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Buttermilk Coconut Bundt Cake

2012-01-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

I made this cake a while back and don't know why I haven't posted it until now. It's very good. Bundt cakes are one of my favorites. They are fairly easy to make and go a long way. I always have to cut myself a really big slice too.....Just so good! I found this over at Gulf Coast Gram. Haven't made many new dishes in a while and I need to start trying some. It's getting movtivated that is lacking here lately. I find myself getting very lazy in the winter and love cooking in the summer. Crazy....nothing like heating up the kitchen on an already hot, humid day!!! But I don't care for winter and can't wait for spring already. In the meantime, I just have to find my motivation again!

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla (or coconut flavoring, I used 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp coconut)

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup finley chopped pecans (I omitted these)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt or tube pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs at medium speed until well blended. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla (or coconut flavoring) beating well until well combined. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Gently stir in the coconut and pecans and blend well.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 60-65 minutes or until tested done.

You can glaze this cake with a glaze made of 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut flavoring. To make glaze, bring the ingredients to a rolling boil and cook for 1 minute. Pour glaze over cake while it is still warm and in the pan until the syrup has been absorbed before removing from pan.

I did not make the glaze. I let it cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-19T15:48:00.000-08:00

This is another "classic" cookie, just like Snickerdoodles. I had always been very partial to Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies but I have to say that these give those a run for their money. You can play with these and have many variations. I also made these with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and they were awesome! Throwing in some M & M's is another idea. The combinations just go on and on. Bottom line here is that this is a very good basic cookie that you can build upon or just keep as a chocolate chip. This is definitely my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Courtesy of Better Crocker.....

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I omitted these)
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix sugars, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts (if using) and chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Snickerdoodles

2012-01-16T15:02:00.000-08:00

I made these Snickerdoodles right before Christmas. I think they only lasted maybe 1 1/2 days before they were all gone. Not good before the holidays.....and I wonder why I put on a few pounds??? They are courtesy of Betty Crocker and are a "from scratch" cookie. Very good, very soft and chewy and very addicting!

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour or unbleached flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Shape dough into 1/14 inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool.

makes 4 dozen cookies

Baked Ziti 1

2012-01-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

I think this should be renamed "The Best Baked Ziti I Ever Had." It really is, too! I've made this several times and it nevers lasts long enough to get a good picture. These pics do not do it justice, but trust me when I say it is delicious. It's not the traditional baked ziti either. It uses sour cream in place of ricotta cheese which I like way better. It also has a layer of provolone in it. I could have used more Parmesan Cheese for the top but ran out. I also found from making it before that fresh shredded Parmesan is much better to use than the grated version. If you like Italian food I really do urge you to try this. I think you will enjoy it. Once again, courtesy of Allrecipes.

1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 onion, finely chopped

1 pound lean ground beef
2 ( 26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated (I use freshly shredded) Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta and cook according to package directions; drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Drain excess fat. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer about 15 minutes.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter (I used olive oil cooking spray) a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. I also add a little of the sauce mixture to the bottom of the dish to prevent sticking. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 of sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven on top of baking sheet. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

This tastes much better the second day so if you decide to heat this up the next day after it's been in the fridge than bake approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour covered and 10 minutes more uncovered.

Chocolate Cream Pie I

2012-01-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a nice new years. Virginia had some really nice weather this past weekend. In the 60's in some areas. Of course now it's bitter cold but it was nice while it lasted. I'm not complaining though. So far we've had no snow but then what does that mean. It's only the beginning the of January. But I can certainly hope that it will bypass us this year! I'm starting off the new year with a recipe I made about a month or so ago and have been meaning to blog. This is one. good. chocolate. pie. VERY good.....in fact, I made it twice in one week. Considering that many of us may have gained a few unwanted pounds over the holidays, this may not have been a good choice to post right now! However, I didn't want this to get buried in my stack of recipes "to post" so I figured now or never. Besides it IS chocolate....and its always OK to post a chocolate recipe in my book! This comes courtesy of allrecipes.

3/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups milk (I used 2%)

2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked

Combine sugar, flour, milk and chopped up chocolate in 2 quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Continue stirring for 2 minutes.

Mix a little of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, beating rapidly to avoid cooking the yolks. Stir in the warm yolk mixture into the remainder of the chocolate mixture and cook for an additional 90 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in butter or margarine and vanilla.

Pour filling into pie shell and chill until set. (Make sure to cover pie with plastic wrap on surface of pie so a skin does not form). Top with whipped cream topping and a little grated chocolate.

Happy New Year!!!!

2011-12-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a very Happy and Healthy New Year!!!!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

2011-12-28T13:39:00.000-08:00

I made this dish about two weeks ago and we all enjoyed it very much. You can find the original recipe here. I'm not going to retype the recipe since I made it exactly as it was written - no changes. My son loved it so we can categorize this one under "kid friendly" also.

The big news around here today is that I have finally learned how to text! Yes, text! Believe it or not I had it blocked on my phone but have finally given in and have found that I really enjoy it. Maybe because it's new? I don't know but for right now I am having fun with it. My youngest son was given a cell phone for Christmas and we now have a family plan with the whole texting package and all. So my 12 year old showed me how to text....It's amazing what a 12 year old can teach you these days!

Merry Christmas!!!!

2011-12-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

Here's to wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!!!! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Coconut Fudge Cookies

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

This will probably be my last post before Christmas for the "starter" cookies. The original recipe from Betty Crocker calls for using a butterscotch topping and hot fudge topping but I used melted down chocolate chips instead. I omitted the butterscotch completely since I'm not a big fan of it. These are definitely for coconut lovers out there. I will be baking more Christmas cookies today but don't think I will have any more time to post them so I may be posting more cookies after the holidays. Enjoy these cookies!

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 egg

1 to 1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

3/4 cup hot fudge topping or (1 cup chocolate chips, melted)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, melted butter and egg until soft dough forms. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in coconut. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are light golden brown and coconut starts to toast. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to waxed paper.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave hot fudge (or chocolate chips) uncovered on high 15 to 30 seconds or until spreadable. If using chips, microwave for 30 seconds and stir and keep microwaving at 30 second intervals and stirring until chips are melted and spreadable.

Carefully spread on top of each cookie. Serve warm or cool. Store loosely covered.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Red Velvet Rich and Creamy Cookies

2011-12-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

Here's another starter recipe that is easy and delicious! These are just so easy to make and they're guaranteed to disappear as soon as you put them out too! I don't think I've ever used so many Betty Crocker mixes as I have lately. I do have to say that every recipe I've made from this cookie mix has been delicious and easy. I also find this a much more economical way to make cookies. I think this is a great way to cut costs without sacrificing that home baked taste.

School here let's out early tomorrow and the kids don't go back until Jan 3rd. My son is very excited to be off from school and I am very happy to have some time off from work.

1 pouch (1 lb. 5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon red food coloring

1 egg

1/4 cup chopped nuts, optional (I used colored sugar)

Cream cheese frosting (You can use the canned from Betty Crocker or your own.)

Heat over to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, cocoa, butter, sour cream, food color and egg until soft dough forms.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Frost cooled cookies with frosting. Sprinkle with nuts (if using) or colored sugar. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Makes 36 cookies (approximately).

Shrimp Cocktail Tree

2011-12-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

I was going to post another "starter" cookie recipe but remembered I had been wanting to post this since Christmas and New Year's are right around the corner and I thought some of you out there might be interested in making this. My husband had worked for 20 years in the catering business and can make a mean watermelon basket - turns out he can also be creative using shrimp! This caught his eye in a magazine and he decided to give it a go. It is soooo festive and pretty and the bonus is that it uses shrimp and is delicious!!! You use a stryofoam cone that you can buy in your local arts and crafts store. Listed below are what you will need for the tree and instructions. I'll be back again next week with more "starter" cookie recipes!

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup creamy horseradish sauce

1/4 cup minced red onion

3 Tbs. lemon juice

1/2 yellow pepper

12" tall Styrofoam cone

Round wooden toothpicks, broken in half

2 lbs. cooked extra large shrimp, peeled, tails left on

1 1/2 cups red and/or yellow grape tomatoes

1 cup fresh basil leaves (or parsley)

Mix mayonnaise , horseradish sauce, onion and lemon juice; cover and reserve. Using 2" star-shaped cookie cutter, cut star from pepper; cover and reserve.

Wrap cone with plastic wrap; place on serving plate. Insert 1 toothpick piece into each shrimp; insert into cone. Repeat with tomatoes. Tuck basil (or parsley) leaves in between shrimp and tomatoes. Serve with dip. You can also place tree on top of bed of lettuce and surround with lemon wedges.

Linzer Cookie Tarts

2011-12-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

This is another Betty Crocker "starter" recipe. I thought I would post a bunch of these recipes until Christmas for those of you out there that would like something about as close as you can get to a "from scratch" cookie that just doesn't take that much time or effort. These are really good and I've made several varieties of these "starter" cookies. I think this one is my favorite! These really taste like true linzer cookies. No one would ever know these were started from a mix, believe me!

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted, finely chopped
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup dark of semisweet chocolate chips
*Powdered sugar, if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and almonds. Stir in melted butter, almond extract and egg until stiff dough forms.

On floured surface, roll half of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch round or fluted cookie cutter. On ungreased cookies sheets, place cookies 2 inches apart.

Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, on floured surface, roll other half of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with linzer cutter with hole in center, OR cut same 2-inch round or fluted cookie cutter and use small 1-inch cutter or bottle top to cut round hole out of center of cookie. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cookies 2 inches apart.

Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely.

Spread 1 teaspoon jam on bottom of each whole cookie; top each with cutout cookie to make sandwich cookie. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High about 1 minutes, stirring after 30 seconds, until melted and stirred smooth. Using tip of fork or knife, drizzle chocolate lines over cookies. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 45 minutes. Store between sheets of waxed paper in tightly covered container.

*You can also just sift some powdered sugar over cookies instead of drizzling chocolate, if you prefer.

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

2011-12-09T11:27:00.000-08:00

Here's a really easy cookie recipe for someone who wants a great cookie but wants to keep it simple. This is what's called a "starter" recipe. It starts with a mix and you simply add to it. My husband made these the other evening and they were gone in no time at all. I really have to start watching how much in the sweets department I eat. I have a major sweet tooth and lately have been indulging way too much. It doesn't look like it's going to get any better either over the next month with Christmas coming up! I'm already starting a list of Christmas cookies I want to bake and the list is growing by the day!!! Have a great weekend everyone!

1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softenend

1 egg

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam

1 cup white vanilla baking chips

red or green sugar, if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, egg and flour until dough forms.

Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls; place 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Using thumb or handle of wooden spoon, make indentation in center of each cookie. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon jam into each indentation.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are ligh golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave baking chips on High 1 or 2 minutes or until chips are melted; stir until smooth. Spoon melted chips into small resealable plastic bag; cut small hole in corner of bag. Squeeze bag gently to drizzle melted chips over cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar, if desired.

Slow Cooker Curry-Mustard Glazed Meatballs

2011-12-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

This is a great dish to serve at a holiday party or even to bring along to one. It is so easy to prepare and has a different flavor than the usual slow cooker meatballs. I love curry so this was a big hit with me. My husband even convinced my son to try them and I can now officially say they are "kid approved." At least by my 12 year old! This recipe comes courtesy of Betty Crocker......

1 (12-oz.) jar pineapple preserves (I used apricot/pineapple preserves)

1 (8-oz.) jar Dijon mustard

1 (8-oz.) can pineapple tidbits in unsweetenend juice, undrained

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 1/2 lb. frozen cooked Italian meatballs (qbout 80 meatballs)

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except meatballs. Bring to a boil. Place meatballs in 2 1/2 to 3-quart slow cooker. Stir in preserves mixture.

Cover; cook on high setting for 4 hours, stirring twice. Stir well before serving.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

2011-12-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

Here comes another Betty Crocker recipe! Let me say that this is not my favorite recipe. Nor is it one I would choose for dinner. My husband made this because he loves beef stroganoff. I tend to shy away from these kinds of dishes. Just not my taste. However, you may really enjoy this. It's a slow cooker recipe so it's easy and also a bit different than the usual stroganoff recipe. I did have a plate of this for dinner and it was fine. I didn't push it away from me and in fact ate the whole plateful of food! I did have a hard time finding the Cream of Onion soup however. I don't know why but every grocery store in this area had every other kind of cream soup but this one. Would you believe I finally found it at Target of all places!!! If you have a hard time finding it like I did, you can substitute cream of celery for the onion instead. Enjoy!!

2 pounds beef stew meat

1 cup chopped onion

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of golden mushroom soup

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of onion soup

1 jar (6 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained

1/4 tsp pepper

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

1 container (8 ounces) sour cream

6 cups hot cooked noodles or rice (we had noodles with this)

In 3 1/2 to 4 1/2-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onion, soups, mushrooms and pepper.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until beef is very tender.

Stir cream cheese into beef mixture until melted. Stir sour cream into beef mixture. Serve over noodles.

Coconut Pumpkin Bread

2011-11-29T13:21:00.000-08:00

Back to recipe posting again! This pumpkin bread is truly irresistable as long as you are a coconut lover. I never would have thought that pumpkin and coconut would go well together but surprise - they do! I also LOVE this glaze. White chocolate baking chips. They are just so perfect with the bread. Hope you give this a try and enjoy it as much as I did. My husband also loved it but I can't say the same about my son. He is not a fan of coconut, so this bread was a thumbs down from him! I found this recipe at Betty Crocker.

1/2 cup butter, softenend
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Glaze

1 cup white chocolate baking chips

2 tablespoons whipping cream

2 tablespoons flaked coconut

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat butter and both sugars with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, pumpkin and vanilla. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut and the walnuts. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and pumpkin pie

spice; gently stir in. Pour batter into pan.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan about 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a small microwavable bowl, microwave white chocolate baking chips and whipping cream on high in 30 second increments, stirring between microwaving, until mixture is smooth and creamy. Drizzle over cooled loaf; sprinkle with coconut. Let glaze set before slicing.

Old Town Alexandria, Virginia

2011-11-28T16:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from yesterday when we visited Old Town Alexandria. This is a really pretty town with old cobblestone streets and unique gift shops and restaurants. Old Town is on the water and there are boats that will take you over to Georgetown and Washington, DC. You can take a sightseeing tour on these boats and some of them have dancing and dinner on board. Me, I like the shopping, eating and walking.....especially on a beautiful day like yesterday. It must have been near 70 degrees. On Saturday there is a Farmers Market and always some type of music or entertainment down by the water. This town is also very dog friendly. There are bowls of water outside many of the stores and when the weather permits, many of the restaurants have outside dining where our canine friends are very welcome! Pictured above are the Cherry Blossom that will take you on a dinner cruise. The other is a typical Old Town restaurant all ready for Christmas. To the right is my husband...although he looks like a tourist in this photo he was actually born right in Old Town (many, many years ago...!). So many in fact that the hospital he was born in is no longer standing! Below to the left is a picture taken from the Visitors Center. You can see there are also many townhouses that must be over100 years old......and very pricey but beautiful!

Some Pics from Thanksgiving Weekend!

2011-11-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures form Thanksgiving weekend.....the handsome young guy is my youngest son with his grandpa and the little cutie pie is my granddaughter with me.....We had wonderful weather here in Virginia the past few days and I've taken advantage of it by staying outdoors most of the time. These pictures were taken down in Richmond.

More pictures from my day in Old Town Alexandria tomorrow. Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

Pumpkin Pillow Cookies

2011-11-22T13:04:00.000-08:00

This recipe is one that my husband made the other night. This cookie is perfect with Thanksgiving coming up. We had gone to the Farmer's Market in Alexandria, Virginia on Saturday and he saw these and they caught his eye. He went online and found a great recipe for them. I have no clue where the recipe came from but the frosting came from a site called Instructables.....Anyhow, they are soft just like pillows. I thought that maybe they had egg whites only in them or cake flour but that's not the case. The are very, very light so they go down very easy. And they are addicting. Even if you are not a big pumpkin lover, these really just have a mild pumpkin flavor. Hope you enjoy them!

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baker powder

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt ( if using salted butter leave this out)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup cooked mashed pumpkin, canned or fresh
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your baking sheets, unless you are using an air bake sheet.

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt (unless you are using salted butter) into a bowl (not your mixing bowl).

Cream sugar and butter (in your mixer bowl) until blended.

Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture, beat until blended.

Drop tablespoons (ice cream scoop works better) onto your baking sheets, approximately 1 inch apart. The cookies spread a little.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firming up and the center is no longer jiggly. Do not overbake - you want them to remain soft. Cool the cookies on your baking sheet for a minute or two; then place onto wire cooling racks.

Frosting
8 ox block of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter (4 tbs), softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Flavor Options

1 tsp ginger

2 tsp peppermint extract OR

1 tbs finely crushed peppermint candies

2 tbs lemon juice OR

2 tbs lemon zest

Let the butter and cream cheese soften at room temperature.

Cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Add in any flavors now.

Gradually add in the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time, until fully blended and smooth.

Praline Pumpkin Cake

2011-11-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

I was going to post another recipe today but I thought with Thanksgiving coming up this would be more appropriate and some of you might like to make this for your Thanksgiving dessert. It is delicious! It comes from Betty Crocker and starts with a mix but you add a few extra ingredients to really bump it up a notch. It is so darn pretty too!

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans

1 box Betty Crockert SuperMoist yellow cake mix

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. In 1 quart heavy saucepan, stir together butter, whipping cream and brown sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Pour into two ungreased 9 or 8 inch round cake pans; sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup pecans.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed for two minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Carefully spoon batter over pecan mixture in each pan.

Bake 41 to 47 minutes of until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. (I removed mine after 10 minutes).

Frosting (my recipe)
2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softenend
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups confectioners's sugar
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
caramel topping, if desired
additional chopped pecans, if desired

Mix together on medium speed cream cheese and butter. Sift sugar and pumpkin pie spice and add gradually to cream cheese mixture.
To assemble cake, place 1 layer, praline side up, on serving plate. Spread with half of the frosting. Top with second layer, praline side up; spread remaining frosting to edge of layer. Drizzle with caramel topping and additional pecans. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

Cherry Coffee Cake

2011-11-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

This comes from Coleen's Recipes. It is one delicious cake. I had never used tart pie cherries before and I have discovered that I love them. This is a great after dinner cake to have with coffee and goes well with some whipped cream or ice cream on the side too. You don't remove this cake from the pan so Coleen suggested (and I agree!) to use a nice looking pan. I will HAVE to make this again soon. Easy and delicious.......

I'm home from work today and I'm sooo glad about that. You know that feeling when you just need a break from work? I have been feeling it big time here. My youngest son is also home from school today and if any of you mom's out there have sons I would say 12 years and older, I'm sure you know that Modern Warfare 3 was released today....So you all know what my son is doing! If you don't know what Modern Warfare 3 is consider yourself lucky. All I've been hearing all day are gunshots.....is it bedtime yet????

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Put all of the above ingredients into an electric mixer and beat on high 2 minutes. Spread evenly into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan and set aside.

2 (14 oz) cans pitted tart pie cherries (save the juice) DO NOT USE CHERRY PIE FILLING
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup reserved juice from pie cherries
1/2 tsp almond extract

Drain cherries, saving the juice. Arrange cherries on top of the cake batter. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar over the cherries. Set aside. Heat 1 1/4 cup of reserved cherry juice and almond extract until it simmers and then very gently spoon over the cherries and batter. Bake in oven 35-45 minutes. Do not remove cake from pan. Slice from pan when still slightly warm and serve by itself or with some whipped cream or ice cream.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-11-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's another banana cake post! This one was not baked by me but by my husband instead. Guess I am not the only banana cake lover in the family. This banana cake was so delicious that I ended up having to bring it to work with me so I would not keep eating it as if it was the last cake on earth. The night before I brought it to work I was having some beef stew for dinner. Instead of having a bowl full of stew I decided to have only half a bowl for dinner and a big slice of cake. After doing that I just thought "this is no good - the cake HAS to go!" It was a big hit at work and didn't last long. He found this recipe at Evil Shenanigans. It looks like I will have to be sharing my blog with my husband. He has been cooking and baking so much lately and he is so good at it! Better than me....so I think it will be fun to share his dishes too!

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla

Frosting (my husband's recipe)

2 bars (8 oz each) cream cheese, soft
1 stick butter, soft
2 cups sifted powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (coconut is good too)
coconut flakes (if desired on outside of cake)
chopped walnuts (if desired on top of cake)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare two 9" cake pans with non stick spray.

Peel your ripe bananas and mash them with a fork. Pour the buttermilk into the bananas and mix well. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer) cream the butter and sugar until well combined and lighter in color. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients and the banana mixture in three installments, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then turn out to cool completely on racks.

While the cake cools prepare the frosting by creaming the cream cheese with the butter, then adding the powdered sugar and vanilla.

Fill and frost the cake, then chill for one hour before slicing. (Note: this cake tastes better the next day. Make sure to remove from refrigerator about one hour before eating since banana cake is heavy and tastes much better at room temperature.)

Classic Beef Stew

2011-11-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

With the weather we have had since the weekend, I think this is the perfect recipe. I still can't believe we had snow here in October. I just pray this is not a sign of things to come for the winter. This is a simple recipe that you can use just about any vegetables you wish. Enjoy this with some bread and you have a great meal! This recipe originally comes from Betty Crocker with a few of my own changes.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or shortening

1 lb boneless beef chuck, tip or round roast, cut into 1-inch cubes (stew meat can also be used)

3 cups water (I used instead - 2 cups vegetable broth and 1 cup of V8 juice)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (you can also use a bag of frozen stew vegetables instead of the fresh vegetables listed here)

1 large unpeeled potato, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)

1 dried bay leaf
salt to taste

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons Gold Medal all purpose flour

In 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes. Add beef; cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown on all sides.

Add water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes or until beef is almost tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients except cold water and flour. Cover; cook about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf.

In a tightly covered jar or container, shake cold water and flour; gradually stir into beef mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute until thickened.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

2011-10-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this recipe I really wondered how in the world a slow cooker lasagna would turn out. I didn't really have a lot of confidence in this recipe but I had seen this blogged before so I figured it had to be decent or people would not be blogging it. And it is more than decent. I loved it! I think I will definitely make this again in my slow cooker. It is just sooo good. I added a pound of ground beef and used a bit less sausage but that is just my preference. Also be certain to watch this closely when the cooking time is coming to an end. I cooked this for 6 hours and the edges do start to burn so be careful not to overcook this. Enjoy this with some salad and crusty bread! This recipe comes from Betty Crocker.

1 pound bulk Italian sausage (I added a pound of ground beef)

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

3 cans (15 ounces each) Italian style tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

1 container (15 ounces) part skim ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

15 uncooked lasagna noodles

Cook sausage (and beef if using both) and onion in 10 inch skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt.

Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)

Spoon 1/4 of the sausage mixture into 6 quart slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.

Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender.

Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into pieces.

Jewish Apple Cake

2011-10-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

My apples from Graves Mountain are finally being put to good use besides just being snacked on. I made this Jewish Apple Cake last week and it's definitely a winner. My only change to this recipe would be the glaze. It didn't turn out the way it should have. The recipe calls for a 1/4 cup of butter along with orange juice and sugar, but I would omit the butter all together. Next time I will make a glaze with just orange juice and powdered sugar. This comes from Allrecipes.

2 cups peeled apples, thinly sliced
5 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup orange juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 inch tube pan (I used a Bundt pan).

Mix apples, 5 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. Beat the oil and 2 cups of sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend in the sugar mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla and 1/4 cup of orange juice with the last egg. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and stir into the sugar mixture; mixing until just incorporated. Pour half of the batter into the prepared tube pan. Layer the apple mixture on top, then pour the remaining batter over the apples. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Allow cake to cool for 15 -20 minutes before removing from pan. (The original recipe calls for allowing the cake to cook completely in the pan but I prefer removing the cake earlier).

To make glaze: Combine 1 to 2 cups powdered sugar with several tablespoons orange juice to desired consistency. Drizzle on cake while still slightly warm.

Butternut Squash Soup with Shrimp

2011-10-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Forgive this picture. Not the best that's for sure. I didn't take a picture of the soup in a nice bowl because once I tasted it I was too busy eating it. And that my friends is the sign of a good recipe. A great tasting soup and I'm not a soup person. I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed this soup. It's 2 bowl good...maybe 3 if you are a big meal person. It comes courtesty of Martha Stewart. You can bet I will be making this again. You can spice this up with pepper as hot as you like it. I didn't have any cayenne pepper on hand so I just sprinkled on red pepper flakes with a heavy hand and boy did I love it! Sweet and heat together! Enjoy!

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound frozen large shrimp (peeled and deveined), thawed
1 medium yellow onion, diced small

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves

1 butternut squash

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used red pepper flakes, liberally)

3 cups low sodium chicken broth (I used regular and you may want to up this to 4 cups)

coarse salt (if using low sodium broth)

1/4 cup sour cream (I used a little bit more)

fried sage leaves (optional, I didn't add this)

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate; cover with foil.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon butter, onion and chopped sage; cook until onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add squash, cayenne pepper (or flakes) and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt if desired. Tranfer half the mixture to a blender or food processor. Add sour cream and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pot along with shrimp; stir to combine. To serve, divide soup among four bowls; top with fried sage leaves, if desired.

Caramel Drizzled Pumpkin Poke Cake

2011-10-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

It's pumpkin time again! Thank goodness we have no pumpkin shortage here. This cake is so good and so perfect to have this time of year. I can't imagine anyone not liking it. I literally could not stop eating it.....once slice, two slices.....But they were small ones! I've made this twice in the past two weeks. Once for my family and one for a church fundraiser. I hope you enjoy it. It's simple to make and comes from Betty Crocker.

Cake

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix

1 cup (from 15 oz can) pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie mix

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Topping

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

2 jars (12 oz each) hot fudge topping (I used caramel in holes since hot fudge was too hard to fill in)

1 container Cool Whip (I added 1/2 tsp coconut extract - it was really good. I also added a small container Yoplait French Vanilla Yogurt)

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 tablespoons caramel topping

Heat oven to 350 degrees F or 325 for dark or nonstick pan. Grease or spray bottom only of 13x9 in pan.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake 26 to 33 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.

Immediately poke cake every inch with handle of wooden spoon halfway into cake. Drizzle condensed milk evenly over top of cake; let stand until milk has been absorbed into cake, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place hot fudge in medium microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on High 15 to 30 seconds or until smooth. Spoon and spread over cake, pressing slightly into holes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.

Just before serving, drizzle caramel sauce over each serving of cake. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

Sloppy Joe Goulash (aka Manwich Casserole) and quick and easy Garlic Bread

2011-10-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Don't let the name of this recipe make you pass it by...this is one good meal! Easy as can be......a great week night meal and you can also stretch this into two nights worth. The garlic bread was my husband's idea and it's light and tasty. I came across this in the latest issue of Woman's World. This weeks issue also has some great cookies in it that I will have to try also. This recipe has been tested by a 12 year old so we can say it's kid friendly. Next year I guess I will have to start using the term "teen friendly." He will not be a KID anymore I guess but a teen. Hope the obnoxiousness doesn't start too soon. I've been down that road twice already and earned every one of my gray hairs!

Went to Graves Mountain this past weekend and picked up a ton of apples so stay tuned for apple recipes. I already have my eye on a pie I want to make. This is such a great time of year for cooking. The weather has finally cooled a bit and it's so nice having the oven on and smelling a freshly baked cake. Yesterday in fact I had on the slow cooker and you cook honestly smell the lasagna I was cooking way outside.....Yes, a lasagna in a slow cooker. And it was GREAT....who knew? I will also be posting that soon. For now, enjoy the Sloppy Joe Goulash....and the easy garlic bread.

(My changes were to mix everything together at the end and not just serve the goulash on top of egg noodles. I also sprinkled some Mexician Blend cheese on top and put foil on the dish so it would melt quickly. Instead of using 2 fresh carrots I used a can of carrots and sliced them up since that was what I had on hand. They may sound weird in this dish but they are so good...very sweet and flavorful.)

1 lb ground beef
2 carrots, diagonally sliced, 1 cup
1 onion, chopped, 1 cup
1 jar (4.5 oz) mushrooms, drained
1 can (15.5 oz) Manwich Sloppy Joe sauce
8 oz egg noodles (or any pasta), cooked, drained

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add carrots, onion and mushrooms. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, 10-12 minutes. Add sauce and 1/4 cup water; cook, uncovered, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve over noodles or mix together.

Garlic Bread

Sub rolls

olive oil spray

garlic powder

paprika

Slice sub rolls and then cut each slice diagonally. Spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with garlic powder and paprika as desired. Pop in toaster and toast!!!! This is so simple and light!

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping

2011-10-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in my "To Try" folder and it's from Bon Appetit, September 2008. I think it's about time that I try it already! I hadn't realized that the recipes in there go back 3 years (and probably longer). Part of me wants to just throw the whole bulging folder out and the other half says there's a reason I kept these recipes. So we'll see what happens. I kept a few and thrown out a few but have a ton more to check out. Let's just say I am glad this one became a "keeper." It's very, very good. I've already made this twice in the past 3 weeks. Had extra bananas that were way overripe just laying around and this recipe won out over trying a new banana cake recipe. Yes, it's THAT good. My only change from the original recipe was adding dried cranberries since I have a bunch of these way too long already that I needed to use up. They are a perfect addition to this bread. I doubled the recipe and made two so I have another one of these babies just waiting in the freezer for me!

It's apple season here again and I'm sure I will be bringing back a bunch of apples from Graves Mountain. Hope to have a slew of new apples recipes to try. If you have any really good ones you'd like to suggest please let me know. I'll be having plenty of apples to use up and one can make but only so many apple pies!!!!

Makes one 9 x 5 in loaf

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed bananas (2 to 3 medium)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup water

2 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 9 x 5 x 3 inch metal baking pan. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Whisk next 5 ingredients in large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients; stir to blend. (if using cranberries add and gently stir at this point). Transfer batter to pan. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and brown sugar; sprinkle over batter.

Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool bread in p

an 30

minutes. Turn pan on its side, slide out bread, being careful not to dislodge topping. Turn bread right side up and cool completely.

Chicken and Apple Curry

2011-09-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

I made this dish several weeks ago and I'm ready to make it again! It's a nice twist on the usual chicken recipes. The apple gives it a touch of sweetness and the curry a touch of spice. It's also a nice recipe to have in the fall when there is an abundance of apples in this area. We usually go up to Graves Mountain in Syria, Virginia and stock up on apples at their apple festival. About that time is when I start going on a recipe hunt for anything with apples! I can't say this is kid friendly since my son wouldn't try it but it cerainly is adult friendly! I found this at a good old allrecipes! So often I find a recipe there when it is featured as recipe of the day. This was one of those.

3 tablespoons butter

2 small onions, chopped

2 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 tablespoon curry powder

8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 cup hot chicken broth

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute apple and onion in butter or margarine until tender. Add curry powder and saute 1 minute more. Add flour and continue to cook 1 minute longer. Add stock or broth and milk; stir well.

Salt and pepper chicken breasts to taste and lay in a single layer in a 9x13 inch (or larger) baking dish. I ended up using 2 pans.

Pour sauce mixture over chicken breasts and bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until chicken is done.

No recipe just Schweddy Balls!

2011-09-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist posting this picture of Ben & Jerry's latest ice cream flavor. If you watch Saturday Night Live this will sound familiar. This was not an easy find. Found only one container of this at a local grocery store. I read one blogger's review of this ice cream and they stated that it had rum flavoring. I wasn't sure that I would care for this since I am not a big fan of rum but to be honest it just tastes like vanilla to me! It has small malt balls scattered throughout the batter....It is really, really good. Definitely give this a try in the near future because this won't be a regular flavor. I believe they are making one more batch and that will be it. Am I saving the container? You bet!

Banana Bars

2011-09-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

I've baked these bars several times now and have finally taken same pics of them so I can share them with you! These are really more cakey than you would think. They are wonderful. I brought them to work the first time I made them and they were an instant hit! The frosting is so good. So good in fact that I got carried away and started eating it right out of the bowl, which is not good to do! Also, you can replace the sour cream wth some yogurt if you like. I didn't have sour cream on hand the second time I made this so I just used strawberry/banana yogurt and it came out fine. I found these over at Cafe Zupas. Delicious!

Bars

1/2 cup butter, softenend

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream
1 teapsoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the wet batter. Finally, mix in the mashed banana. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the bars to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar

In a bowl, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until completely smooth.

Baked Pork Chops with White Wine Sauce

2011-09-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

If you feel like pork chops but would just like to have them with a little something extra, then this might just be the recipe you are looking for. I hadn't made breaded pork chops in quite a while and when I saw these were to be baked plus have a wine sauce I just had to give them a shot. Delicious! Allrecipes strikes again! I made these with some mashed potatoes on the side. This makes a great gravy so mashed potatoes are perfect.

It's been cool here ever since yesterday and it feels good. I can definitely handle temps in the 50's and 60's. Don't know what this weekend will bring since I am working a half day tomorrow and NOT looking forward to that. But I am looking forward to fall. I forsee myself once again baking and using apples in lots of recipes! Have a great weekend everyone!

6 pork chops (I used 1 in. boneless pork cutlets)

1 teaspoon garlice powder

1 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups Italian style breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse pork chops, pat dry and season with garlic powder and seasoning salt. Place the beaten eggs in a small bowl. Dredge the pork chops lightly in flour, dip in the egg and coat liberally with bread crumbs.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure oil is hot so chops brown well and get a bit crispy. Fry the chops 5 minutes per side or until breading appears well browned. Transfer the chops to a 9x13 inch baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. While baking, combine the cream of mushroom soup, milk and white wine in a medium bowl. After the pork chops baked for an hour, cover them with the soup mixture. Replace foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

Easy Chocolate Pudding

2011-09-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like we have survived the rains of the past few days. Would you believe the rain was so bad here this week (and especially last night) that the county schools were closed!!! They are using their "snow days" already. Let's hope that we have some sunshine here for a while. We're all going to Kings Dominion tomorrow so I'm really hoping the sun stays out. Amusement parks are definitely no fun in the rain!

Here is a recipe though that is fun and delicious! It comes from Coleens food blog. Please check out her blog if you are not familiar with it. Every recipe I have tried from her site is a winner. This one too!!! And easy. The only change I made was not to add the coffee. It was quite chocolately without it. I also love pudding "skin" so I did not put plastic wrap on it. Another must is whipped cream. It just adds so much to it. This is so much better than boxed pudding and worth the extra steps!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay dry!!!

1/2 cup brown sugar
3 rounded tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk (not low fat)
1 tablespoon strong coffee
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, whisk all of the dry ingredients together until there are no lumps (this will also help incorporate it into the liquids). Whisk in the evaporated milk and coffee, until smooth.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with rubber spatula. When the mixture starts to thicken, turn the heat down to medium low. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking, stirring constantly (in figure 8 motion), for one minute.
Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into dessert dishes and place plastic wrap (if you don't care for skin) or waxed paper directly on the surface of the hot pudding. Chill completely and serve with whipped cream.

Brownie Goodie Bars by Betty Crocker

2011-09-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

These are a basic brownie with a bit "extra" added and boy were they ever good. Don't think I would eat these on a daily basis but they certainly are a nice treat. I found myself just picking at these all day long as they sat around. Although the brownie and frosting are both from a mix you can certainly use a homemade one. I have just been into trying mixes lately and adding extra ingredients to them. So far most have been successes!

I can't believe that it's the start of another school year. This summer has just flown by. My son is definitely ready for school though and looking forward to 7th grade. I think he is really glad that he is not a 6th grader any more and at the bottom of the totem pole in middle school!

1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker Original Supreme Premium brownie mix (or your own from scratch)
Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on the brownie mix box
1 cup Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting (from 16 oz container) Or your own homemade frosting
1/2 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 cups crisp rice cereal
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 1/3 cups (8 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom only of a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.)
Make and bake brownies are directed on box. Cool completely.
Frost brownies with frosting. Sprinikle with peanuts; refrigerate while making cereal mixture.
Measure cereal into medium bowl; set aside. In 1-quart saucepan, melt peanut butter and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Spread over frosted brownies. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set before cutting. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store lightly covered at room temperature or in refrigerator.

Zucchini Coconut Layer Cake

2011-08-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

This has now become my new favorite cake. And it's not even chocolate! It starts with a cake mix (my latest craze) and you just bump it up from there. I could literally just eat this icing out of a bowl. It's a marshmallow icing which is my favorite. It makes so much icing that I have a chocolate cake in the oven since I need to use up the rest of it! But really.....this cake is just the best I've had in a very long time. The recipe comes from Woman's World.

We survived Hurrican Irene with hardly any real damage in the northern Virginia area. We're very lucky. I had been down in Richmond on Saturday and made the (dumb) decision to drive back up to northern Virginia since it wasn't really "that bad." Well, down there it was way worse than here. I was greeted on the highway with a huge fallen tree across all three lanes.....then on the next highway that I needed to get on to the first thing I saw was a car turned upside down. That's when my heart started to race and I even thought of pulling off I-95 and staying in a motel for the night. But I just slowed down and took my time getting back home. There were numerous cars that spun out. I guess from traveling too fast. But I made it back safe and swore NEVER again to when there is a chance of a hurricane ahead. Stupid...stupid.....

Anyhow, here is this simple, fantastic and easy recipe. Oh and a tip.....I don't care to have any kind of green color from the zucchini skin to be seen in the cake. This type of cake, in my humble opinion just looks so much prettier if you peel the zucchini which is what I did. But that's just my opinion here!

Cake

1 package (18.25 oz) French vanilla cake mix (couldn't find French vanilla here so I used just a yellow mix)
3 eggs

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil
2 medium zucchini, 14 oz., grated, 2 cups
1/2 tsp coconut extract (my addition)
Frosting

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 container (16 oz) Marshmallow Fluff
2 1/2 cups confectioners's sugar
2 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract (preferably clear)
2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 2 (8") round cake pans with cooking spray. On medium speed, beat together cake mix, eggs, 1 cup water and oil (and extract, if using). Stir in zucchini. Evenly divide between pans. Bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on rack 20 minutes. Transfer from pans to racks; cool completely, 30 minutes.

Meanwhile on medium speed, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add Fluff; beat until combined. On low, gradually beat in sugar, then coconut and vanilla extracts.

Place one cake layer on serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining layer. Spread cake top and side with remaining frosting. Press coconut onto side of cake. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.

Chicken Skillet Supper

2011-08-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

I love recipes that use only one pan. This is one of them. It's from the show Ciao Italia with my favorite Italian cook, Mary Ann Esposito. I bought her first book probably a good 20 years ago and still cook from it. She also has a show here on WETA. While I like Food Network I much prefer this station. They also feature America's Test Kitchen, Lidia and Cook's Country. They don't show anyone going to the stores in their BMW - sorry Ina Garten fans but that just turns me off. I like a cooking show that is just that and gets to the point. This recipe is a winner! So tasty and simple. I will be making this again maybe changing things up a bit....a different vegetable and maybe pork chops! The sauce that this makes is delicious. Hope you try it and like it as much as I did.

2 tablespoon pine nuts (I omitted these since no one here cares for them except me)

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon celery salt (I used a dash of celery seed)
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3 pounds cut up chicken pieces, washed and dried (I used boneless chicken thighs)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup water
1 medium onion, chopped
3 small redskin potatoes, cut in quarters (I used 4 medium sized ones)
1/2 cup prepared tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 pound green beans cut into thirds

Toast the pine nuts (if using) in a small non stick saute pan over medium heat until they are fragrant and lightly browned. Transfer to a dish.
Combine the salt, pepper, oregano, celery salt and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Mix well, then rub it evenly over the chicken pieces.

Heat the oil in a large heavy duty saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

Brown the chicken pieces skin side down a few at a time if necessary. Do NOT crowd the pan or the chicken will steam instead of brown. Add the lemon juice and water, cover the pan and simmer 30 minutes, turning the pieces every 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and set aside. Add onion and potato to the pan; increase the heat to medium high and saute 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, chicken broth or wine and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in beans and return the chicken to the pan.

Cover and simmer over medium heat about 10 minutes or until beans are tender. Serve with some of the sauce and a sprinkling of pine nuts over the top.

Peaches 'n Cream Cake

2011-08-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here right now and enjoying the cake that I am blogging about. Oh is this good......I made this yesterday and it is just wonderful. Sooo super easy too. This starts with a box mix. I have to say that when you add additional ingredients to a box cake it just adds a lot to the cake itself. It not only tastes great but is sooo economical too. I've made many yellow cakes from scratch that have turned out so dry or just not good. One of my favorites uses 8 egg yolks. Sorry that's a lot of wasted egg whites. And 8 yolks are alot......Since I've been blogging and trying all kinds of cake recipes there are some that are just wonderful from scratch that a box mix can't match but as far as a yellow cake goes a boxed version with added ingredients can be quite good. This recipe is definitely one of those. One tip though with making this cake is that if you use frozen peaches to decorate the cake, make sure you thaw and blot them dry with a paper towel or they will get runny on top of the cake. Also if you add the colored sugar like I did, make double sure they are dry!

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix

1 container (6 oz) Yoplait Original 99% Fat Free harvest peach yogurt

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping

2 cups frozen (thawed) reduced-fat whipped topping

1 container (6 oz) Yoplait Original 99% Fat Free harvest peach yogurt

2 cups frozen sliced peaches (from 16-oz bag), thawed, drained

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour.

In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

Bake 32 to 36 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a small bowl, mix whipped topping and 1 container yogurt until blended. Serve cake with peaches and topping mixture.

Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

Sweetie Pie

2011-08-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

I love the name of this pie! That alone caught my attention and the fact that it is a 5 ingredient or less recipe. I came across this in the latest issue of Woman's Day and knew it was just a matter of time until I made it. It is soooo easy that ANYONE can make it. And you just can't mess this one up. It's that simple. It's also very different than the usual chocolate pie since it somewhat hardens after it's refrigerated. It kind of reminds me of a cheesecake but withoust being nearly as heavy. You don't need a big slice of this however to feel full. It's very chocolately so a little goes a long way.

Enjoy!!!

1 15 oz container part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 lb semisweet chocolate, chopped, plus more for shaving

6 oz ready to fill chocolate cookie pie crust

1 cup heavy cream

Place the ricotta in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high, stirring every 15 seconds, until no longer cold, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth.

Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high, stirring every 15 seconds, until the chocolate is melted and smooth, about 1 minute.

Add the warm chocolate to the food processor and puree until fully incorporated and very smooth. Spread the mixture into the crust and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.

When ready to serve, using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the pie and top with shaved chocolate, if desired.

Can You Stand Another Krispy Kreme Recipe????

2011-08-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

Here's one more Krispy Kreme recipe that I had come across a while back on Cheryl's blog. Somehow, this also made it's way to my husband who just couldn't wait to try it. Of course I took a sip and it was good but I just couldn't drink it. Nothing wrong with it....but I just couldn't drink it. I'd rather use those calories on a good ole chocolate bar or piece of chocolate cake. Of course, my husband loved it. But then again, It's Krispy Kreme!!!! I think that kids, of course, would enjoy it.

Had a great time at the beach this weekend and just wish we didn't have to leave. The water was so warm. I haven't been in the ocean in years since it's felt quite this warm. I want to get there again before the summer ends.

Saw a very good movie last night called Source Code. It was in theatres a while back. I recommend it if you like a good love/action story with a twist. It has a surprise ending so I won't give that away. But it is very good. Glee is opening this weekend and so is Final Destination 5. Love horror movies and can't wait to see this one. Hopefully it will be better than the last few.

If you make the milkshake - enjoy!!!

Vanilla Ice Cream

2 Krispy Kreme donuts chopped up (can use more if you like)

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

Add all this together in your blender and mix well. (walk at least 3 miles afterward to burn off the calories!)

Another Crazy Krispy Kreme Donut Recipe!!!

2011-08-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

I know, I know....this is a crazy, insane recipe! Let me also tell you that I only had a bite of this. It's not my kind of food. My husband is an absolute Krispy Kreme nut and he wanted to see what one of their donuts would taste like if that was used on a BLT sandwich instead of bread. He LOVED it. But he is very partial to these donuts. (We were out of bacon so we used ham instead.) I thought it would be fun to post this. Kind of reminds me of when my oldest son was little and he was such a picky eater. I ended up making him chocolate farina just so he could have a "healthy" breakfast!!! Don't even ask what it looked like or tasted like but he did eat it and loved it! Just imagine telling your kids that you are having BLT's for dinner or lunch and then serving them on a Krispy Kreme donut!!! I think that would bring a big smile! Well, probably if they are very little. I think if they were older there might be an "eeewwww!" Anyhow, I thought this would be a fun recipe to post and you can take it seriously or just take it with a grain of salt and laugh....

Enjoy the weekend. I'll be at the beach under an umbrella with a big hat on looking like an old lady! I'm sure I'll go in for a dip with my youngest son but I do love to just sit there and watch the ocean. I also like to eat. (Surprise, huh?). There is a place at the beach where we have dinner that has the most delicious flounder I have ever eaten. It is huge and just so tasty. I always leave there so full that I want to explode. I'm already anticipating this so it's cereal for me with fruit for dinner tonight. I'll make up for all the calories this weekend! Have a great one everybody!

Recipe: Just add your bacon, lettuce and tomato to a sliced Krsipy Kreme donut. Please let me know if any of you brave people out there try this!

Black eyed Pea Salad

2011-08-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

My daughter in law made this salad a few weeks back. I had never thought of using black eyed peas for a cold salad but let me tell you they work perfectly! The recipe comes from Simple & Delicious Magazine. This is great for this time of year since there is no mayo that is used. Nice change from the traditional potato and pasta salad and it's pretty healthy and nutritious too. This is best eaten after it sits in the fridge for several hours or the next day. Don't keep it too long though because the avocado will darken after a day or so. I don't belive this would fall into the "kid friendly" category since it's not the prettiest salad and my son wanted no part of tasting it!

Can you believe it is August already? The summer is going way too fast and I don't want it to end. It's hot out there but I don't care. I'll take this weather any time over cold winter days! I'm hoping to get down to the beach again too before summer is over. Oh, the beach....why can't it be closer!

1 15 ounce can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 avocado, cut into bite size pieces

1 large green pepper, cut up to any desired size

1 large red pepper, cut up to any desired size

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/3 cup Italian salad dressing

Drain can of black eyed peas and rinse well. Chop up peppers into any desired size. Cut up avocado into bite size pieces. Cut up 2 tomatoes to desired size. Place in large salad bowl and add 1/3 cup Italian salad dressing. Mix together so all vegetables are covered with dressing. Cover and chill in refrigerator several hours or overnight.

Lemonade Party Cake

2011-07-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

This cake had me loving it before I even tasted it! It just looked so good! It did not disappoint at all. I will definitely be taking this to a party or potluck during the summer months. It is a perfect summertime cake. It's so easy to make also. It starts with a cake mix but you could also use any favorite lemon or yellow cake for this. I have literally been thinking about this cake and when I am going to have another slice. Is this crazy? Maybe I am "cake crazy!" Since you also drizzle the lemonade over the cake it reminds me of a poke cake, which I also love. Come to think of it there really are not too many cakes that I don't love! Hope you will give this one a try. It's so perfect with this heat wave we are having.

Adapted from Betty Crocker (some additions and the frosting are my own.

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist lemon yellow cake mix - I used yellow and would stick with that
Water, Vegetable oil and eggs as called for on cake mix box
1 can (6 ox) frozen lemonade, thawed
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Make cake as specified on box in 9 x 13 in. pan. Cool for 15 minutes.
Mix lemonade concentrate and powdered sugar. Pierce top of cake every 1/2" with long tinged fork. Drizzle lemonade mixture evenly over cake. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled.

Frosting

2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, softenend

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp coconut extract

shredded, sweetened coconut

yellow sugar

Mix cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add coconut extract and mix again. Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until desired consistently. If not sweet enough, add more sugar as desired.

Spread evenly over cake. Sprinkle yellow sugar over cake. Add shredded coconut to outline of cake. Garnish with lemon slices if desired.

Strawberry Icebox Cake

2011-07-19T14:37:00.001-07:00

I still have more crazy Krispy Kreme recipes coming up and planned on posting them back to back but with the heatwave we are having I thought this recipe would be perfect. Right now in Virginia we are having temperatures in the low to mid 90's but by Thursday the temperature is expected to soar to 101 degrees. It's expected to remain that high through the weekend. See why I thought this would be a great dessert to post right now? I'm not complaining at all though. I just wish I felt better right now. I have a "wonderful" summer cold/flu and I'm just dragging. I had plans to spend time with my daughter in law and granddaughter but of course whenever one plans something there's always a good chance of it not working out! Especially if you've already taken days off work in advance. What do they say about the best laid plans???

Getting back to the recipe - I found this in the latest issue (August) of Womans Day. This really hits the spot. It has some healthy ingredients and then some just plain delicious ones. I don't know what I did wrong but the cake is supposed to have the wafers looking like stripes. This old brain just couldn't figure out (even with directions) how to do this so my wafers look like wafers and not stripes. Oh well, the taste is the same. I can't even begin to tell you how delicious this is. I can't wait to have another slice of this later on tonight. (Yes, I still eat even when I'm sick.....if I don't eat then I know there is a really BIG problem!). Please, please make this if you don't want to heat up the kitchen this time of year. I promise you will not be disappointed. It is THAT good!

1 lb strawberries, hulled

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 oz envelope unflavored gelatin (from a 1 oz box)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
27 chocolate wafer cookies (such as Famous Chocolate Wafers)

Line the bottom of an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 in loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. In a food processor, pulse the strawberries, sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Transfer 1/4 cup of strawberry mixture to a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let stand for 1 minute. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the gelatin dissolves, about 2 minutes. Transfer the gelatin mixture to the food processor and pulse to combine.

Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and yogurt in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold the strawberry mixture into the yogurt-cream mixture until fully incorporated.

Arrange 3 cookies, spacing them evenly, on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place 3 cookies standing up against each long side of the pan. Using 2 cookies on opposite sides as your guide, place 6 cookies standing up in the mixture between them, creating a row of 8 cookies. Repeat with the rest of the cookies. (You should have 3 total rows of 8 cookies each).

Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, invert the cake onto a cutting board and remove pan and parchment. Cut crosswise into slices.

(I just realized there is an instructional video for this cake at www.womansday.com/icebox. This should help any confusion - I should have watched this first!).

Krispy Kreme Meatloaf

2011-07-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read the name of this recipe correctly. This is a Krispy Kreme Meatloaf and believe it or not, it's very good. I wouldn't make a habit of using a donut instead of breadcrumbs or oats this but it's a fun recipe every now and again that will surprise people! My husband is a huge Krispy Kreme fan and he just loves his Krispy Kreme donuts. He had seen several recipes on the internet using the donuts and wanted to give this one a try. I had my doubts, believe me! We've made a Krispy Kreme milkshake too and I'll be posting that soon. Would I make this again - maybe. Only maybe because I have a hard time wanting to eat a meatloaf that has donut stuffing. I'd rather just plain enjoy the donut itself! Besides, I like mine with sprinkles! If you want to try this out of curiousity by all means do. It tastes just fine. You can definitely surprise your family halfway through the meal by telling them they are also enjoying a donut in their meatloaf!

The meatloaf recipe I used is by Paula Deen. What I changed was using a donut for the filling instead of quick oats.

1 lb ground beef

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

8 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

1 1/2 Krispy Kreme glazed donut cut lengthwise in half and then diced into small pieces

Topping

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine meat loaf ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a baking dish and shape into a loaf.

In a small bowl, mix topping ingredients and spread on loaf. Bake 1 hour, or until cooked through. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Pasta Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

2011-06-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

Seems I have gotten off the track again and not been blogging as consistently as I planned to. I will blame it on summer though! With school out and the weather being so nice I am not inside all that much. The beach last week was great. My son swam and swam in the water and thoroughly enjoyed riding the waves! It was cold but not as cold as I thought it would be. I promised him I would get in the water next time. Hopefully the water will be a bit warmer and I won't chicken out. I FINALLY found a bathing suit. There is not much worse as far as I'm concerned than looking for a new bathing suit. Ugh! Mirrors do not lie and 54 years old is not pretty anymore. I don't care what anyone says about age being a "state of mind." When it's time to shop for a bathing suit age is just plain age. I'm just glad the "search" is over.
This is a chicken salad my husband made a few weeks back and it's definitely "blog worthy." A really nice twist on the usual chicken salad since this uses Greek Fat Free yogurt. It has a wonderful and refreshing lemon taste to it. I hope you give this a try because it really is delicious!
Dressing
2 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait Greek Fat Free honey vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons poppy seed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Salad
2 cups uncooked penne or rotini pasta
2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients using wire whisk until well blended. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use.
Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Rinse with cold water; drain.
In large bowl, mix cooked pasta, chicken, spinach, grapes and celery. Stir dressing; pour over salad and toss gently to coat. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving. Stir in almonds, reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish, if desired.
This recipe comes from Betty Crocker.

Blueberry Orange Loaf and My 3rd Blogiversary!

2011-06-17T14:47:00.001-07:00

Now is the time to bake with blueberries, at least here in Virginia! I made this a few weeks back and it was delicious. Just the right combination of flavors. Great for breakfast, a snack or dessert. I found this over at Taste and Tell blog. They adapted it from Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather stays nice and warm over the weekend. We are going to the beach and I can't wait. There's nothing like watching and swimming in the ocean, as long as it's not too rough.

Another note here: Tomorrow is my blogs 3rd Blogiversary!!! I can't believe I have been doing this 3 years already! I still enjoy it and it's definitely become a part of my life. Whenever I cook or bake anything, I'm always thinking "should I post this?" Rarely do I ever cook or bake when my blog does not come to mind!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and the weather stays warm and sunny!

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

zest of one orange

3 cups all -purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1 1/3 cups milk

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup cooking oil (I used olive oil)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of one 9x5x3" loaf pan; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl combine blueberries, the 1 tablespoon flour and orange peel. Toss lightly to mix. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine 3 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in blueberry mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. If necessary, cover with foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Pasta, Broccoli and Chicken

2011-06-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is one of those recipes that I just love. Easy to make, tasty and goes a long way. We had this for dinner last week and my son loved it so much that he had it for a snack when he came home from school!!! I found this once again on Allrecipes. Between reading all the food blogs that I do and searching Allrecipes it's a wonder that I would even have cookbooks anymore. It's funny because of all the cookbooks that I do have, I always go back to the first one I ever owned - Doubleday Cookbook.....It's around 30 years old but it still has just about every recipe you would want in it. I have always used this for a reference if I'm not sure how to cook something. Almost like having an old pair of shoes you don't ever want to part with!

It has been hot, hot and hot here the past few days. We spent one afternoon at the pool and that's it. It's even too hot for that! We're talking record breaking temperatures. But that is ok with me. I'd rather it be like this than be cold and have snow - no thank you!!!! Anyhow, this recipe is very versatile. You can use more or less of one ingredient depending on your taste. The recipe below is exactly as it appears in Allrecipes, but I used more of each ingredient since I had about 2 pounds of chicken instead of 1.....

12 ounces rigatoni pasta (I used penne)

1/2 lb fresh broccoli florets

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons pesto (I used 4)

1 cup chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile blanch broccoli florets in a medium size saucepan, remove with a slotted spoon. In same pan saute the minced garlic and pesto sauce in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and set aside.

In a large bowl toss cooked pasta with blanced broccoli, cooked chicken and garlic/tomato mixture. Add grated Parmesan cheese, salt and ground black pepper and mix well. Serve warm.

Strawberry Summer Cake

2011-06-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

I baked this cake last week and have already seen this on several other blogs since then. It is one plain and simple cake but absolutely bursting with flavor and so delicious. I plan on making this again next week since strawberries are still plentiful in this area. It's absolutely perfect for a light dessert with some freshly whipped cream. I'd suggest eating this within a day or two since you use so many strawberries and they may become soggy after too long. It only lasted here one day!!! Don't be afraid to overload this with strawberries. Before I put this in the oven it looked like I had too many berries but I could have even used more. Just pile them on top. They will form a jam after a while that just enhances the entire flavor of the cake. I do recommend making this as soon as possible. You won't be sorry. I found this over at Smitten Kitchen and linking this directly to the recipe! Enjoy and hope everyone has a great weekend. We having warm, dry weather here so outdoor activities are a must!!!

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

2011-05-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from Jenn's Food Journey. She has a wonderful food blog with tons of great recipes. Hope you will check her site out! I had seen this on her site a while back and kept wanting to make it and finally got around to it. It is soooo good! It's perfect with this warm (hot, humid) weather we have been having here the past few days. Hey, I'm not complaining. This is way better than all the rain last month and the month before that! This recipe is so easy to make and of course, kid friendly (adults will devour this too)! Needless to say it didn't last long around here. My son packed it away in no time but my husband and I did get a chance to have a slice too!

1 1/2 cups cold milk

1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped peanut butter cups, divided

1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 chocolate crumb crust (8 or 9 inches) I used a graham cracker crust since I already had one

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in 1 cup chopped peanut butter cups. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Cover and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving. Garnish with the remaining peanut butter cups. Yield 6-8 servings.

Farfelle with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

2011-05-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

I am so glad the weekend is finally here! I am even happier that I am not sitting on I95 right now in a ton of traffic. Holiday weekends in northern Virginia spell one thing - Major Traffic! We usually head to the beach on holiday weekends but not this year. Instead we'll probably go in a few weeks when there is no traffic. Makes a lot more sense to me.

This recipe comes from the January 2006 issue of Bon Appetit. It is exactly the kind of dish I love to make and eat. I love one dish meals and my favorites always have pasta in them. This goes a long way and is very versatile. You can add some of your own extra ingredients if you like or just have it the way the recipes states. It's a winner and one I will make again and again.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and lots of fun!!! Let the sun keep shining!

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (I omitted this since my son doesn't care for spicy food)

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 28-0unce can crushed tomatoes with added puree

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 pound farfalle (bow-tie pasta)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (I used dried)

Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and crushed red pepper. Saute until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; saute until onion is tender and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooked liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add sausage mixture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry. Transfer pasta to serving dish. Sprinkle with basil. Serve, adding cheese.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

2011-05-24T12:16:00.001-07:00

These delicious bars are courtesy of my husband who made them last week. Needless to say, they were very, very good! It's always a treat to come home and find a nice surprise like this. I printed out the recipe but cannot find the source of it. I believe this is a Betty Crocker recipe though. All I can say is that if you like cheesecake and chocolate then this is the dessert for you!

I think summer has finally arrived. We have had several days of warm, humid weather and I am not complaining. I hope it's here to stay this time but the rain can definitely stay away! Anyone out there watch Amercian Idol? I am addicted to that show and have been since it first aired years ago. I won't even guess who might win since my favorite was already voted off. I really liked James and was shocked that he was voted off and not even in the top 3. Oh well, I guess you just never know.

CRUST

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

FILLING

10 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DOUGH

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dash salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

TOPPING

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x9x2 inch pan with foil, leaving extra foil extending over edges. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in miniature chocolate chips. Press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake 6 minutes or until set; cool on wire rack. Decrease oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar at low speed until smooth. Beat in egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla just until blended. Pour filling into crust.

In same large bowl, beat 5 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and salt at medium speed 1 minute or until blended. Beat in flour at low speed just until incorporated. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Drop teaspoonsfuls of dough over filling. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until top feels dry and looks set when shaken slightly. Cool completely.

Dip fork into melted chocolate chips; drizzle chocolate over top of bars. Let stand until set.

Using foil edges, lift bars from pan; peel away foil. Cut into 16 pieces; serve at room temperature. (Bars can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Citrus Garlic Shrimp

2011-05-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

I think I am slowly getting back in the groove of posting more regularly. I'm also baking and cooking more regularly too. I think I went into a blogging and baking slump there for a while........This recipe comes from the Taste of Home Annual Quick Cooking cookbook. I found two of these in a thrift store and love them! I think that Quick Cooking has become Simple & Delicious but I liked it better when it was Quick Cooking. Way less advertisements!

Anyhow when I came across this recipe, I realized that my daughter in law had just made it a few days earlier. It's very, very good. The lemon flavor comes out the most. If you're not a serious lemon lover you may want to reduce the amount added to this dish. However, if you love lemon then this amount would be fine! It's so simple to prepare and pairs off great with a salad and crusty bread (dripping in butter, of course!). I used jumbo uncooked frozen shrimp and they were so good....I will definitely be making this one again!

1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil (I used olive)

1/2 cup orange juice

1/3 cup lemon juice

3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

5 teaspoons grated lemon peel

4 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 package linguine (1 lb) I used thin spaghetti

1 pound uncooked medium (I used jumbo) shrimp, peeled and deveined

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Fresh parsley

In a blender or food processor, combine the first 8 ingredients; cover and process until blended. Pour into a large skillet; heat through. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Add shrimp to garlic mixture; cook for 5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Thicken if desired. Drain pasta; top with shrimp. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Best Strawberry Bread

2011-05-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

The name of this recipe says it all. It is not only the best strawberry bread but the very BEST quick, sweet bread that I've ever baked. A hands down favorite. I know that I bake lots of banana breads and have tried other sweet breads but this is so good that I hope you try it. I made this last week and will make it again this week. It didn't last long here. The original recipe (which I am posting) states that this makes 2 large loaves or 6 small ones. I halved the recipe since I didn't know if I would like it or not and it made one 9 x 5-in loaf pan. It baked for slightly under 60 minutes and only filled the loaf pan halfway up. Next time I am making the full recipe. What I also did was add a teaspoon of sugar to my sliced strawberries and let them sit out for about a half hour so a small amount of syrup formed from the sugar added to the berries. I then cut down slightly on the sugar the recipe called for. This time of year I seem to always have strawberries on hand so this recipe is perfect to have so you can use them all up. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

(from Taste and Tell Blog)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sugar (use slighly less if you add sugar to your strawberries)

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup cooking oil (I used vegetable oil)

2 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray loaf pans lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients except strawberries and mix together with a wooden spoon. Stir in the berries.

Place the batter in the prepared pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes for small loaf pans or about 60 minutes for large loaf pans. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Strawberry Schaum Torte

2011-05-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

Well Blogger deleted this post that I first blogged about yesterday. I certainly hope it publishes it this time and it doesn't disappear! Would you believe that I tossed the recipe away since I figured I now had it stored on my blog! Oh well, just click here for the recipe. This is not my type of dessert but my husband loved it. I like something a bit more cakey. This is a meringue, so if you enjoy that type of dessert you will definitely like this. I'm not writing much more because I don't trust Blogger and don't want to end up seeing this disappearing too!!!! If you do make this dessert however, I would only use 6 egg whites and cut back on the remaining ingredients also. It made way too much and did not fit in the pan. Had to toss a bunch of it!

Pecan Sour Cream Pound Cake

2011-05-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

I was looking for some pound cakes recipes last week since I hadn't made one in a while and came across this one on allrecipes. It fit the bill since I had a container of sour cream I needed to use. The difference in the cake I made however is that I used almonds instead of pecans. So good! I also added some almond extract. My glaze did not turn out as thick as I would have liked but it worked out fine. I also used all purpose flour instead of cake flour and I think you can really use either. I've made tons of pound cakes before and never used cake flour. Definitely try this one but I can tell you that mine took about 15 minutes longer to bake than the recipe states so be prepared for a longer bake time.

Would you believe that I went to another amusement park this weekend? This time to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virgina. That makes 3 amusement park visits since the middle of April! Even though I don't go on the rides I had a fun time watching my oldest son (26) taking my youngest son (12) on all the coasters. They had a blast! At least my legs are getting a good workout!

1/4 cup chopped pecans (I used almonds)

3 cups cake flour (I used all purpose)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter

3 cups white sugar

6 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

(I also used 1/2 teaspoon almond extract)

1 cup sour cream

Glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt or tube pan. Sprinkle pecans (almonds) on bottom of pan; set aside. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda into a medium bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream. Pour batter over pecans in prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 75 to 90 minutes (mine took close to 2 hours), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.

To prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, orange juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Drizzle over cake while still warm.

Golden Baked Chicken

2011-04-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is a very interesting recipe that I found on Allrecipes. I will definitely make this many more times. What is so interesting about it is that it doesn't use breadcrumbs in the coating but dried potato flakes! When I found this recipe I knew I just HAD to try it. I love trying recipes that use alternative ingredients instead of just the usual ingredients. I used boneless chicken thighs for this and I have to admit I am not that big a fan of boneless thighs. I prefer the ones with the bones in them or chicken breasts. This coating however is just great. Unfortunately I had forgotten to add paprika since that probably would have given the chicken greater color and flavor and I will have to remember to add that in next time I make these. I have a habit of forgetting to add an ingredient and thank goodness it didn't make that much difference with this recipe.

Glad the weekend is here. Sometimes I really enjoy working but it's tough when the weather is so nice like it has been here lately. Hoping to do some outdoor activities this weekend and just have fun! Oh, and having a chocolate cake baking in the oven and looking forward to having it later tonight also helps!!!!

2 cups instant mashed potato flakes

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

1 tablespoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon garlic salt (I used garlic powder and 1/2 tsp salt)

3/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 (3 pound) broiler/fryer chickens, cut up and skin removed (I used 8 boneless chicken thighs)

1 cup butter or margarine, melted (I used butter)

In a bowl, combine the potato flakes, Parmesan cheese, parsley, paprika, garlic salt, onion powder and pepper. Dip chicken into butter, then into potato flake mixture. (I sprinkled some butter also on top of coating).

Place on two greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans. Bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Chocolate Banana Bread

2011-04-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

It's been spring break here and we've been having a blast! We did end up going to Kings Dominion for my son's 12th birthday but the park closed early due to rain so we were all given rain tickets! It worked out great. Even though the park closed early (4:30) we were still able to go on all the rides with no lines. That means my son and his friend rode all the coasters several times with NO waiting! Wow....my friend Mike who joins us every year rode the Intimidator a total of either 8 or 9 times in a row. This is a 305 foot roller coaster with a 300 foot DROP!!! If I went on I'd never make it to the bottom....I'd have passed out on the way up! My son and his friend went on this several times and even sat front row during one of those times! When we went back again earlier this week the weather was beautiful but of course there were lines this time. We stood until closing and had another great day!

This recipe is a winner! I love all things banana bread and found this on one of my favorite sites Coleen's Recipes. I probably visit her site and copy her recipes more than anyone elses. They are just all so good! Thank you again Coleen for another terrific recipe! This bread is a banana and chocolate lover's dream. You have to add the chips...they just put it over the top! This was gone in no time and is also perfect to have with ice cream. My husband is the ice cream maker here and he has made several flavors in the past few weeks which I will be posting soon. Hope everyone has a lovely Easter and is enjoying spring break if you have children!!!!

1 1/4 cup mashed bananas

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Beat all wet ingredients and sugar together until well combined and smooth. Beat in dry ingredients just until combined, then stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

Bake in greased 8 x 4 in (I used 9 x 5 in) loaf pan in preheated 350F degree oven for 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and immediately wrap hot bread in plastic wrap and cool.

Donut Muffins

2011-04-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have seen these little bits of deliciousness on some other sites recently and knew I just had to try them for myself. Oh are they good!!!! I made 24 bits size mini muffins but next I will try full size muffins and I'm sure they will also be just as good. It took absolutely no time at all to make these and they are wonderful for someone who is just starting to bake to try. They are extremely simple to make and just about foolproof! I found this recipe on Allrecipes (where I seem to find sooo many good recipes lately!).

We had such nice weather here yesterday. It was 85 degrees and I could definitely get used to that year round. I'm hoping that the weather holds up since we will be celebrating my youngest sons's 12th birthday this Saturday at King's Dominion Amusement Park. It's his favorite place to go and he has been counting the days. We have been celebrating his birthday with friends there for the past 3 years and it has become a tradition. I find it sooo much easier than having a huge birthday party and much less work. And he and his friend enjoy this so much! He claims he is riding all the big coasters this year. Well, we'll see if that holds true. There are only a few rides he hasn't ridden yet but I think he is confident enough to try them this year. Me, I ride the bench....that's my speed!

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup margarine, melted (I used butter)

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup all purpose flour

Topping

1/4 cup margarine, melted (I used butter)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups.

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup margarine and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill the prepared mini muffin cups about half full.

Bake in preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

While muffins are baking, place 1/4 cup of melted margarine in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar with cinnamon. Remove muffins from their cups, dip each muffin in the melted margarine and roll in the sugar cinnamon mixture. Let cool and serve.

Terrific Turkey Enchiladas

2011-04-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

I found this great recipe in Taste of Home Feast!!! It caught my eye not only because I love Mexican food but because it was a Grand Prize recipe in their contest. And it is really, really good. I could not wait to have this for leftovers the next night! Keep in mind you really need to love cilantro to appreciate this recipe. My husband and son were so so about it but only because of the amount of cilantro used. It calls for a cup of cilantro leaves that you can definitely cut back on if you are not that crazy (like I am) about cilantro. The filling is also wonderful and there were no complaints about that at all! Hope you are all enjoying the lovely weather we are having if you live in Virginia. A beautiful sunny day today and looks like it will be in the high 70's tomorrow. I wish we had this every day!

1 1/4 cups frozen corn, thawed (I used canned)

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Enchiladas

1 lb ground turkey

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 garlic cloved, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup salsa

1 Tbsp cornmeal

2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

6 flour tortillas (8 in), warmed

1 1/4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

1/4 cup sliced ripe olives (I omitted these)

Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor; cover and pulse until blended.

In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Remove from heat; stir in the salsa, cornmeal and seasonings.

Spoon 1/3 cup turkey mixture down the center of each tortilla; top with 2 Tbsp of cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 11 in x 7 in baking dish. Spoon corn mixture over the top; sprinkle with olives and remaining cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 - 10 mintes longer or until heated through.

Fudge Lover's Cream Cheese Cake

2011-03-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

This is one great cake that starts off using a cake mix. I am not above using a cake mix and love these types of recipes! This is a cake that my husband made one weekend and it was delicious! He just sprinkled some powdered sugar on top of a basic chocolate frosting. A quick and easy cake. You can also use a whipped cream topping. We had a piece like that also and it was just so good! The cake doesn't even need a frosting at all. It's rich and moist. Hope you enjoy it if you try it.

I am so ready for spring. We are having another bout of cold weather for the next few days with a cold, bleak rain....ugh! Enough already....I want sunshine and warm days. I want to break out my capri pants!!! I'm sure I'm not the only one but does anyone else out there feel that this winter has just dragged on enough already?????

Cake

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow or devil's food cake mix

1 box (4 serving size) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

Filling

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray bottom only of 13x9 inch pan with baking spray with flour.

In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour into pan.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and 1 egg on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon filling by tablespoons evenly over top of batter. Using table knife, swirl filling through batter. Sprinkle with nuts (if using nuts).

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Spread with frosting or powdered sugar. Store covered in refrigerator.

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

2011-03-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in the March issue of Woman's Day. They were very good. Moist and not overly sweet with just a hint of the brown butter also. I would makes these again especially in the summer when fresh blueberries are in season here. I used fresh blueberries in these muffins also. I rarely use frozen ones. No reason that I don't use them but I just prefer fresh whenever possible. I have definitely been in a blogging slump recently. I came across another food blog last night and that blogger also was saying how she just has not been inspired lately and I can certainly relate. I think anyone that has been blogging for several years goes through this every now and again. In the meantime, enjoy these muffins and I am hoping to get "inspired" again soon!!!!

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup whole milk

1 large egg, beaten

6 oz fresh blueberries (1 1/2 cups)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup of the sugar; make a well in the center.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it melts, swirl the pan until the butter begins to brown and smell nutty, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Pour the butter, milk and egg into the well of flour and stir to combine (a few lumps in the batter are OK - don't overmix); fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups; sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 16 to 20 minutes. Let cool before unmolding.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie

2011-03-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

This is a delicious pie that I ended up making a few weeks back. When I saw this in Woman's World (Feb 28th issue) I knew I just had to make this. I'm not that crazy about using a large amount of cream cheese in a recipe and this only called for 4 oz, which is just enough but not too much. It's a simple pie but delicious and will impress!!!

Crust

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (I used chocolate graham crackers)

2 Tbs sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3 Tbs lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 cup fresh raspberries

Chocolate Glaze

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream

Crust: Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray. Combine wafer crumbs, sugar and butter. Press mixture on bottom and up side of pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool 30 minutes before adding filling.

Filling: In medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, vanilla and egg. Layer raspberries in cooled crust. Pour cream cheese mixture over raspberries. Bake 30 minutes.

Glaze: In small pot, place chocolate chips and cream over low heat, stirring constantly until chips are melted. After you remove pie from oven, drizzle glaze over top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie

2011-03-08T16:31:00.001-08:00

I made this pie several weeks ago for a coworkers baby shower. It took two tries to get it right but I finally did! The first time I baked it I made the meringue after I added the hot filling to the pie shell....DON'T do that pleeeeeez!!! The meringue will not seal itself onto the filling unless the filling is piping hot. I learned that first hand....But this pie is sooo worth making. Once again, I found this recipe on Allrecipes. Sometimes I wonder why I even buy cookbooks anymore. Do you also get many recipes right off the internet? I find sooo many that way.

I'm going to try to post more often but I seem to always say that lately. Sometimes though, life gets in the way. Know what I mean? Right now life is getting in the way and not in a good way either. But I've learned that all things pass and nothing stays the same forever. But sometimes you are dealt a blow you didn't see coming. And it just hits you in the heart.

Anyhow, this is one good recipe and I hope if you make it you enjoy it!

1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups water

2 lemons, juiced and zested

2 tablespoons butter

4 egg yolks, beaten

1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

4 egg whites

6 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

Killer Kahlua Brownies

2011-02-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

The title of this recipe says it all ....these are definitley Killer Kahlua Brownies! My favorite brownies yet and my son's favorite also. They were gone in no time at all. You can barely taste the kahlua but it does kick up the chocolate flavor. I'm telling you that these brownies, to me, are over the top good!!! I found the recipes on Anna's site Cookie Madness. I've made a number of recipes she has posted and have never been disappointed. Hope you visit her site a if you are not familiar with it.

I had something happen to me this morning that was very upsetting. Went with a good friend to IHOP for breakfast and had my usual Swedish crepes with Lingonberries. Well I was almost done with my meal and wham I chewed on something hard. It looked like a piece glass to me about the size of a small tooth. Of course I immediately called over the managment who assured me this was just very hard plastic. They asked if I had used any syrup, since that is served in hard plastic dispensers. I didn't since they have those delicious lingonberries on the crepes along with lingonberry butter. They were very apologetic and didn't charge for my crepes but it was very eye opening for me. Wonder how much goes on in restaurants that we aren't aware of and don't see. Anyhow, the whole thing just was very unsettling to me.

Getting back to these brownies, please make these if you enjoy brownies. I think you'll love them!!!

1/3 cup butter, unsalted (divided use)

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa, unsweetened

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tablespoons boiling water and 2 tablespoons Kahlua

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

2/3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans (I omitted these)

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch meta pan with foil. Grease bottom of pan.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool. In mixing bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda. Add HALF of the butter, then add boiling water and Kahlua. Stir until well blended. Stir in sugar, beaten egg and remaining butter. Stir in flour and salt followed by the chocolate chips and nuts. Pour chocolate brownie batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 27-30 minutes or until brownies appear firm and begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool before cutting into squares.

Chicken Casserole

2011-02-22T08:37:00.000-08:00

Another Paula Deen recipe here and another success!!! I've yet to have any of her recipes fail. I made this a few weeks ago and it was delicious. This dish will go a long way and is perfect for a large family or a potluck. It's pretty rich (hey it's Paula Deen!) but you can use low fat ingredients and that should help with the fat grams a little anyway. I found this in Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics.
We've used up another snow day here. I just don't understand why schools close for a 1/4 inch of snow. Seriously, that was the amount the news reported that we'd gotten overnight. But, I am not going to complain because I don't feel all that great today so I am glad to be home from work. Everyone around me lately has been sick - especially at work. I am sooo ready for spring and just thinking ahead. We did have a touch of it recently. It was near 70 on Friday and a great weekend too!
Anyhow, this casserole is the perfect dish to make if you are home snowbound. It will keep you warm and full!!!

1 fryer cooked, boned and cut into small pieces (reserve broth)- I baked my chicken and used store bought broth
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 eggs
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 package Pepperidge Farm corn bread stuffing mix
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 10 3/4 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup

Combine chicken, mayo and chopped onion and set aside. Combine 2 eggs, the butter, chicken broth and corn bread stuffing mix and set aside. In small bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs and milk. Spray large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In bottom of dish, spread half the stuffing mixture; then layer with chicken mixture. Add second layer of stuffing mixture. Pour egg and milk mixture over top layer of sutffing mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread cream of chicken soup on top of casserole and bake for 45 minutes.

*I baked this covered loosely with foil for 30 minutes and uncovered for the last 15 minutes.

Coconut Custard Pie

2011-02-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Another pie recipe and another good one! This one comes from the first cookbook I ever owned - The Doubleday Cookbook. It's at least 30 years old and I still refer to it. Now that has to be the sign of a really good cookbook. The recipes are timeless. Whenever I am confused about something to do with cooking, or am looking for something specific and can't find it, this cookbook will usually have it. It came from the Doubleday bookclub which I belonged to many years ago and don't even know if they are still in existance!

This pie was originally supposed to be just a basic custard pie, which I love. However, below the recipe were different variations and the coconut caught my eye. I love coconut custard pie and so does my husband so this was gone pretty quick. I tried my best not to eat too much of it, and didn't. He ate most of it and that's just fine with me! If you are looking to make a really good custard pie which has coconut in it, I would suggest trying this. It's more of a custard pie with coconut than the other way around. Enjoy!

I used a store bought pie shell....so much easier...

1 unbaked pie shell

4 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. With your hand mixer, beat eggs lightly, add sugar and salt and beat until thick and cream colored. Gradually beat in milk and vanilla, then strain through a fine sieve. Add 3/4 cup flaked coconut and pour into pie shell and sprinkle with 1/4 cup coconut. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 degrees F. and bake 12 - 15 minutes more. (I needed to bake this for a good 30 minutes.) Insert knife in center of pie; knife should be clean when pie is done. The center will be soft but will set upon standing. Do not overbake or custard will curdle. Bring to room temperature then chill in refrigerator for several hours.

Fudge Cream Pie

2011-02-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe on Coleen's blog and when she stated how easy this was to make I was sold on trying it. It is definitely easy and delicious. I've made this twice already in the past few weeks and see me making this many more times in the future. My husband thought this was a perfect pie!!! My son said it was too chocolately (where did HE come from - nothing is ever too chocolately!). I agree with my husband - it is perfect. This is a great pie for chocolate lovers and perfect to go with Valentines day!

9" baked pie crust (I used a store bought one)

1 1/4 cups white sugar

2 Tbs flour

4 Tbs cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups milk (I used 2%)

4 egg yolks

2 one ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

1 Tbs butter

1 tsp vanilla

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. In a medium bowl beat milk and egg yolks until smooth. Gradually stir the milk mixture into the saucepan that has the sugar mixture in it. Cook over medium heat (stir constantly) until mixture comes to a boil and stir for a minute or 2 until very thick.

Remove from heat and stir in chocolate, butter and vanilla and stir until butter is melted. Pour into pie shell.

Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the hot filling. This will prevent a skin from forming. Chill overnight. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings and serve.

Minestrone Soup

2011-02-03T05:33:00.000-08:00

I was planning on having my next several posts be about sweets but since so many parts of the country are experiencing such cold weather I thought this would be more appropriate. I'm not big on soups and rarely make them. My husband and son both enjoy soup though so I thought I would try this one. It looked interesting and to be honest I had two big bags of spinach I needed to do something with already. You know how that is....you buy something with every intention to use it in something and a week later it still sits in the fridge. I found this recipe in Woman's World. Have any of you ever checked out that magazine? It's been around for years and is so inexpensive! I can't get over how expensive some cooking magazines have become. My husband really enjoys buying cooking magazines and I tell him that he is just crazy to spend so much on them. Some of these magazines are as much as $10.00! That used to be the price of a book! I have subscription to some magazines - Woman's Day, Family Circle, Simple & Delicious....all pretty reasonable. Anyhow, Woman's World is a weekly magazine that has a nice little selection of recipes in every issue. They are always at the check out at your local grocery store.

Hope everyone is keeping warm. The good news is that the groundhog did NOT see his shadow and I am hoping it means an early spring!!!!

8 oz. dried or canned cranberry beans or 1 can (15.5 oz) cannelloni beans - Iused the cannelloni beans

1 onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 lb. chopped green leaf vegetables - I used spinach and cabbage, about 12 cups

2 zucchini, cubed - did not use this

1 potato, peeled

2 carrots, cubed

8 oz. short pasta, I used elbow

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese

(I also threw in 4 chicken bouillon cubes for extra flavor)

If using dried beans, soak overnight in cold water. Drain beans; cook in water, 5 minutes. Drain and rinse, then cook in water according to package directions until tender. (Do not use salt water until beans are tender or skins will toughen). If using canned beans, drain and rinse in cold water before adding to soup.

In large pot, cook onion in oil over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in green leaf vegetables, zucchini, potato and carrots; cook 5 minutes. Pour in cooked beans and water (about 10 cups) to cover. Simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring often, topping off with additional water as necessary to maintain enough liquid to cook the vegetables.

When vegetables are cooked, add pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Serve as soon as pasta is tender. Dress each serving with oil and Parmesan.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

2011-01-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

Northern Virginia definitely had the snowfall that had been predicted for the past few days. And it was really something else. The snow was falling so hard and so fast last night that people were abandoning their cars. This was a very heavy snow that you just could not drive in. A normal hour ride home took quite a few people 7 to 9 hours. My husband didn't even come home. He just stood at a hotel for the night. Did you know that I absolutely cannot stand winter or snow? I've had enough. I want spring and I want warm weather. Of course my son is thrilled. He's been home for 2 days now and is wondering if they will even have school tomorrow. Luckily the temps have warmed up today and the sun is shining so the roads are so much better. They've been plowed and salted and plowed and sanded so they are looking pretty good. Maybe a two hour delay....but I think (and hope) that's all there will be.

I found this recipe on Ingrid's blog. She has so many good recipes and I just had to make this once I saw it. This is absolutely delicious while it's still somewhat warm. Needless to say, I just kept going back for more of this. One of these days I plan on making cinnamon rolls using yeast. (Yes, yeast....something I rarely use but need to work with more). I highly recommend making this cake. It's great for breakfast, to have with coffee or for a pot luck. Easy too!

Cake

1 yellow cake mix

4 eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup oil

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Filling Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Mix cake ingredients by hand and and pour into greased baking pan. Mix the filling ingredients and sprinkle over the cake batter. This should cover the top of the cake batter. Swirl the filling into the batter with a knife.

Bake for 40 minutes. Let cake cool for 10 - 15 minutes before icing.

Icing

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons milk

Mix and pour over warm cake. Eat and Enjoy!!!

Chinese Pork 'N' Noodles

2011-01-25T15:59:00.000-08:00

I made this recipe from what was left of the pork roast. It was perfect to use for this. Instead of using snow peas I used broccoli since my son prefers that. I also used a green pepper versus a red one. Probably should have used the red one if just for the color alone. This is another recipe from Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious magazine. So easy too. My next few recipes will be cakes. I like to cook but not nearly as much as I like to bake. I just need to change it up every now and again. Besides, if I baked as much as I wanted and tried all the recipes I wanted, I would be as big as a house and broke. I have my yearly physical in a few weeks and I'm already dreading the scale. I'm by no means overweight.....I would just like to be a few pounds lighter so my clothes at the moment would not be as tight. I think I probably put on a good 5 pounds over the holidays and I'd really like to get rid of that already. But it is hard when you have a food blog and you love to bake. I'm sure I have gained 10 pounds at least since I started this blog almost 3 years ago. Plus getting older doesn't help. There was a time when I could not gain a pound. I would actually cry because I was so skinny as a teen and just ate and ate and wouldn't gain an ounce. Too bad things are not that way now!!! Anyhow, if you happen to have leftover pork this is a great recipe to try.

6 oz uncooked thin spaghetti

3 Tbsp hoisin sauce

2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 pork tenderloin (1 lb) thinly sliced and halved (or leftover pork)

3 tsp canola oil, divided

3/4 cup julienned sweet red pepper

3/4 cup halved fresh snow peas

1/2 cup sliced onion

1 cup sliced cabbage

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (I didn't have any of this)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil; set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir fry pork in 2 tsp canola oil for 3 minutes or until no longer pink. (I just warmed mine up for about a minute or two). Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, stir fry the red pepper, peas and onion in remaining oil for 3 minutes. Add cabbage, stir fry 2 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp tender.

Stir reserved hoisin sauce mixture and stir into skillet. Return pork to the pan; heat through. Drain pasta and add to skillet; toss to coat. Sprinkle each serving with 1 Tbsp cilantro.

Fabulous Fried Cabbage

2011-01-22T16:32:00.000-08:00

This is another great recipe from Allrecipes. I made this along with the pork tenderloin last week and the two together were perfect. My husband, son and I all love cabbage and this was so simple and tasty. If you are a cabbage lover, I would highly recommend trying this!

2 teaspoons butter

1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth

1 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped

1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

Bring the butter and chicken broth to a boil in a large skillet. Reduce heat to low and add the cabbage. Cover and cook over low heat to steam the cabbage for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently, or until cabbage is tender and sweet. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Cranberry Dijon Pork Roast

2011-01-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from one of my favorite magazines - Simple and Delicious that is from Taste of Home. These recipes don't use tons of ingredients and are fairly straightforward and just plain good! I had all the ingredients ready and then realized at 3pm that this was a slow cooker recipe...duh....How in the world did I not realize that or did I just forget that fact? More than likely, I just forgot that along with everything else these days!!! Anyhow I will post the slow cooker recipe along with what I did since I'm sure both are very similar. I didn't care much for the gravy and think what I would do next time is add a can of beef or pork gravy to what is already in the pan. It was just too sweet for me. I found that the drippings used VERY sparingly were delicious over the the pork and on the mashed potatoes I also served with it. The pork was extremely moist. I used the leftover in a Chinese dish that I will also post this week. This dish went a long way as far as servings were concerned and enjoyed by all of us.

Well my son did not need to wait long for his snow day.....we had a sheet of us greeting us this morning and the schools have shut down for the day. That's okay. I had a long weekend down in Richmond. My son brought a friend along when we went to our house down there for 3 days and I am "kidded out." Know what I mean? We may go out bowling later if things thaw out a bit and he asked if he could bring another friend along. No!!!! It's a word I don't use often but I'm done. Just him and I....that's all I can take right now!

1 boneless pork loin roast (3 lbs)

2 Tbsp butter

1 envelop golden onion soup mix

1 can (14 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce

2 tsp Dijon mustard

(Slow cooker version) In a large skillet, brown roast in butter on all sides. Transfer to a 5 qt slow cooker; sprinkle with soup mix. Add cranberry sauce to skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. Remove roast to a serving platter; keep warm. Strain cooking juices and stir in mustard. Slice roast; serve with sauce.

My Version: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place roast in glass pyrex pan. Sprinkle roast with onion soup mix and pour 1 cup water over roast. Cover roast with cranberry sauce. Bake in oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until it registers that it is done according to meat thermometer. (Keep basting every 1/2 hour and add more water if necessary.) Remove roast when done and let it sit for at least 15 minutes before carving. At this point you can add mustard to your gravy but I would recommend tasting the gravy prior to that and then only adding a little mustard to some of the gravy that you can remove and put into a small cup. See if you like how it tastes with the mustard. I didn't care much for it after I added the mustard. I liked it better without the mustard. You can also add beef or pork gravy at this point from a can also.

Sponge Layer Cake

2011-01-13T12:16:00.000-08:00

I had mentioned this cake in my last post and didn't have very high hopes for it but it turned out very well. Very well except that I baked it a bit longer than I should have. By a good 5 minutes. I will definitely make it again but will watch it very closely. I had always thought that a sponge cake would have the egg white beaten separately and then folded into the mixture but not with this cake. That's why I thought it wouldn't turn out well. Surprisingly, it's very spongelike and flavorful. I was tempted to add vanilla but didn't since I wanted to follow the recipe exactly as written. It's fine without the extract but I'm sure you could add vanilla or almond of you wanted to. The recipe also called for raspberry jelly but I added a thin layer of lemon curd followed by a layer of whipped cream. That really tasted great. I will make it again trying a different jam. I also used powdered sugar on top of the cake. Thought of using whipped cream on top also but that would have overpowered it. I found this recipe in a little cookbook called Mmmmm...Baking! I say Mmmmm...Good!

Luckily we didn't get as much snow as was originally predicated. Only 1 inch and I can handle that! Enough though for a 2 hour school delay! My son was disappointed because he was hoping for a day off from school. I'm sure since winter is not over yet there will be a good chance of that!

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup superfine sugar

3 eggs, beaten

scant 1 1/2 cups self rising flour

pinch of salt

3 Tbsp raspberry jelly

1 Tbsp confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease 2 8 inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until the mixture is pale in color and light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour and salt into a separate bowl and carefully add to the mixture, folding in with a metal spoon or a spatula.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth over with a spatula. Place the pans on the same shelf in the preheated oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until well risen, golden brown and beginning to shrink from the sides of the pan.

Let cool in the pans for 1 minute then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. When completely cool, sandwich together with the jelly (lemon curd and whipped cream) and dust with the confectioners' sugar.

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake

2011-01-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

This is a cake that I made back in the fall when I had a kitchen full of apples. It's very simple, basic and delicious. I served this with some fresh whipped cream on top. It's a cake that I would definitely make again. I have some cookie recipes I'd like to post but I think I will do that sporadically to change things up a bit. Right now I am pretty "cookied out" from all the Christmas baking that I just don't want to post a cookie recipe!!!! I'm in the process of baking a sponge cake that is in the oven at the moment and I don't know if I have any high hopes for it. The picture sure did look good but we'll see how it turns out. If it's good you know I will post it.

It is so cold here right now that I feel ready to move at a moments notice...maybe to Arizona or Texas, etc...Somewhere that it doesn't snow at all because that is what is in our forecast....again. I shouldn't complain because it's not supposed to be much but one snowflake for me is already too much. Of course my son is thrilled because school may be cancelled. Oh yeah, that really adds to the fun for me!!!!

I found this recipe at Tracey's Culinary Adventures and you can just click here and this should take you to the recipe. See how lazy I am being....not even typing the recipe out myself!

Saucy Meatballs and Noodles

2011-01-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

This is a dish that my husband made several weeks ago that I had wanted to blog about right away but with the holidays and all time just got away from me. I couldn't believe how simple this was to make and how delicious it turned out. It's one of those recipes you can change around a bit and flavor it to your liking. He doubled the recipe and we had quite a bit of it. My son enjoyed it several nights and never tired of it. It's definitely kid friendly and also wonderful for a pot luck and can feed quite a few people without being expensive or difficult to make. He found this recipe in Woman's World. Lucky me, he loves their recipes and always picks up the new issues! Great magazine and cheap price too!

1 8 oz package of egg noodles

1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup

1 onion, chopped, about 1 cup

1/2 tsp dried thyme

32 oz frozen cocktail meatballs, 12 oz thawed

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; reserve. Combine soup and 1 1/2 cups water. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tbs oil over medium high heat. Add onion, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring, until softenend and browned, 8 minutes. Add soup mixture, then meatballs and peas. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and peas are tender, 10 minutes. Stir in noodles. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 1-2 minutes.

At this point my husband decided to put all of this into a large baking dish and top with cheese and bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. The recipe doesn't call for this but it is so much better with all the cheese on top!

Happy New Year Everyone!

2010-12-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a very nice Christmas and holiday! Here are some pictures I'd like to share with you of my 3 sons, little granddaughter, a Jello Poke Cake and cookie platter! Of course all the cake and cookies are gone!

I'm looking forward to posting more recipes in the coming year and wish all of you a very happy and healthy new year!

Kathy's Italian Cookies and a Merry Christmas to Everyone!

2010-12-24T12:18:00.000-08:00

Has everyone finished their baking yet? I know I haven't. I still have one more batch of cookies to make and I am done. Have to put the frosting on my poke cake too!... I came across this recipe and knew my cookie tray would not be complete without it. I'm so glad I made these and I will be making them in the years to come for Christmas also. As soon as I tasted them I knew what I had been missing...authentic Italian cookies. This is not a sweet cookie. This cookie gets its sweetness from the glaze. You can make these any time and change up the flavors and colors on the glaze also. I didn't do a really red or green glaze because I don't think it would have looked too appetizing and I thought a pink one would be really pretty. These kind of look like they would be more of an Easter than a Christmas cookie. You can also make these into little balls instead of rings.

What are your plans for the holidays? I'll be spending part of Christmas at home here and part of it down in Richmond. I'm so glad we are not getting the snow that was first reported....maybe a dusting. And if we don't get that I'll be really happy. I don't ever, ever miss having snow!!!!! Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!

3/4 cup butter

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Cream butter and sugar thoroughly; add eggs, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Combine flour and baking powder and gradually add to creamed mixture.

Knead dough on lightly floured board for about 5 minutes. Using tablespoons of dough, roll 6 inch lengths; press together to form rings. Let stand on ungreased cookie sheets at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

To Make Icing: Combine 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar with enough orange juice to make a thin glaze. Dip each hot cookie into the glaze and top with sprinkles immediately. Cool on racks.

Restaurant Style Beef and Broccoli

2010-12-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

Has everyone finished with their Christmas shopping yet? I am done! All I need to get yet are some gifts bags and boxes and that's it for me. The big tackle ahead is which cookies to make this year. I think I will make 4 different kinds and a Jello Poke cake. I LOVE Jello Poke cakes!!! With the red and green layers they just spell Christmas to me. They are usually a cake that everyone loves too. And also simple, a word that I am growing fonder of by the day!!!

I also wanted to let eveyone know that my Tate's Bake Shop giveaway has ended and the winner was Jacquie. Congratulations Jacquie! I hope you enjoy the cookies and cookbook!

This is a recipe that I made about a week ago. I just had a craving for beef and broccoli and checked on one of my favorite go to sites - allrecipes! This a definitely a 5 star recipe. I used round steak like the recipe suggested but next time I will use a leaner cut that is not quite as tough. Round steak is fine but I think flank or sirloin sliced real thin would be great! Hope you give this a try......

Before I get to the recipe though can you let me know what cookies you will be baking for the holidays? I'm curious to find out which ones people are choosing. There are just sooo many choices. Thanks!

1/3 cup oyster sauce

2 teaspoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil

1/3 cup sherry

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

3/4 pound beef round stead, cut into 1/8 inch thick strips

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, or more if needed

1 thin slice of fresh ginger root

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

1 pound broccoli, cut into florets

Whisk together the oyster sauce, sherry, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Place the steak pieces into a shallow bowl and pour the oyster sauce mixture over the meat, stir to coat well and marinate for at least 30 minutes in refrigerator.

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat and stir in ginger and garlic. Let them sizzle in hot oil for about 1 minute to flavor the oil and then remove and discard. Stir in the broccoli and toss and stir in the hot oil until bright green and almost tender, 5 to 7 mnutes. Remove the broccoli from the wok and set aside.

Pour a little more oil into the wok, if needed, and stir and toss the beef with the marinade until the sauce forms a glaze on the beef and the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Return the cooked broccoli to the wok and stir until the meat and broccoli are heated through, about 3 minutes.

Cranberry Pistachio Cookies and my 300th post!!!

2010-12-16T11:43:00.000-08:00

We've gotten our first good taste of winter today. Although it's been bitterly cold here we didn't have snow until today. And I don't like it one bit. Ugh! The driving gets crazy around here and the stores get packed with people acting like they will be snowbound for weeks even if we only have 1 inch of snow on the ground. Anyone who has ever lived in Virginia knows how panicked people get around here. The only thing that I do enjoy is baking when I'm stuck inside the house. I was planning on making these as part of my Christmas cookie tray. I had a test run with these today and they are wonderful and easy, easy, easy!!! You can even add some green food coloring to make them look a bit more festive, too. The recipe comes from Betty Crocker's Christmas Cookies booklet. I'm still quite a bit shocked too that this is my 300th post! Who would have thought I would have 300 recipes to share?????

Just a reminder that my giveaway ends tomorrow night at midnight so please leave a comment on that post for a chance to win!!!

1 pouch (1lb. 5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1 box (4 serving size) pistatchio instant pudding and pie filling mix

1/4 cup Gold Medal all purpose flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 eggs

1 cup dry roasted salted pistachio nuts, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, pudding mix and flour. Stir in butter and eggs until soft dough forms. Add nuts and cranberries; mix well.

Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press with fingers to slightly flatten.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Store cooled cookies tightly covered at room temperature.

*I HIGHLY recommend buying shelled pistachios. I used pistachios I had to shell myself...never again. I would also recommend using more cranberries than just 1/2 cup. I would use 1 cup next time.

Tate's Bake Ship Giveaway!!!

2010-12-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to be hosting this Tate's Bake Shop giveaway. Tate's Bake Shop is located in the town of Southampton, NY which is located on Long Island. I used to live on Long Island and have never stopped missing it. There's nothing like the beaches on Long Island nor anything as great as their bake shops. It is a good thing I don't live there anymore because I know I would be visiting Tate's all too frequently! Tate's has been featured in Rachel Ray's Everyday magazine along with articles in The New York Times and the Boston Globe. Their cookbook has a forward in it by Ina Garten.

Let me say this.....they are as good as any of these articles state. The chocolate chip cookes were gone in a flash. My youngest son, who only really likes soft, chewy cookies loved these. And Tates are the crispy kind. They almost start to melt in your mouth after the first bite. Tate's sent me a box of chocolate chip, a box of white chocolate macadamia nut and a box of oatmeal raisin cookies. All are excellent. They also sent me their cookbook which has a wonderful selection of cakes, cookies, scones and muffins. All are very straightforward recipes with no strange ingredients that you need to buy and then use only once. I'm impressed!!!

To enter this giveaway you only need to leave me a comment. If you are the winner Tates will send you the same package they sent me. Three boxes of delicious cookies and a wonderful cookbook. For an extra entry, please become a fan of Tate's Bake Shop on Facebook and leave me another comment stating you've done this.

Tate's Bake Shop is also offering a 15% discount using the code "cookie" which will be valid on orders until December 31st. This contest is opened only to US residents.

I would also like to include some of Tate's Bake Shops cookies on my Christmas cookie tray. Please help me decide which one to try first from their cookbook. Which one would you like to see me post?

1. Double Chocolate Almond Cookies

2. Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

3. Chocolate Jumbles

I will pick the one with the most votes and post it.

This giveaway will end on Friday at 11:59 pm est. I will announce the winner on Saturday.

Good luck everyone!!

Raspberry Brownies

2010-12-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

Here are brownies that are absolutely delicious!!! My husband surprised me with these since I love just about anything with raspberry. He played around with these a bit and added coconut to some and chocolate chips to another batch and also added a teaspoon of raspberry extract that really added so much to it. This is a great recipe that I highly recommend. As you can tell from the picture he also turned these into blondies! He also used a white chocolate glaze instead of semi sweet chocolate. This comes from the magazine Holiday Cookies by Land O Lakes Recipe Collection.

Brownie

1 cup butter

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate

2 cups sugar

4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Glaze

1/4 cup whipping cream

4 (1 ounce) squares semi sweet baking chocolate

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place butter and unsweetened chocolate in medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) for 1 minute; stir. Microwave 30 seconds; stir until smooth; set aside.

Combine sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add melted chocolate mixture; continue beating until well mixed. Spread batter into greased 13x9 inch baking pan.

Stir jam until smooth. Drop tablespoonfuls of jam evenly over batter. Swirl jam through batter using knife. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until set and brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool completely.

Place whipping cream in 1 quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until cream begins to boil (1 to 2 minutes). Add semi-sweet chocolate; remove from heat. Stir with wire whisk until smooth. Spread over brownies.

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

2010-12-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

Boy has it been cold here the past few days and is there any better way to beat the cold than bake? Here's a wonderful Bundt cake that I made a while back and have been meaning to post for the longest time. I love snickerdoodle cookies and when I saw this was a Bundt cake I knew it would be a success. They are so easy to make. The flavors in this cake are great and I plan to make this one again. The bottom of the outside has such a nice crispy texture from the cinnamon sugar. If you like snickdoodles, you will love this.

I also wanted everyone to know that within the next week or so I will be having a give away!!! I haven't had one in quite a while and I am looking very forward to this one. In the meantime, enjoy this cake after you do some heavy duty Christmas shopping! (This recipe comes from Night Baking).

Cinnamon Sugar

2 tsps cinnamon

1 cup sugar

Cake

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 stick butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsps vanilla

1 cup sour cream

Stir together the cinnamon and sugar and set aside. You'll use this for dusting the pan, the center swirl and for sprinkling over the batter before baking.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

Beat the butter on medium speed for one minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat for three minutes. It will be very light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, add the brown sugar and beat for two more minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each. Mix in the vanilla. Add the flour alternately with the sour cream. Scrape down the bowl once more and give it a final few seconds to fully combine.

Now, prep the 9 cup (or larger) Bundt pan. You can grease the pan with butter or shortening, but I used cooking spray with flour. Spray the pan thoroughly, including the center tube so the cinnamon sugar will stick and the cake won't. Gently dust the inside of the pan with the cinnamon sugar mixture, using about 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Sprinkle a few tablespoons around the bottom then gently turn the pan, shaking the sugar around to coat it. Add more as needed. Shake out any extra into the bowl and reserve.

Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. I dolloped it in a few scoops and then gently evened it out with a rubber spatula. Be careful not to rub the cinnamon sugar off the sides of the pan. Sprinkle 1/3 to 1/2 of the remaining cinnamon sugar evenly onto the batter. Top with the remaining batter and smooth it out. Finish by sprinkling on any remaining cinnamon sugar. If you've run out just mix up 1/4 cup sugar with 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Bake for 55 - 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of cake and invert a rimmed cookie sheet on top of it. You're going to invert the pan to take the cake out, but if you don't use a cookie sheet you'll end up with cinnamon sugar all over the floor and counter. Cool completely.

Anise Pound Cake

2010-12-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

I came across this recipe in a magazine called Easy Desserts that comes from the publishers of Fine Cooking. What caught my attention was the word easy. Long complicated recipes with tons of ingredients just do not appeal to me. Easy usually spells success too! I love the flavor of anise. I remember having Stella D'Oro anisette toast cookies (if you're Italian you'll know exactly what I am talking about) as a child at my grandparents house and just love them to this day. I'm also very partial to pound cakes and enjoy making them as much as I enjoy eating them. When I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it - right away! This is really, really good as long as you enjoy anise. The flavor is there. You can't miss it and I love it. The only thing that I did differently than what the recipe called for was try and grind the anise in a small chopper. Doesn't work well. You are supposed to grind them down to fine in a grinder, which I don't have. The difference probably is that you can see them in this cake, where if you use a grinder you wouldn't see them. Doesn't matter to me, I love the cake just the same.

2 tablespoons anise seeds

1/3 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups cake flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5 in loaf pan and dust with flour. Place the anise seeds in a small skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant, 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and grind fine. Set aside.

Combine the sour cream, eggs, egg yolk and vanilla in a glass measuring cup and lightly beat. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the ground anise to the batter and then mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.

Pastitsio

2010-11-29T14:50:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I think I am just about baked out. I baked a number of pies and cakes and think my mixer needs a break!
I just made this dish and was going to wait to post it since I have some cakes to post but it was so good that I can't wait to to share it with you. This is a Greek dish that I have had before in restaurants but have never attempted to make this myself. I came across the recipe in the latest Taste of Home issue called "Come Home for Christmas." This is one delicious dish and most of the ingredients I already had in my pantry. So simple and so full of flavor....I will most definitely make this again and again. If you have ever thought of making a Greek dish but were not sure about it, I urge you to give this a try.

1 package (7 oz) uncooked elbow macaroni
1 lb ground beef or lamb (I used beef)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, optional (do NOT omit this)*
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1 egg, beaten

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, oregano, pepper and cinnamon; heat through.
Drain macaroni; place half of macaroni in a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Layer with meat mixture and remaining macaroni. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and remaining salt until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in remaining cheese. Pour sauce over macaroni.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This is great with warm crusty bread and salad.

*The recipe as written states that the cinnamon is optional but I don't think it should be. This really adds to the flavor of the dish and I think the taste would be quite different without it.

Pumpkin Pie and A Happy Thanksgiving to All!

2010-11-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

Just for the heck of it I decided to try a different pumpkin pie this year. We all love pumpkin pie around here and the one that I normally make is good old Libby's. I wanted to try something different though this time. My husband had left me the section of the local newspaper that had some Thanksgiving recipes so I decided to try this pumpkin pie. This is a good pie if you enjoy a very creamy pumpkin pie. I prefer Libby's but there is nothing wrong with this one, it's just creamier and maybe some people prefer that. I saw such a great recipe for golden Yukon potatoes layered with sweet potatoes and can't get it out of my mind! If I decide to try that I'll post the recipe if it turns out good.

In the meantime, I want to wish eveyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

A&P Pumpkin Pie

1 can (1 pound) pumpkin, or 2 cups cooked, mashed winter squash

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 3/4 cups light cream or 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Unbaked 9 inch deep dish pie shell, chilled

Mix 2 Tbsp pumpkin with spices, combine the remaining pumpkin and sugar, blend well. Stir in cream and eggs, then pour into pie shell. Bake in a hot oven (450 degrees F) for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate (350 degrees F) and bake 25 minutes longer, or until filling is set and crust is browned. (Mine took about 35 minutes). A knife inserted near, but not at, the center should come out dry. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Baked Ziti I

2010-11-21T16:00:00.000-08:00

Boy has the weekend flown by. Why is it that the week sometimes drags on but the weekend never does!!!! I forgot to mention that I saw Paranormal Activity 2 last weekend....it was very, very good. I highly recommend it if you enjoy scary movies. I couldn't get the ending out of my head for a while afterwards. Very creepy and kind of stays with you. Do you believe in spirits or ghosts? I do, very much so. I watch a lot of those type shows...TAPS, Ghost Adventurers, Paranormal State and I believe it all. I've had some experiences similar to what TAPS and Ghost Adventurers explores but my experiences have all been positive. Never negative. I'm sure if I ever had any kind of negative experience it would scare the hell out of me!

This baked ziti is delicious. I think it is my favorite baked ziti. I definitely like it better with the sour cream and provolone cheese it uses instead of ricotta. I love ricotta cheesecake, that is my favorite cheesecake but I don't care for ricotta in baked ziti anymore since I've made this recipe. Hope you will try this if you find it interesting just so you can taste the difference. This is another recipe from Allrecipes. I use this site so often that I wonder why I even buy cookbooks anymore!

1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 onion, chopped

1 pound lean ground beef

2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced

1 1/2 cups sour cream

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaing sauce mixture. Top with greated parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven or until cheese are melted.

Note: I baked mine covered with foil for 1 hour since I made this the day before and it came out of the refrigerator. Remember to coat your foil with cooking spray so it doesn't stick to the ziti. Uncover last 5 minutes of cooking. I also put a thin layer of the sauce mixture on the bottom of the pan before I layered in the ziti.

Raspberry Almond Coffeecake

2010-11-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

I am so glad that half the week is over since I am ready for the weekend.....I'm having one of those loooong weeks at work? Know the kind I mean? The ones that just drag on and on....Ugh. Sometimes I think I just need a change. I wouldn't want to stay home full time since I enjoy working but when your job becomes a drag even part time then maybe it's time for a change. We'll see. Things where I work seem to change from week to week so we'll see what next week brings. In the meantime I bring you this coffeecake! This was absolutely delicious as long as you didn't eat the almonds! As I mentioned in my last post I didn't realize the almonds were stale and take it from me - stale almonds can ruin a cake! From now on I keep them in the freezer. Cheryl had commented that they stay fresh that way. Now that I know this that is where they'll be! Anyhow, I still enjoyed what I could of the cake and just sliced the top away. Since it was filled with raspberries it still held on to its taste. So easy to make. I found this at Allrecipes. I have made so many recipes from that site that when one of theirs gets 4 stars and tons of rave reviews I know I can trust it.

1 cup fresh raspberries

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

Combine raspberries and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Combine sour cream, butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla and egg and add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread raspberry mixture evenly over the batter. Spoon remaining batter over raspberry mixture. Top with almonds.

Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Combine confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Stir well. Drizzle glaze over cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lasagna Primavera

2010-11-15T12:27:00.000-08:00

This is another delicious recipe that I found at Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I first tasted Lasagna Primavera several years back and became a huge fan. It had never really appealed to me before and I never thought it even looked that appetizing but tasting it convinced me otherwise. My husband and son also loved it. The only complaint was that I should omit the carrots next time. They just still had a tiny crunch to them and didn't cook quite through. I don't think I would omit them completely because carrots sweeten things up a bit and are complimentary to the sauce. What I will do is perhaps chop them super tiny or shred them. This dish does require some prep time but it is well worth it. I would definitely recommend making it. I don't post things that I wouldn't recommend or that have turned out badly. No way!!!! I don't want to waste my time or your time writing about them! But I do have disasters....Like using stale nuts. Oh yes...not the recipes fault but mine. In fact, the cake was delicious (I will post that one) but as soon as you bit into an almond, oh what a stale taste. Lesson learned - use up nuts quickly. Don't keep them too long. And they are too expensive to waste. Anyhow, on with the recipe!

1 cup chopped carrots (shred or diced very tiny)

3 zucchini, finely chopped, 1/4 inch or less pieces

2 squash, finely chopped, 1/4 inch or less pieces

2 cups chopped broccoli

20 ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained well

3 cups ricotta cheese (I used low fat)

1/2 teaspoon salt

16 ounces mozzarella, shredded (about 4 cups)

4-6 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 (24 ounce) jars pasta sauce or 6 cups of homemade sauce (I used a store bought marinara)

12 no boil lasagna noodles (I used Barilla brand) or 12 regular lasagna noodles, boiled and drained - I love the no boil ones!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all the chopped vegetables, (carrots, broccoli, zucchini and squash) with 1/2 teaspoon salt and steam briefly, for 2-3 minutes, to soften them just a bit (they will finish cooking in the oven).

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach and salt. Mix well.

Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan. Spoon about 3/4 cup sauce onto the bottom of the pan and spread around. It will be a thin layer. Cover with four no-boil lasagna noodles, overlapping slightly. Spoon in 1/3 of the lightly steamed vegetables evenly. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the vegetables then sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella and 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese. Pour 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the cheese, lightly spreading it to the edges. Repeat the layers (noodles, vegetables, ricotta, mozarella/parm, sauce) two more times, ending with the last of the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top. This lasagna will be piled high - above the rim of your 9x13 inch pan, but it will settle as it bakes.

Cover the lasagna with a sheet of lightly greased foil and place the 9x13 inch pan on a large baking sheet lined with foil (this is in case any bubbles up and spills over). Bake covered, for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Banana Walnut Tart

2010-11-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

Now this was one delicious dessert. I found this recipe in a cookbook called The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri. I had gotten a book of his many, many years ago from the library and made the most delicious apple cake ever. Of course, I can't find that recipe and don't remember which book it was in but I did remember the author's name. When I saw this on the discount rack for $5.99 at Borders I just couldn't resist. I thumbed through it and was sold when I saw this recipe. I always have bananas here and there comes a point when you want to try something other than a banana bread or cake. I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this. The bananas in the tart melt down when this is baked and they are all sweet and gooey. Perfect with the crust and nuts. Pretty simple to make too. So if you are normally saving bananas for a bread, give this a try instead. My bananas were not very ripe like those used in banana bread but just a great yellow color with only a very few spots. You don't want them overly ripe for this recipe.

I am off from work for the next few days and plan on taking in a movie with my son and a friend tomorrow and just do some clothes shopping on Friday. Did you know I LOVE to shop for clothes???? Not just clothes, but shoes, pocketbooks, cheap jewelry, scarves, make up, books....I can go on and on!!!!

I am including the recipe for the Sweet Tart Dough which worked great in this recipe but I would imagine you could you use any tart dough you would like. This dough is made in a food processor like most of the recipe and I just love that. So much less clean up and you dont' have a ton of bowls to clean.

Sweet Tart Dough

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse several times to mix.

Add the butter and pulse repeatedly until the butter is finely mixed into the dry ingredients - you do not want any visible pieces of butter.

Add the egg, egg yolk and water. Pulse repeatedly until the dough forms a ball.

Invert the food processor bowl over a floured work surface to turn out the dough. Carefully remove the blade and transfer any dough on it to the work surface. Form the dough into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate it.

This dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

The Filling

2/3 cup walnut pieces

1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Bananas and Finishing

3 large bananas (I used 4)

1/2 cup walnut pieces, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon dark rum (I omitted this since I didn't have any)

One 10 or 11 inch tart crust, unbaked

Set a rack on the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

For the fillling, pulse the walnut pieces and brown sugar in a food processor fitted with the metal blade until the nuts are finely ground. Add the butter, egg, egg yolk, cinnamon, vanilla, flour and baking powder. Pulse to make a thin batter.

Cut the bananas into 3/4 inch slices. Arranges slices evenly over the crust. Pour the filling over the bananas and spread evenly with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula. Scatter the chopped walnuts over the filling.

Bake the tart until the crust is baked through and the filling is set and nicely golden.

Remove the tart from the oven, place on a rack, and immediately sprinkle with the rum (if using that). Cool the tart completely before slicing.

*Note: I used pecans for the topping since I ran out of walnuts. This took about 30 minutes to bake. The instructions at that point kind of threw me because I like to see a number regarding how long to bake something, but just keep an eye on it after 15 or 20 minutes......

Chicken & Stuffing Skillet

2010-11-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

This is another quick and easy dish from Campbell's Kitchen courtesy of my husband! He made this dish several weeks ago and it was so good. It's perfect for a weeknight meal and would be great with a side salad. I love these types of dishes when I just want something quick to make without a whole lot of fuss. Also very kid friendly since my son loved it too.

I can't believe that I haven't posted in almost a week! I keep telling myself that I need to post more and certainly mean to but for whatever reason something always comes up when I plan to. I am also wanting to change up my blog a bit and Ingrid from 3 B's has offered to help me since I am totally clueless. I mean clueless. She has no idea what she is in for!

Enjoy this recipe and I hope to be back more often than I have been lately...!!!

1 tablespoon butter

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)

1 box (6 ounces) Pepperidge Farm One Step Stuffing Chicken Mix

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Heat butter in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 15 minutes or until it's well browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Prepare the stuffing in the skillet according to the package directions except let stand for 2 minutes.

Place the chicken on the stuffing. Stir the soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken. Top with the cheese. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted.

Substitute Campbell's Condensed Cream of Celery or Cream of Mushroom Soup for the Cream of Chicken Soup.

Libby's Pumpkin Roll

2010-11-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is one cake that I have been meaning to make for ages but just never have. I think I was always worried that when I rolled the cake it would crack and I'd have a disaster on my hands. I'm happy to report that this was not the case. This was soooo easy and simple to make. The only little disaster I had was that at one point I had powdered sugar everywhere! This was delicious and perfect for this time of year. I'm sure many probably make this a yearly tradition. The ladies that belong to the church I attend have a tradition of making a ton of these every year as a fundraiser and selling them the weekend before Thanksgiving. They are just so pretty! Now that I know how easy these are to make, I'll definitely be trying more cake roll recipes. Think a chocolate one filled with raspberries and whipped cream would be delicious!!!!

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel - I used more and this was when I had powdered sugar everywhere!)

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 cup walnuts (optional)

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

For Cake:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 15x10 inch jellyroll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched (if using a dark colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

For Filling:

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Cooking Tip: Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Banana Cheesecake

2010-10-28T12:34:00.001-07:00

I'm giving the apple recipes a break for a while (still have more to come). I came across this cheesecake in the Taste of Home Fall Baking Cookbook Magazine. I ALWAYS have overripe bananas here and since I love banana bread and cakes I thought I'd give this a try. I am not a big fan of cheesecake but enjoy a slice every once in a while. Especially if it's from Cheesecake Factory! The banana flavor really comes through in this cake. That is the first thing you taste. So you really have to love bananas to enjoy this cheesecake. I liked it but my husband didn't care for it at all. He thought it had a rum flavoring added to it, which it did not. Just vanilla. It baked up beautifully. I didn't have to put it in a water bath while baking it and it didn't crack at all. I have the sour cream topping on it only because the recipe called for it. Not hiding any cracks. There is another cheesecake that I make that is delicious and I will be trying that again soon but it has always cracked....I've done the water bath thing, left it in the oven to cool off, etc. Cracks....Anyhow this cakes just comes out looking beautiful, so if you want to impress, then give this one a try.

Crust

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract

6 tbs butter, melted

Filling

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tbs cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

Topping

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup assorted fresh fruit (if desired)

Combine the first five ingredients; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in springform pan; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Combine bananas and lemon juice; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch and salt until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in sour cream, vanilla and banana mixture. Pour into crust. Place pan on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Let stand for 5 minutes. Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla; spread over top of cheesecake. Bake 5 minutes longer.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Garnish with fresh fruit.

Apple Pie by Grandma Ople

2010-10-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to make this apple pie for about 2 years and have finally made it. It was fantastic!!! I had it in my "to try" folder and finally tried it! What I should have done but did not do was make a lattice top for the pie, since you pour a syrup over it. I made a regular top pie crust (I have to work on trying to make a lattice one), and while it worked fine, it did not look pretty at all. That's why I'm posting a picture of a slice of the pie. The syrup just kind of turned a dark brown and didn't blend well into the crust while if it were a lattice crust like it should have been it would have spread over each strip. Still, it was good and I would definitely make this again. It's from Allrecipes and is their highest rated apple pie. At this moment I have another one baking in the oven by Ina Garten and I will be posting that one soon too. Anyone tired of apple recipes yet? I'm baking this one for my oldest son, for his 26th birthday. I cannot believe my son is 26 already. I don't know where the years have gone.....although I'm glad that his teenage years are gone!

Hope everyone has a great weekend...we are expecting the temperatures to be in the 70's here and possibly 80 one day next week. Right now it's cold as anything and going down to 40 tonight, crazy!!!

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

Place bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

Bake 15 minutes in te preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes until apples are soft.

Uncle Bob's Fresh Apple Cake

2010-10-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

Well we had a great time at the apple festival at Graves Mountain this year. We thought it would be a little on the cool side since we would be in the mountains but it was so warm that we were sweating!!! Had a great lunch of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, apple cake and apple donuts for dessert and even found some neat things from the crafters. The mountains are just so beautiful this time of year.

Before I move on to the this recipe, let me just clear up something. I'm not an authority on any type of food nor its origins. I had a recent comment from someone regarding my Swedish Apple Pie that "they didn't want to ruin" it for me but my pie was not a Swedish apple pie, etc, etc, etc.......That recipe originated from Allrecipes and I just copied what they wrote. People, I'm a home cook and baker and I'm just trying to have a bit of fun here on my blog and maybe learn how to become a halfway decent baker.....I don't expect people to do anything more than read my blog and on a lucky day maybe someone will like one of my recipes and try it. That's it.

This recipe is once again from my husband. He baked this to bring to our church's apple festival which was also this past weekend. Delicious and full of flavor and perfect with some ice cream on top. Of course, it's from his girlfriend, Paula Deen! I'd be in trouble if she lived close by. Hope you all enjoy it....

Honey Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons milk

Apple Cake:

3 cups diced Granny Smith apples, about 2 large apples

1 cup lightly toasted chopped walnuts

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

3 eggs

Glaze: Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and stir until smooth. Set the bowl aside.

Cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a Bundt pan or tube pan.

In a bowl, mix together the apples, walnuts, vanilla and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Using an electric mixer beat the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients and beat until completely combined. Fold in the apple mixture.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to fully cool in the pan, about 1 hour, and then turn it out onto a plate.

Drizzle the apple cake with some of the honey glaze, serve and enjoy!

Note: This cake can be wrapped tightly and stored in refrigerator for 3 to 5 days