Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Easter desserts

Hiya Folks! Hope everyone had a blessed Easter. This Easter has been the richest of my life. Reading the Bible story to my children this year opened my eyes and my soul just a little more. I am being saved through my child-bearing, and it makes me feel excited and tingly all over. I wanted to share the recipes from our Easter lunch. Well, really just the dessert recipes because of my identifying with the children and all, I'm feeling like that was the most important part of the meal.

Here is the super delicious cake my sister made, Put the Lime in the Coconut Cake.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/put-the-lime-in-the-coconut-cake-recipe.html
These are her tips:
1. Most recipes call for waaaayyyyy too much sugar. I usually use less. The cake calls for 2 cups sugar. I used 1 1/2. The glaze calls for 1 cup sugar. I used 3/4 cup. You could probably do 1/2 cup and not be able to tell.
2. The frosting calls for 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening. I don't use shortening much, so I used 3/4 cup butter. I used less fat than it called for because so much butter may have made the icing slide off the cake in warm weather.

3. Topping cake with white coconut gives you a pretty white cake, but for a splash of color, toast the coconut first. You can toast on a cookie sheet in the oven or on the stove top. I used the stove top method. Stir the coconut constantly over medium high heat to prevent burning. Toast until it reaches desired color. 


Make it for your next get-together. Your family will thank you.

The dessert I made, Creme Egg Brownies, appealed to me right away because of my weakness for the yearly one or two Cadbury Creme Eggs that I look forward to at Easter time.

 

The recipe is pretty flawless: http://themerrythought.com/recipes/creme-egg-brownies/
Make this. You will experience an instant rise in popularity. 

He is Risen!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

ahh...summer

I'm not really a big fan of most mixed drinks, but am partial to this one. You must try it. I don't have a name for it though....hmmm....it's classy, cool, smooth, fun...How about

The Cary Grant
makes 2

2 tablespoons chilled whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup-6 tablespoons vodka
1/4 cup triple sec
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 small mint sprigs (for the garnish)

Shake all ingredients (except mint) together in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, and when you shake- wake it up! don't rock it to sleep. Pour into 2 glasses and garnish with a mint sprig each. Drink up.
(Note: Candied ginger in place of the mint would be worth a try.)

A reporter in search of information wired Grant's agent:  "HOW OLD CARY GRANT?" Grant happened to read the message himself, and wired back  "OLD CARY GRANT FINE. HOW YOU?"

Monday, April 18, 2011

My Very Favorite Chocolate Mint Brownie Cake


Ahhhh...the perfect marriage of chocolate and mint.
My mom used to make these while I was growing up and they quickly became my favorite. She found the recipe in one of her standby cookbooks, The Cotton Country Collection. Interesting name, I know. I usually omit the food coloring. There could not be an easier recipe for the result and it is so versatile. Cut it into bite-size squares for a party, eat it right out of the pan with a spoon (not that I've ever been guilty of that), or cut into diamonds and place on a chocolate drizzled plate for something stunning.

My Very Favorite Chocolate Mint Brownie Cake

Brownie:
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
1/2 cup flour

Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)

Glaze:
2 squares unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate
2 Tablespoons butter

To make brownie, melt 2 squares unsweetened chocolate and 1/2 cup butter together. In another bowl beat eggs and sugar together. Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture and mix together. Add remaining brownie ingredients. Bake in a 8 or 9 inch square pan at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (Note: They should still be glossy and moist, but not too jiggly. Don't over bake or they will be dry.) Cool brownies in pan. Meanwhile, mix frosting ingredients together. Spread over brownies. Chill. For the glaze, melt the chocolate and butter together. Stir to combine and pour/spread over frosted brownies. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired & enjoy!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Ode to the Mustard Green



We have the most stunning mustard greens in our garden. What's more the flavor will knock your socks off! These greens are like nothing I've ever bought at the grocery. Chartreuse, luscious in the looks department, and in the taste department possessing the devilry of horseradish and wasabi. The following recipe is our favorite way to eat them (so far). Anyone who wants some let me know.



Potato, Greens, and Goat Cheese Quesadillas
1 1/3 cups (about 2 medium) cubed potato (Yukon Gold is good), cooked till tender
2-3 teaspoons chili powder
5 to 6 ounces coarsely grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/3 cups jarred salsa verde
4-5 cups coarsely chopped stemmed mustard greens, divided
10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
3-4 ounces chilled fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
Butter

Preheat
oven to 425. Place cooked potato in large bowl; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Toss to coat. Cool potatoes. Mix in Jack cheese. Meanwhile, blend salsa and 2/3 cup (packed) greens in mini processor until greens are finely chopped.

Arrange 5 tortillas on large baking sheet. Butter one side of each tortilla. Place buttered side down on baking sheet. Divide remaining greens between bottom half of each. Top greens with potato mixture, then goat cheese and 2 tablespoons salsa mixture for each. Top w/ remaining 5 tortillas over filling, pressing gently. Brush top with butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 7-10 minutes each side. Cut each quesadilla into quarters. Serve with remaining salsa. No need to serve them with anything else, except perhaps a nice Red. (The original idea for this recipe came from bon appetit.)

Another great way to eat mustard greens is in sandwiches. The one I made last night contained (along with mustard greens) blue cheese, bacon, caramelized purple onion, and a bit of mayo.