Sweets

Though I am a California girl, my roots lie deep in the heart of Texas.

No holiday ever goes by without some good ole Pecan Pie, now depending on where you are from you say "peh cahn", or "pee can".  I am a "peh cahn" kind of gal,  "pee can" is just NOT right!

this recipe comes from Francine Maroukian presented in the 

Oct/Nov issue of Garden and Gun Magazine

Drunken Pie

It’s hard to beat a fresh pecan pie, unless you add a little bourbon

Piecrust
Yield: two 9-inch crusts

Ingredients
1 ²⁄³ cups all-purpose flour mixed with ¾ tsp. kosher salt
²⁄³ cup lard
¾ tsp. white vinegar
1 small egg
Water

Preparation
Place flour and salt in bowl, and cut in lard until mixture resembles small peas. In a Pyrex measuring cup, combine vinegar and egg, and add water to make ¹⁄³ cup liquid. Slowly add liquid to the flour mixture, forming dough. Do not overwork. Remove from bowl, halve, and pat into disks. If not using immediately, cover in plastic wrap and chill.

Bourbon Pecan Pie Filling
Yield: fills one 9-inch crust

Roll out one dough disk and fit in 9-inch pie pan, crimping edges.

Ingredients
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups dark corn syrup
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 ½ tsp. all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. bourbon
1 ½ tbsp. melted sweet butter
1 ¾ cups pecans

Preparation
Using a hand mixer, combine sugar, syrup, salt, flour, and eggs, mixing well. Stir in remaining ingredients
and pour into unbaked pie shell.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes (a toothpick inserted in center should come out relatively clean). Remove from oven and place on cooling rack, allowing pie to rest for 2 to 3 hours to set.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

I posted this last year here, go and check out the recipe!

What kind of sweets are you cooking up?

Confections that Delight

I usually try to stay away from sugary confections

but here are some enticing delights

it's not too late to be a bit creative

sometimes the enjoyment is more when the are 'pretty'

heehee

adding chocolate is even better

get the little ones involved

I like my sugar in a glass with LOTS of bubbles!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Au Chocolat

The mere mention of anything associated with this mouthwatering confection can cause a dreamy look to come into the eyes of the chocoholic.

The cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao, originated in South America and from the early 7th century was cultivated by the Maya. In 1502, Christopher Columbus took the cocoa bean to Spain, but it wasn't until later when Cortes introduced Xocotlati, a recipe brought from the Mexican court of Montezuma for a drink made from crushed roasted cocoa beans and cold water. Vanilla, spices, honey and sugar were added to improve the flavor of this thick and bitter brew and over time it came to be served hot....our hot chocolate was born!

In the 17th century, the popularity of cocoa spread to the rest of Europe. France was the first country to fall to its charms, then Holland, where Amsterdam became the most important cocoa port beyond Spain.

From there cocoa went to Germany, then north to Scandinavia, and also south to Italy. Cocoa arrived in England in the mid-17th century, and in London, chocolate houses quickly began to rival the newly established coffee houses.

In the early 19th century, Dutch chemist Conraad Van Houten invented a press to extract the fat from the beans, and developed a method of neutralizing the acids. In this way, he was able to produce almost pure cocoa butter, and a hard "cake" which could be milled to a powder to use as a flavouring. As a result, it became possible to eat chocolate as well as to drink it. Yay for Conraad!

In Britain, Fry's chocolate appeared in 1847, and in Switzerland the famous chocolate companies were established. In 1875 chocolate was combined with condensed milk to produce the first milk chocolate. At around this time, Lindt found a way of making the smooth, melting chocolate still associated with its company today. About 20 years later, Hershey introduced the famous chocolate bar in the United States.

Cocoa trees are now grown in many parts of the world. The cocoa beans are left in the sun, then shelled, and the kernels processed to produce cocoa solids. Finally, the cocoa butter is extracted and further processed to become chocolate in all of its forms!

Around the Christmas holiday season, I enjoy trying new recipes and sharing with my friends. I have difficulty keeping too many confections in my home, as my willpower wanes.
So....are YOU a chocoholic?

Text and images from the book, Chocolate
Hot Brandy Chocolate
Hot Chocolate Souffle
Chocolate Brownie Roulade
Chocoate and Banana Crepes
Candied Citrus Peel
Champagne Mousse

If you would like any recipes, drop me a line.

Friday Flowers and a little comfort food for the weekend!

Rachel Ray's Firey Chicken Chili....so yummy!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 whole green bell pepper, chopped **
• 1 whole red bell pepper, chopped **
  
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro **
  
• 4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped, sauce reserved
  
• 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced (I use all chicken breasts)
  
• Two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes with their juice ( I use 1 28-oz petite cut tomatoes and 1 28 oz crushed tomatoes)
  
• Three 15.5-ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed
• Chopped avocados, cilantro leaves, grated cheddar cheese, chopped scallions and sour cream, for serving

Smart move
Freeze the chicken for about 30 minutes before slicing.

Directions:

1. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and paprika and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and the spices are fragrant, about 7 minutes. Stir in the chipotle and 1 tablespoon adobo sauce. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until the meat begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat and simmer the chili briskly, stirring often, until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.

2. Add more adobo sauce to taste, serve the chili with avocados, cilantro, cheese, scallions and sour cream.

** what I add to the recipe

Please drop by...

Now that the kids are all back in school...won't you come have breakfast with me?

I made the oh so yummy French Toast Souffle...

...and added some fresh fruit.

Your coffee is poured...come sit for a while.

French Toast Souffle

10 cups cubed or torn sourdough bread

8 oz. light cream cheese

8 eggs

1 1/2 cups 2% milk

2/3 cups half and half

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla (real)

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

3/4 cup maple syrup

-place bread in 9x13 baking dish

coated with cooking spray. Beat

cream cheese and eggs one at a

time. Then comes the milk and

half and half, 1/2 cup maple

syrup and vanilla, mix until smooth.

Pour over bread, cover and refrigerate

overnight.

-preheat oven to 375

--remove bread mixture from fridge

and let stand on counter 30 minutes.

Bake for 50 minutes or until set

-sprinkle souffle with powdered

sugar and serve with maple syrup

to lighten the recipe some, I used

4 whole eggs and 4 egg whites,

skim milk in for the 2% and

evaporated milk for the half

and half

Susan at Between Naps and the Porch

always has something interesting on

her table, take a peak here.