Heloise's Olive Pecan Spread and a Harsh Winter!

Tom Skilling is predicting lows of -22°, that’s 22° below 0°for tomorrow night, and -20° for Wednesday night-----windchill -42°!
 
He says the highs will be 3° Tuesday, -12° for Wednesday, and -2° Thursday.

We're having the harshest, coldest winter here in decades...

And to top it all of, we had another 6” of snow overnight! 

Just plowed!

Impossibly Easy French Apple Dessert Squares

Apples and cinnamon, oh my! 

This is a really close cousin to Dutch apple pie, actually maybe more like a crisp, and  there’s no crust to roll out!  French apple dessert has a buttery crust, and is packed with apples, cinnamon and nutmeg.  

Chocolate and Cappuccino Coffee Cake

So… you say you’re a chocolate addict and a coffee lover?  Then, there is no reason why you won’t like this coffee cake… 

But, even better, you adore a little coconut thrown in the mix?  Splendid!  A bite of this will surely put you on cloud nine!

Chocolate and Cappuccino Coffee Cake is made with a kitchen staple, “Bisquick.”  You know ~ that bright yellow box with the delicious looking pancakes on the front, that’s filled with baking mix.  I can’t say that I use it often but, it’s good to know it’s around and handy for quickly stirring up a fresh home- baked goodie. 

This coffee cake from Betty Crocker is easy to make and is a great sweet treat for breakfast or as a snack later in the day!

Chocolate and Cappuccino Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

1/3 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
2 cups Original Bisquick
2/3 cup milk or water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee (dry) 

Method:

Heat oven to 400ºF.

Grease square pan, 8x8x2 inches.

Mix coconut, nuts, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon butter; set aside.
Beat remaining ingredients except chocolate chips and coffee in large bowl on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.

Beat on medium speed 4 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

Pour into pan.

Stir together chocolate and coffee; spoon over batter.

Lightly swirl chocolate mixture through batter several times with knife for marbled design.

Sprinkle coconut mixture evenly over top.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown.

Serve warm.

ENJOY!!!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips on Tuesday’s and good and easy recipes every Friday!

Mom’s Pressed Chicken Spread

I was going through Mom’s recipe box recently and came across this recipe.  I don’t know the origin of it but, I remember her making the spread for some pretty tasty sandwiches when I was a kid.  This is simple and light for the hot summer days we’re having now.  

It may sound like a lot of celery---include it all; it won’t give the chicken spread a strong celery taste.  Combining the celery with the nuts adds a little crunch to the spread with the flavors complementing the chicken perfectly.  Mom always put the chicken through a manual meat grinder but I use the food processor for a speedy job.  When adding the broth, be careful not to add so much as to make it mushy.  You can always add more of it or a little mayo if needed after it has been well chilled. 

It’s good on about any type of bread or toast and slider buns also, with a lettuce leaf or two for a savory sandwich; however, spread it on crackers and you are treated to a saporous appetizer! Mom’s Chicken Spread is great summer fare that I hope you try!

Mom’s Pressed Chicken Spread

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless chicken breasts

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

¾ cup chopped pecans

1 tablespoon onion, grated

1 tablespoons sweet pickle juice

1 cup celery, finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Cook chicken in large sauce pan in salted water to cover until tender and done.

Remove from broth; reserving broth.   Set aside to cool.

Place chicken in food grinder and grind, or food processor or chop fine with a knife.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and mayonnaise, beating well.

Add pecans, onions, pickle juice, celery, salt and pepper.

Stir until well blended.

Place ground chicken in cream cheese mixture and combine thoroughly.

Add ¼ to ½ cup reserved chicken broth to desired consistency.

Mixture will thicken when chilled.

Mom’s note:  chicken will be moister if cooked the day before using and placed in the broth to chill in the refrigerator.

ENJOY!!!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Peach-Pecan Muffins

Baking doesn’t get much easier than homemade muffins.   They’re easy to whip up and fill the house with a great fragrant aroma while they are baking. 

I don’t recall ever having a muffin filled with peaches so I had to try this recipe when I saw it in a recent Southern Living magazine.  The recipe makes a thick batter and the muffins rise well as they bake.   The spicy cinnamon complements the flavor of the peaches while the crunchy streusel topping is not overly sweet. 

These muffins are perfect with leisurely sips of coffee or tea!  

Peach-Pecan Muffins

Pecan Streusel: 
½ cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Muffins: 
1½ cups flour
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, melted
¼ cup milk
1 large egg
1 cup frozen sliced peaches, thawed and diced

Method:

Prepare streusel:  
Stir together pecans and next 4 ingredients until crumbly.

Prepare muffins: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
Stir together butter, milk and egg; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
Gently stir in peaches.
Place paper baking cups in (12-cup) muffin pan.
Spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full.
Sprinkle with Pecan Streusel.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes; or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes, remove from pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Delicious! 

Visit my friend Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway! 

Saltine Toffee Crunch

This is one crazy delicious toffee delight and soooo easy to make! I'm so glad I came upon this recipe in our local newspaper, The Northwest Herald!

A saltine cracker has always been one of life’s little pleasures for me whether spread with peanut butter, topped with a cheese slice or along with a bowl of soup but, I never would have imagined the lowly saltine cracker being exalted to a great party confection!

The combination of the salty cracker with the butter and brown sugar that turns into toffee and then topped with semi-sweet chocolate and toasted pecans is addictive for sure.  The saltine renders an irresistible salt crunch to play off the buttery sweet toffee.  What great cracker candy!

Saltine Toffee Crunch

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

35 saltine crackers

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips, I used Ghirardelli’s

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a 10” x 15” rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, allowing for some overhang.

Melt butter in a large saucepan.

Brush parchment with a little butter.

Line up crackers on buttered parchment, touching but not overlapping.

Whisk brown sugar into remaining butter.  Set over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil; boil thick, 2 minutes.

Pour evenly over crackers.

Place in 400-degree oven and bake until brown and bubbly, 10 minutes.

Carefully remove from oven.

Scatter molten surface with chocolate chips.

Let melt 5 minutes.

Use an offset spatula to spread chocolate.

Cast on nuts, gently press into chocolate.

Freeze until firm, 30 minutes.

Lift parchment by its overhang and set toffee (paper and all) on a cutting surface.

Slice into 18 squares, then into 36 triangles or break into chunks.

I’d call it “sin on a cracker!”

Be sure to enter my CSN Giveaway for a $35 gift certificate that I posted on December 17^th!

Also, check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Blackberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

Of all the Christmas cookies I’ve baked in the last week, this is the one that got Bill’s attention.  I have baked them every year since his mother introduced me to them many years ago.  He adores them and so do I! 

Thumbprint cookies are an old standard that are filled with great ingredients that people like.  Make them with your favorite jam or jelly, with just frosting and no jam, with nuts or without, or drizzled with chocolate! However you like them!  They’re all great! 

I added a little blackberry brandy to the blackberry jam and lemon zest to the dough for extra flavoring.  It’s a great mix of flavors that turns out a delicious cookie with the well being filled with jam and frosting.   Blackberry thumbprint cookies are really a huge hit in our house and love at first bite!

Blackberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup blackberry jam

1 tablespoon Blackberry Brandy

2¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

2/3 cups sugar

2 eggs, separating yolks from whites

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pecans, chopped fine

1 can your favorite frosting

Few drops of red food coloring

Few drops of green food coloring

Method:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Lightly butter baking sheets or line with Silpat mats or parchment paper.

In small bowl, combine jam and brandy well. Set aside.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt, whisking to blend.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla.

Add the flour in 2 additions and beat until the dough forms a clump.

Gather dough into a ball.

Pinch off the dough and make a 1-inch ball.

In a small bowl, with a fork, gently beat egg whites until foamy.

Dip a dough ball into the egg whites, shaking off the excess.

Place pecans in a small bowl and gently roll cookie in the nuts, coating it completely.

Do the same with the remaining dough. 

Place on baking sheet one inch apart.

Using your thumb, make a well in the center of each ball.

Fill each well with approximately ½ teaspoon of the jam mixture.

Bake until golden and firm to the touch, about 15-18 minutes.

Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Mix half of the frosting with 2-3 drops of red food coloring in a small bowl and the remaining frosting with 2-3 drops of green food coloring in another small bowl.

When cookies are completely cool, apply a dab of frosting to each.

Let frosting dry some before storing (I do over-night).

Store between layers of waxed or parchment paper.

Makes 4 dozen

Do these have you drooling yet?

They would be a great colorful addition to your Christmas cookie tray!

Be sure to enter my CSN Giveaway for a $35 gift certificate that I posted on December 17^th!

Also, check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Russian Teacakes

Whether you call them Mexican Wedding Cakes or Russian Teacakes, they’re all the same delicate nut-based cookie!

I love the delicate buttery flavor of these cookies.  I don’t recall Mom ever making them but, my mother-in-law baked them every Christmas without fail and so do I.  I’ve made them with walnuts in place of pecans for a little different flavor.  

This recipe makes a lot of cookies, it can easily be halved!

This recipe comes from my well-used 1979 edition of Betty Crocker’s Cookbook.  I have made so many notes in this poor cookbook over the years that it is a little pathetic looking now.  I have a huge cookbook collection and when Bill asked what I would like for Christmas, naturally I said, “A cookbook!”  He just shakes his head and doesn’t get it!  I might add that not a one of my other cookbooks is in the horrible condition that this cookbook is in, thank goodness!

Do you make notes in your cookbooks or are they nice and neat?

RUSSIAN TEACAKES
Printable recipe
 
Ingredients: 
2 cups butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cup finely chopped pecans
Confectioners sugar for rolling

Method: 
Heat oven to 400°.
Mix butter, ½ cup confectioners sugar,  and vanilla in large bowl.
Stir in flour, salt and nuts until dough holds together.
Shape dough into 1” inch balls.
Place about 1” apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown.
Roll warm cookies in confectioners sugar.
Cool on wire racks.
Roll in sugar again.
Makes 8 dozen

ENJOY!

Be sure to enter my CSN Giveaway for a $35 gift certificate that I posted on December 17^th!

Also, check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Mom’s Pecan Dreams/My Favorite Christmas Cookie!!!

 I love this time of year as it gives me an excuse to bake a lot of cookies for family and friends.  What would Christmas be without cookies? 

These Pecan Dreams were my favorite Christmas cookie when I was growing up and to this day ~ they are still my favorite!   I could hardly wait for Mom to bake them when I was a kid and I could probably say the same for my brother Jim.   I always knew that Christmas was getting really close when Mom would pull out the bag of coconut and the package of pecans.  The wafting aroma in the air as they are baking is indescribable!  I love coconut and this cookie reeks of coconut!

Mom’s Pecan Dreams has two layers.  The light bottom layer made with butter, confectioner’s sugar and flour has an almost cake-like delicious texture.  The top layer is a combination of brown sugar, pecans and coconut; common ingredients, but just the perfect combination for a melt in your mouth cookie.  They are lip smacking good!!!

Mom’s Pecan Dreams

Printable recipe

Crust ingredients:

½ cup butter, softened

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 cup sifted cake flour (a must!)

Cream butter, add powdered sugar and cake flour.  Mix well.  Spread in bottom of 13" x 9" Pyrex baking dish.

Filling ingredients:

2 eggs

1 ½ cups brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chopped pecans

1 ½ cups flaked coconut

Beat eggs till light, add brown sugar, blend well.

Add flour and baking powder.  Mix well.

Blend in pecans and coconut.

Pour over first mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cut into squares when cool.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Mom’s Pecan Dreams!

Be sure to check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking.  She is hosting a Tate’s Bake Shop giveaway!

Snowballs Mom’s Way

These snowballs are like a winter wonderland; they are delectable and you don’t have to do any shoveling!  

 

This is an elegant “heavenly dessert” that Mom prepared for dinner parties during the holidays.  I have no idea how she came upon this recipe ~ I just know I love the result!  They are soooo delicious if you love sweet luscious pineapple, angel flaked coconut and fresh whipped cream.  They look similar to a Hostess Sno Ball, only larger and taste a hundred times better. 

The preparation is a little time consuming; however, the good thing is that they can be assembled a day ahead of time.  The day before serving, crushed pineapple, chopped pecans and powdered sugar are combined, then spread on 3 stacked vanilla wafers and covered with coconut on serving day.  They’re a great “make ahead of time” dessert and scrumptious beyond words! 

Snowballs

Ingredients:

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, well drained

½ pound (2 sticks) butter

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

4 eggs yolks, 4 egg whites

1 cup ground pecans

3 pints whipping cream

Vanilla wafers

Angel flake coconut

1 tablespoon milk

Day before serving:

Drain crushed pineapple.  You have to end up squeezing it in your hands.

Cream butter and sugar.

Add egg yolks, nuts and pineapple.

Beat egg whites till stiff.

Fold egg whites into pineapple mixture.

Put 3 vanilla wafers together with pineapple filling:  place one wafer on plate, cover liberally with filling, stack another wafer on top, cover liberally with filling, place a third wafer on top of the stack.

Place them in a pan and set in refrigerator overnight.

Next day:

Beat whipping cream until stiff.

Put wafer stack on a spatula.

Cover all but bottom with stiffly beaten whipped cream.

Sprinkle with coconut.

Place in refrigerator till serving time.

Pam’s Notes:  This recipe takes 1 ½ boxes of vanilla wafers.   The recipe can easily be halved.  If you wish, the coconut can be tinted for a festive look:  In a baggie, mix 1 tablespoon milk, a couple of drops of red food coloring and 1 package of coconut together.  Let dry overnight.

An amazingly delicious holiday dessert!!!

Be sure to enter my Tate’s Bake Shop giveaway that was posted on December 3^rd!

Also, check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Growing up in Kentucky, I’ve had a love affair with bourbon balls for many years; however, it took a California girl to put the real meaning in “bourbon” balls!

Sunday I attended a Christmas cookie exchange hosted by my good friend Tracy (California girl).  There were so many great cookies and it was good to see “old” friends. 

There aren't many bourbon balls in the photo above because we devoured them before I remembered to take pictures...   

 

These are about the best "boozy" bourbon balls and there is no mistaking the bourbon in them!

 

So --- Have a boozy ball!

Bourbon Balls

 Ingredients: 

12 cups crushed vanilla wafers—the original Vanilla Wafers (4 boxes)
¾ cup dark corn syrup
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4¼ cups powdered sugar, divided
4¾ cups chopped pecans, divided
3 cups bourbon—Old Grand Dad’s

Instructions:

1.  Mix vanilla wafers, corn syrup, cocoa powder, 4 cups powdered sugar, 4 cups pecans and bourbon. Refrigerate at least 12 hours.
   
2. Shape into balls. Pulverize remaining ¾ cup pecans and sift in remaining ¼ cup powdered sugar. Mix together and roll bourbon balls in mixture.
3. You may want to halve the recipe as it makes a lot, 6 dozen.

They are “blue-ribbon” bourbon balls for sure!  Thanks for the recipe California Girl!

Be sure to enter my Tate’s Bake Shop giveaway that was posted on December 3^rd!

Also, check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Ultimate Thanksgiving Stuffing

We may talk turkey at the Thanksgiving table but, what we really crave is stuffing or dressing, as I grew up calling it.  No Thanksgiving meal would be complete without a great stuffing.  It is definitely my favorite part of the dinner.

The recipe is an adapted Chicago Tribune recipe and is a re-post from when I first started this blog ~ I want to share it again as it is the absolute best stuffing that my family and I love. It has honors as our traditional stuffing.  By adding Italian sausage, apples, pecans and Triple Sec, it is a moist and flavorful stuffing ~ distinctive from all others.

Just one bite of this delicious stuffing will be enough for a chorus of “aahs” around the dinner table – it’s that good!  Give it a try and it could be your traditional stuffing!

It is incredibly delicious, the ultimate stuffing!

Just one bite of this delicious stuffing will be enough for a chorus of “aahs” around the dinner table --- it’s that good! 

The Ultimate Stuffing w/Dried Cherries and Apples

Servings: 8

This is truly the ultimate stuffing. It's always a favorite on our Thanksgiving table along with the turkey! It's delicious!

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter
• 2 cups chopped celery, with leaves
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) package herb-seasoned bread stuffing mix
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 2 Honeycrisp apples - peeled, cored and chopped
• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. In a large skillet, melt ½ cup butter over medium heat. Sauté the celery and onion in the butter for 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Combine the stuffing mix with the celery and onion mixture.
3. Stir in the cherries and apples.
4. Mix in 2 cups chicken broth and egg; the stuffing should be totally moistened, if not, gradually add more broth.
5. Season with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.
6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
7. Lightly butter a 15x10x2-inch baking dish.
8. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish.
9. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
10. Uncover and bake until top is crisp, about 15 minutes.

Notes:

This stuffing can be made one day ahead. Refrigerate until ready to bake and add another 10 to 15 minutes baking time, until stuffing is heated through.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!