Cocoa Kahlua Bread

According to Hallmark's site calender, today is National Chocolate Cake Day. Imagine that. They make days for everything. 

I posted a recipe for I Have a Dream-y Chocolate Cake  last week. Here is another recipe for Cocoa Kahlua Sweet Bread (fairly cake-like). It also uses the Amish Bread Starter like the Banana Bread does. 

Cocoa-Kahlua Bread

(makes enough to fit one bundt pan or 2 medium sized bread pans)

1 c Amish starter

2 c all-purpose flour

1 c granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

1 tbsp original Kahlua Rum & Coffee liqueur

1/4 tbsp Kahlua Cinnamon Spice liqueur

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

*optional* powdered sugar for dust the top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray pan with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter in microwave. (Don't leave it in longer than maybe 30 seconds or you'll have burnt chocolate. You could also melt by stove-top.) Stir well. Add bread starter, vanilla, and liqueurs.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. 

Alternate adding this dry mixture and the eggs to the wet mixture. Blend well until you have a smooth consistent batter.

Pout the mixture in the pan. 

Bake for about 45 minutes or until inserted toothpicks comes out clean.
When cooled, you may opt to dust the loaf with powdered sugar. 

Enjoy.

-until again-

Granny's Vegetable Soup

vegetable soup and cornbread

So the past couple of days were pretty cold here (by southern standards) and all I wanted to do after work was get home and cuddle up under 5 blankets and have warm food and drink served to me by a foot rubbing manservant. (No luck on the foot rubs or menservants though- darn.) I was also being very cheap. So time's like this, I reach for inexpensive comfort food--like my Granny's homemade vegetable soup. She made this a good bit growing up and still does. When I left for college, I made a point to call her and ask her how to make this. Surprisingly, she actually shared this one. Probably because it's a common southern soup- no big secrets here. She used to make a big pot, and before it's fully cooked she'd take out maybe half, let it reach room temp, and then freeze it for later so it'd be ready in a pinch at a later date. I sometimes do the same. It's simple and inexpensive to make. Our family loves it. It certainly has warmed my bones many a times in the chilly night air. The weird thing is, I usually crave this the most in the summer months for some reason. So, this is the first time this winter I've made it.

It's important to note, that this tastes it's absolute best when you use all fresh and locally grown ingredients. Well, at least that my opinion. But it's okay to use canned or frozen too-- nobody's is judging here. I like it best with cornbread crumbled into it. It also goes well with Townhouse crackers.

I've heard of people adding meat to it--chicken, sausage, ground beef or turkey, beef tips etc. We've both tried that. I prefer it WITHOUT meat hands down. But if that floats your boat, by all means add some to yours.  I've also tried this with sweet peas, carrots, onions, etc. Sometimes, simpler is just plain better.

These measurements aren't exact. You can just eyeball as we so often do. Of course my pot is smaller because it's just me here. I'll eat for a few days by myself if I don't happen to share and maybe freeze some.

Granny's Vegetable Soup

Water- 1 1/2 cups if using canned ingredients, 2- 2 1/2 cups if fresh ingredients
a pinch of salt
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil or margarine
1 tbsp sugar
Tomatoes-
   If fresh, go with 4-5 peeled diced tomatoes
   If canned,  a combined total of around 42 oz
Potatoes (2 russets peeled or 3-4 red unpeeled or peeled)
2 cups Okra, cut- fresh or frozen, rinsed
Corn-
   If fresh, 1 cup loose cut whole kernel golden sweet 
   If canned- I like to use Green Giant Super Sweet White & Yellow corn mix 
      You could also substitute with a can of creamed corn if that's all you have. Found this out by mistake in a            
       pinch. It will make it slightly sweeter so I suggest cutting the sugar in half if you do.
*optional* strip fatback- (Granny uses this- I personally don't because I think it tastes fine without it)

All of your vegetables should be well rinsed/washed before cutting and using. Doesn't hurt to rinse them after peeling and cutting too.

You can either make this stove-top or in the crock-pot. 

If you use the crock-pot just dump it all in and let it cook on low for 5-6 hours. Stir every so often.

If you're going the stove top route and you want it like Granny's. On medium-low heat fry up a strip of fatback. I usually skip this part.
Then add water, salt, sugar, veg oil or margarine whichever you chose. Do not add anything else for at least 5 minutes. Bring to a boil.  (As a note, Granny told me whenever I'm cooking something that requires a boil etc to let the seasonings and water simmer/boil together first for a few minutes before adding what's being cooked. I think this helps a good bit with even distribution on flavoring too).
Add okra, corn, potatoes, and tomatoes. Boil for about 30 minutes. Simmer covered on medium-low heat for at least an hour before serving. 


Easy, pleasy, hot and steamy.

-Until again-

Glazed Ham

a plate full of southern goodness
soda glazed ham, fried okra, pinto beans w/ onion,
cornbread , crockpot mac-n-cheese & sweet tea

I felt it was time to add a little meat to the FTFC pot.
No, I haven't given up on the 30 days of chocolate, just buying some time to taking better pics of those. :)  

You might want to bookmark this ham recipe for Easter.

The "honey glazed ham" is a recipe for a special occasion or a larger crowd using a 4-6lb ham.  I get asked to make this every holiday and some regular days. My bro-in-law asked for it so much I gave the recipe to my sister though I don't think she's used it yet. I think I got this one off the internet and maybe tweaked it a very little bit.  
The "Cherry-Coke Glazed Ham" recipe is a Mel El original. This is for one family of maybe 2-5 people. 
They are both equally scrumpdiddlyumpscious. I make no claims for a healthy meat dish. Eat at your own risk. 

Honey-Glazed HamNeeded:
4-6 lb cooked or uncooked ham
2c honey
2c brown sugar
1/3c apple cider vinegar
2 tsp nutmeg
2tsp cinnamon
2tsp cloves

For an uncooked ham:
Put water (maybe a cup and half) in the bottom of a large roasting pan. (This is for steam and to keep it moist during a long cooking process so it won't dry out.) Cover semi-snugly with foil. Bake at 325-350 degrees for 1 hr. Mix the remaining ingredients together. (This is not going to smell all that great and it's going to look horrible. But I promise once the sugar melts during cooking it will look like a glaze and smell fantastic.)  Pour HALF the glaze on the ham. Cook for another 1.5 hrs. Pour the rest of the glaze on the ham. Cook for another 2 hrs basting it every 30 minutes. The last 10-20min you can uncover it if you so desire a deeper browned appearance. But you may lose some of the moisture.

For a pre-cooked (smoked) ham:
Glaze immediately and cook for 1-1.5 hrs basting it every 30min. 


Cherry-Coke Glazed Ham
Needed:
1-2 packs of pre-sliced hamsteaks (I usually use the Farmland traditional fully-cooked pack that has 7 hamsteak slices in it. The package is blue. I tend to stick with this because I'm familiar with it and I know it's real ham and not that horrible  gritty "ham product" stuff that disgraces the freezer sections. )
3/4 can (6oz) of Cherry Coke
1 cup of brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp clove

Preheat the oven to 350. In a foil baking bag (you can make one by folding the foil in half and rolling the ends tightly together if you don't have any on hand) put the ham steaks in the bag.  Place this bag in a baking dish deep enough to catch any extra glaze that may leak out. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, dry mustard, nutmeg, clove and pancake syrup together in a bowl.  Pour that mixture into the bag.  It doesn't have to be evenly because the mixture will thin out during cooking.  Last pour in the Cherry coke. (3/4 of the can if using 1 pckg, the entire can if using 2) Seal the bag in the pan.  Cook for about 45min to an hour.  No need to cook uncovered.  Each slice will be juicy and full of sweet flavor.

As always, if you try it, tell me about it. 

-Until Again-

Doodle for Google

I'm posting a link for Doodle for Google. Parents, teachers, students, grab the attention of the little Picasso's in your lives and convince them to give this a go. I think it's a great opportunity for so many reasons. Go for it while there's still time left.  

Scholarship opportunities are out there. Keep your eyes opens and your head and hands ready. When I see good/great ones I'll post them. If it weren't for art and art scholarships I can honestly say I wouldn't have been able to go places that I've been, experience things I've experienced, and learn things I've learned at the early ages that I did. It opened my eyes to the world out there. 

So many people look at scholarship application qualifications and think they can't get them. Guess what. A lot of other people think the same thing. There's those handful of people who try anyway and get them because they didn't have any real competition.  Give it a shot. You have nothing to lose.

In the future, if you come across scholarship information, shoot it to me. If it looks good and legit, I'll post it.

Have a great day everyone.

By the way, I love the MLK Day Google Search theme up today. Sweet.

-Until again-

I Have a Dreamy Chocolate Cake

Ok so, chocolate cake and Dr. MLK, Jr have nothing to do with eachother, but since it's his birthday, I'd thought I'd squeeze a reference in there somewhere. Why not celebrate the progress of America in civil rights with a hunk of super moist, super rich, decadent goodness?  I mean, we are still in the 30 days of chocolate stretch to Valentine's Day. 

By the way, I've never been a huge fan of chocolate cake, which is why this one doesn't have chocolate icing. To me, there is such a thing as too much chocolate. But this one I do like. So far, it's the only I've ever bothered to make note of the recipe for future cravings. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Chocolate Cake (with vanilla glaze) (for small 8x8 square pan or small bundt pan)

 For the batter you need:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp salt
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup of fresh brewed coffee (still warm but not boiling)

For the glaze you need:
1 cup of confectioners sugar
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or non-stick spray (same thing) the pan to be used.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. 
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Until its light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry mixture. 
While the coffee is still warm, slowly stir it into the batter.  It should look slightly watery/runny. Not as thick as usual cake batters. You will indeed be compelled to add more flour if you're used to mixing cake batters. But do refrain.

Pour the smooth, well blended batter in the pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes our mostly clean. (Because it's so moist, some will stick. If it comes out completely clean, it's overdone.)

While the cake is in the oven, mix the confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl until its smooth with almost no visible sugar clumps. 
Once the cake is cool, drizzle it over the cake.

It's so yummy and easy pleasey, so pass me a piecey.

-Until again-

Chocolate is the New Chocolate: Chocolate Chip Cookies

prob not the greatest picture

Seriously though, it really is. Since it's discovery chocolate has done nothing but bring lots of smiles and make a lot of people rich. It comes in so many forms. You can alter the look and taste of it. You can use it for art purposes. You can dress it down for at home hangouts or dress it up for upscale menus. Certain kinds are even good for you. But there's no mistaking the fact that chocolate always reminds us of comfort and childhood. 

Although I don't much celebrate it, Valentine's Day is right around the corner. So I thought my next few recipe-related posts will have something to do with chocolate. Fellas, (if I even have any male readers at all), women will tell you they want a lot of things. There's nothing like a man that can cook and/or bake. While all the other Joe's are out stocking up on boxed candy that's been on the shelf since Halloween, you could be stunning your lady with your "from scratch" treasures. I guarantee she'll brag that you tried, even if it doesn't come out right or even edible. She'll be glad you put in the time, the effort, and the thought.  

I get asked to make these chocolate chip cookies quite a bit. They've been tested for the last 6 years. I haven't received a complaint yet. I only tweaked a few things from a recipe I got online. Now, I can't remember what the website was that I got it from, otherwise I just would've posted the link and added my notes instead of taking the time to fully type this out. 

This recipe will make at least 80 small cookies. If I'm not giving out out baskets to various folk, I like to ball up all the dough and freeze it Otis Spunkmeyer style.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted sweet cream butter (If you sub the butter you might as well not bake these)
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 granulated white sugar
2 (3.4oz) boxes of instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 tbsp Watkin's Double Strength Vanilla (this brand & variety makes ALL the difference)
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups of Nestle Toll-house semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups of Nestle Toll-house milk chocolate chips
**as always 1 cup pecans are optional if you go for that kind of thing
roll of parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a couple of pans with parchment paper. (Note: If you're make the entire batch at once, obviously there won't be enough room to bake them all at once if you're using a standard size home oven. You'll have to bake them in rounds until you get them all done. Maybe 2-4 rounds.

In medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients little by little. Make sure it's well blended. Add the chocolate chips (and nuts if you absolutely must.)

Once mixed, it's best to refrigerate it a couple of hours before to harden so your cookies won't come out super flat. But it's not mandatory or anything.
You can drop them on the pan by the spoonful (or 3 spoonfuls if you like larger cookies.) However, if presentation is important, I suggest you use your hands to roll them into 1.5in balls. Use your finger to press in the middle of the ball on the parchment paper covered cookie sheet. This should help you get them as close to perfectly round as possible.

I like my cookies a little gooey and not quite fully done so I take them out around the 8 minute mark. Just before they're browning. But if you like them done to the point in the picture about, that's about 10-12 minutes. Ovens vary, so just keep your eye on them.

Enjoy that nice plate of cookies with a tall glass of milk or a warm mug of hot cocoa.

If you are giving these as gifts, I suggest you not simply Ziploc bag it. Try stacking them in cellophane bags and tying a nice ribbon around it or using some decorative baker's boxes with a nice handwritten note tag. Personal gifts are always the best. Makes a person feel....thought about.

Don't forget to let me know how your batch turned out.

-Until again-

Breakfast Buddies Banana Nut Bread

 

Happy Hump Day! I tell ya, I'm so glad to be on the down slope of the week. It hasn't been a bad week by any means, and I usually wouldn't wish my life away. However, I'd gotten so used to sleeping late over vacation, I think my body is upset with me. (So is the dog as he has gone back on his usual crating schedule and I guess he thought those days were over and I'd never go back to work.) Needless to say, if I can help it I will most certainly sleep until at least 10am on Saturday. (Lord willing hopefully this whole construction thing outside is over and the noise won't ruin my not-so-needed R&R.)

I suppose it's time for another recipe. So here you go. A sweet, kind of cake-like, bread. This one starts with 2 cups of Amish Friendship Bread starter. Here is a link for that.
  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/amish-friendship-bread-starter/
Or you could just Google it and a gillion search results will pop up. WARNING: This is only for the patient. It takes at least 10 days. Your home will smell like wonderful yeasty breaded goodness the entire time and your stomach will curse you for teasing the nostrils and not following through with delivery of delicious bits heaven to it.

I myself have a tree nut allergy. This recipe makes two loaves. So I usually make one loaf with nuts  and one loaf without. Bread, cakes, cookies, brownies--there's always a family member that asks me "Where's the nuts? You need to put those in there!" I also usually only top it so that I can cut the top off and eat the bottom. But it you're going to use walnuts, you'll want to just mix it in the dough/batter.


Banana Bread

2 cups of Amish Friendship Bread starter
3 super ripe bananas (I mean as brown as you can get them without them being rotten. Brown on the       outside. Still whitish yellow on the inside.)
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
*optional* 1-2 cups of pecans or walnuts whichever is preferred

Grease 2 9x5in loaf pans. Preheat over to 325 degrees. 
In a medium bowl, mash the bananas and shortening together and smooth as you get it. There will be lumps, but you don't wan't them to huge ones. Add starter, vanilla, eggs, and milk.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg. Combine this with the wet ingredients in the other bowl. Mix well. Divide/pour batter into the two pans.
If you opted to add the nuts, top it now, if you did not mix the nuts in with the batter already-which is okay too.

Bake for about 1hr 15min  (enjoy the aroma while you wait) or until it's golden on top, toothpicks come out clean, and the edges have begun to separate from the pan. Let it cool for a few minutes before separating from the pan completely. It's best to let it finish cooling on a wire rack if you have one. If not, just let it set on some parchment paper.

Here's where you wrap up the extra loaf all pretty and give it to a friend or an unsuspecting yet very deserving stranger. Yep.

Hope you enjoy it. I'm told it's the perfect companion to your cup of coffee in the morning

Don't forget, if you try any of these recipes, please comment and let us know how it turned out and what changes you'd suggest (if any). It's always a community effort to make any recipe the best it could possibly be.

-Until again-

Pay It Forward (or Maybe Just Make a Good Return)

Shewwwww! Today was quite a Monday. 

It's been a long day. 

I didn't start dinner until 9:30pm and turned it into a meatless Monday with veggie Spaghetti. I'm slurping away on the noodles as I type. However, this entry is not about food (or art or any event I attended). Coming off of a 2 week vacation, I was preparing for this to be just a hellish kind of Monday. But something miraculous happened. Someone did a good deed for me first thing this morning that really set the tone for the rest of my good Monday. Imagine that. 

A little background. 

I apparently have a neighbor who is handicapped/disabled or whatever the politically correct term is. You know what I'm saying. I've never met this neighbor, but he or she has a driver that picks them up each morning around the time I'm heading to work. This driver is an older friendly gentleman. He always waits in or by the van for them to be ready to go-reading, listening to the radio, stretching his legs, etc. He usually waves and/or says hello in a very friendly and non-threatening manner as I drive out of the neighborhood.  However, we've never held a conversation nor introduced ourselves to each other. Just a wave, a "hello" or "have a good day". That's all. For several months now. Almost every morning. 

I guess he'd noticed he hasn't been meeting me in the mornings over the holidays (yeah kinda scary to know someone you don't know knows your schedule). I digress. This morning, I went to my ice-covered car, started it and let it run with the heat while I fumbled around through my purse looking for my Ear Bags. I wanted to keep the wind out of my ears while I scraped the ice off my windows because it obviously wasn't going to melt fast enough. I should mention I'm not a morning person by any means. Before I could find them, I see a big white man seemingly lunging at me with a huge ice scraper. I'm sure I momentarily had a look of shock and fear on my face, but before I had the chance to be alarmed by this motion and reach for a box cutter (lucky him), he spoke out in that hearty voice I recognize each morning. "Do you need any help getting that ice off your car? I noticed you were just waiting and you're normally off on your way by now. Didn't know if you had an ice scraper or not". I did have one. An opportunity for him to retreat, but he did not. We introduced ourselves. Made small talk for a few minutes while he scraped one side and I scraped the other. A small gesture made my day. Between that and blasting Bruno Mars all the way to work (you're welcome to the couple that caught my all-in performance at the stoplight), there was no possible way I could have a bad Monday now. When I got to work, a co-worker made notice (knowing how I usually am in the mornings) saying "You act like you might be a morning person today!"  Funny how a little help from a stranger and the absence of people cutting you off and flipping you off in the morning can make all the difference. I'm sure he went about his day not thinking twice about what he did for me. But I did not forget.

I say all that to say this. For every genuinely nice person in the world out there, there's probably 5 unkind-troubled-soul-ready-to-do-you-harm type people out there. 

You watch the news. 

If we were all a little nicer, a little less on edge all the time, and had a sense of community reaching out to our neighbors BEFORE tragedies happen...well... it's quite possible avoidable tragedies would happen a little less. Just maybe.Think about how many people you flipped off in traffic today or had a nasty exchange then sent them on their way with all that built up hostility. How many people did you smile at and hold the door for? How many times did you say "thank you", "I love you","good job", or "need any help" to someone today? How many people did you treat like they're beneath you (because that's how you really feel)? You get the idea. Ponder that.

Now, should you choose to go up to a stranger with a sharp looking object (such as the ice scraper) like my friend this morning, let it be someone who is familiar with your face. Should you roll up on a defensive single woman such as myself, I don't want you to catch a box cutter to the groin trying to do a good deed. I'm suspicious of everyone I meet until I feel there's no threat. I suspect most women (and some men) are as well--especially in the south. You may come across a "shoot first and ask questions later" type of character. So please, exercise good judgement in your good deeds. If you think you don't have anything to pay forward, how about making the first deposit? 

I'll pay it forward I'm sure as I like to think of myself as one of those genuinely nice people in the world. I probably already have to someone in some way today not realizing it. However, in this day and time where in the blink of an eye blazing spotlights are shed all too often on the bad side of humanity (again...you watch the news), I think it's important to let others know how much you appreciate their everyday kindness-no matter how big or small. Kindness is kindness. It SHOULD be encouraged. So not only will I pay it forward, but I'm making a return. He's got a nice little handwritten Thank You card with his name on it and a bag of homemade fresh baked cookies waiting for him in the morning.

You can go the grand gesture route. That's always nice. But you know, it only takes a small amount of spice to liven up a dish. So adding spice to someone's day is just fine. You could hold the door  and share your umbrella in the rain with someone else who doesn't have one. Offer to take out your neighbors garbage. Share a laugh with those standing near you in a long line. Donate used books to a library in the name of your favorite teacher, student, or school staff member. Just a few ideas.

You know, it really is the little things.

-Until again-

"Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
    Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
    Write them deep within your heart." -Proverbs 3:3 (NLT)

WNOK Bridal Expo

my favorite dress of the night is in the middle WITH STRAPS

cute clutches

 First off, NO I'm not getting married. In fact, I'm not even helping anyone to plan a wedding. I just went to the WNOK Bridal Expo because I was invited by my friend, "Yvonne". Just for kicks. Those of you who really know me, probably think it's incredible that I would even set foot in such a place. This event was held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center of Columbia, SC this afternoon. There were some pretty things that caught my eye. Now, I realized when I got there that my camera wasn't in my purse. So, you're getting phone pics, and they aren't exactly the best. I didn't take a lot of pictures. But here's my recap of what I saw and tasted. 

 My favorite display dress of the afternoon goes to Elegant Bridals of Augusta, GA. Those ladies were very nice as well. I have no idea who this vintage looking lace dress is by (I wish I'd taken a better picture) but it's just my style. I'm not a fan of strapless dresses (with good reason). I love it. I wish more brides demanded straps. It came with a cute little hair piece too if you wanted. You can visit the lovely folks of Elegant Bridal at www.elegantbridals.com according to their business card.

table setting

table setting

another cute clutch

 Though I didn't snap a photo of them, the cake samples at the Carrier Cakes booth were wonderful. I give them the "best cake of the expo award". They says it's their "signature flavor--white cake with strawberry cream filling and vanilla butter cream icing." I do declare my slice was yummy-scrummy-umptious. It was a subtly sweet moisture party in my mouth. I can't say this for the other cake samples of other vendors. (Wouldn't it be smart to taste your samples before releasing dry awfulness to the public when you're trying to get business?) Anyway, Mr. Carrier, you've got my vote and I hope to taste your work at future events I attend. You can visit their site at www.carriercakes.com.

There were plenty of photographers in the building to say the least. If you're looking for a photographer in the midlands for any occasion, I suggest you give Calico Photography a try. Nice photographer. Stunning work. Totally worth it. Check her out at www.calico-photography.com.

I had the opportunity to taste a few items the catering vendors put out to sample as well. I'm opting not to name any businesses here. Besides cake and cupcakes, we had cheese balls, bread, bruschetta, fruit, etc. You know, you're normal wedding items. (There was much more available, but everything didn't appear worth grabbing or I was familiar with the vendor and decided to pass. No joke.) I found it odd that there were BBQ sandwiches (which were indeed tasty) from one vendor. Another vendor passed out fried bologna sandwiches. Now, I'm no caterer, but if I'm going to a BRIDAL expo, bologna wouldn't be my first thought to showcase my menu.  I can't hate on the man, he certainly had a line of people waiting to try it. But please, if you're serving fried bologna, please don't bother inviting me to your wedding reception. I will say, I haven't had bologna in some ten years--at least-- it wasn't half bad. 

All in all, I enjoyed myself and am glad for the invitation to go. 
-Until again-

lovely necklace also on display at the Elegant Bridals booth

Fried Mudslide Over to the Fun Side

Happy Saturday night! So, I've basically spent the last free day of my vacation being uber-lazy. I thought, maybe I should post something before I start the laundry and cleaning fest and taking the time to figure out how to work this DVR thing. (Yeah, I'm late but I never wanted to pay extra for anything unnecessary. I'm a cheapo. I wait until things are free. You'll realize this sooner or later.) 

I digress. In my laziness I was thinking, a fried mudslide would be good right now. Though, I'm not having one tonight, doesn't mean I can't share the recipe with you! You can have a good night, too. Yes, I spread the happy. You're welcome. And no you don't actually "fry" anything per se; though you could should you choose to do a stove top method on the tortillas rather than using the oven. It's a combo of 2 of my fav desserts--fried ice cream and obviously a mudslide. The measurements aren't exact, you're just going to have to eyeball it like I do. (I did mention it was lazy Saturday didn't I?)


Fried Mudslide (1 share-able portion)

1-2 cinnamon tortillas to garnish (recipe to follow)
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
1 tbsp Kahlua
1/2 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream
Hershey's chocolate syrup
heavy whipped topping
corn flakes
sprinkling of cinnamon sugar

Blend the ice cream, Kahlua, & Bailey's Irish Cream to milkshake consistency. In a glass, drizzle chocolate syrup on the bottom. Add the ice cream/liqueur mixture. Top with whipped cream. Toss the cornflakes with cinnamon sugar and top the whipped cream with this.Garnish with cinnamon tortillas. Doesn't hurt to drizzle a little more syrup here. Make it all pretty and stuff.  

Cinnamon Tortillas

flour tortillas (makes as many as you feel like making)
butter melted
cinnamon
sugar

Preheat the oven to about 325 degrees. Cut the tortillas into any shape you'd like-strips, wedges, or fancy whatnots. Coat both sides of the tortillas in melted butter. Sprinkle both sides with cinnamon sugar. Bake until light golden brown and crisp. It should bubble up a bit. You're going to want to line this pan because this will leave a syrupy residue behind. Be sure to let them cool before enjoying them with your mudslide or fruit salsa.

Now here's the part where I sound like a commercial. Though there is very little alcohol in this, I can't control how much you pour in. So....."drink responsibly."

Good stuff? Yep. I thought so.

-Until again-

Wrapped Around My Heart Veggie Wraps

Some time ago I attempted to recreate a veggie wrap I had at a conference. This is the end result-close enough. They're pretty tasty, even if you're a meat lover like myself. If you put them in a room full of people, you probably won't have any left. I'm just saying. So if you dared to start your year on a diet, or a variation of a Daniel Fast, or are just plain vegetarian-- here's a lunch idea for you today. It's pretty easy.

Veggie Wraps

Just got to the deli and get a pack of Mission Garden Spinach Herb wraps. Stuff them with:
Reese quartered marinated artichoke hearts (comes in a jar) 
fresh baby spinach leaves 
match stick carrots 
fresh sliced red and yellow bell peppers 
and fresh avocado  

You can add cheddar cheese if you fancy it, but it's fine without it.

You can take out what you don't like and add whatever you do like. 
(I'm sure someone will say "Where's the tomato?" to which I say "Not on my watch.")
Wrap it up like a burrito. Slice it in half. We served it with creamy poppy-seed dressing (Brianna's is good. So is Marzetti's.  I'm told Kraft is good too but haven't tried it. But I gotta say, I'm still searching for the perfect poppy-seed dressing. This just might be a recipe project in the future.) 

Easy breezy, pass them pleasy. Right?

Side note: Should you find that you have more veggie ingredients than wraps (and you probably will), this filling also makes a decent salad to which I would add a boiled egg, bacon crumbles, and croutons.

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Cinna-Oat Pancakes

Okay FTFC fam, I promise that not all of my posts will be breakfast items. I'm just going one by one through items I already have pictures of first.  I'm already getting requests for certain dessert recipes, so we may be in the bread family for a little while. 

Cinna-Oat Pancakes (makes 6-10 pancakes)

cooking spray or a tab of butter
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2tbsp white granulated sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup whole grain oats
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp white vinegar
3/4 cup milk
The last 3 ingredients can be substituted for a cup of buttermilk

You can combine the vinegar and milk and let it set about 10 minutes to sour. Then add the melted butter and whisk it together. (Or you could just use a cup of buttermilk if you readily have it. I don't always have buttermilk just hanging out in my fridge.) Add egg and vanilla. Separately mix the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, oats. Whisk the wet and dry ingredients until there are no lumps.
In a skillet heated to medium that's either sprayed with non-stick spray or coated with melted butter, spoon the batter in to your desired pancake size. When the edges and golden and it's bubbled up, it's time to flip. When both sides are golden, remove from the pan. Repeat until you've used all the batter.

I personally prefer 2 strips of crispy bacon with my 2 butter-and-syrup topped pancakes. (Sorry pigs!) You have it with whatever you like. 

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French Toast to the New Year

Happy 2013! So, I kind of left this page for a bit (more like a year). But it's 2013 I'm back on it now. And I will remain faithful and consistent this time. :) Promise. As soon as I gather all my photos and recipes, I'll post on a regular basis as well as sharing any little adventures that I have.  I felt that since the blog is called French Toast and Fried chicken, my first recipe post should be just that. French Toast at least.  Here goes. If you try it, be sure to let me know what you think.


6 slices of your favorite bread (I use sourdough or honey wheat. It doesn't matter much really, as long as it's a bread you like.)
1 1/2 cup of milk
1 egg
1tsp vanilla
2 tbsp white granulated sugar
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp imitation brandy
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
non-stick spray
a sprinkling of orange zest if available
1/2 tsp nutmeg
optional: powdered sugar or syrup or your favorite fruit and whipped topping for toppings 


Heat non-stick sprayed skillet to med-low heat. In a bowl whisk together the milk and egg. Add white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, brandy, cinnamon, orange zest. This mixture should smell like a cold vanilla milkshake. If it doesn't, you may need to add another 1/2 tsp of flavor. You can cut your bread slices in strips or triangles, however you want, or not at all. Dip the bread in the batter. Place the bread in the skillet. When one side is golden brown, flip it. When both sides are golden brown, remove from the pan. 

When all is said and done, it doesn't hurt to sprinkle it with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Or you could go the traditional route with syrup; to which I suggest you pair it with your favorite fried chicken for dinner. It's also great with peaches and whipped cream. The options are endless. Whatever floats your boat. Happy eating.  
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