Cakes · Chocolate

Chocolate Cherry Cola Cake

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Image

Taken from the summer issue of Taste of Home, this cake got great reviews last night when I took it to a dinner party. Before leaving home, I ate 4 cupcakes I had made with some of the batter, just to try it out, of course. Because of the marshmallows and cherry coke, the cake is so moist and the chocolate flavor is amazing.

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallow, ( I had found chocolate mini ones, so I used those)

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teas baking soda

1 cup butter, cubed (so it melts quicker)

1 cup cherry-flavored coke

3 tables Hershey’s cocoa

2 eggs at room temp

1/2 cup buttermilk (if you don’t keep this on hand, make your own with plain milk and vinegar)

1 teas vanilla

Frosting:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow

2 tables cherry juice (recipe called for 2 tables frozen cherry-pomegranate juice concentrate, but my store didn’t have any so bought a can of sweet cherries in heavy syrup and used the syrup from that)

Fresh sweet cherries with stem for decor

Preheat oven to 350. Line bottom of two greased 9″ pans with parchment paper; grease paper also after they have been put in pan. Divide marshmallows between pans.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar and baking soda. In a small saucepan, combine the cubed butter, cola and cocoa. Bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until blended.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until blended. Add to flour mixture, whisking constantly. Pour into prepared pans, dividing batter evenly. Marshmallows will float to the top.

Bake for 25-30 in or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 min and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting:  *(IF you want enough frosting to frost sides of cake, double the frosting ingredients)in a medium bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in marshmallow cream and juice on low speed just until blended. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread top with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining frosting.

Uncategorized

NBF (new blogger friends)

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

I am so excited. The past couple of weeks, a lady from Atlanta began to follow my blog and has commented several times on different postings from chocolatecastles.com. As I began to reply to her, she would send back more of her ideas that she posts on her blog.

She is one talented lady with great party theme ideas and after looking at some of the pictures that she posts, she does know how to throw a party. I ask her permission before telling all ya’ll (yes, I know, how hicky, but I haven’t got to say that in such a long time) about her blog and a couple of her ideas she has told me about.

Her name is Sue and she is a transplant from New Jersey. She quickly adapted to the southern way of entertaining and from looking at her blog, I dare say that you wouldn’t know that she wasn’t born right in the middle of Atlanta holding a glass of sweet tea, with her pinkie sticking straight out. You really need to check out her blog at :

Sue@www.rue-mouffetard.blogspot.com

She will be having a party for her neighborhood blogging friends in a couple of weeks and will be serving pink cookies with pink drinks. I had posted info about making the pink lemonade cookies, which you can find at WalMart in the cake mix isle (Pillsbury makes them) She then thought how cute these cookies would look with the fruit drink she makes, so she passed on this  drink idea to me. 

Pink Ladies 
Welches Strawberry or Raspberry punch and add sparkling water and fresh fruit. Dip the pretty glass in honey and then pink sprinkles. 

Just think how pretty your table will look, using pink or white linens and use pink and white polka dot (or striped) ribbon tied around napkins. A vase of pink flowers in the middle. If you don’t have a vase you want to use. Use pretty wrapping paper glued around an old can and set your flowers in the middle. Or use pink jelly beans in a large container and set your vase of flowers right in the middle of the jelly beans. Tie the same ribbon around the container. Very cheap to do and looks fab.

I’m very excited to have my new NBF; I can’t wait to see more party ideas she has up her sleeve. Thanks, Sue, you are a true Southern Belle. 

Daily Thoughts

VBS Is A Life Saver

Chocolate Castles4 Comments

photo-6My daughter called this morning on her way home from dropping Caleb, our 3 year old grandson off at Vacation Bible School. I asked her, ‘oh I thought he went last week to VBS” and she politely told me he did, but this was another one.  In the sweetest little voice she could muster, she remarked, “mom, don’t judge me”. Now, I began to think that maybe she was just wanting Caleb to have a definite idea of if he might want to be a preacher when he grew up and she was showing him what it would be like to be around the church all day, every day. But before I could begin to quote the Ten Commandments, she told me that she had signed him up for 4 different VBS’s this summer, as a way to keep her sanity. Now, I do admit that Caleb is rather, hum…how do I put this? a very “active child with a great and very active imagination” but I’ve got the feeling that Caleb is going to have the same reputation around Phoenix church’s as Randy does around our area Costco’s……don’t let him in.

While Randy eats Costco’s profits up walking around the store “snacking” on all the “free” samples, churches will be having teachers retire before their time. The positive outlook on his being taken from church to church this summer is the fact that by the time he is older, he will think that going to church is just the normal thing to do and maybe will realize that that is a better place to hang around, rather than the mall. Just a thought and a hope. Jodi then began to tell me how excited she is about a friend of hers calling and telling her about a VBS that is at night. I am jealous that I didn’t think of that when Jodi was growning up. I’m smiling thinking about all the “crafts” from all the VBS’s  that Jodi will be having to display around the house; the gold sprayed macaroni necklaces that she will have to wear to not hurt Caleb’s feelings, the popcicle stick house she will have to dust around, in order not to knock it down and my favorite, the potholder that is so thin, you get burned every time you use it.

So moms, if you are going crazy this summer already wondering what to do with the little ones, get that church directory out and enroll them in every VBS you can find. It is a great babysitter and it is free and who knows, they might just actually learn about some of life’s important facts, that God is real and that He loves each and every one of the little darlings, no matter how many VBS’s they attend…….and that’s the truth. Saint Caleb called me when he got home today and told me.

Uncategorized

FYI Butter Tips

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Just finished baking the pink lemonade cookies I posted a few minutes ago and am including a picture of them. I ended up rolling the tops in colored sugar to add “sparkle”. Just wanted to mention that any time you are using any type of box mix to begin a recipe, always use unsalted butter as your shortening when it calls for oil or butter. Because prepared mixes already have so much salt in them, using salted butter will just add more of a salty taste. Image

Cookies

Pink Lemonmade Cookies

Chocolate Castles3 Comments

This summer, Pillsbury brought a whole new line of cookie mixes. They now have Orangesicle, Pink Lemonade and Key Lime Cookie (and cupcake) mixes. My fav is the orange and pink lemonade. Beceause the recipe on the box calls for butter, it tasted like homemade pink lemonade sugar cookies. Soft and oh so yummy. Go to the store right now and pick up a few boxes before they disappear from the shelves. You will be so glad you did.

Box of pink lemonade cookie mix

1 stick of melted unsalted butter

1 egg

Set oven to 375. Combine cookie mix with butter and egg in bowl. Mix until soft dough is formed. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet 2″ apart.

Bake for 8-10 min or until edges are light brown. Allow to cool for 2 min before removing from cookie sheet. Store cookies in airtight container.

Daily Thoughts · Starches · Vegetables

Easy & Quick & Delisious & Cheap Pasta Primivera (you are probably getting the idea by now)

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Last night I fed Mr. Meat & Potato Guy, this really good made up at the last minute, Pasta Primvera.   You can put it in the crock pot or oven and go off and forget about it for a few hours. He actually liked it and said how good it was. So thought I would pass it on.

I chopped up the left over veggies that I had on hand, onion, celery, zucchini, fresh spinach and carrots. Sauted them in about 2 tables olive oil until the onion was clear. Tossed them in a oven proof pan and added a can of fresh tomatoes (14.5 oz), 1 can of tomato sauce (15 oz), 2 cans of water and a package of McCormick Spaghetti extra thick  spaghetti seasoning package. Added about 1 teas more of garlic powder and 1 teas more Italian seasoning. Stirred, covered pan with lid and baked it for 3 hours at 325. Came out thick and smelled divine. Cooked some spaghetti and wa-la, tossed some freshed shaved parmesan over the top, baked some Pepperidge Farm garlic toast while the noodles were cooking and had a great dinner. Don’t be afraid to use up the veggies in your fridge for things like this. The kids (or your meat loving hubby) won’t even know that there are veggies in the sauce. When I have V-8 on hand, I use that as part of the sauce as it gives extra nutrition and that way, you don’t feel so guilty when you have chocolate cake or key lime pie for dessert, because, “look at all the veggies I just ate and how healthy I must be now that I have had such a huge amount of healthy food?”

Desserts · Fruit

Blackberry-Peach Cobbler Bars

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

I am a cobbler junkie. When I saw this in the new Southern Living, I had to try it. Think about these bars with homemade peach ice cream this summer. Wow, what a combo….

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

4 eggs

1 tables vanilla

1 teas baking powder

3/4 teas salt

3 1/4 cups flour

3 (6 oz) packages fresh blackberries (about 4 cups)

4 cups peeled and sliced fresh firm ripe peaches

3 tables bourbon (opt)

1 cup roasted glazed pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Beat first 2 ingredients and 1 cup of the sugar at medium speed with mixer, until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Stir together baking powder, salt and 3 cups flour. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended. Spread three-fourths of batter in a greased and floured 13×9 pan; sprinkle with blackberries.

Stir together remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour in a medium bowl; add peaches and bourbon* (if you are omitting bourbon, use either whipping cream or orange juice), stirring to coat. Spoon mixture over blackberries.

Stir pecans into remaining batter; dollop over peach mixture.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until golden and bubbly. Cool completely on a wire each. Cut into bars.

Daily Thoughts

Full Moon, Phone Calls & Cleaning

Chocolate Castles4 Comments

There was a full moon last night and history was made. All 5 of our kids and one daughter-in-law called. It wasn’t my birthday, and way past Mothers Day and as far as I can remember, only one of those kids have a birthday coming up. The only thing I can figure is that my doctor has called them with a bad report of something being wrong with me. As soon as I got off the phone with adult child #5, I immediately began cleaning out drawers, closets and hurriedly began throwing dirty clothes and towels in the wash….if something was soon going to take me out of this world, I certainly didn’t want ladies coming to bring Randy casseroles, only to find my house with dirty laundry and messy closets.

Even this morning, as I am still pondering what was going on yesterday with all the attention, I find myself going over each conversation, looking for any hint of sadness in their voice…but nothing…if they had received some shocking news about my health, there were certainly hiding it well….a little too well, if you ask me.

Randy and I went for mexican food last night and when we were driving home it  allowed us to watch the most beautiful full moon. The night was crisp with  cool air and just having had great enchiladas and now was comfortably settled in front of our television, it just kept me wondering about the phone calls. I guess you can tell I was having trouble letting this go and wondering what in the heck is happening. Could our kids be really growing up and finding out what it is like to be a parent. Surely not, after all, they are only in their 30’s. I didn’t expect that until they were at least in their 50’s and by then, we would both be on ginko for our memories and wouldn’t have a clue how often they called or didn’t call.

Because Randy knows me quite well, he knows that every time we leave town, I go through the house and get it squeaky clean, just in case someone might come in, should we be in an accident. Maybe he put the kids up to calling to make me wonder, knowing that I would really get on a cleaning streak.  Surely even he wouldn’t do that, would he?

Well, whatever the reason, yesterday was fun. It is so great to talk with each one, no matter how often they call. At our age, it doesn’t take a lot to get us excited. Think about it, if watching Wheel of Fortune gets us in a good mood and our blood pressure up,  think of the excitement when we get to talk to all of our kids in the same day, for no apparent reason. Just listening to their different personalities shine through as they talk about their jobs, their kids or marriages, it never gets old hearing their voices and listening to what is important to them. We love you guys and look forward to the next full moon when, once again, all 5 kids are aligned with the desire to call.

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts

Lemon Curd Cupcakes

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Yesterday I took these cupcakes to my MOPS moms and they all loved them. (Of course, being moms of preschoolers, they would love whatever that was set in front of them as long as they didn’t have to cook it). Several have emailed me and ask for the recipe and then when I took more of them last night to Bible Study, the ladies absolutely loved them. They are so easy, yet taste and look like you spent all day.

1 Duncan Hines Lemon Cake mix

1 jar of lemon curd (or you can make a package of lemon pudding and pie filling if you can’t find the lemon curd in your grocery) Just make sure that if you make your own lemon curd using the jello, you allow it to thicken and cool completely before using in the cupcake batter.

Frosting*

Mix cake mix according to directions. Using paper liners, place 24 liners in cupcake holders. Place about 1 tables of lemon cake batter in each liner. Place about 1 tablespoon of lemon curd  over batter. Then pour about 2 tables cake mix batter over curd, being sure that curd is completely covered. Bake according to directions on box. Cook cupcakes completely.

Another option is just bake the cupcakes according to directions on box without the filling and when they are cool, insert curd into middle of cupcake with the tip which allows you to  insert it into cupcake.

Frost* with the following:

1 box of powdered sugar

1 stick softened butter

1 teas lemon extract

1/3 cup whipping cream or milk (add this liquid a little at a time, as it might not all be required to get frosting to spreading consistency, may need a little more also)

Daily Thoughts

Oklahoma Summers

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

It is so heartbreaking to watch the video’s of parents and children effected by the tornados this week in Oklahoma. Growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, each summer we would go visit my aunt and uncle who lived in Ardmore, OK. I have nothing by fond memories of those summers. Because I am an only child, my parents would let me invite a friend to go with us on these 2 week adventures. The hot summer days we would find ourselves driving out to Lake Murray for swimming and picnicking. Lake Murray provided me my first look at lily pads.  My uncle raised bulls and horses and he would set me up on one of the bulls and lead it around the pen. One of my favorite pictures is when I was about 6, Uncle Son put a cigar in my mouth, led me around the pen on the bull  and hollered for my mom to come out. When she did, she fussed at him for the cigar and for letting me ride the bull.

About 5 years ago, Randy and I drove the 2 hours, north of Dallas to Ardmore. I just wanted to see a few of the places I had grown up with. After we found the “huge” house that we use to frequent, I saw it in a whole new light. No longer was it “huge”, but a little cracker box house. The memories of my cousin and I sitting out in the yard at night under the “enormous” cypress tree, (which I now realize wasn’t enormous) trying to catch lightning bugs and the little corner store where we walked to buy ice cream and candy which was still so vivid in my memory, was right there in front of me. They looked so different, yet the memories were the same, maybe even now a little more sweet.

The swimming pool where we used to swim, right down the block from their house, was still there, but it was now different. No longer were there signs that said, “white water fountain” or “white bathrooms” but just signs that read, “fountain” or “restrooms”.

The fishery that my other uncle owned, seemed to be so far out in the country when we use to go visit, but now, it was only minutes outside of town. Had the town grown out that far, or had my perspective changed? Probably a little of both.

There were days spent there that were just miserably hot and with their house not having air conditioning, we would sleep on the screened in porch. Aunt Glady, as I called her, (yes the same Aunt Glady that chased me around Neimans, if you read that blog entry, if not, you need to go back and read it) would allow me to concoct any combination of food and flavors and then she would taste it and tell me that that was the best tasting drink EVER! I seriously don’t know how she kept from throwing up with some of the combinations that I made.

As I have many wonderful memories of my summers in Oklahoma, I am sure that this summer will be forever etched in the minds of the great people of Oklahoma. But their memories will be different. In spite of the tragedy and loss, God is faithful and ever present in our lives, no matter the circumstances. My prayer for them is that they will sense His presence and that they will once again find the Hope and Peace that comes from trusting Him.