Friday, April 26, 2013

Crock Pot Carrot Spice Cake

This recipe is from my handwritten collection in 1974
I think of it as a 60's Hippy kind of recipe!
We ate a lot of Carrot Cake and Carrot Muffins ( Organic of course)



5 QT. Slow Cooker
Spray the entire interior surface with a Butter Flavored Cooking Spray

1 18.5 oz. box of Spice Cake ( I only use Duncan Hines Cake Mixes)
1 3.4 oz. box of Jello Instant Butterscotch Pudding Mix
1 C Water
2 C Shredded Carrots
3/4 C Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs
1 8oz. can of Crushed Pineapple with the juice
1 C Sour Cream

Combine all ingredients except the Carrots in a bowl and use an electric mixer to mix well

Fold in the Carrots
Transfer the batter to the Slow Cooker
Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 - 6 hours.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Pretzel Cereal Crunch

I thought I'd post something sweet, a snack that we typically make during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays.
It doesn't have to be Christmas to enjoy it!

We give this as a gift in individual containers.

1 1/4 C Golden Graham Cereal
1 1/4 C Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
1 1/4 C Miniature Pretzels
1 C Chopped Toasted Pecans.... toast in the oven before chopping
1 10-12 oz. package of Vanilla or White Chocolate Chips
2 TBS Creamy Peanut Butter

In a large bowl:
Cereals
Pretzels
Pecans
Mix well

In a Microwave safe bowl:
Melt Chips until smooth and stir in Peanut Butter.
Drizzle this mixture over the Cereal Mixture
Stir well

Spread it  in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper or a Silpat

Cool completely and break into pieces
Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!


Fire and Ice Nuts

My favorite Nuts are Union Squares Cafe Bar Nuts .
Here is another favorite recipe.
On the right side in parenthesis are the amounts for a larger quantity.

Fire and Ice Nuts:

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees

1 1/2 C Cashews               (4 1/4 C)
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper     (3/4 TBS)
1 TBS Soy Sauce              (3 TBS)
1 TBS Honey                    (3 TBS)
1/4 C Maple Syrup            (3/4 C)
1 1/2 tsp Butter, melted      (4 TBS)
2 C Pecan Halves              (6 C) = (1 1/2 lbs)    

Cashew Preparation:
Line a baking sheet with foil, coated with a vegetable spray, set aside

In a Food Processor:
Place 1/2 C of the Cashews and process until finely ground
In a small bowl, mix together ground Cashews and Cayenne Pepper
Set Aside

In a larger bowl:
Combine,
Soy Sauce
Honey
Remaining Cashews
Toss to coat completely
Stir in ground Cashew mixture
Spread out on the baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, stir once
Remove from oven and cool completely


Pecans Preparation:
Line a separate baking sheet with foil, coated with vegetable spray, set aside

In a bowl:
Combine,
Maple Syrup
ButterPecans
Toss to coat completely

Spread out on the baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stir twice
Remove from the oven and cool completely
Break into chunks

Combine Cashews and Pecans in a bowl to serve
Store in airtight jars

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!






Party Time !

We've been invited to some friends house and we've been asked to take my Original Sangria and Original Tex - Mex Creamy Corn Dip...... we just returned home.....thank you Kevin and Angela for a great evening with friends. Food was great,  Wine was great and the Friends were great!

The Sangria and the Tex - Mex Dip are two of by Best of the Best Recipes!

We're also going to have a Raclette Dinner with some other friends this weekend.
My European friends will know about Raclette, but I'll post the description, origin and recipes for Raclette!

When we were in London in December we went to Borough Market and had the best Raclette Sandwich we have ever tasted. If you're ever in London , the Market is one of our favorite stops.
I'll post additional pictures from the Market later......

Black Bean Soup

Black Beans are a very common ingredient in Texas.
We use them in Dips, Taco's, Enchilada's. Quesadilla's, Layered Salads.... and Soup!


2 TBS Olive Oil
1 1/2 C diced Onion
8 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1/4 C chopped Jalapenos, include the seeds
2 C Dried Black Beans
1 TBS Ground Cumin
2 tsp Ground Coriander
8 C Vegetable Broth
1 C Coarsely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Lime Wedges

Heat Oil in a large stock pot on medium high heat
Add:
Onion
Garlic
Jalapenos
Saute for 5 minutes

Add Beans and Spices
Add Broth and bring to a boil
Reduce heat, cover and simmer until Beans are tender, stirring occasionally ( 2 1/2 hours)
Puree in batches in a blender with some of the Cilantro each time until all of the Cilantro is incorporated.
Return to the pot
Season to taste with Salt and Pepper

Serve with wedges of Lime squeezed into the soup.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Smoked Gouda Cheese Grits

I live in Texas and we love Grits.
It's a very popular food in the Southern part of America.
You either love them or you don't.

I happen to love these.

Smoked Gouda Grits:

4 C of Vegetarian Chicken Broth, regular for non vegetarians
1 C Heavy Cream
2 C Yellow Corn Grits
1/4 pound of Butter cut into small pieces
1 can of Creamed Corn
1/2 pound of Smoked Gouda Cheese, shredded

In a saucepan, heat the Broth to a boil.
Add Grits and stir continuously
Reduce to simmer and cook for about 45 minutes stirring often.
Add Cream
Gradually stir in pieces of Butter stirring continuously.
Add Corn and mix well
Gradually add the Cheese until all is melted and creamy and smooth.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen Y'all!





Vegetarian Spiced Meatball Stew

1- 16 oz. package of 32 Frozen Vegetarian Italian Style Meatballs
( or you can make the homemade according to my original Meatball Recipe)
3 C Fresh Green Beans cut into 1" pieces or Frozen Cut Green Beans
2 C Sliced Carrots, about 4 medium sized
14.4 oz (equal to 1 can ) Vegetarian Beef Broth
2 tsp Vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce
3/4 tsp Allspice
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2 - 14 oz. cans of Diced Tomatoes with the liquid.

In a Cast Iron Dutch Oven combine:
Meatballs
Beans
Carrots
Broth
Worcestershire Sauce
Allspice
Cinnamon

Bring to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes
Gently add tomatoes
Return to a boil
Reduce heat
simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

These are my original  Baked Vegetarian Meatballs.
The recipe is available on the blog.
These are ready for the oven.
Baked!