Mindy's Favorite Recipes

I can't believe this is my final post. When I first joined the café in 2012 I had yet to be published. Now, I'm about the celebrate the release of my eleventh book. My, how time does fly.

But while all good things must come to an end, some things live in perpetuity. Like my favorite recipes. Goodness knows I have a lot of them, so narrowing them down was tough. The good news is that while we won't be adding any more recipes to the Yankee-Belle Café, the ones that are here will remain so that you (and our children) can tap into them whenever you like.

So here we go with my top five favorite recipes.

Grape Salsa - 

I know it sounds weird, but this sweet and savory concoction is my most requested recipe. It's super simple and perfect for any gathering. You can find the recipe here. 

Coconut Cream Pie - 

My girls' grandmother was famous for her cream pies. And when microwave ovens became the norm, she simplified her recipe so you no longer had to stand at the stove, cooking and stirring forever. My kids love the Chocolate Cream version, but hubby usually wins out and get his favorite, Coconut Cream. You can find the recipe here.

Pumpkin Bread - 

I'm pretty sure I've shared this recipe every year because I make it every fall to give as gifts. At first it was for teachers and other school staff, but since we no longer have any kiddos in school, friends, neighbors and our adult children are now the recipients of this moist, delicious tradition. That recipe is right here. 

Macaroni and Cheese - 

Credit for this recipe goes to my oldest daughter, but it's definitely a family favorite. You can serve it straight off of the stove or add a cracker topping and bake it a while. Whichever way you choose to serve it, you won't be disappointed. Find the recipe here.

Last but certainly not least is Sour Cream Blueberry Bundt Cake - 

My mouth waters just looking at this. It's so moist and bursting with blueberry flavor. Mmm, mmm, mmm... I wish I had a slice right now. You can find the recipe here.

I've shared and discovered so many wonderful recipes on this blog these past nine years. And I know I'll be back every now and then to retrieve recipes my counterparts have shared over the years. The Yankee-Belle Café has so many great recipes from all across this great country. 

While I won't be posting here anymore, I won't be hard to find. I'll still be cranking out books and hanging out with many of these lovely ladies over at Seekerville. So come and visit us and let's keep the party going. We'll bring the food. ;)

Until we meet again... 

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Back to the Beginning with Chicken and Dumplings

I can't believe it was nine years ago this month that I joined the Yankee-Belle Cafe. Ruthy, aka The Yank, and Missy, aka The Belle, decided to add to the menu by offering up Tuesdays with the Texan. And that very first recipe I shared is still one of my favorites. 

Good old fashioned chicken and dumplings are one of my family's favorites when the weather turns cool. Comfort food to the max. My girls' great-grandmother taught me how to make them, which means I learned from the best. Many of Lois's recipes are forever woven into the fabric of my family.

The first thing we need to do is make our chicken stock, which will also provide us with the chicken half of our chicken and dumplings. So, in a large Dutch oven or stock pot, add one chicken (or whatever type of chicken meat you might have on hand), two or three carrots cut into thirds, a couple stalks of celery, one onion, quartered, some salt and pepper. I like to skin my chicken so there isn't as much fat in the broth, but that's a personal preference.

Add three quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for a little while before removing chicken and vegetables. Strain broth, discarding solids.

Once the bird is cool enough to touch, remove the meat from the bone and chop into bite-size pieces. For the most part, the veggies don't make it into the soup, however I like to smash the carrots into tiny pieces and add those.

Return broth to Dutch oven, along with the chicken, and bring to boiling. 

While you're waiting for the broth to boil, prepare your dumplings.

Combine:

• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp. vegetable or canola oil 
• Approx. 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups self-rising flour (if the mixture seems too sticky, add more flour in small amounts)

Turn dough onto a floured surface and kneed a handful of times.

From here, it's up to your personal preference. Some like their dumplings big, others like them small. I like a bite of dumpling in every spoonful. My sons want as few dumplings as possible. Personally, I think that's just wrong, but they're brats.

You can roll out the dough and cut it into pieces. That's too much work for me so I flatten a portion of dough on a cutting board, slice into strips, then cut the dumplings into the boiling broth mixture with a scrapper or knife. Remember, you can add as many or as few as you like.

Once you've added your dumplings, reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Then get ready for a bowlful of pleasure. 

Now, if you find making the dumplings intimidating, here's a secret shortcut Greatmom sometimes used--canned biscuits. Simply break or cut them into pieces and drop into the boiling broth. Easy-peasy.

A lot has changed in the last nine years. But one thing that will never change is our love of family and food. Good food that stirs fond memories and continues generation after generation.

What's family favorite dish that has been passed down through the generations at your house?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Pantry Redux

News flash! Winter came to Texas this weekend. While we only saw a little bit of sleet that was barely detectable except that it coated the deck with slush...

A little farther north, our granddaughter was having the time of her life.

Such a lovely sight.

Our cold rain made it the perfect day for doing some much needed purging and rearranging, though.

We moved into our house in December 2017, a mere 10 days before Christmas when we were inundated with family. So despite the best laid plans, by the time January rolled around, my new pantry looked like this. 

A catch-all for anything and everything until I gave it some organization.

Three years later, it once again looked like the first image, only with a lot more stuff. So while the rain fell, I rolled up my sleeves and removed everything from the pantry.

As I started putting things back in, I realized I'd forgotten to take a Before picture.

I started by grouping similar items into these old locker baskets I'd had shoved in a cupboard in the mudroom.

Then I did the same thing with some smaller items that tend to get lost in the pantry, grouping them in these small baskets I'd picked up for less than dollar.

The biggest job was repackaging a lot of items. Combining multiple packages of the same thing into one central location.

Those half-gallon size Mason jars are perfect for storage, though I still use some of the Tupperware I bought way back in the 80s.

It took me all day, but as night fell I once again had an orderly pantry. Save for that wayward box of aluminum foil. Who put that there?

What could have been a lazy rainy day turned into a productive rainy day. One that had me so jazzed I couldn't wait to move onto the mudroom. Hooray for newfound space!

What are some of your favorite storage ideas?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Holiday Recap

Well, the holidays are finally over. And while I cooked at least a month's worth of food in the week between Christmas and New Years, I don't have any pictures. Not of the food, anyway. But I have lots of pictures of the fun.

Each of our kiddos and their families were in at some point during the week. We ate (obviously), we played, we enjoyed each other's company. And spent a fair amount of time outside. 

Yep, the stars at night really are big and bright. Making it a great night for a bonfire.

Our oldest daughter and I took some of the boys to the Blue Bell Creamery where they make some of the best ice cream in the world. And yes, we got samples.

Of course, the week's big finale was our annual New Year's Eve fireworks display.

The house is quiet now. I've hung up my apron and returned to my desk where a delightful Christmas story waits to be completed. So maybe the decorations will stay up just a while longer.

Happy New Year, y'all!

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

One More Christmas Treat

 

Merry Christmas! Yes, Christmas is only three days away, but I have one more treat to share with you. If you've been hanging around the café for a while you probably know what that treat is. There are many things to like about this particular treat, but the best one is that it won't add an ounce to your waistline.

Today I'm sharing a recipe for my favorite holiday scent. It's easy, natural and makes your whole house smell like Christmas. Are you ready?

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• 4 4-inch cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 cup whole cloves
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 1 quart water

Cut orange and lemon into quarters. Combine fruit, spices and water in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer as long as desired, adding more water as needed. Mixture can be covered and refrigerator for several days to be reused.

See, I told you it was easy.

Before I go, I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas. Yes, we ooh and ahh over the Christmas trees and the beautiful decorations, but let's stand in awe of the manger where the son of God stepped down from the glory of heaven to be born in a lowly stable, taking on human flesh. Jesus understands our pain and our grief as well as our happiness because He experienced them, too. He loves us so much and that is certainly something to celebrate.

Merry Christmas!

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Christmas Treats to Give and Eat - Part Three

Christmas memories often revolve around food and, for me, that food is fudge. My mom wasn't a big baker, but every Christmas she made fudge. 

Her go-to recipe was the one on the back of the Kraft Marshmallow Cream jar. So, naturally, that's the same recipe I use. However, several years ago I began to notice that my fudge wasn't turning out the same. It wasn't as creamy and seemed rather grainy. I couldn't figure it out. I bought the same marshmallow cream every year and used the recipe that was on the back. 

Then, when we were preparing to move back in 2017, I was going through my mom's recipe file when I stumbled upon the yellowed recipe she'd cut off of the back of a jar of marshmallow cream. I compared it with the recipe on the back of a jar I had in the pantry and while it looked pretty much the same, I discovered one subtle change. While both recipes called for a small can of evaporated milk, Mom's old recipe said it was a 6 oz can, while my newer version referred to it as a 5 oz can.

Somewhere along the way the manufacturers of evaporated milk changed to size of the small can from 6 to 5 ounces, yet the recipe stayed the same. Who would have thought that one ounce could make so much difference? Obviously not the manufacturers of both products. But I grew up on Fantasy Fudge. I knew what it was supposed to taste like, how the texture should be. So, here is the recipe for REAL Fantasy Fudge.

• 3 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine (Mom always used margarine, I use butter)
• 6 oz. evaporated milk
• 1 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 7 oz jar marshmallow cream
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

First thing you'll want to do is line a 9x13 baking pan with aluminum foil. This is so you can lift the fudge out of the pan after it's cooled, for easier cutting. Now spray that foil with some non-stick spray and set aside.

Melt your butter or margarine over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan at least 3 quarts in size.

Once the butter is melted, add your sugar and 6 ounces of evaporated milk.

Stir that all together and continue to cook and stir until it comes to a boil.

Once it boils, keep stirring and cook for approximately 5-7 minutes, until mixture reaches soft ball stage on a candy thermometer.

What's that, you don't have a candy thermometer? Not to worry. We didn't have one when I was growing up, so I learned to do it old school.

Drizzle a small amount of the boiling mixture into a cup of cold water.

Now stick your fingers in there and see if you can form the mixture into a soft ball. If not, keep cooking, testing every minute or so.

This is what you should end up with.

Perfect! And if you pop said soft ball into your mouth, you will be a very happy camper. Just sayin'.

Once your mixture has reached the soft ball stage, remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate chips.

Stir until melted, then add your marshmallow cream.

This takes a little longer to stir in than the chocolate chips, because you need to make sure all the little lumps are gone and the mixture is nice and smooth.

Now add your vanilla and stir to mix.

And finally, if you're using nuts (I prefer pecans), add them.

Mix those in and your mixture should look like this.

Pour into your prepared pan and set aside to cool for at least a couple of hours. Do not refrigerate until completely cooled.

When the fudge is cooled and set, remove foil/fudge from pan and cut into squares.

Now that's Fantasy Fudge done right. Creamy and delicious. And perfect for sharing with others.

Have you ever tried to duplicate a recipe from your childhood and found that it wasn't quite right? If so, what did you do?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com