Give Me Something Deep Fried and Covered in Chocolate!

Okay, maybe not deep fried AND covered in chocolate, but deep fried.   We have a bumper crop of zucchini this year, and one of our favorite (though naughty) ways of eating it is breaded and fried.  I got a recipe from Southern Living last year that I've used again and again for breading.  We've tried it on okra, zucchini and onion rings, and it works great for all of them.  This is not something you want to eat often, but it's a fun occasional treat!

BUTTERMILK FRIED OKRA/ZUCCHINI/ONION RINGS

1 1/2 c. self-rising white cornmeal MIX (I think I'm currently using Aunt Jemima)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (you can adjust this to taste)
Oil for frying
Buttermilk

Soak sliced okra, zucchini slices or onion rings in buttermilk.  Stir together cornmeal mix, salt, sugar and red pepper.  Dredge the buttermilk-soaked veggies in the coating and fry in oil heated to about 375 degrees (sometimes I use my Fry Daddy and sometimes I put an inch or two in a really big skillet).   Fry until golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. 

We serve our zucchini with ranch dressing for dipping.

I often have to double this recipe if I'm making a big batch.

Lemon Cream Cake

I got this recipe from one of Todd Wilbur's "Top Secret Recipe" books (my favorites)!  This is a great cake and easy to make. . .and I almost always have the ingredients for this on hand.

For the cake, use a white cake mix and follow the instructions on the box.  Pour the batter into a greased 10-inch springform pan (if you don't have one, I think you could just do this cake in two 9" cake pans).   Bake for 40 minutes at 350 until cake tests done.  Cool the cake completely.

Lemon Cream Filling
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
3 T lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Vanilla Crumb Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cold butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling, mix your cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.  Stir in lemon juice.  In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream with an electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks (Christina's tip:  always chill your bowl first).  Gently fold the whipped cream into your cream cheese mixture.

Make the crumb topping by combining flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl.  Add butter (I cut it into little cubes) and dribble with vanilla extract.  Use your hands to mix the cold butter into flour and sugar.  Break butter into smaller pieces as you incorporate the dry ingredients.  You want to end up with a very crumbly consistency with pieces no bigger than a pea.  Chill the topping until your ready to use it.

When your cake has cooled, slice it in half through the middle and remove the top.  Spread all but 1/2 cup of the lemon cream mixture onto the bottom half of the cake, then carefully replace the top half of the cake (note:  I think I reserved a little more than a 1/2 cup).

Spread the remaining 1/2 cup of cream filling over the top and sides of the cake.  Sprinkle the crumb topping on the top of the cake and press it onto the sides.

Chill the cake for at least 3 hours before you serve it.  It looks pretty garnished with a fresh strawberry or raspberry (or mint).  You can also sprinkle it with powdered sugar on the plate.

German Apple Cake

I found this cake recipe in Taste of Home magazine, and it's one of those yummy, comforting fall desserts.  I served it at one of my workshops the other night, and it was GONE before the evening was over.

By the way, if you need good recipes, I recommend visiting Taste of Home's website:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/.  They have a plethora of recipes in all categories, and you can always find something tasty to make.  Their recipes are very practical for the everyday home cook.

 Directions

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter. Add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth. Spread over cake. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups chopped peeled tart apples
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 
  FROSTING:
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Autumn means Potato Soup!

I adore potato soup.  It fills you up, warms you up and epitomizes comfort food.  I've tried a variety of recipes for potato soup, and this is one of my favorites.  I typically triple the recipe because my family can eat a bucket of it in one sitting!

Ruby Tuesday's Potato Cheese Soup

2 large russet potatoes
2 T finely minced celery 
1 T finely minced onion
1 T grated carrot
2 c. chicken stock or broth
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. white vinegar
2 T flour
1 1/2 c. milk
1 cup plus 1 T shredded Cheddar cheese


Garnish--shredded Monterey Jack cheese, chopped green onions and crumbled BACON


Some comments from Christina:  when you put cheese in a soup, use the block kind and shred it yourself for a smoother melt.  If you use the pre-shredded kind, it tends to be a little grainier in texture.  Also, it's probably best to use milk with some fat in it (1% or 2%).   We drink skim (fat free), but a little fat always makes a better soup.


1.  Peel the potatoes and chop them into bite-size pieces--you want about four cups.  Chop the celery, onion and carrot into very small pieces (the carrot should be grated, not shredded).  I just put all three into the food processor and pulse it a few times to get them chopped.


2.  Combine veggies with chicken broth, salt and vinegar in a large pot over medium heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.


3. Whisk together the flour & milk in a medium bowl.  Stir this into your veggie/broth mixture.  Simmer, uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes until soup has thickened.


4.  Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese to the soup and simmer until melted.  By this time, the potatoes should be tender and falling apart.  If not, continue to cook until the soup is as thick as you like it.


To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheese, chopped green onions and crumbled bacon.  

Another yummy dessert!

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars

I made these for my team Christmas party, and they were really good!  A couple tips. . .be sure to crush your toffee bits and sprinkle them on immediately after the bars come out of the oven so that they kind of melt and form this creme brulee-like crust on the top.  Also, I recommend initially cooling them in the fridge WITHOUT a lid.  I did this and they were perfect.  However, after the party, I put the remaining bars in the fridge with a lid on it.  The condensation made the toffee bits on the top soggy and gross.  But, if you have a very big group, there will not be leftover bars to refrigerate!!

1 pouch (1 lb. 15 oz.) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1 box French vanilla instant pudding
2 T brown sugar
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks
2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 c. sugar
2/3 cup toffee bits, finely crushed (you can find these in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips)

Heat oven to 350.  Lightly spray bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, pudding mix, brown sugar, melted butter, 1 tsp. of the vanilla and one whole egg until a soft dough forms.  Press the dough into the pan and 1/2 inch up sides.

Beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add remaining whole egg, 3 egg yolks and remaining 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla; beat until smooth.   Spread over crust.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set.  IMMEDIATELY sprinkle top with crushed toffee bits.  Cool 30 minutes, then refrigerate about 3 hours until chilled.  Store in refrigerator.

EASY NEVER-FAIL FUDGE

I'm kind of picky about fudge.  It has to be creamy, not grainy or dry.  My sister-in-law, Lynn, gave me this recipe years ago and I think it's absolutely perfect.

 
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine:

1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup milk
4 cups sugar

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Boil for two minutes (keep stirring).  Remove from heat and pour the mixture over 25 large marshmallows (or 250 small ones if you're a glutton for punishment)!!  Stir with a wire whisk until smooth.  Add one package of milk chocolate chips and one package of semisweet chocolate chips.  Stir until smooth.  Add 1 cup chopped nuts, if desired.  Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and let cool.

It's CHEESECAKE season!!

 For the last 10 years or so, we've been in charge of putting on a big Christmas banquet our church.  It's a big event (we feed about 250+ each year), and every fall, I love trying out new recipes to figure out what we'll prepare for this year's banquet.  That's especially true for the desserts--my favorite part of the meal!  I try out desserts on my customers when they come to my workshops, and I think they're always more than willing to help me out!!
I'm a total recipe junkie--I scour through oodles of magazines, I browse cookbooks, and I look all over the internet.  One of my FAVORITE places to get good recipes is from Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Recipes books and website.  Both of these cheesecakes, White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake and Pumpkin Cheesecake, which I made for my Christmas Card Sampler class last night, come from Top Secret Recipes.  They're both knock-offs of Cheesecake Factory cheesecakes, and they both were really YUMMY!!  You can get the recipes from the Top Secret Recipes books or by buying the recipes individually off of his website, www.topsecretrecipes.com.  They're usually 99 cents each.  I'd type them here for you, but cheesecake recipes are awfully long! 

I've found that the secret to good cheesecake is letting your cream cheese soften to room temperature and baking your cheesecake in a water bath (you wrap foil around your springform pan so the water doesn't get in) and set the pan inside another pan filled with 1/2 to 1" water.  I also line my pans with parchment paper (sides and bottom) so that they come out easily.

If you want to help me sample some yummy desserts, sign up for my upcoming classes. . .restaurant-quality desserts at no extra cost!

TORTELLINI SOUP

When I have meetings with my Close to My Heart team members, we always have a great time!  And, although we get together to scrapbook and stamp, I have to tell you that these gals can cook!  We never starve at a team meeting!  (Come join my CTMH team and see what I mean!!)  As a result, I get some fabulous recipes from my fellow team members.  This recipe came from Jan Jackson, and I think it has to be the easiest soup recipe I've got.  My family loves it, and it's perfect for busy days (and cold days) when you need something to warm you up and fill you up!



TORTELLINI SOUP

1 bag frozen tri-colored cheese tortellini (if I can't find tri-colored, I go for regular cheese tortellini)
1 lb. ground beef
2 cans of Cream of Onion soup
2 cans beef broth
1 can Rotel (I use mild, though this soup still has a bit of kick)
1 can cut green beans
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef and drain.  Combine the beef and all of the other ingredients and cook in a crock pot on high for one hour (I'm sure you could simmer this on the stove, too).  The soup will get thicker the longer it sits.

Just me and one piece of Pumpkin Pie Cake left. . .

It's the first day of autumn.  I'm always sad to see summer end because I love the long daylight hours, flowers blooming, green grass and trees full of green leaves.  On the other hand, there are two reasons I love fall:  wearing jeans every day and FOOD!  I've enjoyed the fresh veggies from my garden this summer, but fall means warm pots of soup and comforting desserts.  One of my favorite fall desserts is Pumpkin Pie Cake.  I don't really care much for pumpkin pie, but I can eat the whole pan of Pumpkin Pie Cake!  Here's the recipe:

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1 16 oz. can of pumpkin
2 tsps. of sugar
1 yellow cake mix
2 sticks of margarine (I think butter works fine, but this is how the recipe reads)
Chopped pecans (about a cup)

Mix the eggs, sugar, evaporated milk and pumpkin.  Pour it into a ungreased 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle the yellow cake mix over the mixture.  Top with pecans.  Melt the two sticks of margarine and pour over the mixture.  Bake one hour in a 350 oven.  Serve warm with whipped cream.