Chocolate Castles as wel

As we gather with family And friends to remember all the ones who have sacrificed for us to have the freedom we have, may we gather at the table to give thanks for their sacrifice! Thank God for the precious people who have sacrificed so much! May we never forget! Last night our Memorial Day began at some of our kids’ and had smoked ribs that were just delicious! I took dessert and this lemon blueberry biscotti!

All I can say is “this is good enough to start a biscotti company”. Thinking of calling it Biscotti Babe! Seriously a week or so ago (Mandy) one of my DIL’s ask me to make a lemon biscotti for her. I starting looking at different recipes and found this one. I added my own take on ingredients but it is simply divine (and that sweet friends is being typed in a most southern draw). This is one of the best recipes I have found in a long time. I took Mandy a plateful last night. I think she is now indebted to me forever! HA. It was a hit!

1/2 cup (room temp) of butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs at room temp

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

Zest of one large lemon

1/2 teas almond extract

1 teas lemon extract

Mix sugars with butter. Add eggs until well beaten. Add extracts and zest of lemon

In another bowl mix flour, salt and baking powder! Add to butter mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds, 2/3 cup dried blueberries and 1 cup of white chocolate chips. Divide dough into 2 equal amounts and Shape in to 2 football shaped logs on parchment paper on baking sheet. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar over each log. I pay the sugar into the dough assuring that the sugar stays on the dough Bake in 350 preheated oven for 25 min. Remove from oven and reduce oven temp to 325. Slice each log diagonally and place slices back on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 min. Remove from over and turn each slice over and bake again for another 8 min. Turn oven off, open oven door a little and leave in oven for 1-2 hrs. Remove and cool before placing in covered dish or bag to store.

Zest of one large lemon

1/2 teas

Made these last night (thank you Paula Deen) to have along side our buttered potatoes, fresh green beans with bacon and onion and broiled broccoli! There was enough left over for breakfast! Served slices with bacon and toast! Was almost like a quiche! One bowl recipe! Will be great to serve with pinto beans and flour tortillas, as wel

Why is it that each new season conjures up different foods that come to mind? This Spring season makes me want to have luncheons and get the pretty pink napkins out and plates that just scream “yea the sun is out!” One of the most favorite things of mine is to have ladies who share the love of gathering together and visiting over a table of good food. Lately I have noticed that there is a group of ladies all over the country who gather and have a Southern Living Luncheon. There are groups forming all over and they make all the recipes from SL magazines! So that is now a new bucket list of mine. To find ladies who would love to meet for lunch and eat all the wonderful SL recipes that have been given through the years. This recipe is a great spring dessert and comes from a Southern Living Sept 2005 magazine. Refreshing and oh so good!

15 lemon cookies, coarsely crushed (about 2 cups)

1 (21 oz) can blueberry pie filling

1 (8 oz) container extra creamy Cool Whip, thawed

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (like Eagle Brand) not evaporated

1 (6 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Sprinkle 1 tables of crushed cookies (each) of 8 parfait glasses. Spoon 2 tablespoons of pie filling over crumbs.

Mix Cool Whip with condensed milk and thawed lemon concentrate together! Stir until well mixed spoon 2 tablespoons of this mixture over pie filling sun each glass! Repeat layers once. Top each glass with cookie crumbs. Cover and chill 4 hours before serving!

When MD is over and we have the opportunity to sit back and think over the years of raising children and now seeing them as adults themselves raising children, it is such a delight to watch them do some of the things we tried to instill in them! When I reread all the cards last night after the kids were gone and the kids that live OOT had called, it just made me realize that dispite the fact that mistakes were made, decisions were sometimes not the best, hard days were sometimes not dealt with in the best of ways, by Gods grace, our kids knew they were loved! They have grown up with the kindest hearts which forgive our mistakes, they are seeing that as they raise their children, they are learning how to respond to each new season of their children’s lives, just like we did. And continue to do. That as we taught them how to be independent of us, we then then had to accept their independence, they are now doing the same! It is a joy to now not only be their parent, but a friend as well! I remember that my dream job was to be a mom! That’s truly all I wanted to be! And here at 72, as I look back. That dream job has been so rewarding and such a blessing! We have a blended family of 5! And as that blending continues to just get better and better, Randy and I both know that it is truly a gift from the Lord that we can say, “behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them: they shall not be ashamed. Psa 127:3-5

Some years ago when Randy and I went to visit friends in CA, we went to breakfast with them and had this dish, because of their recommendation! They were wonderful! We have made them from time to time but today I added some chopped fried bacon to them and now this is how we will have them from now on! It is such an easy breakfast and so filling! Because we just make them for 2, the ingredients will be of course different than if you are making breakfast for 4! But adjust to how many people you are feeding. Very easy!

Ingredients

2 corn tortillas , fried crisp and broken up in strips

2 eggs

2 pieces of bacon, fried and chopped

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup mild green enchilada sauce

Directions

Stir 2 eggs until well mixed and scramble in pan you used to fry the bacon. Season with salt and pepper to your liking! Add cooked bacon and tortilla strips! (Because I was only making for 2 I used only one of the fried tortillas in the egg mixture and used the other one as a base in the bottom of the baking dish). Layer the one flat tortilla in bottom of greased small baking dish. Spoon the egg mixture over the tortilla! Drizzle the green enchilada sauce over egg mixture. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and place in preheated 350 oven until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbling! (About 3-5 min) Serve with soft heated corn tortillas that have been buttered and salted.

Some years ago when Randys parents were still living, they spent about 4 months every year in Colorado camping with friends at a campground! We use to love going up there and spending time with them! Each trip I came home with new recipes that I got to sample from the nights where everyone would bring a dish and we had dinner outside around a huge fire pit. It was one of these nights that a lady brought this casserole and I fell in love with it! It is one of those dishes that you will make for pot lucks, family dinners, or just yourself when you are wanting to have a meatless dinner. Just add a salad and you have a filling, comfy and flavorful dinner! It is called zesty because of the diced green chiles! If you like it mild then use the can of mild, if you like more “zesty” go wild and use the can of hot green chilies!

Ingredients

In a large bowl add together:

1 can of Rotel diced green chiles (your choice of mild or hot)

1 cup of raw macaroni (no need to cook before)

1 can (undrained) while kernel corn

1 can sweet cream style corn

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup cubed velveta (this will melt as dish is cooking)

Stir ingredients until mixed and pour into a greased 9×13” baking dish. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven, covered with foil for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350, uncover and bake an additional 30 min! casserole should be bubbling and macaroni is done.

A couple of days ago I called a dear friend in CA to wish her a happy birthday! She is the one the Lord used to let Randy and I know we had found our church home there in Pasadena, Ca. That is another story for another day! When we finished catching up on what has been going on in our families, she told me she had a very special testimony to tell me about. As she proceeded to share the story of how God had used the son of some friends of ours still living there in CA, I began to tear up just thinking about the faithfulness of our God and how we need to never give up praying for someone God has put on our hearts! This is the story…names have been changed due to the fact I don’t know the young man’s mom to get her permission to tell the story

David (our friends son) had gone into the hospital in need of open heart surgery! He had done well coming through the surgery but was still in the hospital recovering ! As only God can do, a young man close to David’s age was wheeled into David’s room ! They began to visit and the young man, named Mark, ask David why he was in the hospital! He told him he was in for heart surgery and Mark told him “same with me”. David began to share his story of how he had made some bad choices in his life, walked away from Jesus, and allowed alcohol to take over his life, causing him to loose his family, his wife, and his job. Mark told David that he had lied to him about why he was in the hospital, it wasn’t just his heart, but he had overdosed! David shared with Mark how he had come back to the Lord and ask Jesus to forgive him and to make him a new man! It was at this point that Mark said to David, “I want that same what you have”. David led the young man thru scripture and ask him if he wanted to accept Jesus as his savior and told him Jesus loved him and led him in a prayer of salvation! They both cried and the nurse attending them both was a Christian and had heard what had been happening in the room! A couple hours later things began to happen and doctors were coming in and out but there was nothing they could do! Mark died! After David was released from the hospital, he received a call from a lady. The Christian nurse that had learned of the wonderful salvation of Mark right before he died had talked to his mom! She ask if she could have David’s number and of course he gave permission to give it to her. When she called David, she told him that for years she had been praying for her son and that she was so grateful that David had shared the Lord with Mark and knew that now one day she would see him again in glory! What a beautiful testimony of answered prayer! It was no accident that both men were put in the same room! The song that “God makes a way when there seems to be no way”reminds us that The Bible tells us that “with God all things are possible” is also a wonderful reminder to me to always be ready to give the hope that is mine in Christ Jesus! How glorious to know the rest of the story, that not only did Mark come to know the Lord, but that his mom had the assurance of knowing her prayers had been answered! God is so faithful and so good to come after us even when we have not been looking for Him!

Grace grace, Gods grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace grace, Gods grace, grace that is greater than all our sin!

A sweet friend of ours is having a birthday this week and we had talked about what types of cakes we enjoy. We get to visit while our husbands have voice lessons for Parkinsons and we enjoy trading recipes and just just having some time to visit while our hubbies are practicing “talking with intent” in another room. Today i brought Peggy a lemon blueberry Bundt cake! Her face showed her excitement. Happy Birthday Peggy and hope you enjoy the cake. The frosting is a blueberry infused buttercream!

Ingredients

1 Duncan Hines Lemon cake mix

1 4 oz size lemon instant pudding mix

4 eggs at room temperature

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil

Pint of fresh blueberries or frozen

Spray a Bundt pan with Pam. Dust granulated sugar (instead of flour) which will give the cake a crunchy crust outside.

Wash and dry the blueberries. Divide blueberries in 2 equal parts. toss one of the half’s with about 1 teas of flour and set aside

Make cake using the pudding mix, oil, water and eggs! Beat well with mixer for about 2 min. Stir the blueberries in that were tossed with the flour into the cake batter. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 40-45 min or until cake tests done. Cool in pan for about 15-18 min and flip out onto serving plate!

Frosting

Bring the half pint of the blueberries to a boil with about 1/ 2 cup water and 1/3 cup granulated sugar. continue to cook blueberries until they are tender and begin to fall apart. Set aside and allow to cool. When cool, using a mesh colander pour blueberry mixture in and using back of spoon, begin to smash blueberries through the mesh until you have mashed them all through.

Set aside. Using 1 stick (8 oz) of softened butter, add 3 cups of powdered sugar to butter and beat until smooth adding the blueberry mixture 1 tables at a time until spreading consistency! Add 1 teas vanilla and continue beating until smooth. If needed, you can add milk or whipping cream to thin to spreading consistency! When cake is cool, drizzle frosting over cake. Store In fridge until ready to serve and remove an hr before serving. sprinkle a few leftover blueberries over top !

A sweet lady, Dianna Barnes started a web site, We Grew Up in Corpus Christi cookbook (on FB) that has just been such fun to see from different people who grew up in my hometown! San Diego, CA is my birth place, but my parents moved to CC when I was 2, so for 43 years, I called it home! Dianna posted this recipe the other day and I knew I had to make it! I had just bought chocolate chip brioche rolls and so I used that to make it. Sprinkled some pralined pecans in with it and wa la, we have some amazing bread pudding with a most buttery delicious sauce to pour over the top. Actually, this is the first time I’ve made sauce to pour over the pudding. We have always just used whipped cream or ice cream to top it but this sauce sounded so good, I’m so glad I did. It is just delicious and the brown sugar and butter ingredients just make it over the top good! Thanks Dianna for all the recipes you share but this one really is truly a winner!

Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce 😍
𝗜𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

• 4 cups (8 slices) cubed white bread
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  Sauce Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
  𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
  Directions for Pudding :
  Heat oven to 350°F. Combine bread and raisins in large bowl. Combine milk and 1/4 cup butter in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted (4 to 7 minutes).
  Pour milk mixture over bread; let stand 10 minutes.
  Stir in all remaining pudding ingredients. Pour into greased 1 1/2-quart casserole. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until set in center.
  Directions for Sauce:
  Combine all sauce ingredients except vanilla in 1-quart saucepan.Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (5 to 8 minutes).
  Stir in vanilla.
  To serve, spoon warm pudding into individual dessert dishes; serve with sauce.
  Store refrigerated.

A couple of weeks ago, I was having lunch with a friend who began to tell me about this Casserole her adult kids always request when they come over for dinner. I was curious to see if it was the same chicken and rice casserole that my mom used to make so I ask her to tell me about it. It was very different from my moms, but I liked the sound of it and decided to make it for some family coming to dinner. It was a great dinner and we served it with fried squash cubes, avocado/tomato salad with purple hill peas. Thanks Janet for a great chicken rice casserole that is easy to make and delicious to serve!

Boneless chicken breast or boneless thighs

1 pkg Liptons dry onion soup ( sometimes I put 1 1/2 pkgs (I used 2 whole packages)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 can cream of mushroom soup

11/4 cup of boiling water

1 1/3 cup Minute Rice

2 Tsp pimentos (optional)

Mix dry onion soup, mushroom soup, rice and boiling water in glass casserole dish 13×9 (I think)

Place chicken on top. Pour a little melted butter on top.

Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Pour a little more melted butter on top when it comes out of oven!