Uncategorized

Pistacio Cake

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

The perfect dessert for St Patrick’s Day!!!

Chocolate Castles's avatarChocolate Castles

IMG_2378This cake is so much better than the one we used to make all the time in the 80’s..we were invited over for dinner to some friends house last Sunday evening and when she brought this cake out and set it on the counter, my mouth began to water. The frosting in this cake is amazing. Trust me, you will love this cake. I cannot wait to get my hands on a oven and some cake pans (all of ours are packed) and make it so I can eat the whole thing. Thanks Sylvia and Al for a most wonderful evening and meal. Made such a nice memory.

Mix Together:
1 box of Duncan Hines White Cake mix (the moist one)
1 cup liquid Canola, Crisco or Wesson Oil (whichever you have)
3 eggs
1 cup of club soda
½ cup chopped pecans
1 box of pistachio instant pudding mix

View original post 103 more words

Chocolate · Desserts · Uncategorized

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

I know I said I would post two healthy recipes before going into desserts, but…I’m thinking that because these have peanut butter in them, that should count for something. After seeing this recipe in my old Paula Deen magazine from 2008, it amazed me that this had slipped by me for 8 years.  Since some of our grandkids are spending time at our house next week due to spring break, it gave me an excuse to bake these and not have to say they are all for me.

1 cup butter

5 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate

2 1/3 cup sugar, divided

6 large eggs, divided

1 tables vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup flour

1/4 teas salt

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13″x 9″ baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil; lightly grease foil.

In a medium bowl, combine butte and chocolate. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Will take about 2 minutes total.

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups sugar,5 eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed with mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in butter mixture until combined.

In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating until combined. Spread batter into prepared pan; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 egg. Beat until smooth. Drop mixture by tablespoons over chocolate mixture. Swirl batter gently with a knife. Bake for 38-40 minutes or until brownies tests done in center with just a few crumbs still attached to testing knife. Let cool before cutting into squares.

Daily Thoughts · Vegetables

Spiraled Zucchini

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

When we arrived in Texas on our trip back 2 weeks ago, my sister-in-law welcomed us there with a veggie meal, which I had requested. She makes the best veggies and after two days of Mexican food on the road, we were more than ready to see something green on our plates besides green chiles.

As we sat down to dinner, I saw that she had added a new dish to the ones I had requested. Spiraled Zucchini. Along with fried potatoes with onions, fried cabbage, a pot of beans, cornbread was this awesome dish of zucchini and cherry tomatoes. Not wanting to look like I hadn’t eaten in 3 days, I only requested the bowl to be passed twice, but as we were cleaning up, I ask her if I could just eat what was left in the bowl. It was that good. So here is my first healthy recipe for March.

Spiral 2-3 zucchini (everyone who is anyone, has a spiral cutter, right? I actually just got one from a friend who gave me her old one, since she bought a better much pricier one)

In a skillet, add about 1 tables of olive oil and heat. Add the zucchini and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the squash around making sure it is coated in the oil. After about 3-4 min throw in about 1 cup of cherry tomatoes which you have cut in two. When veggies are tender (about 5 min) sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.  If I hadn’t eaten them up so quickly I should have taken a picture.

Thanks Janece for a great vegetable dinner only to be topped of by your not so healthy, but delicious homemade chocolate cream pie with whipped cream.  And you wonder why we always stay with you? Really?

Uncategorized

All My Ex’s Live in Texas

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

When I think of the word “ex”, I think about something that I truly loved and knew I couldn’t live without all the time I had it. We just returned from a two week trip back to our grand state of Texas to visit family and  friends. While there, I also attended a Women’s Conference which encouraged me to quit using “ex”cuses for not moving forward and not allowing God to use me where He has planted me.

On our two day drive across the desert, our conversation alway turned to which of our favorite restaurants we will visit while driving around Dallas. Which stores, that I do not have here in Arizona, do I want to spend our kids inheritance, while in Texas. How many Whataburgers can I consume in a 2 week period? How many times will I get to sit and listen to hymns sung by a choir (yes, I know this gives my age away) before coming back to services which end with drums, guitars and electric pianos?

Yes, I do admit that I do have one ex-husband which is still in Texas. Since he has never married in the 23 years since our divorce, I gather that I either ruined him on the idea of marriage or he figured that he would never be so blessed a second time; I like to think that is the reason, rather than the first. Not sure he would agree, but on to the story.

As we left Texas in the rear view mirror on Wednesday morning, we drove with anticipation as we neared the New Mexico border, getting us closer to home. We had had such a great time with our families and dinners with friends. Our favorite Tex-Mex restaurant had been crossed off our list twice in a 5 day period. We feasted on Texas barbecue, Whataburger more times than I care to tell you (yes, even had one for breakfast one day) and even talked Randy into driving me to my favorite Steinmart.

We sat in church Sunday morning and relished singing hymns that we both knew. After church we stayed around talking to old friends and then stayed just a little longer to listen to the music again as the second service started. It blessed my heart to hear one of my favorite songs being sung last Sunday, Every Praise is Due Our God; yes, every praise is certainly due our God. He had given us a great trip, watched over us as we drove, with a dog   in our lap, going and coming for the 1000 mile trip.

Randy was the chauffeur on the trip back, since I guess all that Mexican food, Whataburger and barbecue gave me bronchitis. I slept and had lots of time to think. Randy enjoyed the peace and quiet as each time I did try to talk, I would start coughing, so he told me to just be quiet and not try to talk. He assured me that he was just trying to take care of me. Yeah, heard that one before. I was able to muster under my breath that I had left one ex in Texas, I might be leaving another one there very quickly.

So, as we approached Phoenix, I really began to think about some of the things I had heard on the CD I had bought from Debbie Steward at the Women’s Conference last Saturday. One of the topics she had talked about was that we are always consumed with “are we in our sweet spot” rather than our “sent spot”. As I listened to her talking about where God sends us sometimes, as being our “sent spot” and how are we allowing Him to use us, it dawned on me that this is where He has me now. In a new community with new friends, a new church, new places to adventure. And what a great thing. How blessed Randy and I have been to be able to live in 3 different states and capture the new adventures which beckon us in each new “sent spot”. As soon as we arrived home, we had phone calls, a neighbor came by and several texted to check on us to see if we had made it home ok.

That is far more valuable than living by what we have always considered the best Mexican Food this side of the border. Will I ever return to Corpus to eat at Kikos, probably not, but I have the memories and the constant challenge of trying to duplicate their enchiladas ( I think I almost have it). Will I ever be able to live by any of the other grandchildren? I have no clue. But what I do know is that wherever I am, I want to finish strong. I want to be used by God to fulfill His purpose for leaving me here. Dallas will always have such a special place in our hearts, but even more special is the fact that we know that He has brought us to the place where He has placed us and we know that He is a great God….not only is He faithful, but we have a Whataburger 20 minutes away and am having a ball trying out all the different Mexican food places here. One of our favorite houses which we hated leaving in Texas has now become an “ex” as we have a new favorite house, here.

We continue to learn that “ex”citement can come with a new found joy of knowing that we are in the place for this season of our lives. We can now add precious friends who we already love and care about to our grateful lists of blessings.  Yes, we have lots of ex’s in Texas and California, but we look forward to the days ahead when we have a whole new lists of special memories and places which move us forward to a greater faith and a greater desire to live our lives for His purpose!

 

 

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Different View of Valentines

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Isn’t it great to read the different ways people celebrate Valentines? I truly enjoy scrolling through FB and seeing the restaurants where couples are celebrating the special day. The flowers that grace the different tables, as  we imagine the smell of the roses that sweethearts have brought home.  Boxes full of candy that are ripped apart as we promise ourselves “only 1 piece a day” that are emptied 3 days later. The cards that adorn the mantles of our homes are simple but meaningful ways to express the words that somehow are so hard to say sometimes, but then, finding just the perfect card, we hope that our loved ones are able to read between the poetic lines of love that talented writers are best able to express. Yes, all these are great way to celebrate a day set apart for showing special people just what we feel about them.

This year, having lived in a new city and new community less than a year, I began to think about all my past Valentines days. I remembered the years which I wondered about what I might receive. Would I have some of the beautiful roses, or a box of candy? Would I be able to sit and read a card over and over, all the while thinking about the person who thought enough about me to actually send a card. As I thought back, it dawned on me that most of the past years, I made it all about me.  Yes, of course, I bought for kids or grandkids and my sweet husband, but in the back of my mind, all the time I was picking out little tokens of love for family, my mind seemed to drift towards wondering what I might receive.

This season of life allows us to have time to sit and ponder. Ponder things which might need to change; think about ways in which we can enrich the lives of others before thinking just about ourselves. So I began. I was going to do something totally different this year. Making up pretty little bags with a bar of lavender soap, a tea bag and a little Godiva chocolate, I made up 20 little bags and tied them up with a red ribbon. When I ran out of the chocolate, I baked a few red velvet tea cakes and substituted those for the candy.

Yesterday morning, handing out the Valentine bags to women around our table at Bible Study, you would have thought I was handing them a $100.  The smiles that came to their faces was such a delight to me that I was the one who felt so blessed. In the afternoon, I came home and jumped on the golf cart. Going around in our neighborhood, I ended up delivering about 10 more little Valentine goodie bags. When I arrived home, Randy met me at the door and said, “well, welcome home, I was beginning to wonder if you had fallen and couldn’t get up.” After I assured him that even if I had fallen, I was NOT OLD and I COULD GET UP! I had been gone over 2 hours and had the pleasure of visiting with 9 ladies. Everyone had invited me in and two of the women and I had amazing conversations regarding what the Lord had been doing in their lives. It was one of the best afternoons I had spent in a long time. Just living in a place where you are invited in and people take the time to sit and visit was such a huge blessing to me.

It is 75 degrees again today. The sun is shinning and we ended up riding up to the club house and had lunch with some friends around the pool. A few ladies stopped me and thanked me again for the wonderful little surprise that was dropped off to them yesterday.

It has been about 24 hours since my little Valentine deliveries and I am still on a high from just the sweet conversations, the smiles that reflected from their faces and it has shown me that Valentines can be a whole lot more than just a box of candy or a dozen roses.

It is a time of reflections of how blessed we are when our health allows us to go jump on a golf cart and ride around dropping off little unexpected gifts. It is a day of realizing that we can get out of what we might be expecting from others and begin too reach out and be a blessing to those who might have just lost a spouse, or is new to a neighborhood. It is a day to allow others to see us for who we are…people with struggles, maybe just like theirs. Next Valentines cannot come fast enough. My desire is that I will not wait until Feb to reach out to others, but to look for the opportunities as they come to be a encourager, a light and point others to the Lord praying that “they may know Him by our love.”.

 

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Sausage,Spinach & Sweet Potato Soup

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

IT is a beautiful day here in Arizona and we are preparing to leave for a party where there will be a tremendous amount of food to consume during Super Bowl. To allow our clothes to be a little loose so we won’t have to unzip our pants during the party, we ate soup for several dinners this week, hoping to loose a pound of two. This was one of the soups which I had found in a Taste of Home magazine and decided to try. I can testify that this recipe will stay in my stack of “favs” for a long time. Not only was it simple, but it was delicious.

Because we live in an area which does not have an immediately supply of black eye peas, I substituted Am’s Organic Lentil Vegetable soup. Before you get excited and think, “oh my gosh, she has finally done it, she has realized that if she wants to live past 70, she had better get with the program and go organic and quit having chocolate cream pie for dessert every night.” No, it was just the only bean soup I could find on the shelf that wasn’t black beans, pork and bean or pinto bean soup. So don’t get excited and start sending me packets of organic veggies to plant. Just not going to happen besides, I already have my chocolate cream pie piled high with whipped cream ready for dessert tonight.

Ingredients:

2 links of sweet Italian sausage, taken out of casing

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 medium sweet onion, diced

1/2 medium green or red bell pepper, seeded

1 small can of tomato sauce or the regular size can of diced tomatoes

1 can (15 1/2 oz) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained (( substitute Amy’s and did not drain them, but used the whole can, juice and all)

2 cans reduced sodium beef broth (here once again, I used 2 beef bouillon cubes and 2 cups water because I didn’t have any beef broth in the house)

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

1/2 package cheese tortellini

Garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and a about 1 teas Italian Seasoning to taste.

Add the Italian sausage to a big Dutch oven which has been sprayed with Pam and crumble and cook until no longer pink. Add the rest of the ingredients except the spinach. I added more water while soup was cooking to give it more broth. Cook for about 2-3 hours over low heat until sweet potato and other vegetables are tender. The last 30 minutes of cooking, add the chopped spinach and the cheese tortellini . Cover and cook until spinach is wilted and tender and tortellini is done ( it floats when it is done)

Serve with hot crust Italian garlic bread.

appetizers · Daily Thoughts · Dips · Uncategorized

Trudicita Makes Salsa

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Going to the local farmer’s market on Monday got me in the mood to be daring and make my own salsa. For some reason, that is one of those things that I always meant to do,but never did. I guess because there was always a plethora of Tex-Mex restaurants close by, I opted for spending time baking. But Monday afternoon, I looked up different recipes and ended up doing a version of a recipe the Pioneer Woman posted.

We fried up some homemake flour tortillas and ate our weight in salsa. So today, I used up the remaining cilantro, jalapeño and tomillo and made more. Am thinking of giving up my Hey Ya’ll Paula Deen apron for a “Salsa Lot of Garlic” one. Had such fun making it and got Randy outside exploring how to use his new smoker he got for Christmas. We had ribs and salsa for dinner.

Ingredients

1 Tomatillo, cut in chunks

3 cloves of garlic

1 small yellow onion

1 bunch of cilantro

1/2 small jalapeño, cut and seeded

1 regular can of Rotel Tomatoes with green chiles, juice and all

2 fresh tomatoes

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1/8 cup of lime juice

1 teas of sugar

Cut all veggies into chunks. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until mixture is the consistency you want. I pulsed mine about 4-5 times. Season to your liking according to how hot you want it and how salty you want it.

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Bus Rides, Bucket Lists & Bougainvilleas

Chocolate Castles

Well, we ate our way through Puerta Vallarta and discovered that if we lived there we would loose weight. (I know, I say that about every place I visit). Because the shrimp and lobster were so delicious and it was easier to walk than try to run to catch a taxi, we actually lost a couple of pounds on vacation. The bus rides were so rough, due to the cobblestone streets, it seemed that it shook some cellulite off my rear end. Not enough to wear a bathing suit in daylight, but enough to allow me to not come home and need to buy elastic waisted pants. So it truly was a win-win vacation. Randy loved it because the bus ride cost 15 pesos for both of us to ride which translates to less than a dollar per couple. I loved it because I bought cute little capris for $15/pair and painted blouses and silver jewelry.

It has always been on my bucket list to travel to foreign countries and get immersed in the community around me. To experience life as a local.  We discovered that there was nothing like riding the buses in Mexico to help you feel like a local. Sometimes we were the only Americans on the bus. Sometimes, we rode an hour longer than needed because we couldn’t read where the bus was headed and yet, it was delightful to sit and watch the people of the community as they got on and off the bus. I could sit there on the rusted metal seat of the bus and try to imagine what their lives were like. Were they headed home from work or school? Were they going home to a family or to an apartment alone? We encountered several locals who had moved there from the states and for various reasons decided to stay in Mexico and never left. We met Americans who had gone down to visit and decided that they liked it so much, they now lived there part of each year. As we would arrive back at our hotel, the bright color of pink bougainvillea welcomed us into a world which still separated us from the majority of folks  who worked and lived there. As we shopped in the markets, or ate in restaurants, the mood was always the same. The precious people we talked with were happy and content. They laughed with us about a wall being built and told us we had better hurry and get home or we might not be able to get over the newly built wall. One waiter/owner of a small little eatery, kidded us and told us that he had moved from Southern California because there were too many Mexicans there. (He himself was a Mexican) By the time the week was over, we felt that we had changed some of our perspectives. Yes, we are such a blessed Nation of freedoms and choices. Most of us have wonderful places to live and plenty of food on the table. We have cars to drive and too many clothes in our closets. Yet, there was a feeling around us as we walked the streets of PV that taught me that there are millions out there who are truly content with what they have. The people we encountered had a smile for us as we boarded the bus. Some of the men would get up, if there were no seats left and give them to Randy and I.  One of the young men on the bus actually helped Randy off the bus and then got back on himself. It was a joy to eat at restaurants off the beaten path. The food was truly amazing and we experienced the best flour tortillas (bar none) we had ever had. The shrimp and guacamole became a daily “must”. If you are ever in PV, you have to go to El Patron. When we talked to the owner, we were asking why his prices were so reasonable. He told us that he likes to keep it that way so the locals can afford to eat there. It was that type of attitude which seemed to flow throughout the city.

The young were waiting tables and working hard. They were so thankful to have a job. We came away feeling like they were the ones who blessed us. Their attitudes were gracious, yet gentle. They didn’t ask anything in return. Both of our hearts were warmed by not only the Tropical Sun, but by the outpouring of friendliness and gratitude of a listening ear or smile which they received most graciously!

The trip was so wonderful and we are so excited we were able to experience one of our bucket list wishes.

 

Uncategorized

Mexico Myths

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Here we are in beautiful Puerta Vallarta with some dear friends enjoying the gift of friendship, great food, gorgeous sunrises, sunsets and beaches!  We have discovered that all the ideas we had of what this would be like was totally unfounded. Because all I had experienced had been border towns where we use to drive for Mexican vanilla, huge bags of sugar and brightly painted pottery, my preconceived mental pictures of what we would find here was not only limited but very wrong.  As we flew over the town waiting to land, it became apparent that it certainly would look different from Juarez or Reynosa.  The mountains which stood so majestically around the beached town were so tall and rugged that it just amazed me how diverse the landscape truly was.  We landed and immediately was taken back at how friendly the airport staff beckoned to our every need.   A young man who was missing one hand insisted on helping us and saw us through customs, even helping me fill out a form when I didn’t grasp the questions being ask.   From day one we have encountered people from different social backgrounds, different cultures, different religions, and different lifestyles, convene together in restaurants, around the pool and places we have gone to explore.

My girlfriends and I went to ceramics to paint some plates which we will be so proud to take home and Show off our “talent” of Mexican painted  brightly colored flowers and fruit. As we were painting, a same sex couple came up to the young man and his wife who run the painting hut.   I saw them give money to the couple and told them to put the money aside for their two children for college or weddings.  The young mom cried and thanked the men.  When we heard them talking, the story unfolded.  The men had been coming here for several years and had met Irwin and Graciela the first year they visited.  From that point on the couple had saved all their change and had converted the change into dollars, which is the money they had given them  while we were there.  I’m ashamed of what my thoughts were when I had watched the same sex couple walk up that day. My mind had immediately began to focus on their lifestyle, which is very differently from what I feel God had intended for us! But as I watched this kindness transpire, I realized that even though our lifestyles and opinions are very different, their acts of kindness had shown me something.  I need to start looking a little more closely at people and listen. Listen to their stories. Listen to their dreams or needs. I know I can’t give every person I meet money or pay for their children’s education, but I can listen to them, and treat them for what they are…children of our great Creator, who made each of us unique in His image .  That they are not just people helping us at airports or carrying our luggage to the rooms or driving the buses which take us to markets. They are individuals who are loved by God and who deserve to hear how much God loves them.  It is my prayer that my eyes will be open to seeing the people who are truly put in my path and to not only open my ears to listen to them, but to open my heart to how God may use me to witness to someone, anyplace, anytime.

That is my dream!

 

 

Uncategorized

Baking, Math & Grandkids

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Chocolate Castles's avatarChocolate Castles

It finally happened. Last night, I was sitting there watching Wheel of Fortune (oops, I mean Extra,makes me sound much more hip)) when my phone rings and my grandson is FaceTiming me. I answered and out popped out of his mouth, “Nana, can you help me, I have a problem” Well, you can imagine the feeling that set in. It was finally happening; grandchildren, running to their Nana for problem solving. Before he could actually state what he needed, I had visions of questions that I thought might pop out of his precious little mouth, such as, “Nana, there is a pretty girl in my class who I want to impress, what should I do, or Nana, my parents don’t understand me, can I talk to you,” well, I was preparing to pour out my heart to him when I hear, “nana, what is 1/2 of 3/4 cup”. It wasn’t…

View original post 316 more words