Heartwarming Chili

Mac's mama's recipe... We made this to go on the hot dogs at the Wade's housewarming party, but it's great in a bowl with cheddar cheese and cornbread with it, too!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. kidney beans (soaked overnight with pinto beans)

2 c. pinto beans

1 lg. onion, diced

1 lg. green pepper, diced

1 lb. ground beef

32 oz. ketchup (whole bottle)

(about 28 oz) lg. can whole peeled tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

3 whole cloves

1 bay leaf (or 2 little ones)

1-2 T. chili powder

Drain the beans that have been soaked overnight and recover with water. Boil beans for a few minutes, drain again, then soak again while you brown the meat. Add all the ingredients to the beans pot and simmer!

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Hot Dog Central

The lovely Mrs. Wade and her hubby bought a house last month! We were able to go up and celebrate with them and help out with the housewarming party. So creatively simple, she had a hot dog dinner, creating stations for 4 major city hot dogs. I thought it was a great idea, even if hot dogs aren't very healthy. There were some great sides to go along with the hot dogs and when I get the recipes from her, I'll be sure to share!

Melted Swiss Cheese & Sauerkraut

Onions Stewed in Tomato Paste with Brown Mustard

Coleslaw

Chili, Cheese, and Onions

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Quick & Rich Vanilla Frosting

See the Devil's Food Cake for a photo of this frosting. It's amazing. I will never make another cake-frosting recipe again. Period.

Ingredients:
2 T. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Direction:

Stir the cream, vanilla, and salt together in a small bowl until the salt dissolves. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 30-60 seconds. Reduce the speed to medium-low, slowly add the powdered sugar, and beat until smooth, 2-5 minutes. Beat in the cream mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture in light and fluffy, 4-8 minutes.

There's some sweet variations listed in the ATK cookbook, too. If you want the recipe for Dark Chocolate, Coffee, Peppermint, Orange, or Peanut Butter frosting, just comment and I'll add them!

Frosting a Cake...

This may seem silly, but it was really helpful for me to follow when frosting the birthday cake.

1. Dollop a small amount of the frosting in the center of a platter or cake stand to help anchor the bottom layer of the cake to the plate and prevent it from sliding.
2. Lay the first layer in the center of the platter and cover the exposed platter with strips of parchment paper to help keep it clean.
3. Gently brush away any large cake crumbs, then dollop about 1 cup of frosting in the center of the cake. Spread into an even layer right to the edge. A thin, offset metal spatula works really well but I used a butter knife since I didn't have one.
4. Lay the second layer on top, making sure the layers are aligned. Brush away any large crumbs, dollop another cup of frosting in the center, and spread out and slightly over the very edge.
5. Gather a few tablespoons of frosting onto the tip of the spatula, then gently smear it onto the side of the cake. Use gentle motions and don't press too hard or you'll get crumbs in the frosting. Clean off the spatula with paper towels as needed and repeat all the way around the cake. It's okay if this layer isn't smooth.
6. After you've frosted the sides, gently run the edge of the spatula around the sides to smooth out any bumps and the area where the frosting from the top and sides meet. Don't remove the paper strips until you are completely done decorating.

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Devil's Food Cake

Mac shares a birthday with Tana from our house church, so we made a Devil's Food Cake to share with everyone. It was light, fluffy, moist, and absolutely decadent! Couple of things.. the recipe calls for 4 cups of frosting and 3 8" cake rounds. I only had 2 9" pans and used the regular size recipe of frosting... it worked great.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. boiling water
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 c. Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tsp. instant espresso/coffee
10 T. (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 c. sour cream (I used light sour cream)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat three 8" cake pans with vegetable oil and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the boiling water, chocolate, cocoa powder, and instant espresso together until smooth.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla.
Reduce the speed to low and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture. beat in 1/2 of the chocolate mixture. Repeat with 1/2 of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining chocolate mixture, and finally the remaining flour mixture. Give the batter a final stir using a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined. Divide the batter EVENLY among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cakes comes our with a few crumbs attached, 15-20 minutes, rotating and switching the pans halfway through baking.
Let the cakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes (VERY important). Run a paring knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen, then flip out onto the racks. Peel off the parchment paper, flip the cakes upright and let cool completely before frosting, 1-2 hours. It's really, REALLY important to let the cake cool all the way. Seriously, walk away and watch a movie or something... you'll drive yourself crazy if you watch it cool.

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Grama's Pie Crust

No pie crust is as a good as Grama Kay's... you can try and compare it with others, even Martha Stewart's and Test Kitchen's, and she still wins!

Ingredients:
2 c. sifted flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. shortening
5-7 T. ice water

Directions:
Mix together flour and salt. Cut in half the shortening at a time. Add water and mix with a fork. Knead the dough until it sticks together. Part dough in half to make two shells. Roll out dough with flour. Put in pie plate and add filling.

For the French Silk Pie, you need to bake the crust first. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line the pie crust with a double layer of foil and fill it with pie weights (I use pennies). Bake until light golden brown, about 25 minutes.

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French Silk Pie

We went on a married-date to Border's to look at cookbooks last week and while flipping through one of the Test Kitchen publications, Mac came across a picture of this recipe. His jaw dropped open and he said, "I want THAT for my birthday!" Well of course we didn't buy the cookbook, so I went on a hunt to find this particular recipe... lucky for Mac, lucky for me, and lucky for you, I found it!

This recipe is pretty labor-intensive. You really need to pay attention to what you're doing (which I don't normally do; I'm a multi-tasker), and you need to be ready to spend some time nurturing it. Let me tell you though, it's worth all the time, effort, and calories in the end!

You will need a fully baked pie shell for this recipe... I'll give you Grama's untouchable crust recipe following this one. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream , chilled
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate , melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened
1 (9-inch) pie shell , baked and cooled

Directions:
Whip cream with electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip cream to stiff peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer whipped cream to small bowl and refrigerate.
Combine eggs, sugar, and water in large heatproof bowl set over medium saucepan filled with ½ inch barely simmering water (don’t let bowl touch water). With electric mixer on medium speed, beat until egg mixture is thickened and registers 160 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes (it actually took us about 15 minutes to get to 160). (Beating the eggs and sugar together in a double boiler incorporates air and gives the filling a light texture).Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat egg mixture until fluffy and cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.
Add chocolate and vanilla to cool egg mixture and beat until incorporated. Beat in butter, a few pieces at a time, until well combined. Using spatula, fold in whipped cream until no streaks of white remain. Scrape filling into pie shell and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours (I made it the night before his birthday).

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Baking Overload!!

It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe, but let me tell you it's not due to lack of cooking! With Mac's birthday this week, I have a whole bunch of new recipes to add here, and then I'm going to take a short sabbatical from labor/time-intensive recipes. So get ready, here they come:

* French Silk Pie
* Grama's Pie Crust
* Devil's Food Cake
* Butter Cream Frosting
* Chili
* Cinnamon Rolls
* Pancakes
* Hot Dog Central

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Southern Pecan Pie

House Church potluck this week was themed "Southern Cooking." I had no idea what to make, so I thought of the Zac Brown Band song "Chicken Fried" and decided to make Pecan Pie! It was my first attempt and my first time eating it... thought it was pretty delicious if I do say so myself! Oh, and like all my faves, this is from Test Kitchen. Next time I'm going to try the Maple Pecan Pie version to reduce the sugar and butter and eliminate the corn syrup

Ingredients:
1 pie crust (I'll try and get Grama's famous crust loaded, but no promises on when), unbaked

6 T. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
3/4 c. light corn syrup
1 T. vanilla extract
2 c. pecans, toasted and chopped coarse

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the crust with double layer of foil and fill with pie weights (or pennies). Bake until the pie dough looks dry and is light in color, 25-30 minutes. Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and remove the weights and foil. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees. Keep the crust warm.
Melt the butter in a heatproof bowl set in a skillet of water maintained at just below a simmer. Remove the bowl from the skillet and stir in the sugar and salt until the butter is absorbed. Whisk in the eggs, then the corn syrup and vanilla until smooth. Return the bowl to the hot water and stir until the mixture is shiny, hot to the touch, and measures 130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Off the heat, stir in the pecans.
Pour the pecan mixture into the warm pie crust. Bake the pie until the filling looks set but yield like Jell-O when gently pressed with the back of a spoon, 50-60 minutes. Let the pie cool on a wire rack until the filling has firmed up, about 2 hours; serve warm or at room temp.

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Hot Fudge Sauce

Mind if I just eat it by the spoonful? Yes, please! Sorry the picture is so bright; Lochmead Vanilla ice cream, while very edible, isn't very photogenic. Hot Fudge Sauce, a natural model and devourable (yes, I just made up a word)! This recipe is from a Crate & Barrel cookbook I got for Christmas from the lovely Mrs. Wade.

Ingredients:
2/3 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. light brown sugar (do NOT substitute dark brown)
1/4 c. superfine sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa, sifted (do NOT substitute chocolate bar)
3 T. unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Directions:
Put the cream, light brown sugar, superfine sugar ,and cocoa in a saucepan. Gradually bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Stir in the butter, vanilla extract and salt. Serve warm.

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Spinach-Artichoke Pasta Bake

yum yuM yUM YUM!!! We had the Dorfner's over for dinner on Sunday, and this was our main dish... and it was amazing. It's the one of four leftover dishes that I'm actually excited about eating all week long. Next time, I will add chicken into the dish (we had it on the side).

Ingredients:
about 12 oz. whole-wheat pasta (short, sturdy)
1 - 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and cut into quarters (I cut each quarter in half)
9 oz. frozen creamed spinach (I used 14 oz. Trader Joe's creamed spinach w/ asiago & parmesan cheese)
2 c. mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain and return to warm pot. Stir in artichokes, spinach, parmesan, 1/4 tsp. pepper and half of the mozzarella. Pour into a 2-quart baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, then turn the oven to Broil and leave in the oven until cheese is brown and bubbly (about 2 minutes).

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German Apple Pancake

America's Test Kitchen recipe... I would recommend using Braeburn Apples, not Pink Lady (like we did). Nonetheless yummy! Also, when I say to "dust with powdered sugar, if desired", I mean DUST HEAVILY WITH POWDERED SUGAR, even if undesired. A large shower of powdered sugar is a must. Don't skimp.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. white sugar
1/2 t. salt
2/3 c. half-and-half
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 T. unsalted butter
3-4 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the half-and-half, eggs, and vanilla together. Whisk the half-and-half mixture into the flour mixture until smooth with no lumps.
Melt the butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add in apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring often, until the apples are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
Quickly pour the batter around the edge of the skillet, then over the apples. Place the skillet in the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake until the pancakes i brown and has risen above the edges of the skillet, about 18 minutes.
Loosen the edges from the hot skillet with a spatula (don't forget to use an oven mitt to get the pan out!), and flip the pancake onto a large plate or serving platter. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, (DO IT!), cut into wedges, and serve immediately.

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Creamed Potato Soup

We really enjoyed this soup, although it's fairly heavy... recipe from Passionate Homemaking Delicious served with homemade bread!

Ingredients:
5 medium russet potatoes
1 large onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 lb sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled (save bacon grease for sauteing)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
4-5 kale leaves, chopped, more or less as desired

Directions:
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Scrub the potatoes, pat dry, and pierce several times with a fork. Set them directly on the oven rack and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a cooling rack. If you don't have an hour (like me, just microwave them... for 5 potatoes, I put them in for 18 minutes).
Combine reserved bacon grease, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Add the chicken broth to the onion mixture.
Cut the cooled potatoes in 1/2 inch cubes. Remove peel on one or two of that potatoes. Set aside one cup of diced potatoes. Throw the remaining potatoes into the pot with the onions.
Puree the contents of the pot in batches in a blender until very smooth. (remember that hot things expand in the blender, so don't fill it more than halfway). Return the soup to the pot and reheat over medium low.
Whisk together the milk and sour cream and then whisk this into the soup, along with the reserved 1 cup potatoes, cheese, and bacon. Add chopped kale and allow to simmer for 10 minutes or so. Season more with salt and pepper as desired.
Serve garnished with cheese, bacon bits, or green onions, as desired.

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Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

Inspiration for the chocolate-dip came from a co-worker who shares my love for chocolate and peanut butter combos. The cookie recipe is slightly changed from the wonderful Mrs. Wade. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. Adam's crunchy peanut butter
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. salt
1/2 c. baking soda
approximately 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (i'm not really sure on this amount yet)

Directions:
Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla extract, then add peanut butter and continue to beat until well-creamed. Add in flour, salt, and baking soda and mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls on ungreased baking sheets, then press each cookie with a fork (twice to make the criss-cross pattern). Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cookies are cool, melt chocolate chips in the microwave. This is where you'll have to eyeball it... I used a little over 1/4 c. of chocolate chips and that 1/2 covered 6 cookies. For the whole batch, you'll probably need a cup of chocolate chips. I microwaved for 1 minute, stirring at 30 seconds and then at the end. Then, dip the cookie halfway in the chocolate and use a knife or spoon to spread evenly. Place on wax paper and let set. Then eat... with milk!

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Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

These would have been perfect had I used all the exact ingredients, prepped the potatoes as instructed, and cooked the full time. Do as I say, not as I do, and follow the recipe from RealSimple!

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes (1 pound), peeled
2 medium russet potatoes (1 pound), peeled
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
Salt and Pepper
2 1/2 c. heavy cream
Butter (for the foil)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor fitted with the thinnest (2 mm) slicing disk, slice the potatoes. In a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish, toss the potatoes, garlic, thyme, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add the cream and press gently to submerge the potatoes.
Cover the dish with buttered foil, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

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Favorite Pancakes

Do you know what my favorite thing is? Enjoying a delicious recipe that is ridiculously healthy! Enter, new favorite pancakes.


Ingredients:
1 c. whole-wheat flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. wheat bran (you can also crush up some bran cereal - it works the same)
3 T. flax seed
3 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
2 c. buttermilk
1 egg
1 t. vanilla extract
(and next time I'll consider 1-2 t. cinnamon)

Directions:
Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the egg and vanilla to the buttermilk and beat until smooth. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture. Stir just until mixed, leaving some lumps. Cover and let sit for about 10 minutes (or you can put it in the fridge overnight and make it the next morning). Heat a skillet over medium heat (we used our electric griddle set at 400 degrees), grease with butter and then add 1/4 c. of batter for each pancake. Flip when bubbly, remove when golden brown. Serve with berries, applesauce, or grade B maple syrup.

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Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Mac made these today for dessert with friends' and everyone loved them - even me, who doesn't like cheesecake! So yummy... not healthy, but next time I will adapt the recipe a bit to increase the health factor.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. miniature chocolate chips
3/4 c. chopped pecans

Filling:

2 pkgs (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture until blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.
Set aside a third of the dough for topping. Press remaining dough into a greased 13x9" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Spoon over crust.
Drop teaspoonfuls of reserved dough over filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

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