Daily Thoughts

Woad (oops, Road, sorry, Ive been around grandkids to long) Wisdom

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Our friends back in California sent us home with this blessing last week, “we are so glad you are going home before we all sound like Paula Deen”. Seems that our friends there pick up the southern words of ya’ll and all ya’ll quickly. Stopping back by Phoenix to break up our trip, (who am I kidding, we stopped to see the grandkids)I found myself leaving Arizona sounding like I was 4 yrs old again. Randy looked at me kind of funny when I ask him if he wanted me to pack some “sammies” (sandwiches) for the woad. The first 100 miles driving out of Phoenix I was humming “hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog” from Mickey’s Club House. Of course, Randy picked up a few of the grandkid habits also. He wanted to know how old is too old to run around the house in underwear, but I assured him he pasted that age many moons ago. 

We did gather quite a bit of wisdom on this trip. Here is some that you might want to print up to take along on your next adventure around the states.. We traveled another 3600 miles in the last 25 days so we feel that we are almost “travel experts” after having now put about 9000 miles on the car since February. Of course you don’t have to take our advice, but if you don’t you might just be very “sowwie”.

1. Do not spill M&M’s in your car. They might not melt in your hand, but trust me on this, they do melt in the car.

2. Do NOT, I repeat, Do NOT, eat spicy green chiles while on the road, the trip home will take double the normal driving time.

3. Use your grandkids as needed,. I had a chocolate craving while on the road so into Wallyworld we went. When the cashier was checking us out, she stared at me as if to think, “lady, your shorts are already to tight, I don’t think this is really what you should be buying.” To take the focus off me I causally mentioned that we were on our way to see our grandkids, she smiled and said, “of course you don’t want to show up there without candy, do you?” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that that candy, plus another stop for candy would never make it to Phoenix. It wasn’t my fault that she thought the candy was for the precious little darlings.

4. Be sure to pack the next larger size of clothes that you have in your closet. We learned that eating fast food 3 times a day, plus all the snackies that we brought along, does tend to put a few ounces on our well  tuned bodies…

5. When staying with our kids/grandkids, you need to remember that the television will never be tuned to anything but cartoons so have your favorite TV shows recorded at home. You will NEVER have the opportunity to watch them until you return.

6. Eat at all the restaurants that you have been dying to try while driving. Once you get to the grandkids house, you will need to buy TUMS to help digest McDonalds or Taco Bell that completes their daily diet plan..

7. Increase your data plan on your smart phone before leaving. The little sweet darlings only love us for our phones and thus, every game app has now replaced all my exercise and health food recipes app.

8. Take lots of plastic zip lock bags. Because several tubes of cosmetics “blew” driving from 6000 ft down to 1000, we had such fun cleaning up shampoo out of everything in the bag.

9. Be sure you have lots of Kleenix on hand as you walk out the door to head home. No matter the different life style that you have to adjust, it is just never easy to leave grandkids, twust me on this. Maybe singing a little song will help, “hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog.”

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Blueberry Salad

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While we are here in California friends here are being so thoughtful to fix us dinners and have us over, which blesses us so much! The other evening some friends, Barbara and Ray came to dinner at the Welches home, where we are staying for a few nights! Before we dug into Bonnie’s cherry pie, we dined on steak and salad, which Barbara brought!
The salad was scrumptious! Very different and even Randy who is not a big salad that has fruit in it person, are every bite on his plate!
The salad consisted of:
Fresh blueberries
Mandarin oranges, drained
Avocado
Butter lettuce
Bacon which was broken up into pieces
The dressing was a mix of mayo, a little sugar, sour cream, crushed onion and blueberry balsamic vinegar!
As soon as I can I will get exact measurements and post the recipe! Thanks Barbara for introducing us to blueberry balsamic vinegar! What a treat! Am loading up on healthy California food before going home to chicken fried steak! Hopefully our bodies will absorb more of the salad than the steak!

Desserts · Fruit

Cherry Pie

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We are  here visiting friends here in LA LA land where Randy is getting treated to his favorite cherry pie. The friends house where we stay is home to her famous cherry pie. Last night, Bonnie went to the kitchen to make the pie so we would have it for dessert tonight so I followed her into the kitchen to see what her secret was. I learned that she uses tapioca instead of cornstarch to thicken. So now I have the secret ingredient which I will share with you. It makes so much difference. Between the 4 of us, in the past, we have just cut it into 4 slices and have eaten the whole pie in one sitting. It is that good. Thanks Bonnie and Arnie for the great meals, the hospitality and especially the pie. Randy is exited that he is getting his fruit for the month tonight as he downs the cherry pie.

2 cans cherries (not cherry pie filling), drained, reserving juice

1 teas almond extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tables tapioca pearls

1/3 cup of the cherry juice from can

2 unbaked pie crusts (she uses the Box of Betty Crocker pie crusts which I have started using. Great pie crusts. Much better than the frozen ones. Flakier and has more flavor.  Follow directions on the box for using two crusts.

In a large bowl, combine the cherries, tapioca and sugar. Stir until well combined. Stir in almond extract. (tapioca pearls will dissolve when pie is baking)

Pour the cherry juice in and stir before pouring into unbaked pie shell. Top with top unbaked pie crust. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Thanks Bonnie and Arnie for your friendship, hospitality, and especially the cherry pie.

*She sprinkled a little granulated sugar over the top crust before baking, It makes it so good. 

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

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We are traveling again back to California to see friends, stopping at our kids home in Phoenix, AZ.  As soon as we walked in the door my SIL(son-in-law) met me with,”when are you going to bake and what are you going to bake?” I bypassed him to grab my sweet grandchildren and trying to sit and catch up on their latest episodes of Spongebob, SIL walks over to tell me he had the oven ready for baking. I have been in their house for 10 min, but know that if I’m going to get a minute to sit with my babies, I’m going to have to go bake something if for no other reason than to stuff it in SIL’s mouth. When I discover that their brown sugar is as hard as a piece of iron and there is no flour or granulated sugar in the house, I quickly pull out a chocolate cake mix. 

Realizing that I need to bake something quick and something that will hopefully enable SIL from making any more demands, I remembered that the kids always have peanut butter in the house so I throw Noah off my lap (anything for SIL to keep him happy as we told him that since he got Jodi on discount (she was, after all, over 25)she could not be returned thus, making it necessary for us to keep him happy so we don’t open our front door one morning and find Jodi standing there with 3 little hellions, oops I mean precious little grandchildren waiting on our front porch! So off the couch and into the kitchen! I made the chocolate cake according to directions for the 2 layer cake! After the layers are cooled I sliced them in half horizontally making 4 layers! Setting layers aside mix up the following:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cream or half and half ( 1 tables at a time)
Mix these ingredients until well blended. Spread between the layers but not on top ( making 3 layers of peanut butter filling). Frost top and sides with chocolate frosting:
1 1 lb box of powdered sugar
1 stick softened butter
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teas vanilla
Cream to make desired spreading consistency
Mix all frosting ingredients together and mix until all limos are gone and mixture is well blended. Spread over sides and top of cake. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Cakes · Desserts

Yogurt Cake

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Taken from Gourmet 2009, this cake has to be healthy because of all the Yogurt! Refreshing, light with just a hint of sweetness. Since I got the recipe out of the gourmet magazine I thought I had better make the description sounds a little bit gourmet! 

Cake

3 cups sifted cake flour (not self rising) * shift before measuring

2 teas baking powder

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

2 sticks unsalted butter softened

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs warmed in shell and Warmwater for 10 minutes

2 cups well stirred plain whole milk yogurt not Greeks style at room temperature for 30 min.

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

3 table light corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 teas vanilla 

Cake

preheat oven to 350° butter a 9×13 pan;  

then line bottom with parchment paper and butter parchment.

dust with flour knocking out excess.

sit together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

beat butter, sugar, and vanilla with mixer at high-speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Beat in eggs one at a time at medium speed. At low speed makes in flour mixture and three batches, 

alternating with yogurt beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined.

spread batter evenly into pan and rap  pan on the counter to eliminate air bubbles.

bake until cake pulls  away from pan and test done when pic is inserted in center and comes out clean;about 35 to 45 minutes.

cool in pan about 10 minutes then run a knife around edge and invert onto a rack and discard parchment. Call completely about one hour.

frosting

sift together powdered sugar, corn syrup, cream, and vanilla until smooth.

place cake on platter and poor icing over-the-top, allowing the icing to drop over the side.

allow to sit for 15 minutes before cutting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Southern Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Bars

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Yum…these are addicting and as I am thrilled that Paula Deen announced her 20-City Tour yesterday, I thought I would post a recipe that I found in her Chocolate Celebration special edition magazine, to welcome her back.

Makes 2 doz bars
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter
2 cups finely chopped pecans, divided
2 (8oz) bars cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs, divided
4 (1 oz) squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2 teas vanilla
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×13″ baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil.
In medium bowl, combine the flour and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Cut in butter (the 1/2 cup), with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped pecans.
Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar; beat on medium speed with mixer until smooth. Add 1 egg, beating until combined. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until smooth; pour over prepared crust.
Bake for 15 minutes; remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.
In another medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup brown sugar, corn syrup, 1/3 cup melted butter and remaining 3 eggs. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups pecans. Pour oven cream cheese mixture.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is set. Let cool in pan completely before cutting into bars.

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Meatballs With Olive Tapenade

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I am in love with tapenade. I fool myself into thinking that if I just have fancy crackers with tapenade that it will keep me from eating so much at dinner, which in turn, would make me loose weight. I just forget to figure in how much fat is in olives. On Friday nights, we love to end the week with a Frication (staying home and watching Shark Tank, Last Man Standing and 48 Hours), all the while munching on appetizers. It is our way of making us feel like we belong with the “in” group which just snacks for dinner instead of sitting down to heavy foods. We just don’t tell anyone how many of these cute little “appetizers” we down during the evening. Let’s just say that the more intense 48 Hours gets, the more we munch. If 48 Hours ever becomes 96 Hours, we are going to need to join Appetizers Annon!

When I found this recipe in FoodNetWork.com Magazine, I knew it would be the next Fri night snack. It combines tapenade with meatballs! What a great combo. I can make this during the week and wa-la, warm it up Fri night, serve it with pita bread and we have a winner folks.

Tapenade (Or buy your favorite)

1/2 cup pitted green olives

1 cup fresh parsley

5 scallions, roughly chopped

1 1/2 tables capers, drained and rinsed

1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped

2 teas Dijon mustard

2 tables EVOO

Meatballs

1 lb ground beef chuck

1 4 oz jar pimientos, drained (patted dry and chopped)

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs ( I will use Progresso Italian seasoned breadcrumbs)

1 large egg, beaten

Kosher salt

2 tables EVOO

2 tables tomato paste

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 tables packed light brown sugar

1 teas red wine vinegar

Prepare the tapenade:

Soak the olives in warm water for 5 min. Drain. Combine the olives, parsley, scallions, capers, garlic, mustard and olive oil in a food processor and pulse several times.

Prepare the meatballs:

Put the beef in a large bowl and add 1/4 cup of the tapenade (reserve the rest for serving).

Add pimientos, breadcrumbs, egg and 1/2 teas salt; mix well with your hands until combined. Dampen your hands and form into 1 1/2″ meatballs.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. *(I like to bake them at 350 on a greased jelly-roll pan for about 15-20 min or until they test done).*See below

If frying, add the meatballs and cook, turning until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. transfer to a plate.

Add the tomato paste to the skillet and cook, stirring about 1 min. Add the chicken broth, brown sugar and vinegar; cook stirring until sugar dissolves.

Return the meatballs to the skillet; reduce heat to low and spoon liquid over the meatballs occasionally until liquid is reduced by half. (about 30-40 min). Transfer to a platter and serve with the reserved tapenade.

*If you decide to bake them, pour drippings from pan to a skillet where you will continue with the directions above to form the sauce.

 

Casseroles · Starches

Tex-Mex Casserole

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Finally getting unpacked and having a chance to catch up with magazines which came while we were on the road for 2 months, I came across this casserole which I want to make this week. We are truly back in the land of Tex-Mex, which we certainly take advantage of every Wednesday night. El Fenix still has their 2 enchilada special for $5.99 which includes beans and rice and unlimited baskets of great light, thin chips and great salsa. But between Wednesday nights, I sometimes get in the mood for Mexican food. This time, I have a new recipe which will assuredly satisfy that craving. Thanks to Food Newwork Magazine, this dish is shared…

2 (15 oz) cans refried pinto beans

2 cups frozen corn (preferably fire-roasted)

2 poblano chile peppers, seeded and chopped

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for topping

2 teas ground cumin

1 teas ancho chile powder

1 (16 oz) jar salsa

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (like Rotel)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded muenster cheese (about 8 oz)

18-20 corn tostado shells

2 avocados sliced

Sour cream and picked jalapenos and cilantro for topping (if desired)

Combine the refried beans, frozen corn, poblanos, ¼ cup cilantro, cumin and chile powder in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the salsa, tomatoes and remaining ¼ cup cilantro. Toss the cheddar and muenster cheese in a 3rd separate bowl; set aside.

Spray your slow cooker with Pam and then spread about ½ cup of the salsa mixture in a thin layer of a 6 qt slow cooker. Top with about 6 tostado shells, breaking them as needed to cover the bottom. Spread half of the bean mixture over the broken shells, then sprinkle with 1 ½ cups of the cheese mixture and 1 cup of the salsa mixture. Repeat the layers, (tostado shells, bean mixture, cheese, salsa mixture) then

Top with remaining tostadas, cheese and salsa.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Uncover and let rest 15 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.

*I will not be using the slow cooker, but will use a 9×13 greased baking dish and bake for approx. 45 min to 1 hour, or until casserole is bubbling and is heated throughout.

 

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Company & Cards

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Tonight we are having some friends over for a light dinner and to play Hand & Foot, our new favorite card game. Wanting to keep I simple, I am serving sandwiches, chips & dips, deviled eggs, fruit, homemade oatmeal cookies*(this recipe is on blog) and chocolate cream pie. The chocolate pie is my mom’s recipe which I have made since the 70’s. Topped with whipping cream, it is just a winner, every time. FYI, as much as we have moved to different houses, I am accustomed to having  to adjust to different ovens. This gas oven bakes a lot faster than the electric oven I was using in California, so am having to really watch closely every thing I am trying to bake, until I get used to it. I finally got smart and instead of possibly ruining a whole sheet of oatmeal cookies, I baked two at first just to test the temperature and time that it took for them to get done before baking a whole sheet. The Chocolate Cream pie recipe is listed below. It I also delicious just served as pudding in a pretty glass, topped with whipping cream and toffee bits, or sprinkle crushed up Oreos on top.

3 egg, room temperature

3 cups milk

1/3 cup flour

1/2 teas salt

4 heaping tables unsweetened cocoa

1 cup sugar

3 tables butter

2 teas vanilla

Mix all ingredients except vanilla and butter, in a saucepan, whisking over low heat until all the lumps are all out and eggs are well blended in milk mixture. Turn up heat to medium and continue stirring until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter, stirring until butter is melted and blended well. Pour into a cooled and baked pie shell or into individual glasses. Chill and top with desired toppings.  

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Upside Down German Chocolate Cake

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No matter what cake comes out of our kitchen, Randy’s favorite remains the same, German Chocolate. This recipe is a quick version to put on the table when I don’t have time to whip egg whites or spend 12 minutes stirring the frosting that goes on top. I found this recipe on the side of a Duncan Hines German Chocolate cake mix. It is so rich because of the butter and cream cheese. Will keep this recipe right on top. It has Randy’s seal of approval!.

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 pkg Duncan Hines German Chocolate Cake mix

1 ( 8oz) cream cheese (softened)

1/2 cup butter, melted (this is not the same butter listed above, but an addition)

1 lb powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350; grease and flour a 9×13″ pan.

Melt 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar together and spread in the bottom of the baking pan. Then sprinkle coconut and pecans on top of the mixture. Prepare cake mix according to directions on box. Pour over coconut and pecan mixture.

Combine cream cheese and 1/2 cup melted butter in medium bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until blended and smooth. Drop by spoonfuls  evenly over batter.

Bake 45 minutes or until cake tests done.  Cool completely. Cut into individual pieces, turn upside down when placing on plates.