Posted at 12:00 pm by Chocolate Castles

To everyone who has read Chocolate Castles in 2021 I just want to thank you. The Annual Report from Word press arrived today and it was exciting to see that over 18,000 people from over 90 countries read my blog this past year. So just wanted to thank each of you who have stopped by at one time or another to check out recipes or stories. Chocolate Castles began in 2009 as a result of friends calling to ask me a recipe. When Jason, my son was with me one day and I received a couple of phone calls requesting a certain recipe, he suggested that I start a blog. When I told him I didn’t have a clue what a blog was, he sat down and showed me. From that point on, I was hooked. It is so exciting to see comments or hear from friends that they found a recipe which was a hit with their family or a story had made them laugh.
Which brings me to what happened as Randy and I were driving home today from buying black eyed peas for tomorrow. . We were stopped at a red light and a young man in a pick up pulled up beside us. I glanced over and saw something that made me perk right up. There hanging in his windows were Christmas lights strung all across the back window of his pick up. When I began to grab Randy’s arm to get him to look over at them, he was already for me. I turned with a huge grin to say, “OH my gosh, look what we can do next year! We can line the dashboard of our car with garland and put those little battery operated Christmas lights all over it” when he gave me the most glaring look and said, “you have got to be kidding me. No lights will be inside or outside our car.” Visions of going to see if I could find another Christmas clock that plays Christmas carols at Walgreens (yes that is where I have found them in years past) which play a different carol on the hour was already going through my mind for next year. I could just see our new Christmas clock sitting proudly on the dashboard right in the middle of the lit garland. We would be the first Friscoians I bet to display our Christmas spirit this way. Just this year I was finally able to talk him into buying the reindeer antlers for the car, but never got him to actually put them on the car. Maybe Christmas 2022 will be the year that I can talk him into driving around with antlers and the red nose on the front of our car. AND…install my new garland with lights!
But next year, the day after Thanksgiving, if you see a little white car with lit garland inside their car, please take the time to wave at us. Maybe you will get to stop at a red light beside us and we will display our holiday spirit by rolling down our car window so you can enjoy the sounds of our new Christmas Clock in the car. Am headed to Walgreens now to see if they still have any before all their Christmas stuff is put away for the year.
So here is to 2022and the continuing of sharing a few of my passions, cooking and writing. Happy New Year to one and all!

Not That God

Not That God

— Read on chocolatecastles.com/2020/12/19/not-that-god-2/

What do you do with a drunken sailor? (Every time I start a sentence with “What do you do”, my mind goes to that song that our sweet Little Caleb use to walk around singing and we have no idea where he learned it, obviously not at Sunday School). I mean, what do you do with left over turkey or chicken and stuffing? There, back on tract! Well not being in the mood to cook last night, I kept walking into the pantry seeing if anything stood out to me! First of all you have to understand that to me Thanksgiving is all about the dressing! Yes I love and am grateful for family and friends, but truth be told, it’s the dressing that keeps me up at night just thinking about how good it will taste loaded with gravy, sitting beside a huge mound of mashed potatoes with cranberry sauce and green beans! That my sweet friends is, What makes Thanksgiving (besides all the family dynamics and who doesn’t want to sit by who and who doesn’t eat anything other than the salad and meat and who won’t speak to a cousin because they are rooting for the other ball team!) So to make this marvelous day of our own version of Christmas Vacation Dinner even better, my cornbread stuffing turned out…..awful!!! Ate maybe 5 bites of it and threw the rest out.

To drown my sorrow I ate pecan and pumpkin pie for dinner! Yep that was my dinner! I couldn’t even begin to think about having leftovers without dressing! Randy even turned on a Hallmark movie for me hoping to cheer me up! With two huge pieces of pie piled high with whipped cream, I was actually able to get through the night without going to the kitchen and attempting to make another batch of dressing! Back to Last night! Seeing a box of Stove Top (I keep it on hand for stuffing zucchini and mushrooms) Dressing I pulled it off the shelf and figured that I could add some shredded chicken to it and serve it with some gravy and maybe that would “fix” my craving for stuffing! When I looked at the back over it had a recipe that sounded very good so I ended up substituting the shredding chicken for the crab the recipe called for! They were delicious! I did add some sage and poultry seasoning to the mixture but besides that I followed the recipe and will make it again. Great way to use left over turkey or chicken!

Lesson learned: always have a box of Stove Top in kitchen, just in case….!

Looking through The Spirit of Christmas Cookbook from 1996, last night I came across this recipe which reads like the perfect Christmas morning coffee cake! I am going to make it for a Christmas get together since I don’t want to wait for Christmas to have it!

1/2 cup softened butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teas almond extract

1 teas vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teas baking powder

1 teas baking soda

1 teas salt

1 cup sour cream

1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tables milk

1/2 teas almond extract

Preheat oven to 350

For cake:

Cream butter with sugar in large bowl. Beat in room temp eggs with extracts until well blended.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture, Alternating with sour cream. Stir until no lumps remain. Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured 9” tube pan. Spoon cranberry sauce over batter. Top with remaining batter. Bake until cake tests done. About 50-60 minutes, depending on your oven! Remove from oven and cool in pan 10 minutes. While cake is cooling in pan, mix all glaze ingredients together and stir until smooth! Remove cake from pan and drizzle glaze over warm cake!

Serves:10-12

Going to a ladies lunch at Chicken Salad Chicks tomorrow made me think we need to end our fun lunch with some cupcakes! Since Thanksgiving is next week, These Cupcakes seemed to just be what might “spice” up our gathering!

Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix

4 eggs at room temperature

1 cup water

1/3 oil

1 small package instant vanilla pudding

Mix Al ingredients together and with electric mixer beat for 2 minutes. Fill cupcake liners about half full and bake in preheated 350 degree oven until cupcakes are done. About 15-18 min depending on your oven. made 22 cupcakes

Frost with you favorite cream cheese or buttercream frosting

I used cream cheese and sprinkled crushed pralined pecans (purchased at Costco)over the top!

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter,
softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark
brown sugar
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature*
1/2 cup (120ml) milk, at room
temperature*
1/2 cup (156g) molasses
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/3 cups (166g) all-purpose
flour (spoon & leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine brown sugar, softened butter and mix for two minutes! Add egg and yolk, vanilla and molasses and mix well. Pour in milk and mix until combined! Add flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices ! Stir with a fork and then gradually add to wet mixture beating until well combined. Using a large cookie scoop, drop into about 12 cupcake liners and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 15-18 min, or until cupcakes test done! Cool cupcakes completely and frost with cream cheese frosting or your favorite buttercream frosting that you might add a little ground cinnamon to (about 1/2 teas to if using 1/2 cup butter, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar recipe) Cream cheese frosting is just 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter to 4 cups powdered sugar adding whipped cream as needed to get to spreading consistency.

Today was a baking day here at the Gingerbread House. So much fun baking with friends and sharing lunch while sampling all the wonderful pastries! Thanks Peggy for the recipe, the hauling of all the necessary items over here needed to make these and the love that you put into making memories with friends!

Fruit Kolaches (aka Kolacky)

 

From Peggy Stodola                       Bake 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

 

Ingredients for dough:

1 lb. cream cheese softened (2- 8 oz bars)

1 lb. butter softened (4 sticks)

1 lb. flour (4 cups)

 

 

Filing:  Solo cake & pastry filling (comes in various flavors, ie. cherry, almond, apricot, poppy seed).  These can be found in the grocery aisle with pie fillings.  

 

Instructions for dough:

Mix all ingredients together.  Divide into 5 or 6portions and form each into a flat disk.  Wrap each in saran wrap and put in fridge at least 4-5 hours (overnight is good).

 

Let the dough rest on the counter for about 30 minutes.  Take one disk of dough and roll it out on floured surface (or between two sheets of wax paper or saran wrap) to about 1/8” thickness.  Cut dough into 3” squares (or use a square cookie cutter). 

 

Put approx. 1 t. of filling in center of each square.  Bring up 2 opposite corners to center and fold one corner over the other (put dab of egg wash on the corner to make them stick).  Place on ungreased parchment lined cookie sheets.

 

Check at 10 minutes (you want them to barely be done; slightly golden on the bottoms. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Dust tops with sifted powdered sugar after kolaches are completely cooled. Store in airtight containers.

Some of you have probably already seen this recipe on FB but if not I wanted to post it for myself to keep and for sharing it with y’all! A great salad/side dish for the holidays. Just waiting for the fresh cranberries to appear in the stores‘. Can’t remember what site I stole it from but it sound so so good! Happy Fall Y’all!

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups sour cream (or plain greek yogurt)
• ▢ 2 cups pineapple tidbits well drained
• ▢ 2 cups mini marshmallows
• ▢ 1 cup pecans chopped
• ▢ 2 cups flaked coconut

Cranberry Sauce

• ▢ 3 cups Fresh Cranberries
• ▢ ¾ cup Sugar
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 Cinnamon Stick

Instructions

• Combine cranberries, sugar, water and cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer 10 minutes. Cool completely (sauce will thicken upon cooling).
• Add 1 ½ cups cooled cranberry mixture from step 1 with remaining ingredients and stir well.
• Let sit 4 hours or overnight.

These are simple, yet so yummy! Because I was wanting to make individual cheesecakes instead of a large 9” one, I began to wonder about the adjustments that would be needed in order to make them! As I began to think about that I didn’t have a clue who to call to ask. It was at that moment that Peter Pumpkin (aka Randy) walked thru the kitchen. Of course I told him my problem with not knowing who to call to ask such important baking questions when he responded “why dont you call Philadelphia Cream Cheese and ask them!” So I looked up the number and called. What a great idea he had given me! A very nice lady name Cynthia heard my concerns and gave me a link that would give many cheesecake recipes! I found one I liked and just made a couple of additions to it and used my own crust and they came out absolutely wonderful. The ladies yesterday loved them and ask if the recipe was already on the blog! So here it is! Also here is the number for Philadelphia Cream Cheese should you find yourself in the middle of the kitchen with mixer all ready to go and you realize you don’t know what to do! It is 1800-431-1001! Your welcome!

Mini Cheesecakes with gingerbread crust

2 cups of finely crushed gingerbread snaps

4 tables melted unsalted butter

3 tables light brown sugar

Combine these 3 ingredients and put about a tables of the mixture in the bottoms of 24 cupcake liners. Set aside.

Filling

3 (8 oz each) softened cream cheese

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teas vanilla (I poured about another 1/2 teas)

1/2 cup sour cream

4 tables heavy whipping cream

Mix all ingredients except eggs and beat until well blended

Mix in beaten eggs, one at a time, just until they are combined. The less you beat them the less air that is in the cheesecake which is what u want. So beat just until eggs are mixed in. Using a cookie scoop, fill cupcake liners almost to the top! Bake about 20-22 min in preheated 325 oven!

Top with your choice of fruit or leave plain ! I wanted apple topping so I used the apples I had and chopped them up and combined them with some butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. Poured this into a skillet and cooked them until they were soft and syrup was thick! Cool and pour over cheesecakes right before serving!