Helen's Fruitcake

It's Christmas time and the stores were all out of those little bricks of fruitcake that my husband loves. It made me sad because he really wanted some. I decided that after searching several stores that the best alternative was to make him one myself.

A while ago I purchased a large lot of recipes from an estate sale of a woman named Helen from Burns, Oregon. She had faithfully collected recipes for years. How the family let them slip out of their hands I have know idea but I am glad they slid into mine.  One of the recipes was her version of a fruitcake. It was contained in a sweet letter she wrote to a friend named Gail and her husband (?) Chuck. Truthfully, I made my adaptations on the recipe, but I followed the bones of it.

Here is what I did:

(1) 8 oz. container of green cherries
(1) 8 oz. container of pineapple wedges (candied)
(1) 4 oz. container of diced candied orange peel
(1) 4 oz. container of diced candied lemon peel
(1) 4 oz. container of diced candied citron
(1) 8 oz. package of dried mango
(1) package of Craisins (dried cranberries)
(12) ounces of seedless raisins
(1) 4 oz. of dried cherries
(1) 8 oz. maraschino cherries
Mix all the above in a large bowl with 1/2 cup of flour.

In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together as follows:
(3 1/2) cups of flour
(1) teaspoon of salt
(3/4) teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
(3/4) teaspoon of ginger
(3/4) teaspoon of cinnamon

In separate bowl cream one pound of butter (Helen says use shortening but I used butter, because, well...BUTTER) with (2) cups of sugar.

Separate (6) eggs from their yolks and whites. Beat the egg yolks and add them to the creamed butter and sugar.

In separate bowl (I know, this recipe gets a lot of dishes dirty!) combine the following:
(3/4) cup of honey
(1/4) cup of unsulfured molasses
(1/3) cup of juice (Helen says you can use wine, brandy or grape juice. I used pear juice because it was all that I had)

Alternate adding honey/molasses/juice mixture to the creamed butter/sugar/egg yolks with the sifted dry ingredients until combined. (I did this in my Kitchen-Aid but it was a struggle because it is a large amount of batter)

Once the above is combined, take the leftover egg whites and beat to stiff peaks. Fold in the fruit and the egg whites into the batter. Okay....let's get real right here. It was HARD at this point. I had to go get my 19 year old son to do the stirring. Combining that much fruit (and yes, it looks like TOO much fruit but it's not) is very difficult into that much batter. It takes a very strong arm. I was worried when I started to fold in the egg whites but discovered it was essential as well.

Place into a greased tube pan and bake in a 250 degree oven for a minimum of 2 1/2 hours.

Underneath the fruitcake, keep a pan of hot water for the first 1 1/2 hours of baking time. Be careful taking the hot water out of the oven.

Check the fruitcake with toothpicks to see if it comes out clean. Be patient. It takes time. Depending on your oven it may take longer to bake than mine did (or shorter, start checking for doneness at 2 hours).

Take out of the oven when done, loosen the sides with a butter knife and flip out on to a plate after about 10 minutes.

The verdict? My husband likes it. Even my son, who does not like fruitcake likes it. It's too much candied fruit sweetness for me BUT my men are happy so I am happy!! Thanks Helen!

Raspberry Tiramisu Trifle

My amazing husband has quite the sweet tooth. I love making him happy so I set out to make a dessert with three things he really likes: raspberries, coffee and Milano cookies.  I wish that I could say I came up with this idea all by myself but alas, I cannot.  It came from a "new" cookbook found yesterday while on my thrift store marathon! It is called "Campbell's Potluck For All Occasions" by Publications International Ltd. 2007.  The recipe can also be found online right here: Campbell's Raspberry Tiramisu Trifle

It is an interesting cookbook and I was impressed with the recipes.  I got very excited when I found the trifle recipe.  I knew I had to make it for my sweet husband.  The only problem with the recipe was that I do not have a trifle bowl! How trifling! (Sorry! I could not resist!)

I started with three bricks of cream cheese, softened.

I put a second bowl and beaters in the freezer to get cold while I beat three cups of powdered sugar into the cream cheese.  I needed the other bowl and beaters cold because I was going to whip some heavy whipping cream and having a cold bowl and beaters helps the whipping go quicker and easier!

 Combining the powdered sugar and cinnamon was no easy feat for my little handheld mixer! I should have used my Kitchen Aid but I had it busy behind me whipping the heavy cream into a frenzy of fluffiness!

I added the cinnamon to my cream cheese and powdered sugar mixture and combined until it was light tan and smooth.

The heavy whipping cream that whipped all light and fluffy was folded it into the cream cheese mixture.

I began the layering.  First a layer of the cream cheese on the bottom. Next dip the Milano cookies into a cup of strong brewed coffee and place them on top.

 A sprinkle of raspberries and the the layering begins again.

I just kept dipping and layering until I reached the top! A few extra raspberries for good measure and the trifle was done! How does it taste? I have NO idea! It is in the refrigerator right now, setting up. I will let you know!!

Sausage Gravy over biscuits

Yep....you read it right. I flew right off the handle and straight into the loving land of Comfort Food. I guess I am stressing about a few things and just needed the comfort of my mother's cooking. Sausage gravy was something my mother made frequently. Sometimes she even made it with plain old hamburger. It depended only on what was on sale or how much money she had for groceries that week.

Sausage gravy:

(2) rolls of mild sausage gravy (the kind you slice into patties)
Fresh ground black pepper
Almost room temperature whole milk (if you are going to cheat, do it right!)
Flour


Instead of cutting the sausage into patties, I just squeezed the tubes out into a large, deep pan and crumbled and fried it until nice and done and lightly brown. Liberally pepper the sausage as you fry it. When it is done move it out of the pan to a plate.  The remaining drippings left in the pan - you decide how much you want to use.  I did not drain any of it as I wanted all the flavor. I added approximately 1/2 cup of flour into the drippings and stirred well to make a light brown roux.  Slowly stir in the milk.  I used almost 2/3rd's of the gallon of whole milk. I keep it over medium heat and keep stirring until it starts to thicken up. At this point I add my cooked sausage back into the pan.

As I am standing in my kitchen and stirring I start to get rather melancholy.  I realize as I stand here by myself that my children won't really know how to make these recipes that are so dear to my heart.  They won't know what it is like to stand in the kitchen with my mother and learn the old ways. Sometimes I think this blog will end up being the only way they will ever know how to make the comfort food that I used to make for them after I am gone.  But then in walks a hungry teenager asking if dinner is almost ready and I snap out of my sorrowful state and get back to the business at hand!

The gravy thickens up nicely and I call everyone to the table.  Nothing like breakfast for dinner! We pour our sweet, milky comforting sausage gravy over flaky biscuits and enjoy.

 I love sit-down dinners with my husband and my kids.  I hope some day they do the same thing with their families, whether they have children or not.  Dinner should be eaten together, at the table, thanks given to God and laughs and stories of the day shared.  Reminds me of the words that I try very hard to live by:  In ALL things give thanks.  Thank you Jesus for my family and my life.

Would Elvis Presley have liked this???

My very good (and very awesome) friend Tabitha Portal has created a *naughty* group on Facebook called "Tasty Food Pics & Recipes".  I love it! I like looking at all the recipes and getting ideas and sometimes I even try them. Today was one of those days. One of the ladies in there posted a recipe that I could not resist trying. It involves bananas (which I am always trying to get my husband to eat more of), peanut butter and chocolate (which is his obsession).

 So I started with my most favorite peanut butter ever, Jif. No, I did not get paid for that. It just happens to be my family's favorite. We have tried almost every one out there but this one makes us happy.

Slice the banana into 1/4" slices.

Next smear the top of one slice with peanut butter. I found that a knife would not work very well and it was easier to use my fingers. God gave us those tools and they are sometimes the very best to use.

I put them on some parchment paper so they would not stick to anything.  Freeze for (1) hour.

After one hour, remove from freezer and dip them into melted semi-sweet chocolate.

 Back onto the parchment paper to freeze for about two hours more! Eat and enjoy.

 The bananas get all creamy and yummy, the chocolate is crunchy and the peanut butter is just the right addition to keep it all from being too sweet.  Definitely going  into the "make often" category!!

Fried Okra from scratch

My sweetheart loves his fried okra. I am ashamed to say I usually just buy the pre-breaded kind from Food Lion but this time I decided to suck it up and buy it fresh and do it myself.  I started with fresh okra pods.

I chopped the ends off and discarded them and then chopped the pods into about 1/4" slices.

Next I broke two eggs into a bowl and beat them (they were naughty and deserved a good beating!).
I added the sliced okra and let them soak up the egg for about 10 minutes.

While the okra was soaking I got my hot grease ready.  I used shortening instead of vegetable oil. I figured if I was going to fry something, I should do it right.

When the oil was ready I transferred the okra out of the egg into a mixture of 1 cup of corn meal mixed with garlic powder, onion powder and a healthy dose of cayenne pepper.

Next I dropped (carefully) the okra into the hot shortening and let it fry until golden brown.

When they were finished I transferred them onto a plate with paper towels to drain and sprinkled with some sea salt.  My husband and son enjoyed them.

Overall it was a success and was actually more enjoyable than pulling them frozen from a  bag.  I guess I will never by pre-made ones again!

Dreamy peanut butter bars!

After defeating the horrible migraine monster, I decided to go in the kitchen to straighten up AND make my awesome husband something yummy! I have been looking at several recipes but just decided it would be best to wing it!

I started with three cups of smooth Jif peanut butter.

Next I added about 1 1/3 cups of powdered sugar and whipped it together until smooth.

I spread it into the bottom of a 9" x 13" plastic container.  Next I took one 16 ounce bag of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips and melted them in the microwave.  Stir until they are smooth and pour over the peanut butter mixture and spread all around.

YUM! I put in the fridge to let it set up until firm and as soon as it is ready I will be serving it up to my amazing Breezy!

BUT....the most important part of this recipe?

Letting my faithful office assistant (Buttercup) like the peanut butter spoon!!

Chicken and brown rice

Day two of healthier dinners for me and my family.  I am feeling pretty good today. I have not ingested a single "food-like" substance, white sugar or white flour thing so far.  It has taken some serious will power the later in the day it gets because I find myself craving the empty calories of soda and candy.

On a serious note, it has been discovered my husband has diverticulosis.  I am going to have to watch this man's diet a little closer and one of the first things we are going to eliminate is corn. That is kind of sad but kind of not. I reckon I will have it on special occasions but it is empty calories anyway so it is the first item to go!

Tonight is baked chicken.  I have skinless, boneless chicken breast with some Mrs. Dash table blend sprinkled on it in the oven baking.  As I am staying away from white stuff, brown rice is cooking on the stove.  This is a little bit of a problem for me as I have never really liked brown rice.  I am hoping that I will like it better now. It has been about 10 years since I tried it last.  I never realized how much of my eating involved chemicals and process.  Now don't go thinking I have jumped on the band wagon. I highly doubt I will ever give it all up for good. But for right now, it is time to get a lot healthier. I am a 47 year old, overweight woman who has a family history of diabetes and heart disease.  It's time to get real.

Tonight I actually made dinner without any butter.  Yes. I did.  NO BUTTER.  I have discovered something important.  First, I like my green beans just as they are.  I did not miss the butter I usually put on them.  Second, olive oil is a good substitute for butter.  I used olive oil to saute my veggies in and I also added a little bit of oil to the brown rice in lieu of butter.  It was pretty successful overall.

All things being equal, I would really love a nice fat piece of cake or a big bowl of ice cream right now.  I know it is going to take time to get things the healthy way.  I won't always deprive myself of these things, but for now, I will be okay.

Now it is time to go take a walk as I only have 6085 steps on my pedometer and I would really like to hit 10,000 before bedtime.

Desperation Dinner

Last night I was in desperate straights.  I have been working so hard and been so busy I have not had time to shop for groceries!  As I looked at my almost bare cupboards, I knew that I could not ask the natives to eat another sandwich but I was just too tired to go to the store. 

I spied a can of peach pie filling I had picked up on a whim one day then forgot about it.  Inspiration hit! I would make Stuffed French toast.  Thank you God so much that I had enough bread to do it.  I just was not so sure about the stuffed part as I do not have a sandwich grill press thingy! (I know, so technical).

I made four pieces at a time and layered the peach pie filling (that I had heated in the microwave so it would be good and warm) between each piece of bread.  I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top and served it with some Cinnamon Vanilla syrup.  Nick and Paulina loved it and I was happy that they had a hot meal for dinner. 

Knowing Billieanne does not like peaches, I altered the recipe for her.  Instead of peach french toast, I made a brand new egg batter with Eggnog and dipped her bread in that. I also topped hers with some powdered sugar and served with the same syrup.  She loved it! That girl loves anything eggnog!!

I was not able to shop today either.  I ended up working 11 hours.  God bless my husband.  He took them to their favorite spot, Taco Bell.  He is a good man.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

THE GREAT DEBATE: flat dumplings versus biscuit dumplings

Which do you prefer snake or bison meat?  That lovely sentence was typed by my son when I turned my back to stir the dumplings.  My original sentence said "Which do you prefer, flat dumplings or biscuit ones?"

I am making chicken and dumplings for dinner tonight but it is not the way my mother taught me.  It is the way my husband likes.  He has always had his dumplings from Anne's Old Fashioned dumplings.

I have never used this before I got together with my sexy Italian husband.  I am still on a learning curve using them.  My mother always used Bisquick and made biscuit dumplings.  They are my favorite, especially when I put a stick of real butter in right before I start dropping the biscuit dough because it creates a line of butter through the dumpling.  My middle child does not like the biscuit kind but she does like the flat ones.

So.....I just boiled my boneless chicken thighs (I like using them because they have more flavor than the white meat in my opinion) and then pulled them out to shred them.  I added the dumplings plus (I know my step-kids will shake their heads at this next statement LOL) I added a can of Campbell's  Cream of Chicken Soup.  I added the chicken back and now it is boiling. Soon the dumplings will be done and we will eat.

I think I may make biscuit ones soon.....

Another kitchen adventure with The Crystal Chef!

Tonight was the youth group party.  I was not really sure what to do so I made my first attempt at white chili - truthfully, I was trying to use ingredients that I had on hand without having to go to the grocery store.  Here is what I did:

I soaked one package of baby lima beans overnight and then drained and rinsed them and set them to boil.

I put six boneless chicken thighs in water to boil until done, reserving the broth when they were finished.  Shred the chicken.

Saute one medium yellow onion chopped and four cloves of garlic minced in two tablespoons of olive oil for about 10 minutes until soft.

Add the shredded chicken.

Add the following:

(2) teaspoons of Cumin
(2) teaspoons of dried oregano
(2) teaspoons of red chile flakes
(2) teaspoons of red chile powder
(1) cup of the reserved broth

Stir well and let bubble and cook for another 10 minutes.
Add:

(1) cup of the reserved broth
(1) large can of Old El Paso Enchilada sauce (what? It was in my cabinet and had all the right flavorings without adding a bunch of tomato flavor! Don't judge, I was a desperate woman trying to feed a bunch of people without spending any money!)

Stir.  Check your lima beans to see if they are done.  When they are soft, drain them and add to the chili mixture.  If you need more liquid, add more chicken broth.  Otherwise, let the beans cook in the chili for a while before serving.

That's it! That was my adventure in cooking tonight.  I am not convinced it was spectacular but my husband and children all liked it so I am glad for that.

Denny's Restaurant.....and God?

After about two hours of shopping at two amazing guitar stores, my hubs took me to Denny's for dinner.  The restaurant was fairly empty.  We sat in a booth and both ordered up Denny's new Western Skillet.  It was quite conceivably enough food for four people on one skillet! Breezy and I both did not get past more than a 1/4 of it.

While we were eating, a group of five young adults came in and sat at a round table behind our booth.  They were pretty typical college age kids, between 19 and 24.  I doubt a single one of them was older than 24.  Their talk mostly centered around the fact that they had been unable to purchase guns tonight.  One young man complained to the other why they were going out on Monday and not a weekend.  The fellow said he works on Saturdays and on Sundays he has to go to church because he is a youth leader. 

Honestly, from the conversation at the table I would have never guessed that any of them ever darkened a church doorway.  Many expletives were bandied about as casually as you or I may use the word "the".  Food was ordered and drinks were delivered.  The original young man who complained about it being Monday night extended his hands to his friends and timidly said, "should we go ahead and pray before the food gets here?"  He was rebuffed by all his friends and he acquiesed.  The young man who was a youth leader stated "I pray over every meal on the weekend, I don't need to do it right now".

So....his God is only for Sundays? What if I were one of the parents of the teenagers he was a youth leader for? Would he be embarrased? Is this modern day Christianity? The convenient kind? The kind where God is only for when I want him and not for everyday, all day, anytime, anywhere? And as I pondered this question, the Spirit gently turned that question inward.....do I put God in a box when I don't want him around? Furthermore, where would I end up without God's Grace?  I am 100% certain that God would never shove me in a box until he was ready to deal with me.  I am 100% certain that I have been guilty of doing just that.

As we were about to leave the restaurant, my husband spoke to the group, had them laughing.  And since "contact" had been initiated, I told the one young man I was proud of him for offering to pray before their meal.  They laughed it off with him telling his friends they were all going to hell for not praying.  I pray they know that there are REAL consequences for putting God aside.  I pray that the church they go to, that someone there will open their eyes.  Brandon Heath said it best when he asked God "Give me your eyes for just one second"  God help me to be ever mindful and let me see through Your eyes....

Jello.....

My husband dares to go where I have always been afraid to go:  combining Jello with pineapple.  I mean, gosh! Even the package says don't use canned pineapple.  But he does it....successfully!

While I was away yesterday, he mixed Lime green Jello with an orange Jello with pineapple:

It is a strange olive green color and it tastes GOOD.  He did a really good job.  It is quite yummy.  It kind of fixes my sweet tooth need!  My hubs is very smart.