On fudge and love and remembering

I haven’t blogged in a while, on either site, if you (my three readers) haven’t noticed. I’m a writer by day, and though I love it in my pastime, it’s usually more…emotional and personal when it’s not for work. But yesterday I found the strength to post this, in an edited version, which was written at the end of May. Get out your box of Kleenex’s!
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Ever since I was a child, I have loved to cook. I honestly can’t remember how early I started cooking, or who first introduced me to cooking. It was probably my mother, who comes from a long line of great cooks. I’m sure I helped her back a cake or cookies or something, and somehow just took it on as one of my favorite things to do.

One of my earliest memories is baking around the holidays with my Mamaw (mother’s mom) and my Aunt Gloria (mom’s older sister). We would get together at my grandparent’s house and make all kinds of goodies like chocolate covered everything, buckeye balls, Martha Washington balls, divinity, etc. We would spend an entire day making candy and getting ready for whatever family holiday was to follow.

I have fond memories of the times spent in the kitchen with my aunt and Mamaw. They taught me a lot about baking, measuring, and the science of cooking. (Like how you should make candy on a crisp, cool day with no humidity. It sets better!) They also spent time investing in my life, showing me what it’s like to be family, to be a Christian woman, and to be good in the kitchen.

Every time we baked, we had our very own taste tester. My Papaw had a major sweet tooth, and would always sneak in and take a nibble of what we were up to. He was incorrigible when it came to the kitchen! We absolutely couldn’t keep him away from the candy, but that was okay because it needed to be tested anyway!

Papaw’s favorite homemade treat, or so I recall, was chocolate fudge. (His real favorite candy was chocolate covered cherries. The last thing I gave him was a box of those in the hospital.) Papaw was always a sucker for fudge. Anytime we made it, he came in and stole a piece, or two, or three... Sometimes he wouldn’t even let it set up properly before he stole a piece. I remember teasing him, and slapping his hand away, but always laughing because he was so silly and fun.

I have such good memories of those days with my grandparents. They really loved me and invested their lives in me, and I am so thankful for those times. I am thankful that I lived just a few miles away from them for most of my life, and that they were able to attend choir performances, plays, band recitals, soccer games, etc., etc. They took me camping, to ballgames, to the movies, to church, and were such an integral part of my childhood. I am thankful for their love and support of me over the last 30 years.

On June 6, my grandparents celebrated their 62 wedding anniversary. It’s remarkable to me to have been married so long. It was a blessing to witness how much they loved and cared for each other through the years. They continued to tease one another, flirt, hold hands, bat eyes, and act like two teenagers in love. They were sweet, and truly lived for the other. They showed me what it was like to love someone else unconditionally.


On June 6 my sweet, loving, adoring Papaw joined our savior in heaven. Mamaw was by his side holding his hand.

To say the last month has been hard is an understatement. I know grief is a process, and he is not the first person I have lost. But he is by far the most significant person in my life to go. I still get very sad at times when I think that I will never share a laugh, a hug, or a sweet moment with him. But at the same time I had 30 years of shared moments that will stay with me forever. I will always miss him, and I will always love him. I will always be thankful to our time spent together. And I look forward to one day seeing him again in heaven and worshiping our Lord for eternity.

My Papaw loved fudge. Plain, simple chocolate fudge. Every time I make it, I will think of him.

Love you, Paps!

Easy Chocolate Fudge
Adapted from the Eagle’s Brand Milk recipe

Ingredients
3 cups (18 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
Dash salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Wax paper

Directions:
Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with wax paper. Slowly melt chocolate chips with the
sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan. Be careful not to heat too quickly because it can burn. Remove chocolate mixture from heat and add vanilla. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Chill fudge for 2 hours until it sets and is firm. Then remove the fudge by lifting the wax paper out of the pan. Cut into small, bite-sized squares with a knife.

Give me some sugar, daddy!

So, its kinda a running joke with some of my friends that I/we are "on the prowl" for a sugar daddy. Its a joke because:

1. Its kinda ridiculous to call myself "on the prowl" when I prefer staying home and hanging out with my friends, and not hitting up local bars and hot spots looking for men.

2. I live in a small town which has a limited number of decent, available men...MUCH LESS...rather wealthy, decent, available men.

Moving on....

So my sister emailed me, my mom, and my sister-in-law her dessert idea for our father's day cookout. Its called sugar daddy a'la mode. I asked her if it helps attract them, because I could use one. I mean...I am 30 and I am single! Its about time I settle down....right? *as I roll my eyes and sigh...*

Anywayz, it was funny. To me at least. Probably no one else. But I am known to laugh more at my own "jokes" than other people. At least it gave me a laugh! : )

The sister ended up making the gooey, scrumptious dessert, and it was a total hit with all the men in my family. Maybe I should find a boy and cook it for him and see if it works! Ha ha!

Sugar Daddy a la Mode
From E-mealz.com

Ingredients:
30 light caramels
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 pkg. Betty Crocker
German Chocolate cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup milk
12 oz. bag chocolate chips

Directions: Melt caramels in evaporated milk. Set aside. Combine cake mix, milk and butter. Mix well. Add nuts. Pat 2/3 of dough into greased 9x13 pan. Bake 6 minutes at 350. Remove from oven. Cake will have risen but still be quite soft. Sprinkle chocolate chips over crust, then drizzle caramel mixture over melting chocolate. Drop remaining dough over top by spoonfuls. Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes or until set. Cool completely before cutting. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

(PS - That's my real "sugar daddy" up above! He's a pretty good one! I think I'll keep him.)

Buttermilk Ice Cream

And they doubted me that it would taste good....

Last Saturday night I went home to visit the family and help my grandmother move. I ended up also cooking dinner for my parents, grandmother, sister, and kiddos. I made a thrown together version of the summery pasta that Jana and I cooked in Idaho last year. We used some of the vegetables my brother has been growing in his garden. (The compound really could be self-sustaining if it had to be. You can find fish and deer for meat (or cats, squirrels and raccoons if you are into that stuff), and eat corn, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, pears, squash, zucchini, etc. That's how we roll!

Anyway, for dessert I wanted a special treat, and since my mom had some fresh (from the market) strawberries and (grown by a friend) blueberries, I decided to make some homemade ice cream to go with them. I flipped through my mom's ice cream cookbook, and stumbled upon a buttermilk recipe. I'm always looking for ways to use the buttermilk I buy when I make banana bread, and this is a great follow-up to that!

Buttermilk Ice Cream
(Adapted from A Passion for Ice Cream cookbook.)

Ingredients:
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups buttermilk

Directions: Whisk together egg yolks, salt and 1/4 cup of sugar. Cook heavy whipping cream and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar on medium heat until almost simmering. Remove from heat, and slowly begin to temper eggs with cream mixture. As you add cream mixture into eggs, whisk and pour slowly in order to prevent "cooking" the eggs.

Return mixture to pan and cook on medium heat, stirring consistently with a wooden spoon or non-stick spatula. Use a candy thermometer to measure temperature, and continue cooking custard until it reaches 175 degrees and lightly coats the spoon. Strain custard into a medium sized bowl.

Fill a larger bowl with ice and water, and set medium bowl in the ice bath. Chill custard mixture in the ice bath for an hour or so. You can also put custard in fridge for four hours or overnight to chill.

When ready to put in ice cream mixture, stir in buttermilk. Then churn/freeze according to the manufacturer instructions of your ice cream machine. Serve immediately, or store in freeze. Top with fresh fruit or your favorite ice cream toppings.

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Side note: I totally rocked this ice cream! It was amazing! My family doubted the yumminess of buttermilk ice cream at first, but ended up LOVING it! Its a great treat for a summer holiday...such as...you know...4th of July!

A leave of absence

I'm taking a leave of absence. Its because I know what I need to write my next blog post about, for this one or the other one, and its going to be a hard post to write. Lots has happened over the last month, and my heart just isn't in it. But I will return soon, when I can muster up the courage and strength to write my tribute.

As American as Apple Pie

I DON'T HAVE TIME TO BLOG!

Correction: Usually at work I don't have time to blog...because I'M WORKING! And since I sit at a computer all day, the last thing I want to do is blog when I get home at night. Plus, I'm usually busy planting, weeding, mulching, baking, etc.

Last night I spent ALL NIGHT BAKING! It was kind of fantastic! I started out by making an apple pie for my new neighbors, then made dinner for me and my bro, followed by 2 loaves of banana bread. It was a long night. (But fun!)

My new neighbors moved in about a month ago, and I am just now getting around to meeting them. (Better than the 9 months it took for me to meet the other neighbors who ended up being introduced to me by a coworker.) They include a momma, a daddy, a three year old girl and a baby girl.

They moved into a house with a very neglected yard that was previously inhabited by a bunch a college kids. Since moving in, they have completely cut down all of the wild mess and are working to make the yard super beautiful. I can't tell you how happy this makes me! Before they moved in, I threatened to spray Round-Up on the yard in the middle of the night. It was that bad. Now its all gone, and its lovely!

I really like my new neighbors, so I made them an easy apple pie. I hope it tasted good, but here's the recipe:

Traditional Apple Pie

Ingredients:
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2-3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3-4 tbsp. butter, cut into small squares
1 frozen, 9-inch deep dish pie crust
1 flat (rolled) pre-made pie crust (You could just buy the flat kind and put one in a pie plate for the bottom and one on top)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Once preheated, "prebake" bottom crust for about 5-10 minutes. Mix dry ingredients in bowl and set aside. Peel, core and slice apples and set in a bowl. If desired, sprinkle with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Mix dry ingredients with apples and pour into pie crust. Place butter squares on top.

For top crust: Roll out flat pie dough and slice (with pizza slicer or knife) into long strips. Lay strips on top of crust in a basket weave pattern. Pinch top crust to connect to bottom crust. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, if desired, for a little added sweetness.

Bake at 375 degree for 30-45 minutes.

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Now, last night I did not use the basket weave pattern. I arranged the strips on top of each other to form a starburst pattern. I know, I should have taken a picture. I have also used a solid piece of dough on the top before, and cut little teardrop holes in it for a design. You can get really creative with your top crust.

I also use a pie crust shield to protect my edges from browning too quickly or burning. These cost just a few dollars, and are available at most home goods stores.

The recipe above was a first for me. I had never made this one before, and I hope it turned out okay. I looked really good! I guess my neighbors will tell me? Or not? Ha ha! However, I do have a "never fail" apple pie recipe that I typically make. It came from the Bell's Best Cookbook (I think in # 1, because I don't have that one, and I have it hand written in the front of # 2.)

In case you aren't from Mississippi, every true Southern cook I know has a set of Bell's Best Cookbooks. They are by the local AT&T Pioneers. I have #2 & #3. My mom has the first 3, and my grandmother has at least the first 2. My mom's books are so used that the pages are stained, falling out and the book is being held together by a rubberband. She's gotten her money's worth out of those! The Bell's Best cookbooks taught me how to cook when I was a kid!!! All of the first recipes I made came from one of them. Its like the Mississippi version of the Joy of Cooking! Trust me! Its a good investment!!!

You can view my Bell's Best Dutch Apple Pie recipe here.

If you want to buy a Bell's Best, go here. I think I need to get # 1 and # 4 to round out my collection...

What's your favorite cookbook?

(Side note...since we are on a cookbook kick, I met with a new vendor yesterday and his company prints a bunch of cookbooks. He asked if I liked to cook, and I said..."Uh...yes!!!" He's going to send me some samples! YEAH!!!! I can't wait!)

Quiche: It's what's for dinner...

**Update on quiche - I used 1/2 chopped onion and 1/2 chopped bell pepper. It was good! There were TONS of veggies in it, and the egg spilled over the side a bit. But, I did make it all fit in a 9-inch crust!

I have a good friend named Gwen. We met in seminary. We grew up about 15 miles from each other, attended college 2 hours from each other, but never met until adulthood. Gwen and I have been through a lot of life changes together. Through thick and thin, she has been a good friend to me. Though we live over 500 miles apart, our friendship that began 8 years ago is still going strong.

A year or so after I met Gwen (who lived with Jana who I met at orientation), she introduced me to Jennifer and Mayeli. They all worked in the library together. We enjoyed eating lunch or dinner, and playing games. Throughout my time in Texas, I became close friends with these three girls. They are all amazing women, Christians, and friends. Oh, and they are all married. I'm the only one who is not.

Several weeks ago I went to Gwen's house, and the four of us were reunited for the first time since I moved. Gwen made a quiche and salad for dinner, and we laughed and talked and played our dirty word game, Linkity. Despite the fact that I was on the verge of coming down with a terrible chest cold…it was an amazing time!

In honor of my lovely hostess and dear friend, Gwen…I am posting my version of the spinach quiche she made. It was fantastic! I’m also passing a long a salad dressing recipe that she gave me. I was going to make this for my brother last week, but he’s not a fan of quiche…so…this is going to be my Dancing with the Stars finale dinner meal. Sounds like a winner, eh?

Miss you Jenn, Gwen, and…Mayeli!



Spinach Quiche

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1.5 cups sliced mushrooms
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 (6 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese (Garlic & herb flavor if you can find it)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 unbaked deep dish pie crust (9 inch)
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Pour mixture into pie crust.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from oven. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese,
and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes, until set in center. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Spring Poppy Seed Salad

Salad Ingredients:
1 bag spring mix salad
1 can mandarin oranges or 1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
red onion slices

Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup light olive oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Directions: Prior to dinner, mix all salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. For dinner, mix all salad ingredients in a bowl and toss with dressing, or serve dressing on the side.

Happy birthday to all my girls!

May 20th is a very important and special day to me. Last year on May 20th, this chick entered my life:
I love her a lot. She's pretty cute!

This weekend we are celebrating her first year of life with cupcakes and kabobs. I also bought her a tutu.

May 20th is also special because 10 years ago I became a mommy! Not a REAL mommy...but a pet-owner mommy! Our family cat, PC, had a litter of kittens, and I kept two of them...Josephine and Juliet.
They are my little cuddle munchkins. My family loves their pets a lot, and these girls have hung with me through two houses, three apartments, two states, two diplomas, around 10 jobs (only 3 professional), and countless milestones over the last 10 years. I love them lots!

To all my girls, happy birthday! I'm glad they are all in my life!