1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
6 oz semisweet chocolate (such as Bakers but i didnt have that, so I used chocolate chips)
2 tables butter
1 teas vanilla
Over low heat melt chocolate with milk. Stir continually until all chocolate is melted. Take off the heat and Add the butter and vanilla. Stir until butter has melted. Keeps for 1 week in covered jar.
Serve warm over cakes, brownies or ice cream.
Month: August 2014
Dips For The Day
Going through the Frisco magazine that came yesterday. ( I bet you think that my house is nothing by a pile of magazines, and you are almost correct. I do allow room for my baking pans and fridge to stock butter and cream cheese). A whole page of dips, which will come in handy if you are headed out to tail gate parties, or a cookout tomorrow or just sitting at home watching TV. Here were are a couple that caught my eye and will save them.
Hot Corn Dip
Cooking spray or butter to grease dish
2 (11 oz) cams of Mexican corn, drained
2 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles, drained
2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup Mayo
5 oz cooked chorizo (or Jimmy Dean Sausage if you are not a chorizo fan)
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
Tortilla Chips for dipping
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix the corn, chiles, cheese, mayo, cilantro and meat until fully combined.
Spread the mixture in the prepared dish and bake for about 30-35 min or until edges or lightly browned.
Knowing me, I will probably sprinkle more cheese over the top the last few min of baking.
Ugly Dip (Named after…well, I guess I will keep that to myself)
1 (4 oz) can chopped green olives
1 (4 oz) can chopped black olives
2 green onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add garlic powder to taste, parsley flakes, basil and chives and black pepper to taste.
There are several additions I can immediately think of that I would probably add, like cubed avocado, artichoke hearts for example.
Pub Sauce
1/2 cup mayo
1 tables soy sauce
1 tables Worcestershire sauce
1 tables brown sugar
1 teas ground pepper
1/2 teas hot sauce
Mix all ingredients will, until thick. Serve over warm grilled burgers or use as a dip for fries.
Happy Labor Day! Remember all you Southern gals out there, it’s time to put away your white dresses, capri’s and shoes…The Fashion Police will find you if you continue to wear white after Labor Day…Just a warning, what if you have on white and for some reason you are caught on television!!! That is not a happy thought.
Eagle Brand Pound Cake
OMGosh, you are kidding me! I cannot believe I just found a recipe using a can of Eagle Brand in a cake!
Eagle Brand, to me, should be in it’s own food group. I would probably even like liver if it was soaked in Eagle Brand. This recipe was in the old cookbook that had the “possum” recipe. I have to have some friends over so I have an excuse to make this wonderful cake.
1 lb (yep, you heard right, a whole pound) softened butter (do not use margarine as I will turn you in to the butter police)
2 cups sugar
8 eggs
1 can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk (there is only the one size)
3 cups flour
1/2 teas salt
2 teas vanilla
1 teas lemon extract (I will probably use butter extract as I like that combo of flavor with the vanilla)
Sift flour and salt and set aside. Grease and flour 10″ tube pan. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Continue beating, adding eggs, 1 at a time. Add flour and Eagle Brand alternately, blending just until well mixed. Add flavorings last.
Pour into pan and bake at 325 preheated oven for 1 hour. Reduce oven to 300 and bake about 25 min more, or until cake tests done.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over cooled cake if desired. Or set out different toppings, such as fudge sauce, fresh strawberries, ice cream or whipped cream when serving.
Shrimp To The Rescue
We have been invited to a steak cookout next week where I was told to bring an appetizer. Since my blog is mostly about cooking, I felt it necessary that I should bring something more than a can of bean dip and a sack of Fritos. I googled “appitizers” and up popped a whole page of them taken from Southern Living kitchens. How had I missed this great recipe? I guess I have had my head in the bag of Hershey Kisses way to much lately. When I saw this recipe, I knew instantly that this was the one that would make them all stand up and say, “wow, I bet she has a cooking blog we need to check out!” Well, maybe, but at any rate, it will be refreshing & as one of our good friends likes to say, “ridiculously good”.
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
4 tables finely chopped fresh parsley
4 tables finely chopped green onion (greens only)
6 tables olive oil
1 envelope Garlic & herb dressing mix (Like Good Seasons brand)
2 lbs cooked shrimp (I buy the bag of medium size shrimp at Costco and thaw overnight, drain and is ready to use)
1 large can of black or green olives, drained
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
2 (4 oz) package feta cheese, cut into 1/2″ cubes
Small fresh basil leaves *(I am changing this to fresh cilantro instead because I am adding chunks of avocado)
Whisk together vinegar and next 4 ingredients in a bowl. Stir in shrimp and next 3 ingredients. Cover and chill 8-12 hours.
Stir in desired amount of avocado chunks and fresh cilantro (or the basil if you are using that instead of cilantro) right before serving.
Serve with crackers
If you are serving as a salad, place in a large glass bowl. It makes a beautiful presentation!
Skillet Meatloaf
We have just returned from visiting my mom in Corpus, where we stay with a couple who well, who make Randy and I feel pretty young. She is 80 and he is 92. We enjoy them so much and they are just so sweet to open up their home to us for as long as we need. Jane is quite the cook, as I have written about her before, and when the conversation turned to recipes, which it always does, she began to tell me about this skillet meatloaf that she use to always make for her 3 boys, because she could hide veggies in it and they would have no idea. It is a great way to have meatloaf without having your oven on during these hot summer days. She never follows an exact recipe and this is as exact as it is going to be until I get to the store and buy the things I need to make it. I will then post some exact measurements, but until then, make your favorite meatloaf recipe with the following exceptions.
1 lb of ground beef
breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs
diced very finely, onion and bell pepper
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded carrot
Shape the meat into balls or 2 small loafs
Jane heats a little Crisco oil, but since I know that there are many younger people out there who believes that Crisco is nothing but heart attacks waiting to happen, may I suggest a little olive oil. Shape the meat mixture into balls or loafs and brown on both sides. Take meat out and set on a plate. Using a little flour, with a fork, whisk the flour in the drippings in the pan and continue to stir until the flour mixture is lightly browned. Add about 1 1/2 cups warm water all the while whisking, so mixture does not lump. Add your meat back in and cover. Simmer over low heat for about 30-35 minutes allowing the meat to thoroughly cook. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.
*If the idea of making gravy scares you, use a packet of brown gravy mix, following directions on the package, but then pouring it into the pan drippings, to allow the flavors to meld together with the meat.
In a heavy skillet, heat your Crisco or olive oil until it starts to sizzle.
Glazed Apple-Maple Blondies
That sounds so good that it should become a OPI color. But until then, these blondies will help us slide into the Fall Season with a new appreciation for Apples. Taken from the Sept-Oct issue of TOH, these will certainly get us in the mood for pulling out the boxes in the garage marked “Fall” on them. Oh, I can just heat the excitement in Peter Pumpkin’s voice as he heads upstairs to put on his wife beater shirt to start unloading boxes.
Makes 2 dz
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teas vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 teas salt
1/4 teas baking soda
3 cups pealed and chopped apples (about 3 medium sized)
Glaze
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9×13″ pan.
In a large bowl, beat the first 4 ingredients until blended. Beat in eggs.
In another bowl, whisk flour, salt and baking soda. Gradually beat into brown sugar mixture. Stir in apples. Batter will be thick.
Transfer to prepared pan and bake 25-30 min or until blondies test done when knife inserted in middle comes out with moist crumbs on it.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter and add the brown sugar and syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool slightly. Pour glaze over warm blondies.
Cool before cutting into bars.
Update on Mug Cakes
I just posted the recipe for the Mug Cakes. The directions said to cook them for 2 minutes, but I found that that was way to much. The first one I made actually burned so decreased the microwave cooking to 1 min and they turned out perfect.
The Amazing Mug Cake
Ok, just when I thought that there were some nights when I was just too tired to get in the kitchen to whip up something sweet at 9 or 10 p.m., which would allow me to actually go a whole day without dessert, comes this Mug Cake. It goes from bowl to mouth in 5 minutes. So now, I don’t ever have to go to bed without a sugar high. The recipe is in the back of the Food Network Mag and gives several different toppings for this cute little “cup” cake. I have to admit that I have never made a cake or any dessert, for that matter, in the microwave. So as soon as I’m off this computer, I am going to go nuke my first dessert.
Lightly butter 4 microwave safe coffee mugs. Place 1/2 cup ea: sugar and buttermilk, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 egg, and 1/2 teas almond extract or vanilla in a large bowl. Mix until smooth, about 2 mins.
Whisk in 1/2 cup flour, 1/8 teas baking soda and a pinch of salt. Combine with oil mixture and mix until smooth.
Pour 1/2 cup batter into each mug. Microwave 1 at a time until puffed and cake test done in middle (about 1 minute.) Bake at 15 sec intervals if needed.
Let it cool slightly and frost as desired. Sprinkle any topping, such as strawberries, chocolate chips, nuts, marshmallows, caramel, etc.
If you want to make the cake chocolate, decrease the flour to 1/3 cup and add 2 tables cocoa to flour mixture.
Top cakes with ice cream if desired.
Apple-Caramel Cheesecake Bars
Years ago (and I do mean years, as in 30-35) we use to go to a cafeteria in Corpus which served the best cinnamon topped apple cheesecake. It was on my tray every time we went. When I saw this on the front of my new Paula Deen Magazine I jumped for joy. Thanks Paula for your amazing great Southern Recipes! (that is in case she should ever happen to run across my blog…do I dream big or what?)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teas kosher salt
Filling:
4 large Pink Lady (or Gala) apples, peeled, halved, cored and diced (about 8 cups)
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 1/2 teas ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 teas ground nutmeg
2 ( 8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup flour
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Caramel Ice Cream topping (like Smuckers, remember if it is Smucker’s, it has to be good)
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13×9″ baking pan with parchment paper, letting excess extend over the sides of pan.
For crust; in a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with mixer until fluffy. Add flour and salt, beating until combined. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. (remember if you do not have parchment paper, just spray the bottom of the baking pan with Pam or butter it well)
Bake for 20 min or until golden brown. Let cool completely.
Meanwhile, back on the farm…in a large bowl, stir together apples 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 teas cinnamon and nutmeg. Transfer apple mixture to a colander set over a bowl; let stand for at least 30 min.
In another large bowl, beat cream cheese, eggs and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar with mixer until smooth. Pour over cooled crust. Spread drained apple mixture over cream cheese mixture.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour & next 3 ingredients and remaining 1/2 teas cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter or fork, stir in butter and pecans until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apples.
Bake for 35-40 min or until center is set. Let cool in pan to room temperature. Then place in fridge until completely chilled.
Using excess parchment paper as handles, remove from pan and cut into bars. drizzle with caramel right before serving.
If you did not use parchment paper, you can leave in pan and cut into bars right before serving, using a spatula to serve.
Fall Is Falling Upon Us
This is the time of year when we loose the love of our children. In 2 weeks, our phone voice mail message returns to Peter & Penelope Pumpkin answering…
Hi, you have reached Peter & Penelope Pumpkin, we are out picking out pumpkins and having a ball, when we get back, we will give you a call…
If you have any reason to drive your adult children crazy, like we do, this will do it. We intentionally don’t answer our phones from now till Jan as the Christmas message equally pushes their buttons as well.
We figure that with all the times that they drove us crazy, it is now our turn. Ah…the golden years.
Last evening I heard the weather man say that statistically, we have the hottest weather behind us now and that we should begin to see the tempts falling into the middle 90’s in a few weeks. Well, that is all it took for me to send Peter Pumpkin out into the garage this morning while it was still cool (upper 90’s instead of 100’s) to sort out the boxes which have Fall written in Orange marks a lot on them. As soon as we get home from Corpus next week, the Fall Trees will be set up and the pumpkins will adorn our courtyard and kitchen. I am one of those that most people probably hate. I get excited about Fall Sept 1st and want to enjoy the decorations as long as I can before the Christmas Holidays, so to be able to enjoy the turkey décor which will be set up the day after Halloween, I have to start now. The lights of the Fall trees which will be turned into Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving just give me a pep to my step as well as my heart. It is my favorite time of the year.
BTW, the Perfect Chocolate Cake that I posted on Saturday is just what it says, PERFECT! Everyone who ate it said it was indeed the best chocolate cake they have ever had. It was worth every Tum I had to take to get rid of the heartburn from eating so much chocolate. If you want a very special chocolate cake for any celebration, this is the cake you want. It will turn any dinner into a celebration.
Chocolate Castles 