Pecan Pie Cake

As requested for Ben's birthday in August I made Pecan Pie Cake

Ben found the recipe here...

Pecan Pie Filling

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1/3 cup cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1/8 tsp salt

3 TBSP butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the real stuff)

Whisk together the first 6 ingredients in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, and boil for 1 minute, or until thickened. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Place a sheet of wax paper directly on surface of mixture to prevent a film from forming, and chill at least 4 hours.

Pecan Pie Cake

3 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted and divided

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs, separated

1 TBSP vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

Sprinkle 2 cups pecans evenly into 3 generously buttered 9-inch round cake pans; shake to coat bottoms and sides of pans.

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy, and gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Combine flour and baking soda. Add to butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in remaining 1 cup pecans.

Beat egg whites at medium speed until stiff peaks form, and fold one third egg whites into batter. Fold in remaining egg whites. (Do NOT over mix). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. I always set timer to go off 5 minutes before to be safe. Silly oven!

Check for doneness with the old toothpick inserted into center test.

Cool in pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes, then invert onto the wire racks. Put some wax paper down under the wire racks.

Brush the tops and sides of layers with corn syrup, and cool completely. 

Spread half of pecan pie filling on one layer, pecan side up. Place second layer, pecan side up, on filling, and spread with remaining filling. Top with remaining layer, pecan side up.

Per Mom's Request

Mom sent me this recipe that she got from Brenda. It is for Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes. Yummy!

Directions:

 Use krustaez pancake mix with water. Added a mashed banana, and Macadamia nuts. Chopped the nuts a little  and added to the mix. Cooked on the griddle until golden brown.


Nice and simple!

Blackened Redfish with Red Pepper Cream Sauce

This recipe was found in the Louisiana Cookin' Magazine

Sorry...no picture. We made this for the missionaries and they devoured it before we got a picture. Warning, this was spicy but very very delicious. 

Also, we couldn't find redfish so we used tilapia, which falls apart very easily (beware!).

Ingredients:

1 tsp ground paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried thyme (not powder)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp butter

4 4oz redfish fillet

parsley and lemon juice for garnish

Directions:

Combine first 9 ingredients in a small bowl. Melt butter, coat each fillet in it, and reserve remaining butter. Cover each fillet in spice powder and reserve. 

Heat a large, heavy iron skillet on high for 10 mins or until very hot. Carefully place fillets in skillet and pour half of the remaining butter over them. Cook until blackened, about 2 mins, and then flip fillets. Repeat with remaining butter until fillets are fully cooked. 

Remove with heat and serve with red pepper cream sauce, parsley, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Red Pepper Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

4 red, orange, or yellow peppers, halved and cored (small sweet peppers)

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup diced shallots

4 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 cup dry white wine (we used white grape juice)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to broil. Broil peppers, cut side down, on a baking sheet until skins are blackened, about 20 mins (we suggest lining the pan with aluminum foil because the pan was hard to clean afterwards). Remove peppers from baking sheet and place in a large paper bag. Close the bag and let the peppers steam about 15 mins. Carefully peel pepper skins and puree the meat of the pepper in a food processor. 

Melt butter in a sauté pan, add shallots and garlic, and cook until shallots are soft, about 4 mins. Add wine and bring mixture to a boil. After liquid had evaporated, add pureed peppers, cayenne, and heavy cream. Cook until slightly thickened, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

For all you wine drinkers out there pair with Conundrum by Caymus :)

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies

We found this recipe in the Louisiana Cookin' Magazine that they pass out in Relief Society each month. Just as a side note, mine turned out more like a cake than a brownie...but that could have been that I mixed up the measurements for the baking soda and the baking powder. Also, neither of us really care too much for nuts on our brownies so we substituted caramel for the nuts (in memory of Zupas). 

Ingredients: 

2 cups shredded zucchini (make sure to dry it well)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chunks

1/2 cup chopped Louisiana pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Wrap zucchini in a kitchen towel, twist towel to wring out as much liquid as possible, and reserve. 

Cream butter, oil and sugar in a large bowl. Beat eggs slowly, then add vanilla and buttermilk. 

Add flour and add next 5 ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in zucchini and pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with chocolate and pecans (we added the caramel after it was baked).

Bake at 325 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean, about 45 mins.

Cool in pan 1 hour before cutting. 

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken and Pineapple

So we forgot to take a picture of how it turned out, so any pictures are from this website.

* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 3 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar or sherry (we used white grape juice)
* 1 tablespoon sesame oil
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 2 inch pieces
* Fresh Pineapple cut into slices
* 1/2 c. fresh pineapple, chopped into small pieces, juice reserved
* skewers

Basting Sauce
* 1 T. Cornstarch
* 1/4 c. cold water
* Leftover Marinade 

In a small bowl mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic powder. In a Marinating dish, (if you don't have one you can place them in a 9x13 casserole dish, place the chicken pieces and several pineapple slices that have been chopped into small pieces into the dish, pour over the marinade, stir until well coated. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. If using a marinating dish, flip it over after one hour. I don't recommend marinating overnight if you're using fresh pineapple as the enzymes in the pineapple will break down the chicken and change its texture.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Soak 10-12 Wooden Skewers in a tall glass of water. This prevents the skewers from burning during cooking.

Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers. Now, you're left with some tasty leftover marinade. If you'd like to baste your chicken during cooking, you can make a light basting sauce. In a small sauce pan add the leftover marinade (with pineapple pieces) over medium heat, stirring occasionally. While it is heating in a small bowl mix cornstarch and COLD water (Cornstarch only thickens once!), once your marinade is bubbling hot, add the cornstarch/water mix. Bring to a boil until thickened and no longer cloudy (this means the cornstarch is thoroughly incorporated into your sauce). 

Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill the chicken kebabs 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, or until chicken juices run clear. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the pineapple slices, grill lightly on both sides.

Alternatively, you could use canned pineapple chunks and make Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs by alternating pieces of chicken and pieces of pineapple.

This dish is perfect with steamed jasmine rice!

Sesame Chicken

This was so good!! Ben found the recipe here

We didn't have a deep fryer or a wok so we just used our frying pan and served it over rice.

Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
2 green onions (sliced)
Marinade-1 teaspoon chicken base
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame oil
ground white pepper (to taste)
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon raspberry wine (or any fruity flavored wine)
Batter-
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
½ cup water (or as much as needed to make batter smooth)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Sauce-
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt (to taste)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
a sprinkle of ground black pepper


Step 1: Cut chicken breasts into 1” chunks and in a glass bowl combine all of the marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the chicken and coat evenly. Cover and marinade for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Meanwhile, in separate bowl combine all of the batter ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter should be thick enough to coat the chicken but thin enough to flow around the pieces. Set aside.
Step 3: Using a fork or tongs remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade and dip them into the batter to coat evenly (one by one). Deep fry the chicken in batches in your deep fryer for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (or you can fry in hot oil at about 325 degrees in your wok for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown
Step 4: In your wok combine the sauce ingredients and warm over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer until sauce slightly thickens.
Step 5: In the wok or in a serving dish coat chicken with the sauce and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

Mimi's Buttermilk Spice Muffins

Recipe found on Mimi's Cafe website

(We left out the nuts in the topping because we forgot to buy them...oops)

Ingredients 

Muffin Batter:
1 cup Sugar
½ cup Butter or margarine
3 Eggs
2-½ cups Flour
2 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Nutmeg
½ tsp. Cinnamon
¾ cup + 1 tbsp. Buttermilk

Nut Topping:
½ cup Sugar
1 cup Walnuts (finely chopped)
½ tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and the butter together with an electric mixer. When they are thoroughly mixed, add eggs and beat one more minute.
   
2. Sift the flour into a separate bowl, together with the baking soda, nutmeg and the cinnamon.
   
3. Add the flour and the buttermilk to the first mixture, mix at low speed until smooth. To avoid lumps in the batter, add the wet and dry ingredients alternately, in small amounts.
   
4. Make the nut topping: Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
   
5. Grease muffin tins with butter or margarine. You can also use paper baking cups. Fill each cup 3/4 full of batter. Add a full, rounded tablespoon of nut topping on top of each muffin cup of batter. Bake immediately or the topping will sink to the bottom of the muffin.
   
6. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin should come out dry. Home ovens heat differently from commercial ovens so you may need to adjust the temperature or the baking time accordingly.
   
7. Recipe yields 12 standard-size muffins, or six Mimi's-size muffins. If using the jumbo muffin pans, reduce the oven temperature by 25° and increase the baking time 5-10 minutes.

Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Bears

Too bad you can't get these in Colorado.  We improvised and made our own.  They turned out just as good (or better) than the original!

Here's what you need:

1. Put the chocolate chips in a double boiler and let them melt. (I only used half the bag.)

2. Toss in a cinnamon bear, cover it with the chocolate.

3.  Use a fork to lift it out and tap off the extra chocolate.

4. Set them out on a sheet of wax paper.

5. Put them in the fridge for a few hours to let them cool.  Then eat and enjoy!

Fried Catfish Sandwich and Potato Salad

Laura and I went fishing today but didn't catch anything.  We blame the snow two days ago which drove the fish deep.  After our failure, we decided to go fishing at the super market.  One thing lead to another, and we ended up buying a catfish fillet and some chicken.  I would have passed on the chicken, but Laura doesn't eat fish.

Our great creation were fried catfish/chicken sandwiches with coleslaw and potato salad on the side.

The top is the chicken and the bottom is the catfish.  They were amazing.  Laura doesn't really like cole slaw, but she gobbled down her fried chicken sandwich.

Laura's Homemade Potato Salad
It's basically one of the greatest things on Earth.  We should give the credit to her mother who probably created the recipe originally.  It's a mustard based potato salad that doesn't taste much of the lovely yellow stuff.  I listed it first because you really should start it first.  

1. Cook, then skin several potatoes.
2. Dice the potatoes to your desired chunk size.
3. Hard boil a few eggs.
4. Chop up some pickles.
5. Mix together potatoes, eggs, and pickles with mayonnaise, mustard, salt, ground pepper, and paprika.

Fried Catfish/Chicken
This is a really easy way to fry fish or chicken.  In the picture below, the catfish is on the left and chicken on the right.

1. You start by filleting your catfish and chicken breasts to manageable pieces.  You want them to be thin and able to fit inside a sandwich bun.
2. Start your oven at 350 degrees.
3. Start a shallow pan of oil on the stove.  We used veggie oil.  You don't want the oil very hot.  It should only be hot enough to just start sizzling when the meat hits it.
4. Lay out two plates and a shallow pan on the counter.  A thick layer of flour in one pan, breadcrumbs in the other, and beated eggs in the shallow pan.
5. Dip each piece of catfish/chicken in the flour, then egg, and then breadcrumbs.  Each step should thoroughly and evenly coat each piece of meat.
6. Lay the meat in the oil immediately after each piece is done.  If you are not ready to add the piece of meat, let is set in the breadcrumbs.
7. The meat should cook on each side until the breadcrumbs just barely start to turn golden.
8. Once both sides are golden, then lay the meat on a broiler pan or cookie sheet.
9. Once all meat is done or pan is full, stick the pan in the oven.
10. Cook the meat in the oven until thoroughly, not overly cooked.  To be honest, I did not pay attention to how long that took.  Maybe 10-15 min.  I was able to watch a few chapters of The Dark Knight while they cooked.
11. Once done, remove from oven and let cool.

 There is a change I would make in the future.  I would add a liberal amount of Cajun seasoning to the breadcrumbs when coating the catfish.

Assembly
This would be the torturous moments between having the food cook and the first bite.  Use a toasted sandwich bun.  Add as much coleslaw to the bun as you would like.  I suggest an equal amount to the meat you add.  We used a store bought coleslaw that was tasty.  It was a bit wet which made it messy.  I suggest a dryer slaw.  Then add your meat and potato salad on the side.  Enjoy.  Oh, some watermelon is good on the side with it too.

Traditional Sugar Cookies

I made these with my lovely achievement day girls but didn't take a picture. This is mom's recipe, so we all know it is good. Just thought I would post it on our blog so everyone can have access to it. Enjoy!

¾ cup shortening

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 ½ cups flour

Mix thoroughly shortening, sugar, eggs and flavoring. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover, chill for 1 hour. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured counter. Cut into desired shapes. Place on a ungreased baking sheet. Bake 6 to 8 mins or until very lightly brown. Makes about 4 dozen 3 inch cookies.

Grilled Chicken with Coconut Rice and Pineapple Salsa

Each month the Relief Society at Church passes out the current issue of the Louisiana Cookin' magazine, which always has a ton of recipes inside. Ben and I decided to try making Grilled Chicken with Coconut Rice and Pineapple Salsa. It was actually pretty good!

Grilled Chicken (4 servings):

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 packet Sazon seasoning (we couldn't find this anywhere so I just used seasoning salt)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup lime juice

1/3 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup olive oil

In a nonreactive bowl, whisk together garlic, Sazon, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, lime juice, and coconut milk. Slowly add olive oil until paste is formed. Marinate chicken breasts in paste for 30 mins. Grill chicken breasts and let rest 10 mins before serving. Serve with pineapple salsa and hot rice.

Pineapple Salsa (makes 3 cups):

1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and finely diced

1 bunch green onions, green part only, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely minced

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

3 plum tomatoes, finely chopped

juice of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

salt to taste

ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and refrigerate before serving

Coconut Rice (4-6 servings):

2/3 cup coconut milk

1 cup coconut water

2 1/3 cups water

2 cups Louisiana rice

Bring all ingredients just to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Cover pan, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 mins or until all liquid has been absorbed.