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Breads · Breakfast · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Giving Gingerbread Biscotti

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Merry Christmas to all of you out there in Blogville! What a busy time of year for everyone and I truly cannot believe that Christmas was yesterday. As we woke up this morning, it saddened me that each day now will become a little less bright, as far as Christmas lights go. Each day, more folks will begin taking down the tree and the outside lights. January arrives and along with it, more cold weather. BUT….that thought excites me because it means the possibility of some snow or icy days when the roads are closed and we have a reason to stay home and watch movies, without guilt. It is on those days that things like gingerbread just sound so good. If you are like me, you have probably began to collect some of the Santas or Snowmen that adorn your home to put away until next Christmas. Honestly it felt good to get in the kitchen this morning and begin to bring down the Christmas dishes to pack away and clean up before putting out the dishes that we use for Jan and February. (Yes I do have dishes that are simply for Jan and February) What can I say except that I love kitchen dishes). Getting back to my subject of Giving Gingerbread, as I was baking this morning between ridding the kitchen of Santas, I started to think about something. Why do we feel that just because Christmas is over, we don’t need to bake goodies to give away? Wouldn’t it be so wonderful to hear the doorbell ring as I am packing away Christmas; and there at the door is a friend handing me some gingerbread biscotti to enjoy as I sit and rest after a day of packing away all the Christmas decor? So I began to bake this amazing new recipe that I found last night. It is scrumptious and makes enough to give to someone that might come to your mind. It was so simple to make and the flavor is just so wonderful. AND…since Starbucks did away with their gingerbread flavored drinks this year, I have been missing gingerbread everything. So this is my answer to my gingerbread craving. Seriously, it is some of the best biscotti I have had. You are probably going too remind me that I say that about every biscotti I make, but this one is really my favorite (at least until I am craving chocolate and cherry flavored biscotti which will probably happen around Valentines Day).

*Taken from She Wears Many Hats

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teas baking soda
1 teas salt
1 1/2 teas cinnamon (I used 2 teas)
1 1/2 teas ginger
1 heaping teas of pumpkin pie spice (I use this in place of the following:
3/4 teas ground allspice, 1/2 teas cloves, 1/4 teas black pepper)
6 tables softened butter, unsalted
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar,
2 large eggs, room temp
2 teas vanilla
2 tables unsulfured molasses
1 cup finely choppe peans or walnuts
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries, or her recipe called for dried apricots, which I would have used had they been in my pantry, but I had cranberries today, so I used them.
1/2 table powdered sugar (I omitted this and used granulated sugar)

Mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices together in a bowl. In another mixing bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until well combined. Add the eggs, vanilla, molasses and beat until mixture is mixed completely. Add butter mixture with flour mixture and beat until combined. Stir in nuts, cranberries and vanilla chips if desired.

Shape into two football shaped logs on parchment paper on baking sheet. Sprinkle either the powdered sugar or granulated sugar over the top of each log. Bake in preheated 350 oven for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce oven temp to 300 degrees. Cool biscotti for 5 minutes before Slicing diagonally and then place each piece back on a baking sheet and bake biscotti for about 9 minutes in 300 oven. Turn the oven off.
***(The following instructions are my own, as I have now been successful doing all the biscotti this way instead of baking according to all other instructions.)
Remove from oven and turn each piece over and then place biscotti back in oven which has been turned off. As the oven cools, the biscotti will “dry” and become crispy. After about 30 min, remove from the oven and cool completely. Keep in airtight container and think about who you can share some. IT might be the beginning of a brand new friendship or bless someone who was just needing a little extra kindness.

Am including a picture of what the biscotti log should look like before baking.

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Chicken Mushroom Lasagna

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Yesterday I was blessed to have so sweet long time friends for lunch. “They” say to never make a new recipe when you are having company BUT….it seems like it is those times when I want to try something new and different. When looking for a recipe to make i came across this one and it sounded delicious plus it could be made the day before, so it sounded like we had a winner! The only change that I made was this! I bought a jar of Alfredo sauce to pour over the bottom of the casserole (my favorite Paula Deen dish) dish, as I wanted to be sure that I would have plenty of the homemade Béchamel sauce to pour over the top! It was a winner indeed. Loved the flavor and the beauty of the dish! Served it with a spinach salad filled with mandarin oranges, almonds, strawberries and raspberry dressing and Sister Schubert garlic butter rolls (I just melted a stick of butter and garlic and poured over the top before baking the rolls! INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 pound baby bella mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

1 small onion, diced

2 to 3 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 cups cooked and shredded chicken (equivalent of 1 rotisserie chicken)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups warmed milk, preferably whole milk

1 cup chicken stock

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon dry sherry or marsala (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup grated Parmesan, divided 

16 lasagna noodles (from a 1 pound box)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large, rectangular casserole dish or lasagna pan. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they start sweating liquid, about 4 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Continue cooking, stirring often, until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil; continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated out. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a separate bowl along with the shredded chicken.

To make the bechamel (white sauce), add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the pot and melt over medium heat. Stir in the flour until thick paste forms; continue cooking to remove the “raw” taste, about 1 minute. Pour in the milk and chicken stock and cook, whisking often until the mixture is thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the salt, mustard powder, sherry, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, followed by 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.

While the bechamel is thickening, prepare the noodles. Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and arrange on a lightly greased sheet pan to prevent sticking.

Fold the chicken and mushroom mixture into the bechamel. Taste and adjust seasoning. (Be liberal with salt and pepper.) In a separate bowl, combine mozzarella, Gruyere, remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Spread 1 cup of the chicken mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange 4 noodles on top of the chicken, overlapping if necessary. Spread about 1 cup of chicken mixture over the noodles followed by 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the remaining cheese on top.

Bake, uncovered, until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 tablespoons 

  • unsalted butter, divided

  • 1 pound 

  • baby bella mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

  • 1 

  • small onion, diced

  • 2 to 3 

  • large cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 cup 

  • dry white wine

  • 3 cups 

  • cooked and shredded chicken (equivalent of 1 rotisserie chicken)

  • 1/2 cup 

  • plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 4 cups 

  • warmed milk, preferably whole milk

  • 1 cup 

  • chicken stock

  • 2 teaspoons 

  • kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 1/4 teaspoon 

  • dry mustard powder, plus more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon 

  • dry sherry or marsala (optional)

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 cup 

  • grated Parmesan, divided 

  • 16 

  • lasagna noodles (from a 1 pound box)

  • 2 cups 

  • shredded mozzarella cheese

  • 2 cups 

  • grated Gruyere cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large, rectangular casserole dish or lasagna pan. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.

  2. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they start sweating liquid, about 4 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Continue cooking, stirring often, until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil; continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated out. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a separate bowl along with the shredded chicken.

  3. To make the bechamel (white sauce), add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the pot and melt over medium heat. Stir in the flour until thick paste forms; continue cooking to remove the “raw” taste, about 1 minute. Pour in the milk and chicken stock and cook, whisking often until the mixture is thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the salt, mustard powder, sherry, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, followed by 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.

  4. While the bechamel is thickening, prepare the noodles. Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and arrange on a lightly greased sheet pan to prevent sticking.

  5. Fold the chicken and mushroom mixture into the bechamel. Taste and adjust seasoning. (Be liberal with salt and pepper.) In a separate bowl, combine mozzarella, Gruyere, remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Spread 1 cup of the chicken mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange 4 noodles on top of the chicken, overlapping if necessary. Spread about 1 cup of chicken mixture over the noodles followed by 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the remaining cheese on top.

  6. Bake, uncovered, until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Fresh Orange Apple Cake

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

Today I had volunteered to bring an apple cake for a dear friends birthday celebration. This is one of her favorite cakes, especially the praline frosting. If she was at the house when I might be making the frosting, she would stand there with a spoon, eating the frosting right out of the bowl. So, as per her request, I made an apple cake with her favorite frosting. There is an apple cake that is already on the blog, but for some reason, this new recipe caught my eye, as it had a 1/2 cup of orange juice in the batter. Because it is so much fun to try new flavor combinations, this one intrigued me. All I can tell you is the women at the party all commented, saying they wanted the recipe. It really was, we thought a great flavored apple cake. Very moist, yet not mushy or soggy, as some apple cakes tend to get. Because it had a little less than the 3 cups of chopped apples that a lot of recipes call for, it had a little more cake texture to it. This will now be my “go to” recipe for apple cakes.

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teas vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teas baking soda
1 teas cinnamon
1 heaping teas pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teas salt
2 1/2 cup chopped apples, finely diced (Gala apples worked well in this recipe)
* If you add 1 cup of chopped pecans, add them when you add the apples

Combine melted butter, oil, sugar, eggs. Mix until well combined. Add orange juice and vanilla. Stir until completely mixed.

In another bowl, combine flour, spices, baking soda, and spices.
Stir flour mixture and then add to sugar/oil mixture. Mix until no lumps remain. Then add the apples and nuts (if desired). Stir until well combined. Pour into a greased and floured large bundt pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes, or until cake test done.

When cool, turn out onto a cake plate. Pour praline frosting over entire cooled cake.

Praline Frosting

Melt 1 stick unsalted butter in a small saucepan with 1 cup of light brown sugar. Stir consistently until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.

Pour over 2 cups powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add chopped nuts if desired. If needed, add about 2-4 tables whipping cream to get frosting to spreading consistency. Add 1 teas vanilla and continue beating. When cake is cooled, pour over entire cake.

Daily Thoughts · Holiday Fare · Super Bowl Recipes · Uncategorized · Vegetables

Veggie Dinner With Squash Dish (Calabacita)

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How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Hope that all of you had the blessing of gathering around the table with family and friends to make some wonderful new memories. We were blessed to have two of our kids and their families here. Isn’t it just so wonderful to be able to enjoy your adult children? I heard about a family gathering that escalated into yelling and screaming because some of the relatives began to argue about something. That is something I just cannot even begin to understand. Years ago, my oldest sone, Jason, was in college and some of his friends came over when Jason came home for the holidays. They began to tell me how Jason would just walk into a room that was full of college boys, arguing over sports, or girls or something and Jason would yell “why can’t we all just get along?” and everyone would then start laughing. It is with a heart full of thanksgiving that we do enjoy our kids and so appreciate the time which we spend with them. Well, all that said, last night, after a full 5 days of cornbread dressing, potatoes, turkey, ham, pies and cakes and wonderful rolls, we realized yesterday that even our very unhealthy bodies were tired of all the greasy, rich meats and dishes. So we put on a pot of beans, cut up a head of cabbage, onion, cut up a couple of potatoes and got the small iron skillet out for cornbread. As I was looking in the fridge to get more butter out, (do not even think about asking me how many pounds of butter I have used the last 2 weeks, because I am too embarrassed to ell you.Lets just say that there is now an empty corner in the fridge where all the butter was stored) there was the Mexican squash I had bought, thinking that I might use it in a dish for Thanksgiving. But, there it was just sitting there waiting to be cooked. So out it came and it was such a great addition to our veggie meal. So, (after all the above 1000 words that was probably more than you ever wanted to know about our Thanksgiving) here is the recipe I used and it was so good.

2 cups cut up Calabacita Squash (Mexican squash)
2 tables olive oil
1 tables unsalted butter
1 teas fresh oregano
1/2 teas garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil and butter in a small skillet. Add the cut up squash and seasonings to skillet. Stir until squash begins to brown a little on the edges. It was at this point that I added about 1/4 cup water to the pan and put a lid on so the squash would get tender. As it cooks, stir every few min so squash does not burn. If you like the flavor of the oregano, and garlic, you might like to add a little more per your preference. This squash is also great in vegetable soups.

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.

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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!

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Old Fashioned Pecan Pie

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

What better way to begin this cold weather than with a slice of pecan pie for yourself or for you northern folks PEE CAN pie! We just got back from having our traditional Wednesday night enchilada dinner! It is a windy evening with temps in low 40’s and as we drove home, the beginnings of trees having been already decorated with tiny white lights line our street! What a glorious sight and just makes me want to bake more. Because I was just dying to bake this afternoon, I couldn’t make up my mind what I wanted to bake as everything sounded good. So I ask Peter Pumpkin what he might like for desert tonight. He replied with “well, if you really want to know what I would like I would say pecan pie!” So that’s what we have! When I began to look thru the different recipes from some of my cookbooks I came across this one from Fredericksburg Home Kitchen Cook Book (which my MIL gave to me years ago). It sounded perfect AND didn’t use as much butter as the recipes I have used in the past so I decided to give it a try! After all, Peter Pumpkin reminds me that since we are in our “golden years” we probably should start thinking about cutting back on good foods like butter! It was then that I informed him that our golden years were appropriately named for the fact that we were the age where we should be able to have all the butter we liked! Butter is golden!!!

So here is the recipe and I hope you like it as much as we do! And since I only ate one enchilada I can have two pieces tonight!

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 teas vanilla

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 cup finely chopped pecans

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 9″ unbaked pie shell

Combine eggs and syrup, mix well. Add sugar and beat with wire whisk. Add vanilla. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add pecans and melted butter. Mix well and pour into pie shell. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes until pie is firm to touch in middle!

Seriously cut back on butter, who is he kidding? After all, we went without a lot of butter for 3 months in Italy so our arteries had a chance to clear!