Author: Chocolate Castles

Welcome to Chocolate Castles, a blog about food, family and stories that hopefully will bring a smile to your heart. Thanks for reading chocolate castles and may the recipes and stories help bring your family and friends a little closer around the table! Remember that Princess On The Porch is still available on Amazon! Makes a great gift for anyone who enjoys being in the kitchen and needs a little laughter in their lives.
Breads · Soups · Starches

Homemade Egg Noodles

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Because of the cooler weather, I have been in a major cooking mood. Yesterday, I remembered my Aunt making homemade egg noodles and thought to myself, “self…how hard could that be?” So I went online and googled recipes for egg noodles and up popped this recipe below. After making these incredible little dumpling noodles, I was transformed to my Aunt’s kitchen back in Ardmore, OK where she would roll out the dough until it was paper thin and drop them in boiling chicken stock. 

This recipe does not disappoint. It is easy, although it does take up time. While the noodles were drying, I left and ran errands and when I came back, I proceeded to make the chicken stock and dropped them in. Depending on how thick you roll the dough is how long they need to cook. So you will need to adjust the time to fit the size noodle. They really were so good and so different from just the noodles that come out of the package. Make a pot of turkey noodle soup, using leftover turkey the Fri after Thanksgiving. These will impress your family. These came from the food.com network!

Ingredients

    • 2 cups flour
    • 3 egg yolks
    • 1 eggs
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1/4-1/2 cup water

Directions

  1. Measure flour into bowl; make a well in the center and add egg yolks, whole egg and salt.
  2. With hands, thoroughly mix egg into flour.
  3. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
  4. (Add only enough water to form dough into a ball.).
  5. Turn dough onto well-floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
  6. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
  7. Divide dough into 4 equal parts.
  8. Roll dough, 1 part at a time, into paper-thin rectangle, keeping remaining dough covered.
  9. Roll rectangle around rolling pin; slip out rolling pin.
  10. Cut dough cross-wise into 1/8-inch strips for narrow noodles and 1/4-inch for wide noodles.
  11. Shake out strips and place on towel to dry, about 2 hours.
  12. When dry, break dry strips into smaller pieces.
  13. Cook in 3 quarts boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt) (We use chicken broth.) 12 to 15 minutes or until tender.
  14. Drain thoroughly.
Daily Thoughts

Post Election Thoughts

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As we went to bed last night learning that our country will be under the leadership of President Obama, both Randy and I were, to say the least, disappointed, saddened and surprised that he had won. As many of you across the country have been setting special times of prayer to pray for our country and this election, and probably feeling like we were, I couldn’t help but wonder, “why did God not answer our prayers”….were there not enough of us praying?, did we not have the right attitude in our hearts?  Had we really been praying, believing? As I laid there last night, not being able to sleep, I could not help but go over these questions, asking God, “why”?

This morning, after waking up to realize that America had indeed voted for a President that does not support what we feel is a Biblical approach to lead this supposedly, “One Nation Under God”, something occurred to me.

Over 2000 years ago, was this not what the disciples were thinking and struggling with the night Jesus was arrested? They must have been asking the same questions, “wasn’t Jesus suppose to be setting up His kingdom” and if everything they had been taught were true, why was God allowing Jesus to die? What was happening to their perfect plan to have Jesus as their leader and what would they do now, that Jesus had been crucified?”

In 3 days, they found the answers to all their questions. God had a better plan. A plan that would bring salvation to all who believed and a plan that would last throughout generations to bring eternal life and joy and peace that the world had never known.

We might not find out in 3 days what God’s plan is, but we can be sure of this.God does have a perfect plan and He is still on His throne. Let’s commit to pray for our President and leaders. Wouldn’t it be amazing to see salvation come to the White House.  We, just like the disciples, will be watching expectedly for God’s Perfect Plan” to unfold!

“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone, because I know Who holds the future and life is worth the living, just because He lives.”

Beef · Daily Thoughts · Meats

Gingersnap Meatballs

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I’m BACK! Ready to cook and had to share this recipe with you. Jane Warren, one of my mom’s friends who allows me to stay at her house while I am in Corpus, served these one night and I must say they are delicious. She had given me the recipe years back and I had never tried them. They are now going to  be served during the Thanksgiving holidays while the kids are here. They are simple and delicious. You can actually freeze them, as Jane did and she just pulled them out of the freezer and covered them with foil (still frozen) and baked them. The last 15 min of baking, she removed the foil so they could brown. I think it made them even more moist cooking them that way. The gingersnaps just give them a very deep, almost a sweet and sour flavor. Everyone there just went crazy over them.

 

1 1/4 cups gingersnaps, crushed
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb ground lean pork
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
parsley
Directions:

Crush gingersnaps, approximately 20, 2 inch cookies, to make 1 1/4 cups.
In large bowl, combine crushed gingersnaps with milk and egg.
Add ground beef, pork, onion, salt, pepper and allspice. Mix well to combine.
Refrigerate, covered for one hour.
With moistened hands, shape mixture into meatballs, 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

Preheat oven to 325.
Place meatballs on a cookie sheet with sides and bake about 25 min or until meatballs are brown.

Remove to a 2 quart greased (pam) oven proof casserole dish as they brown. Pour off drippings to measure 1/4 cup, adding more butter if necessary.

Add drippings back to skillet heat and add flour stirring to make a smooth mixture.
Gradually stir in beef broth and bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly.

Add garlic, thyme and bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste simmer for 5 minutes for flavors to mingle.
Pour over meatballs and bake covered one hour.
Garnish with parsley and serve with noodles.

Breads · Daily Thoughts

Texas Bound

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Had to post one last recipe before leaving for Texas where I will be celebrating my mom’s 90th birthday, in Corpus Christi, before going on to Dallas to get my fill of Tex-Mex, Pappadeux, Luby’s and Whataburger, oops, I mean get my fill of more grandkids, which are there…..Can you tell I am always thinking about food? I do love my grandchildren, but don’t make me choose between Whataburger and kids. Seriously, I am excited that I get to trick or treat with Sevy this year. Since he is like his dad, I will probably be the only one in costume. He will most likely wear a sport coat and tie. He is 8….guess he has grown up more than his grandmother!

The cookbook I am taking several recipes from is one that I have learned to leaf through and seem to always find something that I have never seen before. This one caught my eye and I will be making it during Thanksgiving when our house will come alive with family. It is easy and loving the flavor or oranges, this will be a winner.

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tables butter

1 table grated orange peel

3 tables orange juice

2 cans crescent rolls (see I told you this would be easy)

Spray a 12″ pizza pan with Pam. In small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, orange peel and juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly and set aside.

Remove dough from each can; DO NOT unroll dough. cut each roll into 12 slices.

Arrange 24 slices evenly on prepared pizza pan. Spoon brown sugar mixture evenly over slices. Bake at 375 for 13-15 min or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Doesn’t this just make you want to get up right now and go make these? I can’t wait to get home to make these delicious little gems….will be back home Nov 1st…until then, enjoy the wonderful gift of Fall…Blessings, tkbakesalot

Cakes · Chocolate

Milk Chocolate Frosted Layer Cake

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  1.  1/4 cups cake flour
  2. 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  3. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  4. 2 sticks unsalted butter
  5. 1/2 cup whole milk
  6. 6 large eggs, separated
  7. 1 cup sugar
  8. Pinch of salt
  9. 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  10. 1 1/2 pounds milk chocolate, finely chopped
  11. Shaved milk chocolate, for garnish (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter and flour two 9-inch-square cake pans.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, cocoa and baking powder. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the milk over low heat. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
  3. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat at medium-high speed until the whites are stiff and glossy. Fold the beaten whites into the batter until no streaks remain. Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 25 minutes, until the cakes are springy and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and let cool completely.
  4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream on top. Let stand for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let the frosting stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to spread, about 1 hour.
  5. Turn the cakes out of the pans and put one layer on a plate. Top with 1 cup of the frosting, spreading it to the edge. Top with the second layer and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Let the cake stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

This recipe came from Food & Wine Magazine. The frosting is like a milk chocolate ganache. Top it off with chocolate shavings and chocolate covered strawberries and you have a gorgeous centerpiece for a dessert table.

Desserts

Dee’s Ginger Cookies

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Dee is the friend which gave me the recipe for Heavenly Hots that has won the heart of one of our son-in-laws and we have to have them for breakfast anytime he is here or I go there. Dee has graciously given us this recipe which makes a great ginger cookie. They make a great gift during the holidays, put in a clear bag and tied with Christmas plaid ribbon. 

This recipe was taken from a cookbook I bought while I was in Juneau, Alaska. We took a float plane to the Taku Glacier Lodge for lunch and these cookies were served for dessert

 

1 cup butter 1 Tbps. cinnamon

1 ¾ cups granulated sugar 1 Tbps. ground ginger, plus

¾ cup brown sugar 2 tsps. ground ginger

1 egg 1 tsp. cloves

1/3 cup molasses 2 tsps. nutmeg

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour ½ tsp. salt

1 ¼ tsp. baking soda raw sugar

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy

Beat in eggs and molasses

Mix flour, baking soda, spices and salt; add to the above, mix until blended

Using a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, form a walnut sized dough and dip (or roll) into the raw sugar

Place on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake 10-12 minutes for softer cookies, longer for crispier cookies; cookies will crack on the top, that’s ok.

Enjoy!

 

Vegetables

Green Bean (Hum…trying to think of something cute to get your attention for this great version of GB)

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Once again, taken from !st Bapt, Jacksonville, this recipe caught by eye because of the sauce.

2-3 cans whole green beans (yes, all you little healthy organic cooking angels out there, you can use fresh green beans, you will just need to microwave them to soften them first.)

1/3 cup crumbled bacon

2/3 cup chopped onion

6 tables butter

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teas salt

1/2 teas pepper

1 tables Worcestershire sauce

Microwave bacon until crisp & drain. Set aside. Melt butter in saucepan and saute onions in butter until clear. Add salt, pepper and , sugar & Worcestershire sauce to butter and onions. Simmer until well blended. Drain the green beans and place in casserole dish you have greased. Pour sauce over beans. Sprinkle bacon on top and bake at 350 until bubbly.

*Arent you proud of me, I actually posted a veggie dish that is pretty healthy and low cal, well, except for the butter and brown sugar,but can you imagine me posting a recipe that doesn’t have butter or sugar in it? Will work on that

Daily Thoughts

Thanksgiving Tip #2

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Having just posted the different version of dressing, I began to remember having Thanksgiving at some friends house, years ago, which were Lebanese. They could cook better than anyone I have met (If I ever taste Paula Deens food, I will let you know how they faired against her)

They didn’t use traditional dressing, but substituted rice for the cornbread and then stuffed it into the turkey cavity. Wow, was it delicious.  Everything was the same, even the chicken broth. It is still a recipe that I love to make when we are having stuffed chicken. Our kids would never come back for Thanksgiving if we didn’t have cornbread dressing, (hum,………ok, I won’t think that anymore) but with fresh green beans, which I am posting tomorrow for a different version for turkey day you won’t want to miss, it makes such a great dinner for guests.

w

Breads · Casseroles

Moist & Light Cornbread Dressing

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After a comment from Sharon telling me that she is wanting to try a different version of Dressing this Thanksgiving, I began to go through some of my old cookbooks (at 3 a.m., that is what happens when you get old, you are awake all night) and found one that sounds very interesting. It is different than others that we find and comes from a cookbook a friend, Peggy gave me that she found back in 2005, of recipes from the ladies of 1st Bapt Church, Jacksonville, Florida. If you know anything about Baptist, especially ones in the South, you know they like to eat. This cookbook is jammed with some old favorites that I haven’t seen in years. Sharon, I have not made this yet, but just from the ingredients, you can tell that it will have a very rich flavor and the little bit of baking powder will make it very light.

7.5 oz box of yellow corn muffin mix (Jiffy brand will make it a little sweet, so if you don’t like that, use another brand that doesn’t use as much sugar)

8 oz pkg herb seasoned stuffing

1 lb fresh sage flavored pork sausage (if that is too sausagey (don’t know if that is a real word, but am going to go with it) for you, only use 1/2 lb of the sausage)

1 tables parsley flakes

2 teas garlic powder

1 cup onion, minced

1 cup celery, minced

1/2 cup bell pepper, optional

3 eggs

2 tables baking powder

2 cups chicken stock

3 tables bacon drippings

Salt & Pepper to taste

Prepare muffin mix according to directions. Bake as directed and put aside.

Cook sausage in skillet until crumbly stage. Add onion, celery and peppers, sauté.

Into a large bowl, mix crumbled muffins, stuffing mix, baking powder, 3 beaten eggs, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.

Toss together well. Add stock, and bacon drippings. Mix lightly, but well; add more liquid if it is too stiff.

Spoon mixture into a 9×13 baking dish, you have sprayed with Pam. Do not pat or pack down. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. If you like a crunch top, take cover off the last 15 minutes of baking.

 

Daily Thoughts

Krusteaz Pumpkin Pie Bars

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FYI…..these are amazing! Bought a box of these to make and just made them. They are absolutely wonderful. Just made them to take to a friend going through chemo and of course had to sample them. You can find them at your local Walmart and trust me on this…they are not only easy, but really really good. Top them off with whipped cream and you have a real seasonal winner..Good enough to serve in place of traditional pumpkin pie…am off to store to buy more before they disappear. Will be posting a new recipe for dressing this afternoon. Just in case you are wanting to try something different this Thanksgiving, you will have a new version on an old classic…..just like me when I get a new hair color….blessings for you today, tkbakesalot