CHUY'S JALAPENO RANCH SAUCE

I'm having a birthday dinner this evening.  I am doing a 'taco bar'.  Taco shells, meat and all the fixin's, rice and beans.  We have a Tex-Mex chain here called Chuy's.  They serve a jalapeno/ranch sauce when they bring out their chips and salsa.  It's really good.  I went in search of a copycat recipe and I think this one is pretty close. I'll serve this with some chips along with some regular salsa.

CHUY'S JALAPENO RANCH SAUCE

1 whole jalapeno, chopped, deveined and seeded (less if you don't like a lot of heat)
3-4 tablespoons cilantro without stems
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup tomatillo sauce (salsa verde)
1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix

In a mini food processor put mayonnaise, buttermilk, jalapeno, cilantro, and salsa verde.  Blend well until smooth.  Remove from processor and place in a bowl.  Add Hidden Valley Ranch mix and stir well.  Chill several hours before serving to allow flavors to blend.  Serve with chips or even as a dressing for salads.

Sweet Onion Bake

One of my best friends came to visit me this week.  She had sent me this recipe a while back and I wanted to try it.  It makes a great side dish for anything.  We paired it with baked chicken breasts, grilled asparagus, and a big salad.  There wasn't a drop left when we were done.  It was definite hit.  Pardon the picture, it does not do this dish justice.

ROBERTA'S ONION BAKE

7 1/2 cups sweet onions (3 large), sliced.

Sauté the onions in 4 tablespoons butter

Add:

1/2 cup long grain white rice which has been cooked in 1 cup of boiling water for 5 minutes

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

2/3 cup half and half

Salt/pepper to taste

Fresh parsley, chopped, if desired.

Bake covered for 45 minutes at 325 degrees. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more at 325 degrees until light brown on edges.

Sausage and Cheese Mini-Muffins

This recipe is all over the Internet in different places.  It is a different twist on sausage cheese balls which is a popular item to take to parties.  The plate was cleaned so I think they were a hit.

SAUSAGE AND CHEESE MINI-MUFFINS

3 cups Bisquick
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 pound bulk sausage (spicy if you like it)
3/4 cup water or milk (I used buttermilk)
1 can Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup

Cook sausage until it is crumbled and no longer pink.  Drain on paper towels.  Mix together Bisquick, cheese, and sausage.  Combine cheese with buttermilk.  Make a well in the middle and pour wet mixture.  Stir just until combined.  Put in mini-muffin pans that have been sprayed with Pam.  Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

Carrot Babycakes

I baked this recipe originally as a 3-layer cake but it was not very photo-worthy.  I repeated the recipe and this time I made it in my square muffin pan along with round muffin pan.  It turned out much better and it was for a crowd which worked even better with everyone getting their own little cake.  This is a Southern Living recipe from 1997.  The buttermilk glaze takes a while but I believe this is the key to this very moist carrot cake recipe.  It will replace my Tropical Carrot Cake recipe I posted in the early stages of my blog.

CARROT BABYCAKES

CAKE:
2 cups all-purpose flour 
2 teaspoons baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon  
3 large eggs 
2 cups sugar 
3/4 cup vegetable oil 
3/4 cup buttermilk 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
2 cups grated carrots
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained 
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Line 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper; lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set pans aside.  Or use a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with Pam.  Or use 24 muffin cups sprayed with Pam.

Stir together first 4 ingredients.

In another bowl, beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrots and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over cakes.  Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting on cakes.

This makes 30 babycakes.  You can cut the glaze in half if you are making these.

BUTTERMILK GLAZE: 

1 cup sugar 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 
1/2 cup buttermilk 
1 stick butter 
1 tablespoon light corn syrup 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Use a big pot because the soda causes a big volume until it cooks down.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1 8 oz. package cream cheese
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients until smooth.  If too thin add more sugar, if too thick add more cream.

Easy Peach Cobbler

A few weeks ago I made this for a birthday at work.  It is an easy version of peach cobbler that even Paula Deen serves in her restaurant.  It's much better when you can have some fresh peaches but canned will do okay in a pinch. 

EASY PEACH COBBLER

3 cups fresh sliced peaches (or one large can and 1 small can sliced peaches, not drained)

2 cups Bisquick mix (all purpose flour may be used, but I prefer Bisquick)

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup of sugar for batter

1/4 cup sugar for peaches (more if you are using fresh peaches, according to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Put 1 stick of butter in a 9 x 13 pan in the oven to melt.

 

In a bowl, mix together Bisquick, sugar, and milk.

In another bowl slice up the peaches into smaller chunks, add 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.

Pour batter over melted butter, do not stir.

Pour peaches and juice over batter, do not stir.

Bake at 350 until bubbly and crust rises to the top and is golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I've always wanted to try to make Irish Soda Bread.  Being yeast challenged and this being a quick bread I am surprised I hadn't made it until now.  So few ingredients and such an easy thing.  I can tell it was a peasant bread when folks didn't have access to yeast so the buttermilk and the soda interact to make it rise.  It would be good with some Guiness Stew I think.  May the luck of the Irish be with you today!

IRISH SODA BREAD

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Make a well in the middle.  Mix together until dough comes together.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead into a small round.  Take a sharp knife and cut an X in the top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush melted butter on top.  Enjoy with some Kerrygold Irish Butter.

LEMON BABYCAKES

I have a fascination with baking pans.  I recently found one of those 'square' muffin pans and decided to use it for this recipe.  A regular muffin pan would work just fine also.

LEMON BABYCAKES

1-1/2 cups cake flour (all purpose would be fine)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter softened
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
 3/4 cup buttermilk

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray pan with Baker's Joy or use liners.  In a bowl mix together butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Add lemon zest and vanilla.  Add lemon juice.  Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to wet mixture alternately with buttermilk.  Fill muffin holes 3/4 full.  Bake for 20 minutes or until centers are done.

To make glaze, mix together lemon juice and powdered sugar to a consistency for drizzling over cakes.  Drizzle over cooled cakes.

Texas Coconut Pound Cake

I found this recipe on a sidebar ad on my Facebook page on a website Just a Pinch  I'm not too sure why it is called a Texas pound cake but it caught my eye.  My cousin recently told me about Ancel Coconut in a can.  It is shredded coconut in a can with some liquid.  I used this in place of the coconut called in the recipe and I think it made a nice moist texture.  I used the remaining liquid to make the glaze and topped it off with some toasted coconut and pecans (there's the Texas in it for my version).

TEXAS COCONUT POUND CAKE

2/3 cup shortening
1 cup butter (2 sticks, softened)
3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 cups shredded coconut (I used the drained can of Ancel)
2 teaspoons coconut extract (I only had vanilla but think it needs the coconut flavor)

Cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each. Add coconut flavoring. Sift flour and add baking powder. Alternate adding flour and milk to sugar mixture. Add coconut.

Spray tube pan.  Pour batter into pan.  Bake 350 for 1 hr to 1 hr 15 minutes (mine took 90 minutes).  Cool in pan for 10 minutes turn on cooling rack.  

Glaze with powdered sugar glaze and toasted coconut and pecans (optional) 

Toffee Crunch Cookies

Sorry for the long lag in posting.  I just haven't baked anything new lately, mostly old favorites which doesn't make for new blog posts.  I bought a bag of Hershey Toffee Bits around Christmas and went in search of a cookie recipe to use them in.  I came across this one on All Recipes.  My official cookie tester gave them a thumbs up and said that the middle is soft and chewy with a crisp outside.  The toffee bits melt and give this cookie a rich, buttery flavor.  I took liberty with the recipe and here is my version.

TOFFEE CRUNCH COOKIES

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag toffee baking bits
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans 

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter with brown sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix until smooth and creamy.  Blend dry ingredients and add to wet mixture.  Fold in toffee bits and pecans.  Drop by tablespoons or cookie scoop onto cookie pan lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees until light brown.  Makes 4 dozen.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I started out this holiday season with good intentions with this cookie but soon fizzled out and I have not done a lot of baking so far.  I put this cookie together using a couple of standard recipes.  I think they are worthy of staying in my good cookie recipes.

PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES

2 sticks butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In the bowl of your mixer add butter, both sugars, and peanut butter.  Mix on medium spead until light and fluffy -- about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time until mixed in well.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Combine all dry ingredients together and add slowly to wet mixture.  Fold in peanut butter chips.  Place tablespoons of dough on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Press down just a little.  Bake at 13-15 minutes until golden brown.

Pecan Pie Cookies

I'm always looking for new cookie recipes.  We had a good crop of pecans this year and I was lucky enough to be able to go to my son's friend's property and pick up pecans.  I found this recipe on Pinterest which took me to this blog. These cookies are soft instead of crispy and the filling is similar to pecan pie. Following is the way I made them.

PECAN PIE COOKIES

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, continue beating until egg is fully incorporated and mixture is once again smooth and fluffy.
Add baking powder and flour, continue beating until mixture is uniform, with everything incorporated. Set dough aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, mix pecans and brown sugar. Add in heavy cream and vanilla, mix until well combined.
Roll cookie dough into balls that are about 1.25″ in diameter, and place them on cookie sheets – leave about 2″ between the cookies.
Gently use thumb to press down in the middle of each cookie, making an indentation. Roll thumb slightly to stretch the indentation out a little. Fill each indentation with about 1 tsp of pecan filling
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. 

Trip to Kennebunkport, Maine

My cousin and I went to Kennebunkport, Maine this past week. We both had wanted to go to Maine since we were young girls. Hurricane Sandy was hitting just days before we were due to leave so we were wondering if we would get through as we had to change planes in Newark, N.J. Things improved and we were on our way.

We were in Kennebunkport during the 'peaceful season'. We stayed in a cottage at the Maine Stay Inn which was cozy and the 'big house' was lovely. Warm cookies every afternoon. Yum.

I had my first taste of New England Clam Chowder the night we arrived. It was delicious. For lunch the next day my cousin had a bowl of 'Souper Chowder' which included clams, lobster, and scallops. It was great. I tried my first lobster roll. It was not as good as I thought it would be, but the lobster couldn't have been more fresh. Fried clams were also great.

Sightseeing took us to several lighthouses and the Maine coastline is just breathtaking. It turned very cold while we were there (which was a great respite from the hot Texas weather we are still having) so we were happy to experience that. The night before we were due to leave a Nor'easter came through and dumped a few inches of snow. We woke up to a beautiful sight, although a little anxiety about having to drive to the airport. It all turned out well and we were on our way back home to Texas with great memories.

Cottage at Maine Stay Inn

Maine Stay Inn

Beach in York, Maine

Nubble Lighthouse

Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Bug Light House, Portland, Maine

Bush Compound, Kennebunkport, Maine

Going home day.  A Nor'easter blew through the night before we left. 

Lemon Muffins

I found this recipe in the November Southern Living under the Community Cookbook. These are a good muffin, although I thought a little dry. Definitely needs a cup of coffee or glass of milk. There is not a lot of lemon in the muffin itself, but the glaze certainly adds what is missing. Of course, I had to throw in some chopped pecans.

LEMON MUFFINS

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1 Tablespoon lemon zest.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In another bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, butter and lemon zest.  Add wet to dry and stir just until moistened.  Add pecans if desired.  Spray muffin tin with Pam.  Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Whisk together and drizzle over muffins.

Oatmeal Brittle

One of the first blogs I started reading was Anna Ginsberg's Cookie Madness.  I have her blog in my Google Reader and she posts almost every day.  Recently she posted a recipe for Oatmeal Brittle.  This recipe is definitely going on my Christmas goodie list.  It is easy and delicious. This is how I made it.

OATMEAL BRITTLE

1 stick butter, melted (I used salted)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup, Karo
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups oats (I used whole grain, not quick)
1/3 cup angel flake coconut
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 13×15 inch heavy duty rimmed baking pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together the butter, corn syrup, sugar, salt, vanilla and baking powder. Add the oats and coconut and stir until thoroughly mixed. Spread the mixture as thinly as you can across the baking sheet to the edges. Set in preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are browned. Let cool completely on a wire rack. When cool, the cookie should be perfectly crisp. Break it into pieces. 

Chocolate Velvet Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting

Another birthday at work last month.  I had saved this recipe from Southern Living from December 2003.  This chocolate cake batter can be used for any kind of chocolate cake recipe you can imagine and just changing the filling or frosting.  It makes a great, moist cake.

SOUTHERN LIVING CHOCOLATE VELVET CAKE WITH 
COCONUT-PECAN FROSTING

Cake Batter: 
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels 
1/2 cup butter, softened 
2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs 
2 cups all-purpose flour  
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream  
1 cup hot water (I used coffee) 
2 teaspoons vanilla 

Melt semisweet chocolate morsels in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 30-second intervals until melted.  Stir until smooth. Beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer, beating about 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Gradually add 1 cup hot water in a slow, steady stream, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in vanilla.

Spoon cake batter evenly into 3 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Frosting: 
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 
1 1/2 cups sugar 
3/4 cup butter or margarine
6 egg yolks 
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 

2 cups chopped pecans, toasted 
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut


Stir together first 4 ingredients in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, 12 minutes. Remove from heat; add remaining ingredients, and stir until frosting is cool and of spreading consistency.