A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Food Gifts: Hot Chocolate on a Stick

I always thought there were only two ways to make hot chocolate:  dry mix added to water or the chocolate syrup added to milk.  Welcome to  the third way and not only is it delicious, it makes an adorable Christmas gift or addition to cookie/candy trays:  hot chocolate on a stick.  Basically, it's a soft fudge that when stirred into hot milk, melts into delicious hot chocolate milkness. 

I looked at several different recipes for this on Pinterest but I ended up making my own recipe.  The first batch was too hard and wouldn't melt, the second batch was too soft and never hardened up enough to stay on the "stick", but just like Goldilocks and Baby Bear's bed, the third batch was "just right" and became a huge hit with my family and with everyone who received it as part of a gift.  I will definitely be making another batch or three next year. (And another one in a week or two with white chocolate).

Carrianne's Pumpkin Bread

 This is one of those great recipes passed on by a friend. Carrianne brought a loaf of this pumpkin bread to work one night and, with one bite, I had to have the recipe. One of the things I like about it was that it's less sweet than most sweet breads.  Does that make sense?  I mentioned that and Carrianne said she'd knocked the sugar down by at least a third.  Made a huge batch of this in different pans and froze some to have for the upcoming holidays.  So good!

Interestingly, it's put together in a different method than I've seen before, although it was very easy. The pumpkin and spices are heated in a saucepan on the stove and the rest of the ingredients stirred into it in one at a time.  It works really well, just make sure to start out with a pan large enough to hold the whole batter.  This is my go to pumpkin bread recipe now.  Thanks, Carrrianne!

 

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake

 

Boston Cream Pie is my husband, Gene's, all time favorite cake so I've made a few over the years. Bought a few too but, like most things, homemade is always better.  In my wanderings around Pinterest I had seen multiple recipes for a "poke" version of the cake and decided to see how that worked out compared to the traditional version with the pudding sandwiched between the butter cake layers and ganache on top. 

I have to say this version has the same taste, is easily put together, is a smaller 8" x 8" cake, and is a great candidate for Sandra Lee-ing.  Don't have tons of time?  Use half of a yellow cake mix,  a cooked pudding mix, or an instant pudding mix. I won't tell.  I also wouldn't skimp on the ganache. It's super easy and the taste is really superior to any shortcut. 

(Photo note: I used a pan that is the same area as an 8"x8" pan, it's just a rectangle in shape)

 

Potluck Creamy Mac & Cheese (from scratch and for a crowd)

 
 

 There are basically two ways to make from scratch Mac & Cheese, that I know of, at least.  The easiest is the oldest style, the way my Nannie (Grandmother) made it which was pasta, cheese, and milk.  The end.  Fabulous!  Truly. (Recipe for Purist Mac & Cheese)

The second way, which most people are more familiar with is  by making a cheese sauce by way of a traditional white sauce and it is also fabulous.  To me, the recipes aren't in competition, I just pick the dish that  best meets my needs.

When I'm at home cooking for just us I tend to use the first method because I have a little more control over the circumstances and can dig into it hot out of the oven. When I'm looking at a potluck situation, like I am tonight, prepping pasta for my church women's auxiliary's turn to provide dinner at the Ronald McDonald House, I go with the white/cheese sauce version which preps a day or two ahead, and can be forgotten until it's time to re-heat it in the oven just prior to serving and gets even better as leftovers. 

Not that the pasta/cheese/milk version doesn't make for great leftovers....if there ever were any, I mean.

I do have one little trick up my sleeve that I've never seen in other recipes and that is adding a little chicken soup base to the sauce for an extra kick.  The same could be done by cooking the pasta in chicken broth but pouring out all that broth out after the pasta cooks hurts my little chicken broth-loving heart too much so I simply stir in a little soup base or comparable bouillon paste.  I use any of these four labels:  L.B. Jameson's Chicken Soup Base, Tone's Chicken Base, Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base, or McCormick Chicken Base. 

This recipe also works wonderfully for freezer meals.  Just make and divide into two or three freezer containers depending on the size that works best for your needs.  Even better, add chopped cooked chicken and frozen peas, and you have easy dinners ready to bake.  Also, the recipe can also be easily cut in half. 

Pinterest Recipe: King's Hawaiian Roll Mini Baked Ham Sandwiches

I've been seeing this recipe for King's Hawaiian Roll Baked Mini Ham Sandwiches for a long time. It looks and sounds great, but to be honest, I've been burned on some Pinterest recipes. The more loudly it proclaims "Best (fill in the blank) ever and only (fill in the blank) ingredients!" the more I now tend to ignore it.  But. I will say that this recipe is delicious.  I've seen several versions on Pinterest but I went straight to King's Hawaiian Rolls web site itself to get the recipe and it came out nicely.  The baked on sauce adds a little zing, a little salty crunch, and a little savory to the sweetness of the rolls. Yummy!

Greek Salad with Easy Homemade Greek Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

In keeping with James' birthday dinner of Ina Garten's Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna) and Greek Do Nothing Pineapple Coconut Cake, I made a large Greek Dinner Salad with Easy Homemade Greek Vinaigrette to go with the pasta at dinner.

Quick and easy, it's a matter of chopping a few fresh vegetables from the crisper, tossing over some creamy feta, and whisking together a few clean-eating pantry ingredients to dress the salad just before serving--and not having to dig through the fridge for clunky, who-knows-how-old bottled dressings!  

 

Ina Garten's Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

Greek Do Nothing Pineapple Coconut Cake

9th Annual World Bread Day: Cherry Almond Sweet Rolls

At our house, the only thing better than cinnamon rolls are warm, drizzly cherry sweet rolls. Filled with cherry pie filling, cream  cheese, and almond paste, they're just as yummy for breakfast as they are for dessert or even a midday coffee break.

Sharing bread recipes from around the world, come back later in the month to be linked to all the breads in our world basket from this year's 9th Annual World Bread Day.  Sharing foods, sharing cultures, sharing breads that adorn all of our tables!

Banana Cream Cheese Pound Cake

 

I think I'm having a love affair with pound cake lately.  There's no other cake that offers so much "bang for the buck":  sweet without being cloying, dense, chewy, with a thick heavy crumb that never fails to please me.  After making my Buttermilk Pound Cake several times over the last months, I decided to add cream cheese and bananas to this version and see what happens. Lots of good things, that's what happens. Yum!

The one funny from this experiment was when I asked the hubs to move the cake back to the cabinet from the table as my back was acting up.  He did, and as he did, he sort of grunted "Ooomph."  I said 'Well, it is called "POUND" cake."   He said, "Yeah, MANY pounds cake."  True.  But  that didn't stop either of us from gobbling down our "test" pieces for a second!

 

Greek Do Nothing Pineapple Coconut Cake

 OMG, Auntie Miranda made this cake for cousin James' birthday dinner, our theme being "Greek", and it was absolutely divine!  She said it was very quick and easy to put together, which is a definite plus, and the recipe writer states that it only gets better with a day or two, and can freeze well. I believe all of those things and will definitely be making this again and again.  Two thumbs up from the whole family--thumbs up since our mouths were busy eating this awesome cake!

Other Greek Recipes from James' birthday dinner:

Ina Garten's Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

Greek Dinner Salad with Easy Homemade Greek Vinaigrette 

Ina Garten's Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

It's March which means the "madness" in our family is always the family game we play called "What does James want for dinner for his birthday?"

Since I was a child, the tradition in our family was always that the birthday boy or girl got to choose their birthday menu, anything under the sun they wanted. As a kid, I always wanted my Mom's Chicken Chow Mein and my Nannie's (grandmother) Banana Bread. 

As adults, we've created a slight twist on the tradition with my cousin James where he tries (not very hard, LOL) to "stump" Auntie Miranda and I with his menu choices.  I usually make the dinner and Auntie does his cake from a clue or direction rather than a specific dish.  Last year he said "European peasant food" and since we're Swedish/Norwegian I went to from scratch Swedish Meatballs with cranberry sauce and Jansson's Temptation, while his direction to Auntie was "checkerboard cake" from which she created an incredible Cherry/Vanilla checkerboard cake. Yum!

This year we were told "Greek"  and "Pineapple Upside Down Cake".  Since I had to work the night before, Auntie very kindly created both the cake and the entree:  Pastitsio and Greek Pineapple/Coconut cake.  Holy Crap, she "did good!", as we told her last night.  Today I have Pastitsio recipe and tomorrow will upload the cake recipe and link back.  These are great recipes for anytime but, definitely, any birthday boy or girl would give you tons of hugs and kisses for making these!