I was "NAUGHTY" this Christmas...

 

For some reason when the Christmas season comes around I get the urge to cook. Maybe it is the fact that it rains constantly and makes for bone chilling days or maybe I just need an excuse. Here are some of the creations from my kitchen beginning with Shrimp and Grits!

 

Southern Shrimp And Cheese Grits

1 cup stone-ground grits

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup butter

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 pound whole shrimp, peeled and deveined

6 slices bacon, chopped into tiny pieces

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 cup thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts

1 large garlic clove, minced

1. To make the shrimp and grits recipe, bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the grits and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well with a whisk. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cook the grits until all the water is absorbed, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese. Keep covered until ready to serve.

2. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned and crisp, then drain on a paper towel. Add the shrimp to the bacon grease in the skillet and saute over medium heat just until they turn pink, about 3 minutes. Do not overcook! Immediately add the lemon juice, parsley, green onions, and garlic. Remove the skillet from the heat.

3. Pour the grits into a serving bowl. Pour the shrimp mixture over the grits. Garnish with the bacon bits and a twist of lemon, serve immediately these are not good cold.

 

 

 

Peanut Butter Pretzel Buckeyes

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons softened butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

Pretzels (I used Butter Buds but any small pretzel will do)

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat peanut butter and butter until combined. Scrape down bowl, add sugars and beat until combined. You should be able to roll the mixture into balls without sticking to your hands. If needed, add more powdered sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll.

Roll the mixture into small balls (Think marbel sized), about 1/2 teaspoon of mixture for each ball, and place on prepared baking sheet. Sandwich the balls between two pretzels and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat. Dip each pretzel bite halfway into the melted chocolate and place on the prepared baking sheet. Chill in refrigerator until chocolate is set.



Source:Two Tiny Kitchens

Finally I topped my cooking all off with this decedant 12 inch tall cake wrapped in a chocolate ganache that quite frankly is to die for.

Meet the salted Caramel Ding-Dong Cake! Christmas on a plate and a homage to the year 2012 when Ding-Dongs went extinct!

 

Salted Caramel Ding- Dong Cake

Cake Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup hot strong coffee  (doesn't make it taste like coffee at all)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cupscake flour (Swans Down)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups sugar
1cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs 

Caramel Ganache Ingredients (would double this recipe when I make it again the ganache is so good)

9 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (high quality chocolate)
1 1/8 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Filling Ingredients


1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (just use good quality vanilla if you don't wish to spend $7 for 2 beans)
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)


Special equipment

4 - 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides ; springform pan


Preparation

Cake

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment-paper rounds; coat paper. Place cocoa powder and chocolate in a medium metal bowl. Pour hot coffee over. Let stand for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla; set aside.

Whisk cake flour and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl. Beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with chocolate mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Divide batter evenly between all pans; smooth tops.

Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes (cakes will deflate slightly). Run a knife around pans to loosen cakes; invert cakes onto racks. Peel off paper and let cakes cool completely. Turn cakes over.

If needed, use a long serrated knife to cut off bumps or trim dome from top of each cake to create a flat, even surface.

Caramel Ganache ( this stuff is heaven)

Place chocolate and salt in a medium bowl. Stir sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium deep saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and cook without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until sugar is deep amber, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over medium heat until caramel bits dissolve. Pour over chocolate in bowl. Add vanilla; stir until mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly.

Place 1 cake layer in springform pan. Pour 1 cup ganache over. Chill until set, about 30 minutes. (Do this for all 3 lower layers) I know it's a pain but it is worth it...Cover remaining ganache and let stand at room temperature.

Filling and Assembly

Place 2 Tbsp. cold water in a small heatproof glass or metal bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over; let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes.

Pour water to a depth of 1/2-inch into a small skillet set over medium heat. Transfer bowl with gelatin to skillet; stir until gelatin dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from skillet. Set aside.

Place cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Using an electric mixer, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add gelatin; beat filling until firm peaks form.

Spoon filling over chilled ganache on cake layer in pan; smooth top. Gently place second cake layer on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill until cream layer is set, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Remove sides from springform pan. Using a knife or offset spatula, scrape off any filling that may have leaked out from between cakes to form smooth sides. Transfer cake to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.

Rewarm remaining ganache until just pourable. (Microwave in a microwave-safe bowl, or set a metal bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water until just warm, not hot.) Pour ganache over cake, tilting cake as needed to allow ganache to drip down sides and using an offset spatula to help spread ganache, if needed, to cover sides of cake. Chill until ganache is set, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD Cake can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with a cake dome; chill. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

IMO the cake is better 2 days after just keep it chilled. It is a time consuming cake but worth the effort, You couldn'teven get one of these from a bakery!

Surce:  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/10/salted-caramel-ding-dong-cake#ixzz2H9HLDiy3

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2012!

 

Last Year I made another show stopper.  A white chocolate peppermint cheesecake cake from Southern Living Magazine.  Here is that recipe while I'm at it!

 

White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Cake

 

 

 

Ingredients

Peppermint Cheesecake Layers:

 

3 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

2/3 cup crushed hard peppermint candies

 

Sour Cream Cake Layers:

 

1 (18.25-oz.) package white cake mix

2 large eggs

1 (8-oz.) container sour cream

1/3 cup vegetable oil

 

White Chocolate Mousse Frosting:

 

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup white chocolate morsels

2 cups whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Garnishes: White chocolate curls, peppermint candies

Preparation

1. Prepare Peppermint Cheesecake Layers: Preheat oven to 325°. Line bottom and sides of 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 Tbsp. butter at medium speed with an electric mixer 1 to 2 minutes or until creamy and smooth. Add 3 eggs, l at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add flour and next 3 ingredients, beating until blended. Fold in candies. Pour batter into prepared pans. Place cake pans in a large pan; add water to pan to depth of 1 inch.

 

2. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until set. Remove from oven to wire racks; cool completely in pans (about 1 hour). Cover cheesecakes (do not remove from pans), and freeze 4 to 6 hours or until frozen solid. Lift frozen cheesecakes from pans, using foil sides as handles. Gently remove foil from cheesecakes. Wrap in plastic wrap, and return to freezer until ready to assemble cake.

 

3. Prepare Sour Cream Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350°. Beat cake mix, next 3 ingredients, and 1/2 cup water at low speed with an electric mixer 30 seconds or just until moistened; beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans.

 

4. Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

 

5. Prepare White Chocolate Mousse Frosting: Cook 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Add morsels; cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes), whisking occasionally.

 

6. Beat cream and 2 tsp. vanilla at high speed with an electric mixer 1 to 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Gradually fold white chocolate mixture into whipped cream mixture, folding until mixture reaches spreading consistency.

 

7. Assemble Cake: Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Top with 1 frozen cheesecake layer. Top with second cake layer and remaining cheesecake layer. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread top and sides of cake with frosting. Chill until ready to serve. Garnish, if desired.

Source: Melodie Belcher; Lagrange, Georgia, Southern Living
DECEMBER 2011

 

A New Year...

It's a new dawn, a new day, a new year.  It is my hope that 2013 will bring with it changes in the confidence we have in our nation.  A return to prosperity would be my greatest wish.  Not just economical prosperity but prosperity in the form of  the luxury of living without the uneasy feeling that is in the recess of every one's mind these days.  I hope that we as a nation can find or roots in Christianity and return to those values and morals.  I hope that we will stop giving away our freedom and compromising the future of our children.  I hope that common sense will become common once again.  But if it does not, I am content to rest assured that I have a place in heaven.  Christians are not of this world, and as such, we do not fit in.  Looking back I am lucky, I have never really fit in and look forward to they day when I will meet my Christ and he will say, "well done my good and faithful servant."  Make the best of 2013 no matter what it brings. Be blessed and reassured.

 "I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself." ~ D.H. Lawrence

Witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear October’s days...

I LOVE Halloween

When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween


Halloween had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples, who were once found all over Europe, divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal
cycle.

The festival observed at this time was called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween). It was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year traveled into the otherworld. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables. They also lit bonfires in honor of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living. On that day all manner of beings were abroad: ghosts, fairies, and demons--all part of the dark and dread.
Samhain became the Halloween we are familiar with when Christian missionaries attempted to change the religious practices of the Celtic people.



Samhain, with its emphasis on the supernatural, was decidedly pagan. While missionaries identified their holy days with those observed by the Celts, they branded the earlier religion's supernatural deities as evil, and associated them with the devil. As representatives of the rival religion, Druids were considered evil worshippers of devilish or demonic gods and spirits. The Celtic underworld inevitably became identified with the Christian Hell.

The Christian feast of All Saints was assigned to November 1st. The day honored every Christian saint, especially those that did not otherwise have a special day devoted to them. This feast day was meant to substitute for Samhain, to draw the devotion of the Celtic peoples, and, finally, to replace it forever. That did not happen, but the traditional Celtic deities diminished in status, becoming fairies or leprechauns of more recent traditions.

The old beliefs associated with Samhain never died out entirely. The powerful symbolism of the traveling dead was too strong, and perhaps too basic to the human psyche, to be satisfied with the new, more abstract Catholic feast honoring saints.

In old England cakes were made for the wandering souls, and people went "a' soulin'" for these "soul cakes." Halloween, a time of magic, also became a day of divination, with a host of magical beliefs: for instance, if persons hold a mirror on Halloween and walk backwards down the stairs to the basement, the face that appears in the mirror will be their next lover.
Virtually all present Halloween traditions can be traced to the ancient Celtic day of the dead. Halloween is a holiday of many mysterious customs, but each one has a history, or at least a story behind it. The wearing of costumes, for instance, and roaming from door to door demanding treats can be traced to the Celtic period and the first few centuries of the Christian era, when it was thought that the souls of the dead were out and around, along with fairies, witches, and demons. Offerings of food and drink were left out to placate them. As the centuries wore on, people began dressing like these dreadful creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This practice is called mumming, from which the practice of trick-or-treating evolved.

May Jack-o-lanterns burning bright
Of soft and golden hue
Pierce through the future’s veil and show
What fate now holds for you.

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!

Our Country Life

You may have heard me say before that my only real ambition in life was to be a mother and wife.  It is still true today, however, the gig doesn't pay well so I am back to another year of teaching.  I do, at least, teach a subject I love.  Environmental science ties in nicely with my desire to live sustainably and be the best human being I can be.   A new change in the way we are doing things this year is homeschooling.  Our 13 year old twin boys are taking a year off to reinforce traditional life skills and fine tune their academics.  They are going back to basics, incorporating Bible study, and enjoying some time with their grandparents.  We have taught them to can food, clean and sharpen lawnmower blades and tools, chop and stack wood, drive a truck, grow a garden and tend animals, and they are in the process of engineering solar panels.  We did all of that this summer! They already could cook, but through 4-H they are becoming "Grill Sergeants" and will someday make their wives very happy with their newly acquired skills. My children's youth is slipping away and I am at work while it slides through my fingers.  Regardless, I am trying to enjoy as much of it as I possibly can. I love the country life and I took some pics to document ours. 

This morning's breakfast was chocolate waffles with fresh cherries, and western omelets. 90% of this meal was grown and produced by our family!

Want to be more sustainable too?  Here is a tutorial on canning salsa.  It is a good place to start! We have been canning corn, peaches, and tomatoes for several days but we are switching to salsa in the following photos.

SALSA Ingredients

• Tomatoes - about 15 lbs (yes, quite a few - you remove the skins, seeds ( I leave the seeds in because they don't bother us) and a lot of the water, so it takes a lot to start.) You'll need about 3 quarts of prepared chopped tomatoes. This makes about 8 pints of salsa! If you only want to make a single jar, see this page instead!
• Salsa mix or your own seasonings. The Ball salsa mix sells for about $2.00 to $4.00 per packet. A packet will make about a 7 pint jars. See step 7 below for seasonings.
• 2 cups Lemon juice (if you make your own seasoning) or  white vinegar (if you use the Ball or Mrs. Wages mixes)  Ball is better IMO.
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 10 Jalapeno peppers chopped (or as many as you like)
• 5 onions chopped (or as many as you like)

Equipment 

• 1 Water bath Canner (a huge pot to sanitize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 - $30 at  local "big box" stores.  Canners, supplies and kits    can be purchased by clicking here if you prefer. Tomatoes are on the border between the high-acid fruits that can be preserved in a boiling-water bath and the low-acid fruits, vegetables and meats that need pressure canning.
• Pint (or smaller) canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can be found at Publix, Kroger, or local "big box" stores - about $8 per dozen jars including the lids and rings).
• Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar. They may only be used once.
• Rings - metal bands that secure the lids to the jars. They may be reused many times.
• Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars) 
• Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sanitize them. ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores.  I love this do hickey - it is a magnet with a handle.
• 1 large pot.
• Large spoons and ladles
• Jar funnel ($3-Grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger and Safeway and local "big box" stores; sometimes even hardware stores)

Step 1 - Selecting the tomatoes and chopping the veggies

It's fun to grow and pick your own and you can obviously get better quality tomatoes.  The ones above are the "uglies" from our garden.  We slice the prettiest fresh and can the ones  on which the bugs and birds munch. All the veggies below are from our garden - they are so much better than anything you can get from the grocery store. If you don't garden visit the farmers market.  Chop the peppers, onions, cilantro. etc... and set those aside.

Step 2:  Slipping the Skins

Here's a trick you may not know: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute (30 - 45 seconds is usually enough) then plunge them into a waiting bowl of cold water. This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes! If you leave the skins in, they become tough and chewy.

Step 3: Remove seeds and Chop Tomatoes

After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half and chop into the size chunks you like best.  Remove the seeds and excess water at this point if you like ( I leave the seeds in because we like them and they add fiber). Combine the spice pack, tomatoes, vinegar, and all veggies in a large pot and mix (no need to cook at this point).

You may add whatever you like at this point, here are some ideas:

3 cups chopped onions

6 jalapeño peppers, seeded, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups lemon or lime juice (if you are using a mix, be sure to follow their recipe; the packet mixes often use vinegar instead of lemon juice)

1 tablespoon salt (optional)

1tablespoon sugar (optional - you use Stevia, my preference (or if you prefer, Splenda) if you are on a sugar-restricted diet, or simply omit the sugar)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin (optional)

2 tablespoons oregano leaves or chopped cilantro

If you like the sauce hotter, add 1 teaspoon of chili powder.

Step 4: Sanatize and Heat Jars

The dishwasher is fine for sanatizing the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle. I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars.
Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap! Lids: Put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least several minutes.  Note: everything gets sanitized in the water bath to prevent spoilage

                                                                        

Step 5: Filling the Jars

Fill pint to within ¼-inch of the top, clean the rim with a moist towel and seat the lid and hand-tighten the ring around them.  Be sure the contact surfaces (top of the jar and underside of the ring) are clean to get a good seal!

Step 6: Boil The Jars in a Hot Water Bath

Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 20 min. minimum.  This is necessary to kill germs.

 

Step 7 : Cool Down

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight). You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.

Enjoy your salsa all through the winter!  It makes great gifts too!

This is part of the flock - We have 120 or so and way too many roosters, but the roosters are so pretty we can't stand to get rid of them!

Ok, so my goal for today is to get the junk out for a yard sale tomorrow but instead I'm blogging and taking a photo of a really cool manicure I did myself.  These are so cool and you can do them in 10 minutes with no drying time.  http://sallyhansen.com/products/nails/nail-color/salon-effects-real-nail-polish-strips  This design is called love letter and it is 3 days old and still looks great.  Also, if your nails are short (like mine) you can get 2 manicures and 1 pedicure out of a $10 pack.  No bad. huh?  My goal for this blog is to make it like an Online journal for notable moments.  I need to start posting photos of my culinary adventures such as the chocolate beet cake we made this week and the raddish chips we experimented with.  Maybe that will be a good outlet for me.  Oh wait, school starts in a week.  Nothing creative will enter my mind for the next 10 months... 

My Master's Is A Pain, But I Am Thankful

As many of you may know, I decided that I wanted to make more money last year. The only way a teacher can do that is to earn advanced degrees. So, "why not go back to school" I said to myself. You only sponsor 2 clubs, have 2 middle school children, teach 3 preps, have soccer practice, Lego League, and church obligations... Needless to say I'm overstretched and honestly could care less about my paper over school law. I will have this blasted degree in May 2013 if I am lucky. There will be no breaks and no vacations... just one class after another. I am literally cooking a turkey and writing a paper over in loco parentis. This too shall pass and hopefully the federal government will hold up their end of the bargain and pay for it as promised.

I am having a really hard time enjoying each day of my life. I do not want to be a person who wishes her life away, but so much of life is not fun anymore. I long for simplicity. I am thankful for my family and friends and the many blessings I have and don't deserve. I am praying for a satisfied heart that is not always struggling. I pray that my Thanksgiving helps me to realize my blessings. I pray that for yours too.

Enjoy this song this Thanksgiving http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NSQLMPUK-8