Mexican Corn Dip

My friend Cary Collins Acosta gave me this recipe a few years ago. She used plain corn and served it cold. It was delicious. Then my daughter's sister-in-law made it for Christmas last year and served it warm. It was delicious. So this is good any way it's served.

• 3(11 ounce) cans mexicorn whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1(7 ounce) can diced green chilies
• 2⁄3cup  green onion, chopped
• 3⁄4teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1⁄2teaspoon  black pepper
• 3⁄4cup  mayonnaise
• 1(8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions:

1. 1. In a medium to large bowl, Combine sour cream,mayonnaise and cumin.Stir well.
2. 2. Add corn,cheese,chiles,black pepper,and onions to the sour cream mixture. Stir until combined.
3. 3. Cover and chill for 2 hours or overnight or bake until warm and bubbly. Serve with warm tortilla chips.
4. 
   

Creamy Corn

• I made this dish for Thanksgiving this year. Loved the taste and the ease of prep to say nothing of it not taking up space on the stovetop or oven. 

• 5 15-ounce cans corn kernels, drained
• 8 slices cooked and chopped bacon
• 1 c. milk
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 8- oz. block cream cheese, quartered
• 1 stick butter, cut into tablespoons
• Sliced green onions, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. In a 4-quart slow-cooker, add corn, 3/4 of the bacon, milk, and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Stir. Top with cream cheese and butter.
2. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring well after 1 hour.
3. Garnish with remaining 1/4 of the bacon and green onions and serve.

Easy Chocolate Pecan Toffee

• 1 1/2 c. butter 
• 1 1/2 c. sugar 
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of  salt
• 2 c. semisweet chocolate chips 
• 1/2 c. toasted chopped pecans

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Let butter melt and then cook, stirring constantly with a spatula to keep the mixture from separating. Stir until mixture turns a dark amber, 12 to 15 minutes. Using a candy thermometer, cook until the temperature reaches 285º, or hard crack stage. Toffee mixture should be dark in color and very thick.

2. Pour toffee mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and immediately sprinkle all over with chocolate chips. Let sit 2 minutes until chocolate begins to melt, and then spread chocolate to create a layer on top of toffee.

3. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour, then cut or break into pieces and serve.

English Paper Piecing Addiction

English paper piecing is my new addiction. Love it's portability.

Absolutely love this new calendar.

The March 2 block: 

Chili Relleno Egg Rolls

I originally saw this on Pinterest and added the optional meat.

Ingredients

--1 pkg egg roll wraps

--10-12  long green chilies--I broil mine and peel the skins off myself since I like fresh chilies, but canned ones could be used.

--cheddar cheese, grated or cut into strips--I use sharp cheese, and other cheeses could be used; I just happen to like cheddar.

--Optional: leftover cooked meat--I used steak, and it was very good; ground meat, chicken, or rabbit would be just as good.

--oil, enough for frying

--bowl of water to help seal wraps

Layer ingredients on wrap and follow directions on wrapper package for rolling egg rolls. I try to roll my cheese and meat in the middle of the chili and use roughly half a chili per wrap. 

Fry in hot oil, drain on paper towels, and enjoy.

Rum Cake

I've never been a fan of rum cake. Until now that is. This cake was so easy to make and so good that I'm sure I'll be making it many times. I love the pecans on top, but they do make slicing the cake a bit difficult. I'd suggest chopping them very finely. 

I found this recipe on the Food Network website. Jennifer Martinez posted it. She suggested using Bacardi, but when the nice lady at the liquor store suggested 1835 gold rum, so I substituted it instead. 

Cake Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups pecan pieces, reserve 1/4 cup--chopped very finely 
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup gold rum (I used 1835)

1 (18.25-ounce) box classic yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe.)
1 (1-ounce) small box sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix  (I used Jell-O brand.)

For the cake: 
1. Grease a Bundt pan and spread pecans on the bottom of the pan. 
2. Beat eggs, oil, water and rum in mixer just until incorporated. 
3. Add pudding mix and cake mix and beat on medium about 3-5 minutes until texture is smooth. 
4. Pour into pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes. The cake should have a light golden brown color but will darken with the glaze.

Glaze:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 stick butter
1/2 cup gold rum (I used 1835.)

For the glaze:

Note: The glaze needs to be prepared approximately 10 minutes before cake is ready.
1. Melt butter in saucepan and add the sugar and water, bring to a boil. 
2. Once it starts to boil, take off the heat and add the rum. Pour into a large measuring cup that will hold that amount or more. Set aside.

3. Once cake is ready, take out of oven and leave in pan. Gently prick holes into the cake with a skewer. Slowly pour half of the glaze over the cake making sure to fill in all the holes. 
4. Once the cake has soaked up the glaze, turn cake over, removing pan, onto the base that the cake will stay on. Gently prick more holes on other side and slowly pour other half of glaze over cake. 
5. Fill the center of the cake with reserved pecans. Let cool and enjoy. The cake is best if left at room temperature.

NOTE** Make sure you have plenty of paper towels underneath the base as the glaze will run down the sides of the cake.

Favorite Homemade Ice Cream

This was Mom's recipe for homemade ice cream, and it's still my favorite. To me this recipe tastes like Bell Bell's Homemade Vanilla ice cream.

This recipe makes one gallon of ice cream and is for a four quart freezer.

2 cans sweetened condensed milk--I always use Eagle Brand.

1-1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 gallon whole milk--you won't use all the milk, but you will use most of it.

First mix the Eagle Brand, sugar, and vanilla. Stir well to help dissolve the sugar. Then add the whole milk to the fill line level of your mixer. Don't go over the fill line, and don't dump all the milk into the mixer. Freeze according to the directions for your freezer.

Summer Grilling

My Sonshine is a true master of the grill! Love his ribs and barbecued chicken best of all. And he never grills just one slab of ribs. Has to have at least three!

What's left of the first rack off the grill. St. Louis ribs and they were my favorite.

St. Louis ribs but a different rub for the 2nd rack. Very good too

Baby back and chicken. I love it when Sonshine grills!

New Addiction

English paper piecing is my new addiction of choice.

I started with scraps and 1" homemade hexie template. I was hooked.

Then I bought some pre-made papers from Paperpieces.com and started this 1/2" hexie top. This will probably make a pillow. I can't imagine making an entire quilt of these tiny pieces. 

And now I'm working on a sampler of hexies. These are the perfect take-along projects. 

Small Quilting Projects

Two of my eight or so quilting projects that I completed last week.

I used Moda's Letter Blocks for this project and reduced each block by half.



My version of the Village Quilt. I saw a FB friend post a block from the book, but I didn't want to wait on Snail Mail to deliver the book. So I used graph paper and made my own blocks. Each block is  8.5x6.5. Now I'd like to try a Christmas themed village with the tree blocks I used last year.

Peach Jam

Tools:

• 1 heavy duty pot. We used a large porcelain clad cast-iron pot and a double-bottomed stainless steel pot. If you don't use a heavy duty pot, be prepared to stir constantly.
• candy thermometer--not absolutely necessary but very helpful
• canning jars, seals and rings--we used 7 half-pint jars.
• large stirring spoons
• other canning supplies: funnel, tongs

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs whole, unpitted peaches--wash, pit, place in blender or food processor and puree; should equal more or less 7-8 cups puree
• 5 cups sugar--no less
• 1 large lemon--zest and juice
• 1 teaspoon each: cinnamon, allspice, vanilla extract
• 1 T butter--may be omitted but there will be more foam
• 1/3 cup powdered pectin

1. Mix all ingredients into large, heavy pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat just enough to keep mixture at a slow boil. Mixture will look like bubbling lava. Once it reaches 220o test for thickness by dropping small spoonful on a frozen plate. Put plate in the freezer for 2 minutes and check. If jam doesn't run when plate is tilted, jam is done.

2. Place in clean jars, seal, and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Looks like molten lava!

Hints:

• Don't double recipe in one pot; cooking time takes too long and hinders the jelling process. 
• DO NOT reduce the sugar; jam will be too thin. 

My daughter, Christy Gilmer, adapted this recipe from several she's tried. I think it's the best peach jam I've ever tasted.

Sealed and cooling. 

Chocolate Chip Muffins

The first time I made these muffins, my granddaughter and I ate them all. I had to whip up another batch for my daughter to take to work the next day.


1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. 1. Heat oven at 350 degrees. 
2. 2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together.
3. 3. Beat egg. Add sour cream and add to the flour mixture.
4. 4. Add the milk, oil, and chocolate chips stir and pour into six greased or lined muffin pans 2/3 full. Cook time is about 15-20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched.
5. This recipe is for standard muffin tins.

Blueberry Muffins

From the Joy of Cooking. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift together in a medium bowl:
1-3/4  cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar--all right, I heap it a bit.
2 teaspoons baking powder

In a small bowl mix well:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
3/4 cup milk
dash or two of vanilla--my addition.

Combine the liquid and the dry ingredients, giving a quick stir or two. Add 1 cup drained canned blueberries or fresh ones. Fresh will make prettier muffins in my opinion since they won't turn the batter purple as easily. Continue stirring quickly with a few more swift strokes until ingredients are fairly well combined.. Don't over stir.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. The original recipe makes 2 dozen 2-inch muffins. I use my jumbo muffin pan and get six nice-sized muffins. At this point batter can be topped with a streusel topping of sugar and butter.

Bake about 20 minutes or until tops are lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean.

Mayo Cake

First started baking when I was nine years old. This recipe was the first cake I baked all by myself. It's an oldie but still a goodie. It's very moist and is delicious with or without frosting.

Chocolate Mayo Cake

1 c. mayonnaise or  

       Miracle Whip

1 c. water

1 c. sugar

½ c. cocoa

2 c. flour

1 t. soda

1 t. vanilla

Dash salt

1. Mix mayo, water and sugar; add other ingredients.
2. Pour batter into greased and floured 13x9” baking pan.  Bake for about 30 minutes at 350⁰.

Apple Butter

This was my Great-grandmother Nancy Aria Elizabeth Palmer Stough White's recipe. She was the only great-grandparent I knew well, and I loved her dearly. That makes this a good recipe to start out the new year. 

Granny Aria’s Apple Butter

3 c. sugar

1 t. allspice

½ t. cloves

½ t. nutmeg

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. salt

Apples—enough to make 1 gallon after peeled and cored

1. Peel, core, and slice apples; add just a little water and cook until tender;  run through  colander or blender.
2. Mix all dry ingredients with apples.  Place in baking dish and bake at 225⁰ for 2-2½ hours.  Stir several times during baking.  It thickens as it bakes.
3. Can in small jars.

Note:  More of the spices can be added if you like spicier apple butter.  The above ingredients are Granny Aria’s original recipe.