wine cake

Wine Cake

• 1 butter recipe cake mix
• 1 small package of lemon instant Jell-o pudding mix
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1/3 cup white wine

Mix the first five ingredients and pour into a bundt pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for a few minutes before removing cake from pan and placing on a cake platter.

Mix together remaining ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.  Pour over cake.

coconut cream pie with crumb crust

 

Want to hear a story?

It happened about 7 years ago.  I was in college and getting ready for an event I was coordinating for my Intervarsity chapter...pie night. :-)  It was going to be a great night.  We had a pie eating contest, pie baking contest, and, as an officer, I was getting pied in the face!

Knowing that I was just going to end up covered in whip cream and chocolate pudding, I didn't bother fixing my hair or putting on makeup.  I got dressed in the absolute worst clothes that I owned.  My friends curiously tried to stop me...for some strange reason, they kept encouraging me to curl my hair or apply a bit of mascara.  Ha!  I knew better.  I was having none of that.

After dinner, a friend and I were walking back to my room holding the coconut cream pies that I had baked for that night's competition.  When I opened my door, I was greeted with such a surprise that I almost dropped my pie!  My boyfriend (now husband) was standing in the middle of the room dressed to the nines.  He had driven the 8 hours from his university just to come see me.

And I was wearing no makeup, unflattering clothes, and...well...we won't even talk about my hair.

As excited as I was to see him, I couldn't just ditch pie night.  So, we grabbed my pies and headed out.  I participated in the pie eating contest, covering my face with chocolate pudding.  I got pied in the face, getting whip cream all up my nose.  And then, it was time for the pie contest.  I presented my coconut cream pies to the judges...and won first place!

My boyfriend enjoyed watching the love of his life get covered in sugary treats, but he really loved the pie tasting.  I think that coconut cream pie was the first pie of mine that he had ever tasted.

We got back to my dorm room later that night, my hair all matted with whip cream and my face still smudged with chocolate pudding.  Oh, I looked like a real catch, let me tell you.  And then...would you believe it...

He dropped down on one knee and proposed!

I said no (seriously!), we dated for three more years, and then we got married in 2007.  But here's my point: would anyone ever consider proposing marriage to someone atrociously dressed and covered in chocolate pudding and whip cream?  Nope, I'm convinced it was the coconut cream pie that won his affections.  I think it will win yours, too.

Coconut Cream Pie with Crumb Crust
Crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup cold butter
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/4 t. salt

Mix together flour, salt, and powdered sugar.  Add vanilla and butter; using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles crumbs.  Spray pie plate with cooking spray and then press crumbs into bottom and up the sides.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Pie Filling: 

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 T. cornstarch
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 2 T. butter
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/4 t. coconut extract
• 3/4 cup flaked coconut, divided 

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Gradually stir in milk.  Cook and stir over medium high heat until it begins to bubble (stir continually so it doesn't burn!).  Cook and stir for 2 minutes and then remove from heat.  Stir a moderate amount of hot mixture into yolks.  Immediately whisk the yolks into the hot mixture; cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add butter, vanilla, coconut extract, and 1/2 cup of flaked coconut.  Pour into baked and cooled pie crust.  Spread meringue on top of pie, sealing to the edge of the pastry, and sprinkle with remaining flaked coconut.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Cool.

Meringue:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1/4 t. cream of tartar
• 6 T. sugar

Beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar till soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff and glossy peaks form and all sugar has dissolved.

 

herbed twice-baked potatoes

 

Herbed Twice-Baked Potatoes

• 2 medium baking potatoes
• 1 1/2 oz. cream cheese, cubed
• 1 T. snipped green onions
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. dried basil
• dash cayenne pepper
• 3 T. milk
• 1 1/2 t. butter, melted
• dash garlic powder and paprika

Scrub and pierce potatoes.  Bake at 375 degrees for one hour or until they are tender.  Cool for ten minutes, and then cut potatoes in half.  Scoop out the pulp, leaving a thin shell.  Mash the pulp with the cream cheese, onion, salt, basil, and cayenne.  Add milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter; mash.  Spoon back into potato shells.  Sprinkle with garlic powder and paprika and bake for another 15-20 minutes.  Serves 4.

saucy steak strips

 

Saucy Steak Strips

• 2 T. balsamic vinegar
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. spicy barbecue sauce
• 1.5 to 2 lbs. sirloin steak
• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• pepper to taste

Mix the balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and barbecue sauce.  Rub the steak with pepper and broil about 4 inches from the heat source for seven minutes. Then flip the steak, spoon roughly half of the sauce over the top, cover with sliced mushrooms, and broil another five to seven minutes. Slice steaks into thin strips and mix with mushrooms and remaining sauce.  Serves 6-8.

sweet ham steaks

 

 

Sweet Ham Steaks

• 1 lb. ham steak
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 6 oz. pineapple juice

Place ham steak in a small baking dish.  Sprinkle brown sugar over the top; pour on pineapple juice.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until heated through.  Serves 4.

blueberry banana muffins

Blueberry Banana Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1-2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla, and mix well.  Add the dry ingredients, mixing until well combined. Fold in the blueberries gently with a spoon.  Pour batter into greased muffin tins so that each is 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Makes approximately 18 muffins. 

chocolate avocado pie

Take this pie.  It's beautiful, right?  A graham cracker crust filled with luscious, silky chocolate and topped with whip cream...it is rich, decadent, and positively sinful tasting.

And it's made with avocado!

Chocolate Avocado Pie 

• 3 1/2 large or 4 average-sized avocados
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• graham cracker crust
• Cool Whip topping

Blend together the avocados, cream cheese, cocoa powder, and sugar.  Press into graham cracker crust and top with Cool Whip.  Refrigerate before serving.

italian meatball subs

Italian Meatball Subs

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 T. fresh parsley, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. pepper

Combine all ingredients except buns in a large bowl; mix well.  Form into 2-inch balls and place in a slow cooker; pour sauce over top.  Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on high setting for 4 to 6 hours.  To serve, top with sauce from slow cooker.

Sauce:

• 28 oz. can tomato puree
• 28 oz. can Italian-style crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 1-1/2 oz. pkgs spaghetti sauce mix
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until blended.

quick sourdough bread

Quick Sourdough Bread
from Gooseberry Patch's Made from Scratch

• 3 T. instant potato flakes
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups warm water, divided
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup plus 2 T. oil, divided
• 1 T. salt
• 6 to 7 cups bread flour
• 2 T. butter

Mix potato flakes, sugar, one cup warm water and yeast in a large bowl.  Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature.  In the morning, combine 1/2 cup oil, salt, 1 1/2 cups warm water, and flour; stir into the yeast mixture.  Cover and let dough double in bulk; punch down and divide into thirds.  Knead each third 6 to 8 times; shape into loaves.  Brush tops with remaining oil.  Let rise until double in bulk.   Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter.  Makes 3 loaves.

cheesy ham and corn chowder

Cheesy Ham and Corn Chowder

• 2 T. butter
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 T. flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 t. sage
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1 cup cooked ham, cubed
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 10 oz. package frozen corn
• 8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed

Melt butter in a large saucepan; stir in onion and cook over medium heat until tender.  Stir in flour until blended.  Add chicken broth, potatoes, sage, and pepper; stir to blend.  Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients; cook and stir until heated through, about 8-10 minutes.  Serves 4.

nutella syrup

 One Saturday morning, I woke up thinking of Nutella.  This always happens when I'm trying to lose weight - I just can't shake the thought of creamy chocolate!

I leaned over in bed, nudged my sleeping husband, and asked him if he was thinking of Nutella, too.  He wasn't, obviously, but he started thinking of it once I mentioned it.  And we both agreed that our diets needed to go on hold for just one meal...long enough to fix our Nutella craving.

Since I'd already planned on making pancakes for breakfast, I had a brilliant idea - Nutella syrup!  I rushed into the kitchen, and we quickly threw together some of the best syrup I have ever tasted.  

Oh yeah...doesn't it look pretty? 

We couldn't just stop at a little...these pancakes required full coverage.

Topped with some marshmallow fluff, it was like hot chocolate on a pancake!

Nutella Syrup

• 1/4 cup Nutella
• 2 T. butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 t. light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. vanilla extract

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, boil all ingredients except vanilla for one minute.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Cover and store in refrigerator.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

pig-out cookies

 

Pig-Out Cookies
from Gooseberry Patch's Game-Day Fan Fare

• 5 slices bacon
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1/8 t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. chili powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cook bacon until crisp in a skillet over medium heat.  Crumble and drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings; set aside.  In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, chili powder, and salt; set aside.  In a separate bowl, beat together butter and reserved drippings with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Beat in peanut butter and sugars until creamy, about 4 minutes.  Add egg and vanilla; beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Reduce mixer setting to low; slowly beat in flour mixture until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips and bacon.  Roll dough into 12 balls; arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Flatten balls slightly.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden.  Cool cookies on sheet for about 2 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Makes one dozen.

bacon mushroom focaccia

 

Bacon-Mushroom Focaccia
For the focaccia:

• 3 c. bread flour
• 1 T. dried rosemary
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 t. salt
• 2 1/4 t. (or 1 packet) instant dry yeast
• 3 T. olive oil, divided
• 1 c. very warm water, 120 to 130 degrees

For the topping:

• 1/2 pound bacon, diced
• 1 cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 T. oregano
• 1 T. basil
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh spinach 
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• Ranch dressing (optional)

Combine all focaccia ingredients in a large mixing bowl and knead until dough forms.  Cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.  Roll into a large circle and place on pizza pan.  Let rise an additional 30 minutes.

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp.  Add mushrooms and garlic; cook and stir until mushrooms are tender, about five minutes.  Spread olive oil on focaccia dough.  Sprinkle oregano, basil, and salt over the olive oil.  Spread mushroom-bacon mixture over the dough.  Top with spinach, onions, and cheese.  Drizzle with Ranch dressing, if desired.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden.  

sourdough biscuits

Back when we looked like this...

...and that was a few years ago...but back then, we got engaged.  My father-in-law announced that he was taking care of the whole rehearsal dinner.  And boy did he!

He picked out one of his own prize lambs to slaughter for the big day, and he smoked it for about 4 days before the event.  He made several different kinds of homemade ice cream, froze them in individual containers, placed those containers in buckets of water, froze those buckets, and then covered the buckets in frozen sleeping bags.  I get tired just thinking about it!

And he also experimented with a sourdough biscuit recipe until he got it just right.  :)
  

Everything turned out beautifully.  The lamb was delicious, the ice cream stayed frozen despite the August heat, and the bread was such a hit that I asked for the recipe.  Here it is!

Sourdough Biscuits

• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 t. salt
• 3/4 cup oil
• 4 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 6 or more cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add remaining ingredients and stir or knead. Continue adding flour until dough is no longer sticky. Place dough in a greased bowl - cover and place in refrigerator overnight. The next day, roll out dough to a 2-inch thickness and cut into biscuits. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes. 

sweet potato coconut pie with marshmallow meringue

Over the holidays, I did what I always do - I got out all of my favorite holiday cookbooks and magazines to get ideas for what recipes to try.  This year, we went to visit my sister, so I got busy looking through all of her holiday cookbooks and magazines.  There was one recipe in particular that caught my eye.


My dear husband just loves anything sweet potato.  He would much rather have sweet potato pie than pumpkin (although if you ask me, they taste pretty much the same).  I've never made him a sweet potato pie because they just don't appeal to me all that much...until I saw this recipe, that is.

What won me over were the words marshmallow meringue.  I love marshmallows!  I really love marshmallow creme.  And I love the concept of adding it to meringue.

This pie surpassed my expectations.  I'll be adding marshmallow meringue to all of my pie recipes from here on out.  Way to go Taste of Home - another win for you!

Sweet Potato Coconut Pie with Marshmallow Meringue
Taste of Home Holiday Baking

Crust: 

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. ginger
• 6 T. cold butter
• 2 T. shortening
• 3-4 T. cold water

Filling:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cream cheese,s oftened
• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 t. lemon juice
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. cinnamon

Meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 t. cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 7 oz. marshmallow cream
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/4 cup flaked coconut

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and ginger; cover and pulse to blend.  Add the butter and shortening; cover and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  While processing, gradually add water just until moist crumbs form.  Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.

Roll out pastry to fit a 9-in deep dish pie plate.  Transfer pastry to pie plate.  Trim pastry to ½ in beyond edge of plate; flute edges or decorate with pastry cutouts as desired.  Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil.  Fill with dried beans, uncooked rice, or pie weights.  Bake at 425 for 8 minutes.  Remove foil and weights; bake 5 minutes longer.  Cool on wire rack.  Reduce heat to 325.

For the filling, in a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk, brown sugar, and cream cheese.  Cook and stir until smooth.  Transfer to a large bowl; cool 5 minutes.  Whisk in the sweet potatoes, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon.  Pour into crust.

Bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary.

For meringue, in a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in sugar, 1 T. at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved.

Place the marshmallow crème in a separate large bowl; fold in a third of the egg white mixture, then fold in the remaining mixture.  Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edges to crust.  Sprinkle with marshmallows and coconut.

Bake 12-15 minutes longer or until top is golden.  Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

spaghetti sauce

Spaghetti Sauce

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage (or ground beef)
• 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 12 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• ½ cup water
• 7 oz. jar roasted red peppers, pureed
• 3 bay leaves
• ½ t. oregano
• ½ t. basil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ t. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 t. sugar
• 1 t. salt
• ½ t. chili powder
• 1/8 t. pepper

Brown ground beef (and sausage) in skillet; drain off fat. Place beef in crock pot with all remaining ingredients; stir. Cook covered on high-heat setting for 5-6 hours.

Brown beef and sausage in large stock pot; drain off fat.  Add remaining ingredients; stir.  Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1-2 hours.

peanut butter bonbons (two ways)

 Peanut Butter Bonbons

• 2 cups peanut butter
• 1/2 cups butter
• 4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 3 cups crisp rice cereal
• 1 cup butterscotch pieces
• 1 cup chocolate pieces

In saucepan, melt peanut butter and butter.  In large bowl combine powdered sugar and cereal; pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture.  Blend together with hands.  Form into 1/2 inch balls.  Chill until firm.  Melt butterscotch and chocolate pieces in separate double boilers.  Dip half the candies into each coating swirling tops with back of spoon. Place on wax paper lined baking sheet.  Chill.

Peanut Butter Balls

• 18 oz. jar smooth peanut butter
• 1 stick margarine
• 1 T. vanilla
• 1 box powdered sugar

Mix all together - add butter last.

• 12 oz. package chocolate chips
• 1/2 stick parafin

Melt these together.  Dip balls of peanut butter mixture in chocolate mixture.

hearty squash soup

I love this soup and often make it using two cans of pumpkin instead of butternut squash.  Sometimes I leave the bacon out, other times I add chicken and beans.  It's a great soup to modify to your own tastes, and nutritionally you can't go wrong!

Hearty Squash Soup

• butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds) or two cans of pumpkin
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 1 lb. bacon, diced (optional)
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup corn
• 1-2 t. Creole seasoning
• 1 t. cumin
• 1/2 t. nutmeg 

Cook bacon in large stockpot until crispy; remove to a separate dish.  Pour 3 cups chicken broth into pot and add carrots and potatoes.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, use a fork to punch several holes in the butternut squash.  Microwave on high for 10-15 minutes or until tender when squeezed (rotate several times while cooking).  Peel and remove seeds.  Place in a blender or food processor with 1 cup of chicken broth and process until smooth.  Add to stockpot.

Add corn and seasonings; simmer until heated through.  Sprinkle reserved bacon pieces over each serving.  Serves 6.

grandma's bread

 

It's been deliciously cool outside the past few mornings.  With the chill in the air, I almost forget that it's still summer (although the 95+ degree weather later in the day shocks me back into reality).  One of the things I love to do once the weather starts to turn is make bread.  There's just nothing better than warm bread in the oven on a cool day! 

This bread comes from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook, and it is sooooooo delicious.  The texture is amazing, and the flavor is perfect. I love it toasted with homemade peach jam. :)

My cousin and I nicknamed this bread "all day bread" because it seems to take all day to make.  It rises not once...not twice...but FOUR times!  But even though it's time consuming, it's totally worth it.  Trust me.

Grandma's Bread
from Gooseberry Patch's Country Baking

• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 T. shortening
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup cold milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 6 1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water.  Place salt, sugar, and shortening in a large mixing bowl.  Pour boiling water over mixture, stirring constantly to melt shortening.  Add milk and eggs; mix well.  Add yeast and stir until well blended.  Add 3 1/2 cups flour and mix for 3 minutes.  Add enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough.  Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Shape into a ball, place and let rise in a warm place until double, about one hour.  Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead again, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Place dough back into bowl and let rise about 45 minutes. Punch dough down, turn onto lightly floured surface.  Divide dough in half and place each half into a 9" x 5" loaf pan.  Let rise until double in size.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.  Remove bread from pans and cool on wire racks.

chocolate bit meringues

When I was in college, my roommate Lauren would get these amazing care packages.  Huge boxes would come in the mail, and there was always homemade food inside.  She was generally pretty possessive of these gifts (who wouldn't be?), but on occasion she let me have a taste of whatever treat happened to be in the box that month.  One of my favorites was these chocolate bit meringues.

What makes these little cookies so special?  Well...it's what's inside.

That's right.  Inside that beautiful white meringue are huge chunks of chocolate (and cornflakes for an added crunch).  They are delicious!

I talked Lauren into giving me the recipe, and now I'm sharing it with you.  So treat yourself (or a loved one) to a huge care package full of these...they'll definitely brighten up your day. :)

Chocolate Bit Meringues 

• 3 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups cornflakes
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. vanilla
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate bits

Add salt and vanilla to egg whites; beat until frothy.  Sprinkle in sugar while beating to a very stiff and glossy meringue.  Fold in chocolate bits and corn flakes.  Drop onto well-greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

cookies and cream fudge

 

So...I had this dilemma.  Hubs was turning 30 years old (a BIG birthday, you know), and we were going to be leaving town the next day.  I was already up to my ears in laundry, cleaning, packing, and all of the other chores that go along with leaving town for a week.  Trying to bake a birthday cake in addition to that would have been INSANE.

And then there was this other problem - if I bake a cake, who would eat it?  We weren't going to have a party, so it would just be two of us with a huge cake.  And if we left town the next day, we'd have to basically trash the cake (there wasn't room for it to go with us).  

I decided to do something a bit fun and fanciful to make his birthday special.  I made fudge!  He'd been eying this fudge recipe in one of my magazines, so I figured now was time to give it a try.  It didn't disappoint.  It only took me about 10 minutes (and two separate runs to the grocery store to get forgotten ingredients...ha!).  It was absolutely delicious, and it's small enough that we'll be able to take our leftovers out of town...if there are any leftovers, that is.

To top off the fun, I actually cut a big 3-0 out of the fudge in honor of his big day. :)

Cookies and Cream Fudge
adapted from Taste of Home's "Food Gifts"

• 24 Oreo cookies, broken into chunks, divided
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 T. butter
• 2 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 t. vanilla

Line an 8-in. square dish with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.  Place 2/3 of the broken cookies in pan.  In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk, butter, and chips; cook and stir over low heat until chips are melted.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.  Pour over cookies in pan.  Sprinkle with remaining cookies.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into pieces.  Makes about 3 dozen pieces.

sweet and savory pulled pork

Sweet and Savory Pulled Pork

• 1 boneless pork shoulder roast (about 3 pounds)
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 1 can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 t. ground mustard
• 4 t. paprika
• a few shakes of liquid smoke

Place the pork into a slow cooker.  Top with celery and peppers.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over top.  Cook on high for 1 hour and then low for 7 hours.  Remove meat from slow cooker; remove any pieces of fat and then shred with two forks.  Place shredded meat and all liquid from slow cooker into a large saucepan; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours.

quick brown bread

This bread was a fantastic find.  I whipped it up in about 5 minutes, and it finished baking just in time for the soup to be done.  It's made with all whole wheat and flavored with molasses, so it passed my "relatively healthy" test.  And, it's amazing in the morning with jam or Nutella.  Loved, loved, loved it!

Quick Brown Bread

From Gooseberry Patch's Rush-Hour Recipes

• 1 cup milk
• 1 T. white vinegar
• 2 cups whole-wheat lour
• 1 t. salt
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup shortening, melted and cooled, or oil

Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl; let stand for a few minutes.  In a separate large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Mix thoroughly and set aside.  Add remaining ingredients to milk mixture.  Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just enough to barely mix.  Pour batter into a well-greased 9"x5" loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center tests clean.  Makes one loaf.

anzac biscuits

 

These cookies are known as ANZAC Biscuits.  They are an Australian treat, and eating them brings back  memories of our recent trip to New Zealand.  This is a wonderfully chewy, dense cookie with an incredible flavor.  They also freeze well, last a LONG time (even after a few weeks, the leftovers are still chewy!), and have the power to trick you into thinking that you are eating a granola bar instead of a cookie.

ANZAC Biscuits

in Gooseberry Patch's Best-Ever Cookies

• 1 cup long-cooking oats, uncooked
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 T. maple syrup, honey, or corn syrup
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 T. boiling water

Combine oats, flour, sugar and coconut in a bowl; set aside.  In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir butter and syrup or honey together until butter melts.  In a small cup, mix together baking soda and boiling  water; add to butter mixture.  Add butter mixture to oat mixture; mix well.  Roll into 1-1/2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.  Cookies will keep for several weeks in an airtight container.  Makes about 2-1/2 dozen.

 

 

sourdough mushroom dressing

I have to admit, one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner is the dressing or stuffing.  I don't really care which you give me...I'd be satisfied if that's all there were on my plate.

This recipe is inspired by Chef Bobby Flay's own recipe for dressing.  I didn't get to see his show down with Pioneer Woman, but I did go online and look through all of their recipes.  His sourdough dressing caught my eye.  Mine isn't exactly like his (I made it a little easier), but my goodness it was delicious!

Sourdough Mushroom Dressing

• 1 lb. sourdough bread, cut into cubes
• 1 1/2 pounds of mushrooms (pick your favorite or use a variety)
• 2 T. canola oil
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1/2 to 3/4 pound bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• herbs to taste (i.e. thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley) - use liberally

Spread bread cubes onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove and place in a large bowl.

Combine mushrooms, oil, salt and pepper; spread onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until tender and browned.

In a large skillet, cook and stir bacon pieces.  When bacon begins to brown, add onion and garlic.  Continue cooking until bacon is crispy and onion is tender.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Pour chicken broth into hot skillet and bring to a simmer.  Liberally add herbs (either fresh or dried).

Combine bread, mushrooms, bacon, onions, broth mixture, and eggs in a large bowl; mix well.  Spread into a greased casserole dish and cover with foil.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes; remove foil and continue baking until golden brown (another 30-40 minutes).

french boule bread with garlic dipping oil

I'm excited to welcome a guest blogger - Pie Birds, Buttons and Muddy Puddles!  This bread looks fantastic...I can't wait to give it a try.  

Now, I know what some of you are thinking - you don't bake bread, right?  Well, let's change that because this is a super simple bread recipe that you cannot mess up.  I promise.  No kneading and no mixer involved.  Seriously, you make the dough, let it rise and then shape into rolls like I did here, or you can make 4 small round loaves instead.  This is one of those recipes that will impress your family and friends so please don't run away.  Enjoy these French Boule rolls with a garlic infused dipping oil that is also simple to make.  The boule recipe is from Grace at Anderson Family Farm and the dipping oil is family recipe that my Dad perfected.  Let's get started!

French Boule Bread with Garlic Dipping Oil
Ingredients:
for the bread

• 3 cups warm water
• 1 ½ heaping Tablespoons of dry active yeast
• 1 Tablespoon honey or sugar
• 1 Tablespoons coarse salt (like Kosher)
• 6 cups flour (half bread flour, half whole wheat)

for the dipping oil

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley, or 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped fine)

Directions:

Measure your water in a large measuring cup.  You want the water to be warm, but not hot!  Add your yeast to the warm water with the honey or sugar and set aside for a minute or two. If you don't buy yeast in bulk, you can use one of the little packets (just measure the yeast out of that). Put the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add water mixture to dry ingredients and stir by hand until there are no dry pockets.

The dough should be quite sticky and wet, if it is not then you were too heavy on the flour and you’ll just need to add more water. No kneading, remember?

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise at room temperature for about an hour or longer.  Once it doubles in size and starts to collapse you know it is ready.  But this is easy, remember, so if you can't tell if it is doubled or starting to collapse, just go for it after an hour or so.

This is what my dough looked like after an hour and a half.  Perfect. Now preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place a stoneware pan in the oven (if you don't have one you can use a baking sheet upside down).  Place an oven safe pan (metal - don't use glass!) on the bottom rack, underneath the rack with the stoneware pan.

Flour your counter really well and scoop your dough out onto the counter.

Use a sharp floured knife to cut the dough in half, and then in half again, giving you 4 quarters.

Cut each quarter into 4 equal sized pieces, giving you 16 pieces of dough total.  They don't have to be exact, just eye it and no worries if some end up a little bigger or smaller than others.

Place a piece of parchment paper on top of an upside down baking sheet (or a baking peel if you have one, I don't) next to your work surface and start shaping the rolls.  Using well floured hands roll each piece of dough into a round ball, pinching the bottoms together towards the center.  Do this step pretty quickly, taking only about 20 seconds per piece of dough so you don't overwork it.  Place the round balls of dough, seam side down, onto the parchment paper.  Continue with remaining pieces.

Sprinkle the tops of the rolls with a little more flour and let them rise for about 20 minutes.

After about 20 minutes they should start to look puffy and they are ready for the oven.  Add a cup of cold water to the metal pan on the bottom rack of the oven.  This will create steam inside the oven, giving your rolls a nice crisp chewy texture on the outside.

Slide your parchment paper full of puffy rolls off the baking sheet and onto the hot stoneware pan, being careful not burn your hand!  Bake the rolls for 20 minutes.

Now while the rolls are baking you can make the dipping oil.  It is sooooo good.  Add about 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil to a small sauce pan over medium low heat. Heat until you warmed through.

Add one clove of minced garlic to the oil and shut the heat off and let it sit and mingle for a few minutes.  You don't want to cook the garlic, just infuse it into the oil.

Grate about 1/4 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese.

Measure out 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and 1 Tablespoon of dried parsley (or double of fresh parsley).

Add the crushed red pepper flakes and parsley to the garlic infused oil.

Mix well.

In little bowls, place 1 Tablespoon of the freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Pour the oil mixture over the cheese and mix.  The smells are going to overwhelm your senses here and you might drool.  Apologies in advance.

Take your rolls out of the oven and let them cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before you dig in, if you can.  I usually can't.

Enjoy with the dipping oil and marvel that you just made a wonderfully impressive French bread.


The dipping oil is the perfect condiment for these delicious rolls.  See the chewy crust all around the edges of the roll?  That steam in the oven really gives you a professional bakery result.  See the herbs and cheese in that oil?  Seriously amazing flavors. Are you drooling yet?

I told you this was easy, and these step by step pictures (taken by my best bud Travis) will help you along the way.  Hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I enjoyed sharing here on Delightful Country Cookin'. I have plenty more recipes over at my little blog, Pie Birds, Buttons and Muddy Puddles.  Enjoy!