Another Epic Fail

Missy, here. I was glad Virginia shared her failures earlier this week so I don't feel so bad. I kind of hate to show recipes that I blow, because Ruthy will be sure to make fun. :) But I WILL share it, because I learned a lesson. And also because it looked so darn good! (And will be the next time I make it.)

I had a package of boneless pork chops thawed out. And my daughter groaned, saying she can't stand the texture of pork. Nothing I suggested appealed to her--not barbecued or apricot glazed. So I had a brainstorm. I pictured the meat finely sliced in Asian food and decided to go digging in my pantry. Maybe I could find some Thai seasoning.

And I did! I had pad Thai sauce and also a peanut sauce. I knew I loved the pad Thai sauce because I'd made it before, so I decided to try the peanut sauce mix. I couldn't remember when I bought it, so I checked the package for an expiration date. Didn't have any. After learning a lesson with tuna (found out by calling the 800 number that the packet I had was 6 years old! LOL), I searched for a manufacturing date. I couldn't find any numbers stamped anywhere so assumed it should be fine.

Well, DO NOT ASSUME. Once the meal was cooked, I tasted it, and it was HORRIBLE. Tasted like rancid peanuts. I was so upset. I'd spent all that time slicing the meat very thin so my daughter would like it. Not to mention the cost of the pork and a perfectly gorgeous pack of frozen green beans.

We had to throw it out and eat the noodles with a jar of spaghetti sauce and cheese. My son, who would normally good-naturedly make fun of me about it, even gave me a hug. Very disappointing.

So anyway, I still want to share the recipe. I'm sure the sauce will be good if I buy a new pack. :)

Thinly slice 4-6 boneless pork chops (hint, they slice easier if you freeze them for about 10 minutes)
Lightly brown the pork in a little canola oil
Add 1/2 bag frozen thin green beans (Aren't these gorgeous! I got them on my first trip to Aldi.)

In a separate pan, make the sauce according to package direction (this called for a can of coconut milk and a little fish sauce). Add to the pork and beans.
Top with chopped peanuts and serve over Thai noodles.

I hope you make this successfully! I'm sure you'll do better than I did. :)

Snickerdoodle Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting!

I blame Tina Russo Radcliffe.

I'd never even HEARD of "snickerdoodle" cake, then all of a sudden, like WHAM!!! out of the stinkin' blue she's sending me e-mails...

That in itself is not altogether strange, we generally like each other, but what is she sending me e-mails about??????

You guessed it.

SNICKERDOODLE CAKE

Could it possibly be as good as it sounds?

The answer is a resounding YES, YES, AND YES!!!!

There are a bunch of recipes out there, but I liked the set up of the one that was on "Always With Butter" and then I found it reprinted on Sweet Treats & More... and then on Foodie With Family...

If that many fun blogs are featuring the same cake set up, who am I to argue?

But I did change up the frosting. And I split the 9" layers in two so that more of the cream cheesy-cinnamony-goodness frosting hits the palate with each bite.

Hey, I understand that the primary function of CAKE is to hold FROSTING.

This is an indisputable fact among sugar addicts, and I am a self-professed sugar addict so I know these things.

It's a gift.

So here's the cake recipe...

 Ingredients

Cake Recipe:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 sticks soft butter (1 cup)
• 1 3/4 cups  sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk

Instructions:

Butter (or grease with Crisco) and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans.Preheat oven to 350°F. I prefer the 9" pans because this is a large cake recipe...

Mix together the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color.

Beat the eggs in one at a time, fully incorporating each egg and scraping down the bowl between each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

Add about 1/3 of the milk, beat to incorporate, then 1/3 of the flour, again beating to incorporate.

Repeat this process, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until all of the milk and flour are added and mixed in evenly.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake, rotating midway through, for about 35 minutes or until the cake tests done.

Let the cakes cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes before turning out onto the racks to finish cooling.

Frosting!!!!

2 sticks soft butter

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

5 cups Powdered sugar (also called Confectioner's sugar)

Cream butter, cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and cinnamon, mix again. Add in the powdered sugar slowly, then whip for about five minutes.

Slice cooled cakes in half... 

spread frosting on top part of each layer, then use remainder of frosting to frost top and sides.

This cake makes delightfully big pieces, eight layers high, a real crowd-pleaser, sure to win smiles!

Kitchen Fails and Edna saves the Day

 

Hello, Yankee Belle Café!!

 

The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have some lovely pictures of my week's kitchen activities. Brace yourselves. It's gonna get ugly.

First up, we have mini lasagnas. Mmmmmm. What could go wrong?? I may possibly, just possibly, have added the salt twice. Or three times. Not sure what happened. Unless I can blame a toddler, it was salty enough to choke a horse. I have a suspicion that I was tired, spacey from writing into the wee hours and thought I hadn't added the salt to the simmering sauce so added it again. And again.

Anyway, looks delicious, but was inedible.

"Punk your family with this lasagna! Can be used as salt lick."

 

Next I decided to make oyster stew. I've had oyster stew maybe 5 times in my life and I have great memories of a big pot of it steaming away on the stove, filling the house with an amazing smell of seafood and herbs.

I called my dad for the recipe and he said something along the lines of "milk, butter, herbs, onion, and oysters". Not very exact, but I was sure I could handle it.

Half an onion

one cube butter

4 small jars of oysters

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

Wow! It smelled delicious! It was just like I remembered it!!

And then I walked away.

And it burned in about 2 seconds.

Burnt oyster stew smell is THE WORST. And tastes like charred cheese. *gag*

I declared it a kitchen fail an offered it to the cats.

No go. Apparently, cats are pickier than we thought.

Then I had an idea to try a grasshopper cake. I made a chocolate cake mix and mixed whipped fresh cream topping, lightly flavored with mint extract and a few drops of green food coloring.

Honestly, this was delicious. But it looks NOTHING like the picture. This was going to be a blog post, but I'm sure you all get tired of trying to create the impossible. I know I do.

 

I waited until it was cool and everything, but somehow their grasshopper cake with the tidy mint leaf morphed into unidentifiable cake mass.

Finally, Edna took the situation in hand/beater.

We had leftover pumpkin in the pantry and she said we should try a jelly roll type cake. That sounded really, really impossibly difficult. If I can't make a cupcake, then I certainly can't roll up a cake. But she insisted. So... we started, even though I didn't have a jellyroll pan.

Preheat oven to 375F

Combine:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat eggs and sugar, then pumpkin in a bowl.

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup pure pumpkin

ADD flour mix and beat well. Pour into a wax paper lined pan. (Edna says not everybody has a jelly roll pan.)

BAKE 13-15 minutes

 

Meanwhile, sample interesting dinners prepared by small children. Here we have chopped baby carrots, six almonds, 1/2 cup cheerios, and a 1/2 cup of stale candy corn. Very colorful!

When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately flip over onto plate and peel off the wax paper. Sprinkle powder sugar on a clean, light dishtowel. Roll it up carefully and let it cool.

After it's cool, layer on the filling.

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon maple extract

Reroll the cake, making sure to eat any filling that drips out the sides. Wrap in plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for two hours.

Ta-dah! Much better than salty lasagna, burned oyster stew, or even the leaning tower of chocolate cake.

It was a bit dense, but everybody really liked it. It wasn't exactly a Spring dish, but we'll start on those next week.

Here's a picture of Spring around my house:

The cherry trees are in bloom!! Hooray!! That means delicious fresh fruit very soon. Mmmmm. And if you'd like to see more pictures from where I live, or would like to participate in our new facebook group, join our FOUR MILE PROJECT here. My girls were wondering what it's like where our facebook friends live. We've had some very incredible photos uploaded from all corners of the world... and always within four miles of the home of the poster. Come check it out!

 Until next time, take care my friends!

 

 



Put on Your Dancing Shoes

It's time for a little salsa.

Okay, so we're not really going to dance. But with a bowl full of yummy salsa, you just might want to.

Here in Texas, salsa is a staple. Some is mild, some will send you running for the nearest fire extinguisher. Some is superb, some...not so much. But there's one thing salsa always is and that's easy to make.

Are you ready?

Good, then let's hit it.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 - 10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel, I like the mild version)
• 1 - 14 oz can whole tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/8 cup chopped onion
• 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Jalapeno, diced (I used a half of one, but was told by my crew I needed to add more)
• a nice-sized pinch of ground cumin
• a bigger pinch of salt
• a pinch of sugar
• the juice of half a lime (except sometimes limes aren't very juicy, in which case I use add the juice of the whole lime)

Dump your tomatoes, juice and all, into a food processor or blender, then throw in everything else.

 

Pulse a few times.

Not quite there, so I scrape down the sides and pulse a few more times.

 

Once you get it to a consistency you like, sample and adjust seasonings, if needed.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Pour into a bowl and serve with tortilla chips or whatever you like.

 

This is great for everyday or a party. And if you want to share with someone you love....

It makes a great gift. Maybe add a ribbon around the lid. (Mine was just going into the fridge, so no point wasting perfectly good ribbon)

 

The nice thing is that you can adjust it to your personal taste. Like it a little hotter? Add more jalapeno or start with original Rotel (or both). Like more garlic? Go for it.

 

And now, it's time to dance. This little fella has some awesome salsa moves.

 

 

Jan's Three Bean Salad

Amish Country last spring - this spring was too rainy!

Jan here, back from a week long trip to visit family back in Amish Country.

Now, some of you might think Amish Country is in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, or even Holmes County, Ohio. And while there are large Amish settlements in both of those places, real Amish Country is in LaGrange and Elkhart Counties in northern Indiana.



Of course, when you visit Amish Country, you have to eat. And yes, we went to the best restaurants and had the best soups, mashed potatoes and PIE!!!

But I thought you'd like a look at my dad's refrigerator. This is the kind of stuff he keeps on hand for lunches....

These are the meats for sandwiches.

On the left is turkey...the kind normal people buy.

The top center? That's Lebanon baloney. Pure heaven. Oh my. I can taste it now, just looking at that slice....

But the other stuff? Souse.

Souse is made by taking all the leftover pig stuff after you're done butchering, adding in some onions and peppers, adding some good, rich broth, putting it all in a loaf pan and letting it solidify into a block of...this.

I tried it. I won't be making any at our house. I'll let your imagination figure out what parts of a pig would be leftover after making ham, bacon and sausage.


And now the cheeses.

Clockwise from the lower left: Colby from the Amish cheese factory out near Middlebury, Baby Swiss from Holmes County, smoked Gouda, New York Cheddar packaged by Yoder's Market in Shipshewana, and a bit of Muenster.

When you make a sandwich with wheat bread, spicy mustard, turkey and some of that Baby Swiss, you've got yourself a good sandwich!

Here's the final thing to round out a good, Amish Country lunch - Three Bean Salad.

Dad buys his from Das Dutchman Essenhaus (just the best restaurant in the area. Take a look at it here), and it's about the tastiest commercial Three Bean Salad I've ever had.

My mom used to make it quite often in the summer, and several years ago I developed my own super simple recipe.

Jan's Three Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 can green beans, drained
1 can yellow (or wax) beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1/2 small onion, sliced thin and separated into rings
1/4 cup green pepper, cut in 1/2" chunks
1 cup Italian salad dressing

Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes. Drain the excess salad dressing before serving.

Now you're all set for an Amish Country lunch!

Tres Leches Cake For Kirkwood Lake Series

First:

I'd never made one of these babies before, and you know how it is: Someone has to take one for the team... go the distance... try this, try that, check out flavors, toppings, etcetera!  :)

Well, my Hispanic heroine in "The Lawman's Holiday Wish" (December 2013 Love Inspired Books) is a former bad girl come home to help get things on an even keel...

And she's got a heart of gold, but like so many kids these days, she resented just about everything and everyone around her as a teen. Now all grown up, and after paying her price in multiple ways, she's home...

And not everyone in town is happy about it. BUT.... she'd determined to win them over or at the very least, quiet them down! When she decides to staff the farm's dairy store booth at the bicentennial kick-off festival in October, tongues wag... eyebrows are raised... and some won't even have their booth near hers, but cake is an amazing thing...

You thought I was gonna say "faith" was an amazing thing, didn't youse????

Well, it is, but cake has its own share of followers on God's green Earth so when Rainey sees the hero's reaction to her Tres Leches Cake from Abuela's Mexican recipe, she gets the idea to serve the cake at the festival... Now for RAINEY to do this, it meant that RUTHY had to come up with a great Tres Leches recipe... Sure, I could have pretended to know how to make one and fudged it with readers, but what fun is that???

N-O-N-E.

I went to facebook and pleaded....

NOTHING.

I searched online and found some recipes, then decided to experiment by combining elements.

Back to facebook, pleading once again, frankly BEGGING.... Lame, right?

But I got a couple of great ideas, one from our fresh pioneer......

And one from an old high school buddy!

Mandy and I went to work. Mandy loves to work in the kitchen and she and Paul are not afraid to TRY THINGS.

So we did. And then I got my husband's family in on the voting:

One cake was dense.

One was light.

One topping included coconut and coconut milk

One topping was plain and just used sweetened milk.

So I sent out samples. No goats/cows/or inlaws were hurt in the making of this cake.

No one died.

I'm just sharing that disclaimer because YOU NEVER KNOW.

Once the votes were in we checked out the results through Price Waterhouse Coopers.

(We didn't really but finance boy works there so I wanted to give PWC a shout out.)

We adjusted the recipe.... to a slightly denser cake than the light one...

We came up with three variations for the book:

Apple/eggnog
Coconut pineapple
Regular

I'm going to give you the regular one here and we'll do the other renditions as the year goes on, and GUESS WHAT??????

Not only are they doing this as a CHRISTMAS BOOK, YAY!!!!!

But they're including the recipe!!!!!

HAPPY DANCING IN UPSTATE NEW YORK!!!!!  :)

Rainey Cabrera McKinney’s Tres Leches Cake (Three-Milk Cake)

Sponge cake:

1 cup all purpose flour

6 eggs (3 will be separated, but not permanently! No lawyers needed!)

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons almond flavoring, if desired. (We love almond sponge so we add it.)

2 large mixing bowls

In one bowl, put three eggs and 3 egg yolks. Add the sugar and beat with mixer until pale yellow in color. This may take several minutes. In second bowl (making sure there’s no grease on/in bowl) beat the 3 egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold the whipped egg whites into the beaten egg/sugar mixture. Sift the 1 cup of flour over the mix and fold in with spatula, just until flour streaks disappear. Don’t overmix… We want the cake spongy and light, ready to receive the milk syrup later… Oh, yum…. 

Using spatula, gently put cake batter into buttered 13” x 9” pan.

Bake at 325° on center rack until cake is puffed and golden. Sides should pull away from pan slightly.  Once cake is removed from oven, allow to cool a few minutes, then flip cake onto large tray or plate with sides to prevent sauce from spilling over. Using a large fork or a steel knife sharpener (this is what I prefer, those rounded steel rods that come with knife sets… perfect for poking holes!) poke holes at ½” intervals throughout cake. No, you don’t need to measure the distance… “guesstimate”, okay?  Nothing goes wrong if holes are closer… you want that milk sauce to penetrate throughout the cake.

Milk Sauce:

*Mix together in medium saucepan:

½ cup corn syrup

¾ cup evaporated milk

¾ cup sugar

Heat to boiling over medium heat, and then simmer about five minutes, until pale caramel/gold in color.  Mix in:

1 12 oz. can evaporated milk

2/3 cup coconut milk (for coconut variety) or 2/3 cup half-and-half or light cream

Mix together, then spoon over cake slowly, allowing syrup to drench cake.

*1 can sweetened condensed milk can be used instead of first three ingredients, but if you don’t have it on hand, the mix of sugar, corn syrup and evaporated milk makes an amazing milk sauce and only takes minutes on top of the stove. It does bubble, so make sure pan is big enough so you don’t overflow. If using the canned variety, no need to heat.

Refrigerate cake, then top with Whipped Cream:

Whip 2 cups heavy whipping cream and ½ cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread over cooled cake. May be garnished with fruit, nuts, coconut, etc. Whatever you like! This great recipe has become a family favorite for the Hernes… and now the McKinney’s of Kirkwood Lake!

Unusual Eating with Missy Tippens

The Belle, here. Last weekend we went to visit Tallulah Gorge State Park, up in the mountains about an hour north of here.

The gorge and falls are gorgeous, and it was especially nice this time of year. (We visited on July 4th and about had a heat stroke!)

The day we were there, they opened up one lock on the dam so that kayakers could have rapids for a day of recreation. It was exciting-and I admit, terrifying to watch them go down the falls. Here's a photo. You'll have to zoom in to see the bright yellow and green kayak at the top of the falls, preparing to go down. (Note, these are different falls from the photo above.)

And here's a photo of the visitors center where we started. They closed the bottom of the gorge because of the water release, so we walked the rim. Now, we're on the other side...

Quite a drop! And lots of really cool lookout points.

Here's some flora, too...

And later, some of the fauna--wildlife sneaking up on me!

After hiking, our son's girlfriend took us to her grandparents' mountain home. It was AMAZING. Here's my oldest, taking in the view from the back porch...

Then we went for some Italian food in Clayton, GA, at Mama G's. Had some yummy eggplant parmesan! And look at those rolls dripping in garlic butter. Oh, my.

Now, as for the title of the post! On the way back, I snapped a photo of this restaurant that I had heard of before but haven't visited. Would love to try it sometime! It's called...are you ready for this?...

Goats on The Roof.

And yes, there really are goats on the real grass roof! Pretty stunning site. I tried to snap a photo as we drove by, but it snuck up on me, and my husband was driving too fast. Earlier, we'd seen several goats on the roof. But when I took this on the way home, I think there was only one. You'll have to zoom in to see it. :) Click the name above to go to their website and see more photos.

All in all, we had a great day last Saturday! Hope you don't mind that I didn't share a recipe today. I made Mindy's Slow Cooker Lasagna the other day, and we had it (again!) leftover tonight. :) The recipe turned out great! I'll make it next time my family comes for a visit.

Oh, and while I'm here...

Don't forget my newest from Love Inspired, Georgia Sweethearts, is out NOW. I've heard of some Walmart sightings!

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