Peanut Brittle

I'm planning for a retreat with friends and am thinking about what to cook to share. It occurred to me that peanut brittle might be a nice choice - easy to pick up and munch, but keeps well so I could make it today.

So, I went hunting for a recipe I like. I remembered having made it before but I hadn't posted it in this section of the website. Fortunately, I found it on my regular blog. So, I'm correcting the oversight and getting the recipe here in the recipe section. I even took photos when I made it before.

Here's the recipe I used. I don't recall where I got it.

Peanut Brittle
2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
2 cups raw peanuts
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. baking soda

Heat and stir sugar, syrup and water in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Add salt. Cook over medium heat to soft ball stage (234 degrees). Add peanuts at 250 degrees. Cook to hard crack stage (290 degrees), stirring often. Remove from heat.

Quickly, stir in butter and soda. Beat to a froth for a few seconds. Pour at once onto 2 well-buttered cookie sheets, spreading with spatula. Break up when cold.



When you add the butter and soda it gets all frothy for a few seconds. For reasons I don't fully understand, I particularly like this part. Maybe it's the cooking as chemistry part of it all.



Then you just pour it out to cool.


When it's cool just twist the pan and it cracks.

I saw Alton Brown make brittle and he held another pan over it and shook them to break. He also used a cookie sheet the same size and "stacked" them when he first poured it out. He smashed on the top pan to make sure there was only one layer of peanuts. That's a good trick to remember.

Coffee Cake

I'm in Joplin at Miss Joy's house and she loves coffee cake. This morning I suggested we bake something. She was onboard with that idea so I found a couple of recipes online and made our own version.



Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pecans (optional)
Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix topping ingredients into a crumbly mixture and set aside.


For cake, mix dry ingredients togther and then add remaining and mix well. Sprinkle pecans on top of batter or mix in as you prefer.

Pour cake batter into 8 by 8 pan and sprinkle crumb topping mix over top of it. Cook at 375 degrees for 25-20 minutes until done. You can cut while still warm.

Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe



 Sweet Potatoes have started to push beyond the boundaries of Thanksgiving and make their way onto plates throughout the year. But even those who don't have them any other time, generally want a little dollop of them next to the Thanksgiving turkey.

This is part side dish, part dessert.

Sweet Potato Casserole

4-5 small/medium sized sweet potatoes - cooked and mashed
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4-1/2 cup orange juice
pecans and marshmallows

Mix all ingredients together except pecans and marshmallows.  I like to taste the mixture and make sure it's as sweet and cinnamon-y as I like it. Put in casserole dish and put pecans and marshmallows on top. Sprinkle with more brown sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees until done. It will depend on how big your potatoes are and what size dish you use. Could take 30 minutes - could take an hour. All you really need to cook are the eggs. I like to let the marshmallows melt into the top of it, too.

I baked the sweet potatoes while the turkey was cooking. Just wrap in foil like you would a normal baked potato. The skin will just peel right off them. Peel after they cool and mash with a fork. Then add your other ingredients and bake in a casserole. Yummy!

Devil's Food Cake

A couple of weekends ago, I bought an old cookbook at the flea market for a quarter. Last night was Creative Sisterhood and I decided I'd make something from that book. Devil's Food cake was the winner.



I followed the instructions - even frothing the eggs with a fork.



I whipped the egg whites and folded them in as it suggested, although I confess I used the Kitchen Aid. Lets do keep up with modern conveniences.

And I melted the chocolate in the microwave to add into the batter.

I was very impressed that the cake baked perfectly level with the pan - not that big poof on top that you often get when you bake, that has to be trimmed off.



Just in case you want to give it a go yourself, here's the recipe.

Everyone loved it at Creative Sisterhood. I'm not completely sold on it myself. I wasn't fond of the texture - a bit too crumbly for my tastes. I'm sure that was from folding in the egg whites, but it's just not my favorite.

However, I do appreciate opening a cookbook and not finding references to cake mixes in it.

Fresh Peach Cobbler

My friend, Jill, has a peach tree. A prolific peach tree. Today she posted that she was bringing peaches to her office and anyone who wanted some could come by with a paper bag and help themselves.



I called her right after five to see if she was still at the office and still had peaches. The answer to both questions was "yes" so I ran by on my way home.



This called for getting out Mama's recipe. At some point when I was a kid I typed some of her recipes. Of course, now I wish I had the original recipes, but I do have a lot of them in her handwriting.



I had a little over two cups of peaches once they were peeled and cut.



It was a little too much for the dish, but I put a cookie sheet under it and let it run over the edges. I love those crusty edges.



Thanks for sharing, Jill!

Chocolate Cupcakes

It may not look that good, but trust me, it tastes good.

You know I wouldn't hold out on the recipe, so here it is!

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Cream sugar and butter. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 18 cupcakes.

I used my new favorite chocolate frosting, but you can use whatever you prefer.

Frosting
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. milk
5 tbsp. butter
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix sugar, milk and butter in saucepan and boil for one minute, stirring continuously. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Po

You can dip the cupcake into it upside down when it's freshly made. Or let it cool a bit and then frost as normal.

Cherry Chocolate Cake

Tonight was Creative Sisterhood and it was a very nice evening.

Last night I baked a new cake to share with Creative Sisterhood. I'm not generally a big fan of cherries, but I love this cake. It's wonderful.



Cherry Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Cream butter and sugar, then mix in eggs and extract. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Pour into 9 by 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Frosting
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. milk
5 tbsp. butter
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix sugar, milk and butter in saucepan and boil for one minute, stirring continuously. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Pour over warm cake.

Peanut Butter Fudge

I've made peanut butter fudge a couple of times lately. Last night I whipped some up while I was cooking dinner so I could take it to my mechanics this morning.

Every once in awhile I just drop in with goodies of one sort or another, but I haven't ever taken them peanut butter fudge before. I hope it was enjoyed. Here's the recipe. It's very easy and practically no-fail.

Peanut Butter Fudge

1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, then stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a roiling boil, and let it boil for two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and mix well. The peanut butter will melt into the hot liquid. Pour over powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Pat into an 8 by 8 pan and let cool. Then cut into squares and enjoy.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

Don't those look yummy? I can't lie, they were. But I've eaten them all now so I can't share. Sorry about that. But I can tell you to make them and they're super easy.



You gotta start with some basic red potatoes, of course. I just cut them into forths but if you like them crispier, slice thinner.



Then pick the fresh herbs of your choice. I used (clockwise from bottom) rosemary, thyme, French tarragon and pistou basil. These were just things I had growing in my herb garden but you could use whatever you want.



Mix them in a bowl, with a little olive oil and spread out on a cookie sheet. I think sprinkled some sea salt and freshly ground pepper on them. Of course, you could leave that off it you prefer.

Cook at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, more or less depending on the size of your potatoes and the level of "crunch" you want.
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Tea on a Fall Evening

It's a wet, chilly autumn evening here. I decided to made some mini pumpkin bread loaves. I want some for one of my holiday gatherings and pumpkin bread freezes with no ill effects, particularly in this sort of a time frame. So, I thought I'd whip up a batch. I need to make three more batches to have enough.

Of course, as soon as they were coming out of the oven I had the urge to make some tea and have a couple of little loaves. Then I remembered these dishes I had bought at Goodwill a few months ago. They're just perfect for an autumn evening I think. For some reason, tea always tastes best from a pretty cup.

I love evenings like this. It's chilly enough to want to be indoors, but not so cold that the wind has found every spot not covered three different ways to get inside with me. It will be no time until my evening's uniform will include long underwear so my legs don't freeze. In fact, I think I'd better order a couple more pair so there's always one clean.

I'm one of those people who gets cold the first time there's a cold snap and I just stay cold until spring. The one time I'm warm is when I first wake up under my electric blanket. But the first moment I stick a toe out from under I'm cold again. Last night I got out my electric blanket but decided to not put it on until I change the sheets again. But, very soon it will be time. I consider electric blankets to be one of the great inventions of our era.

Well, I'm going to stop writing on the blog and work on the book some more. I'm writing one of the complex scenes now so it's going much slower, but it's coming along. However, not a darn thing happens unless I stay at the keyboard and work on it so I suppose I'd best do that.
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Fried Green Tomato Demonstration

This afternoon I did a cooking demonstration on Fried Green Tomatoes at Apron Strings downtown. I was wishing these were a bit more complex, because people had come out to see me make them and I wanted to make it worth their time. But, fried green tomatoes are very easy.

Fried Green Tomatoes
green tomatoes
yellow corn meal
salt
pepper
oil (I used vegetable oil, but bacon grease is much better!)

Wash and core the tomatoes, and slice. Mix salt and pepper into cornmeal to taste. Dip tomato slices in cornmeal and then fry.



I made three batches today and used the same oil. This was the last batch and you can see the crumblies in the skillet. Turn them with a fork or egg turner until they're brown on each side.



Greg came to take photos for me. I swear, he's the best ex-boyfriend a girl could have.



I always put paper towels on the plate to drain the fried green tomatoes a bit before serving. Needless to say, they are greasy!



Lynette, who I've met there before, said she had been waiting for this demonstration. Her parents are both from the south so we had much to talk about after the demo. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. I think everyone enjoyed the goodies.


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Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting

Tonight was Creative Sisterhood and I decided to try a new recipe. It seemed perfect weather for some caramel. I hunted around and found a recipe for a Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting.

The cake is OK, but the frosting is great. I am still looking for the perfect chocolate cake recipe. I've been hunting for years. I guess the hunt goes on.

Chocolate Cake
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Put baking soda in milk and set aside. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs. Add milk with baking soda in it and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Add boiling water last and mix.

Pour into three pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Note: The batter is very thin - don't think you've left something out.

Caramel Frosting
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
2 pounds powdered sugar

Bring sugar and butter to a boil. Then add milk and bring to a boil again. Set aside and let cool. Then beat in powdered sugar.

Spread on cool cake. This is enough frosting to cover all the sides of the cake, and you'll probably have a bit left over. If you just want to put between the layers and on top, halve the frosting recipe.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Scones and Tea

I've been in a real scone mood lately. I just love having scones and fresh lemon curd. Yum!

I've been experimenting with scone recipes. I want something that's a little sweet, but still with that biscuit-like texture. Below is the recipe I've made up that I'm using now. I think I might lower the amount of butter in it just a tad next time and see how that goes. These are a little more cake-like in texture, but I LOVE the flavor.

I prefer my scones plain. I don't want chocolate chips or some other abomination in them. I just want the scone - flakey and buttery. I contend if the scone itself is perfect it doesn't need anything added in. However, watch me quickly and happily consume a scone of any sort that someone sits in front of me.

I think I like them plain because I love them with fresh lemon curd, and I just want those two flavors. But, if there's only butter for them, it's nice to have some additional flavors in them. I'm still experimenting to find the perfect lemon curd recipe. I'll share here when that happens.

In the meantime, here's my recipe for scones.

Patsy's Scones
1 3/4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup milk

To brush on top:
one egg
1 Tablespoon milk
sugar to sprinkle on top

Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter with pastry blender. Add milk and mix just until blended. If you over-mix your scones will be tough.

Brush the top with the egg and milk mixture and sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my novel when it's completed. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Tomato Basil Soup

One of my favorite summer treats is tomato basil soup. I love dinner taking less than an hour from garden to table.

I have a variety of tomatoes growing, and I like the flavor of mixing them together. But, of course, you can do it however you wish. I scald them first to make them easy to peel, but you can skip that if you don't mind the peelings. I generally put the water on to boil before I go out to pick and by the time I'm back and the tomatoes are washed, the water is ready.



I just dump the peeled tomatoes in a pot, and I go ahead and put the basil in early. Chefs say the flavor isn't as intense if you do that, and I don't disagree, but I like having the milder flavor throughout the soup. And I use a generous amount.

You can see there are some yellow tomatoes, large red ones, and smaller roma ones in this mix, as well as the basil. The only other thing I add is a pinch of salt.

I don't add any water as the tomatoes are juicy enough on their own. I let them cook down until their water is cooked out and then I puree the tomatoes and basil. I put them back into the pot and add some cream to taste.



The final thing I do is sprinkle a little sugar on top. It will turn a darker color, and I then swirl that around just to make it look pretty. You can also garnish with fresh basil if you want.

The sugar cuts the acid of the tomatoes, and helps blend the flavors together.

Voila! Tomato Basil Soup! Yummy!
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my soon-to-be-finished novel. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Ginger Cookies for Tea

I'm busy preparing for the MHA's tea on Saturday. Today I made ginger cookies. Lots of ginger cookies.

I have a somewhat unnatural love of ginger cookies. They are the perfect accompaniment to tea as far as I'm concerned. Oatmeal cookies and ginger cookies are my two favorite kinds. Chocolate chip just doesn't do it for me in the same way.

This recipe is my favorite for ginger cookies. I've been making it since 1992. How do I know this? Because I wrote the first time I made it on the recipe. I do that sometimes - particularly if I make something for a particular person or event. These made their debut at the 1992 Christmas party.

Oh... and speaking of Christmas... I bought some ornaments at Hobby Lobby today. They're 40% off this week and I know from experience that they usually don't get additional shipments. So, if there's something you want it's the time to pick it up.

I'm sure I'll be making these cookies again before the holiday season is over. Enjoy!

Ginger Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Cream the butter and sugar, add in egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Shape the dough into balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. These cookies will spread out as they bake, although less if you keep the dough chilled.

This recipe makes about 60 cookies or normal size, more if you're doing bite-sized tea goodies.

I like to mix them the night before and chill overnight in the fridge, but that is not necessary. I just find the dough easier to work with when it’s cold. Today I mixed them this afternoon and baked tonight.
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Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Salad is one of my summertime recipes. It's incredibly easy.



Start with some goodies from the garden



wash the basil, chop coarsely and pour some olive oil over it to flavor the oil



Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

2 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
one bunch fresh basil
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Wash basil and chop coarsely. Pour olive oil over and let sit.

Layer tomatoes and mozzarella and drizzle olive oil over all. Garnish with basil. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

This is plenty to serve two, or four if you're using it as an appetizer.

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Zucchini and Tomato Dish

I had a fresh zucchini out of the garden, and some tomatoes, which seemed like the perfect thing to make a dinner with. So... here's what I whipped up. It was pretty tasty - of course, most things fresh out of the garden are.

Zucchini and Tomato Dish

1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 zucchini, sliced

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add tomatoes and zucchini. Let simmer on top of the stove, stirring occasionally, until the water is cooked out. Dish up and eat as is. Or, sprinkle some cheese on top for another taste.

You can adjust the amount of ingredients to suit your taste, of course.

I think some tofu cooked in it, or some chicken, would also be delish.

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Tea Sandwich Demonstration

Today I did a cooking demonstration on tea sandwiches at Apron Strings. Amy helped me, for which I was incredibly thankful.



Greg came and took pictures of the occasion. As usual, his photos are great. We did cucumber sandwiches...



And my own creation of an herbed mix on carrot chips. I've been making this for a few years for the MHA teas and it's always a hit.



As an afterthought this morning when I was picking herbs from my garden for this, I grabbed a bunch of other things on the spur of the moment - just to show different herbs. I used some of this red veined sorrel in the herb mix, as well as some rosemary.



Whenever I have occasion to see a bunch of photos of myself I learn something. What I learned today is that I don't look good talking. At all. Fortunately, Greg caught me a couple of times where I was between words.



Anne Dowell is the owner of the store. Her husband, Mike, and kids Tyler and Leah, were so helpful today. That Mike and Tyler - wow - they are troopers. They were washing dishes for us nonstop. Leah was helping up front with her mom and coming back periodically to see if we needed something else. They were all wonderful.



We did a lot of prep work and had the sandwiches all ready to go before we even started. I wasn't sure we'd be able to get them all done in advance, but we did. Amy was such a big help.





We were wearing the gloves when we were working with food, but as soon as I was done mixing food during the presentation, I took them off so my hands could breathe. They were hot!



Greg joked that he never has to wait for me to gesture to take a photo, because I'm always animated.











After the presentation, where I talked about not only the specifics of these sandwiches, but also tea in general, everyone got to have some samples.



Some of the ladies suggested scones would be a good thing to demo another time. I couldn't disagree with them! That would be a good thing for my friend, Teresa, to demo. She makes delicious scones!

A big thank you to Amy and to Greg for their help. And to Anne, Mike, Leah and Tyler for their assistance today too.
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