Merry Christmas Y'all!

 

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Mint Chocolate Chip Pie

 

24  Oreos

1/4 c butter; melted

  for the filling:

1 1/4 c heavy cream

8 oz cream cheese; softened

1 1/4 c powdered sugar

  green food coloring

3/4 ts vanilla extract

3/4 ts peppermint extract

1 c chocolate chips; plus more for garnish

1 c Andes mints; rough chop

  chocolate; melted for drizzling

 

Make Crust: In a food processor, pulse Oreos until they form coarse crumbs. Add butter and blend until completely combined.

 

Press crumb mixture into bottom and evenly up sides of a 9" pie dish. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before adding filling.

 

Make Filling: Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a bowl.

 

To bowl of stand mixer, add cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed, 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and food coloring and mix on low until smooth. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts and mix until combined. With a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, then fold in mini chocolate chips and chopped Andes mints.

 

Pour filling into prepared crust and smooth top. Sprinkle with more mini chocolate chips and chopped Andes and drizzle with chocolate. Refrigerate until firm, 5 to 6 hours.

 

Yield: 8 servings

 

 

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Is Mexico Safe?

Dedicated to those who ask

if Mexico is safe

Gringo: - Hi, where are you from?

Mexican: - Hi, I’m from Mexico

Gringo: - Ah! The land of Chapo Guzmán, narcos, marijuana, crime and extortion.

Mexican -I’m sorry, are you a drug addict or a TV junkie?

Gringo - No!!! Why?

Mexican -Because if you were an athlete or sports fan, you would have identified Mexico with Ana Guevara, Hugo Sanchez, Julio Cesar Chavez, Finito, Chicharito Hernandez, Canelo Alvarez, Rafael Marquez, etc.

If you were an educated person, you would have asked about the Aztec empire, the Mayan culture, the Olmecs or any other of the great mesoamerican cultures.

If you were a well traveled person you would have talked about our majestic archaeological sites, our tourist-friendly colonial cities, our megalopolis or our exotic beaches… the astonishing biodiversity of our rainforests, mountain ranges, deserts, conifer forests…

You could have identified Mexico with our great painters, Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, Frida Khalo, José Clemente Orozco; our composers: Agustín Lara, Consuelo Velázquez, Armando Manzanero, Juan Gabriel, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, our writers and poets: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Juan Rulfo, Octavio Paz, Juan José Arreola, Elena Poniatowska, Amado Nervo, Jaime Sabines;

our inventors or scientists: Manuel Mondragón, Guillermo González Camarera, Luis Ernesto Miramontes; our cinematographers: Ismael Rodríguez, Emilio Fernández, Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Emmanuel Lubezki, and even Luis Buñuel, who, being originally from Spain, chose to adopt the Mexican nationality...

If you were a gourmand, you would have asked about Tamales, Cochinita Pibil, Mole, Adobo, Chilaquiles, Chiles en nogada, Guacamole, Pan de Muerto, etc. Or our traditional beverages: Tequila, Mezcal, wines and beers.

However, I can see, the only thing you can relate to Mexico is the provider to American drug addicts...

I just want you to realize that México is a lot more than what ignorant people and fear-mongering media knows or chooses to propagate.

There are millions of honest Mexicans, who even without knowing you, will open the door to our homes, and that if you care to visit, you will love to get to know us and to visit us. Mexico is even more than I can possibly tell you!

VIVA MÉXICO!

Our Guanajuato Trip

 

The WHOLE Enchilada!!

Once you try this....

You will never buy that canned stuff again!!

I used to buy that canned rojo (aka red)  enchilada sauce all the time because I felt intimidated about making any at home.  My biggest concern was that I didn't have the necessary ingredients...but I was wrong.   This is the best and now I make a double batch and water bath can the extra for the pantry.  

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New Enchilada Sauce

3 tb butter

3 tb flour

2 1/2 tb chili powder

1 tb paprika

3 c chicken stock

2 ts garlic powder

1 ts onion powder

1 ts cumin

2 ts tomato paste

1/2 ts chicken bouillon

1 ts oregano

1/2 ts sugar

1/2 ts pepper

Melt butter and add flour. Stir continuously, until golden brown. 

Add chili powder, a little at a time, stir continuously. Add paprika, stir. Add 1 cup chicken stock, slowly and stir. 

Add garlic powder. Add onion powder. Add cumin. Add tomato paste. Add chicken bouillon. Add oregano and on more cup chicken stock. 

Add sugar and pepper. Add last cup chicken stock. Stir and continue with corn tortilla/and meat recipe of your choice.

Yield: 2 pints

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Ready for the Pantry

Hot Water Bath

Every Now and then.....

 Who am I kidding...it happens all the time and this quick one serving dessert fits the bill and you aren´t stuck with a bunch of leftover cake!!   LOL......

Enjoy!!!

Lemon & Blueberries!!!

 A Lemon Blueberry Pudding Cake.....

That everyone will enjoy ....guaranteed!    This recipe is so easy and you probably have all the ingredients on hand.  

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Lemon Blueberry Pudding Cake

Cakes, Desserts, Pudding

3 cups blueberries

1/3 cup sugar

1 tb cornstarch

  Cake Batter:

1/2 cup butter; room temp

3/4 cup sugar

2  eggs; room temp

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  dash of salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1  Lemon syrup:

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 inch glass baking dish with shortening.

In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries with 1/3 cup of sugar and cornstarch. Place in the bottom of the glass baking dish.

For The Cake Batter: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating until well incorporated with each addition. Add the lemon extract and lemon zest, beat on low till just incorporated.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Always start with the flour and end with flour. Beating only until just incorporated with each addition. Spread the cake batter over the blueberries evenly. Set aside.

Lemon Syrup: In a small saucepan bring the water, lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar to a boil. Pour over the cake batter. Bake cake for 50 - 60 minutes until cake is firm to the touch, golden brown and bubbly around the edges. Cool slightly, serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Yield: 9 servings

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My First Mexican Farmers Market!

 A New Adventure!!

Today we were able to enjoy a new adventure going to the Farmer's Market in Ajijic, Mexico.  It was a real treat so see fresh  vegetables grown here that probably also end up in many American grocery stores.   Everything looked so fresh and wonderful.  

Here are some pics from all we were able to choose from.

We picked some great things for our first super supper cooked at our fully stocked B&B kitchen.  A tasty chicken roasted with garlic and spices.   Wonderful salad and stir fried vegetables.    Our dessert treat was nice green grapes!  

Bon Appetit 

and

Enjoy your Wonderful World

It happens to.....

 The BEST of US!!!

It happens to all of us sooner or later!   This is the time to make an English Trifle!

Sending Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Wishes to all!

Tasty Peanut Brittle!!

 

It's that time of year for 

Peanut Brittle

I was a little intimidated making Peanut Brittle since my childhood 

was filled with the horror stories about making this holiday candy.  I find out on my first attempt, it is quite simple and the key it having an accurate thermometer.  I don't know I can trust the "soft ball" "hard ball" method that was used in days of old since I haven't found anyone that could show me how!  

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Peanut Brittle

Candy

2 c sugar

1 c water

1 c dark corn syrup

1/2 ts salt

1 c honey roasted peanuts; chopped

2 tb butter

1 ts vanilla

2 ts baking soda

A candy and/or deep fry thermometer is vital. Get it ready now. With parchment paper, line a sheet pan; set aside. To keep paper in place, I use binder clips you can find at any office supply shop.

Add the sugar, water, corn syrup and salt to a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking over medium heat until mixture reaches 250F. Add the peanuts and continue cooking until mixture reaches 290F. Remove from heat. Add the butter, vanilla and baking soda and beat until frothy. To my surprise, the boiling sugar mixture will turn to a opaque medium golden color.

Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread to fill the pan with a even layer of mixture. Place in a freezer for 20 minutes.

Break the brittle into small pieces and store in an airtight container.

Yield: 24 servings

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A new Take on the Vanishing Oatmeal Cookie

 It's a NEW Take on the Vanishing Oatmeal Cookie!!

While browsing the shelves in the baking department, I ran across Hershey's Cinnamon Chips.  Humm....what could I make with those??  The first thing that popped into my mind was Oatmeal Cookies and I headed to the recipe file to find the Vanishing Oatmeal Cookie recipe on the Quaker Box.   Grabbed the recipe and made a few changes, including removing the raisins and adding the Cinnamon Chips and chopped Pecans.  

This is the original off the box recipe.  

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Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies

7 oz butter; softened

3/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

2 lg eggs

1 tb vanilla

11/2 c flour

1 ts baking soda

1 tb cinnamon

1/2 tb salt

3 c oatmeal

1 bag Hershey's Cinnamon Chips*

1 c pecans, rough chop*

Heat oven to 350°F.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Notes Bar Cookies: Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered. 24 BARS. Variations: Stir in 1 cup chopped nuts. Substitute 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or candy-coated chocolate pieces for raisins; omit cinnamon. Substitute 1 cup diced dried mixed fruit.

*My substitutions

Yield: 48 cookies

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A very thick but manageable dough.  

Oven at 350F and baking for 10 minutes.  


Hope you enjoy this....we sure did here. 


 

Homemade Magic Shell

Who doesn't love Magic Shell!!??    Here is a quick recipe you will want to have in your pantry all the time...and JUST two ingredients.    This recipe calls for semi-sweet chips but I always use Ghirardelli 60% Caco Bittersweet Chocolate Chips.  Just a personal preference.  

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Homemade Magic Shell

1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips; 190 gm

3 tb coconut oil; 39 gm

Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-30 second increments, making sure to stir very well after each increment, until completely melted and smooth.

Allow to cool for a few minutes, then top on ice cream of choice.

Notes: Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

DO NOT store in refrigerator or any place that is cool.....it will harden.

Yield: 6 servings

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The BETTER Biscuit!!

The BETTER Biscuit and

Southern Living deserves all the credit

for helping me create them!

When I saw this method, I was a little skeptical about it.   But....I am one to try different recipes and methods.   This is it...PERFECT!     The grated frozen butter is the best new idea in distributing butter in the flour.  

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Best Ever Biscuits

1/2 cup butter; frozen

2 c White Lily SR Flour

1 c buttermilk

2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 475F.

Grate butter on large holes of grater.  or....Cut butter with a sharp knife or pastry blender into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Sprinkle butter slices over flour in a large bowl. Toss butter with flour. Cut butter into flour with a pastry blender until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Cover and chill 10 minutes. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 or 4 times, gradually adding additional flour as needed. With floured hands, press or pat dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches). Sprinkle top of dough with additional flour. Fold dough over onto itself in 3 sections, starting with 1 short end. (Fold dough rectangle as if folding a letter-size piece of paper.) Repeat entire process 2 more times, beginning with pressing into a 3/4-inch-thick dough rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches).

Press or pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut with a 2-inch round cutter, and place, side by side, on a parchment paper-lined or lightly greased jelly-roll pan. (Dough rounds should touch.) Also, place is a 12" iron skillet coated with a small amount of butter.   This will make crispy bottom biscuits.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; brush with 2 Tbs. melted butter.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used White Lily Self-Rising Soft Wheat Flour.

Cinnamon-Raisin Biscuits: Omit 2 Tbs. melted butter. Combine 1/2 cup golden raisins, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1/3 cup chopped pecans with flour in a large bowl. Proceed with recipe as directed. Stir together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tbs. buttermilk until smooth. Drizzle over warm biscuits.       Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Black Pepper-Bacon Biscuits: Combine 1/3 cup cooked and crumbled bacon slices (about 5 slices) and 1 tsp. black pepper with flour in a large bowl. Proceed with recipe as directed. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Feta-Oregano Biscuits: Combine 1 (4-oz.) package crumbled feta cheese and 1/2 tsp. dried oregano with flour in a large bowl. Proceed with recipe as directed. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Pimiento Cheese Biscuits: Combine 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese with flour in a large bowl. Reduce buttermilk to 1 cup. Stir together buttermilk and 1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimiento, undrained. Proceed with recipe as directed. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Notes:  Southern Living

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Jimmy Dean patties, biscuits and scrambled eggs

These are so good....

You will never buy store bought again!!

I had such good luck making tart shells last week, I though I should put my tortilla press to the real test of making tortillas.   Boy...I am glad that I did since they turned out so good and I will never buy store bought again.  

Here is the recipe.....so simple with four ingredients.  Who would have thought it would be so easy.   I highly recommend investing in a tortilla press.   You can find used ones on eBay at some great prices....it's just the Victoria Press is cast iron and weights quite a bit for shipping.  Maybe Prime Members from Amazon can get free shipping! 

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Soft Flour Tortillas

2 c flour; 260g

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup water; very warm

5 tb lard; melted 64g

Add the salt to the warm water and stir together until the salt has dissolved.

In a large bowl, use a fork to combine the flour with the oil (or other fat) until it looks crumbly. Pour in almost all of the salty water and stir until a shaggy dough forms. If the mixture seems dry, add a bit more of the water.

When the dough comes together, transfer to a floured work surface and knead until smooth, two to three minutes. Cover with a clean dish cloth and leave for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour or two. Resting the dough makes rolling it out easier.

Divide the dough into ten equally sized blobs and then shape into small disks. Use a rolling pin to roll each small disc into 8-inch rounds or use a tortilla press. The thinner the better, here.  Each portion is 44g each for continuity of size.  

Stack the rolled tortillas with a piece of parchment paper between them. Alternatively, you can roll and cook the tortillas at the same time. Roll one tortilla out, then while it cooks, roll the next tortilla out.

Make ahead: Divide the dough into smaller balls (this recipe makes ten 8-inch tortillas), wrap them very well, and then place into the refrigerator up to three days. About thirty to forty minutes before you are ready to cook the tortillas, take the balls out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature before rolling them out.

COOK TORTILLAS Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the first tortilla. Within 20 to 30 seconds, you should start to see it puffing up with bubbles forming.

Transfer the cooked tortilla to a dish towel and cover it then continue with the remaining tortillas, adjusting the heat as needed.

Yield: 10 tortillas

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They will puff up while cooking....just flatten them with your spatula and they will deflate when cooling.   As you can see, they also will change color as the cook on your griddle.  They will turn from a transparent wet look to a solid color and begin to change to golden brown.  

 

My Pineapple Pecan Upside Down Cake

Just another "old fashioned" dessert that I just love.    

I have adapted this recipe from a number of other recipes and  really love the result.   

This is a single  layer cake.  Hope you enjoy also!  

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Pineapple Pecan Upside Down Cake

1 1/2 c flour

2 ts baking powder

1/4 ts baking soda

1 ts salt

1/2 ts cinnamon

3/4 c butter; divided, room temp

3/4 c brown sugar

20 oz pineapple chunks; drained

1/2 c pecans; rough chop

1 1/4 c sugar

2 lg eggs; room temp

1 ts vanilla

1/2 c buttermilk; room temperature

  optional:

  whipped cream

  vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 9" round cake pan and line with parchment. Set

aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda,

salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

Add 1/4 cup butter to small sauce pan and melt. Do not let it burn. Add

brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Let boil for a minute. Pour

immediately into cake pan, swirl to distribute over bottom of pan.  Set

side to cool.

When cool, add drained pineapple (reserve pineapple juice for another

purpose, if desired) and chopped pecans scattered over the butter/brown

sugar topping.

Beat the remaining 1/2 cup butter on medium high speed until light and

creamy, about 1 minute. Add sugar and beat until well incorporated. Add

eggs, one at a time; add vanilla and beat for about 1 minute on medium

speed. Add the dry ingredients in thirds with buttermilk alternating in

three additions, starting and ending with the dry. Beat just until the dry

ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix.

Spread the batter evenly over the pineapple chunks. The batter will be

thick and I find an ice cream scoop helps distribute batter. Smooth batter

to edge of pan. Gently tap the pan on a counter to remove air bubbles. Bake

the cake for 50 to 60 minutes until it is a dark golden brown on top, it

springs back when touched in the center. Test as usual.

Allow the cake to sit for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges to

loosen the cake from the sides and transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool

for an additional 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges one more time.

Gently shake the pan up and down a few times, and invert the cake onto a

cake plate.

Yield: 6 servings

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This usually is prepared with pineapple  rings and maraschino cherries, but I opted to use pineapple chunks for ease of cutting and serving.