Tres Leches Cake

1 French vanilla cake mix (or yellow)

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups heavy cream

Sweetened whipped cream for frosting the cake

Bake cake according to package directions in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan.  While cake is still warm, poke holes across entire surface with a fork.  Stir together evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and cream.  Slowly pour milk mixture over warm cake.  Take your time so that it distributes evenly.  Refrigerate until completely cool or overnight.  Frost cake with whipped cream.  Cut and serve.  May be garnished with sliced strawberries, kiwi, mango and raspberries or a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is so easy and always a hit!

7-8 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or finely diced (about 6 cups)

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

36 oz. salsa (about 2/3 to ¾ jar of Jack’s Medium Fresh Salsa from Costco)

1 quart cream (real whipping cream is the best!  If you prefer, use half and half)

3-4 cups grated cheese

Flour tortillas, about 24 of the 8” size

Fresh limes

Combine cooked chicken, beans, salsa and half of the cheese in a large bowl.  Spray 2 or 3 9x13-inch glass baking pans with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour just enough cream in each pan to cover the bottom.  Using a separate round pie tin filled with cream, dip both sides of each tortilla in cream, drain.  Fill tortilla with 1/2 cup chicken mixture, roll up and place in 9x13-inch pans, filling pans from end to end.  Pour remaining cream over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Cover with foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake, covered, 45 minutes at 350°.  Squeeze fresh lime juice on top just before serving.  Makes about 24 8” enchiladas.  Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated up to 2 days before baking. 

Serve with a Mexican tossed salad, cornbread, lime rice and fresh fruit.  From Rosemary Wixom.

(Sorry my picture wasn't the best.  These got a bit burned on the bottom when I was trying to bake two pans at a time.)

When people ask me what my favorite pie is, I tell them apple.  It just is.  Maybe pecan is a close second and fresh strawberry, of course pumpkin, fresh peach, key lime, banana cream,.....

You get the idea!  I like most pies but apple is still my favorite and I especially like it for breakfast.  Warm. With cold milk.

Apple Pie

6 cups apples, peeled and sliced,

           I like Red Romes best

1 cup sugar

3 T. flour

1 t. cinnamon

Dash nutmeg

Butter or margarine

Pie crust for a two-crust pie

          Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over the apple slices in a bowl and mix well. Place pie crust in pie pan. Place apples into shell. Tamp down slightly then dot with butter or margarine. Place top crust with slits on pie and seal the edge.

          Bake at 400º for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and apple juices bubble through the slits.  If the crust is brown enough but the pie still needs to bake longer, cover with foil.

          This apple pie cooks best in a glass or ceramic baking dish to keep the crust flaky. It is also a good idea to place a baking sheet under the pie in case the juices bubble over.  In the photo at left you can see how the juices cooked up and over the pastry.  That is a good sign that the juices have thickened.

            Red Romes seem to make the best apple pie.  They have a great flavor and perfect texture.  They are only in season from the end of October to mid February.  Granny Smith's work as well but they don't have quite the flavor or texture of Romes.  I have also tried braeburns and galas and they are fine but don't hold up as well during baking.

Traditional Pie Crust

 2 cups flour

1 t. salt

1 cup shortening

1/3 cup water

1 T. water

          Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender. Make a well in the center. First, add larger amount of water. Stir with fork until flour is absorbed and ball forms. Then add smaller amount of water, only as necessary to get a moist dough. Store in airtight container and refrigerate up to 10 days.

          Flour board and rolling pin well. Mold handful of dough into a ball. Flatten to a flat pancake. Roll out from the center to 1/8-inch thickness. Fold in half. Lift into pan. Open, press in, cut off excess and crimp edges.  Makes two single pie crusts.

          For baked shell, bake at 375 ˚ for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. For 2 crust pies, bake according to directions in recipe.

          One of the greatest things I have learned is to roll the crust out on a tea towel.  It keeps the cleanup at a minimum and just seems to work a whole lot better.

Pomegranate Tutorial

When I was young, my mom would buy pomegranates when they were in season.  I would take one downstairs with a cereal bowl to hold the peel and eat pomegranate seeds while I watched TV.  It was a tedious process and hasn't gotten any easier over the years until I saw the tutorial in Our Best Bites Cookbook.  I can't believe I have gone all of these years without knowing this great trick.  Winter is the season for pomegranates and I love them in salads and scattered on fresh fruit.





First, with a sharp knife, cut off the top of the pomegranate just below the stem.  You can see the distinct sections.








Cut just through the skin along the lines of each section from top to bottom.  Some sections are wide and some are narrow but just follow the lines.

Now you can easily pull the sections apart.  The seeds, or arils as they are called, will be intact and are perfectly ready to be popped off.











This is a very clean, fast way to get the seeds out of a pomegranate so that you can enjoy them in a delicious recipe like Fresh Fruit Salad with Pomegranate Syrup.  You will find that recipe in the salad section!

The World's Best Cookies

Tropical Heaven Cookies
A recipe from my friend Alane Sleight.  These cookies are a rave review whenever I take them anywhere.  Men especially like them, they are sort of like a high class granola bar.  They look great in a cellophane bag tied with ribbon or string.  I have wrapped and frozen them and that works great.  They are just a delicious cookie.

¾ c. butter, softened

1 c. packed brown sugar

½ c. granulated sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

¼ c. water

1 c. flour

1 t. salt

½ t. baking soda

3 c. regular old fashioned oats

½ c. each of the following: Craisins, raisins, coconut, raisins, golden raisins, dried fruit bits- (tropical mix by Dole but I usually don’t add this because I rarely have it or the golden raisins.  Add more

Craisins and raisins if you leave them out)

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup of nuts – walnuts, almonds, or pecans (I like slivered almonds best) 

Cream butter and sugars.  Add egg, vanilla, and water; mix.  Stir in flour, salt and baking soda.  Add remaining ingredients and stir well.  Take ¼ c. measuring cup, spray inside with non-stick spray and then scoop cookie dough, pack and place on cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly.   Repeat with remaining dough.  Bake 10-12 min. at 350º.   Only let them brown on the very edge.  They will spread out onto the baking tray.  Remove from the oven and take a spoon and push the cookie edges back towards the center to make a 3” cookie. They may look a bit doughy in the middle but as they cool they will firm up.  Leave on sheet to cool for 5 to 10 min. until firm.  They look great in a cellophane bag.  Makes 18- 20 giant cookies.   

Cowboy Cookies

If you want to make an enormous amount of cookies, this is your recipe!  They are chewy and

yummy. 

 

2 squares butter

2 squares margarine

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

4 cups flour

1 t. baking powder

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

4 cups old fashioned oats – not instant

2 t. vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

 

Cream butter, margarine, and sugars together.  Add eggs.  Add flour, baking powder, soda and salt one cup at a time.  Add rolled oats and vanilla.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Roll into large walnut-sized balls and place on cookie sheet.   Or, use a large cookie scoop.  They freeze well and taste great when you pull them out of the freezer.

 

Bake at 350 for 10-12 min.   Makes over 6 dozen

 

A great cookie recipe from Heather.

 

Note:  I have found that oatmeal cookies are chewier and more moist when you use old fashioned oats.  Quick oats seem to absorb the moisture and make the cookies a little bit dry.  There are a few exceptions to that and I will always note that when I post a recipe.

 

 

Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd's Pie

A yummy Autumn flavor.  The vegetables are easily doubled in this recipe without altering the flavor too much.

Sweet Potato Topping

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into  1-inch cubes
2 t. kosher salt
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper

Turkey Filling

2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
3/4 c. diced celery
3/4 c. peeled, diced carrots
1 t. kosher salt
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. chicken stock or broth
1/2 c. whipping cream or half-and-half
2 1/2 c. shredded roast turkey or chicken
2 T. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 T. finely chopped fresh sage
1 T. minced fresh thyme

In a saucepan combine sweet potatoes, 1 t. salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch.  Cover partially.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for about ten minutes until potatoes are fork tender.

Drain potatoes, mash with a masher and stir in melted butter, nutmeg and 1 t. salt. Set aside

In a large saucepan melt butter with oil over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, carrots and salt. Cover partially and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook until vegetables are very tender, about 12 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables.  Stir to combine.  Slowly stir in stock.  Simmer, stirring occasionally untion smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in cream; bring to a simmer.  Add turkey, parsley, sage and thyme.  Stir and return to a simmer.  Spread turkey filling in a 9x13 dish.  Using a rubber spatula, spread and mound sweet potato mixture over filling, leaving some of the filling visible.  Bake at 400 degrees until bubbly, about 20 minutes.  Makes 5 servings.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Oct 2013