Joy in the Kitchen!

Chocolate Eclairs are an elegant dessert fit for a special occasion.  Valentine's Day is coming up and I've been investigating possibilities for a special meal to share with my special Valentine. (Unless he has something better planned this year!)  These chocolate eclairs would be delicious!  Of course you don't have to reserve them just for Valentine's Day, or even for special occasions as they're pretty easy to make and even easier to eat! Today I am filling these with some Bavarian Creme filling I purchased from Alison's Pantry, but if you were so inclined you could make your own cream filling from scratch, or use a box of instant vanilla pudding.   I love the ease of the bavarian creme filling today. (and the flavor of it is amazing for a pre-made filling!) You will want to make these ahead because the shells need some time to cool, but I prefer to fill them right not too long before eating.  I'll have to decide what the rest of the men...

Pound cake has always intimidated me.  I have no idea why, it just does.  However, I love to EAT pound cake! I'm not a lover of light, crumbly cake such as you get from a cake mix... I much prefer a heavier, moist cake and this fits that description perfectly! There are very few dishes that I love to eat that I don't learn to make at home.  I did try a recipe for graham crackers once.  I'll keep buying those in the store thank-you-very-much.  Between my New Years resolution to try a new recipe each week, and my love for browsing foods on Pinterest, I worked up the courage to give pound cake another try.  (I did try regular pound cake many years ago with less than desirable results... fail, fail, fail!)  I have had some lemons sitting in my fridge for a couple of months, so when I found a beautiful picture of an Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake on Pinterest, I knew this was the new recipe for the week!  I was happy to finally have ...

This recipe is out of a family cookbook on my husbands side of the family.  Aunt Jessie submitted it & she lived in Wisconsin at the time.  I'm not sure where the "Connecticut" part came from.  I like to think she got it from a friend who got it from a friend, because those are often the best sort of recipe! This casserole uses a nice amount of potatoes, making it a PERFECT dish for my Idaho-grown family!  We love it.  (Even Dave likes it and he prefers a "meat & potatoes" sort of meal)  Add a salad and vegetable and you've got a wonderful, filling, comforting meal. Connecticut Beef Supper 1 lb. hamburger 2 lg. onions, sliced 1 1/4 C. milk 1 C. sour cream 4 large potatoes, thinly sliced 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 C. shredded cheddar cheese 1 1/4 C. Wheaties cereal, crushed Brown hamburger in skillet; add onion and cook until onion is transparent.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour meat mixture into greased baking ...

Delectable!   I snagged this recipe from Angie, who got it from Lindsay.  I don't know where Lindsay got it, other than I think her Mom made it when she was growing up.  Where do these fabulous recipes come from anyway?  Several years in a row Angie brought our family a plate of homemade treats at Christmas time.  I loved this fudge so much I finally called her to get the recipe.  I wrote fast while she read the recipe to me over the phone. (a lot of my recipes are like this)  Here's my personal shorthand version: PB Fudge 3 Cu butter 6 C. sugar 1 can evap M 3 C. pb 1 tsp van lg or 2 sm marsh cr. There you have it. :)  Probably not the recipe version I should pass down for generations.  At least now that I'm posting this on my blog, they'll have a translation and better directions.  Once the translations from my scribbles are done, Peanut Butter Fudge is fairly easy to make.  I like to pour it into a large jel...

Happy Birthday to my 10 year old daughter!  At our home, the birthday traditions include choosing your own birthday cake/dessert and the menu for dinner.   Nicole has been wanting a cake like an Almond Joy candy bar.  Coconut, almonds, chocolate.  I've never tried a cake like that but, a few weeks ago we bought a quart jar of Coconut Creme Spread from Costco.  (I was going to post a link to it, but it isn't listed on the Trailblazer Foods/Wall Berry Farm website).  It is a deliciously creamy spread with real coconut.  Not too sweet or thick.  I figured I could do a chocolate cake, split the layers, spread with coconut creme spread and some sort of chocolate for frosting.   I decided on ganache for the chocolate part. I can't give you a "recipe" for the whole thing, but directions if you're interested in trying something similar.  Almond Joy Cake Mix 1 box of devils food cake mix (brand of your choice ...

I just finished up a batch of CRACKer Candy . (also known as Better Than Money Toffee)  Keeley, my newly married daughter, needed the recipe so I thought I'd go ahead and post it here even though you can find it in varying forms everywhere these days.  I found it in a old church cookbook before I was married.  I guess this has been around for a long time. Probably since saltines were invented. Yes, I'm sure at least that long. This stuff is addicting!  My goodness! How can you go wrong with butter, sugar, and chocolate?   My Mom has an old fashioned toffee recipe that is delicious but you have to do just right or it doesn't turn out.  It's rare that this "cheater" sort of toffee fails!  I've often made 3 or 4 batches each year.  Thankfully I only feel compelled to make this at Christmas time or we'd need to widen our doorways. ;) CRACKer Candy Heat oven to 400 degrees . Line a cookie sheet with foil.  I use a jelly...

My husband Dave is the best fudge maker ever. :)  I don't even attempt his fudge recipe.  However, before he started making his delicious cooked fudge, we found this recipe for Cream Cheese Fudge in an old church cookbook.  It has few ingredients and is easy enough for an inexperienced cook to make!  The dough is pliable and can be rolled and cut into shapes if you use a little cooking spray or some powdered sugar on your counter to keep it from sticking.  You could also roll this in balls and then in sprinkles for a different presentation. I think this tastes best after sitting a day or so to mellow but it can be eaten as soon as it cools enough to cut easily. Cream Cheese Fudge 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 3/4 C. powdered cocoa (1 C. if you like a stronger chocolate flavor) 1 tsp. vanilla dash of salt 5 C. powdered sugar 1 C. chopped nuts, optional Mix cocoa and sugar until lumps in cocoa are dissolved.  Cream in cheese, add vanilla and n...