The Cookbook Experiment: Linda's Push Down Cake

I am very tired tonight but I still feel too stressed out to go to bed yet. Tomorrow I have an MRI and I am not a big fan of the machine. I get a little claustrophobic. I decided it was time to hit the cookbook a second time tonight. I searched through until I found a recipe that has all the ingredients that I already have. Linda Davenport's Push Down Cake to the rescue!

Linda Davenport is one of the sweetest, most amazing women that I know. She is fiercely loyal to her family, she has a smile that lights up a room and most importantly, I think, she has a quiet steady faith that I have been very grateful to come to know. She is one of my great women of faith that I look up to. Plus, her mom is as cute as a button, her daughters are amazing and you can see just how much she loves her grand-babies.

Linda's Push Down Cake by Linda Davenport

(1) box of Duncan Hines Cake Mix (any flavor)
(1) stick of butter (melted)
(3) eggs
(1) 8 ounce package cream cheese (softened)
(1) 1-pound box 10X sugar

Mix dry cake mix, butter and (1) egg.  Press down in a 9" x 13" pan.  Mix softened cream cheese, (2) eggs and sugar together and pour over cake mix.  Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

My take-a-ways from this recipe:

• I have to say I did not think (1) egg and (1) stick of melted butter was going to be enough to mix with an entire box of cake mix, but I was wrong. You just have to have faith and mix it very well. After it is mixed well, I feel like it is best if you use the two tools that God gave you to press it down in the pan...your two hands of course! I worked it to the edges and around the pan and tried to make sure that no part was thicker than the other.
• I mixed the cream cheese, eggs and sugar mixture until it was really, really smooth. No lumps from the cream cheese OR the powdered sugar.
• Always break your eggs one at a time in a separate bowl. The first egg I cracked had blood in it.  Yuck. That could have ruined EVERYTHING if I had not broken it in a separate bowl first. It is just a good rule to follow even though you NEVER see a chef on TV do it.  Of course, they have assistants and loads of ingredients to re-do and re-take the scene if something like that happened. I do not and I am pretty sure you don't either.
• Linda is one smart lady! This cake is delicious!! Thank you!!

The Cookbook Experiment: Broccoli Quiche

Tonight my lovely daughter was the cook! Paulina is my youngest girl and she is quite amazing. Her baked goods are just to die for! She decided to tackle dinner tonight for me. I got to stay out of the kitchen (and that does not happen very often!).

The recipe that she picked is one from an amazing woman at church who is known far and wide for her cooking. She makes a chicken salad and a homemade pimento cheese that is so amazing. Ms. Stella Smith is a wonder woman. Paulina and I are anxious to try ALL of Ms. Stella's recipes.

Tonight's recipe was Broccoli Quiche. It is a vegetarian dish that once again includes broccoli. We seem to be on a streak of making things with broccoli. It is one of my son's Nick favorite vegetables.

Broccoli Quiche by Stella Smith

(1) box frozen broccoli, thawed (we used a bag, I don't think I have seen frozen vegetables in a box in a long time)
(1/2) cup onion, chopped
(1/2)  cup green pepper, chopped
(1) cup of cheddar cheese, grated (get the good stuff...yes, I am a cheese snob)
(1 1/2) cups of milk (we used whole milk, it is all we keep in the house)
(3/4) cup of Bisquick mix
(3) eggs
(1) teaspoon of salt
(1/4) teaspoon of pepper

Grease 10" pie plate and mix broccoli, green peppers, onion and cheese in the dish. In a separate dish mix the remaining ingredients; beat one minute then pour over ingredients in pie dish. Run a for through the dish to mix everything together slightly, sprinkle a little cheddar cheese on top and bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. The right size pan is important. Adjusting the cooking time will be required if a smaller and/or larger pan is used. Make sure to cook it until it is set but don't overdo it.

This was DELICIOUS!!! The only take-aways from preparing this recipe for me is that I would have chopped the broccoli up smaller than it was in the package. Be sure to use the exact amount of green pepper as it adds a strong flavor. I think I would have liked more onion in it.

We are very happy to have tried this recipe and I am sure we will make it again. Thanks Ms. Stella!

My favorite cornbread

My family loves cornbread. I know every family has their own version. This is the way that I like to make it.
I start with three boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix.

Next I add two tablespoons of granulated sugar. This recipe is definitely  not one for diabetics.

Three eggs go in next. Please, for the sake of all things, crack your eggs in a separate bowl! I know when you watch these fancy chefs on TV they crack their eggs right in the bowl they are mixing in, but they have the benefit of RE-TAKES! You, on the other hand, do not.  You might drop a piece of shell into the mix, or you might crack open a bloody egg. So you have to wash one extra dish? Just do it!!

Next add one cup of evaporated milk. You could use regular 2% milk. It does not have to be evaporated. It is just what I like to use.

Next drain one regular sized can of corn and add.

Give it a good stir. Now is NOT the time to break out the Kitchen Aid or the mixer. A good wooden spoon and some elbow grease are all that is needed.  Stir until the corn meal is mixed and set it aside.

Get a stick of butter and place in a 9" x 13" pan and put in your 400 degree oven to melt.

Carefully remove from the oven and pour the corn bread mixture over the top of the melted butter.

Place back into the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. You can stick a knife in the center and it comes out clean.

It is my favorite. I serve it quite often with the usual chili or pinto beans but sometimes I make it just for the simple pleasure of it. It is one of my "go-to" comfort foods that my family loves.

Dinner in the real world....

I don't know about you, but I don't always believe the TV chefs understand the realities of families on a budget. They often assume we automatically keep certain ingredients at the ready all the time.  The truth is, we don't have room for all of that in our budgets.

Tonight was a prime example of "what in the world do I do for dinner?" without having to go to the grocery store and spend more money. I am making chicken more often as I am trying to trim down the amount of red meat my family consumes.  Poking around my kitchen and I decided I had just about everything I needed to make Chicken with gravy over biscuits.

I put my frozen chicken breasts on to boil but I knew that without their skin the broth would not be quite flavorful enough.  I did not get any more chicken broth when I went shopping.  It is a little bit of a luxury item as it can be costly (and I really don't like to use any brand other than Swanson).  It was time to improvise.  I had a large can of Campbell's chicken and noodle soup.  Instead of opening it the normal way, I poked two holes in the top of the can and drained the liquid into a pot.  I put it on the stove with a stick of butter (you are not really surprised, are you?).  I let that come to a boil while boiling my chicken breasts in a different pot.  I added about a cup of milk to the gravy pot. Next I put about 1/4 cup of cornstarch in the bottom of a coffee cup and added about a half cup of hot chicken broth to it and stirred it up until smooth.  I added this to my gravy pot to thicken.  Various spices were sprinkled in, including garlic powder, onion powder, Mrs. Dash table blend and salt and pepper.  I added about a cup of the chicken broth from the chicken boiling on the stove as well.

I put some biscuits in the oven (yes, from a can, I really do not have time to make them from scratch unless I have a whole lot of time or it is a really special occasion).  After they came out, onto a plate, shredded some of the boiled chicken over it and then poured the chicken gravy over it.  The result was a very happy husband and son.  That's my boys! They love their meat and gravy.

No, I did not fix an veggies tonight. This was a mad dash dinner and it is what it is.  Dog-gone gravy goodness!

As for staples in my kitchen? Here is a list of things that I cannot do without:
1. frozen chicken in the bag as I don't always have money during the week to go buy it fresh
2. butter - plain and simple, can't do without it
3. fresh garlic cloves
4. russet potatoes
5. rice ( I prefer white but I am slowly working my way into using brown)
6. eggs ( a must in my house, trying to get my sweet husband to gain weight)
7. cheese (the type varies as my family goes through stages of what they prefer, currently we are on a provolone run)
8. milk - we use 2%
9. wheat bread
10.  ice cream.....another must have for the husband :o)

What do you keep in your kitchen as must haves?

Luscious Lemon Bars

Tonight I am making some cookies for my family. I have to be out of town for a few days so I wanted to leave something sweet behind.  I recently re-discovered a cookbook I forgot about called "Grandma's Old-Fashioned Cookies" by Favorite Brand Name (Publications International, Ltd. 1996).

It is an amazingly simple recipe that does NOT require graham crackers.  Of all the baking ingredients I keep handy around the house, I never have graham crackers! The crust is simple and light and only consists of sugar, flour, butter and lemon zest.  It is baking in the oven right now and when the 15 minutes are up I will be pouring over the filling.

Here is a picture of the crust.  And here is what it looks like when I poured the filling over top of it:

It is now in the oven, all warm and cozy and baking away!  I can't wait for it to be finished.  The filling is a wonderful mixture of eggs (four of them!), sugar, lemon zest and a touch of vanilla.  Shoot me a message if you would like the recipe as I am not sure I can post it online because of copyright but I will be happy to email you!

As soon as this is out of the oven I suppose I should hit the hay and go to bed as I have a very long flight tomorrow! Goodnight all! Don't forget to be thankful for EVERYTHING, no matter what!

Meatloaf two ways

Tonight my sweet husband requested meatloaf.  I had not made it in quite some time!  Most of my family does not like it with the ketchup baked on top but that is my favorite! I decided to accommodate both of us!

The meatloaves started out with the same basic ingredients.  I went to Harris Teeter today and purchased approximately three pounds of a meatloaf mixture:  ground chuck (poor chuck), ground veal and ground pork.  To this mixture I added two chopped sweet onions, one full sleeve of saltine crackers that I had crushed (great stress reliever!) and two raw eggs (cracked, shells discarded of course!).  I also added some freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, Soul Seasoning and garlic powder.  I mixed it together with the two BEST utensils God gave us (my hands). 

After the meatloaf was mixed well, I made four medium sized loaves into two pans.  To two of  the loaves, I poured on the ketchup! I love ketchup baked on my meatloaf! The other two I added two strips of uncooked turkey bacon to the top.  Into a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes they went!

While the meatloaf baked, I peeled potatoes and made mashed potatoes (or as I call them:  mash-a-taters) and also made some mixed veggies.  

Tonight's dinner had to feed two adults and five teenagers.  Fortunately, there was enough.  I am grateful that God has blessed me with so much.  May I never take it for granted.

Time to go do some laundry so that I can be respectable for church tomorrow! Make sure you say your prayers and get ready and go! Do not forsake your fellowship needs!

Talk to you soon!! :)  

PS...I would love to hear from you! I know I have quite a few readers that are not in America.  Please let me know what you think and if you have any recipes to share. I can't wait to hear from you!

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Monday was my boss's birthday so I needed to make him a cake to bring to work!  I looked through the Cook's Country cookbook but was easily frustrated.  That book requires too many special gadgets and I have been very disappointed by it.

The cookbook I turned to is "Perfect Cakes" by Nick Malgieri.

The recipe was very easy.  The hardest part of the recipe was waiting for the eggs to come to room temperature.  I was determined to follow the recipe exactly so I waited.  And it did make a difference.  I was actually surprised at how much looser the eggs were when they were not cold anymore. I also liked the fact that it took 3 1/2 sticks of butter!  The only thing that I did not add to the recipe was the walnuts.  I had to keep nuts out of the recipe for allergy reasons.

The cake was perfect.  The tunnel of fudge was just that....all yummy and fudgy.  The pile of chocolate you see in the middle is where I poured the extra glaze into the middle...no sense in wasting good chocolate.

The cake was a big success.  All the boys loved it.  It was definitely very, very rich as all chocolate should be.  I recommend it.  It was so much better than what comes out of a box!!  If you want the recipe, let me know!

Chicken Fried Rice!

So tonight's dinner went in the opposite of last night's heavy (and heavenly) gravy and Salisbury steak.  Tonight was the very first time I ever made chicken fried rice.  Here is how it started:

(1) large sweet onion, chopped
(1) store-bought oven roasted chicken, shredded (it was lemon pepper roasted)
(1 1/2) cups of frozen sugar snap peas and carrots
(1) bunch of scallions, chopped
(3) chopped and smashed cloves of fresh garlic
(1) small drained can of bamboo shoots
(4) large white mushrooms sliced

So into a very large skillet, I put 1 tbsp of veggie oil and started browning up the chicken a little.  Next, I added the entire bowl of chopped sweet onion and sauteed for a while.

Next, added the smashed garlic and sprinkled in some soy sauce and a little bit more oil.

Then the bamboo shoots, carrots and snap peas

I added the mushrooms.  I let it all saute on the stove until the carrots and snap peas were good and warm (they were frozen) and the mushrooms had wilted.

I dumped all the ingredients into a large bowl.

Added another drizzle of oil and added six eggs, beaten, into the pan
Stirred the eggs non stop until they were nice and fluffy and then tossed them into the bowl with the chicken and veggies.

Added more oil (about 1/4 cup) to the pan and dumped in my cold, cooked rice.  Broke up the rice and stirred to coat with oil, patted it down and let it cook for a while, to heat through and crisp up a little.  Stirred again and let cook some more.  Added the chopped scallions and stirred well.

Dumped it all in a big bowl and mixed in the chicken, egg, & veggies and looked like this:

I had to use my EXTRA large serving dish....accidentally made enough to feed an army.  It was tasty!  I needed to have used different rice, this was just regular white rice....I guess since it was not as hard as I thought it was going to be, I will get some Jasmine rice next time maybe? The family loved it.  I served it with some lumpia I got at the butcher that I fried while I made the rice!