Just an FYI today. Talked to a friend of mine today that told me she “fries” her chicken in a paper bag in the oven. She just buys cut up chicken with the skin on and cleans it. Then coats the chicken in flour and places it in a brown paper bag which she has lightly greased the entire inside of the bag with Crisco or Pam and then places the bag on a cookie sheet before laying the chicken inside. Turn the opening of the bag to where it is closed and place the bag of chicken in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 to 50 min and remove chicken from bag. Be careful as you open the bag because the steam will burn you if you are not careful. She says that it has the taste of fried chicken without all the oil. She said to leave the skin on for extra crunchiness……Not exactly “fat free” or low cal, but certainly better than deep frying chicken in a pot of oil…..I am going to try this probably on Sun night and let you know how it turns out. If you try it before me, please let me know what you think….have a blessed weekend and talk to you Mon……tkchocolate
Gratin of Vegetables
I am in love with brussels sprouts. I have never really liked them until I ate them at my son, Jason’s house. He had bought them still on the stem and the taste is completely different than buying them frozen. So each time I see a recipe that includes these little precious gems, I look it over. This recipe uses my husbands fav cheese, blue cheese, and makes a great side dish to any juicy steak, baked chicken or fish! Found this in a little $1.79 magazine at the grocery store checking out the other day….
1 lb cabbage
1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed, outer leaves discarded and halved
1 red onion, thinly sliced
3 tables EVVO (extra virgin olive oil) That always drove me crazy when a well known TV chef would always say, “EVVO, extra virgin olive oil” If she was going to tell you every time what EVVO stood for, why did she bother to always say, “EVVO”?
1/4 teas sea salt, or table salt
1/4 teas pepper
4 oz crumbled blue cheese (about 3/4 cup)
Preheat oven to 425. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cut cabbage into thin wedges, leaving them attached at base. Add cabbage and sprouts to pot and bring back to boil. Cook 3 min and then drain and shake dry.
Arrange cabbage and sprouts with red onion in 13,9 baking dish which you have sprayed with Pam. Drizzle veggies with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring halfway through cooking time, until veggies are tender, about 25 min. Sprinkle with cheese; return to oven for 3-5 min until cheese melts. Serve immediately while hot.
Coffee Infused Angel Food Cake with Whipped Frosting
One of the ladies brought this cake to a dinner we were at and I have to tell you…..it was wonderful. I NEVER go back for seconds in public because I don’t want them to see me doing that and think, “well, now we know why she weighs what she does” I guess if they don’t see me eating for two, it will make them wonder if I just have a medical condition, ha……but I just had to have a two pieces, plus I ate the topping off of Randy’s plate, because he really doesn’t like sweets as much as I do. One of our sons from Austin was here and when I saw him eating the cake, you could tell he thought it was awesome also. Corky, thanks for sharing this recipe, it really is a great cake and I can’t wait to make it.
One Duncan Hines Angel Food cake mix, baked according to directions, except instead of baking it in a tube pan, make it in 3 9″ layer pans.
Let cool and set aside.
Frosting:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tables superfine sugar
1/4 cup very strong brewed coffee, which has been cooled to room temp or placed in fridge for a while to cool.
Whip cream until fluffy and add sugar and coffee and continue beating until medium soft peaks form.
To assemble cake (best done just a short time before serving):
frost cake generously with the whipped cream between layers of cakes, along with some smaller coffee crunch pieces (*this recipe will follow) Top with remaining whipped cream mixture and lots of the coffee crunch pieces.
Coffee Crunch Pieces
Unflavored vegetable oil
1 tables baking soda, sifted
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
Generously oil a large baking sheet. Sift the baking soda onto a small sheet of wax paper or a small plate (you are setting this aside until ready to use and don’t want to have to measure it at the last minute.) Set nearby.
Combine coffee, sugar and corn syrup in a deep heavy 4 qt saucepan. Place over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. When the mixture is clear and it begins to boil, increase the heat to medium high and cook until the mixture reaches 290 degrees on a candy thermometer. Toward the end of cooking, around 270 degrees to 280, stir occasionally to prevent mixture from scorching and becoming too foamy. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. The mixture will foam up vigorously. While mixture is still foaming, pour it out onto the oiled baking sheet. Do not spread, just let it cool undisturbed for about 1 hour. Break or crush into very small pieces by placing between 2 sheets of wax paper and tapping or rolling with rolling pin. Store in airtight container until ready to use on cake.
This cake is really worth the effort and time.
Sweet Potato Pound Cake
If you are like any typical mom who has trouble getting veggies down your little darling’s throats, try this cake. It is full of sweet potatoes, but they will never know it. So when you are spending the afternoon with a grandchild or trying to figure out what to have for dinner that is good for the family, try this cake. Never mind that it has cream cheese, sugar and eggs included. Just focus on the sweet potatoes that are in it and don’t worry about the other stuff. The good will outweigh the bad, ha…..This is from the Nov, 2011 Southern Living…Goes great with a Chai Latte for an afternoon snack…
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
3 cups flour
2 teas baking powder
1 teas baking soda
1/4 teas salt
1 teas ground cinnamon
1 teas vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Add sweet potatoes and beat well.
Stir together flour, next 3 ingredients and cinnamon in a bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 10″ tube pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 min or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
You can bake this cake in 2 greased and floured 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 ” loaf pans instead. Bake and cool but your baking time will be less. Test for doneness after about 40 min…..
Angel Biscuits
The Christmas tree is put away and the Egg Nog is gone. We have turned one of our Christmas trees into a Valentine Tree and am already looking through new issues of Southern Lady or Taste of Home for recipes that my “Valentine” will love coming home and sitting down to gaze upon.(well, actually we graze more than we gaze). This recipe for Angel Biscuits will go perfectly with breakfast or dinners and you will be able to turn any husband into an “Angel” when he takes one bite of these. They are simple and delicious.
Makes about 2 dz. The addition of yeast will guarantee fluffy biscuits every time. Do NOT let the word “yeast” scare you off.
1 envelope active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
1/4 cup warm water (just be sure it is barely warm, certainly not really warm as this kills the yeast)
2 tables sugar (do not use sugar substitute as the yeast needs the real stuff to activate)
1 tables baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening, cut into pieces and 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Preheat oven to 400. Combine yeast and warm water in a 1 cup glass measuring cup; let stand 5 min.
Meanwhile, whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; cut in shortening and butter with a pastry blender until crumbly.
Combine yeast mixture and buttermilk and add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead about 1 min.
Roll dough to 1/2 ” thickness. Cut with a 2 in round cutter or into 2 ” squares. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake at 400 for 12 to 15 min or until golden brown.
Return to Chocolate
I know, I know, a couple of days ago, I said that I was going to go green at least on the blog home page, but I just couldn’t do it. Everytime I looked at the stark green page, all I could think about was how it just didn’t look like my blog, so came back to the chocolate themed look. Made me want to cook more than the green. Sorry guys, guess I’m more into chocolate than “going green”. But I promise I will try harder to recycle and turn the lights out when leaving the kitchen.
Trader Joe’s Store
Most of the visitors to my blog are probably from Texas and I wanted to share something that you will be enjoying very soon, if you have not already. I hear from friends in Dallas that they are putting a Trader Joes at Park and Preston with two more stores located on Greenville and Ft Worth. If you have never experienced one of these stores, can I just tell you that you are in for a wonderful surprise! I have learned to appreciate the store for what it is and that is this: it is a small store that is so reasonable on prices and has a great collection of foods from all over the world. They are truly top notch and every thing that we have tried from there has been very good. They have lots of prepared frozen foods, which are really great and I have already served many of these new dishes for get togethers here at the house, which is rare for me to do. I usually home make what I serve, but the foods that I have had rave reviews are these:
The Gingerbread mix, which is seasonal, so you will have to wait until the holidays next year to probably find this.
Trader Joe Jo-Joe’s, which is an oreo cookie with a peppermint filling. I bought these and got addicted to them immediately.Next year when they come back to the store I am going to make a cake with these delightful little gems with them chopped up in the batter and then the pink peppermint crumbs sprinkled on top. This year, I dipped this cookie in melted chocolate just to give it an extra punch of chocolate. Their chocolate hazelnut biscotti is awesome!
Their line of frozen entrees are truly as good as what you would find in resturants.
I hope I have encouraged you to try them as soon as they open there in Dallas. You will not be sorry. See, California has sent you In and Out Burger and now….Trader Joe’s…….If we could just get Sister Schubert rolls and Diet Cherry Dr Pepper out here now, life would be grand. We do now have Dillards and Hobby Lobby, so I am a happy camper.
Very Lemony Cookies
It will take me months to finish trying all the new recipes from the Paula Deen Christmas magazine, but these cookies were right up there at the top of new recipes that I just had to make. The older I get, the more I am enjoying other flavors other than chocolate.
1 cup butter flavor all vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 tables lemon zest
1/2 teas salt
2 egg yolks
3 cups flour
2 tables heavy whipping cream
1 teas lemon extract
1 teas vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze
Garnish: Candied Lemon Zest *Optional
In a medium bowl, beat shortening and sugar at medium speed with mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 min. Add zest and salt; beating until combined. Add yolks, one at a time; beating well after each.
Gradually add flour, beating at low speed until mixture is combined. Ad Continue reading “Very Lemony Cookies”
Going Green
Since some of you have totally gone all “green” (yes, this applies to my son-in-law) I thought I would change my blog screen to “green” to show that even though I am a little slow in learning to turn off lights, recycle or go without air conditioning, I can at least “go green” on my computer screen. So until I find a February Valentines theme, this blog will be “going green”…..Also, I love change, and thought maybe ya’ll would like a little change in color on your phone or computer also…..
Vanilla Caramel Cake
Get to the store as soon as you can and buy a jar of Smucker’s Hot Caramel Topping and go home and make this cake. It is sooooo good. The jar of caramel goes into the cake and when I saw this recipe from Southern Lady over the holidays, I knew that as soon as I got home, it would be the first recipe I posted.
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 (12 oz) jar caramel topping
1 teas vanilla
6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teas baking powder
1 teas baking soda
1/4 teas salt
1 cup sour cream
Vanilla Frosting* recipe follows
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 3 (9 inch) round cake pans with Pam baking spray with flour.
In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar and caramel topping. Beat at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Add vanilla, beating to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake for 18-20 min or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire racks.
Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.
Vanilla Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
2 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scrape out seeds, reserving them to mix into frosting.
1/2 teas vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract, beating until well combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
This recipe will work beautifully as a cake or cupcakes…..Sprinkle white sparkles on top to decorate.
