Banana Bread

I do believe my family conspires against me when it comes to bananas. When I buy bananas, they have to be green just turning yellow. If I buy a small bunch, the kids gobble them up in two days and beg for more. If I buy a large bunch, the bananas sit and nobody touches them. If there are more than five black spots them, the kids will not eat them.

 Instead of letting the bananas go to waste, I freeze them with the peels on. Four bananas to a bag, will give the right amount for banana bread. When I am ready to bake bread, I remove the bag from the freezer. I defrost the bag by leaving it sit on the counter. If I am thinking ahead, I will defrost the bag in the refrigerator for three days. I have found I get the best banana flavor, doing it this way.  

The banana peels will be black and the fruit will be watery. This is what you want! I hold the banana by the top and squeeze out the fruit into the bag. Discard the peels; pour banana liquid directly into the recipe mixture when needed.

The recipe I use, the bread tends to go dark. There are times; I have thought I have burnt the bread. I have also found using real butter will make the bread darker. You can use margarine of your choice; I have found the brand I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, gives me the lightest color and would suggest using it.

If you are a fan of Starbucks Banana Bread, you will find this a close match. About five years ago, Starbucks gave out their banana bread recipe to customers. I made both for the family and they choose this recipe for the favorite.

You can top the bread with walnuts or shelled pumpkin seeds if you choose, before baking. If you like chocolate chips, dried cranberries or walnuts baked into your bread, I would suggest adding no more than a half cup.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup margarine

2 cups white sugar

2 cups mashed bananas – (four bananas)

4 eggs

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°F

Prepare pan either by grease and flour,  if making muffins use paper cups

Combine sugar, margarine, eggs and bananas in large mixing bowl, until well blended

Stir in baking soda, and nutmeg

Add flour in ½ cup portions, until completely blended

Pour into prepared pans.

Bake:

2 Large loaf pans, 60-65 minutes

18 Muffins, 25 minutes

24 mini muffins, 15-17 minutes

4 mini loaf pans 40-45 minutes

Check for doneness, by checking with a wood tooth pick

Cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.

Funny looking white carrot…

I decide the other night to try making parsnips. The parsnip is a root, that looks like a white carrot, and smells like a combination of carrots and either ginger or cardamom. 

Health wise, parsnips are a wonderful source of fiber. A half-cup serving will provide 13 grams of soluble fiber.  Soluble fibers are need for maintaining blood sugar levels and help reduce high cholesterol. A startling benefit of consuming parsnips is folic acid. Folic Acid is the vitamin B family and can help with certain types anemia. Please do not run out and take Folic Acid without consulting your doctor first.

Preparing parsnips is similar to carrots. After washing, use your vegetable or potato peeler and remove a thin layer. Trim both ends, and then slice in half-length wise. Unlike the carrot, the center of parsnips can be tough or woody. To me it was similar to chewing on sugar cane.

The recipe, I used said that parsnips can be woody and to remove that part. So you will not make the same mistake I did, I would suggest you core the parsnip. Slice each half again, and remove the center of the root. If you are using larger parsnips, the middle woody section will pull away on their own. Cut the remaining pieces into to 1 to 2 inch lengths.

Place your cut pieces into a medium pot of water; bring to a boil, until just soft. Drain water from pot and add ¼ cup of butter. Replace pot on low heat and cook about five minutes. You do not want brown or mushy parsnips. Salt and pepper to taste.

If I would have understood the woody term and how to fix it, I think the family would have enjoyed these. Instead… not such good reviews for the poor parsnip. This is what cooking is all about though, being creative, making mistakes and trying new things. Good Luck!

Knowing When To Admit Personal Defeat!

For the past two weeks, my body and I have been in an argument. I have been enduring the worst fibromyalgia and anemia attack I have ever had. One day is bad, the next I feel like I am coming out of it, only to repeat the cycle. Yesterday, my wrist was sore enough I could not use my cane. This morning, I am not sure how I made it down stairs, or back up.

Today, I am admitting defeat and retreating for day, from the computer.

This is a non-traditional Chili. (Yes, my Texas friends, it has beans. If it has beans, it is not really chili. Humor me, this one time, please.)

This is a scan of a recipe; my dad gave me over a decade ago. My son loves this chili, because of the sausages in it. My Texas born spouse, thinks it is a nice change every once in awhile (which translates into once a year.) I would suggest for the smoked sausage use Hillshire Farms Beef Sausage.

I hope you enjoy it!

Oxtail Soup

Oxtail soup is not a common dish in this country. After watching the UK version of Kitchen Nightmares, with Chef Gordon Ramsay, I knew, I wanted to taste it. The first time I went looking for oxtails, I was surprised by the price. I expected them to be inexpensive. I found for the amount of meat on the bone, it was the opposite. Either way, this makes a wonderful addition to your soup recipes.

When I made this the first time, my husband was out on a deployment. This for me, was always a good time to test new recipes. If the kids didn’t care for a recipe, then I knew he wouldn’t either. The kids surprised me and actually did enjoy this soup.

There is one huge suggestion when making this dish. Make it ahead of time, to be able to remove the fat. This would be good to make the day before a winter snowstorm hits. When the kids come inside from playing in the snow, serve oxtail soup to warm them up.

Ingredients:

3 pounds ox tail

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, sliced into one inch pieces

1 small turnip, chopped

2 oz butter

1 tsp. Peppercorns

1 Bay leaf

 Thyme, preferably in a sprig

8 cups water

 ½ cup port wine (optional)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Sauté the oxtail and vegetables in butter until brown

 Add water, peppercorns and herbs, and boil until the meat falls off the bones. About 4 hours.

Strain the liquid, cool in fridge, and take off the fat.

Add  meat to the defatted stock and reheat gently. Add seasoning to taste, and wine if desired.

For My Sister... Green Beans and Bacon

Green beans and bacon is a common match in cooking. Growing up, this was the only way we ate green beans. I have never had the green bean casserole with the French fried onions. The holiday commercials make it look good. Especially the one with tree, grabbing the serving spoon...

 After posting Paddy’s Green Bean Supreme recipe, my sister sent me a note stating those would never cross her table. Why? There is no bacon in the recipe. I hate to say she is snob about it, but this is the only way she has eaten them for four decades.

So for all of the non-adventure or risk taking green beans and bacon eaters, I hope you might like this recipe. Angela, this has one whole pound of bacon in it just for you.

1 pound bacon, cut up

1 cup white sugar

½ cup white vinegar

5  14.5 ounce canned cut green beans, drained

2 large onions chopped

Directions:

In a large pot, cook the bacon and onions, until bacon is almost crispy. Drain on paper towels




Fall leaves in North Carolina, at their peak

Add sugar, vinegar, and green beans to the pot along with the bacon and onions. Mix well

Cook until bubbling. Turn off heat and let sit on burner until ready to eat.   

*I like to add ½ tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the pot.This will give a little flavor without making them spicy*

Grandma Webb’s, Bourbon Sweet Potatoes & More!

This recipe has been in my family for a while; my husband calls it a true southern dish. Keep in mind; this is the same man who deemed me a Yankee, because my family comes from Kentucky.

This recipe was my grandmother's. My second cousin, is six years old. Kate about had a fit when she saw her grandmother putting alcohol in this recipe. With the wisdom of a six-year-old, Kate questioned her grandmother, "does my mom know you're serving me alcohol?" Her grandmother laughed and said, "Well I sure hope so, she's been eating this all of her life!"

Grandma Webb’s Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 pounds sweet potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed

                or if you absolutely must 3, 1 pound cans of canned sweet potatoes (Not yams!)

1 cup white sugar

1/3 cup a good Kentucky bourbon (If it is not good enough to drink, then it is not good enough to cook with)

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, preferably not imitation

2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Heat sweet potatoes until hot, mash if not already done so

Add ingredients, except marshmallows, blend well

Place mixture in a 2-quart baking dish, sprinkle top with marshmallows

Bake uncovered for 30 min. marshmallows should be golden brown

Paddy’s sweet potato soufflé:

I inherited this recipe when I married my husband. I have not tinkered with this recipe.*Please don't die of shock*I have threatened a few times though, to place this in a piecrust and serve it as desert. Again, make sure if you use canned sweet potatoes there actually sweet potatoes and not yams.

My father recently sent me a similar recipe that is my stepmothers. There are a couple ingredients differences between the two, but they are basically the same recipe.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, or if need be one 1 pound canned sweet potatoes

1/2 cup sugar, white

two large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°

Combine first five ingredients, until blended

Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish, sprinkle with topping

Topping:

In separate bowl combine brown sugar and flour

Cut in butter

 add pecans

Sprinkle over the top of the sweet potato mixture

Cook for 30 min. uncovered

Sweet Potato, Potato Salad:

My aunt sent me this recipe the other day, and I cannot wait to make. I would say it is a new twist on the traditional potato salad.

Ingredients:

two baking potatoes

one sweet potato

four eggs

two stalks of celery, chopped

one onion, chopped

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large pot of salted boiling water add potatoes (baking and sweet) and cook until tender but still firm. This will take approximately 30 min.

Drain, cool, peel and chop

Place eggs in saucepan and cover with cold water bring to boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 min.

Remove from hot water; cool, peel and chop

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, eggs, celery, and onion

In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Add to potato mixture toss well to coat.

Place in refrigerator for two hours and serve cold

Ginger Peach Sweet Potato Bake:

2 pounds of canned sweet potatoes, not yams

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup broken unsalted cashews,(you can substitute with either pecans or walnuts)

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 9 ounce can of sliced peaches

3 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Place with potatoes and a buttered 10 x 6 x 2" dish

Open and drain peaches

In a bowl, combine brown sugar, cashews, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoons salt

Layer potatoes peaches and nut mixture

Cut butter into chunks and sprinkle on top of mixture

Cover dish and bake for 30 min.

Uncover bake for 10 more minutes

Spoon syrup from pan over sweet potatoes before serving

Crock-pot or Not Chorizo Taco Salad

If you have never had Chorizo sausage, you are missing out. I came across this pork sausage mixed with chilies a few years ago. It quickly became a favorite in our house. We use it in chili, a southwest egg scramble, or just a substitute in tacos.

No glands, in their sausage

One of the most important things you need to know about Chorizo sausage, is to look at the ingredients on the package.

As disgusting as it sounds, check the ingredient list to make sure you are only getting pork. Some companies, will add the glands from the pig, you do not want this.

I prefer a company called Ole Mexican foods; you can find the sausage at Wal-mart. Do not look for it in the meat department or where the bacon and breakfast sausages are kept. Most Wal-marts, have a section with Hispanic foods including cheeses, tortillas, and Chorizo at the end of the refrigerated aisle.



This brand has glands



Adapted Cheesy Chorizo Chili by Sandra Lee

 We actually use this chili recipe for taco salads. The original recipe came from Sandra Lee of Semi-Homemade, out of her Money-Saving Slow Cooking cookbook.

I have changed the recipe for our liking, by omitting green chilies, and chipote pepper. Without making these adjustments, it was just too spicy for us. This is how we came to eat it, as a taco salad.

You can eat this as chili, top with green onions and shredded cheese. We like to place tortilla chips in a soup bowl, and ladle the chili over the chips. We then add onions, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole, to turn it into a taco chili salad.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

1 pound chorizo sausage

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans (white kidney beans) rinsed and drained

1 15 ounce can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 10 ounce can Campbell's cheddar cheese soup

1 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes, variety of your choice

1 tablespoon +1 teaspoon fajita seasoning, (see stop your seasoning packet addiction blog entry)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

Crockpot Directions:

Remove chorizo sausage from casings

In a large skillet over medium heat brown, the chorizo as you would ground beef. Drain in a colander

In your Crockpot, stir together all ingredients until combined

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours

Stove Top Directions:

Remove Chorizo from casing and brown in soup pot. Transfer to colander to drain.

Replace pot to stove, add all ingredients, including drained Chorizo stir until well blended.

Warm over medium heat.

I usually add about a half a cup of water, when I cook this on the stove. You can add more or less if desired. I like to thin it out, to make it saucy. This way the sauce soaks into the chips like Chiliqueles.    

You can use whatever tortilla chips you would like or you can make your own:

3 cups vegetable oil

36 tortillas (corn or flour your choice)

Salt

Paprika

Bring your oil to 350°F

In small batches, fry the tortillas until crisp and light usually run 2 to 3 min. drain in a bowl on paper towels and season with salt and paprika while still warm.

Please take note of the fact while resting in a bowl your tortilla chips will continue to darken



Confetti Chicken Pasta

For some reason, I do not make this recipe very often. This is a great recipe, if you want little Creole in your diet. Use fettuccine noodles in this recipe; in a pinch, I have used spaghetti noodles. The spaghetti was all right, but you really need the fettuccine to help counterbalance the spice.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 cup red bell pepper chopped

1 yellow onion, sliced and quartered

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tomatoes chopped

1 1/2 cup of chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon cumin

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 pound box fettuccine

Directions:

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat

Add chicken and cook until no pink shows

Add peppers onions and garlic and cook until the vegetables are just slightly soft

In a large pot, cook fettuccine as directed on package

To the skillet add tomatoes, mushrooms, chicken broth, and spices simmer for approximately 10 min. or until the sauce thickens

When the noodles are done drain and lightly coat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Divide the noodles onto serving plates, portion out the chicken and vegetables, spread over the noodles evenly.

Historical Snickerdoodle Cookie

Top: Recipe as written. Bottom: Adjusted recipe

Originally, cookies were little round sweet cakes. Over the years, these have evolved into the cookies we know today.

On June 14, 1898 if you were, reading the Boston Daily Globe newspaper you would've come across this recipe for Snickerdoodles.

2 cups sugar

1 cup milk

two eggs

¾ cup butter

2 teaspoons tartar

teaspoon soda

3 cups flour

I decided to make this recipe.Instead of using three quarters a cup of butter, I used half a cup of butter in a quarter cup of Crisco. The first batch, produced beautiful buttery yellow, thin snickerdoodle cakes.

Since they were so thin and spread so much I decided to add about half a cup of flour into the dough. Adding the additional flour produced a drop cookie, we are accustomed to today. However, in doing so, I lost the pretty, yellow color. The cookies stayed well formed, they were light, moist, cakey type cookie. I can understand why the combination of cookies and milk became popular.

Every time I have made snickerdoodle cookies, my recipe says to form dough into a ball then roll ball in cinnamon sugar. This cookie is a drop cookie. This means you drop spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Before you place in the oven, sprinkle each cookie with cinnamon sugar. My family really enjoyed the taste of these snickerdoodles. I had to hide what was left, which was half the batch.

Historical Snickerdoodle Cookie:

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar

1 cup milk

2 eggs

½ cup butter

¼ cup Crisco

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 ½ cups flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F

Combine butter sugar eggs and milk, in food processor until well blended.

 In separate bowl, stir flour baking soda and flour together.

Slowly add flour mixture to food processor until completely blended.

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop 1 serving tablespoon of cookie dough onto cookie sheet.

With a heavy hand, cover cookie with cinnamon and sugar.

Cook for 8 to 10 min. or until the edges are slightly brown.

*Did you know: if you're out of eggs, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of cornstarch per egg*

Low Fat, Hungarian Chicken, with Cheddar Buttered Pan Biscuits

If you have read my profile, you would've read about my mother winning the Pillsbury bake off contest. Both my mother and my aunt competed in cooking contests. Even though I don't think personally I'm a good cook, I come by it honestly.
 The recipe today is Hungarian chicken. My aunt, took second place in the West Virginia state competition with this recipe in 1974. In order to reach the state level competition, she had to win three preliminary cooking competitions. The winner of the state competition was awarded $100, and an all expense paid trip to the national poultry cook-off in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
 One of the judges at the state competition, was the chef at the governor's house of West Virginia. After this competition was over, he approached my aunt, and asked if he could have a copy of the recipe. The judge enjoyed this recipe so much, he wanted to cook it for Governor, Arch A. Moore, Jr. Of course, my aunt could not refuse this request! A while after the competition was over she received a letter from Gov. Moore, expressing how much he enjoyed her Hungarian chicken recipe.
My husband loved this recipe. When he finished eating, he immediately called my aunt. I did screw this recipe up, when I made it. I did not reduce the liquid enough, even though I thought I had. If this happens to you don’t stress, it is fixable!
Pour half cup of liquid from pan into a bowl; add two heaping serving teaspoons of cornstarch to the bowl. Mix until smooth, return liquid to your pot and bring to a boil. This will thicken up the liquid; serve as suggested.
I did not have any egg noodles. I served ours, over half cup portions of steamed white rice. I also had made cheddar buttered pan biscuits.  These were great for soaking up any liquid/gravy on your plate.

The original recipe goes as follows:
1 chicken fryer cut into four to six pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups Mazola oil
6 cups chicken bouillon or chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons Ac-cent
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste


This is how I made this recipe:
5 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium onion chopped
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cups water, boiled with three Chicken bouillon cubes, disolved
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup Daisy sour cream, a nonfat
Salt, black pepper to taste.
*I did not use Ac-cent because it is MSG, there is enough MSG in the bouillon cubes*
Directions:
Sauté onion and garlic in oil in a large skillet. Salt-and-pepper chicken; brown in skillet. Add bay leaves and bouillon water; cover tightly and simmer for one hour. Remove chicken, be sure to keep it warm. Cook liquid down to half the amount; stir in sour cream. Serve over cooked noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
*Recipe suggestion: Try replacing the chicken with turkey or pork chops*

Cheddar Buttered Pan Biscuits
These are a quick and simple, addition you can make to most meals. You can change the variety of cheese depending on the type of dish you are serving. If you are going to serve enchilada lasagna, you might consider using a pepper Jack cheese. If you're going to you serve a tomato Italian-based meal, consider using Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons grated Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon white sugar
3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon basil leaves, fresh preferred
1 tablespoon parsley, fresh preferred
1 cup milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. In 9 in. glass-baking pan melt butter in oven.
Meanwhile in medium bowl combine all ingredients except the milk.
Slowly add milk until just moist, turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead 10 times or until smooth.
Roll dough into a 12 x 4" rectangle. Cut into 12 one-inch strips.
Remove pan from oven and roll each strip into the melted butter. Place in same pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 min. or until lightly browned.

The Porky Pine, A Halloween Meatball...



Porky Pines with Garlic Peas

Growing up my mom would make Porky Pines. What is a Porky Pine? Porky Pines are a meatball with rice cooked inside and served with pasta sauce over the top.

 My siblings and I always gobbled these down; there were never any leftovers. Mom served them with steamed green peas, and salad. This time, I used the garlic butter I made the other day  to season the peas, and it made a nice change.

The first time I made Porky Pines, it was Halloween. There was a huge uproar from my husband, when he saw them cooking in the pot.  He asked to me why are there maggots in the meat. I about died of horror! I had just bought the meat from the commissary and knew it was fresh. I bolted into the kitchen, then almost fell over with laughter, when I realized what he was looking at.

 My picky husband was not too happy about the idea of trying these. However, with coaxing from the kids (who were six and four years old), he tried them. The poor man, remined me of Dr. Suess's Green Eggs and Ham story. His first  bite went down with a gulp and ended with a smile. While they are not his most favorite food to eat, he does enjoy them every so often. 

 Yes, I have changed the recipe by adding more spices.  I hope my siblings will find the change for the better and like them. I have added Garam Marsla, which gives a slight smokey under tone. Also mint gives it a bit of fresh taste, without being minty.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of ground beef, lean

1 cup of uncooked whole grain rice (we use white, brown is acceptable)

1 carrot finely grated, or you can mince (the idea is for the kids (or my dad) not see the carrots)

1 egg, beaten

1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon garam marsla

Water

24 oz Jar of Prego, Heart Smart, Traditional Spaghetti Sauce

*The secret ingredient is 1/2 teaspoon of fresh mint, minced*

Directions:

In large bowl, combine beef, carrots, egg, pepper, garlic and Worcestershire Sauce with your hands making sure all ingredients are well combined.

Using about a 1 cup portion, form mixture into balls and place in a skillet. Once all mixture is formed into balls, add enough water to cover ¾ ways up the meatball. Cover and cook on stovetop at medium high heat until majority of water has cooked out.

Turn down heat to low, pour Prego sauce over meatballs, heat until warm then serve.

This recipe is easy to half if there are just three or less people. If there are leftovers, make a Porky Pine sub for lunch the next day.

Yummy, Chocolate Kahlúa Cake!

Thursday, I was taking my son to school; they were talking on the radio, about most irritating and the most pleasant sounds to people. One of the most irritating sounds is people who smack their lips when eating. This is one of my personal pet peeves.

One of the most pleasant sounds is bacon frying. I was surprised; when my son said hearing birds, chirping in the morning is the most pleasant sound for him. I have to agree with him there, waking up on a sunny day with birds chirping outside your window, is a good start to a day.

This topic of course started us on a conversation of other things like favorite smells. A favorite smell in our house, especially if it is a birthday, is chocolate Kahlúa cake.

My children do not like a traditional birthday cake with frosting. When asked what they want for their cake, they always request Kahlúa cake. Recently for my husband's birthday, he requested not only a Kahlúa cake, but also the death by chocolate brownies. Yes, I did make both for him, how could I refuse?

The death by chocolate brownies with Kahlúa whipped cream was my first post on this blog. The Kahlúa whipped cream can be made to top the Kahlúa cake. I also suggest if you can, make the Kahlúa cake one day before you serve it.

I make this cake in a Bundt pan, if you have a mini Bundt pan this recipe works well for those. You can give mini cakes as presents for coworkers or friends. When using a Bundt pan to make a cake, you have to butter and flour the pan. I would suggest you use a product like Baker's Joy pan spray. With this spray you do not have to flour and butter the pan, it does it all for you. If you do not have this type spray. Butter your Bundt pan, instead of using flour, reserve about a quarter cup of dry cake mix and use it to flour your pan. The reason to use the dry cake mix is when you remove the cake from the pan, you will not have any white residue from the flour on your cake.

Ingredients:

1 box of chocolate cake mix, I suggest Betty Crocker's pudding in the mix, chocolate fudge cake.

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 6 ounce box of chocolate pudding, I suggest Jell-O Brand

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups Kahlúa liqueur

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons of Kahlúa liqueur

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Combine the first five ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend well.

Pour into buttered and floured 9 ½ inch Bundt pan. Bake 45 minutes

While the cake is cooking, combine 6 tablespoons of Kahlúa and 1 cup sifted powdered sugar.

 After removing cake from the oven, do not remove from pan.

Powder sugar mixture, soaking into cake

 Take a knife I suggest a slicing blade and poke holes in the cake.

Pour the Kahlúa and powdered sugar mixture over the cake. If the Kahlúa mixture is pooling on top you probably need to add more holes.

Allow cake to cool for two hours in pan before removing.

If you are, making little Bundt cakes after they are cooled, wrap them in colorful cellophane and tie with a festive ribbon to give as gifts.

Smokin Hot Sauce!

Believe it or not, I cannot stand anything that's very spicy. My husband is another matter, he likes things as spicy as he can find them. A few weeks ago at the farmers market, I purchased a pound of cayenne peppers.

 Usually, when I get fresh cayenne peppers, I will make either hot chili oil or dry them for the crushed red pepper flakes. This time I decided I would try something a little different!

With the fresh cayenne peppers, I decided to make it my own hot sauce. The inspiration for this hot sauce came from Frank's red-hot and Srirach hot chili sauce.

 I have to be very honest with you; I think Srirachi has met its match. This hot sauce is not for the faint of heart. I took a tiny taste of it and my tongue literally felt like it was sizzling for 5 minutes.

To make the hot sauce:

1 pound fresh cayenne peppers

2 cups white vinegar

Directions:

Wash and rinse your peppers. If you have rubber gloves, I would suggest that you wear them.

Cut off the tops of the peppers and place peppers into a medium saucepan.

Add vinegar to the peppers simmer on medium heat until the peppers are soft.

Remove from heat, cover and let set for 10 minutes.

Place peppers and vinegar mixture into a food processor or blender.

Run your machine until all the peppers are liquefied.

The next step can be a little tricky; you need to remove the pepper seeds from your hot sauce. You want to make sure you use a strainer that has holes that are small enough the seeds won't go through. I tried two different items; the first was a mesh tea strainer. Since the tea strainer is very small, it took a very long time. With a spoon, I pushed the liquid through the strainer.

 After fussing with this way for a while, I decided to use my flour sifter, this actually worked quite well. I was able to place the liquefied mixture in the sifter then use the sifting blade to move the liquid from around the seeds. If I was to try this again, I think what I might do is get some cheesecloth and double or triple it, to gently squeeze sauce from the seeds.

Once you have removed the liquid, do not throw away what is left over. I took what was left over and put it into a mason jar. I then added extra virgin olive oil. You want to stir the olive oil to make sure you're getting it down into the seeds. Make sure the olive oil covers the seeds; place a lid on the jar. Store in the refrigerator, use these any time you have a recipe that you need add crushed red peppers.

Place the hot pepper sauce in a jar. I had a glass maple syrup jar I put mine into. You can use a canning jar, left over salsa jar, spaghetti jar anything that is glass. Store the sauce in the refrigerator and use as needed.

If you like buffalo wings, in our house we do buffalo chicken breasts. This sauce will be perfect for it. I would add to a small saucepan, a cup of the hot sauce that we just made, one stick of butter, half a cup of rice vinegar, and quarter cup of honey. Heat on medium low until the butter is melted, stir making sure the ingredients are well blended. Pour over your chicken and serve.