Joy in the Kitchen!

One of my favorite sundae toppings is hot fudge!  You can't beat the smooth, rich flavor of this easy homemade sauce.  It is quick to make and, if you hide it in the back of the fridge, it will store for 3 weeks or more.  Just heat in the microwave a few seconds to soften it up before you use it as it will set up when it's cold. Fabulous Hot Fudge Sauce 1 cube of butter 1 1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 large can evaporated milk 2 1/2 C. powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Melt butter over low heat and add chocolate chips.  Stir until chocolate is melted.  Add milk and powdered sugar.  Whisk together until smooth.  Bring to boil and simmer a few minutes stirring constantly.  Add vanilla.  Cool slightly before using. Enjoy over ice cream or on a spoon straight out of the jar in the fridge!  Mmmm!

Sometimes a nice, hot fudge sundae hits the spot perfectly!  This Classic Cocoa Sauce is so easy to make and delicious on ice cream!  Truth be told, once it's in the fridge in a jar, a spoonful here and there is pretty awesome too! My sister-in-law Susy passed this recipe on to me. It uses ingredients that I always have on hand and takes minutes to make.  It is our family favorite! Classic Cocoa Sauce 6 T. cocoa powder 1 C. sugar 3/4 C. evaporated milk 1/4 C. butter 1/8 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. vanilla Mix cocoa and sugar.  Blend in milk.  Add butter and salt and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Cool slightly before serving.  Sauce thickens as it cools. Joy's Notes:   I prefer to double this recipe mainly because it will use the full can of canned milk rather than leaving me with 3/4 C. of milk to figure out a way to use.  This stores in th...

Dave's Grandma Evelyn was an amazing baker.  When Dave and I were first dating he took me by Grandma & Grandpa's to introduce me.  The first thing he did after a quick "hello" was take me to the kitchen to show me Grandma's cookie jar.  It wasn't a particularly fancy container, in fact, it was a large tin can that she had made a cover for with plastic canvas.  The special thing about Grandma's cookie jar though, was that it ALWAYS held cookies!  She was always ready for grandchildren to visit.  Most of the time she'd have bags of chocolate chip cookies in the freezer so if company came unexpectedly she could thaw them quickly and fill her cookie jar.  That first time we visited I was appalled to see my future husband take a large handful of cookies to eat as we left!  I came to find Grandma expected him to enjoy her cookies like that.  She made those cookies with love and they were eaten with love in return.   ...

My husband is awesome.  Sometimes I forget that briefly and give him grief, but he really is awesome.  Here is the plate sized sugar cookie I made for him today using the sugar cookie recipe HERE .   I made smaller cookies for the kids - just lunch plate sized.  I love how soft this recipe turns out.  I used regular decorating icing recipe for these cookies but the rest I frosted with my favorite Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting because it tastes SO good!   Dave was thoughtful and cooked dinner.  Pineapple Chicken Stir-fry with a wild rice blend.  It was delicious!  Definitely a "cook-it-again" recipe! Happy Valentine's Day!

Pinwheel cookies always look festive!  We usually make chocolate pinwheels at Christmas time, but I decided to try exchanging chocolate for red food coloring to celebrate Valentine's Day.  My girls especially loved the pink swirls. I used the  Refrigerator Pinwheel recipe I posted a few years ago.   Once the dough is all mixed.  Split it in two, and instead of adding the cocoa powder as directed, add 1 tsp. of red food coloring.  Mix it in well and then continue to follow the recipe directions. Once the cookie rolls are ready to cut, pour your choice of sprinkles onto a cookie sheet and roll the dough until sides are coated.  Cut into 1/4 inch slices and place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart.  If you'd like heart shaped cookies rather than round,  squeeze the circle into a triangle and then press a dent in one side with a wooden spoon handle or  shape gently with your fingers. Food is always a fun way to celebrate a ...

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 ...