretty well.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Cake:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
Small can crushed pineapple, drained
Large can pineapple rings, drained
Maraschino Cherries
Pecans (Optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put 1 stick of butter in a 9 x 13 pan and melt in oven. Add brown sugar, crushed pineapple and pineapple rings, placing maraschino cherries inside rings. Set aside.

To make cake, in mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir dry ingredients together and add, alternating with buttermilk, ending with flour. Pour batter over topping and bake for 35 minutes until golden brown. Turn cake upside down on platter.

Pecan Sandies

2010-12-18T07:25:00.005-06:00

These little cookies go by all sorts of names, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Sand Tarts, Snowballs, but we have always called them Sandies in our house. Another traditional cookie on the Christmas plates each year.

PECAN SANDIES

1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, chopped fine

Mix all ingredients. Chill dough for 3-4 hours. Roll into 1 inch balls. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until lightly browned. While still warm roll in powdered sugar and let cool. I always roll them a second time before storing.

Almond Joy Cookies

2010-12-17T16:50:00.004-06:00

I helped my son make some cookies to take to his coworkers last weekend. This is a cookie he has made for a couple years now and is a staple on his Christmas cookie list.

ALMOND JOY COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
2 cups chopped almonds

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray cookie sheets or use parchment paper. Combine dry ingredients, set aside. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugars together. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until mixed well then stir in chocolate chips, coconut, and almonds. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool on a rack.

Hidden Valley Oyster Crackers

2010-12-12T08:14:00.004-06:00

I went to a boat parade last evening. The boats were so pretty all decorated with lights and Christmas carols playing. My friends who hosted the party have a beautiful home and had a wonderful spread of food but I couldn't go empty-handed so I took these little crackers along. Easy little something to take along.

HIDDEN VALLEY OYSTER CRACKERS

16 ounces plain oyster crackers
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil

You can add any kind of seasonings you like. Dill and lemon pepper are often used. Or you could add anything you like.

Mix all ingredients in a roasting pan and place in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove and stir and put in for an additional 10 minutes.

German Chocolate Cake

2010-12-12T07:56:00.005-06:00

I was asked by a coworker to bake a German Chocolate Cake for her husband's birthday. The edges of my layers were not pretty, so instead of doing the traditional layering of the icing I just covered the whole thing.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot coffee or boiling water
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with Pam or butter and line with parchment paper. Melt chocolate and cool to room temperature. In a separate bowl mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the coffee and buttermilk. In another bowl beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and continue beating until fluffy (about 3 to 5 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine. Add the coffee/buttermilk mixture with the flour in 3 additions beginning and ending with flour. Mix only until ingredients are well combined. Fold in the melted chocolate.

Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Cool the cakes completely before frosting.

COCONUT PECAN FROSTING:

1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
3 large eggs slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, egg yolks, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil and thicken. Remove from heat. Add pecans and coconut. Mixture will thicken more as it cools. Spread on cake.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2010-12-05T18:44:00.004-06:00

Time to start making goodies for the office. I have been looking for things to make this year and haven't been really inspired yet. Making snickerdoodles into bars has been an idea floating around for a while so I thought I'd give it a try. These are not too bad, but I think the real deal snickerdoodle cookie is much better.

SNICKERDOODLE BLONDIES

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray and/or line a 9×13 inch pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and set aside. In another bowl beat together the butter, brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add vanilla. Mix until smooth batter. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evening in prepared pan. Combine the granulated sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Press into the batter a little bit. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 350 until light brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Coconut Cream Pie

2010-12-04T08:41:00.004-06:00

Just getting around to posting this pie I made for Thanksgiving. I also made one for work yesterday for a birthday. When I got ready to make the pie for work I realized my pie plate was still at my son's house. So I made 1-1/2 recipes of this and put the crust in a 9 x 13 pan. Looked different, but tasted the same. I had no complaints. This pie cuts beautifully and goes together in a flash truly. Tastes like something you would get at a restaurant with little or no fuss.

OLD FASHIONED COCONUT CREAM PIE

3 cups half and half
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cup sweetened coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (9 inch) pastry, baked
1 16 oz. Cool Whip, thawed.

Prepare your pie dough. Bake crust per usual and set aside. Combine half-and-half, eggs, sugar, flour and salt altogether in a heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract. Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm.

Top with Cool Whip and with remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.

Pumpkin Muffins

2010-11-17T17:02:00.007-06:00

Another treat for work and pumpkin was the main character. I took some liberty with these muffins and put a dollop of cream cheese in the middle of them. My dedicated taste testers gave their stamp of approval. I only made 12 muffins and time ran out so I poured the remainder of the batter into a loaf pan and called it pumpkin bread.

PUMPKIN MUFFINS

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/4 cups oil
4 eggs
1 can Libby's pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup chopped nuts to sprinkle on top.

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Put a big spoon of batter in each muffin cup. Dollop about a teaspoon of cream cheese. Put another big spoon of batter on top, filling each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar/pecan mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Pumpkin Pound Cake

2010-10-30T10:32:00.005-05:00

Happy Halloween! Hope you have good weather for Trick or Treating and stay safe. We had a Halloween lunch yesterday at work. Homemade chili and all the fixins' -- cornbread, Fritos, pasta, rice, crackers. Something for anyone who likes their chili done up a different way. I looked at several recipes (there are many) and this is my version. It was a good way to start some fall baking. All my taste testers said it was a very moist cake.

PUMPKIN POUND CAKE

1 cup butter, softened
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin (Libby's) -- not filling
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup chopped toasted pecans

For glaze:
1 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bundt or tube pan with Pam. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy -- about 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time and beat for 1 minute longer. Add pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla, add dry ingredients. Beat until smooth. Stir in pecans.

Pour into greased bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until done. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

Stir glaze ingredients together and pour over cake.

Chocolate Chunk Coconut Cookies

2010-10-17T06:22:00.008-05:00

My youngest grandson turned 2 this week. We had a party on Saturday. Here is a cookie I've had in my files for a long time to try. I know there are 100's of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there. I have my usual standard one I use, but the addition of the coconut in these really made these stand out.

CHOCOLATE CHUNK COCONUT COOKIES

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup chopped pecans

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chunks

1 cup shredded coconut

Mix flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside. Cream together the butter, sugars and vanilla. Blend in egg and sour cream. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and fold in nuts, chocolate and coconut. Drop by heaping tablespoon on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Makes about 3 dozen.

Coconut Pecan Bars

2010-10-09T06:07:00.004-05:00

We had a small retirement party brunch at work yesterday. I made my Snickerdoodles and these pecan bars to take. It's almost pecan time here in Texas -- I can't wait!

COCONUT/PECAN BARS

Crust:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Filling:
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl combine flour, butter, and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Beat at low speed for 2 minutes until crumbly. Pat into a 9 x 13 pan lined with parchment. Bake for 12-17 minutes until lightly browned. In another bowl combine all filling ingredients and mix well for 1-2 minutes. Pour over hot crust. Bake for an additional 17-22 minutes until golden brown and filling is set. Cool completely and cut into bars.

Oregon Trip

2010-09-26T14:27:00.017-05:00

I recently connected with a long ago girlfriend who now lives in the Portland, Oregon area. I've been to Oregon before but not to this area. I think Oregon is one of the most beautiful states we have. I was treated to some sightseeing that was just stunning. Lots of shopping in consignment shops and antique shops looking for treasures. So much fun. Except for one rainy day (but I love rain) the weather was so wonderful. After months of hot and humid Texas weather this was a welcome treat. Here are some pictures from my trip.

SWAN ISLAND DAHLIA FARM

MULTNOMAH FALLS

COLUMBIA GORGE

Red Velvet Cake

2010-09-11T20:47:00.006-05:00

Birthday time at work and I decided to make a Southern tradition -- Red Velvet Cake. I started with the recipe from the back of the Swans Down Cake flour box and made a couple of changes. The cake was moist and really red. I should have taken a picture of it cut. Normally a true red velvet cake calls for the cooked icing with milk and flour and sugar, but I opted for cream cheese frosting instead. It was hard for me not to throw some pecans on here as I think that would taste good, but then I love adding nuts to everything!

RED VELVET CAKE

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup red food coloring
2 teaspoons cocoa powder (I changed to 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups Swans Down cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottoms of two 9 inch cake pans sprayed with Pam and parchment paper. Spray paper also. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl whisk together food coloring and cocoa powder to make a paste. In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour to butter mixture in batches alternately with buttermilk mixture. Beat until well blended. In a small bowl stir together the vinegar and baking soda (this will fizz). Add to batter and stir gently to mix. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans on racks 10 minutesbefore turning out onto racks. Remove paper from cakes and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

FROSTING:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together until smooth. Frost cake.

Peach Crepes

2010-08-29T09:34:00.006-05:00

On a trip to Fredericksburg, Texas last year I went to the Peachtree Tea Room. For dessert they have peach crepes that are filled with a cream cheese mixture topped with delicious Fredericksburg peaches. My friend brought peaches from there recently and we froze them. Crepes are not all that hard to make, but they take a light touch. I think mine turned out more like burritos! They were good, but next time I will go easier on the crepe batter I think.

PEACH TREE CREPES

Crepes:

2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/3 cups milk
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Blend eggs, butter, milk, flour, salt and sugar together in order given. Blend or mix on high speed until well incorporated. The batter may be refrigerated at this time or used immediately.
For each crepe, put 2 to 3 tablespoons batter into a medium warm, slightly greased 6-inch to 7-inch skillet. Tilt to spread batter evenly to make a thin crepe. When the crepe is light brown, turn and cook on second side.

Cream filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Blend together until smooth. Refrigerate until time to fill crepes.

Sugared Peaches:

Slice fresh peaches
Add sugar to taste
Macerate to make a sauce

This is easily done if your peaches are frozen as when they defrost they are soft and have quite a bit of liquid on them.

Fill crepes will cream filling. Pour sauce over top.

Cheesy Baked Ziti

2010-08-29T09:18:00.008-05:00

One of my best friends moved back into her house after a 2-year recovery from Hurricane Ike. We celebrated this weekend with cooking in her new kitchen.

FOUR-CHEESE BAKED ZITI

1 pound ground beef

1/2 onion chopped fine

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

1 pound ziti

2 jars pasta sauce (I used fire roasted tomato and garlic)

8 ounces mozzarella cheese grated

8 ounces parmesan, asiago, romano mixed grated cheese

8 ounces non-smoked provolone cheese (save for the top)

fresh parsley chopped

Boil ziti according to package instructions. Drain. Saute ground beef with onion until done. Drain. Add pasta sauce. Layer sauce, ziti, cheeses, and parsley. Bake at 375 degrees until brown and bubbly (about 20-25 minutes).

7-Up Cake

2010-08-17T06:07:00.006-05:00

I have had a huge pile of recipes saved for years and for some reason this recipe is at the top of the list and yet I just tried it out. This cake has been around for a very long time. It tastes better than it looks -- thank goodness!

7-Up Cake with Pineapple Coconut Frosting

3 cups cake flour
3 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1-1/2 cups butter, softened
3/4 cup 7-Up (poured into a cup first)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract

Cream sugar, butter and eggs until creamy. Add flour 1 cup at a time, add vanilla and lemon extract and finally 7-Up. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. This can be simply glazed or use the frosting below. You can also bake this in layers and use the frosting as a filling kind of like a German chocolate cake.

COCONUT PINEAPPLE FROSTING/FILLING

1 large can crushed pineapple
1 stick butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup pecans

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. It will thicken as it cools. Spread on cake.

Easy Chocolate Muffins

2010-07-31T18:26:00.006-05:00

I went to visit some friends the other morning and wanted to take a treat. I searched what I had in the pantry and looked at different recipes in my cookbooks and came up with these. I'm not a big fan of chocolate and these are not overly sweet, but my friends were pleased.

EASY CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk (I used evaporated)
1/4 cup butter, melted.
1 egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Add milk, butter, and egg. Stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full of batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Going Retro

2010-07-29T09:05:00.004-05:00

Back in the 80's when Bisquick was popular (before the whole trans fat mania) Bisquick had a bunch of 'Impossible Pies' that used different ingredients but added a Bisquick batter to them to create a magic crust. I decided to throw one together recently.

IMPOSSIBLE CHICKEN BROCCOLI PIE

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup onion chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms sliced
12-oz. pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, steamed for 5 minutes in microwave
8 oz. shredded cheese (I used Vermont White Cheddar)
1-1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken (I used 2 large boneless chicken breasts)
1-1/3 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup baking mix
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 10 inch pie plate with Pam. Saute the onions and mushrooms together in the butter. Add broccoli and chicken and cheese and mix together. Put into pie plate. In a small bowl mix the milk, eggs, and baking mix together until blended well and pour over ingredients in pie plate. Bake for 35 minutes until puffed and set.

Oatmeal Coconut Chewies

2010-07-20T18:54:00.005-05:00

So once again here I am with a long time between posts. I had a day off and the coworkers have been complaining that I haven't baked anything in a while so I went in search of something that I could make with what I had on hand. I happened upon this recipe that was posted on this blog My Tasty Treasures (disclaimer -- this blogger has a wicked naughty sense of humor) but she has good recipes. She had gotten the recipe from this blog My Kitchen Cafe. So many good blogs out there and such great recipes. I think the coworkers will be pleased with these cookies.

OATMEAL COCONUT CHEWIES
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut (I toasted the coconut)
1 cup quick oats
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans (of course, I have to add these)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl cream together the sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until cookies are set but not overly brown. (My oven took a bit longer so check your oven). If you bake longer they are a bit crisper.

A Simple Classic

2010-06-12T08:15:00.009-05:00

I am almost embarassed to post such a simple recipe, but these have just a little twist that I think makes them special. When traveling to Austin, our State Capitol, there is a little town called LaGrange. It is home of the famous 'Chicken Ranch' made famous in the play/movie The Best Little Whore House in Texas (how proud we are?). Anyway, there is a little bakery called the Bon Ton. It is about half way from my house to Austin, so a nice place to stop for a little break. They make theses HUGE, Texas-Sized Rice Krispie treats but they add pecans to them and it makes them really good. The grandboys came for a swim a few weeks ago and I decided to have an after swim treat for them. Something so simple, yet yummy.

RICE KRISPIE TREATS

1/4 cup butter
1 bag marshmallows
6 cups crisp rice cereal
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Melt butter and marshmallows together. Add cereal. Add pecans. Stir well. Pour into a well-greased 9 x 13 pan. Cool and cut into squares.

Lemon Nut Cake

2010-06-11T10:57:00.005-05:00

It has been a while since I posted. Life has just gotten busy and I don't get as much time or reason to bake. This is a recipe I've had in my files for a long time.

LEMON NUT CAKE

3/4 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup undiluted evaporated milk
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoons grated lemon rind

Icing:
2 tablespoons lemon rind
1 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice

Cream butter, gradually beat in sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir together flour, and baking soda. Combine evaporated milk and lemon juice. Alternately add dry ingredients and evaporated milk mixture to butter mixture; beat until smooth. Stir in nuts and rind. Spoon into lightly buttered 10-inch tube pan. Bake in slow oven, 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and cool completely. Drizzle with icing and sprinkle with lemon rind.

Icing: Stir powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over cake, sprinkle lemon rind.

Chicken/Roasted Garlic/Mushroom Calzones

2010-05-02T12:40:00.005-05:00

Olive oil
Butter
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
2 heads roasted garlic
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound fresh mushrooms
1 cup Fontina cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Alfredo sauce
Pizza dough

This is kind of a thrown together recipe. Roast a couple heads of garlic with olive oil until nice and carmelized. Boil 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with garlic powder, salt and pepper until tender. Cut into small pieces. Sautee a carton of fresh mushrooms in a little butter and olive oil seasoned with more garlic powder, salt and pepper. Take some pizza dough of your choice and make 4 circles. Brush with olive oil and add Italian seasoning and a spoon of jarred (or fresh) Alfredo sauce. Smear some of the roasted garlic on the dough and add the mushrooms and chicken. Add cheese. Fold over and crimp. Brush with olive oil. Cut a few holes in the dough and bake at 425 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until golden brown. These are large and 1/2 can easily serve one person.

Pecan Praline Pound Cake

2010-04-30T17:06:00.008-05:00

Our annual company Spring Fling was held today. As in years past we have a bake-off. This year's category was pound cake. I defended my title for the last 2 years and won first place. It was a fun day. I kind of combined 2 of my recipes from other cakes and came up with this one.

PECAN PRALINE POUND CAKE

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup toasted chopped pecans

Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add the flour and heavy cream to butter and sugar mixture ending with flour. Add vanilla and pecans.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Put into a preheated oven at 325 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and a half. Check for doneness because mine took a little longer. Remove from the oven and cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto cake plate.

GLAZE
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Bring butter, milk, and sugar to a boil. Glaze will thicken as it cools. When cool drizzle over cake and sprinkle pecans.

Lemon Nut White Chocolate Cookies

2010-04-17T07:21:00.011-05:00

When life gives you lemons they say make lemonade. In this case I went for lemon cookies. Sorry I haven't posted in so long. Life just got a little out of hand for me. Hopefully there will be more occasions for me to post something a little more often. These cookies have only a subtle lemon taste and I don't know if it is because it is humid here today, but they are soft not crispy.

LEMON NUT WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 12 ounce package white chocolate chips (I had a chunk of Ghiardelli white I chopped up)
1 cup walnuts or cashews (of course I used good old Texas pecans)
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in egg and lemon juice; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels, nuts and lemon peel. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake in preheated 375° F oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes 3 dozen.

Cinnamon Applesauce Cake

2010-02-17T19:51:00.005-06:00

Mardi Gras is a pretty big deal around here. Not quite as big as New Orleans, but Galveston does a fine job with the celebration. To celebrate Fat Tuesday yesterday we had a lunch party at work. Seafood Gumbo was served. Traditionally a King cake is served which has a baby inside and whoever gets the baby has to bring the cake next year but also gets good luck the rest of the year. King cakes are usually a sweet roll type of cake in a wreath or braid, but I decided to just do a bundt cake and use the colors (and I tucked the little baby in the bottom after it was baked). Not the best decorated cake, but my coworkers said it was a good cake. Laissez le bon temps rouler (let the good times roll!)

APPLESAUCE CAKE

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cake: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and egg; beat until well combined. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture alternately with applesauce to butter mixture. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a greased bundt or 13 x 9 inch pan, spreading evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes for 9 x 13 or 40-45 minutes for bundt, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat together the cream cheese, milk and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat until creamy. Spread on cooled cake.

White Queso Dip

2010-02-06T11:00:00.003-06:00

I'm almost embarassed to post this picture, but I think the recipe is worth posting. I took this to a birthday party last week and the picture taking was done in a hurry as an afterthought.

Queso dip around here is usually just a block of Velveeta and a can of Rotel tomatoes. I wanted to try something new and went on a quest to find a new recipe. I never knew that white queso was such a sought after recipe to try and replicate, but I found lots of information about it. So here is my version.

WHITE QUESO DIP

1 pound Land O'Lakes white American cheese (in Wal Mart deli case)
1 to 1-1/2 cups half and half
1/4 cup finely diced white onion
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cans chopped green chiles

In a small frypan saute the onion in the butter until translucent. In the microwave or on top of a double boiler, melt the cheese with the half and half. You can judge how much to use on how thick or thin you like it. Add the onion and chiles and stir until all incorporated. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cranberry Pecan Bread

2009-12-27T18:21:00.003-06:00

We did Christmas breakfast after opening presents. My son made his usual fabulous quiche (best ever I think) and I brought this to have for a sweet treat.

CRANBERRY PECAN BREAD
(adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2/3 cup buttermilk
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups craisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5" loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out extra, or use Pam. Stir together the orange zest, orange juice, buttermilk, butter, and egg in a small bowl. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spatula until just moistened. Gently stir in the cranberries and pecans. Do not overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Continue to bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 45 minutes longer. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 1 hour before serving. The bread can then be wrapped and stored at room temperature for several days.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T18:04:00.004-06:00

My Christmas Wish To YOU

By Catherine Pulsifer

If I could wish a wish for you, it would be for peace and happiness

not only now, but for the whole year through!
I wish that there always be food on your table.

And that you always remember those less fortunate.

May you always take time to share,

and thank those who share with you.
I wish for time, so you may reflect on the blessings that you have,

and that you express your love to those who are dear to you.
May you never feel lonely, because there are those who care.

That you realize: you are special, you are unique,

you make a difference, not only at Christmas, but all year!
I wish for your thoughts to be positive ones,

that you never quit, that you never give up,

and that you continue to learn.

I wish for the love, peace, and joy of Christmas be yours always.

Cookie Exchange 2009

2009-12-18T13:39:00.010-06:00

My friend Trudy hosted a cookie exchange at her house this year. We had to bake 8 dozen of a cookie to share with the other bakers. We had a nice assortment of goodies all packed so nice. Below is a picture of the table with all the cookies. I also took a couple of appetizers so we could have something besides sweets to eat. Trudy and I both had made a Rachel Ray appetizer from one of her magazines in the past, Corny Bites. These are really good and easy to throw together. I also took the cranberry/horseradish over cream cheese that I posted at Thanksgiving time. Trudy has the most beautiful Christmas tree with hundreds of ornaments she has collected. We had such a good time sharing baking stories and played a right/left game for a door prize. We think the next time we do this we might do an 'Appetizer Exchange'. I think that's a great idea as a change from the normal cookie exchange.

Here's the table of cookies:

Here are the cookies I made.

MOUNTAIN COOKIES

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup flaked coconut

TOPPING: (optional -- I didn't do this)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup confectioners sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the edges just start to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. For the filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add pecans and
coconut; mix well. Spoon 1/2 tsp. into each cookie. For topping, heat chocolate chips, butter and water in a small saucepan until melted. Stir in sugar. Drizzle over cookies.

RACHEL RAY'S CHEESY CORN BITES

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 large egg
1/2 cup frozen corn kernals, defrosted
48 scoop shaped tortilla chips
Chopped chives or cilantro for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, egg, and corn together. Place a teaspoon in each scoop. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chives or cilantro.

Banana Cookie Bars

2009-12-06T22:03:00.004-06:00

Time to begin taking treats to work for the holiday season. I went in search of something new to make and keeping in mind ingredients I had on hand. I used the handy Blog Search and found a couple of entries for this recipe. One at Genesis of a Cook and also at Anna's blog at Cookie Madness. These are a little twist to the normal Magic Cookie Bars.

BANANA COOKIE BARS

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioner sugar
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 bananas, mashed
2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup pecans
2/3 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Spray the paper with Pam. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat butter and confectioner sugar until creamy. Add dry mixture. This will be a very stiff dough. Press mixture into prepared baking pan and bake for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together condensed milk and bananas together until smooth. Once the crust has baked for 15 minutes, take out and pour the banana mixture over it. Combine the chocolate chips, pecans and coconut together in a bowl and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely, roughly around 10-15 minutes. Then, chill in the fridge for about an hour. To chill quicker, place in the freezer for 25 minutes.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2009-12-04T09:03:00.006-06:00

We had a birthday breakfast celebration at work yesterday for a coworker. I went in search of a coffee cake recipe to make. I just love allrecipes.com. Besides getting great recipes, you have other cooks who have posted reviews and made comments about changes they made. According to the group who ate this, it was a good cake.

SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Mix in 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Spread 1/2 of batter in the prepared pan. This batter is really thick and this is a bit of a challenge, but just work with it and it.

Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl mix 1/3 cup flour, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and cinnamon. Sprinkle cake batter with 1/2 the filling. Spread second half of batter over the filling, and top with remaining filling.

Bake 35 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Roll

2009-11-27T08:26:00.008-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. My son and daughter-in-law hosted this year. The tables were absolutely beautiful. My son did his usual amazing job of a brined, roasted turkey and also this year there was fried turkey. Everyone brought side dishes and desserts. It was a veritable feast and then some. In addition to my usual traditional dishes I made a pumpkin roll and also an appetizer of cranberry sauce with a little 'twist' poured over cream cheese and served with crackers.

PUMPKIN ROLL

CAKE:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin

FILLING:
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

FOR CAKE:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan, line with wax paper. Grease paper. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly onto prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto a dish towel that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in small mixer bowl until smooth. Add nuts. Carefully unroll cake. Remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour, overnight is best. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired. I saved just a little of the cream cheese filling for decoration.

The ingredients in this might sound a bit odd, but trust me, this stuff is good. The horseradish gives it a little 'kick' and the onion is not overpowering. I kind of reminds me of jalapeno jelly.

CRANBERRY SAUCE OVER CREAM CHEESE

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons horseradish (not the sauce)
1/4 cup sugar

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Let sit until cool. Pour over cream cheese brick and serve with crackers.

Chicken/Spinach Lasagna

2009-11-17T23:12:00.005-06:00

My son's birthday and I made dinner for him and his family and a college friend. A break from the traditional lasagna. This one has a white sauce with spinach and chicken. I looked at several recipes and came up with my version.

CHICKEN/SPINACH LASAGNA

2 cups cooked, diced chicken (I used boneless breasts)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup half and half
1 package Stouffer's spinach souffle, thawed
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian herbs to season sauce to your taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Reserve 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese for top of lasagna. Saute onion and garlic in butter. Cool. In a medium size bowl, combine remaining 1 1/3 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, soup, onion and garlic, and half and half and set aside. In another medium size bowl, combine spinach souffle, egg and ricotta. Mix well, then combine with soup mixture and mix all together. Season to taste.

In the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish, spread a little of the sauce. Cover with 3 cooked lasagna noodles. Then layer sauce, cheese, chicken, and more noodles and repeat, ending with a layer of sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake

2009-11-09T22:44:00.004-06:00

We are having our Thanksgiving feast at work tomorrow. It is early, but many people will be out of town, so this day worked best. I am taking my usual broccoli casserole. I decided to try a different pumpkin cheesecake than the Paula Deen one I made before. I have to say Paula's didn't split but this one did. The praline topping covers it up nicely though. I used Paula's crust and a couple of different recipes for the filling and this is how I made it:

PUMPKIN PRALINE CHEESECAKE

Crust:
1-3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs2 tablespoons light brown sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1 stick melted butter(I also added about 1/4 cup of ground pecans)In a medium bowl combine crumbs, sugar, cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press into a 9 inch springform pan that has been sprayed with Pam and press into bottom and up the sides. Set aside.

Filling:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
4 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 eggs

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, mix flour, cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin. Set aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat cream cheese at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time at low speed just until blended. Beat in pumpkin mixture until smooth. Pour liquid over crust.

Bake for 10 minutes at 450 and then reduce to 370 and bake for another hour or until outside of cake is set but center still jiggles slightly when shaken. Allow to rest in oven for 30 minutes with door open. Cool pan on cooling rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least six hours before serving, overnight is best.

Topping:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons evaporated milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Bring butter, brown sugar, and milk to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. It will thicken as it cools. Add pecans. Pour over cheesecake.

Chocolate Chip Cake

2009-10-20T22:30:00.013-05:00

I suppose if it weren't for birthdays at work I wouldn't have a blog. This picture is really crummy, but the reviews on the cake were much better. It's not often I use a cake mix, but if you add enough ingredients it masks it pretty well. This goes together in a snap, very easy to make and turns out a really nice cake.

Chocolate Chip Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding (dry)
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 (8 oz.) sour cream
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut

Beat cake mix, pudding mix, oil, sour cream and eggs together until well blended, about 3 minutes. Stir in chips, nuts and coconut by hand. Grease tube pan. Pour cake mixture into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Turn oven off, open door and let cake set in pan for 1 hour before removing to cake server.

This could be dusted with powdered sugar and served or make the icing below.

Icing

1/2 stick of butter melted
2 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons milk or cream
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Lemon Blueberry Sour Cream Cake

2009-10-09T08:40:00.009-05:00

It's been so long since I posted to my blog. I just haven't made anything blogworthy recently. It was brought to our attention at the office that we hadn't had any goodies in a while. I've had this recipe for a while waiting to try it. I have read a message board on AOL for many years. There are a lot of good cooks on there who share their recipes or share what they had for dinner, etc. There is a particularly great cook on there who posted this recipe that came from a bed and breakfast inn called the Campion House. I had frozen some fresh blueberries a while back and had all the ingredients so voila. I had lots of compliments on this, so I'd call it a winner.

LEMON BLUEBERRY SOUR CREAM CAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teapoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons lemon extract
3 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups blueberries

Grease and flour tube pan. In medium bowl, sift flour, soda and salt. In large mixing bowl, cream butter; add lemon extract and gradually add sugar. Beat 2 minutes. Beat in 2 eggs at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed after each addition and 2 to 3 minutes after last addition. On lowest speed, add half the flour, beating only until blended. Add all the sour cream, then the balance of the flour. Mix until smooth. Stir in blueberries. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 80 minutes. Cool 20 minutes in pan, then turn onto a cooling rack.

I glazed this with the juice from one lemon and about 1 cup powdered sugar

Going Bananas

2009-09-11T09:36:00.007-05:00

Another birthday at work. The birthday girl didn't request a particular cake, so I went in search of something different I hadn't made before. I had made a Fresh Banana Cake in the past but this one was a bit different. This recipe is all over the Internet, so I thought it must be a good one. From the comments, I think it might just be a winner. Following is how I made it.

BANANA CAKE

¾ cups butter
2 cups granulated sugar
3 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1-½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1-½ cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 275 (that’s not a typo, check your oven to be sure it is working properly.) My oven is kind of slow, so I used 300 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup softened butter and the 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour (it took mine 1 hour, 10 minutes), or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/4 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then beat on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Sprinkle pecans (optional).

Dinosaur Birthday Cake

2009-09-07T21:54:00.005-05:00

I had a birthday a few weeks ago. I've been watching my sugar intake recently, so my son baked this sugar-free cheesecake for my birthday. My 3-year-old grandson decided that Gram needed a dinosaur on her cake, so he decorated it. For someone who hasn't had many treats lately, this tasted just great to me!

SUGAR-FREE RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

24 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup extra-fine whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar substitute (he used Splenda)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon no sugar added vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
3 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8 inch springform pan with nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside. In a shallow roasting pan big enough to fit the cake pan, pour about 1-inch of water and place it on the center rack of the oven to preheat. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened cream cheese, ricotta, sour cream and sugar substitute on low speed for about 1 minute until well blended. In a separate bowl, using a wire whisk, mix heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, eggs, and egg yolks until blended. Turn the mixer on medium speed and slowly pour the egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Beat just until blended and then turn off; be careful not to over-whip. Pour batter into the greased springform pan. Place pan into the heated water bath. Bake for 15 minutes, and then lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees. Continue baking for 1 1/2 hours, or until top is light golden brown and cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan. Turn the oven off when finished cooking and leave the cake in the oven to cool for 3 more hours. (This will keep the cake nice and tall.) Then remove cake and refrigerate before serving. Serve chilled.

Grill Gone Wild

2009-08-23T07:19:00.004-05:00

It's rare to see 'real food' on my blog as I mostly just bake. My son is the griller when he visits at my house, so I thought I'd showcase his masterpiece from this weekend. He took thick boneless porkchops and cut them into chunks and marinated in Stubbs Pork Marinade (a Texas thang y'all). Alternated with green pepper, onion, mushrooms, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. This along with some Poffenberger's smoked sausage (from Bellville, TX) and we had a feast.

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies

2009-08-20T07:07:00.004-05:00

I'm taking cookies to work today. I was browsing online for recipes and happened upon this one at CooksRecipes.com and had the ingredients on hand. I think they will go over well.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE DREAM COOKIES

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

2009-08-09T18:30:00.004-05:00

My blog has been seriously neglected lately. I just haven't had an occasion to bake anything. I thought it was time to take something to work though and was in a baking mood. I was looking online for a recipe for ingredients I had on hand and came across this one on All Recipes. I've not been eating sugar for several weeks, so I'll have to take them to the 'taste testers' at work and hope for good reviews.

WHITE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups white chocolate chips (I used a bar of White Ghiardelli chocolate chopped up)
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the rolled oats, white chocolate, and pecans. Drop by tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. (These took about 14 minutes in my oven). Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks. I got 5 dozen cookies from this recipe.

Hershey's 'Perfectly Chocolate' Cake

2009-07-14T22:29:00.002-05:00

Another birthday at work last week. This picture is just awful, but the cake turned out much better. There are probably as many chocolate cake recipes as there are chocolate chip cookie recipes. I think this is one of the easiest and best ones. So, if you're ever looking for a good one, here it is.

HERSHEY'S 'PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE' CAKE

2 cups granulated sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 8-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. (This can be made in 2 9 inch pans, a 9 x 13 pan, bundt pan, or into cupcakes.

FROSTING:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2/3 cup Hershey's cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Paula Deen's Grandmother Paula's Sour Cream Pound Cake

2009-07-01T20:46:00.010-05:00

We had an early 4th of July luncheon today at work. I decided to try out my new Nordic Ware bundt pan that my son and daughter-in-law got me for Mother's Day. I have several Nordic Ware bundt pans and I love each one of them. I like to make pound cakes and these pans make them turn out really special.

I decided to try Paula Deen's Grandmother Paula's Sour Cream Cake recipe. To keep with the red, white, and blue I served it with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. The stars don't show as well in the cake picture, but I thought it was a good cake for 4th of July.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th.

GRANDMOTHER PAULA'S SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
3 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Sift the baking soda and flour together. Add to the creamed mixture alternating with eggs, beating each egg one at a time. Add the vanilla and pour the mixture into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.

Sauce Pan Brownies

2009-06-27T10:40:00.005-05:00

When I was a girl I lived in West Texas. Within walking distance (wasn't everything back then?) was our grocery store, drug store, 5&10 store, and a bakery called the Snow White Bakery. I remember going in there and the smells were just amazing. They made the most awesome brownies. I've never really found a brownie that compared but these are fairly similar, except the ones from my past were frosted. These are so easy to make and turn out a really great brownie.

SAUCE PAN BROWNIES

2 sticks butter
4 1 ounce squares Baker's (unsweetened) chocolate
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans (toasted)

Melt butter and chocolate together in a sauce pan. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder. Add melted ingredients and stir well. Add eggs one at a time. Beat thoroughly. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool. Cut into squares.

Butter Pecan Dump Cake

2009-06-24T22:13:00.005-05:00

Dump cakes are those kind of recipes that have so many different types but usually just consist of some sort of fruit or pie filling 'dumped' into a pan, usually some pineapple added, then a cake mix and butter. This one is just a little different but is a very good variation.

BUTTER PECAN DUMP CAKE

1 (29 ounce ) can of sliced peaches with syrup (do not drain)
1 package of (dry) Butter Pecan cake mix
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1-1/2 sticks butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour peaches with juice into pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over peaches. Spread coconut over cake mix and add pecans. Pour melted butter over all slowly and evenly. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving. Great with ice cream.

Notes on Cooking

2009-06-20T09:06:00.004-05:00

I was watching The View this week (well, I fast forward mostly as their talking over each other really is annoying sometimes). Anyway, they had the co-author of this book on the show, Lauren Costello. Just in the few tips she presented on the show, I am getting this book. When searching to order it I came upon the blog that they have which has even more tips. I think any cook would love this book as it really gives some great ideas. I love cookbooks, but this one has not one recipe in it, but it is filled with great tips that any cook would use.

Monkey Bread

2009-06-09T22:16:00.005-05:00

Today at work we had a surprise breakfast celebration for a young man who is getting married and just bought his first home. I took Monkey Bread and also Banana Bread. Monkey bread is another one of those recipes that has been around for a long time and has a few variations. Pardon my retro Tupperware cake carrier plate, it's not the best picture.

MONKEY BREAD

4 cans refrigerated biscuits (not the flaky kind)
1 cup granulated sugar
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon (I used 2)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
Chopped pecans (optional) You can use raisins if you like also.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-10 inch tube pan. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized plastic bag. (I used a plastic container with a lid.) Cut the biscuits into 4 pieces. Place several quarters at a time in the sugar and cinnamon mixture and toss to coat. Arrange the pieces in the greased pan. Layer with pecans or raisins. Continue layering until all the biscuit pieces are coated and in the pan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar until dissolved well. Pour over layered biscuits. Bake 35-40 minutes until brown. A good idea to put a cookie sheet under as this raises pretty high and you don't want a spillover. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Pull apart and enjoy!

I also wanted to use my new Nordicware loaf pan I got on eBay. I love Nordicware pans. I used my usual 'go to' banana bread as it makes a lot of batter. The picture doesn't do the sliced pieces justice -- this has a really nice crumb to it. This recipe made this large loaf and also a small 8 inch loaf. You can get the recipe from an earlier post Banana Bread.

Top Ramen Salad

2009-06-06T13:23:00.005-05:00

This is a recipe that is seen at many potluck dinners (we call them covered dish dinners down this way, but I know that is a term that not used everywhere). When I looked on Wikipedia I saw many different variations of the term, some quite interesting. In any case, this recipe has as many variations as the occasions it is served. It's a good salad for a hot summer day.

TOP RAMEN SALAD

1 package coleslaw mix
5 green onion sliced thin (tops included)
1 cup sliced almonds
2 packages ramen noodles, broken up (I used oriental flavor and poured hot water over them to hydrate them)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1/2 cup oil (I used a little less than 1/2 -- not quite to the top)
1/3 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup vinegar (I used rice wine vinegar) + 2 tablespoons
1 packet flavoring mix from the noodles

Mix oil, sugar, vinegar, and flavoring packet. In large bowl, mix together coleslaw mix, onions, almonds, and broken ramen noodles. Add dressing and toss. Let stand for a few hours.

The Good Earth

2009-05-30T10:48:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine who is still displaced from Hurricane Ike is living on a farm. When she came for a visit she brought along some vegetables she had harvested from the garden there. Here is a great squash casserole recipe compliments of Paula Deen that makes good use of squash in a most tasty way. As with all of Mizz Paula's recipes, this is not for the WW conscious.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

2009-05-23T13:46:00.005-05:00

Somehow through a frugal blog or message board I came across an offer for a free subscription to Martha Stewart's magazine. There's not a lot in there that relates to me or my lifestyle, but on the last page of each issue is actually a recipe that is 'down to earth'. This month's recipe was Strawberry Shortcake Cookies. I thought they looked pretty good for something different from the usual chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, etc. type of cookie. These went together pretty easily and are not too bad. Check out the link to the recipe here Martha Stewart's Strawberry Shortcake Cookies.

Congo Squares

2009-05-16T21:26:00.010-05:00

There is a tea room in Fredericksburg, Texas that is named the Peach Tree Tea Room. It is a lovely place with the most delicious food. They have a gift shop and sell their family cookbooks. I was lucky enough pick up a 'like new' copy of one recently. There are some great recipes in there. I happened to have all the ingredients for this one and decided try this recipe. It's another keeper for sure.

CHRIS' CONGO BARS
1 cup melted butter
2-1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and pour over the brown sugar. Let this set while you measure the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the eggs gradually to the butter mixture and beat well. Add vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

Bake Sale

2009-05-08T10:29:00.008-05:00

My small community is having a bake sale today to raise funds for the Heritage Society. They do it the weekend of Mother's Day. Maybe someone will buy something so their mom doesn't have to cook. I made a few things to take over to the bank this morning. There were some beautiful goodies there for sale. In addition to taking my Lemon Jello Cake I took the following things for the sale.

NEVER ENDING CHOCOLATE CAKE
(Cake Mix Doctor recipe)

1 (18.25 oz) chocolate cake mix
1 (3.9 oz.) package dark fudge instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
4 eggs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, syrup, coffee crystals, and eggs. Beat on low speed to blend, then beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Gently stir in chocolate chips and pour batter into greased and floured bundt cake pan.

Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto cooling rack. Because of time constraints I just sprinkled powdered sugar. It can also be glazed as follows.

To make it look extra special, drizzle white over the dark chocolate glaze. It adds just a little extra something to the appearance of the cake.

Chocolate Glaze

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup evaporated milk

Combine chocolate and milk in small saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until blended and mixture comes to a boil. Lower heat and cook, stirring constantly until thickened.

White Chocolate Glaze

Place 1/2 cup white chips and 1/2 teaspoon shortening (do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil) in small heavy seal-top plastic bag. Microwave at high for 45 seconds. Squeeze gently. If necessary, microwave an additional 10 to 15 seconds; squeeze until chips are melted. Make small diagonal cut in one bottom corner of bag; squeeze mixture onto cake as directed.

BANANAS & CREAM CAKE
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup toasted pecans

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla and bananas. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture alternately with sour cream. Stir in nuts. Pour into a greased and floured 10" bundt pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees for 50 minutes or tests done with toothpick. Cool, then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5x3 loaf pan. Mix 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon together and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 cup sugar in a large bowl. Combine egg, milk and oil and add to flour mixture. Stir by hand just until moistened. Pour half the batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon mixture, then draw a knife through batter to marble. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack. Wrap and store bread overnight before slicing.

First Place

2009-05-01T18:44:00.005-05:00

Well, I did it - I took first prize for my entry. I was really surprised. I won a really nice basket full of all kinds of kitchen things. We had a nice picnic. The weather was really warm and muggy, but we were under some nice trees with a bit of a breeze. I worked the 'fruit table' and filled bowls with melon, strawberries, bananas and grapes. I didn't think the line would ever end! I think my eyes are sunburned! It was really nice to win though. Our company also gave us Coleman lanterns and a $50 WalMart gift card for the upcoming hurricane season. Thank you Gulf Coast Center.

Spring Fling

2009-05-01T08:38:00.004-05:00

This is the entry I'm taking to the picnic. I am so nitpicky (is that even a word?) I don't think this is a winner on taste, but maybe I'll get points for presentation! I made this bread back in December and I think it is a good bread -- maybe not great for a competition though. Jamaican Jungle Bread. Maybe next year I'll help organize the event and take the pressure off myself (although doing that part is hard work too). We'll see how it goes.

Mississippi Mud Bread

2009-04-30T14:09:00.010-05:00

So, our annual company picnic (Spring Fling) is today. We enjoy barbecue, competitive volleyball, and competitive ping pong at one of our facilities which is actually a ranch. The smack talk gets pretty wild amongst the teams over who will win volleyball, but that is often nothing compared to the competition of the 'bake-off'. Last year's category was chocolate cake and I won first place. This year's category is quick breads. I have been off for a few days and have been 'practicing' some different recipes. When using my trusty Google, I came across this website Recipes for Everyday Cooking that had so many quick breads, surely there would be a winner in there. Here is one I made yesterday. It is very good. Whether or not a winner, this recipe is a definite keeper.

MISSISSIPPI MUD BREAD

2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk (I used buttermilk)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

Beat together first 5 ingredients until well blended. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla. Combine and add the remaining ingredients and stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into a 9 x 5 loaf pan that has been greased. (Recipe calls for 4 mini-loaf pans. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 55-60 minutes or until cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes then remove and finish cooling on a rack. When cool, drizzle on Chocolate Coffee Glaze.

Chocolate Coffee Glaze:

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
3 tablespoons chopped toasted almonds

Stir together until blended. Drizzles over bread and sprinkle almonds.

How to Peel a Potato

2009-04-25T16:29:00.003-05:00

I haven't had an occasion to cook anything lately. While browsing around on a food message board this week I came across this You Tube video done by Dawn Wells (Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island) on how to peel a potato. It's pretty amazing. How to Peel a Potato.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T18:16:00.005-05:00

When I was married, my late mother-in-law would make homemade yeast rolls for Easter. Although I do have her handwritten recipe, I am very challenged when it comes to making yeast breads. My sister tells me she makes refrigerator rolls, but her recipe was made with 5 pounds of flour! I went in search of an easy recipe and found this one. I 'practiced' last week and these turned out really easy and tasted good. Sadly, today for Easter dinner they did not turn out as good as these did -- bah! They really are easy though and worth trying again and again until I get it perfect.

NO FAIL REFRIGERATOR ROLLS

Mix together 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup sugar

Dissolve 1 packet yeast in 2 cups lukewarm water

Combine the egg mixture and the yeast mixture.

Stir in 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I actually used Gold Medal Better for Bread flour)

Mix well.

Stir in 2-1/2 more cups of flour.

Mix well.

Add 3 tablespoons melted shortening or butter.

Stir again until all flour is incorporated. Let rise until doubled. Stir down and refrigerate. About and hour and half before you want to serve the rolls form into rolls and place into a greased pan. Let rise. Bake at 350 until golden -- about 14 minutes. This dough will last up to a week in the refrigerator.

Glazed Lemon Bread

2009-04-05T21:58:00.004-05:00

I seem to be on a lemon kick these days with my baking. I needed something small to make for a friend's birthday who did not want a big fuss over a cake, so I'm hoping a few slices of this might work. For some reason this sunk in the middle but it didn't affect the taste. It could have been because in between baking this I was having a stand down with a gecko in my kitchen. He didn't have a nice accent like the Geico gecko, or I would have let him stay......:o)

GLAZED LEMON BREAD

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze:
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and lemon zest in a bowl. In another bowl mix eggs, melted butter, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until golden brown and knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Leave in pan.

Prepare glaze by combining sugar and lemon juice in a pan and heating on medium heat until sugar is dissolved.

Poke holes in bread and drizzle glaze over bread while still in the pan. Leave in pan for about 15 minutes until glaze is soaked in. Remove from pan and let finish cooling.

Mexican Chicken Cornbread Bake

2009-04-01T07:32:00.004-05:00

I have an abundance of church/school fundraiser cookbooks. This recipe appears in several of them, so I have had it on my to-try list for a while.

MEXICAN CHICKEN CORNBREAD BAKE

1 stick butter
1 onion, finely chopped (I used half of a large one)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained (I used the Mexicorn with black beans in it)
1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 (8.5 ounce) package corn bread mix (I don't care for the sweetness of Jiffy, but I found Martha White and used that)

2 large boneless, skinless chikcen breasts boiled and cut into pieces
1 small jar canned green chiles, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup (can use cream of chicken or cream of celery)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (8 ounce) package Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I like it spicy so I used half pepper jack and half cheddar)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9x13 inch baking dish. Melt butter and saute onion and garlic until tender, about 4 to 6 minutes; set aside. In another bowl, combine drained whole kernel corn, cream style corn, salt and eggs. Beat in muffin mix. Fold in cooked onion mixture. Pour into prepared baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, green chiles, soup, sour cream, salt and pepper. Spoon over corn mixture to within 1 inch from edge. Sprinkle top with cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. This is even better the second day.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

2009-03-22T22:37:00.005-05:00

There's a cookie sale being held at work for a fund raiser in the next couple of weeks. I was asked to make some cookies for the event.

LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Lemon sugar mixture:
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
Pulse in a small food processor until mixed together

Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice until blended well. In another bowl mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Add to wet mixture. Chill dough for at least an hour.

Take about a tablespoon of chilled dough and roll into balls about the size of a walnut. Using a fork dipped into lemon sugar mixture, press down the cookie dough until flat. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until just lightly browned. Note: These cookies spread quite a bit so don't crowd on the cookie sheet.

Chocolate Pound Cake

2009-03-21T15:23:00.003-05:00

CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups butter (3 sticks), softened
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a bundt pan using butter or spray and set aside. Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time and stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternating with the dissolved coffee and buttermilk. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes then turn out onto a plate and cool.

Glaze:

1/2 stick butter, melted
3 tablespoons milk
2 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Mix together with a mixer and pour over cake. Can scatter a few pecans over.

Lemon Jello Cake

2009-03-21T15:11:00.012-05:00

I made a few cakes this weekend to take to a memorial for a dear friend/coworker who I had worked with for over 30 years. It was a beautiful service and I'm so happy we were able to honor him with such beautiful memories. As was said in his service, Namaste George.

LEMON JELLO CAKE

Cake:

1 yellow cake mix

1 package (3 oz.) lemon Jello

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup water

4 eggs

Glaze:
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup powdered sugar

Beat cake mix, dry Jello, oil, water and eggs for 5 minutes with mixer. Pour into a greased bundt pan (or 9 x 13). Bake at 350 degrees for 38-43 minutes. While cake is baking, combine juice of 2 lemons with powdered sugar. When cake is just out of oven, use a fork and make many holes in cake all over. Pour lemon juice mixture over cake.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

2009-03-06T12:43:00.004-06:00

I love going to the library. I was a 'library kid' growing up. I worked in the library when I was in high school. One of my first jobs out of high school was working in a public library in Jefferson City, Missouri. I love the smell of books and love going in used book stores too. As exciting as the electronic world is and as awesome as the Kindle sounds, I still think I'd prefer to have a real book to turn the pages and enjoy. When I go to the library I usually get a book on CD to have in my car, see what new books have come in, and also check out a cookbook. This past week's cookbook I checked out was The Best of Country Cooking published by Reiman (who do Taste of Home magazine -- one of my favorites). This recipe looked good so I gave it a try. I took it over to a friend's house who didn't mind that I had taken a piece out for the photo.

RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE COFFEE CAKE

COFFEE CAKE:
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract (I used vanilla)

FILLING:
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup raspberry jam

TOPPING:
1/2 cup sliced almonds added to reserved crumb mixture

Combine flour and sugar, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Remove 1 cup crumbs for topping. To remaining crumb mixture add baking powder, soda, salt, sour cream, egg, and almond or vanilla extract. Blend well. (This will be like a moist pie dough). Spread batter over bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a greased and floured 9 inch springform pan. For filling, combine cream cheese, sugar and egg. Blend well. Pour over batter in pan. Carefully spoon jam over cream cheese filling. Combine reserved 1 cup of crumb mixture with 1/2 cup slivered almonds. Bake at 350 for about 55-60 minutes or until cream cheese filling is set and crust is a deep golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Refrigerate leftovers.

Pecan Praline Cake

2009-03-03T22:55:00.004-06:00

Another birthday at work this week. I found this recipe on Cooks.com. Not a great presentation, but we served it with ice cream and there were no complaints.

PECAN PRALINE CAKE

2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla

Warm buttermilk and butter together in a small pan. Put in mixing bowl. Add sugar and eggs. Beat thoroughly. Add dry ingredients mixed together. Beat well. Add vanilla. Bake in greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

ICING:
1 stick butter, melted
6 tablespoons milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped

Mix all ingredients. As soon as cake is done, spread mixture on top of cake. Turn oven on broil. Place cake on bottom rack in oven and cook until icing bubbles and is a light brown. This takes only a few minutes.

Oatmeal Cookies

2009-02-22T15:10:00.009-06:00

I read Anna's Cookie Madness blog every day. No doubt, if a blog is titled Cookie Madness, then surely the cookies will be great. This recipe for oatmeal cookies was posted the other day and I had the ingredients on hand so gave them a try. They are very good. I had hired someone this weekend to do some projects around the house and gave him some for his hard work. Following is the recipe as I made them.

OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup chopped pecans (toasted)

Beat the first 6 ingredients (shortening through vanilla) together in a mixing bowl. Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, soda, and oats. Add pecans. Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease cookie sheets. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls spacing 2 inches apart and bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes. I used a cookie scoop and got 3-1/2 dozen cookies.

A Great Giveaway

2009-02-15T16:51:00.007-06:00

I'm not big on entering blog giveaways, but this is one I would love to win. Diana (Freestyle Mama) over at Custom Blog Designs is giving away a blog makeover in honor of her one year blog anniversary. I can attest to her designs as she made my little signature. The best part is that when you purchase a blog design a portion of it goes to a very good cause, the Starfish Foster Home. So, in addition to getting a great blog design, you get to help out a deserving charity.

Valentine's Day and a Bake Sale

2009-02-15T12:31:00.010-06:00

I love hearts and so it would only go that I love Valentine's Day. The Heritage Society of my little community had its annual bake sale held on Valentine's Day, so a good reason to make something that fits the occasion. I love a reason to use this particular bundt pan so I looked for a good pound cake recipe. This recipe makes a huge amount of batter. It calls for a 12 cup pan, I think this pan is about 10 cups maybe. I made this cake and also a small loaf pan with the batter. This rises quite a bit, so next time I would fill the bundt pan about 2/3 full and use a large loaf pan to use all the batter. It is a good cake. I just made a simple glaze of milk and powdered sugar and vanilla to pour. It would be fine without that too. There were some beautiful cakes and goodies at the bake sale.

CREAM CHEESE PECAN POUND CAKE

3 sticks butter, softened
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
3 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans (toasted)

Cream 3 sticks butter with cream cheese until blended well. Add 3 cups of sugar and continue to cream mixture. Add 6 eggs, one at a time. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Blend together 3 cups flour with 2 teaspoons baking powder and a pinch of salt. Add pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan that has been greased well. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour 20 minutes. Check at 1 hour. Cool completely. Glaze if desired.

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk -- enough to make a nice consistency
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

I also made these 'Truly Different Cupcakes'. I don't know why they are called that, as they are basically just a brownie cupcake. I don't know who thought they were truly different, but I've always seen them called that.

TRULY DIFFERENT CUPCAKES

2 sticks butter, blended together
4 squares baking chocolate
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup chopped pecans (toasted)

Melt together butter and chocolate. Stir in sugar, flour, and vanilla. Add eggs and stir. Do not mix with a mixer. Pour into cupcake papers 2/3 full and bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees. makes about 18 cupcakes.

BIRTHDAY FOOD

2009-01-31T20:07:00.014-06:00

We celebrated my grandson's 3rd birthday today at his house. His happiness came from the Iron Man birthday cake, ice cream, and candles.....oh, and balloons of course. For the adults I made a few things to take to the party.

TORTELLINI BITES

1 bag fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
4 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/3 fresh lemon juice
4-6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook tortellini according to package. Drain. Mix all of the ingredients above together in a bowl. Let the pasta marinate in the mixture for a few hours, then thread 4 inch skewers with 3 tortellini each.

OLIVE CHEESE BREAD

This recipe comes from the Pioneer Woman blog. It is an incredible blog and you see her recipes all over the place. Everything she makes is great and she shows each recipe in great detail. Here is a link to her recipe for Olive Cheese Bread.

2008-12-29T09:20:00.009-06:00

Happy New Year To You
May every great new day bring you sweet surprises.
A happiness buffet.
Happy New Year to you
And when the new year’s done,
May the next year be even better,
Full of pleasure, joy and fun.

By Joanna Fuchs

The holidays are coming to an end. I love the new year. A new beginning and a fresh start. Posts will be scarce for a while as the new year always brings hope for healthier eating habits and the goodies are put away for only special occasions. I'll be visiting everyone's blogs though checking on what everyone else has done.

Jamaican Jungle Bread

2008-12-16T22:19:00.009-06:00

This recipe surely does not count as a holiday recipe, but it is something I happened to have the ingredients for and have had in my to-try file for a very long time. I've been slacking this week for something to take to work. I just have not been inspired and running a little short on time this week. Hopefully this will do the trick.

JAMAICAN JUNGLE BREAD

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium)
1 8 oz. crushed pineapple, undrained
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 eggs

In a large bowl stir together the first 9 ingredients. In a medium bowl, mix bananas, pineapple, oil and eggs. Add all once to oat mixture. Stir just until liquid is absorbed. Do not overmix. Pour into a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes until brown. Check center to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. Cool in pan.

Snow in Texas!

2008-12-11T22:12:00.010-06:00

A totally crazy week for weather down here this week. We were 72 degrees on Tuesday. A cold front started blowing in on Wednesday and by 5:00 the northern part of our area was starting to see snow flakes. By 10:00 in the evening the front yard was completely covered with snow. A beautiful site. Unfortunately my camera batteries decided to take a siesta and went out. My friends to my rescue though. Knowing I love hearts my friend took a picture of the top of her hot tub with a heart (thank you!) Another friend sent me this beautiful photo from her front porch. (thank you too!) This is such a phenomenon for us. The last time we had snow was in 2004 -- a white Christmas -- but I was living in California at the time and missed it. Before that it was forever since we had seen it. Of course today it was back to close to 60 -- go figure. We get all goofy down here when it snows because it's such a rare treat. I love snow. It's so beautiful.

Butter Pecan Cookies

2008-12-09T22:19:00.009-06:00

This week's cookie to take to work were these Butter Pecan Cookies. I've had this recipe for years but had not made these in a long time. They were very well received and not a crumb left.

BUTTER PECAN COOKIES

1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans (toasted)

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans. Drop dough by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. (I use a small cookie scoop.) Bake at 375° for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Cowboy Cookies

2008-12-01T13:15:00.017-06:00

Last year I took cookies to work every week during December for the Christmas holidays. These are my treat to take tomorrow to start the month off. I've been looking through cookbooks today to see what I'll make in the upcoming weeks.

COWBOY COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats (not quick)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded coconut
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth. In another bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, coconut. Add these to the wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Scoop tablespoon size balls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes 5 dozen.

100 Things I Love

2008-11-30T09:50:00.015-06:00

I've seen a few of the lists on different blogs and I thought I'd do my own list. You would think it is an easy thing to do, but the number 100 takes time to achieve. Anyway, for what it's worth, here are 100 things I love.

1. Fresh sheets
2. The smell of bleach
3. A soft afghan or blankie
4. Cold weather
5. Rainy days
6. Thunderstorms
7. Full moons
8. The smell of freshly mowed grass
9. Christmas tree lights
10. My grandsons laughter
11. Used book stores
12. Libraries
13. The first cup of coffee in the morning
14. Typing
15. Picnics
16. Reality TV
17. Cookbooks
18. Cooking magazines
19. Porches
20. Swings
21. Bubble baths
22. Biscuits
23. Baking
24. E-mail
25. Reading blogs
26. Hearts
27. Parks
28. Trees
29. Candlelight
30. Painted toes
31. Wisteria
32. Purple
33. The feel of cool grass on my bare feet
34. Kisses
35. Palm trees
36. Romance
37. Washington State
38. The cold side of a pillow
39. Turning the clocks back one hour
40. Fireworks
41. Cleaning house
42. Washing dishes
43. Big fluffy clouds
44. Words
45. Word games
46. Music that makes you want to turn up the radio or dance
47 My computer
48. TIVO
49. High speed Internet
50. Honeysuckle
51. Watermelon on a hot day
52. Popsicles
53. Kitchen gadgets
54. Counted cross-stitch
55. Crossword puzzles
56. Pizza
57. The look on my grandson's face when he catches a ball
58. The sound of the wind in the trees
59. Bundt pans
60. Quotes
61. Other people's photography
62. Reading
63. Dancing
64. Snow
65. Valentine's day
66. Easter
67. Making birthday cakes
68. Taking treats to work
69. Yanni
70. Rivers
71. Lakes
72. Mountains
73. Ice cold soda pop in glass bottles
74. Bread of any kind
75. Pot luck meals
76. Blogging
77. My friends
78. My family
79. Shaved legs
80. Being in love
81. Dogs
82. Travel
83. Keeping my checkbook balanced
84. Neil Diamond
85. Michael Buble'
86. Christmas music
87. Hugs
88. Ralph Lauren Blue cologne
89. Satellite television
90. Ceiling fans
91. Wind chimes
92. Wildflowers
93. British Columbia
94. Making lists
95. Bargains
96. Upstate New York
97. Good writing pens
98. Being organized
99. Debbie Macomber books
100. Dorothea Benton Frank books

Give it a try. Make your own list. It's fun to think of these things.

Thanksgiving Recipes

2008-11-25T19:25:00.008-06:00

I don't have to cook a full blown Thanksgiving meal any longer since it is just me at home. I will be taking a few things to add to the Thanksgiving meal at my daughter-in-law's family. Here are few things that have been traditional for our Thanksgiving meal.

SOUTHERN CORNBREAD DRESSING

Make the following cornbread a day early so it can dry out a little.

3 cups self-rising corn meal
2-1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 Tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon salt
4-1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes until golden brown and knife inserted in middle comes clean.

The next day:

Crumble cornbread in a large bowl. Saute 1 large chopped onion, 1/2 stalk celery diced fine in 1 stick of butter until translucent. Add this to the crumbled bread. Add 3 cans of chicken broth (or can use stock if you have it). Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1 egg. Mix well. Add salt and pepper, garlic powder and extra sage to taste. Spread in a roasting pan and bake at 400 degrees until brown.

BROCCOLI CHEESE CASSEROLE

1-1/2 cups rice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
1 large bag frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 large onion chopped
1 stick butter
1 can mushroom soup
1 pound Velveeta cheese
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

To make rice, place rice, water and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and put on low for 20-25 minutes until rice is done.

In a large dutch oven, saute 1/2 large onion diced fine in 1 stick of butter. Add 1 can of mushroom soup and 1 pound of Velveeta cheese to make a sauce. In the microwave steam the chopped broccoli according to the bag. Add rice and broccoli to the sauce.

CRANBERRY JELLO SALAD

2 small packages raspberry Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 cup cold water
1 large can crushed pineapple with juice
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add cold water. Add pineapple and cranberry sauce and pecans. Can be put in cupcake liners to make individual molds or one large bowl. Place in refrigerator to set.

EAGLE BRAND PUMPKIN PIE

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 16 oz. can pumpkin
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Mix all together and pour in unbaked pie shell. Bake 40 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees.