Rocky Road Chocolate Cake

This is not a picture of the cake I made.  It does look a lot like it, however.  I have no picture because (1) I forgot to take my camera to our Sunday school cookout where it was originally served, and (2) I ate all of the leftovers when we returned home from the cookout.  I could have taken a picture back at home but I was too ravenous that it honestly never crossed my mind.  That's life these days--a starving stomach, followed by inhaling food "just to get something in", then suffering the consequences afterwards for eating too fast.  Oh, the joys of pregnancy!  Anyway, back to the cake, it was easy as pie (or cake) and cooks in a slow cooker.  It can easily be transported if you are taking elsewhere.  Also, it has a cobbler-like consistency; therefore, it's best served with vanilla ice cream.  Yummy stuff.  You've got to try it.

Rocky Road Chocolate Cake
Southern Living, October 2008

1 (18.25-oz.) package German chocolate cake mix

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1 (3.9-oz.) package chocolate instant pudding mix

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sour  cream

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 1/4 cups milk, divided

1 (3.4-oz.) package chocolate cook-and-serve pudding mix

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

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1. Beat cake mix, next 5 ingredients, and 1 1/4 cups milk at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Pour batter into a lightly greased 4-qt. slow cooker.
2. Cook remaining 2 cups milk in a heavy nonaluminum saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, 3 to 5 minutes or just until bubbles appear (do not boil); remove from heat.
3. Sprinkle cook-and-serve pudding mix over batter. Slowly pour hot milk over pudding. Cover and cook on LOW 3 1/2 hours.
4. Meanwhile, heat pecans in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant.
5. Turn off slow cooker. Sprinkle cake with pecans, marshmallows, and chocolate morsels. Let stand 15 minutes or until marshmallows are slightly melted. Spoon into dessert dishes, and serve with ice cream, if desired.

Note:

This cake will look like it needs to cook just a little longer, but by the time the topping is set, it's ready to serve.

Enjoy,

   Marie

Strawberry Cream Cake

Strawberries happen to be one of my favorite fruits. You can do a million different things with them. I am beginning to see them appear in grocery sale papers, marking the start of their season.  My father-in-law takes frequent fishing trips to an area of Florida where strawberries are grown and are ripe in the early spring. On his way home he likes to stop at roadside produce stands and buy some of the Sunshine State's bounty. We like it because he generously shares what he brings home....ripe tomatoes, Indian River grapefruit, several varieties of oranges, and red, juicy strawberries.

I always feel rushed to use up the strawberries while I have them and today's recipe is one of my favorite ways to do it. The actual preparartion and assemly of the cake is not difficult. But the process requires some time, i.e., cooling of the angel food cake and refrigeration time. Calories can be shaved off by using reduced or fat free ingredients. I will print the recipe as written and in parentheses I will put the lower calorie alternatives.

                            

I like to make the angel food cake as opposed to buying a ready made one because it yields a larger cake.  I used to be intimidated by angel food cake but nothing can be easier than a Duncan Hines mix....no eggs, oil, etc. You only add water to the mix and let the mixer go to it for a few minutes. You don't even have to grease and flour the pan. On the contrary, beaters and bowl and pan should be grease free as any oils prevent the incorporation of air which gives the cake its fluffiness. The cake in the pan is turned upside over a bottle to cool for an hour and a half. I use a wine bottle for this purpose.

Slice off the top of the cake and put aside.

Using a serrated knife, cut one inch from the center hole and side of cake. Use a "sawing" action with the knife as the cake does not cut cleanly. With your fingers, pull out pieces of cake to form a tunnel. Be careful to leave the side and bottom intact.

Mix the cake pieces with strawberries, cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, and almond flavoring.

Fill in the tunnel with mixture and replace the top. Frost with Cool Whip and decorate with sliced strawberries if desired.

Strawberry Cream Cake
1 (14.5oz) package white angel food cake mix
1 (8oz) pkge cream cheese (or 1/3 less fat), softened
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk (or fat-free)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 (8oz) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed (or lite variety)
Additional strawberries for decoration
 Prepare angel food cake according to package directions, using a 10-inch tube pan. Invert pan on funnel or bottle for 2 hours or until cake is completely cooled.
 Loosen cake from sides of pan using a small metal spatula. Remove from pan; cut a 1-inch slice crosswise from top of cake and set top aside. Cut 1 inch from center hole and outer edge of cake with a sharp or serrated knife.Carefully remove center of cake, gently pulling cake pieces out with fingers, leaving a 1 inch layer of cake on bottom. Reserve cake pieces.
 Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add condensed milk; mix well. Stir in lemon juice and almond extract. Fold in cake pieces and strawberries; spoon into tunnel in center of cake. Top with reserved cake slice. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Frost with whipped topping and garnish with additional strawberries.

Happy cooking!
Nan

Red Velvet Cupcakes

We can thank Duncan Hines for this delicious recipe.  I found it last year and have made it several times since.  The center "surprise" is my favorite part.  Well, I take that back.  The homemade cream cheese icing is my favorite.  The frosting is the only alteration we made to these sweet treats.  I just could not imagine putting canned frosting on something this good.  So, I pulled out our tried and true recipe for cream cheese icing and voila!  Perfection...

Creamy Red Velvet Cupcakes
Duncan Hines

• 1 pkg Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Red Velvet Cake Mix
• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut (sometimes I omit)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 24 muffin tins or line with paper baking cups.

Prepare batter according to package directions.

Spoon batter into lined muffin cups. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and egg; mix until smooth (I use a whisk to break lumps). Stir in chocolate chips and coconut.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture onto batter of each cupcake. (Literally, drop cream cheese mix on top--it seems weird but I promise it will sink down into cupcake while baking.)

Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes following package directions. Spread cupcakes with frosting (recipe below).

Traditional Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time) and beat until you reach desired consistency. Last night when I made this recipe, it took 3 1/2 cups of sugar to reach spreading consistency. Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy,

Marie

Chocolate Chocolate (Chocolate) Cake

B and I had my coworkers and their husbands over for dinner at our home about three weekends ago.  I really enjoyed planning and preparing the meal.  And I actually cooked a couple of recipes from Mamas' posts on this blog like Cranberry-Dijon Pork, which I had not tried and it was to die for!  For this particular dinner, I was especially looking forward to making dessert.  We all love chocolate at the office so I knew dessert must consist of just that.  I automatically retrieved Aunt "Skeeter's" cookbook from the shelf in search of the perfect chocolate dessert recipe.  I was not surprised when I quickly found a match--"Chocolate Chocolate Cake".  Oh my! After a phone call to Aunt Skeeter for reassurance and a short trip to Publix, I was ready to make this chocoholic's dream.  And, as if two chocolate components weren't enough, I topped this decadent cake off with a third chocolate--white chocolate morsels.  It was heavenly, every bit of it.  Since then I have made this cake again and for the third chocolate topping I used mini semi-sweet morsels.

For the holidays, I plan on substituting the semi-sweet morsels for the dark chocolate and mint ones.  And maybe if I'm feeling frisky, I'll shave some Andes mints over the icing. We'll see...

Chocolate Chocolate Cake
Marcelle Shelnutt, Niceville, FL

• 1 pkg. Devil's food cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• 1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding
• 6 oz. of package semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 of bag)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 - 8 oz container sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips.  Mix on LOW with electric mixer until blended then beat on HIGH for 5 minutes.  Stir in chocolate chips and pour into greased tube pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of the pan (my oven cooks fast so it takes approximately 50 minutes).  Aunt "Skeeter" says please do not overcook this cake! Allow to cool completely on wire rack.  Make frosting--recipe following.

Frosting:

• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 of bag)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt chips in microwave, cooking in 30 second intervals then stirring until melted, and cool.  Stir in sour cream and vanilla.  Add sugar and stir until combined.  Pour over cooled cake. 
*To make triple chocolate cake, sprinkle your favorite morsels over frosting.

Enjoy!

Marie

Paula Deen's Copper Pennies and a Southern Living Cheesecake

I have no idea how this dish got named "Copper Pennies".  The only reason I can think of is the carrots resemble pennies. I have no idea about that but I am certain of its deliciousness. And it ranks high on our family's list of top salad items.  I made these "pennies" on Mother's Day this year and they were a hit, especially with Brandon's family. So, a few months back, Brandon's Momaw asked that I make them for Thanksgiving lunch.  I was glad to have a reason to make them again.  They seem to go along with any meal and taste even better after they have sat in the refrigerator for a few days. I prepared the "pennies" on Saturday before Thanksgiving. I simply covered them tightly with plastic wrap and didn't open them back up until the following Thursday afternoon. Okay, that's a lie. I dipped out a small amount to go with my lunch on Tuesday (and if I remember correctly, I may have had a little more on Wednesday, too...oops!).  Anyway, Paula Deen says that they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to six weeks. So there you go, it's a make-ahead type of dish, which adds another reason to try them.

Copper Pennies
Paula Deen

1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 (10 3/4 oz) can tomato soup
2 pounds carrots, peeled, cooked, and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

Combine the sugar, vinegar, oil, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the soup. Mix the carrots, onion, and bell pepper together in a large glass dish; pour the sauce over the vegetables, stir gently to combine, and refrigerate overnight. This salad will keep for up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.

In the words of Paula Deen, "Best dishes, y'all!"


Also, I wanted to share the dessert recipe I made for Thanksgiving. WOW! It was a Pumpkin-Pecan Cheesecake with praline topping that was featured on the cover of November's Southern Living issue. I was very proud of myself after it was completed so I took a picture and posted on Facebook. I received many compliments on it's apparence and several friends mentioned that they wondered if it would taste as good as it looked...

Well, I am here to tell ya that not only did it taste as good as it looked but it was five times better! The praline topping was by far the best part. Check out the recipe Here.

Enjoy,

Marie

A Dish a Day: Dessert
     Apple Crisp and Angels Unawares

My family and I attend a church with a small membership. I'm talking very small. What we lack in numbers we make up for in compassion and concern for others. A few families gather every Wednesday evening to share a meal, have Bible study, and a time of prayer for people who are sick, afflicted, or have emotional and spiritual needs. It is a great time of fellowship around the table.

The church building is located on a major and busy US highway between two small towns. Sort of out there in the middle of nowhere. Because of this location, we have been visited many times by people who have fallen on hard times and are somewhat stranded, needing gas, food, or a place to stay for the night. We consider these visits opportunities to minister and be a testimony of God's love and care. Only once in  my memory have we been sure we were being taken advantage of.

We were visited again this past Wednesday night by a man and his wife in need of help. They were invited in to share the meal and remain for Bible study. Gentle questioning revealed they were looking for work and had slept in their truck the past three nights. After the meeting was over, gas was put in their truck, money was given for a couple of meals, and they were put up in the local motel for the night. Information was provided as to who in the area might be hiring workers. We left the couple with handshakes and well wishes. They appeared genuinely grateful.

As we left the couple, a verse of Scripture came into my mind. As if my husband could read my thoughts, he spoke the verse in part. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2 KJV).

Everyone knows what Thanksgiving Day is about. All of us know how truly and richly blessed we are even when we don't have all that we want or sometimes need. Meeting that couple was like a swift kick in the pants. It reminded me to "praise God from whom all blessings flow" and to say "thank you." Especially, because I don't have to sleep in the truck.

Now you are asking what all this has to do with apple crisp. We take turns planning our Wednesday night meals at church. Because I like to make desserts, it often falls to me to bring one. Apple crisp was the dessert choice this past Wednesday night when the "angels unawares" visited. Very delicious made even more so with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Since apples are in peak season right now, the crisp will be an easy addition to your Thanksgiving Day dessert table.

Apple Crisp
    from allrecipes.com
10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (I used 6 Granny Smith Apples)
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Place sliced apples in a 9x13 in pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and ground cinnamon together and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping.

Happy cooking!
Nan

A Dish a Day: Dessert

It's now one week until Thanksgiving. It's one of our favorite holidays, and that's not just because of the delicious, to-be-expected dishes that will be served. It has more to do with the holiday's purpose. It is a day set aside from fast-paced life to reflect on the many blessings from our loving God. This quote sums up the definition of "thanksgiving": 

"So once in every year we throng

Upon a day apart,

To praise the Lord with feast and song

In thankfulness of heart."

-Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving

We are going to count down the days to Thanksgiving with some of our favorite dishes that are must-haves on this special holiday. Count your blessings and enjoy the company of family, friends, and good food. Let's start with last course and what we consider the best part of the meal, dessert.



Pumpkin Crisp
Source:  myrecipes.com

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 (18.25 oz) pkg butter-flavored yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, melted
Whipped cream/ice cream (optional)
Ground nutmeg (optional)



Stir together first 5 ingredients. Pour into lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture; sprinkle evenly with pecans. Drizzle butter evenly over pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired (We prefer it served hot and topped with ice cream). Sprinkle with nutmeg or ground cinnamon, if desired.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.




















Pumpkin Chiffon
Source:  Jennifer Hayes via Ann Hayes

1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
2 (3.4 oz) pkgs instant vanilla pudding
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
dash of ground cinnamon
1 (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed and divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans

To make crust, combine sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and melted butter and press into 13 x 9 x 2-inch dish.

Combine cream cheese, eggs, and sugar and beat until fluffy. Spread over crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and allow to cool completely.

Combine pudding mix and milk. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Add pumpkin and cinnamon. Mix well. Stir in 1 cup of Cool Whip and spread over cream cheese layer.

Top with remaining Cool Whip and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Happy Cooking and Many Blessings,

Marie

An Apple a Day...

You know what they say..."An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Well, I should be covered for at least a year with all of the apples I have consumed since August. I seriously believe that I have eaten an apple in one fashion or another every day since the first trip to the orchards. That said, I have several random snipits of info I'd like to provide in this post; each one has something to do with apples but only one actually relates to the recipe you'll find at the end.

First of all, I want to comment on the picture of the apples above. They look very similar to the variety I purchased yesterday at Publix. As advertised, Honeycrisp apples were on sale for $2.99 per pound. Have you ever seen a Honeycrisp? Eaten one? They are beautiful apples! Weird I know but I found myself staring at bin where they were stored in awe of their beauty. I gave in and purchased two. All I have to say is I hope they taste as delicious as their apparence because when I got home and looked over my receipt, those two darn apples were $4.25! I am a horrible judged at guessing weight, I suppose. Hence, the reason there are scales throughout the produce section; I never take the time to use them.

Secondly, I must recap a trip we and some friends took to the North GA mountains in mid-September. One word to sum up the trip is FUN. We had a blast. And our Sunday afternoon ended with a trip to Mercier's Orchards in Blue Ridge, Georgia. We had the opportunity to hitch a hay ride to the orchards and pick our own apples. What a treat! It was then I made the decision about my top 3 favorite apples. In case you care, here they are:  Ambrosia, Mutzu, and Cameo. (Hopefully, Honeycrisp will be added to the list if my purchase yesterday does not let me down.) Here are a few pictures from our trip.

The Gang minus me (My handsome hubby is in the green Polo:)

Star showing off her apple-picking skills

I look like I am pulling the entire limb instead of an apple!

Lindsey and Judson--husband & wife teamwork at its finest

Lastly, I need to tell about the recipe for this post. This is a special one, not that it is laborious or tedious, but it ranks #1 on B's list of favorite desserts (last time I asked). If I ever want or need to suck up to the hubs, I whip up his uno numero desserto--"Apple Dumplings". This recipe began with my mom and it quickly became a family favorite. You'll find that there is nothing to it. The most difficult part is probably peeling the apples. But please, don't tell B that! I need him to believe that his beloved Apple Dumplings are treats that only the BEST can make and while they are such a hassle, he is totally worth it.

Apple Dumplings
Serves 8 (Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a large crowd.)

1 Granny Smith apple
1 pkg crescent roll dough
1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Mountain Dew
1/4 cup water
cinnamon sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degress.

Peel apple and cut into 8 wedges. Seperate crescent rolls and sprinkle each with cinnamon sugar (I sprinkle liberally). Place one apple slice at the long end of the roll. Roll dough around apple as you would if you were making crescents without the apple slice. Place each roll (we will now call them "dumplings") into an 8" x 8" baking dish. Sprinkle tops of dumplings with more cinnamon sugar. Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine butter, sugar, Mountain Dew, and water. Bring to boil for 5 minutes. Pour mixutre over dumplings.

Place dish in oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes (my oven cooks fast so mine are done in 20 minutes--it takes approx. 30 minutes when I double the recipe--they are done when the dumplings have browned). Let dumplings set for about 5 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

*For Caramel Nut Apple Dumplings, simply drizzle caramel syrup or topping over ice cream and sprinkle with chopped nuts.


How's that for a fall treat? Makes me feel all warm and cozy inside.
Enjoy,

Marie

Key Lime Cake

Maybe I am missing summer a little more than I thought. Here's a recipe you've got to try--Key Lime Cake. When I make this delicious cake, memories flood my mind of the vacation our family took to Key West the summer between my high school graduation and freshman year of college. It was a wonderful time spent with family but what I remember most was consuming lots of Key Lime Pie during our stay! Key Lime everything for that matter! I feel like every restaurant served it's own signature version of the famous concoction with their native fruit. However, I am pretty certain that a cake alternative was no where to be found on their menus. Let us know what you think.

Key Lime Cake
Recipe by Betty Miller

1 3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup orange juice
5 eggs
1 pkg. lemon flavored cake mix
1 (3 oz) pkg lime gelatin

1/4 cup lime juice
5 to 6 Tbsp powdered sugar

Combine oil, orange juice, eggs, gelatin, and cake mix, beating until smooth. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13" pan and bake at 325 degress for about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven, prick top all over with a fork . Combine lime juice and powdered sugar stirring until smooth and drizzle over cake. Let cool completely before icing.

Frosting:
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 (1 lb) box powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla until creamy and then slowly beat in powdered sugar until creamy. Spread over cooled cake. Refrigerate to prevent souring.

A Year on Ladybug Farm Cupcakes

What inspired me to bake these cute and delicious cupcakes? Membership in a newly formed and, as yet, unnamed book club. I am really excited about this new adventure because, number one, it gives me a good excuse to read a book instead of, say, ironing or washing the dishes. As if I needed an excuse. Number two, I really like the other members. I know all of them, some better than others. They are women I am not around very often. We don't live in the same town, move in the same circles, or go to the same church. But I just know we are going to have the best time together! We chose A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball as our first "read." So when I saw these ladybug cupcakes in Martha Stewart"s book, Cupcakes, I knew I had to make them for our meeting to discuss the book. While Martha's recipe calls for a yellow cake, chocolate seemed to be a better choice since it is the color of good, rich dirt and grass grows from dirt, does it not?

While looking at another food blog, "Bake at 350," I saw that she, also, had made the ladybug cupcakes using chocolate cake and provided the recipe which I will share with you here. Have fun but be prepared to spend some time on these. The cupcakes themselves are easy...it's the decorating that took so long. Well, I never said I was a professional! Oh, and my sister, Marcelle, helped me.

Thanks, girlfriend.

One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

3/4 cup dutch process cocoa (I use Hershey's Special Dark cocoa)

1 & 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 & 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F Place 18 liners in cupcake pans. Whisk together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix on low speed about 3 minutes. Batter is very wet. It is easier to pour into cups if batter is transferred to a container with a spout. Fill cups 2/3'rds full. Bake 20 minutes. Cool completely on racks before frosting.

Here is the buttercream frosting recipe I usually use to decorate cakes:

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar and beat well on medium, scraping down side and bottom of bowl often. Add milk and continue beating until light and fluffy. Keep frosting covered until ready to use. Refrigerate leftover frosting in airtight container up to 2 weeks. Rewhip before using. Makes 3 cups

To decorate the cupcakes, I tinted portions of frosting with Wilton colors Leaf Green, Red Red, and Black. I used Wilton tip # 233 to make the grass. Since I didn't have fondant or marzipan to make the ladybugs, I used a round tip to pipe an oval shape and let it dry a few minutes. Then I could pat the frosting into the ladybug shape. Next, I added the black head and spots.

As Marcelle and I usually do when we talk about recipes, we discuss what we might do differently, add or subtract to suit our tastes. As in this case, we couldn't help but think of other frostings that would be yummy on these moist, chocolatey cupcakes. Like, say, chocolate cream cheese, or peanut butter, or mocha, or 7 minute..............you get the picture.

Happy cooking!

Nan

Glenda's Pound Cake

I have had such a great week! My sister, Marcelle, is visiting and we've had so much fun talking, laughing, and cooking together. Marie took some time off from her work so she could be with us which made it all the more fun to be together. I am so thankful for these two very special ladies!

Tuesday was Marcelle's birthday. I won't tell you how many years she celebrated because she would kill me!
Anyway, we asked her what her favorite cake is and, without giving it any thought, she said Glenda's pound cake. I'm sure she has told me who Glenda is and how she got the recipe but I have forgotten. What is memorable is this cake...so moist and delicious. Well, that was all the excuse I needed to get out the old tube pan, some butter, eggs, sugar, etc. and whip up a cake which we promptly cut and ate while it was still warm. Awesome!!!!!!!!!

So here we go.....

This is all the stuff you will need. I like to get the ingredients together or else I will leave something out.

I love my mixer! My husband gave it to me and every now and then when I am using it he will say, "I did good, didn't I?'' And I will answer, "You did VERY good!"

I, also, love this tube pan. It belonged to my mother, Dot, and is precious for that reason alone. I think I "borrowed" it from her and "forgot" to return it. I have looked for one to give Marie but cannot find one that is the quality this one is. So, no, you can't have it! It is part of Marie's inheritance.

Sift the flour, friends. It gets the lumps out. Do it before you measure unless the recipe states otherwise.

This is what a properly greased and floured tube pan looks like. I like to wrap a piece of paper towel around my fingers, dip them in some Crisco and rub the inside and tube until there is a thin coating. Then I sprinkle flour all around the tube portion then swirl to coat sides. Shake out excess flour, give the pan a good tap to remove any remaining loose flour. Now, I'm not saying my way is the only way but it's the one that works best for me.

Cream the butter, Crisco, and sugar together real good 'til it's fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time blending after each one. I crack the eggs in a small custard cup before adding because I have had to stop and fish out egg shells too many times. If you are one of those people who can crack the egg on the edge of the bowl and add in without shells then go for it.

Okay, at this point, I have all of the ingredients in and the batter is in the pan. I tap the pan on the countertop a couple of times to release air bubbles and swirl it to even the batter out. "They" say baking is a science, meaning the ingredients should be added in a specific order. I always try to follow the recipe but this I know...when putting in the dry and liquid ingredients always begin and end with the dry. So I will start with a third of the flour, then add half of the liquid, then the next third of flour, and so forth, ending with the last third of the flour.  Ready for our friend, the oven.

What a beautiful sight! I wish you could scratch and sniff. Cool in pan 10-15 minutes then turn onto plate.

With a bamboo skewer, poke holes in the top of the cake.

Pour topping over cake saving some to brush on sides of cake with a pastry brush or rubber spatula.
This topping penetrates the cake and makes it so moist! Now sit back and wait for the compliments!


Glenda's Pound Cake

2 sticks butter ( I ALWAYS use salted butter...never been a problem)
1/2 cup Crisco
3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon rum flavoring
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
3 cups of sifted all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole milk

Cream butter, Crisco, and sugar with electric mixer until creamy and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each egg. Add flavorings, salt, and baking powder. With mixer on low speed, add flour and milk beginning and ending with flour. Stop mixer to scrape down sides of bowl and continue until flour in incorporated. Pour into greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 325 F
for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven and test for doneness with skewer or cake tester.
Let cake cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Invert cake onto plate and turn back over onto another plate so cake is right side up. Poke holes in top of cake and pour on topping.

Topping:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon almond flavoring

Comine sugar and water and bring to a boil. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add almond flavoring. Pour over top of cake and brush sides of cake as described above.


Happy Cooking!
Nan

Mistake Turned Great

Good morning everybody! I am so excited to be sharing a food blog with my daughter, Marie. From the time she mentioned it, my mind has been whirling with all I would like to share with you about our love for food. And eating it is not the only good part.  Do you ever consider how much of our lives center around food? The times spent around the table sharing with family and friends make for wonderful memories.  Food expresses sympathy and comfort in times of grief and illness. It provides nourishment our bodies need for growth and strength. It is the centerpiece of celebrations and the stuff of childhood memories.

Whether I share a recipe you will want to try or one you wouldn't come close to wanting to cook, it will likely be tied to a personal memory or special person who means lot to me. Whatever comes out of this blog, I hope you enjoy it and have fun cooking!

This is going to be a fun week for me because my sister, Marcelle, is visiting. We are also soul sisters where food is concerned. When we are together, we are sharing recipes, reading each others newest cookbooks, and trying new dishes. I'll be telling you alot more about her as time goes on. Well, I was, of course, planning what we would eat last night for dinner. I wanted to do a light meal because I had cooked and served a large lunch to the family. Marie provided her special chicken salad. (She will share that with you later) I made deviled eggs and wanted to do a dip with fresh fruit. While reading Madigan Made I came across her Orange Creamsicle Summer Fruit Dip and thought that sounded great. Well, when I went to make it, I misread the ingredients and didn't realize it until it was too late. But it turned out to be a delicious mistake! I plan  to make her version another time but here is my blundered attempt. Yes, I CAN mess up a recipe with only 3 ingredients!

Fluffy Lemon Fruit Dip

1- 8oz. Whipped topping, thawed

1- 14oz. sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

Fold whipped topping into milk until smooth. Add lemon juice, mixing well. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with variety of fresh fruit, thin, crisp cookies, pound cake, and angel food cake cubes.

*Tip:  Omitting lemon juice creates a thinner dip that is too sweet. Lemon juice thickens and sets the dip.

Enjoy!
Nan