Month: November 2019

Casseroles · Chicken · Uncategorized

Chicken Supreme

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

This is a recipe I posted back in 2009 when I first created chocolate castles. As I was looking through some of my old recipes which were in a file last night, I came across this one. It was such a great casserole that is so easy to prepare and had such a great flavor. The ladies at the luncheon raved about it and so I thought I would repost it. Thanks Martha Samuelson for sharing the recipe. Can’t wait to make if for a luncheon in December. Goes great with a spinach salad and a little cute side of a marinated mozzarella ball, cherry tomato and a little piece of fresh basil, sprinkled lightly with EVVO, all put on a toothpick. Makes a pretty plate for the holidays.

1 whole chicken boiled and deboned (save some broth for cooking the rice)
1 pkg of Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice, made according to directions on box but cooked in the chicken broth instead of the water the box calls for
1 can cream of chicken or cream of celery soup (I like to use the celery)
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1 can chopped canned pimentos with liquid
2 cans French style green beans, drained
1 can French onions for topping

Combine all ingredients except onions. Bake for 45 min at 350…remove from oven and top with the french onions and bake for another 5 min or until onions are lightly browned.

Cookies · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Uncategorized

Sugar Cookies (taken from Martha Stewart Cookie Cookbook)

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These sugar cookies are so very good and so very easy. Because they have a little brown sugar in them, the flavor has a little different twist.

One of my dear friends tells me that these are now her very favorite cookie and to please keep them coming.

3 cups flour

1 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup of softened butter, unsalted

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teas vanilla or almond extract

Granulated sugar, or Colored sugar for coating

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Put the brown sugar and 1 3/4 of the granulated sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and mix until mixture is well combined and fluffy. Add the vanilla or almond extract and mix in well.  Add the eggs, one at a time and beat after each addition.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in gradually. When cookie dough is completely blended,, use a 1″ cookie scoop  and dip the top of each cookie into colored or granulated sugar and space about 2″ apart on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake cookies until golden, about 10 minutes, or until they are done. Time depends on your oven. Transfer cookies to wire rack. Let cool completely. Can be stored in airtight container for about 3 days. I usually wrap some in wax paper, then put in freezer bag and freeze for later when we are needing something sweet, like every night.

Uncategorized

Pumpkin Dream Cake

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  • This morning I received a text from one of my DIL’s asking me to make this cake for her!

She began the text with “since you are my favorite MIL will you make me this cake?” To which I replied “I hope I’m your fav MIL since I’m your only MIL but yes I will make this for you!”

As I looked at the recipe, it did look somewhat different from other pumpkin cakes I have made! The simple fact that it is a sheet cake, not layered makes it easy to begin with! But the fact that stood stood out to me was the cream cheese frosting that had added cinnamon to it! After thinking about what the lady who posted this recipe had shared, I knew this cake would be a winner! Thursday when I bake it, I will take a picture and post comments of the results! Taken from How Sweets Eat

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 1 ¾ cups brown sugar
  • ½ cup plain greek yogurt
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
  • 2 8- ounce blocks cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick baking spray.

  2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Note: If you LOVE spice, feel free to add some extra spice in here (pumpkin! allspice! more cinnamon! – you can add another 1/2 to 1 teaspoon if you’d like) as this isn’t overly spiced.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, yogurt and oil. Once smooth and combined, whisk in each egg one at a time. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until combined and no large lumps remain.

  5. Pour the batter into the greased baking dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

  6. Note: every time I’ve made this cake, it has smelled “eggy” in the oven which has scared me. No worries – once the cake comes out and cools, it does not taste eggy!
  7. Cool the cake completely. Once the cake has cooled, frost with the cream cheese frosting. Slice and serve!
Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Soul Shampoo

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

TThis morning as I stepped into the shower, I happened to glance at once to the shampoo we had in the shower rack. At eye level, I noticed that of the two shampoos we had, both had words that caught my attention. On the VO5 bottle, the words, “refresh and renew” were on the label. On my shampoo, “Hair Food”. Why this morning did these words jump out at me? As I stood there and allowed the hot water to spill over me (and yes, it does take quite a lot of water to spill over me) it hit me why, today, that these words gave me so much thought.

As I thought back over the last few days, some of the Psalms came to mind. Scriptures that remind me that God wants to be the one who not only guards my soul, but wants to renew and refresh me each and every day. HE wants to be my Soul Food. The Great Shepard Who not only gave me life, but is able to keep me, to love me and protect me.

What is my first thoughts in the morning? What and who do I turn to when I need encouragement or wise counsel? Who do I rest in when trouble fills my soul? Is it my Creator, The God who gave up His Son that I might find eternal life? Where does my help, my joy and my strength come from?

What fills my mind these days? Do I look to God to guide me? So many questions began to fill my mind as I began to think about my day. Is He the first thing on my mind or is checking FaceBook? Do I begin to plan my day before asking the Lord how He wants to use me? Do i consider that He might have plans for me that I have to surrender my time and will to do His? Do I look to Him as the giver of the many blessings that pour into my life or do I just think that “it was just a great day” without giving thanks to Him for allowing the good things that do come my way?

It was such a wonderful feeling stepping out of the shower. Not only did I feel so very clean, but “renewed, refreshed” and had been reminded that not only did my hair need cleansing, but my soul needed that reminder this morning (as it does quite often) that God, the great King of Kings and Lord of all, is waiting and longing for me to look to him for all that I need to renew, refresh and feed my soul. He is the Great Shepard and lover of my soul!
Psalm 139:1,3,5,17,23 “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me…You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest….you place your hand of blessing on my head…how precious are your thoughts about me, O God…Search me, O God and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.”

Asa 121 “I look up to the mountains, does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let you stumble and fall,the one who watches over you will not sleep. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never tires and never sleeps. The lord himself watches over you!…The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Isn’t it wonderful that our God, who loves us more than we can ever hope or imagine can talk to us through a shampoo bottle?

in the words of an old chorus “isn’t He wonderful, wonderful wonderful, Isn’t Jesus my Lord, wonderful? Eyes have seen, ears have heard, it’s recorded in God’s Word, Isn’t Jesus my Lord, Wonderful” Yes He is! Let that little chorus be in our hearts today, giving thanks and worship as we surrender this day to Him.

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Apple Bundt Cake

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This cake is very different from the apple cakes I make. It cooks the apples in a butter-cinnamon mixture before adding to cake batter!

Kelly Minter is a wonderful teacher and author of Bible studies for women for which I am taking right now! At the end of each week of study, Kelly gives recipes that I have loved! This apple cake sounds so good. I am making it this weekend!

Apples

1 cup chopped apples (I am using Gala)

2 tables butter

1 tables sugar

2 tables light brown sugar

1 teas cinnamon

Cake Batter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar (I use light)

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup sour cream

1 teas vanilla

5 large eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teas baking powder

1 teas baking soda

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees!

Butter A Bundt cake pan, including the tube, and dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess. Set aside.

in a skillet over medium heat, cook the apples with the butter, sugars, and cinnamon. Don’t over cook the apples as they should keep their shape. Set aside.

for the cake batter combine the sugars, butter, and sour cream in a large mixing bowl and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Fold in apples and nuts. Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a plate. Frost with your favorite brown sugar or browned butter frosting!