Frozen Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp sugar
1 envelope mint hot chocolate mix
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup mint chocolate chips
1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
4 cups ice
Whipped cream (optional garnish)

Preparation:
Add the sugar, hot chocolate mix, and butter to a double boiler. Stir to combine and then add the chocolate chips. When the chips are melted, stir in 9 ounces of the evaporated milk. Let the mixture cool.

Combine the cooled chocolate mixture, remaining evaporated milk, and ice in a blender. Blend, pour into glasses, and garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

 

Cherry Dump Cake

I was asked today for my Dump Cake recipe. I’ve seen all kinds of variations, from blackberry to blueberry and even peach, I even have an old friend Maxine’s on the blog, only because she loves rhubarb. Me, I actually prefer the plain old cobbler that every woman from church makes. I’ve eaten it for as long as I can remember; it’s just to easy to make. So here it is, hope you all enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS:
1 (20 ounces) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 (21 ounces) can prepared more fruit cherry pie filling
1 (18.25 ounces) box yellow or white cake mix
2 sticks (1 cup or 16 Tablespoons) of butter or margarine, each cut into 12 slices
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans or walnuts, but you can use your favorite)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 for glass baking dish).
Dump undrained pineapple into a 9x13x2 baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Using a spoon, dump globs of cherry pie filling evenly on top of the pineapple.
Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the cherry and pineapple layers.
Cut butter into slices with a butter knife and place slices evenly over cake mix.
Sprinkle nuts on top if you’re using them.
Bake for one hour.
To serve, scoop cake out with a large spoon like a cobbler and add a  scoop of vanilla ice cream. Serve warm or cold.

Yield: about 10 to 12 servings

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Many people miss their share of happiness not because they never found it but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.

 

Pumpkin Crunch

PUMPKIN CRUNCH

Ingredients
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (may sub pumpkin pie spice)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup butter, melted
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Mix well, and spread into the prepared pan.
3. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over the cake mix, then drizzle with melted butter.
4. Bake for 60 minutes, or until done. Top with whipped cream when ready to serve.
May be served hot but is often better after a night in the refrigerator. Serves 18.

Only the knife knows what goes on in the heart of a pumpkin. ~ Simone Schwarz-Bart

 

Buttermilk Cornbread

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
3/4 teaspoons soda
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted shortening

DIRECTIONS
Lift the cornmeal by spoonfuls into the measuring cup, then level off. Sift cornmeal and salt together. Beat egg yolks thoroughly, add soda and buttermilk and beat until completely mixed. Add to cornmeal mixture and stir until ingredients are blended. *Add hot melted shortening, beat again (work quickly so it doesn’t fry) and fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Turn immediately into a piping hot greased 10 inch heavy skillet and bake in a hot oven (450 degrees F.) for 30 minutes. Serve at once with melted butter.

Yield: 5 servings.

* Preheat the oven to temperature with the skillet in the oven. Pull out right just before time to bake. Add 3 tbsp tablespoons of shortening and swirl around until it covers the bottom and sides of the skillet. Dump 2 tbsp of the melted shortening into the batter.

That’s the way my mom always coated her skillet. My oldest sister Shirley only uses white cornmeal and adds 2 tbsp of sugar to the mix. She makes everything sweet.

I hope that everyone has a huge assortment of iron skillets, I know I do. Just make sure as soon as you wash them, to place them on top of the burner or back in the oven to dry out. When pan is completely dry, season the skillet (wipe inside & out with a cooking oil on a paper towel).

My dad’s favorite food was always cornbread and buttermilk. Sometimes he’d use crackers instead of the cornbread in his buttermilk. My kids would have staged a protest if I had served them, buttermilk with anything. I still use it in the occasional biscuit or cake. They don’t know the difference. sh

I remember as a kid being cold a lot, and hungry sometimes. We’d go to bed with just cornbread and milk, and I remember wearing shoes with holes in the bottom. I remember having twine for shoestrings. ~ Buck Owens

 

Its Christmas Eve Eve…

I’m excited, Tiger & Brandy will be in today, with my girl’s. I’ve got to switch them with Steven tonight (he’ll adjust). I have my baking table all set up so that I can finish the task of baking, so that tomorrow can be saved for the busyness that accompanies the day before Christmas. I’ll do whatever that can be done today (still have gifts to wrap). Tonight, we camp out under our Christmas tree in your sleeping bags (and the new pj’s I bought for the kids… sh). I’m going to savor the tree and its beautiful decorations and soak up the chance to create new Christmas traditions with my family.

Anthony (and when I say Anthony – I mean me) bought me a new Freetalk Conference webcam for Christmas. He always knows just what I want. I can’t decide if I want to wrap it and put it under the tree or go ahead and hook it up to talk to my sister Linda in Belgium tonight. Sure I could call her, but a face to face on Christmas day would be a gift in itself.

Are you doing any baking today? and if so what?

This is the urgency: Live! and have your blooming in the noise of the whirlwind. ~ Gwendolyn Brooks

 

Holiday Parties

Holiday parties – are you attending or hosting one this weekend (or soon)? Do you typically host a holiday party this time of year? Will you be attending a workplace party (or some other function)?

You know that I host a very small Cookie Exchange Party every year for family and friends; its mostly my inner circle. This year, I hope will be the best year ever. Last year, they all got the flu the week of the party, but we pressed on and for those that came, we had a great time, or at least I hoped they did.

Tell us about your festive plans for festivities!

I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done. ~ Steven Wright