Desserts Galore

Tonight we are hosting a training for work. One of my responsibilities was providing desserts for the attendees. Well, I certainly didn't mind. So, I spent this morning baking! I made Tiramisu Brownies, Coconut Cake and Buttermilk Cake with Caramel Icing. Then, I found out we only have about 10 people who have RSVP'ed for the training. I guess there will be some dessert left over!
This is the second time I've made the buttermilk cake. If you like cake (like me), you've got to try it. It doesn't call for many ingredients, and the frosting/icing is amazing. The recipe is from Taste of Home.

Buttermilk Cake w/ Caramel Icing
1 cup butter, softened
2-1/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
ICING:
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition (batter will be thick). Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. For icing, in a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; cool for 5-10 minutes. Whisk in confectioners' sugar. Drizzle over cake. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Last Chance (Almost)

As fall comes we are nearing our last chance to enjoy some of those traditional summer foods...until next year, at least. This awareness spurred me on to test out a peach pie recipe last weekend with some wonderful peaches from a local produce market. I chose a recipe for crust that I've made before and enjoyed and I used a recipe for filling that I picked up when I bought the peaches. They worked well together, but then again with pastry and fresh peaches, how could you go wrong?

Peach Pie

All Butter Pie Pastry
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1 T. sugar
16 T. (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter cut into 1/2" pieces and frozen for 10 minutes
3T. sour cream
1/3 - 1/2 c. ice water

1. Process the flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until butter is the size of large peas, about 10 second pulses.
2. Using a fork, mix sour cream and 1/3 c. ice water in small bowl. Add half of the mixture to the flour mixture. Pulse for 3 1-second pulses. Repeat with remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch dough with fingers; if the dough is floury, dry, and does not hold together, add 1-2 T. ice water and process.
3. Turn dough onto work surface. Divide dough into halves, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
4. Roll out dough onto parchment paper. Fill bottom of pie pan and refrigerate 20-30 minutes or until cold. Fill pie plate with peach mixture (see below). Roll out top crust, place on pie and seal edges. Cut 4 2-inch slits and brush with beaten egg white. Sprinkle a little sugar on top and bake 40-50 minutes @ 400.

Peach Filling
4 c. sliced fresh peaches (about 6)
1 t. lemon juice
2/3 c. sugar
3 T. flour
1/4 t. cinnamon

Slice peeled peaches and mix in lemon juice. (I blanched them to make them easy to peel.) Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon and pour over peaches. Mix gently.

I mixed up the dough and refrigerated it while making the filling. I learned that one key to good pie crust is making sure the butter stays cold. So, if the crust gets difficult to work with, refrigerate it for a few minutes to let the butter firm up.

So Easy Soup

I feel a little ashamed to post such a simple recipe that requires no skill whatsoever, except what is needed to operate a can opener. But, this soup was really good and really easy and everyone needs recipes like that. I like to make a pot of soup on Sunday evenings for my husband and I to eat for lunch during the week. This soup will be ideal for that. It makes quite a lot and takes so little time that it won't be a burden to throw together even when I am making something else for dinner.

Refried Bean Soup
1 can (16 oz) spicy refried beans, fat-free
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) whole kernal corn, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, cut up (do not drain)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilis
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. salsa

Combine the eight ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered 8-10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips. Can be topped with shredded cheese and sour cream if desired.
Yield: 8 servings (probably closer to 6-7 at our house)

**I added a can of drained hominy (because we both love hominy).
**I used Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
**I think you could add a can of Rotel tomatoes to this also, perhaps in place of the salsa? They would give it a little more kick.

Cilantro Chicken

I have experimented several times this summer with preparing a feast for friends and/or family. I got the idea from a blog of a woman who had made this a tradition in her family. Her feasts were complete with table decorations and ice cream with sprinkles for dessert. While my feasts have not been so elaborate, I've enjoyed preparing meals for slightly larger groups (10-12 people). I doubled this recipe for the latest feast and it easily served 8. I served it with cilantro rice and homemade refried beans. One of my friends contributed homemade salsa to top it all off!

Cilantro Chicken
2 T. lime juice
2 T. vegetable oil
1 t. honey
1 c. finely crushed tortilla chips
4 chicken breast halves (around 1 lb.)
1 16 oz. jar salsa
2T. minced fresh cilantro
1/3 c. shredded cheese (I used more than this.)

In medium bowl, mix lime juice, vegetable oil and honey together. Dip chicken breast halves in this mixture and coat with chips. Place in greased 9X13 inch pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes or until the juice runs clear. Pour salsa over chicken, sprinkle with cilantro and cover with cheese. Bake 5-7 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Serves: 4

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This recipe for dip that tastes just like buffalo wild wings is requested all the time. Serve it with tortilla chips or celery sticks and you will have a hit at your next party. It's a great appetizer when people are coming over to watch football! (Note: it is best served right out of the oven when it is hot!)

Buffalo Chicken Dip
2 lbs. cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (you can substitute 3 (12 oz each) cans of chicken)
1 c. Ranch salad dressing
2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
12 oz. Frank's Red Hot
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together and place in a 9 by 13-inch backing dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers or celery sticks.

On Sale

This last week raspberries were on a great sale at the grocery store. So, I went looking for recipes that call for raspberries. The following recipe was the one I found that required the fewest number of ingredients. I did buy a graham cracker crust instead of making one, though. It was delicious. In fact, I am going to make it again tonight, since I bought so many raspberries. This recipe was published Taste of Home.

Raspberry Patch Cream Pie
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPING:
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/3 cups cold water
1/4 cup raspberry gelatin powder (I just used jello)
3 cups fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. For filling, in a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla. Carefully spread over crust. For topping, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. Arrange raspberries over filling. Spoon gelatin mixture over berries. Refrigerate until set. Yield: 6-8 servings.

My "Go-To" Dessert

Whenever we're having company and I'm in a time crunch, I make Chocolate Cheesecake Pie for dessert. Nearly everyone likes it (my mom probably wouldn't, since she doesn't like chocolate), it is quick to make and doesn't have to chill for very long. One of the students who used to be part of our collegiate ministry said that eating this pie is like eating chocolate marshmallows. He loved it! I do like to buy a quality (read, not generic) graham cracker crust, because I think it does make a difference. If you had a little extra time, it would be great with a homeade crust. Yum. I make this recipe exactly as directed. I got this recipe from an issue of "Quick Cooking" a few years ago.

Chocolate Cheesecake Pie
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in melted chocolate. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Cover and chill until serving. Yield: 6-8 servings.

You can eat this pie almost immediately as it doesn't have to chill very long. However, it does taste a little better if it's been in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight.