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Nov. 13th, 2005 @ 05:20 pm K is For Kahlua
Kahlúa Creamy Fudge


1 1/3 c sugar
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme
2/3 c evaporated milk
1/4 c butter
1/4 c Kahlúa
1/4 tsp salt
2 c semisweet chocolate chips
1 c milk chocolate chips
2/3 c pecans, chopped
1 tsp pure vanilla

Line 8" square baking dish with foil. In a 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, marshmallow creme, milk, butter, Kahlúa & salt. Bring to a rapid boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add both chocolate chips. Stir until melted. Add nuts & vanilla. Turn into your prepared dish. Refrigerate until firm. Cut in squares when cool. Makes about 2 3/4 pounds of fudge.
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Nov. 13th, 2005 @ 05:18 pm Popcorn. Booze. It's all good.
KAHLUA CARMEL POPCORN

2 Qts. Popped corn
1/2 C. Sugar
½ cup kaluha
1 C. Cider vinegar
3 T. Butter
3/4 C. Cashews

After popping corn, keep warm in low oven. Heat kahlua, sugar, and vinegar to
boiling, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add butter and boil just to hard
crack stage (300*). Pour over corn, add nuts, stirring to coat evenly. Cool.
Can be stored several weeks in airtight container. Do not refrigerate.Yield: 2 Quarts.
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Nov. 13th, 2005 @ 02:58 pm Tater Spots
I've been trying to convince my mom these are even better than the traditional mashed potatoes!

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

5 Lbs. potatoes, mashed
1 8 0z. cream cheese
1 c. sour cream
2 T onion salt
2 T butter

Combine all ingredients and whip until smooth. (I mash everything, and then blend it all together with a hand mixer.) This will keep in a refrigerator for 5 days. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. (I put it in a 9x13 dish)
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Oct. 30th, 2005 @ 05:31 pm (no subject)
Bailey’s Irish Cream Brownies

4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup butter -- softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs -- beaten
1tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Mixture:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 Tbs. Bailey's Irish Cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt unsweetened chocolate and butter together in microwave and mix well. Cool. Beat 2 cups sugar and 3 eggs together in mixing bowl. Add melted chocolate mixture and mix well. Stir in flour, salt, vanilla and chips. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and Bailey's Irish Cream until smooth. Add egg and mix well.

Pour about 3/4 of the brownie mixture into the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan. The batter is very stiff, so I sprayed the back of a spatula with cooking spray to press into the bottom of the pan. Top with the cream cheese mixture. Dalop the remaining brownie mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes and swirl the batter with a knife (marbled effect).
The batter was too stiff to swirl without heating it first.

Bake at 350 degrees for another 25 minutes. Cool.
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Oct. 30th, 2005 @ 05:27 pm The hot chocolate mix recipe everyone asks me for every year!
Hot Chocolate Mix

1 (14-quart) box of nonfat dry milk
1 (1 lb.) jar of Coffee-mate (tm) creamer
1 (2 lb.) box of Nestle Quik (tm) drink powder
1 (2 lb.) bag of confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 (15 oz.) jar of chocolate malted milk mix, such as Ovaltine (tm)

In an extra-large bowl, combine the above. Mix well.

Store in airtight containers. Attach instructions for use to each jar. To use, mix 1/3 c. of the dry mix with: 2/3 c. boiling water Stir and top with: marshmallows, optional Note: Since manufacturers often change the size of packaging, the above amounts are approximate. Don't forget the Ovaltine -- it's important!
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Oct. 30th, 2005 @ 04:53 pm Woof Woof
Homemade Dog Biscuits

1 cup wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
6 tbsp bacon grease*
1/2 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 325°. Mix wheat flour, white flour, wheat germ, powdered milk, brown sugar, and salt well.

Add egg, bacon grease and cold water. Mix well

On powdered surface, roll out dough to 1/4" thick.

Using any cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until golden brown.

*Hamburger grease will work just as well

Note: You must refrigerate these dog biscuits to retain freshness.
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Oct. 30th, 2005 @ 01:18 pm Hop To It!
HOPPIN'JOHN

1c. cooked, drained blackeye peas
1 smoked hamhock, cooked tender in peas
3 slices bacon
1 c. raw rice
1 med. onion
21/2 c. juice from peas
salt and pepper to taste

Prior to making Hoppin John, cook dried blackeye peas with smoked hamhock. Fry bacon, crumble. Saute onion on bacon grease. Add hamhock, juice, seasoning, peas, and rice. Bring to boil, simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve with Collard greens.
THE BLACKEYE PEAS ARE FOR LUCK.
THE COLLARDS ARE FOR WEALTH.
THE HAMHOCK IS FOR HEALTH.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL IN THE NEW YEAR.!!!!!
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Oct. 30th, 2005 @ 01:16 pm Spread It!
Herbed Feta Spread

1 (8 oz) package feta cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
3 tbs chopped fresh basil
3 tbs chopped fresh chives
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs balsalmic vinegar
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
Garnish: fresh basil sprigs

Stir together first 6 ingredients until smooth. Cover and chill up to 7 days. Stir in pine nuts just before serving. Garnish, if desired. Perfect on pita bread filled with grilled veggies or on BLTs.
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Sep. 20th, 2005 @ 08:18 pm Eye-Talian
Tomato-Basil Lasagna With Prosciutto

5 garlic cloves
1 (16 oz) carton ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese if you insist)
½ cup (4 oz) cream cheese
¼ cup (1 oz) grated fresh Romano cheese, divided
2 ½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp crushed red pepper
1 large egg
1 (26 oz) bottle tomato basil pasta sauce (such as Muir Glen)
12 cooked lasagne noodles
1 cup (4 oz) chopped prosciutto or ham
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375. In a food processor, mince garlic then add ricotta (or cottage cheese). Mix for two minutes or until smooth. Add cream cheese, 2 tbs romano, basil, pepper, and egg. Process until well blended.

Spread ½ cup pasta sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over the pasta sauce; top with 1 cup of cheese mixture, 1/3 cup prosciutto, and ¾ cup pasta sauce. Repeat the layers two times ending with noodles. Spread remaining pasta sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with 2 tbs romano and mozzarella.

Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let lasagna stand 5 minutes.

Note: These measurements are very precise in order to make this dish fairly low cal and low fat (as far as lasagna goes). You can toss out the measurements and make it much gooier if you so desire.
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Sep. 18th, 2005 @ 03:54 pm Half Baked
Baked Artichoke Dip


1 box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (or 1 cup chopped spinach)
1 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 package cream cheese, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/8 tsp pepper


Preheat oven to 400°. Combine all of the above ingredients and place in baking dish. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes and serve with crackers. You can also hollow out a french bread round and serve it inside the round with the hollowed out pieces for dipping.
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Sep. 17th, 2005 @ 08:46 pm C'mon. Flap Em Again.
I haven't posted in this journal since I moved back to San Antonio. Time to rectify the situation, non?

These are good. Like buffalo wings but without the messy sauce on the outside. And the little bones on the inside.

All about the streamlining, y'all.


Buffalo Chicken Tenders

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup hot cayenne pepper sauce
1 cup dry bread crumbs
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch strips
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425. Place flour, hot sauce and bread crumbs each in its own shallow dish. Dip chicken strips into flour, then hot sauce, then bread crumbs, coating evenly with each. Place coated strips about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Spray chicken with cooking spray and bake about 8 minutes. Turn chicken over and spray with cooking spray; cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and breading is golden brown.

Blue cheese dresing with chopped fresh parsley makes a delicious dip.
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May. 10th, 2005 @ 01:12 am (no subject)
Baked Potato Soup

1 medium bulb garlic, ¼ inch cut off top
6 large baking potatoes (3 pounds), rinsed and pierced once with a fork
4 ½ cups chicken broth
½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Accompaniments:
Crumbled cooked bacon, shredded low-fat cheese, low fat sour cream and minced scallions.

Heat oven to 400. Wrap whole garlic bulb tightly in foil. Put garlic and potatoes in oven. Bake garlic 45 minutes or until soft when squeezed. Remove and let cool. Continue baking potatoes until tender when pierced, about 15 minutes. Unwrap garlic and squeeze pulp from bulb into a 4 quart pot. Peel 3 of the hot potatoes, add to garlic in pot and mash until nearly smooth. Gradually stir in chicken broth and pepper until blended. Place over medium heat and cook until hot, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile cut remaining potatoes (with skin) in ¾ inch pieces. Stir into soup and cook until heated through. Serve with some or all accompaniments.
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May. 10th, 2005 @ 01:11 am (no subject)
Almond Sugar Cookies



1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour



Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and extracts. Stir in flour; mix well. Chill several hours. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4in thickness and cut out with cookie cutters. Decorate with frosting, sprinkles, etc....the fun kid part! Bake at 375 for 8-10 min or until lightly browned. Yield: 3 1/2 dozen

This is a great alternative to regular sugar cookies we love to decorate every year, the almond extract makes them SO yummy.
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May. 6th, 2005 @ 10:30 pm Apple Paltrow
I love this apple butter...I've been making it for years.

Apple Butter

5 pounds apples such as Gravenstein, Elstar, or McIntosh
1 cup apple juice or water
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 to 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 tbs ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground allspice

Peel, quarter, and core apples. In a 6 to 8 quart pan, combine apples and juice. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft when pressed, 20 to 30 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree apple mixture, a portion at a time. Pour puree into a roasting pan about 12 to 17 inch size. Stir in brown sugar and granulated sugar to taste. Mix in the ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.

Bake, uncovered, in a 325 oven, stirring occasionally, until butter is thick enough to mound when spooned onto a plate, 30 to 45 minutes.

Sever warm or cool. To store, cover and chill airtight up to 1 month. Or spoon into freezer containers, leaving at least1 inch headspace. Cover airtight and freeze up to a year.
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May. 6th, 2005 @ 10:29 pm Carbs! Wee! Carbs!
ANTIPASTO PULL-APART BREAD

1 jar (6 1/2 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/3 cup sliced deli hard salami, chopped
1/3 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
4 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, grated (apx 1 cup)
2 pkgs (11.3 ounces ea) refrigerated dinner rolls


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray pan with cooking spray.
Place artichokes on paper towels; pat dry. Chop artichokes
and bell pepper. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add sliced
olives and pressed garlic, mix lightly and set aside.
Melt butter. Separate dinner rolls and cut each into
quarters. Dip 16 dough pieces in melted butter, then
roll in cheese. arrange evenly in pan. Sprinkle with 1/2
cup of the artichoke mixture. Repeat twice. Dip remaining
16 dough pieces in melted butter, roll in cheese and
arrange over last layer of artichoke mixture. Sprinkle
with any remaining cheese. Bake 27-30 minutes or until
seep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Loosen edges of bread
from side and center of pan and carefully invert onto
a cooling rack to remove bread. Cool slightly.
Slice with a serrated knife.

Yield: 16 Servings
Per serving: 190 cal, 9g fat, 280 mg sodium, 2g fiber
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Apr. 12th, 2005 @ 02:53 pm You are the cake's bitch.

( Four Layer Coconut Cake  )

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Apr. 7th, 2005 @ 02:16 pm Four Layer PITA cake
Tempe’s Blue Ribbon Coconut Cake

The original recipe comes from Consuming Passions: A Food-Obsessed Life by Michael Lee West. I've made a few changes but stayed true to the luxe overkill of the original

(The original recpipie takes 8 days to make, I have shortened it someone to 5 to 7)

Day 1

Make The Filling

1 ½ cups grated coconuts (fresh or frozen is best)
16 oz carton sour cream
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Blend all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.

Make The Cake

Make one white cake mix, following the directions on the box. Bake in two grested and floured 9 inch pans. Cool layers on rack.

Make The Glaze

½ cup coconut milk (I use Goya)
¼ cup white sugar
½ tsp vanilla

Combine the coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan. Over medium-high flame, stir constantly until sugar melts. Add vanilla. I usually find I have to make twice as much glaze

Glaze the Cake

Using a length of thread, split each layer in half. Handle gently, layers are very fragile. Using a toothpick, poke holes in all four layers. Using a pasty brush, paint the layers with the glaze. Let sit 5 minutes. Repeat until glaze is gone. Let layers sit 24 hours, covered and refrigerated, before frosting.

Day 2

Fill And Assemble the Cake

Set one layer splut side up and spread with filling. Srpinkle with ½ cup coconut. Repeat with the remaining layers. Let sit for 30 minutes after assembling the layers.

Make The Frosting

1 large carton heavy whipping cream
¾ granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
fresh or frozen coconut, for garnish (you can toast this for pretty factor if you desire)

Pour the cream into the bowl of your mixer, and beat gently until it thickens. Switch to high speed, beating the cream until peaks form. Add the sugar and cream of tartar. Beat for another minute. Frost the sides and the top of cake. Garnish with coconut.

Cheat Frosting: You can frost the cake with one 8 oz carton of cool whip mixed with 1 cup of sour cream and sugar (she calls for regular sugar I used powdered) to taste. If you don’t have a good mixer, or just lazy like I am, this is a perfectly good frosting substitute for this cake!

Day 3-7

Clear out a space in the fridge. Cover the cake (a large glass dome is best) and refrigerate for at least 3 days, 5 is best. This cake serves 12 to 14 very hungry people.
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Jan. 25th, 2005 @ 01:06 pm Onion Soup
For Stacy For Cravings....

French Onion Soup

3 tbs butter
1 tbs vegetable oil
5 to 6 cups thinly sliced onions (about 5 medium onion, 1 ½ pounds)
½ tsp sugar
3 tbs flour
Three 13 ¾ ounce cans beef (chicken, veggie) broth

Grated cheese (parmesan, swiss, etc) and croutons or slices of toasted french or italian bread topped with melted cheese


In a large (at least 4 quart pot) melt the butter with the oil over medium heat (the oil keeps the butter from burning easily).

Add the onions and toss well to coat them all with the fat. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and let onions cook for 15 minutes until onions are quite wilted. There is no need to stir them.

Uncover pot, increase heat to medium, and stir in the sugar. Let cook, stirring frequently, for about 40 minutes, until onions are a deep brown.

Stir in flour and continue to cook until the flour turns the color of the onions, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the broth and one broth can full of water. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Serve very hot with cheese and croutons on the side, or serve with a cheese toast on top of each bowl.
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Jan. 22nd, 2005 @ 06:15 pm Mock Pecan Pie
This is actually not that bad...meatier than just a chess pie. If you want a nuttier flavor, toast the oats first!

Mock Pecan Pie

2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup margarine, melted
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup regular rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla


Unbaked 9-inch pie crust


PREPARATION:Combine the eggs, margarine, sugar, corn syrup, oats, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into unbaked pie crust and bake in 350° oven for 1 hour.
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Jan. 22nd, 2005 @ 06:09 pm (no subject)
Don't have any cream soup for your casserole? Making a white sauce isn't hard, but if words like "roux" scare you, you can make your own sauce mix instead!

I don't add bouillon to mine. If I want a chicken flavor, I just use chicken stock instead of water when I make the sauce. It frees up your options with the sauce to leave out the bouillon!

Cream Soup Substitute

2 c. nonfat dried milk
3/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. chicken or beef bouillon particles
2 tbsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper


Mix ingredients together and store in a covered container. Use as a substitute for creamed soups in casserole recipes.


To use: Mix 1 1/4 cups cold water with 1/3 cup of the mix in a small saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon butter. Cook until thickened and substitute for one 15-ounce can of cream soup.

This recipe makes enough mix to substitute for 10 cans of cream soup.


Cream Of:

Mushroom Soup: Add 1/2 C finely chopped mushrooms
Celery Soup: Add 1/2 C minced celery
Potato Soup: Add 1 C diced potatoes, cooked
Vegetable Soup: Add 3/4 C mixed vegetables, cooked
Broccoli Soup: Add 1 C chopped broccoli, cooked
Asparagus Soup: Add 1 C chopped asparagus, cooked
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