Chocolate Cream Pie

Hi Everyone!  Today's recipes is something my dad usually makes for special occasions.  He was very nice and let me make it to share with you all!  I remember when I was little, one of the reasons I was excited for a holidays was because I would get this pie.  I hope you all enjoy it!

 

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup all purpose flour

3 T. cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)

1 1/2 cups water

5 egg yolks, beaten

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 nine inch pie crust, baked

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the first six ingredients. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Whisk 1 cup hot mixture into egg yolks. Return all to the pan; bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Cool slightly. Pour warm filling into pastry shell. Cool for 1 hour. Chill until set.  Enjoy!

Yum!  This always make my mouth water!  I hope you will try it soon!

Homemade Bread

Hello!  I hope you all had a pleasant Christmas!  My Christmas went wonderfully.  Today's recipe is homemade bread!  It is delicious.  The bread is a bit time consuming, so make sure you have a day to do it.

Homemade Bread

1/2 cup warm water(not hot)

2 pkg. active dry yeast

1 3/4 cups lukewarm liquid

7 cups sifted flour

3 T. sugar

1 T. salt

2 T. softened butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 425*.

Combine warm water and yeast until yeast is dissolved.

Add 3 1/2 cups flour, and, with spoon, stir until dough falls from spoon in "sheets".  Add the remaining flour and ingredients and combine with hands until dough pulls away from bowl.  Cover, and let rest 10-15 minutes.

Knead until smooth and blistered(about 10 minutes).  Round up in a greased bowl; bring greased side up.  Cover with cloth.

Let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size(about 1 hour). 

Press two fingers into dough.  It will leave indentations when dough is doubled.  Punch down.  Let rise again until almost double(about 30 minutes).

Divide into two parts.  Round up cover; let rest 10 minutes.  Put two parts into greased 9x5x3 loaf pans.  Cover, and let rise until sides of dough reach the top of pan and center is well rounded(50 to 60 minutes).

Test gently with finger.  A slight indentation shows loaves are ready to bake.  Be careful loaves do not rise too much.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes.  To test the loaf, tap crust.  It should sound hollow.  If it does not, bake for a few more minutes.

Whew, what a recipe!  I will admit, this was a long one.  I hope you all enjoy it!

Homemade Eggnog

Hello everyone!!!  I found a recipe for eggnog!!!  I am really excited to share with you all, because I LOVE eggnog!  Eggnog is one of the things I look forward to every Christmas season.  I am going to warn you, unless you use whole milk, the eggnog will not be as thick as store eggnog.

Homemade Eggnog

1 egg, well beaten

2 Tbs. sugar

1 cup chilled whole milk

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Add all ingredients together and combine well!  Enjoy!

I am going to say once again that I love eggnog.  I hope you all enjoy the recipe!

*FOLLOW UP*  After trying this recipe at a friends house, I would suggest using FARM eggs for this recipe.  We used store eggs, and were very disappointed with the result.

Crispy Tossed Salad

This recipe is one of our family's favorites.  It is light, flavorful, and perfect for company.  I like to get the chopping and toasting done ahead of time so that I can throw everything together just before serving.  

This salad can easily serve 4-6 as a side dish, but Koko and I love it so much that we can split it between ourselves!

Crispy Tossed Salad

Dressing:

2 Tbs. rice vinegar (or white vinegar)

2 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup sunflower oil (or vegetable oil)

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Salad:

1/2 bag broccoli slaw

1 head iceberg lettuce, sliced

1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (or 1/3 cup pieces)

4 green onions, sliced

chow mein noodles (we like rice noodles, which are like           chow mein, only crispier!)

In a glass measuring cup or a small glass bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, and salt.  Microwave for 20-30 seconds; whisk.  (The goal in heating the vinegar is to dissolve the sugar and salt as much as possible when whisking.  This is not necessary, but it results in a much smoother dressing).  Add oil and pepper; whisk again to combine.  Chill.   (I usually toast the almonds and seeds to give the dressing time to set up.  It doesn't have to be cold - just cool.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine slaw and lettuce.  Just before serving, top with seeds, almonds, bacon, onions, and dressing (whisk dressing again just before adding).  Toss to combine, and serve immediately topped with rice or chow mein noodles.

Just as a warning, this salad DOES NOT keep well overnight unless you serve/store the dressing separately.  If you refrigerate the dressed leftovers, you will end up with a watery, undesirable mess.  Thankfully, it is so good that there is ALWAYS a willing volunteer to finish it off right away!

Delicious Peanut Butter Fudge

Merry Christmas everyone! :) For this recipe, I am posting a classic treat for our family at Christmastime. Since Koko posted traditional fudge last week, I thought it would be cool to post peanut butter fudge for this one! I hope you guys make this and enjoy it as much as I did! Happy eating! :) 

                                         Delicious Peanut Butter Fudge

                      1 2/3 cups creamy peanut butter
                      2/3 cup evaporated milk
                      1 jar (7.5 ounces) marshmallow cream
                      3 cups sugar
                      1 tsp. vanilla extract
                      1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
                     
Prepare  a 9x13 pan by lining it with wax paper. 
Spray a heavy saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. 
In your saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and milk, and heat until it comes to a rolling boil. Reduce to a lower heat and add the peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and vanilla extract. Continue to stir until everything is well combined and the mixture is smooth. 
Pour the mixture into your 9x13 pan and cool in the refrigerator until set. Cut into little squares and enjoy! 
I hope you all liked this recipe! 
I will not be posting next week, since it is Christmas. I hope you all have a great holiday! :) 

~Nutmeg

A Happy Fail

Making today's recipe was a fun trip down memory lane, but it was pretty much a "FAIL".  When I was growing up, it was always a treat when Mom made cinnamon rolls.  They were the crumbly Bisquick kind that were more sweet biscuits than the ooey, gooey rolls that we are used to now.  I found a recipe very similar to the ones Mom used to make while paging through my vintage Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook this morning.  I forgot all about the quick bread recipe I was looking for and set to work making a variation of these rolls for the family.  I wanted something a little orangey, but I probably should have decided between the orange and the cinnamon.

Now don't get me wrong - these were okay.  No one complained.  Next time, however, I would skip the sticky mess and just make a crumbly cinnamon coffee cake!  Maybe that can be another post....

Orange Spice Swirls

2 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

6 Tbs. shortening (or coconut oil)

grated rind of 1 orange

1/3 cup orange juice, plus extra for sugar cubes

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

4 Tbs. softened butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

sugar cubes, halved

Preheat oven to 425*F.  In a blender (blenders are great for making biscuit dough smooth!), blend together flour, powder, salt, and shortening until mixture is all the same and shortening is well incorporated.  

In a medium bowl, combine rind, milk, juice, and vanilla; stir briefly.  Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring to make a soft dough.  Round up lightly on a well floured surface.  Knead lightly, about 30 seconds.  Roll or pat out to a rectangle about 1/4" thick.  Spread with softened butter.  In a small bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon.  Sprinkle mixture evenly over buttered dough.  Roll up tightly, as for a jelly roll, starting at the wide side.  

Cut roll into one inch slices.  Place cut side down on a greased baking sheet or in muffin cups.  Before baking, top each slice with half a sugar cube dipped in orange juice.  Bake for about 15 minutes.

Fantastic Fudge

When my mom was my age, my grandmother used to give out fudge to friends and neighbors for Christmas.  She would make individual tins and wrap them for teacher and service gifts as well.  Over the years she made many different varieties, but this was her go-to recipe for classic chocolate fudge.  It cooks very quickly, so you can make many batches in an afternoon.

Candy making of any kind can be a bit tricky, so don't get frustrated if it doesn't turn out perfect the first time.  My mom ruined 3 batches before she finally got the hang of it, but that is another story!

Grandma's Christmas Fudge

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup butter, plus extra for greasing pan

1 (5oz.) can evaporated milk

1 (7oz.) jar marshmallow fluff

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1 (12oz.) package chocolate chips

Generously grease a 9 inch square pan or dish*; set aside.  In a large saucepan, combine sugar, butter, milk, fluff, and salt.  Bring mixture to a soft boil over medium heat, stirring for 5 minutes.   You will notice traces of caramel color when stirring. This should bring the candy to the soft ball stage (235-245 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer).  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and then vanilla, stirring only until combined. (Over handling will change the texture of your fudge!).  Pour into prepared pan before it begins to cool.

*Note:  If you are making small tins to give out, you can pour directly into tins when ready.

If you want to decorate the top of your fudge right after it has been poured in the pan/tin,  you can top it with m&ms, nuts, or sprinkles! 

Ranch and Cheese Bean Dip with Homemade Chips

Hello everyone! As I was trying to figure out a recipe to post on the blog, I had the idea to make a bean dip with some homemade tortilla chips. I mixed together some things and came up with this amazing and very simple bean dip! This would make a good snack for when you have company. I hope you like it as much as my siblings and I did! Happy Eating! :) 

      Ranch and Cheese Bean Dip with Homemade Chips

          Bean Dip:
                       1 can of refried beans (12 oz.)
                       2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
                       1/2 package spicy ranch dressing mix

          Chips:
                      1 package small corn tortillas
                      oil, for frying

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the beans, cheese and dressing mix until the cheese is melted and the mixture is warm. 
Heat up some oil in a large pan, and cut the tortillas into quarters with a pizza slicer. Fry them in the oil until browned on both sides and crispy. 
Serve with the bean dip and enjoy! Yummy! 
                 
~Nutmeg
                                                                               

Luscious Lemon Bars

Hello!  Today's recipe is one of my favorites.  I LOVE lemon - lemon anything, in fact!  I was looking through cook books last night to find a recipe, and stumbled across one of my favorite cookbooks from when I was younger.  The book is a children's alphabet cookbook published by Gold Medal Flour.  Lemon Bars was listed under the L.  That is the recipe I am going to give you!

Lemon Bars

Crust:

1 cup Gold Medal all purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel/ lemon extract

2 T. of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*.

Combine flour, butter and powdered sugar.  Press evenly into an ungreased  8x8 baking dish.  Press about 5/8 of an inch up the sides.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Beat remaining ingredient on medium until light and fluffy.  Pour over hot crust and bake for 25 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched lightly in the center.  Cool and cut.  Enjoy!

I have probably eaten about a quarter of the pan myself!  I hope you all have more will power than I do!

Mashed Potatoes

Hello!  While my aunt and uncle from Canada were visiting for Thanksgiving, my aunt made some wonderful mashed potatoes.  She made them for Thanksgiving in fact!  The potatoes have skins in them, and in my opinion, that is the best way to have mashed potatoes.  They were really delicious, so I thought I should share them with you all!

Mashed Potatoes

6 med. red potatoes

2 T. butter

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon garlic salt

2/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup green onions (optional)

Directions

Remove potato eyes.  Cube and boil until soft.  Drain.  Mash with butter, milk, garlic salt, and sour cream until light and fluffy.  Sprinkle green onions on top for garnish.  Enjoy!

These potatoes are really delicious!  I hope you all enjoy the recipe! 

Eggnog Latte

Hello there! Because it is now December, I thought I would do a Christmasy kind of recipe. What says "Christmas" more than eggnog? I made this delicious eggnog latte the other day, and it was so good I thought I would share the recipe with you! I hope you enjoy this delicious drink! Happy Eating! :) 

                                     Eggnog Latte

            For the latte:
                           3/4 cup hot coffee 
                           1/3 third cup eggnog
                           sugar, to taste
  
            For the whipped cream:
                           1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
                           sugar, to taste
                           nutmeg, for sprinkling


Pour the hot coffee into a mug or cup of your choice. (I found this adorable Christmas glass, and it looked perfect for a latte.) 
Heat up the eggnog in a microwave safe bowl or cup for about 30-40 seconds, or until it's warm. Mix the eggnog and the coffee together and add sugar until it is as sweet as you like it. 
I decided to put whipped cream on this hot latte as well, simply because I liked the taste of it last time. Pour the whipping cream into a blender cup and add the sugar. Using a hand blender, whip it unit it is the texture you like. Carefully spoon it onto the coffee/eggnog mixture, and sprinkle nutmeg on it if you wish. Yum! 
I hope you liked this Christmas recipe! I will hopefully be posting more in the weeks leading up to Christmas! 

~Nutmeg

Christmas Cut Outs

Hello Everyone!   I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Now that we are in the month of December, I thought I would do a Christmassy recipe.  These are cut out cookies, and perfect for decorating!  They are also a hit with the kids!  We made these with my family while they were visiting for the holiday.  The original recipe for these cookies comes from my Dad's side of the family.  My Grandma used to make dozens and dozens of different cookies to enjoy throughout the month of December.  I am happy to share this one recipe with you all!

Christmas Cut Outs

2 cups softened butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

4 T. orange juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
decorations of your choice

Directions

Preheat oven to 400*.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.  Pour vanilla and orange juice in and combine well.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder; add to wet ingredients.  Combine well.  Divide dough into two rounds.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate  for 1-2 hours.

Working with one half of dough at a time, remove from plastic wrap onto a well floured surface.  Roll dough out to 1/8-1/4".  Cut with cookie cutters into desired shapes.  (If you want to decorate with sprinkles, now would be the time to do it.)

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake on the center rack of oven for 6 to 10 minutes , or until just golden brown on the edges. (Cool if you want to decorate with frosting.)  Cool on wire rack.  Enjoy!  (Munch, munch, munch.)

I hope you all decorate these with your families!  After you finish, comment and show us a picture!

Delicious Cranberry Sauce Parfait

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I thought for this post I would do a Thanksgiving dish. I don't know about you, but I really like cranberry sauce. I know someone who made something very similar to this every Thanksgiving, and I always looked forward to it. I made my own version of it, and, although it doesn't taste the same as hers, it is still very yummy. 
I hope you enjoy it! Happy Eating! :)

                         Delicious Cranberry Sauce Parfait

Cranberry sauce: 
                        1 cup of water
                        1 cup sugar
                        4 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen) 

Whipped cream:
                        2 cups heavy whipping cream
                        4 tablespoons sugar
          
                        chopped pecans, optional


Wash the cranberries, and make sure there aren't any bad ones. 
In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat and add the cranberries. Let them simmer for about 10 minutes, or until they have burst, forming a kind of jelly. 
Remove from the heat and allow it to cool at room temperature, then place it in the refrigerator. 
Combine the whipping cream and the sugar in a blender cup, then, using a hand blender, whip it until it is thick. 
You can make several single serve bowls, or you can make one big one. Put a spoonful of cranberry sauce into the bottom of the bowl, then spoon whipped cream on top of that, until you have as many layers as you like. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream, and, if you want, you can sprinkle some chopped pecans on top. Yummy! 
I hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving! :)

  ~Nutmeg             

Chocolate Orange Mug Cake

Hello everyone!  I apologize that today's blog article is so late.  We have family in for the holidays, and I was a bit distracted!  Today's recipe is another mug cake.  Have you ever had a chocolate orange at Christmas time?  They come wrapped in orange foil.  You smack them against a hard surface before you unwrap them, and they break into segments.  They are SO delicious!  

Also, I wanted to let you know that I will not be posting the Friday after Thanksgiving.  I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration!

Chocolate Orange Mug Cake

1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T. brown sugar

a few drops vanilla extract

a few drops orange extract

1/4 cup milk

Directions

Throw it all in a mug and mix it until just combined.  Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds.  Enjoy!

My extended family from Canada really enjoyed it!  I only had a small amount left to taste myself!

Sautéed Sugar Snap Peas

Hello everyone!  I'm back!  Today's recipe is pretty healthy.  It is a delicious way to saute sugar snap peas.  This is a little off topic, but can you all leave a comment for what you are most thankful for?  Thanksgiving is coming up, and I thought we could all share at least one thing.  I am thankful for my loving family, who often helps me with this blog.  This activity will continue for the rest of the days leading up to thanksgiving.

Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas

1 lb. sugar snap peas

1 small yellow onion

2 T. sunflower oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Dice onion.  String peas.

Pour sunflower oil into a large skillet.  Add onions.  Saute on medium heat until softened slightly.   Add peas.  Continue to saute until onions turn golden in color.  Season with salt and garlic powder.  Combine well.  Take off heat.  Enjoy!!!

I hope you all enjoy these sugar snap peas as much as my mom did!  She ate the leftovers from them for lunch today!  

Four-layer Chocolate Sprinkle Cake

Hello, everyone! You know last week I said it was Koko's birthday? Well, I wanted to post the recipe for the cake she requested, but we were hosting a surprise party, and I didn't want her to know when it was. I ended up waiting until this week to post it. The picture isn't the greatest, but it was the best one I had. 
Anyways, here is the recipe! The original recipe can be found here. I did a few different things with it, as you will see, but I was very pleased with the way it turned out, seeing how complicated it was. I also had the help of a good friend for putting on the sprinkles and icing. You may be thinking "That's wayyy too much sprinkles!" It is very complicated and time consuming, but very worth it! I made the cakes the day before and froze them overnight, and I made the icing that morning. It took us 2-3 hours to do after that. Koko was happy with it, and I was very relieved, needless to say! :)  
 I hope you try this recipe! Happy Eating! (or, should I say, Happy Sprinkling!) :) 

                                                               

                  

                     Four-layer Chocolate Sprinkle Cake 

For the cake:
                  2 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
                  3 cups sugar
                  1 cup + 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
                  1 tablespoon baking soda
                  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
                  1 teaspoon salt
                  3 eggs
                  1 1/2 cups buttermilk 
                  1 1/2 cups hot black coffee
                  1/2 cup vegetable oil
                  1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

For the Whipped Birthday Cake Filling:
                  3 tablespoons cold water
                  1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
                  2 cups heavy whipping cream
                  1/2 cup powdered sugar
                  1 heaping tablespoon white cake mix
                  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Icing:
                  1 lb. butter (4 sticks) at room temperature
                  4 cups powdered sugar
                  3/4 cup chocolate Ovaltine 
                  1 tablespoon vanilla extract
                  8 oz. Ghirardelli chocolate, melted and cooled (I used 60% cacao bittersweet) 
                  1/2 heavy whipping cream
              
You will also need:
                  lots and lots of sprinkles! 

Instructions for the cake: 
Preheat the oven to 350*. Prepare four 9-inch circle cake pans by greasing, lining with parchment paper, greasing the paper, then flouring. (I used vegetable shortening to grease it.) 
In the bowl for your electric mixer, sift all of the dry ingredients, including the sugar. 
Combine the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla and whisk well. 
Gradually add this mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix on medium speed until well combined. Divide it evenly among the four pans. The batter will be thin. 
Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Let them sit in the pans for 10 minutes, then place them on cooling racks until fully cooled. If you want to freeze them, you can find instructions here.

Filling: 
Place a stainless steel bowl and hand mixer whisk attachment in the freezer to chill.
Measure the water into a small bowl, then sprinkle it with the gelatin. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. 
Meanwhile, heat up the heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan until it is simmering. (do not let it boil!) Mix it with the gelatin mixture and put it in the refrigerator, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes. (It should be cool but not set.) 
Mix together the powdered sugar and cake mix in a small bowl and set aside. 
Pull your chilled bowl and whisk out of the freezer and beat the whipping cream, powdered sugar/cake mix, and vanilla until it thickens slightly and begins to form soft peaks. 
Gradually add in the gelatin mixture and beat it until it forms medium/firm peaks. (Thick enough to spread, but not so thick that it will pull of pieces of cake) Cover it and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. (I thought it tasted like vanilla ice cream) 

Icing:
In a mixer, combine the powdered sugar and butter until well combined. 
Add in the Ovaltine and vanilla and beat on low until well combined. Add the melted chocolate and beat it until smooth.
Add in the whipping cream and beat on medium speed until spreading texture. 

Assembly: 
On your cake stand or cake board, spread a spoon of icing onto the bottom as a kind of "glue" so the cake doesn't slide off.
At this point, if you haven't already, you will want to level your cakes. Most people cut their cakes to level them, which you can find out how to do here, OR you could do it a different way right as they come out of the oven, and you can find out how to do that here.
Spread a pretty generous layer of the filling on top of it, then sprinkle some sprinkles on that. Repeat this step until you get to the fourth layer, which you will place bottom side up (because this side is the flattest) 
Put a crumb coat on the cake and place it in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, or until it is dried.
Once the crumb coat is dried, take your cake out of the refrigerator and apply the final layer of icing. This can be as thick as you want, but make sure you leave enough for the border. 
Using your sprinkles, carefully put sprinkles going up the side of the cake as far up as you want. What my friend and I did was we got a spoonful of sprinkles and, starting as high up as we were going to go with them, slowly poured it onto the cake. We still had some fall off, but for the most part, they stuck as they fell. This is another way to do it, and it has you just using your hands to press them on. You can find the way that works best for you and go with that! (Whatever you do, do NOT roll the cake in the sprinkles! It will fall to pieces and you will have a huge chocolate mess on your hands.) 
 Put the sprinkles all around the bottom half of the cake, lightly pressing them into the icing so they don't fall off. 
Use a size 1M icing tip, pipe a shell border around the edge of the cake. Be careful that your icing does not get too warm or it will goo...I accidentally messed up part of my border because of that. If it does start to get warm, you can put it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to cool down a little. (Just don't put it in for too long or it won't come out!) 
Sprinkle more sprinkles on the top of the cake, making sure they stay inside the border. 
Place the cake in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. 
It is definitely a long, complicated recipe, but it is soo yummy and totally worth it! 
I hope you like it! Enjoy! :)