I thought I would pass on a bit of info to you re: a way to save yourself some time. When you have some extra time, take 3 or 4 gallon zip lock bags and put your dry ingredients in them for your favorite recipes. Such as: cookies and cakes. For instance, when making chocolate chip cookies, bag your 2 1/4 cups flour, the 1 teas baking soda,1 teas salt, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Then label the bag and put it in the freezer if you are planning on not using it for a month or so. Then when you are ready to make a bag of the cookies, simply pull it out of the freezer that morning and when you get home at night, all you have to do is add 1 egg, 1 teas vanilla and your stick of margarine and 1 stick of butter. You are ready to bake. This really saves you so much time. Same for cakes, just mix your dry ingredients together in the bag, label them and freeze until ready to add your liquids. It seems like when you have the dry ingredients already mixed, it is simple and fast to whip up something on the spur of the moment. Try it and let me know what you think.
Homemade Delicious Beef Enchiladas
OK, I hate to brag, but am going to for just a minute. I made enchiladas last night to take to a dinner, but I left some for Randy’s dinner. Even though I made them, I thought they were delicious. When I came in the back door, he met me and said, “those were the best enchiladas….ever” I told him I thought so also. Plus ladies at the dinner told me they were just delicious and one lady asked if she could buy the ones left to take home for a dinner she is having tonight. So, you will be glad to know that I didn’t sell them to her, I just told her to take them. But, wanted to share the recipe with you…there are a couple of steps, but I promise you they are so worth it…..
1 lb of ground round
1 4 oz can of diced green chiles
2 packets of taco seasoning envelope
1/3 cup butter
1 onion
1 package (2 cups) of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
14 corn tortillas
1/2 cup oil
Lawry’s seasoning salt
garlic powder
brown the ground meat. As it is browning, sprinkle one envelope of the taco seasoning, about 1 teas seasoning salt, 1 teas pepper and 1 teas garlic powder over the meat mixture. When it is cooked, sprinkle about 2 tables flour over the meat mixture and stir until it is dissolved into the mixture. Add about 1 cup of water to this and cook until the gravy in the meat is thicken. Set aside.
Chop the onion into small pieces. Get a smaller skillet and add 1/3 cup butter to the skillet. When butter is melted, add the chopped onion. Sprinkle 1 teas of each of the following:]
seasoned salt and garlic powder. When onion is transparent, but do not overcook, put onion into a small bowl. In this same skillet, pour about 1/2 oil and when it is hot, take your corn tortillas and just put into the hot oil for about 3 seconds on each side, placing them on a paper towel, to absorb the oil. When all 14 tortillas have been “softened” in the oil. Get the cheese out of the fridge and put into a bowl besides the onion.
Taking each corn tortilla, put about 1/2 teas onion and 1 teas cheese in the middle of each tortilla. Roll up and place in a baking dish which has been sprayed with Pam. Do this until all tortillas are used up. Spoon the meat mixture over the rolled enchiladas. * If you have extra sauce, you might want to spoon a little in the bottom of the pan before placing the rolled enchiladas into the pan. If you want, you could buy El Paso Red enchilada sauce (mild) and use this in the bottom and then the homemade over the top)*
Now, take the skillet that you had the oil in and if needed, add oil until you have about 1/2 cup of oil once again in the skillet. When it is hot, take 1/4 cup flour and stir into the hot oil, making a paste or roux. When it is dissolved and thick, add your 1 1/2 cups water to this and cook until it is thick. Add the other package of Taco Seasoning Mix to this. When it is thick, pour over the meat mixture which is laying on top of the rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cheese over all and bake, covered with foil, at 350 for 3o minutes.
These enchiladas are very very good and taste like you would get at a real Tex-Mex restaurant……….serve with a pot of pinto beans and Rice A Roni Spanish Rice and sliced avacados…..It is truly a great dish to serve to company……….let me know when you try these how you like them.
Easter Thoughts
This morning sitting looking out at the sunshine, remembering that yesterday, the first full day of Spring, we woke up to a winter wonderland again, which is unbelievable here in Dallas, for the 3rd or 4th time this year, we are so blessed to have eyes to see the beauty that the Lord continually sends our way. Easter is two weeks away and signals in a season of rebirth, renewal and rewards!
Rebirth in that our Savior died to save us from our sins. Renewal that we feel that in each day, “His mercies are new every morning” and we can begin each day under His grace and love and have the opportunity to serve our risen Savior!
Rewards in that we get to see new growth, not only in the flowers that we have planted, but rewards in the spiritual growth that has hopefully taken place in each of our lives, as so many of us have been in the “winter” of our lives, for the last few months. The times when we felt that God was not answering or responding to our “needs”. Yet, it is in those “winter” times of our lives that, coming out on the other side, we know that He has grown us in a specific area of our life. Remembering that He is always faithful and true, Jesus could answer our needs immedieately, but would our faith grow if he did? It is in those times of waiting for answers that we can look back and see that indeed our faith has grown, as we have had to wait for Him. Knowing that He does hear, he does care and He does always answer. But in His time and His way…….How are we different this spring than last spring? Is our lives serving Him in a way that others know that we are His child?
Do we wake up each morning and give Him our day or do we selfishly keep our selves to what “we” are wanting to do? This Easter season, let us allow Him to show us “rebirth”, “renewal” and sit back and see the spiritual “rewards” that will take place in our lives in His Time…….Let us remember that delayed obedience is “disobedience”…….How can I go out and serve Him today? Ask Him to show you someone you could minister to today, and then WATCH, He will answer your prayer!
Cherry Jubilee Cake
With Easter right around the corner, I have begun to look for new and different recipes to place on the Easter table this year. A sweet friend, Jerry McGraw, who is so kind to share recipes with me gave me a recipe that is written in her mom’s handwriting and that her mom made when Duncan Hines Cake mixes were just coming onto the shelves of the grocery store. This one caught my eye and sound delicious. Am making it for Easter. Not only will it be so beautiful on the table, it will be a refreshing new addition to our dinner.
Makes a 10″ tube cake
1 DuncanHines cherry supreme cake mix (all I could find was a cherry chip cake mix)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup apricot nectar
1/2 cup crisco oil
4 eggs
In a large bowl, blend all ingredients except eggs; beat at medium speed for 1 min. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each. Spread batter in greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350 for about 45 min or until cake tests done. Cool upright 15 min and then invert onto serving plate.
Glaze: Blend 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tables juice from maraschino cherries. Pour over warm cake.
Joy of Almond Cake
Wow, this cake is scrumptious. I combined two recipes and it turned out delicious.
Mix up a Duncan HInes Devils Food cake mix as follows.
1 Devils Food cake mix
1 small size chocolate instant pudding
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Mix all ingredients. Preheat oven to 350. Set cake batter aside for a minute. Spray a bundt or tube pan with Pam.. Make filling:
Filling:
Beat 3 egg whites for about 30 seconds on high. Add 1 teas almond extract. Add 1/2 cup sugar about 1 tables at a time (this takes about 2 min). The whites should look whipped and glossy, at this point. Fold in 1/4 cup flour and then 2/3 cup shredded coconut, just until well blended. Set aside.
Pour half of cake mixture into pan. Spoon the coconut mixture over the cake batter, being careful not to let it touch the sides of the cake pan. Then spoon rest of the cake batter over the coconut mixture. Bake for about 45 to 50 min. Cool in pan and then invert onto cake plate. Frost with the following:
Frosting:
Combine 2 cups whole milk, 1 (4 oz) package shredded coconut, 1 tables powdered sugar, 1 teas vanilla and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until the milk is absorbed and the mixture thickens. Stir occasionally, about 15 mins. Cool completely. Spoon this topping over the cooled cake. Drizzle the chocolate glaze over the coconut topping.
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 sq of semi-sweet chocolate, which has been melted in the butter. 1/2 teas almond extract. Use milk to thin as necessary to drizzle over the cake.
Cupcake Information
Right now, I am baking about 100 cupcakes for a ladies retreat at church plus frosting another 80 cupcakes for a friend who cannot frost hers. So thought I would pass along this information in case you are ever needing to frost a big batch and you keep wondering how many hours it is going to take you to do so.
First of all, William Sonoma has a frosting tube which sells for $25.00 which has saved many hours for me. Each time you fill the tube, you can beautifully frost 7 cupcakes in the time it would take to frost 1 to 2, by hand. If you do not want to buy this, another simple way to frost them is to make a ganache type of frosting and simply turn each cupcake upside down and dip the tops in the ganache. They look smooth and baeutiful and this beats the heck out of taking a knife and frosting each one seperately…….Just a thought!
Black Forest Trifle
1 box of any chocolate cake mix (I do prefer Duncan Hines)
1 small instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 can cherry pie filling
8 oz. whipped topping, thawed, such as Cool Whip
(I usually use real whipped cream, which would be whipping 8 oz. of heavy whipping cream, adding 1 cup of powdered sugar as you whip. Whip until cream is stiff.
Bake cake mix as directed on box in a 9×13 pan. Cool and cut into 1” sqs.
Prepare pudding mix according to box, but use ½ cups milk instead of 2 cups.
In a trifle dish, line bottom of dish with the cubes of cake. Pour 1/3 can of cherries over cake. Pour 1/3 pudding over the cherries. Top with whipped cream. Repeat layers until dish is full or you have used up all the cake, pudding, cherries and cream.
Cover and chill until ready to serve. This is better if made the day before it is to be served.
If desired, grate chocolate curls over the top.
No Phone Tuesday
OM Gosh, I had forgotten what it is like to be in a house which does not have a phone. The server was out today on my phone and it was so quiet. I actually got so much done around the house. Because I didn’t have texting, or phone service, it was just so quiet. I even left the radio and tv off and just folded clothes in the quiet. It was a cloudy day, so it would have been the perfect day to take a nap. BUT……….I just couldn’t go that far….so have worked on the computer, made cupcakes and finished the laundry…well, you get it. It is amazing how much you get done when you cannot talk on the phone. I even finished two days of Bible Study work….I would do more, but Randy will come home and wonder what in the world is going on, if the house is too clean. Even wrote a few hand written notes today. I don’t want him to think that he is going to come home everyday to a super clean house, dinner on the table, laundry done, the bills all paid, the fridge cleaned out…….so guess I will close and go see if my phone is working..wouldn’t want to give him a heart attack!
German Chocolate Sheet Cake
German Chocolate Sheet Cake
This recipe is just awesome, taken from a Southern Living magazine ,but has become a favorite to have for dessert.
Makes 48 small servings or 24 Trudy Servings
1 box of German chocolate cake mix
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 ¾ cups water
1 14 oz can Eagle Brand sweetened milk
1/3 cup each chopped pecans and coconut
¼ cup softened butter
1 16 oz. box powdered sugar
1 teas vanilla
3 to 4 tables milk
Beat cake mix with next 3 ingredients at medium speed for 3 to 4 min. Pour batter into a 15×10 inch jellyroll pan which has been sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Combine Eagle Brand, coconut and pecans. Spread over warm cake. Broil on lowest rach in oven about 2 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and cool. Beat margarine and next 3 ingredients at medium speed, gradually adding milk. Spread over cake.
Sunshiny Monday
What a gorgeous weekend. We worked out in the yard yesterday and today both of us are so sore, we began our day with aspirin…..but it is almost noon and we are on the mend. Well, came across this recipe which we make when we are out working in the yard. It is so cool and refreshing and is so easy. Thought you might like to have the recipe since it is now that time of year when we get lots of hours of sun and time to work outside. It is from a friend of mine, Pam Hillhouse.
2 cups Braums cappuccino chunky frozen yogurt
1 bottle (9.5 oz) Starbucks mocha coffee
1/4 cup Hershey chocolate syrup
2 cups ice
Blend first 3 ingredients until smooth. Add ice in small amounts until desired consitency. Enjoy!
