Cherry Nut Bread

This morning I made one of my favorite holiday recipes - Cherry Nut Bread.  I love the moist pound cake-like texture with flavor of maraschino cherries and pecans, and it's so pretty served as a dessert or for Christmas brunch. The recipe makes four regular-sized loaves, and it takes a little extra time, but it's worth the effort.

Ingredients:

2 cups butter, softened
3 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 jars (10 oz. each) maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add egg yolks and vanilla; mix well.  Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk just until blended (batter will be thick).  In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold into batter. Fold in cherries and pecans.

Transfer to four greased and floured 8 x 4 x 2 inch loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted near the center and the loaves are golden brown.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.  

Infused Waters

Plain ol' water seems so boring, so I am not naturally attracted to it for refreshment.  Because I know I should be drinking more H2O, I have attempted to accomplish this goal with "incentives" such as adding a little lemon or lime juice.  I have also resorted to rewarding myself for drinking water by saying to myself, "After you drink water, then you may have a nice tall glass of Diet Rite."  Most often, though, I would find myself skipping the "chore" and going straight to the reward.  Why "pain" to get the "gain"?  

During the summer months, I enjoyed drinking a few different infused waters prepared by others, and I found them to be delightfully refreshing.  I looked online this morning for recipes and found this website with several variations, but you can let your own creative juices be your guide (no pun intended).  I'm anxious to get started!  If you have an infused water combination that you love to make, please share it in the comments below.  

Here's to healthier drinking!  

Pizza: New York Style!

Last night, I had the special pleasure of dining with a young family in our church.  What made this evening particularly enjoyable was watching Matt prepare New York style pizza in his pizza oven. . .nine pizzas, that is!  Matt learned the art of pizza making from his uncles who own a pizza restaurant back east.  He begins by making his own dough, using a 200 year old sourdough starter that originated in Naples, Italy.  He carefully selects all his ingredients, ordering some from across the United States, to achieve the desired flavor of each pie.  They were amazingly delicious!  I'm not 'fessin' up to how many slices I ate, but I like to think it was because they were on the small side.  Sure, that's it. ;) 

Matt had this barbecue chicken pizza waiting when I arrived.  The pineapple  made it wonderful!

Putting the special sauce on the hand-tossed crust.

The pizzas bake at 650 degrees for 3 or 4 minutes.

Matt made his propane-fueled oven by converting a Webber grill.

Taking the basil cheese pizza out of the oven.  

Dessert Ex-Straw-Vaganza

If you're rescue mission staff, you are accustomed to having responsibilities outside the normal scope of your job description.  That is why I, as human resources director, had oversight of the Strawberry Festival's Dessert Ex-Straw-Vaganza dessert competition (but I also had a lot of assistance from co-workers).  Because it's such a fun event, and I get to sample the entries afterward, I don't mind at all!  This year we had seven finalists who made some fantastic strawberry desserts.  The entries were judged by a panel of six judges, comprised of local "celebrities' and baking experts. They carefully scrutinized each dessert and awarded points based on presentation, creative use of ingredients, and strawberry flavor.  As they say, it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it!  Our local radio program, "Listen to the Mrs." with Art Lewis and Sue Smith, did a remote broadcast of the contest, as well as offered advice through the planning process.

The winning recipe, Two-Tiered Strawberry Pie, was entered by one of our dear mission volunteers.  Nancy was quite surprised that she won, claiming she had never made a strawberry pie in her life.  The recipe she used was an "old, old recipe that belonged to [her] mother," and Nancy was kind enough to give me permission to share it freely. . .so I am!  I know I'll be making this pie in the near future. . .maybe tomorrow!  :)  


Two-Tiered Strawberry Pie (a make ahead dessert to chill until time to serve)

Baked 9" pie shell
1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 t. almond extract
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
1/3 cup sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup grenadine syrup
1 T. lemon juice
2 cups fresh whole strawberries

Add confectioners sugar, vanilla and almond extract to cream cheese and beat until smooth and creamy. Fold in whipped cream. Spread evenly over bottom of baked pie shell. Chill thoroughly several hours. Combine 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Add water slowly, stirring to make a smooth mixture. Add grenadine syrup and lemon juice. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and clear. Cool. Add to strawberries and stir to coat with glaze. Spread over top of chilled cheese layer. Chill before serving. Additional whipped cream may be used for garnish.

Congratulating Nancy on her first place dessert

Nancy's presentation before she added the final whipped cream touches to the pie

Chocolate Mallow Pie - New Recipe of the Week

I've met my match with this recipe!  I didn't think there was a chocolate anything that I couldn't handle, but Country magazine's Chocolate Mallow Pie, made for Valentines Day, proved me wrong.  It would have taken the two of us days to eat the pie, one small slice at a time, so my co-workers were happy to oblige in the task of cleaning the pie plate.  They agreed that it is very rich, delicious, but very rich. 


Chocolate Mallow Pie


1 1/4 cups Oreo cookie crumbs (about 14 cookies)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 T. sugar
2 pkgs. (one 8 oz. and one 3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 carton (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups miniature marshmallows


In a large bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, butter and sugar.  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until set; cool completely on a wire rack.


In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and chocolate syrup until blended.  Beat in melted chocolate chips. Set aside 1/4 cup of whipped topping.  Fold marshmallows and remaining whipped topping into chocolate mixture.  Spoon into crust.  Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.  Top with reserved whipped topping.  Garnish with chocolate curls and candies if desired. 

Prune Cake: New Recipe of the Week

If I didn't trust Pioneer Woman's recipes as much as I do, I never would have given this recipe a second glance.  But since she selected it for her first cookbook and describes it is one of her top five favorite recipes of all time, I decided to give it a try.  Furthermore, the recipe belonged to her great-grandmother, and we all know that grandmother recipes are the best.  This cake definitely has that "old-fashioned" flavor. . .maybe it's the prunes and spices. . .or maybe it's the delectable buttermilk caramel icing that soaks into the cake, but the end result is "wonderful gooeyness."  You can read Pioneer Woman's recipe here. 

Corn and Potato Chowder - New Recipe of the Week

This week's recipe comes from my Southern Living Ultimate Christmas Cookbook and was prepared earlier this week by my loving husband.  For some reason, even though I enjoy chowders, I have not made them at home, that I remember anyway.  The first night we ate this soup, Joel and I agreed that it was just okay, but when we ate the leftovers, we both thought the flavor had improved.  I guess that's the way it is with soups.  If we make this recipe again, we will season it more heavily, probably with some garlic or seasoned salt.

Corn and Potato Chowder

1 pound baking potatoes, peeled and cut in to 1/4" cubes (about 2 cups)
14 oz. can cream-style corn
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
14 oz. can chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
3/4 t. dried basil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Stir together first 10 ingredients in a 5 quart slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until potato is tender.  Add whipping cream and butter, stirring until butter melts.  Ladle into bowls, sprinkle each serving with bacon.  Yield:  6 cups.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

We always look forward to receiving our Christmas package from Joel's brother and sister-in-law.  Harlan and Barbara surprise us with something they have made, usually food-related.  This Christmas, they treated us to a jar of their homemade vanilla extract, made with just two ingredients, vodka and Madagascar vanilla beans.  To be honest, I had never given any consideration to how vanilla extract is made, or the ingredients involved.  I looked at my bottle of Tone's "pure" vanilla extract, and it is only 35 percent alcohol, because water has also been added.  The process of making your own vanilla extract is not complicated, but it does take time, so plan ahead.  Here is a picture tutorial from The Thrifty Mama. 

Creamy Stir Fry Shrimp - New Recipe of the Week

This week's recipe comes from a Love to Cook Club friend.  Dolly has won or placed in several cooking contests in our area.  While this is not one of her winning recipes, but it is still very tasty. . .and easy!  Joel and I made this together the other night, and I thought I might be missing a liquid ingredient because it wasn't a sauce as we expected.  To make it creamier, we added more white wine, about 1/2 cup.  The next day I called Dolly to ask her about the recipe, and she said it's not a sauce, just a coating on the shrimp.  But she also said adding more wine, chicken broth, or cream (or combination of these) is a good idea if we want it as a sauce.

Here's the recipe:

1 lb. raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T. butter
3 oz. cream cheese
1 T. chopped parsley
1/2 t. onion powder
2 T. white wine
salt and pepper to taste
noodles or rice for serving

Saute the shrimp and garlic in sizzling butter until it is opaque.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Cook and stir until the cream cheese is melted and smooth.  Serve over noodles or rice.  

Piggy Pudding - New Recipe of the Week

As I was looking through my new Paula Deen cookbook the other night, this recipe grabbed my attention, Piggy Pudding.  With a name like that, I had to read more!  Paula describes it as "a great no-fuss recipe -- wonderful for a brunch or Sunday night supper."  There are two important words in her description - "no fuss" - just what I want after coming home from work.  Joel and I both really liked the interesting flavor combination of sausage, apples, and cornbread. . .with syrup on top, of course.  It's a comfort food sure to make an encore appearance at our table.  

Piggy Pudding:

16 link pork sausages
4 to 5 tart apples peeled, cored, and sliced
One 7 1/2 oz. package corn bread mix (prepare batter according to directions)


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cook sausages until done, piercing with fork to let out fat. Drain, then arrange in a 9 inch square baking dish.  Layer sliced apples on top.  Pour corn bread batter over all and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until corn bread is done.  Serve with warm maple syrup. 

Sweet Potato Chips - New Recipe of the Week

Okay, I might be one of the few remaining people on the planet who hadn't ever prepared sweet potato chips, but this Paula Deen recipe provides a new twist.  And this will come as a surprise to those of you who know me as a "stick to the script" type of person. . . I actually deviated from Paula's recipe by sprinkling half the chips with cinnamon sugar.  Then I sprinkled them with a little more cinnamon for good measure.  Both versions were delicious! I honestly couldn't decide which I preferred.

If you have a different way of preparing sweet potato chips, please share in the comments section. We will definitely be making these again!

Note: I have copied Paula's recipe verbatim below, but from my experience with her recipes, I cut the butter in half, and that was more than enough. I also used the dry-roasted peanuts we had on hand and skipped the salt. 

Paula Deen's Recipe:

2 large sweet potatoes
8 tablespoons (1 stick butter), melted
1 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped
Salt to taste


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line two large baking sheets with foil; lightly grease.  Slice potatoes to 1/4 inch thick.  Dip potatoes in melted butter and arrange on baking sheet so that chips do not overlap.  Sprinkle with peanuts.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt.