Last night some of our kids came over for dinner. We invite them to come quite frequently because they have our 10 month old granddaughter. That, my dear friends, gets them a lot of homemade dinners. For some reason, last night Princess Payton decided that she just wanted me. It was glorious. She even went to me before her dad..I loved it. When Cameron was trying to get her to say, “ya ya” she did so and quite clearly. When I heard her say it, I thought to myself, “why that sounds so much cuter than Honey, which was what I had told them I wanted to be called, when Payton was born.. So I told them that I wanted to change my name from Honey to YaYa. That way, not only does it sound so cute, but she can already say it, which makes it even better. The kids started laughing at me and telling me that I cannot change my name AGAIN! Apparently, they think that just because I have gone from Honey Nonnie, to MiMi (but decided against that since my mom was called MiMi and I thought it might be confusing). The kids told me that it was no more confusing that me changing what I wanted to be called 5 times before Payton turned 1. But I decided that I really do like YaYa and I’m sticking to it. So now the grandkids in Phoenix call me Nana (which I tried to change but they said “NO”), our 10 yr old grandson, which lives here calls me Nana and our granddaughter In Orlando calls me Honey. I won’t mention what Randy calls me. But back to the story. I figure that as the grandkids get older, I will be able to bribe them by telling them that if they will call me a cuter name than Nana, I will buy them stuff. So as of today, I am Nana Honey YaYa….oh my, that kinda has a ring to it. Maybe I should go with all 3 names….NanaHoneyYaYa! Will take them awhile to learn to spell it, but by then I will probably have found a new cuter name anyway.
Month: April 2015
Old Fashioned Cherry Pie
Some of our kids are coming to dinner tonight so of course, Cameron already texted to see what we were having around 10 this morning. I texted back that we were having the beans & brisket that I posted a few days ago and cherry pie, which is one of his favorites. As the pie process began to get underway, it reminded me that several friends have ask about some of the pies that I make. Figuring that this might be just as good a time as any, here is a couple of secrets that will make your homemade pies extraordinary.
Even if you use the store bought Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, these simply little tricks will make the crusts taste better and seem a little more less “store bought”.
!. After you have placed your pie filling, whether it be cherry, peach, apple, sprinkle about 3 tables of sugar over the fruit. Then dab cubes of butter (not margarine) over the pie filling before covering with the top crust. Sprinkle a little sugar over the top crust to give it a sugary exterior.
2. If you are making apple or peach pies, substitute light brown sugar over the fruit filling and sprinkle some cinnamon, as per your liking, over the filling. Just sprinkle regular granulated sugar over the top crusts, just like you would cherry or blackberry, etc.
3. If you like a little more homemade flavor, use the boxed Betty Crocker Pie Crust mix. Sells for $2.09 and makes 2 crusts. All you do is add cold water and roll them out. So easy, but so much better than the refrigerated. 
Butter cubes placed over pie filling!
Finished and ready to enjoy!
Much flakier and so much better tasting.
Peeling Eggs & Cake Mix Tips
Over the years I have struggled with peeling hard boiled eggs. I have tried every suggestion that came across Face Book, or tips from chefs on television. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn’t. Since I have 2 daughter-in-laws that eat deviled eggs like they were chocolate truffles, I have made A LOT of deviled eggs this past year, since we moved closer to family. I have begun to really pay attention to how I cook them and what works more times than not, when peeling them. So after peeling 6 eggs today and having every one come out looking like a perfect little white egg, I want to share something that maybe you hadn’t thought of or heard.
They peel so easily when still warm. All I do is put the eggs in a pan, cover them in water and after water comes to a boil, I boil them uncovered for 4 minutes. I take the pan off the heat and place a lid on the pan. Allow to sit for 15 mintues. Pour the water off and run WARM water over the eggs, until you can comfortably handle the eggs. It is almost immediately that I begin to peal them. This allows you to peel them before the skin that is right under the shell to begin to stick to the egg. Thus, the shell comes off beautifully every time. At least 95% of the time. In the last several times of boiling eggs, I have had only one egg that was hard to peel.
Cake Mixes
Cake mixes can taste more like homemade if you make a couple of substitutions.
1. Substitute the water using milk.
2. Instead of the oil that is called for, use half oil and half melted butter. (And NO, using margarine doesn’t count, besides margarine not tasting very good, butter is better for you anyway.)
3. Add a little vanilla or any other extract such as almond, or butter, or well, you get the point. to the cake mix…about 1 teas
4. Add about 1/4 cup of sugar to cake mixes.
5. Never just bake them the time listed on the box. Watch closely and just when the top of the cake looks a little shiny in the middle, but when you shake it, it feels solid, take it out. Remember, to bake it according to your oven. Just because the box says bake 25-30 min, doesn’t mean that fits all ovens. So if you take them out just before they look dry on the top, they are much more moist.
6. Dark baking pans need to have the oven temp a little lower than shiny pans. Instead of 350, try 325.
7. One Duncan Hines cake mix makes 3 8″ loaf pans. You can then freeze 2 of them and pull them out as needed, always allowing you to have a cake in the freezer for those times when you don’t want to bake but company is a’comin!
Green Apple Cole Slaw
It thrills my soul that I have fallen in love with salads. I can honestly say that some days I actually crave salad. What is going on? Why am I wanting salads? The old me would have settled for a great slice of cherry pie or chocolate cake and been on my merry way. All I know is that maybe my cholesterol will drop below 300 if I keep going like this! If not, I can always eat a few oatmeal cookies to help; oats are suppose to help with cholesterol, right?
Serves 8 to 10
Taken from Come To The Table
Dressing
1 cup good quality mayo
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
Salt & pepper to taste
Cole Slaw
1 medium green cabbage, (about 1 1/2 lbs), shredded
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
2 tart green apples, chopped
For the dressing, combine the may, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix well.
For the slaw, combine the cabbage, onion, carrot and green apples in a medium bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and place in fridge for several hours, covered for the flavors to blend.
Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake
This afternoon I thought I would hunt for a new chocolate cake recipe and came across this new one that I had not seen. Since we love the Texas Sheet with the teaspoon of cinnamon in it, this one should be one that will satisfy our chocolate fix tomorrow. I saw it online in “my recipes” and cannot wait to bake it tomorrow. Let me know if you have tried it and what you thought about the flavor.
Photo by: Photo: Jim Franco; Styling: Leslie Siegel
Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake
We replicated the flavor profile of Mexican chocolate using semisweet chocolate and cinnamon. If you prefer to use Mexican chocolate, look for it with the hot drink mixes or on the Hispanic food aisle. This moist pound cake is equally delicious without the sauce.
- Yield: Makes 16 servings
Ingredients
- 1 (8-oz.) package semisweet chocolate baking squares, chopped*
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup chocolate syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Powdered sugar (optional)
- Mexican Chocolate Sauce
- Garnish: toasted sliced almonds
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Microwave chocolate baking squares in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 minute and 15 seconds or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring at 15-second intervals. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate, chocolate syrup, and vanilla until smooth.
2. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (14-cup) tube pan.
3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and let cool completely (about 1 hour and 30 minutes). Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve with Mexican Chocolate Sauce. Garnish, if desired.
*2 (4.4-oz.) packages Mexican chocolate, chopped, may be substituted. Omit ground cinnamon.
Note: We tested with Nestle Abuelita Marqueta Mexican chocolate.
Oven Roasted Veggies
Because Randy and I are trying to eat less meals, we have been on the lookout for different ways to make our veggie meals a little more exciting than just green beans and fried cabbage. When I saw this on FaceBook, I immediately knew that this would be such a great dinner. 
Ingredients:
1 bundle of asparagus
1 small bag of snow peas
2 medium to small yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 small bag of baby carrots
1 package of grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
1 sweet potato
EVOO
2 tables rosemary (if using fresh, it will be 3)
2 1/2 Tables Basil (if using fresh, then it would be 1/3 cup)
McCormick’s steak seasoning (pepper-mix, it’s part of their Grinders series)
Sea Salt
1 1/2 teas garlic salt
Preheat oven to 425
Combine as much olive oil (approx. 1/4 to 1/3 cup)as you like with the herbs and seasonings. Cut the vegetables in 1 1/2″ chucks. Place in a baking dish which has been sprayed with Pam or buttered. Toss all the veggies with the oil mixture and place in the baking dish. Bake, covered, for about 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake about 10-15 minutes longer. Depending on how soft you like your vegetables.
We will be serving this with a salad and Italian bread! ENJOY as a side dish or meal.
Beans & Brisket
A friend of min today told me that her family had fallen in love with this recipe. Wanted to post it again, as there were several ladies that were there that said to send the recipe to them and since I didn’t know for sure they knew how to search for it..here it is. Great easy meal for company. We are having it Tues night!
A good idea is to soak the beans overnight. Just put the beans in a pan or large bowl and cover them with water and allow to sit overnight. This softens them and allows them to cook a little faster.
3 to 6 pound brisket or large roast, trimmed
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 qt plus 2 cups water
1 pound pinto beans
1 large onion, sliced
1 large tomato sauce (16 oz)
Wash beans and drain. Put in bottom of large roaster. Season the brisket or roast to your liking and lay on top of beans. Then onion, rotel and tomato sauce. Pour inthe water. Cover and cook at 250 degrees for 12 hours.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Eclair Cake
One of the reasons I look forward to getting the Paula Deen magazine every 2 months, is that I know there will be fantastic dessert recipes in them. The new May-June has so many great recipes in them, that by the time I try them all, I will be wearing a tent.
2 (3.3 oz) packages white chocolate instant pudding mix
3 cups whole milk
1 teas vanilla
1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow crème
1 (14.4 oz) package graham crackers
1 cup grated bittersweet chocolate
1 (13 oz) jar chocolate-hazelnut spread *like Nutella
1 1/3 cups chocolate syrup
In a large bowl, bet pudding mix, milk and vanilla with a mixer on medium-low speed until thickened. In a medium bowl, beat whipped topping and marshmallow crème with mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat whipped topping mixture into pudding mixture until well blended.
In the bottom of a 13×9″ freezer safe baking dish, arrange one-third of graham crackers in an even layer, breaking crackers as needed to entirely cover bottom of dish. Spread half of pudding mixture over crackers and sprinkle with half of the grated chocolate. Repeat the layers once and top with remaining graham crackers.
In a medium bowl, beat chocolate syrup and the hazelnut spread on medium until well combined; spread over graham crackers. Cover pan and freeze for at least 8 hours to 2 days before serving.
Store leftovers in freezer, as the chocolate topping will soften and become a sauce if just refrigerated. But it won’t alter the wonderful flavor if you place in fridge…
Thanks Paula Deen, this one will be made many many times this summer, I’m sure!
Nanalicious Lessons
It feels like I have not written in months, when in reality, it has only been 4 days. Before I left to babysit in Phoenix, I had posted some lessons learned from keeping our 10 yr old grandson for 4 days. Also, I had written that upon my return, I would post more lessons learned after a week of keeping a 3 yr old, a 5 yr old and a 13 yr old. This is the lesson that I learned last week:
WHEN DETERMINING WHERE TO LIVE WHEN WE GET OLD, WE WILL MOVE TO OUR KIDS THAT ONLY HAVE 1 CHILD, NOT 3!!!!!!
There…that was my lesson that I learned. After spending 5 days in Phoenix with these angels, I learned that I should have trained for a triathlon before attempting this challenge. I learned that I should have had a chiropractor on speed dial.
Never attempt keeping 3 youngsters, at my age, without first buying earplugs, a great pair of tennis shoes and lots of benedryl (for the kids, not me)! I found myself running car pool with a roll of toilet paper in my purse, for Noah’s runny nose, (I couldn’t find any tissue), which really felt weird, when reaching into my purse for my wallet, grabbed the roll instead. The cashier looked at me, then looked at Noah and said, “I totally understand.”
Do not ever enter a restaurant without a bleach rag or antiseptic cleanser. I must have made 5 trips back to the silverware station for clean spoons after Noah kept knocking his onto the floor.
NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE without at least 3 pair of extra “big boy” underwear! Sometimes, the “big boy” forgets he is a big boy. Need I say more?
All in all, I can’t even begin to tell you how many trips I made up and down the stairs. When I brought the boys their milk for the night, I was so proud that I had bathed them, had them brush their teeth, and they were actually in bed without one boo boo for the day. I handed them their milk and Caleb says to me, “Nana, you have the wong cups. Noah has to dwink his out of his baby cup and I don’t dwink out of this one, because it is a baby cup.” I told him to just exchange them and all would be right in the world. He looked at me and said, “Nana, Noah’s uses the cup that looks like a cow uddor (Caleb doesn’t seem to see the need to use “r’s” so we never hear a “r” in the Dupree household), but it only has 1 uddor on it” So I ran back down stairs to find the cup with the 1 “uddor” on it. (Are they really teaching 5 yr olds about cow udders in kindergarten now)?When I come back up, I bring two new cups of milk and promise God that when I turn 65, I will go to Africa to be a missionary, if I just don’t have to run back down the stairs again that night. Caleb tells me that I still got the wong cup for him, but he will use the one I bwought up. God is faithful! If I survive this week, I guess I will be preparing to learn how to live in Africa. I kind of feel like this past week was a great start for learning how to live in the wild.
When I plopped into the chair in the airport, waiting for my flight to take me home, I sat there thinking about how old this week made me feel. Why couldn’t I keep up like I could 40 years ago? My aching muscles and swollen feet reminded me that I guess I truly am not as young as I like to think I am. But after a couple days of rest, I’m sure I will be just fine and ready to tackle the next big challenge.
Upon arriving in Dallas, I walk off the plane, in my cute little wedge sandals, knowing that Randy will be waiting with open arms to welcome me home. Well, a few minutes after leaving the plane, I am walking so fast, that I hit a wet spot on the floor that has just been mopped. Whish…down I go right in the middle of Love Field terminal C. All the precious little 15 yr olds walking around me, come over to me and I hear people saying, “help her up, somebody, help the lady up.” I felt my face turn red and didn’t realize until I got up what I must have looked like, trying to get up by myself, having turned over on all 4’s and pushing my way to try to stand. It was a proud moment, I can assure you. But in the distance, there Randy stands, with a huge grin on his face. Was he that glad to see me or had he seen me fall? Could I feel any older than I had when the minivan that had dropped me off at the Phoenix airport was decaled with “nanlicious”? My dear sweet son-in-law thought it would be cute to have this on the van as I drove it around all week.
Surely things will start to feel better as soon as I get to the house. Surely, as soon as I have a glass of sweet tea and sit down with my chocolate candy I had saved, I would begin to feel my youthful self again, well maybe after a good night’s rest. So settling down on the couch with my tea and chocolate, Randy brings me an envelop and says, “guess what you got while you were gone?” I glance down to see the giant envelop with giant letters forming the words “WELCOME TO MEDICARE”. I guess they think that we can’t see little letters unless they are the size of a large Vitamin.
I think that the Nanalicious van doesn’t look so bad after all. At least it didn’t have a handicap sticker on the license plate and with 3 kids in the back I didn’t feel as old as I did right then sitting there with the Medicare papers to fill out.
Wonder if the witch doctors in Africa take Medicare?
Pimiento Arugula Pasta Salad
Notice that I am posting salads. I’m thinking that the lighter the meal, the more we can splurge on desserts..almost like drinking diet cola alongside that piece of chocolate cake. Save calories when you can, allowing us to end our evening on a much loved dessert. Am I the only one that thinks like that?
This salad looks amazing.
1 (16 oz) package penne pasta
1/3 cup oiive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teas honey
2 (4 oz) jars Dromedary pimientos, drained
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup sliced fresh basil
1/2 (4 oz) package arugula
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water. Drain and set aside.
Whisk together olive oil and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add pasta, pimientos and next 3 ingredients into oil mixture.
Cover and chill until ready to serve. Stir in arugula just before serving.
Serves: 6-8 
Chocolate Castles 