German Chocolate Cheesecake

I saw this recipe on Mommy's Kitchen site and knew I had to make it! I LOVE German Chocolate cake! I absolutely love Tina's site. I want to make almost every recipe on her site! Keep the fantastic recipes coming!

I haven't had a chance to taste the finished product yet...yes, another dessert for Thursday night dinners at my parents' house! I know the batters were delicious and the topping fantastic after I whipped it up.

Friday - This was awesome. I loved the homemade topping!

CAKE:

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) German Chocolate cake mix

and ingredients to make

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten

FROSTING:

1 cup sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup butter, cubed

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups flaked coconut

1-1/2 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare cake batter according to package directions; set aside.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.

Pour half of the cake batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Gently pour cream cheese mixture over batter. Gently spoon remaining batter over top; spread to edge of pan. Bake at 325° for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

For frosting, in a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until thickened and a thermometer reads 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla; fold in coconut and pecans. Cool until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cooled cake. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 16 servings

My Girl Paula: Dixieland Pork Chops and my 100th Post!

This was definitely another fantastic recipe by Paula Deen! Good pick Michele. I really am enjoying the recipes from My Girl Paula. I can never wait to make the next one. This one was easy and I love the fact it was a dinner. I had my boyfriend over for dinner and we both loved it! We served it with rice and green beans. Delicious!

I had two different thickness of pork chops. The thinner ones were the best. They were so tender; you did not need a fork. So, when making, I suggest the really thin pork chops.

I omitted the mushrooms since to me they are yucky!

This recipe is on the Smithfield site and in her The Ladys & Sons, Too book. There were some discrepancies. The book doesn't say how much flour to reserve or to add the butter. I useed the butter version; I didn't notice the differenced until typing this.

1 1/2 - 2 lbs thin center cut boneless pork chopes (8 chops)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (reserve 2 T)

3 T vegetable oil

2 T butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (10.75) ounce can cheddar cheese soup

1 (7 ounce) can boiled mushrooms with broth

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp The Lady's House Seasoning

Dredge the pork chops in the flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add two or three pork chops, and brown them on both sides until half done. Repeat with the remaining chops. Remove the chops form the skillet.

Add the butter and reserved 2 T of flour into the pan drippings. Stir well over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Saute until the onions are golden. Add the soup, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, and House Seasoning. Simmer, stirring, until the sauce is hot and bubbly.

Place a layer of pork chops in a 13x9x2 casserole dish; pour half the sauce over the chops, then add another layer of chops and top with the remaining sauce. (my fit into the bottom of a 9x9 dish)

Bake at 275 degrees for an hour and a half unitl the pork chips are tender.

Serve over rice or noodles.

The Cake Slice Bakers: Mile-High Devil's Food Cake

The recipe from the Cake Slice Bakers for May is the Mile-High Devil's Food Cake from the book Sky High: Irressistible Triple-Layer Cakes. The recipe was easy to follow. We were given a choice of two frostings - Brown Sugar 7-Minute Frosting or Brown Sugar Buttercream. I chose the buttercream. It took forever to beat until spreading consistancy. I don't know if that was normal or because it's a muggy evening here in South Florida. I thought I was going to miss the end of "American Idol"! I haven't gotten to try the cake yet since it's late and I'm taking it to my parent's house for Thursday night dinner. I'll let you know. I did taste the cake part and YUMMY!

I know my cake doesn't look pretty, but I have no decorating talent!

Friday morning: I had the cake last night after dinner. The cake part is so yummy. The buttercream frosting is not my favorite at all. I felt like I was eating butter with some brown sugar. I would definitely make the cake again but would use a different frosting.

Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake:

1 cup of unsweetened cocoa NOT DUTCHED PROCESSED
1 and ¼ cups of hot water
3 cups of light brown sugar; packed
2 and 2/3 cups cake flour*
1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon of salt
9 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature [2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons]
3 large eggs
1 and ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
¾ cup of cold water
{*1 cup of cake flour is equal to ¾ cup of flour plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch}

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and grease the paper as well.

Place the cocoa in a medium bowl and add the hot water. Whisk until smooth and let it cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low blend to combine. Add the butter and the dissolved cocoa. Then raise the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and cold water until combined. Add this liquid to the batter in three additions scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.

Divide the batter among the three pans.Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a cakes tester inserted into the almost comes out clean. There should be a few crumbs attached still. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes. Then invert and remove parchment paper and cool completely on a wire rack.

Bakers’ choice of: Brown Sugar 7-Minute Frosting or Brown Sugar Buttercream

Brown Sugar 7-Minute Frosting
6 egg whites
1 and ½ cups of brown sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup*
2 tablespoons of water
½ teaspoon of cream of tartar
{*corn syrup can be substituted with equal parts of treacle OR liquid glucose OR light colored honey}

Do not try to make this frosting on a rainy day or if you live in an extremely humid area. The humidity will make it impossible to work with the egg whites.

Place all the egg whites in a bowl and set them aside while you make the syrup.
In a small heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Boil until the syrup reaches 238 degrees F (softball stage) on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from heat.

Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites in the bowl and beat just to combine. With the mixer on medium speed gradually add the syrup in a thin stream taking care not to hit the beaters. Beat until fairly stiff peaks form but the frosting is still spreadable. If the frosting is too stiff it will be hard to work with. Use immediately.

Brown Sugar Buttercream
5 egg whites
1 and ¼ cups of packed brown sugar
¼ cup of water
1 pound of unsalted butter (16 ounces) at room temperature

Place all the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer; set aside.

In a heavy medium saucepan combine the sugar and water. Cook over medium heat stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then bring to a boil without stirring and cook until the syrup reaches 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

Begin beating the egg whites on medium low speed. Slowly pour in the syrup making sure not to hit the beater. Increase the mixer speed to medium high and beat until the meringue has cooled to body temperature.With the mixer on med-low add 1-2 tablespoons of butter at a time. When all the butter has been added increase the mixer’s speed to medium and beat until the mixture looks curdled or separated. Continue to beat until the icing comes together again looking like soft smooth whipped butter.

Assembling the cake:
Place one layer flat side down and cover it with 2/3 cup of the frosting. Top with second layer and repeat process. Top with third layer and frost the sides of the cake.

Bakers Notes:
A cake topped with the meringue frosting is the best eaten the day it’s made. It does not do well in the fridge.

If you choose the buttercream frosting you can keep it in the fridge for 3 days. Make sure to allow the cake to come to room temperature for 1 to 1 ½ hours before slicing. Otherwise the frosting will be hard and heavy.

Baked Ham Rigatoni

I found this recipe on Mommy's Kitchen's site. (She has some of the most awesome looking recipes!) It looked so good.....and it is! Jimmy and I loved it! It was easy to make. I think it would be good with other types of meat, too. I'll have to experiment. I halved the recipe since it was just Jimmy and I eating it.

Ingredients:

1 pkg (16 oz) rigatoni pasta

1 cube butter (1 oz or 2 tablespoons)

1/2 cup flour

1 quart milk (4 cups)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (separated)

about 1/2 lb. thinly sliced ham

seasonings - onion salt, pepper, cayenne pepper is optional) I used garlic powder, salt and pepper

small pads of butter for top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter over medium heat and start water boiling for pasta. Once butter is melted, whisk in flour. Add your milk and continue to stir until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

When the water is boiling, add pasta and cook until just past the al-dente stage, just starting to get soft. When the white sauce is done, add your seasonings, ham and one cup of cheese; stir well to get the cheese melted.

Drain your pasta and add to the sauce. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese. Dot the top with your pads of butter and bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is bubbly and brown.

You Want Pies With That? Fresh Strawberry Pie

This is my first entry into the You Want Pies With That blog contest. This month's theme is Childhood Memory Pie. I racked my brain and talked to my mom about what pies were our favorite when I was growing up. She let me know that she didn't really make pies. The first pie that I really remember going nuts over was Fresh Strawberry Pie. My first job was a waittress at A&W Restaurant in Fairborn, Ohio. The owner, Ina, would make strawberry pie everyday. The rest of our pies came from a bakery, but not the strawberry pie. So, Fresh Strawberry Pie is my entry into this month's contest.

The recipe was delicious. I found the recipe on Southern Plate site. It was easy to make, and oh so good! The hard part was waiting for the pie to cool in the fridge! The only thing is I used a pie shell I had in the freezer. I feel bad not making it from scratch, but I was running out of time this evening!

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

3 T strawberry gelatin mix

1 pint fresh strawberries

3 heaping T cornstarch

1 pie crust, cooked and cooled

Directions:

Combine sugar, cornstarch and dry gelatin mix by stirring well. Add water and cook until thick and clear over medium high heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Set aside and let cool.

Wash and hull strawberries, cut in half and arrange over pie crust. When filling is cool, pour over strawberries and chill pie until ready to serve.

Serve with whipped cream.

All-American Loaded Burgers

This recipe was in the Taste of Home Simple & Delicious June 2009 Edition. I thought it looked really good. Unfortunately, grilling out wasn't an option since it decided to start raining after I got home! Oh well, I dug out my indoor electric grill. It worked! The burgers were yummy! My son said they were "the best" he's had! That's a compliment. I left out the onions since my son doesn't like onions. I liked the Durkee onions on top. This is definitely a good recipe for summer time hamburgers. I halved the recipe since it was just the two of us for dinner.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry bread crumbs (I used Italian style since that is what I had)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

2 eggs, beaten

2 lbs. ground beef

6 kaiser rolls, split

leaf lettuce, colby cheese slices, tomato slices, ketchup, prepared mustard and french-fred onions.

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, onion, salad dressing and eggs. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into six patties.

Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 inches from heat, for 5-7 minutes, on each side, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees and juices run clear. Serve on rolls with lettuce cheese, tomato, ketsup, mustard and fired onion rings.

Yield: 6 servings.

My Girl, Paula: Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

This is our second entry for My Girl, Paula. This recipe was another hit! This is probably the best banana pudding I have every had. It is so creamy and yummy! I definitely liked it with the sweetened condensed milk. I could not find French vanilla pudding, so I just used vanilla instant pudding. Still delicious! Good job, Michele, on picking this recipe! I loved it! So did my family! The Chessman cookies make the dish look classier!

I took the pudding over to my parents' house for our weekly dinner. It was a HUGE hit! Everyone loved it! I made the pudding the night before and put it together before I went over there. I love these cookies so much better than Nilla Wafers. I will definitely make this one over and over again!

Ingredients:

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies

6-8 bananas, sliced

2 cups milk

1 (5 ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

Line the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream chese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.

Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 12 servings

mixing the milk and pudding

mixing the cream cheese and condensed milk

folding in the Cool whip into cream cheese mixture

folding the cream cheese mixture into pudding

1st layer of cookies

bananas on top of cookies; starting to spread pudding

Tender 'n' Tangy Ribs

This is another recipe from the Taste of Home's Quick Cooking Collector's Edition from 1999. I am getting close to making everything I want out of this issue! I think since it was their first issue, it was the best. I have made tons of recipes from this issue.

My mail carrier for some reason put in a notice that I moved with no forwarding address so I didn't get my last Taste of Home Magazines. This is the 3rd time in 6 months....not happy. First time was because I did not pick up my mail enough; 2nd time, I'm not sure why; the third time was the carrier said he/she knocked on my door and a neighbor said a moving van had been there and no one is home. I think the carrier got the address wrong!

Anyway...enough venting....This crockpot recipe was easy and very tasty. my son had 2 helpings of it! He didn't like the au gratin potatoes I made, so he pretty much just ate the ribs! It was nice coming home to a yummy smelling house and not having to do much else for the meal. The meat is so tender, it was falling off the bone as you can see by the picture.

Ingredients:

3/4 to 1 cup vinegar

1/2 cup ketchup

2 T sugar

2 T Worcestershire sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp paprika

1/2 to 1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 lbs pork spare ribs

1 T vegetable oil

Directions:

Combine the first nine ingredients in a slow cooker. Cut ribs into serving size pieces. Brown in a skillet in oil.

Transfer to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until tender.

Yield: 2-3 servings

My Girl Paula: Cinnamon Rolls

The first recipe of the My Girl Paula blog was Cinnamon Rolls. I must say......YUMMY! Sweet and gooey.....I will never buy Pillsbury again! It was an easy recipe, just time consuming because it's a yeast recipe. Thanks, Michele, for picking out such a delicious recipe. Jimmy and I inhaled one each as soon as I had them glazed! I used pecans on half of the rolls. That was good. I gave some to my mom and she raved about them!

before rolling

Dough:
1/4-ounce package yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, roll up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. In a 350 degree oven, bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

after rolling

before putting in oven after rising

fresh out of the oven!

Cooking With Alicia & Annie: 7-Up Watergate Cake

This is my 2nd entry for the month for Cooking With Alicia & Annie. I'm not sure where this recipe got its name. It is really easy to make. The recipe doesn't say if you are supposed to beat or just and mix. I beat the first 5 ingredients of the cake batter and mixed in the nuts and coconut. My son licked the bowl clean!

For the frosting, I mixed everything but the coconut. The coconut I sprinkled on top of the cake.

The cake is delicious! Especially after it's been in the fridge for a while.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 pkg white cake mix

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup 7-UP, Sprite or Club Soda (I used Sprite Zero)

3 1/2 oz pistacio pudding, instant

1/2 cup finely chopped nuts

1/2 cup coconut

Topping:

8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed (I used sugar free)

3 1/2 oz pistachio pudding, instant

1/2 c. coconut
3/4 c. chopped nuts

Directions:

Mix all cake ingredients. Pour into greased bundt pan and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Fold all topping ingredients until mixed. Spread over cooled cake and sprinkle with coconut and nuts.

Store in refrigerator.

Before putting in oven - love the green!

After coming out of the oven.

Not the prettiest cake, but yummy!

Bacon Quiche

This recipe was from the May/June 2006 supplement to Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious. I thought it sounded good and decided to make it. It was easy to whip together (literally, in a blender). My son came out of his room before 9:00 because I had bacon frying! The quiche was yummy and a definite make again!

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup biscuit/baking mix

Dash pepper

8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

In a blender, combine eggs, milk and butter. Add biscuit mix and pepper; cover and process for 15 seconds. Pour into a greased 9-inch pie plate. Top with bacon and cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 6-8 servings

before baking

before eating

Cooking With Alicia & Annie: No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

This is my first entry for the Cooking with Alicia and Annie for the month of May. I did not enter any recipes last month and won the for the month of March. Yay! I got some really nice bags in the mail.

I found this recipe on Alicia's site. These cookies were super easy to make. I did have to add a little more oatmeal so they would be firmer. I would definitely make them again; so fast to make!


In a pot, mix: 2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
2 T cocoa
1/2 cup milk

Boil for one minute; removed from heat.


Add: 1 cup chopped nuts (optional) - I skipped
3 cups uncooked oatmeal





Drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet (I used wax paper). Do not cook. Cool. Ready to serve.

Paula Deen's House Seasoning

I had another busy evening. Jimmy's knee has been bothering him (football conditioning two nights in a row didn't help). We didn't go to football tonight. I made dinner - I heated up Schwann's Blackened Chicken Alfredo. For those who have never tried Schwann's; it's home delivery that you order on line. Check it out. Lot's of yummy stuff to help out busy mom's.

I then put together a lasagna for tomorrow night's dinner at my mom's, went to Publix to buy a birthday cake for my nephew's girlfriend, made this house seasoning and Paula Deen's homemade cinnamon rolls (I'll post the rolls on Monday). Busy! I did find time to watch "American Idol".

I recently joined the new cooking blog club My Girl, Paula. The recipe for the end of the month requires Paula Deen's House Seasoning. The recipe was included. I decided to go ahead and make it so I can use now. It is super easy. I halved the recipe.

Mix together 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper and 1/4 cup garlic powder.

Store in airtight container for up to 6 months.

Refrigerator Cake

This cake was made by a neighbor, Doug Liley, when I lived in apartments outside San Antonio, TX. It took me forever to get the recipe from Doug. It is so delicious, especially in the summer since it is stored in the fridge. I made this for my mom's birthday, which was April 21st. My family came over for london broil.

Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix and ingredients to make

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cans crushed pineapple

1 container of Cool Whip

Directions:

Bake cake as directed in 13 x 9 pan. After comes out of oven and while still hot, poke holes and pour condensed milk over cake.

Let cake cool. Drain pineapple. Spread over top of cake. Spread Cool Whip over the pineapple. Store in refrigerator.

with condensed milk on top

with the crushed pineapple

Lemonade Pie

I actually made this pie at least 2 weeks ago. I got the recipe from an old Taste of Home magazine. It was really, really easy and delicious. Definitely a good one for a hot summer day. I added just a little more lemonade then what was called for and omitted the yellow food coloring. (yes, the picture is from Taste of Home; I will upload my later).

Ingredients:

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, partially thawed
2-3 drops yellow food coloring, optional
1 carton (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
Lemon slices and fresh mint, optional

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine milk, lemonade and food coloring. Fold in the whipped topping; spoon into crust. Chill until ready to serve. Garnish with lemon slices and mint if desired.

Yield: 6-8