Valentine Menu

I will locate, shop and post these recipes tomorrow and then add the photos on Monday. I just wanted to get the menu posted before I forget.

Salad with Cranberry's
Corn Stuffed Pork Chops
Vegetable Stir Fry (Broccoli, Carrots, Bell Pepper)
Yeast Rolls
Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

Now I'm off to get ready for a night of Karaoke with the ladies from church! Recipes tomorrow, I promise!

Cocoa and Biscuits

This is a Christmas tradition (and special occasions) thanks to my mother in law.

2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter

Bring the first four ingredients to a simmering boil in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat--stirring frequently. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes until it starts to thicken. Stir it often to keep the milk from scalding.

Remove from heat and add the vanilla and butter. Serve with warm biscuits. I've found that a thinner and crustier biscuit is yummiest when soaked in chocolate!

Turkey Pot Pie

Last year I asked you to send me your favorite left over turkey recipes. Well, this is the only one I received! Feel free to email them to me this year and I'll post them on here as well. Enjoy, and thank you Kristen!

"Charity, my favorite leftover turkey recipe (other than turkey sandwiches, yum) is turkey pot pie! It's super easy, and I also make it other times of the year using chicken. My husband loves it!

Turkey (or Chicken) Pot Pie

1 c. cooked, chopped turkey or chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mixed veggies (I use veg-all)
1 recipe for double crust pie

Mix and pour into unbaked pie crust. Cover with uncooked pastry top. Seal and bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes until crust is brown.

Pastry for double crust pie:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening
5-7 TB cold water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles small peas. Add water, 1 TB at a time, stirring with a fork until mixture holds together. Divide in half and roll out on a floured board (or counter) until it will fit in the pie pan. Do the same thing with the top crust. The more the dough is handled, the tougher it gets."

Thanksgiving Dinner

Another year of over eating delicious things has come and gone. This year I cooked in my own kitchen, which is always easier. :) Here was our menu:
Turkey
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Homemade Mac and Cheese
Cornbread Dressing
Corn Casserole
Green Beans
Honey Glazed Carrots
Purple Passion
Mandarin Jello Salad
Rolls
Deviled Eggs
Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Fudge

Our beautiful yet simple table setting.

This turkey did not want to let me rub my butter and herbs under it's skin. Look how blotchy! Still tasted good though.
Someone already snitched an egg!

Peanut Butter Fudge

I have always had a weakness for peanut butter fudge. I don't care for chocolate fudge, but I can nibble on PB fudge all day. In college I used to buy a block of it and cut tiny little slivers off each day. It would last almost the whole weak thanks to my rationing skills. And then I learned to make it for myself...and gained a lot of weight LOL!
Anyway, it is really easy after the first time.

* 3 cups sugar
*1 stick butter
* 1 cup milk
* 1 jar marshmallow cream
* 1 cup peanut butter

1. In a large sauce pan bring the sugar, butter and milk to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent scalding, until a candy thermometer reaches the soft ball stage. This will take about 7 to 10 minutes. (I think my candy thermometer is broken. It never reached the soft ball stage but I've made this enough to recognize it was done.)

NOTE: If you don't have a thermometer you can test it by putting a few drops in cold water (really cold water). Soft ball stage means that when cooled, the sugar mixture can be rolled into a ball, but it is still soft and squishy. If you cook the mixture too long your fudge will be grainy and if you don't cook it long enough it won't set up enough for you to cut and eat with your fingers.

2. Once you have reached the soft ball stage, remove from the heat and add the peanut butter and the jar of marshmallow cream. Stir until well mixed and smooth. Pour it into a buttered 9x13 inch pan. Let cool completely (a few hours), cut into squares and enjoy!

Cornbread Dressing

This is the way my family makes dressing. We don't stuff the bird with anything we plan on eating, but we make some southern cornbread dressing that we all love.
Not a great picture, but we were hungry and I didn't take time to make sure the lighting was good.

Anyway, this is how easy it is:

* 2 cans store bought biscuits
* 1 batch homemade cornbread
* 2 or 3 celery stalks, diced
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 2-3 tablespoons butter
* 2 cans chicken broth, or 3-4 cups broth from the turkey
* sage and poultry seasoning
* salt and pepper

I cook 2 cans of store bought biscuits and make one batch of cornbread in the oven. I use the Martha White self rising cornmeal and the recipe on the back is perfect. Tear the biscuits into pieces and crumble the cornbread into a large bowl.

Saute celery and onion in butter until the onion is tender. I sprinkle a little sage in with it while it is cooking. Mix in with the bread crumbs, then add chicken broth or the broth from the turkey until it is moist enough.

Now all you do is bake it until heated through and browned on top. You can add anything you want to it. My mom puts hard boiled eggs in it (not my fav) and my grandpa always put canned oysters in it (again not my fav). We keep it simple and yummy!

Peanut Butter Eggs

To see pictures go Here.

For Filling:
* 1--18oz jar of peanut butter (creamy or crunchy according to your taste)
* 2 sticks melted butter
* 5 cups powdered sugar.

For chocolate coating:
* 1 lb chocolate
* 2 tablespoons oil

1. Blend the filling ingredients together in a mixer. It will look a little dry and crumbly, but it should shape easily and stick together when you squeeze it. Hand shape it into eggs or truffles (or sprinkle a mold with powdered sugar)and then dip in melted chocolate (I suggest milk chocolate for these). Put in the fridge until they dry/harden and enjoy!

2. To melt/temper the chocolate: I put the chocolate in my sauce pan on low (maybe a 2-3 out of 10 if your range has numbers). Add the oil and stir occasionally to keep it melting evenly.

For some interesting reading on Tempering chocolate, take a look at this site. This was the brand of yummy chocolate some family friends found for us at a SUPER price for the quality goodness that we enjoyed.

Coconut Eggs

To see pictures go Here.

Filling:
* 1-- 8oz package cream cheese
* 2 sticks melted butter
* 1-- 16oz package coconut
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar

For chocolate coating:
* 1 lb chocolate
* 2 tablespoons oil

1. Blend the filling ingredients together in a mixer and then put it in the fridge to get firm again (freezer if you are in a bigger hurry). When it is firm enough to work with, shape it into eggs or truffles and then dip in melted chocolate (I suggest dark chocolate to even out the sweetness). Put back in the fridge until they dry/harden and enjoy!

2. To melt/temper the chocolate: I put the chocolate in my sauce pan on low (maybe a 2-3 out of 10 if your range has numbers). Add the oil and stir occasionally to keep it melting evenly.

For some interesting reading on Tempering chocolate, take a look at this site. This was the brand of yummy chocolate some family friends found for us at a SUPER price for the quality goodness that we enjoyed.

St. Pat's meal

Whisical Wednesday makes a comeback! Last night we had our fun crazy meal for St. Patrick's Day. It was all "kid" food with a colorful twist. I had to spend almost an hour this morning cleaning up the aftermath of the green explosion.

Let me explain...I don't usually use food coloring (the stuff I use for icing is a paste) so I was not prepared for how fast it came out of the bottle. I was expecting a slow drop by drop drip...uh, no. I never knew that mac and cheese could be so green! It was a little scary. Even after 4 hours in the fridge my jello wasn't firmly set. I think it was because I had a lid on it. Oh well, the kids didn't care, the slurpier the better. We also had green lemonade so everything was green!

Definitely not a healthy meal, but the kids enjoyed it. You have to give in every once in a while.

Hat cookies!

I just had to share this link to some adorable cookies on one of the sites I like to read. So, click here for Hat Cookies.

Purple Passion!

One more day till I'm cooking all day! Last night I went shopping for all the ingredients with my Mom. I am very excited to cook with her this year. While we were shopping I remembered some dishes that I didn't mention before. I forgot all about my husband's favorite dish, Purple Passion! I don't know why it is named that, and sometimes we make it pink. :) Anyway, I tend to forget about it until Thanksgiving or his birthday unless he reminds me about it.

Blueberry Jello Salad (without Jello)

You will need:
* 1 can blueberry pie filling
* 1 small can crushed pineapple
* 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 container whipped topping

Dump it all in a bowl, stir and chill. You can also add mini marshmallows or coconut if your family likes them. Sometimes I use cherry pie filling instead of blueberry. I like this recipe because the kids can make it with very little supervision.

Thanksgiving Menu

My favorite food holiday is almost here! I actually love cooking all day and then watching my family enjoy the yummy things I come up with. My family always makes certain traditional dishes and then I get to try one new recipe each year. I also like to play around with different turkey recipes. Last year I made a yummy Roasted Turkey from Cooking Light. It was very good. I liked the combination of the apple and rosemary and it made the house smell heavenly! This year I am going to keep it simple with a Maple-Glazed Turkey since I will be cooking at my Mom's house.

Last year I also made this delicious Butternut Squash-Leek Soup . My oldest daughter helped me make it and I actually want to add it to our every year list. We always have lots of guests, so everyone just got a small cup full and it was perfect that way.

I also love sweet potatoes, but I don't like them with the over sweet marshmallows on top. I like to keep it a little more simple, but still sweet and yummy with Brown Sugar-glazed Sweet Potato Wedges . You can make these a day or two in advance which is always helpful for a crowded oven.

Then of course we have mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing and cranberry sauce. Somewhere through the years we also added macaroni and cheese to our list of regulars. Doesn't sound fancy enough for Thanksgiving dinner does it? I think it started because that is my brother's favorite dish. It works because now it is my son's favorite dish, so what can you do?

What is your favorite Thanksgiving side dish?

Ice Cream Cake

Not healthy, but pretty fun to make. This cake was easy and other than baking time, it only took 15 minutes to decorate.

My daughter wanted an ice cream cake for her birthday so I let her make one. I've never tried to do this before, but I wanted to try a new pan that my friend bought for me. She got it at a yard sale for $0.10 and it didn't come with instructions, so we made it up. It looks like it is the Betty Crocker BakenFill , but one piece is missing. It worked pretty good, but the inside bit did not seem to cook very well. It was still gooey when I gave up and tossed it. :)

I like to make what I call "hybrid" cakes. They are not homemade exactly because one of the ingredients is a boxed cake mix, but I don't follow the directions on the box. Years ago I found a book at the library called The Cake Mix Doctor and I've never looked back. Here is what I put into this cake.

• 3 eggs
• 1 melted stick of butter
• 1 cup of milk
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 devil's food cake mix

Mix it all up, put it in the pan and bake at 325 or 350 until done (depends on pan sizes, you can look at the box for idea of times. I like to do it at 325. It takes a little longer, but it bakes more evenly without rising as much in the middle).

No matter what kind of cake you make, it needs homemade frosting. My friends make fun of me for saying that, but it is sooo true. Case and point--I've been making cake and frosting for years for my family; a few weeks ago I made a cake but bought frosting to save time. Everyone kept telling me that it just wasn't as good as it looked and they kept pointing fingers at the cake. Two days later I made the EXACT same cake, but took the time to make the home made frosting and they loved it! Proof that it does make a difference. Here are my two favorites:

Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup (2 sticks) real sweet cream butter (I use salted)
• 1 cup crisco shortening (not butter flavor)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons flavoring (vanilla and almond are my favorites)
• 1--2lb bag of powdered sugar.

Mix it all up for stiff consistancy (roses), add 2 tablespoons water to thin it out to frost a cake.

Chocolate Glaze

• 1 cup sugar (normal granulated sugar, not powdered)
• 1/3 cup butter (I've used real and margarine and both work)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Place the sugar, butter and milk in a small sauce pan over med-low heat and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Boil for one minute, while stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat and stir in chips. When the chips are melted and smooth you can pour it over the cake. It will be thin while hot but will firm up when it cools. Cool for 20 minutes before cutting the cake.