Chocolate · Desserts

German Chocolate Fudge Pie

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We are having some friends over tonight for dinner. When I was thinking about what we would have for dessert, this recipe popped in my mind from many years ago. My sister-in-law at that time, had developed a recipe that we had hoped would be exactly like the fudge pie we always ordered at a restaurant there in Corpus. After many attempts, this is the recipe that she finally thought would give us that same flavor. We top it with whipped cream and just used a chocolate crumb pie shell to make it even easier. It is a one bowl fudgy flavored great recipe…easy and yummy….get the whipped cream ready.

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tables flour

2 tables cornstarch

3 teas unsweetened cocoa

2 tables water

1 1/2 tables melted butter

2 eggs

1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk

1/2 cup coconut

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 teas vanilla

1 unbaked pie shell (I use the Keebler Chocolate Crumb shell)

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and cocoa. Add water, melted butter and whisk until mixed well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the milk, vanilla, coconut and nuts. Mix until combined. Pour into pastry shell and bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until firm to the touch.  Cool completely and top with whipped cream.

Casseroles · Daily Thoughts · Starches

Rice & Lentil Casserole

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After scraping the pan this afternoon of the caramel banana pudding that I made for dessert tonight, I thought the least I could do would be to post something healthy to make myself feel like I have not completely gone to the dark side of life…..an all sugar diet.  This is one of the recipes that I told you about that I found while waiting in the Dr’s office in California. When you read the ingredients….well, even just the title, you can tell that it would come from a Dr’s office magazine and not a Southern Living Magazine, I think Lentil and Southern comfort food might even be an oxymoron. Anyway…for all you folks out there that  are on restricted  diets of no meat, no gluten or diary, this one is for you. But please at least end your meal with a cookie or Red Delicious apple, you can only go so long without sugar. At least that is what I tell myself around 4 every afternoon.

1 cup uncooked basmati rice

1 cup dried split green lentils

1 (10 oz) package chopped spinach (thawed and squeeze as much moisture as possible out of spinach)

1 teas salt

1/2 teas pepper

1 teas turmeric

1 teas ground cumin

1 Tables grated fresh ginger

Be sure to rinse lemtils before cooking.  In a large saucepan, add rice, lentils, salt & pepper, turmeric, cumin and ginger.

Bring mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, covered, cooking for 45 min, stirring occasionally. Cover the saucepan, continue cooking over low heat until all liquid is absorbed. Add more water if needed to be sure rice and lentils are completely done.

Makes 6 servings

Desserts

Caramelized Banana Pudding

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NYMother's Banana Pudding
NYMother’s Banana Pudding

Taken From Southern Living Comfort Food Recipes.

Am making this for dinner tomorrow night for dinner. Love the combination of bananas and caramel.

1/2 cup firmly light brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/4 teas ground cinnamon

4 large ripe bananas, sliced

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/3 cup four

2 large eggs

2 cups milk

4 large eggs, separated

2 teas vanilla

48 vanilla wafers (I am using a package of Keebler Shortbread cookies, crushed)

Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly for 2-3 min or until bubbly. Add bananas; cook 2-3 min or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and set aside.

whisk together 1/4 cup granulated sugar and next 3 ingredients and 4 egg yolks in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat whisking constantly 8-10 min or until a pudding-like thickness. Mixture will just begin to bubble and will hold soft peaks when whisk is lifted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Divide half of banana mixture, pudding and wafers among 8 (1 cup) ramekins or ovenproof glass dishes. Layer with remaining banana mixture, pudding and wafers (or crushed cookies)

If topping with meringue, beat the 4 egg whites at high speed with mixer until foamy. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tables at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved (2-4 min). Spread meringue over ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet.

Bake at 325 for 15-20 min or until meringue is golden. Let cool on a wire rack 30 min before serving.

*I will use whipped cream instead of the meringue….we need all the fat content and calories we can get. We haven’t had our quota of cholesterol yet this week, as we substituted sliced tomatoes tonight for our normal fat-laden dressing soaked salad.

Breakfast · Daily Thoughts · Desserts

Pumpkin Poppers

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I know I posted these last Fall, but I wanted to remind you how good these are. Am taking a platter of them in the morning to a group of ladies who are getting together to cut out blue jeans to make shoes for an organization called Sole Hope. The shoes are used to keep children from getting infections in their feet in countries that struggle with disease from children and adults who have no shoes. The poppers will be the perfect snack to “pop” in our mouths as we cut, talk and fellowship together.

Just use any pumpkin bread mix and follow directions on box for baking. Use a miniature muffin pan to make them. When they come out of the oven, while still hot, roll them in a sugar-cinnamon mixture.

Because I have a little left over cream cheese frosting, I am going to drizzle some of the frosting over the poppers.  Whistle (and eat) while you work….my motto! Happy Fall Yall

Casseroles · Starches · Vegetables

Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna

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While on the road the past 3 weeks going between California and Arizona, we discovered quite a few mom & pop joints (and yes they were joints, as they are the type of places that you would probably drive right past, but being married to Mr. Adventure, we usually don’t just drive by, we stop and eat), we had a ball talking with people that we would not come across in our normal daily routine. It was exciting to hear people’s stories and to learn different recipes that we had not yet tasted. Since we were in our adventure mode, I even thumbed through magazines at the doctor’s office while in California.  One of the recipes that I found was this lasagna. Since we are trying to be good and not eat as much meat, this one caught my eye.

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided

2 tables butter

2 tables flour

4 oz Fontina cheese, shredded

1 (15 oz) container whole milk ricotta

1 large egg white

2 teas fresh sage, minced

1/2 teas black pepper

2 cups shredded fresh spinach

1/2 cup scallions, minced

9 lasagna noodles

2 oz mozzarella cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add squash and cook until tender, about 12-15 min. Drain and puree in a food processor.

Preheat oven to 375. In a pot, heat butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook one min more. Whisk in 1 cup milk,  stirring constantly to avoid lumping and starts to thicken.

Add the butternut squash puree and continue to cook until mixture has thickened and then stir in Fontina cheese, to complete the béchamel sauce. Whip together ricotta, egg white, sage and black pepper in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix spinach and scallions. Cook noodles according to directions on box or use no-boil noodles.

To assemble lasagna layers, pour 1/4 of the béchamel sauce into bottom of a 9×9 baking dish, which has been lightly greased. Layer 3 noodles in the bottom and top with spinach mixture, then another 1/4 sauce. Repeat once more and finish with the 3 remaining noodles and pour remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top and bake until the cheese is completely melted and lightly golden. About 30-35 min.k

Breakfast · Holiday Fare · Meats

Italian Sausage & Egg Casserole With Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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While staying with some dear friends in California, Randy and I woke up one morning to the smell of this great dish baking in the oven. Bonnie had  found this in a paper and decided to use us as guinea pigs before making it for her MOPS gals.  I think maybe people use us to try out new recipes because they know we are like Mikey in the old advertisements that would eat anything. But we are glad she did. It is different from the normal sausage-egg casserole since you have the Italian sausage and Mozzarella. It was great and we will be making it for the holidays.

1 lb Italian sweet sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup shallots

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped drained oil packed sun dried tomatoes

4 tables chopped fresh parsley

5 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 cup of half & half

1 cup whipping cream

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 teas salt and 1/2 teas pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9×13 glass dish. Saute sausage over medium heat in a skillet. Cook until sausage is no longer pink and cooked through. Break up into small pieces as it cooks.

Add shallots, garlic and sauté 3 minutes. Add the sundried tomatoes and  2 T parsley, stir 2 minutes. Spread sausage mixture in prepared dish.

*This can be done 1 day ahead.

Cover and refrigerated.

Whisk eggs, egg yolks, 1/2 & 1/2 and whipping cream. Add cheese and seasonings in large bowl; blend well. Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese and 2 T parsley over top. Bake until top of casserole is golden brown and tests done. About 30-35 minutes. Let stand for 5 min before cutting into squares to serve.

 

Uncategorized

Land of Enchantment

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20141016_131058New Mexico! We are just arriving in one of our favorite places, Albuquerque. Seeing the sun rise over the mountains to the east and then again setting over another set of mountains to the west never gets old. Upon crossing over into NM, we looked at the car in front of us and noticed something in the back windshield of their car; a couple rolls of toilet paper. Randy said, “now there is something we don’t see often in Dallas”. We had beautiful scenery coming in from Arizona but just couldn’t leave there without finding one of those ole mom and pop restaurants that we love so much. And finally there in Holbrook we drove into town where we found just the place; Joe and Aggies. Truly some of the best Mexican food we have had. Randy ordered their green Chile chile which he said was over the top good. I ordered a Cheese Crisp. A deep fried flour tortilla with beans, green Chile sauce and cheddar cheese which was baked on the fried tortilla. Driving around this great country has allowed us to meet ladies who have served us great food, with the biggest smiles and men who manned registers who have shared some of their life stories of going off to college trying to get out of the small towns, only to find themselves back in these small towns after 30 years, running the restaurants that was started by their grandparents in the 40’s. Yes, I love the adventure of meeting people who show us that there are sweet kind folks everywhere. We just need to remember that we need to get off the interstate, leaving Burger King in the rear view mirror to experience what America is about…beauty not only in the scenery but in the hearts of people.

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Streams in the Sequoia

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We are blessed to be spending 4 days at a friends house up in the mountains here in California. Right now I am sitting in their sun porch with the sound of waterfalls outside the open windows. What a awesome reminder of God’s beautiful creation. Because we have to come out here to get internet, we have had 3 days thus far of no phone service, which I truly thought would send me into withdrawals. How easy it was to just enjoy the sound of quiet. The sound of water falling over rocks as we sat out and enjoyed snacking on queso, fruit, dishes of candy at every corner of the cabin. We have barbecued rib eyes, had breakfast at 10 before heading out for hikes. Watching Blue Jays fly around the giant sequoia and looking for the small bear that we hear comes around has been exciting. Kathy, Dee and I have spent hours looking through recipe books, played cards and visited over pumpkin sliced coffee.
It is times like this that reminds me of just how blessed Randy and I have been. I remember fearing when moving to CA 4 years ago this month, might be a crazy idea and what were 2 people, in their 60 ‘ s doing moving across the USA to the unknown. We had truly felt a peace about it but when the actual move date came that feeling became fear. Now looking back 4 years later, we know that God had a plan. A plan to show us that if we step out in faith, the blessings that He has for us is so much more than we could ever imagine. We are so thankful for the wonderful memories that were made in these past 4 years and continue to be made with the precious Christian friends who will forever be in our hearts, no matter the distance. We are grateful for so many things that He has showered upon us, and today, a new memory of sitting around the dining table, unhurried, listening to waterfalls and laughter and remembering that God is in His Heaven’s and still in control, no matter how crazy the world seems sometimes. We just need to take the time to remember that. Streams of water have given us a chance to pause an remember the Springs of Living Water that can heal any soul.

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California Dreamin’

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What a special week this has been to visit our sweet friends here in California. We have eaten our way through LA, played hand & foot, laughed so hard we cried and just enjoyed the simple pleasures of friendship that means so much. We are determined not to get teary eyed as we leave in a few days but to just give thanks for the Lord for allowing us to come visit. It has been pure joy. We have found that people who live here make you feel like you are living in the 50’s. They just call you up, tell you to come over for a meal and then we end up staying for a couple of hours to play cards. If there is no dessert made…no problem, they just pull out ice cream from the freezer and don’t apologize for not having a Martha Stewart dessert made. Everyone is thrilled to just be among friends, catching up on their lives.
Life seems at a slower pace than in Dallas. Seems weird to say that, but people here seem to have more of a desire to just sit and visit. It makes me more determined to acquire that lifestyle when we get back to Texas. Not worry that I might not have a fancy dessert baked, but to invest more of my time in people’s lives instead of worrying about what to serve.
Seems That no matter where we roam, there is always a lesson to be learned. I need to wake up to the reality that instead of dreamin’ of a more old fashioned social life, it is up to each of us to help make happen what we wish “could be.”

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Mexican Short Ribs With Dried Cherries

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Upon arriving at our friend’s house in CA, we were greeted with the awesome aroma of these short ribs cooking. They were fall off the bone and the gravy that it made was just the best. Had the rest of c the gravy tonight over the left over scalloped potatoes.
1 (16 oz) jar roasted red sweet peppers, drained (about 2 cups)
3 tables Mexican Chile Cocoa Spice
3 lbs bone in beef short ribs
1 Large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup red wine or beef broth
1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 cup low sodium beef broth
1/3 cup dried cherries

in a blender puree sweet peppers and Mexican chili cocoa spice, set a side. Season beef with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 half teaspoon pepper. Coat a Dutch oven with Pam cooking spray; heat over medium high heat. Add beef. Cook until deep brown all over about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Drain all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Place sliced onion in pan and cook and stir over medium heat 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook and stir 1 minute more.add red pepper puree to onion mixture And cook while stirring 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to a 6 quart slow cooker. Add tomatoes, broth, cherries and ribs. Along with any juices on plate. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH 4 to 5 hours. Transfer ribs to a platter. Skim and discard excess fat from liquid. Pour Sauce over ribs.