Great Grandma Pearl's Angel Food Cake

I can honestly say that this cake recipe falls into my top five dessert recipes! It is just THAT GOOD! Last summer, I came across it in the very, very back of a Food and Wine Magazine. There was no picture and the size of the recipe almost seemed more like they were trying to fill a spot than sell their reader on a old family recipe. Alas, some very ripe peaches spurred me to try it and I was instantly wowed! While quite a bit more comprehensive than just your average box mix, the end result is worth it!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups egg whites (from about 16 large eggs
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
5 peaches, sliced into thin wedges (any fruit could be substituted)
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

For a quick tutorial on whipping egg whites click here!

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in 2 1/2 cups of the sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until smooth and glossy, about 4 minutes.
2. Transfer the egg whites to a large, wide bowl. Using a fine sieve, gradually sift the flour over the egg whites, gently folding in the flour with a spatula. Fold in the vanilla and almond extracts. Scrape the cake batter into a 10-inch angel food cake pan. Using a table knife, slice through the cake batter several times to release any air bubbles. Tap the cake pan once or twice on a flat surface.
3. Bake the cake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350° and bake the cake for about 35 minutes longer, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert the pan onto the neck of a wine bottle and let the cake cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, toss the peaches with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until juicy, for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
5. To loosen the cake, run a thin-bladed knife around the side and tube of the pan. Unmold the cake and transfer to a platter. Cut the cake into wedges and serve with the peaches and whipped cream.

Mimi's Cornbread

This is my mother-in-law's recipe and it is hands down, the BEST cornbread on the planet. End of story.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup flour
1 cup corn meal
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup veg. oil

DIRECTIONS:

Combine dry ingredients. Add egg, milk, and vegetable oil. Pour into greased pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Bueno Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Everyone has their favorite "go-to" enchilada recipe. This just happens to be our family's favorite! It used to be on the back of the Bueno Green Chile container and for some reason, they removed it. For fear of losing it, I figured I better immortalize it by putting it on the web!

INGREDIENTS:
3-5 chicken breasts, boneless

1 medium onion, chopped

3 Tbsp. margarine

1 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup

1 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup

1 ¾ cups frozen BUENO® Chopped Green Chile, drained

½ cup broth saved from chicken

1 12 ct. pkg. BUENO® Corn Tortillas

1 lb. cheese, grated (Cheddar, Jack or mixture)

DIRECTIONS:

Boil chicken, cool and shred (save broth). Preheat oven to 325º F. Saute onion in margarine until slightly soft. Combine onion with soups, chile, broth and stir. Tear 6 tortillas into small pieces and cover the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan. Spread ½ the chicken over the tortilla pieces, then ½ the sauce, and ½ the cheese. Repeat layers.Bake 30-40 minutes, until very hot, bubbly and slightly browned. Makes eight to ten 8 oz. servings.

I usually double this recipe and freeze one pan of enchiladas for a crazy day! Just assemble and freeze without baking. Cooking instructions are the same for frozen enchiladas, however, you may have to adjust the baking time slightly to make sure they're warmed through.

THE Gold Bar

WAY back in elementary school, there was a little $.25 treat that ALL the kids would go bonkers over. It was the Gold Bar. And at my school, it was only sold on Wednesdays. Now if you don't remember the Gold Bar, or you've never had a Gold Bar, let me explain. It's very much like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup but in bar form. Peanut butter mixture on the bottom and a thin layer of chocolate on top. And it was served cold and individually wrapped, which only added to how good it was. (Isn't it strange the things you remember?!) So awhile back, I had the thought to ask my dad if he could run down the recipe from a school cafeteria lady before he retired. AND HE DID! However, the entire recipe is in grams and calls for ingredients like chocolate emulsifier (??) which has made it nearly impossible to replicate the APS Goldbar. So I did what any other desperate Gold Bar fan would do and I Googled the ingredient list, which led me to this recipe. Although a tad different (it calls for graham crackers instead of rice crispies) the overall taste is there. And I don't have to use math conversions that I can't remember for the life of me :) So here you go Sue! Gold Bar away! And Dani, if you're reading and your's is different-hit us up with your recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Profiteroles

(photo taken from www.theenvelope.latimes.com)

Profiteroles (pronounced pruh-FIHT-uh-rohl) are a crispy French puff pastry traditionally served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate ganache. I first had profiteroles while dining with my sweetie on a once in a lifetime trip to Paris in 2007. They forever changed me. (Of course I suppose that it coulda been Paris, too!) So simple and yet so delicious, I vowed to make my own in hope of reliving our magical dinner from the comfort of our own home. Although a little time consuming, they are truly easy to make and provide for a lovely end to a dinner party or a romantic dinner for you and your someone special.

INGREDIENTS:

Choux Pastry:

1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1/2 cup water

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Chocolate Ganache:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into pieces

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 tablespoons brandy

Filling:

Good Vanilla Ice Cream

DIRECTIONS:

Choux Pastry: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Set aside.

Place the butter and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon or spatula, quickly add the flour mixture. Return to heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about a minute or two). Transfer the dough to your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat on low speed a minute or two to release the steam from the dough. Once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick sticky paste. Spoon or pipe 12 mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing them a couple of inches apart.

Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are dry inside. Turn the oven off and, with the oven door slightly ajar, let the shells dry out for a further 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. (The puffs can be frozen. Defrost the puffs and then reheat in a 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until crisp. Cool before filling with ice cream.)

Chocolate Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur. Use immediately. (The ganache can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.)

Cut puffs in half. Fill with ice cream and top with ganache. Serve in three's.

Easy Hashbrown Casserole

I first had this style of hashbrown casserole with my girlfriends at a B&B in Pagosa Springs. It was just DELICIOUS and thus came my search for a similar recipe. I came across this one a few years ago on Allrecipes and have made it for just about every event I could think of: bridal brunches, a tea, church potlucks, camping, family get togethers, for the postpartum mom, and tonight, a quick dinner! It's super easy, can be frozen and cooked later, and it leaves you full, full, full. A definite keeper in our house.

[Imagine picture of wonderful cheesy, hashbrown-y casserole right here. Dinner was in a hurry tonight. No time for pictures! Sorry!]

INGREDIENTS:
1 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed-I like to grate my own from fresh potatoes cause we usually have those on hand. In that case, use 6-8 depending on their size.
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups cubed ham (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray one 9x13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, butter, salt, pepper, onions, soup and cheese. Gently mix and pour into prepared pan or dish. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Serves 5

Puppy Chow

This is one of those recipes that has a THOUSAND different names but when it comes down to it the same ingredients! Regardless of what you call it though, it's good. And fast. And you usually have the ingredients on hand. And that, my friends, makes for an awesome recipe.

In the event that you live on Mars and you've not had Puppy Chow, stop everything you're doing and go make it now. I mean it. And then try not to eat the whole bowl. Trust me. You'll want some for breakfast.

INGREDIENTS:
9 cups Chex cereal (any flavor but we like rice cause it's GF). 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter (this recipe can be made gluten free by using all natural peanut butter)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS: Into large bowl WITH LID, measure cereal; set aside. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Add powdered sugar. Seal bowl; shake until well coated. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Serve cold.

Note: I usually use the whole box of Chex and over measure all the additional ingredients to compensate. It just doesn't make sense to me to leave 2 cups of cereal behind when you could have 2 cups more of puppy chow!

New York Cheesecake

A cheescake, for my lovely sister-in-law's bridal shower!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
5 (250 g) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 (19 ounce) can cherry pie filling

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 325 degrees F if using a silver 9 inch springform pan (or to 300 degrees F if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan). Mix crumbs, cinnamon and butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes. After removing crust from the oven, spray remaining edges of pan with non-stick spray. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Let cake cool before removing rim of pan (I like to refrigerate mine for a couple hours before I remove the the rim). Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Top with pie filling before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

In case you want to read up on more tips on baking cheesecake, check out one of my favorite baking site: Baking 911! I have to say though, after years of making them and using zillions of different methods to keep them from cracking, I have only ever had one cheesecake not crack on me. I'm not sure if it's the baker or the altitude or both, but this girl just keeps a can of pie filling on hand, just in case!

Double Butterscotch Cookies

In honor of the new Butterscotch Eclair at our favorite date "spot," I have been dabbling with butterscotch in baking recently. I'm ashamed to say that up to this point I have only ever made the Hershey's Oatmeal Scotchie. While it's one of Jer's favorite cookies, I have never been pleased with the way they turn out. Always too runny or too hard, the Scotchie has left me disappointed and frustrated every time. This cookie though. This cookie changed the face of butterscotch chips for me. This cookie I will dream about tonight.

I have to say that if you're not familiar with butterscotch, you're missing out. It truly is a taste that is unique to all others. So go ahead the next time you're at the store. Bypass the chocolate chips and pick up a bag of butterscotch. I promise. Try these cookies and you'll be a believer just like I am.
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 TBS vanilla
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl cream the butter, shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Stir to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix until combined. Gently fold in butterscotch chips. If baking immediately, drop dough by spoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes until edges are set and light brown. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.