Month: September 2015

Desserts · Fruit

Country Apple Dessert

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Fall just says to me, “bake something with apples”. Going through a basket with recipes that had been torn out when we moved, I came across this quick easy recipe!

1 box (18 1/2 oz) yellow cake mix, with pudding

1/3 cup butter, softened

2 eggs, slightly beaten, divided use

1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling (be sure it is the apple pie filling and not just sliced apples!

1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, copped

1 teas cinnamon (I think I will use about 2 teas)

1 cup sour cream

1 teas vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bow, combine cake mix, butter and 1 egg by hand or by using the low speed on a hand help mixer.

Place in a ungreased 9×13″ baking dish and using hand, press the mixture to form a bottom crust. Spread apple pie filling evenly over mixture.

Combine brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples. In a small bowl, blend the sour cream, egg and vanilla.

Spread over the sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until topping is golden. Serve warm or room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.

Serves: 12

Cakes · Desserts · Fruit

Strawberry Pound Cake

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Isn’t it such a blessing that we never have to wait for summer for strawberries? Aren’t freezers just the best invention ever?

Because this recipe calls for frozen strawberries, you can make this gorgeous and delicious cake in the dead of winter, when you have reached your pumpkin and gingerbread limit.

2 packages (10 oz eac) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

1/4 teas strawberry extract (if you do not have this, you can use vanilla)

Strawberry Sauce

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries (you can use frozen if unable to find fresh)

1/2 teas vanilla

1/4 teas strawberry extract (if you do not have this, just add another 1/4 teas vanilla)

1/2 cup butter

Drain strawberries, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Chop the berries; set juice and berries aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine the dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and mix well. Stir in pecans, chopped berries and extract.

Pour into a greased and floured 10″ fluted tube pan. Bake at 325 for 1 1/4 hours or until cake tests done. Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pan to a wire rack. (Mine only took a little over the hour)

Sauce:

In a small saucepan, combine the butter and reserved strawberry juice. Add the fresh sliced or frozen berries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in extracts and powdered sugar and mix until no lumps remain from the sugar. Pour glaze over warm cake. 2015-09-23 14.31.48

*Taken from FaceBook

Daily Thoughts

Chocolate Castles on Home Screen

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On Sunday I realized that some friends of mine didn’t know that they could add ChocolateCastles to their home screens. That way, all you have to do is click on the Icon and the blog appears. So for those of us who are Golden Girls, who aren’t real computer savy, it is very easy. This works on Iphones. (it works on Androids also, but to tell you the truth, I don’t remember how the cute little high school  looking girl at AT&T did it)

There are only 2 steps to having it on your home screen.

  1. Type in Chocolate Castles in your search bar. When you have choices of Chocolate Castles to choose from, open the one which shows it is a blog. The Headline will say, “ChocolateCastles/Recipes, Life & Laughs & Hospitality Hints chocolatecastles.com…..click on that.
  2. Once you have opened it, look at the bottom of your phone and you should see a box with an arrow pointing up. Click on that and it gives you several choices, one of those being “add to home screen”. Click on that and it will download to your home screen.
  3. Any time you need to go to the blog, just touch the Chocolate castles icon and it will take you then directly to Chocolate Castles. Also there is a search bar on the right side of the blog page where you can type in the name of a recipe to find it in the blog, no matter when it was posted.

Hope this helps.  Thanks to all of you who are following the blog. It is such an encouragement to continue writing and posting!

Chocolate · Desserts

Popping Pretzels

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I know what you are thinking, “and she wonders why she keeps putting on the pounds”. But, trust me, these are an addiction that you will be grateful for. They take 5 minutes to make and you can make them for any holiday by just changing out the color of candy melts and M&M’s.

So far, I have not been able to find any Fall colored M&M’s yet, so just picked out the brown, yellow and orange ones from the bag I had. I posted these a couple of years ago and for some reason, did not make them last year. Probably because I knew if I did, I would be admitted to the 1800chocolatehoarders. But folks, this has been a tough year. Learning how to live in a house with a newly retired husband, well…let’s just say that I have earned every bite of chocolate I can get my hands on. It is so weird that I don’t even really like pretzels, but when you put chocolate on them, they become a whole new food group to me.

It has been so easy to convince myself that at least I’m not popping pills. Maybe after this, diet pills will be in my future, but will wait until the whole bag of pretzels and M&M’s are gone.

1 bag of waffle pretzels

1 bag of orange candy melts (Found mine at Michaels for $1.99)

M&M’s (any flavor you like, but the plain is what I used today)

Preheat oven to 225. On a baking sheet, place the waffle pretzels in a single layer. Place a candy melt in the center of each pretzel. Place in preheated oven for about 2 minutes. I take mine out just before the little tip of the candy melts goes flat. Have your M&M’s ready to place one in the center of each candy melt.

So perfect for those evenings of watching The Voice or Castle or sharing (yeah, right, like I’m going to actually give some away…I don’t think so) with a neighbor! Seriously, these are so great to take to parties or to your son and daughter-in-laws house when you babysit, because they never have any desserts in the house…oops did I say that out loud?

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Heavenly Smore Bites

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These are addicting!!!but chocolate always is!

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Heavenly Smore Bites

A great dessert that you can make in 10 minutes! You will never make smores outside again! The little bit of powdered sugar in the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter make these little gems something special.
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tables melted butter
12 regular sized marshmallows
1 large (7 oz) Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar
Mix crumbs, powdered sugar and melted butter together in small bowl with fork until well blended. Place a tablespoon of mixture in each of 24 mini muffin tins. Place in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 5 min. Remove from oven and place 1/2 of small square of Hershey bar in each cup while still hot. Cut a marshmallow in half and place over chocolate. When you have finished with all 24 cups, put back in oven and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until marshmallow…

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Security Guards & Smouthered Chicken

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To think about as we go into baseball playoff season

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Last evening we went to watch the Ranger vs Angels play. We were excited to be going out to an evening of eating junk food without guilt. Why is it, when you are enjoying sports events or carnivals, car shows or festivals, we eat as though none of the calories will turn to fat? We pigged out on two tubs of popcorn, peanuts and foot long hot dogs. But we did have the sense to wash it all down with a diet Pepsi, after all, we do have to watch our cholesterol. We didn’t concern ourselves one iota with the fact that we had consumed more calories in one night that we had all week. But it was ok, we were watching baseball.

It was at this point in the evening, when we realized that we had eaten our way through the first 4 innings. We then began to notice two…

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Pumpkin Spice Cookies

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In case you forgot about these from last year, they are just awesome cookies, easy and everywhere I take them, people ask for the recipe. Took them yesterday to a Bible Study and were “gobbled” up! Perfect little cookie that is easy to pack. this time I made them smaller and baking time was reduced to 7 min and 30 seconds (down from the 10)

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Taken from our Frisco Style Magazine I tore this recipe out and can’t wait to make these cookies. Our daughter from Phoenix is coming in for a few days on Thurs. I told her that in celebration of her sticking to a new exercise program and following a healthy diet plan, I will have cookies and pies ready to celebrate her weight loss. She didn’t sound very excited when I shared that with her on the phone just now…but maybe she just wasn’t fully awake yet.

Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed solid

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup pumpkin

2 cups flour

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas nutmeg

1/4 teas round cloves

1/2 teas ground ginger

1/2 teas salt

1 tables ground cinnamon

Frosting:

3 table butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teas…

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Daily Thoughts

A New Thought

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“Give me a new idea, I said,

While thinking on a sleepless bed;

A new idea that’ll bring to earth

A balm for souls of priceless worth;

That will give men thoughts of things above,

And teach them how to serve and love.

That will banish every selfish thought,

And rid men of the sins they’ve fought.

I saw Him in the morning light,

He made the day shine clear and bright;

I saw Him in the noontide hour

And gained from him refreshing showers.

At evening when worn and sad,

He gave me help, and made me glad.

At midnight, when on tossing bed

My weary soul to sleep He led.

Twas new to me, yet old to some,

This thought that to me has become.

A revelation of the way

We all should live throughout the day;

For as each day unfolds it’s light,

We will walk by faith and not by sight.

Life will, indeed, a blessing bring,

If we see God In Everything.’

*Taken from a poem from A.E. Finn from Streams in the Desert

Casseroles

Mushroom Stroganoff *Taken from Southern Living

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This is one of my favorite dishes! Meatless, yet full of flavor this amazing dish will become one of those dishes that you will be so proud to serve to anyone.

1 (8 oz) package egg noodles

1 tables olive oil

2 tables butter, divded

3 (8 oz) packages sliced cremini mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 fresh thyme sprigs

1 1/2 teas smoked paprika

1 teas kosher salt

1/2 teas freshly ground black pepper

2 tables flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 tables chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook egg noodles according to directions on bag. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Heat olive oil and 1 tables butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and next 4 ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until mushrooms are slightly browned.

Add flour and remaining butter to skillet and stir, over low heat, about 2 minutes. Whisk in broth, slowly, constantly stirring. Bring to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and parsley. Serve on noodles.

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Fresh Apple Cake

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For those of you who are ready to get that apple peeler out and get that first apple cake in the oven, this cake has received rave reviews. For several years, some friends and I hosted Mistletoe Market every November in our home. This cake was a favorite that sold each year. Have probably sold over 100 of these cakes….So easy and such a great Fall Dessert!

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I baked this last night to take to the famly reunion and it was just delicious. I heard people all over the room asking, “who made this cake, it is so good!” I was so proud to have been the one who brought it. When you bake it, you will know why it was the favorite dessert at the reunion. It is in the latest Southern Living Magazine. October Issue, 2010

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 lb Gala, or Granny Smith Apples (about 4 large) peeled and cut into 1/4 in thick pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Bake in pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 min or until lightly roasted and fragrant, stirring halfway…

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