Yesterday was such a bittersweet day. My father in law, Howard’s life was celebrated and then laid to rest. His life was what some might call “ordinary”, but those who knew Howard would never agree with that term. Howard was one of those men who you could never say anything negative. He loved his family and was a hero in every term. He served not only his country with pride, but his family and the Lord. He will certainly be missed. His sister Loura, at the ceremony, gave different stories of his life. She ended up saying that the dictionary should have Howard’s name beside the word “hero”, because he was in every instance, just that. My husband, Randy, became a different man in my eyes yesterday. I cannot imagine getting up and speaking at one of my parents funerals. But he did, Randy felt that he needed to honor his dad by standing and saying what he had meant to him and in so doing, has taught not only me, but our children, that it is never to late to honor our parents. Randy was not afraid to show his emotions for his dad. I cannot say that I could have done what he did. Thank you, honey, for not only showing us different sides to your dad, but to you as well. You are following in his steps every inch of the way. Your heart and your actions were so honoring to your dad and to your mom, who sat and watched you become just a little more like your dad yesterday. You did him proud.
Author: Chocolate Castles
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Christmas Peppermint Punch
Ok, this is great and quite a pretty addition to any buffet this time of year! Some friends got it off the internet and served it at a group Bible study and then again for a ladies ornament exchange. It is like drinking a milkshake made with snow and ice cream and peppermint.
If you serve this in a punch bowl, hang peppermint candy canes on the bowl’s rim
1 quart eggnog
1 1-liter bottle club soda, chilled
1/2 gallon peppermint ice cream, softened
Hard peppermint candies, curshed
Stir together first 3 ingredients in a punch bowl. Sprinkle with the crushed candy and serve immediately.
Punch may be made ahead without the candies and chilled 2 hours. Stir well and sprinkle candy just before serving.
Sweet Tortilla Baked Chicken
Ok, you must be wondering “how many chicken recipes is she going to give us”, but trust me on this one, it is sooooo good.
1 lb of boneless chicken breast, pounded then
1 teas each salt and pepper
4 tbles apricot jam
2 cups tortilla chips, pulverized
Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper and refrigerate until needed. Pulverize tortilla chips in a food processor until fine. Heat apricot jam over low heat until it thins down. Transfer jam to a shallow dish and place crushed chips in a separate shallow dish. Dip chicken breast in jam to coat then into chips. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet and put in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or until chicken is throughly cooked. Serve with rice pilaf and sauted veggies.
Yeah, it’s blog time again
Will have a recipe tomorrow, but today, am just giving thanks for God’s presence in our lives as Randy’s father, Howard passed away last night. What a difference it makes to know that your loved one will be waiting in heaven when we get there. That this goodbye was not the end. What a wonderful father and husband Howard portrayed to the world. His family was his life and his actions simply showed that he was so grateful for being blessed with two wonderful boys, one of those my husband. Howard raised both Don and Randy with Godly convictions and taught them the importance of family. We will miss you Howard,we will miss you saying, “get on in this house, young lady” . You were so loving and so accepting of me and I have been blessed to have called you my father in law. You were an amazing man. Fought in the war, took his family to church, taught them to love the Lord, provided for them, took care of his wife for 65 years. You were simply adored and loved. I look forward to when I see him in Heaven, welcoming me with “get on in here, young lady”! He was a treasure to all of us.
Freezing Friday
Yeah, we are headed out of town for a few days and I am more than ready for a little relaxation. We will be up north where it is snowing and suppose to be so cold. I love that. Will be excited to see just how cold it really gets up there in December. Also will be great to see some new Christmas lights we have never seen before. Will report on our trip when we return on Wednesday. But I just cannot leave town without first a simple little new appitizer recipe that I got from our son’s girlfriend over Thanksgiving. It has 3 ingredients and is delicious.
1 can of any brand Chile (we used Wolf)
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Mix the cream cheese and chile and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, until cream cheese is blended with chile. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over this and put in over at 350 until the cheese on top is melted and bubbly. Serve with fritos…..perfect for nights like this.
Thursday, 22 days before Christmas
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
1 Duncan Hines Devils Food cake mix
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Add all ingredients together except the chocolate chips. After mixing for 2 minutes, stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into a bundt pan which you have sprayed with Pam and then rolled about 1/8 cup sugar around in the pan. This will give the outside of the cake a glittery appearance. Bake according to directions on box.
When cooled frost with the following:
2/3 cup peanut butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 4 tables softened butter. Add about 1/4 cup milk, or as needed to make frosting spreadable. I usually heat this in the microwave for about 15 seconds and then just pour over the cooled cake. Then after this has set for about 30 minutes. Pour a glaze over the top of the peanut butter. The glaze is:
1 cup sugar, 5 tables butter, 1/3 cup milk (I use evaporated milk for a creamier taste). Bring this to a boil, stirring constantly and then boil for 1 minute, still stirring. Remove from heat and add 6 oz of chocolate chips and stir until they are all melted. Drizzle this over the peanut butter frosting. You will not need all of this, so save it in a container for another time. It keeps in the fridge for 7 to 9 days. All you would need to do is take out of the fridge for a few hours and maybe add a little milk to make it creamy to use. (Be sure to seal very well though) Just took this cake to a luncheon today and the ladies loved it. It is so moist and so good.
Winter Wonderland Wednesday
What a beautiful sight, we wake up to snow and when you are outside, it is just the most glorious silence. What an awesome gift from God……plus the eyes to behold this beautiful and wonderful sight. Am preparing for some ladies to come to lunch today. It is the most perfect of days, snow, Christmas music and being able to cook for friends. It just doesn’t get any better than this.
One appitizer I am cooking is mushroom tarts in shells. It is so easy and so good. Or like I call it this time of year, Gold, Frankincense and Mushrooms
Ingredients
3 T butter
1 large onion finely chopped
1/4 teas thyme
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas pepper
2 Tables flour
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/3 cup parmesean cheese for topping.
In a skillet, heat butter, add onion and cook until clear. Add mushrooms and cook stirring often about 3 to 5 mins. Add seasonings and sprinkle with flour. Stir in sour cream and cook gently until thickened. Cool slightly. Place 2 teas filling in Pepperidge Farm Phyllo Shell (these are the minature shells which come in the frozen food isle, 15 to a package) Sprinkle Parmesean cheese on top and bake at 400 for about 10 mins.
Not Your Typical Green Bean Casserole
I am loving the food channel. It gives me the courage to branch out of my comfort zone and try new and improved dishes, one being this green bean casserole. I have never been a huge fan of the traditional one everyone eats at the Holidays, so this one was a recipe which sounded very interesting to me. I served it today to about 16 ladies and they all agreed it was wonderful. It was served with rice pilaf and rouladen, a German meat dish, and then Black Forest Cherry Cake for dessert. Let me know how you liked it.
1 1/2 lbs of fresh french green beans, ends trimmed
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tables finely chopped onion
small package (about 8 oz) of cleaned and chopped mushrooms
2 tables all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
black pepper
1/2 pound grated mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the beans and cook just until tender but still firm, about 5 to 7 mins. Remove the beans from the water to a large bowl of ice water to preserve color and stop the cooking process. Drain the beans and set aside.
Melt 2 tables of the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute until clear. Stir in the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper (I added some fresh garlic to mine) Saute about 3 to 5 min. Add the flour and stir for another minute to cook out the raw flour taste and then whisk in the sour cream. Simmer for just a couple of minutes to bring the flavors together and taste for seasoning. When mixture has cooled a bit, stir in the cheese.
Spray a casserole dish with Pam and put the green beans into the dish. Spoon the sour cream-cheese mixture over the beans to cover. Bake in oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, uncovered until it is bubbly. Serve hot.
Black Forest Cherry Cake
OK, this is a little different from the normal cake. I began to think that maybe the layers should have cherry in them also, so here is what I did. I made a regular Duncan Hines Devils Food cake mix according to the directions, making two 9″ layers. Then I made two more 9″ layers of the chocolate cherry cake which is this:
1 Duncan Hines Devils Food cake mix
2 eggs
1 teas almond extract
1 can of cherry pie filling.
Mix the ingredients by hand. Divide the batter which will be thick between the two 9″ layer pans which you have sprayed with Pam. Bake for about 25 min or until done in center. Put one of these cherry layers on a cake plate. Boil 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup milk and 5 tables butter, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Boil one minute, still stirring. Remove from heat and add 6 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips and stir until melted. Pour over the bottom layer cake which is on the plate. Then place one of the plain chocolate layers on top. Pour more of the frosting over this layer. Layer the other cherry chocolate layer on top of this. Frost this layer, using the rest of the frosting.
When completely cool, whip cream using 2 cups of whipping cream and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Frost top and sides of cake. Pour 1/2 can of cherry pie filling in the middle of the whipping cream, not allowing it to flow over the sides. Refrigerate until needed, covered. This is just delicious if made the day before…….
Sleepy Sunday
The company is gone, the last of them pulled out this morning around 10. Frosty and Noel got busy decorating the house, cleaning up the last of the dressing and turkey, cranberry salad and threw out the desserts. I have one more story about this past week. I had taken Christi, our daughter from Orlando to Sam Moons to buy some gifts. While there, I remembered that a friend had told me that I should invest in a magnetic bracelet to keep the ails and pains of certain arthritis away. So there I see them, $8.50. I quickly grab one and once in the car, proceed to put in on. Now, I will feel no aches and pains during the holidays. Frosty calls us to see if we want to meet him for lunch. Of course we do. So we head off to lunch and I order shrimp creole. We are chatting away and eatting and telling him all our things we have done that day when all of a sudden I realize I have somehow poured food all over myself. I look down and there is shrimp, rice and sauce all over me. Then I see it, while talking, my magnetic bracelet had picked up my fork and it was attached to my arm, via the bracelet. The food that had been on the fork was now in my lap. We started laughing looking at the fork just dangling in mid air. What a sight. So, new rule, do NOT wear the bracelet while eatting or cutting things. I have had a knife attach itself to me just waving my hand over the counter. I’m glad it helps keep pain at bay, since it looks like I’m going to have quite a few cuts and burns, thanks to my new bracelet! Hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving. It was great to see our kids who we don’t get to see very often and to make some precious new memories, some of which were quite hilarious.
Chocolate Castles 