Blessed Birthday Meal

Our third son turned 20 years old yesterday! He has been home from college for the summer and has worked almost every single day. It was good to see him for a full day and to be surrounded with family.

We held his birthday meal up the path at Granna's. She had a box of Twinkies everyone dug into while waiting for food and I had to smile. Matthew loved Twinkies so much growing up that people used to buy him boxes for his birthday. . . smile.

The Lord blessed us with some wonderful Angel Food Ministries boxes (He provided through my sister... so thanks for her being a vessel for His bounty!) and we had plenty of food. The meal served 23 + people!

We started off with chilled cantaloupe and watermelon and they were wonderful!

My husband took the hamburger meat that came with our main box (for more on this, visit: www.angelfoodministries.com) and mixed it with ground venison from the freezer for grilled hamburgers. We had two bags of potatoes so this birthday son's girlfriend peeled all of those and cut them in smaller sizes for quicker cooking. I used a free spirited style of the recipe below. All that means is that I used the ingredients it called for but with no measuring. I just tossed it all together and my daughter, niece and I kept tasting it until we liked it. Along with all the ingredients called for in the recipe, we added garlic powder and I finely chopped garlic cloves and sauteed them in butter along with some finely chopped onion and drizzled this over the whole thing before gently mixing it in. Very good!

Octoberfest German Potato Salad
Servings: 7

Ingredients:
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons dried parsley
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add peeled and cut potatoes; cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl. Add onions.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, oil, vinegar, sugar, parsley, salt and pepper. Gently stir in the potatoes and onion. Let stand for 1 hour before serving to enhance flavors.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED C 2009 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com
7/20/2009

I've made this chocolate cake for several years now. The idea to search this recipe came because Mamaw made chocolate pound cakes for many years and my husband loved them. When the two oldest boys were grown and on their own, a lady who watched after Mamaw started making the chocolate pound cakes for her.
She sent one of these home and Matthew tried it and fell in love!
Time went on and Mamaw moved out of the home she made so many cakes and meals from and went to move with my MIL.

I looked for recipes but stopped the first time I made this one. I have shared and shared and shared it before now bec it has brought more compliments than any other cake I've made. It is that good.

When my MIL ate a piece at Matthew's birthday gathering, she told me she simply must have one made for her next birthday. Such a decadent chocolate flavor and deep, rich cocoa all the way around. Marvelous!
Chocolate Pound Cake III

Servings: 16

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
3 cups white sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water 1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the dissolved coffee and buttermilk. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED C 2009 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com
7/20/2009

Tres Leches Cake

Finally found it!

My mom made this cake for my birthday a couple of months ago and my DIL loved it so much ... I am making some for her baby shower. It was at this great blog:

http://fullbellies.blogspot.com/

I'll share the other recipes and ideas from the shower when I have more time!

TRES LECHES CAKE


1 package white cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk
1 cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream
1 container (8 ounces) whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Remove cake from oven; cool 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk, milk and whipping cream in a 4-cup measure. Poke holes all around the warm cake, using a wooden skewer or toothpick. Slowly pour milk mixutre evenly over top of holes on cake. Let cake cool 10 to 15 minutes more to absorb all the liquid. Cover and refrigerate cake in pan at least 1 hour.

When cake is completely cool, spread whipped topping evenly on top. Cut into pieces and serve with fresh fruit. Keep cake covered and refrigerated.

20-Minute Alfredo

We have had a busy past couple of weeks but we are pulling things together. My 16 and 15-year old nieces are with us now and we've been working on rooms, papers, and much more. We have been having quick dinners:)

One such dinner was what I fixed and served last night. It turned out really well and everyone loved it.

I was looking for something quick and filling and this fit the bill. I made two separate pots/skillets of it and we at it for lunch today.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Submitted By: Campbell's Kitchen
Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 20 Minutes
Servings: 4


Ingredients:
1/2 (16 ounce) package linguine (I used angel hair pasta bec I didn't have the other)
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets (I used a bit more in each dish)
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, (used more)
cut into cubes
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
(Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (used more and then topped it with a few shavings as well)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Cook linguine according to package directions. Add broccoli for last 4 minutes of cooking time. Drain.
2. Heat butter in skillet. Cook chicken until browned, stirring often.
3. Add soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture and heat through. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 6/26/2009

Farm Stand Lunch

We stopped at a little farm stand in the little town I spent some of my childhood and got a paper bag of green beans, a basket of peaches, and a small basket of tomatoes. My sister wanted to stop and she surprised us with these and got our parents a seedless watermelon.

This little stand has been offering the small community produce for as long as I can remember. It is such a neat set up. . .

The house is right off of a small town road dotted with little family restaurants, garden nurseries, and a gift shop or two. It is a classic, large, white and simple farm house with a generous front porch on a grassy sprawling yard with a large shade tree here and there.

To the side of the house and yard (literally within 30 to 60 seconds of a walk) is the garden. Somehow, the rows and rows and rows of various produce stay neat all summer. The family and sometimes friends... pick the produce and pack them in baskets to walk or drive to the little stand near the road.

It is small and covered with a little roof and shaded by a large oak tree.
Netted bags of Vidalia onions hang from nails on the supporting beams... watermelons line an entire area... velveety GA peaches fill produce baskets and fragrance the air around them. Tomatoes ... with red and glossy skins give an artistic look to the whole scene.

People, local as well as tourists, pull onto the little gravel and dirt beaten area off of the road.
A smiling teen (granddaughter) fills bags and tells you things like... the green beans were picked minutes before. She tells the prices as different voices ask.
Each time we leave... we look forward to the next time we go back.

Yesterday's lunch was green beans, pan-fried yellow squash, lima beans, shredded WOK fried cabbage, tomato slices salted and peppered, and buttered bread. What produce didn't come from the little stand was from another local garden. It was all served with iced lemon water I made up in the fridge at the first part of the day.

Green Beans

Someone brought or left a package of salted fat back or pork something or another. I don't eat pork and haven't in a long time (long story) but most of my family does. I sliced this into a little smaller than bite sized pieces and added it to the prepared green beans (washed, ends broken off and the large beans broken in three pieces) and added water just until I saw the water through the beans. I learned to not cover all vegetables when cooking by Mamaw. She is known for the best squash dish around and she showed me how to make it in her kitchen one day.

I wrote about that in a previous post or a hand written journal so I won't repeat it all for now.
Anyway, I remembered what she said about filling the water just to the point of being able to see it. I did this with the green beans and added the fat back pieces and set the eye to high. As soon as it reached boiling, I covered it and adjusted the heat to low.
I wanted to keep a slow simmer until they were fully cooked so I went from low to medium low as needed. The timer was set for 20 minutes and about half way through, I took the lid off and added sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
I added about 5 minutes cooking time and the beans were so wonderful!

I used a sharp knife to shred the cabbage and cooked it in a WOK on high until just how I wanted it. I added butter because I am out of all oil! This was a tremendous win for the two teen girls who finished the last of it off.

Tuesday Dinner/Wednesday Lunch

Feta Cheese & Tomato Chicken Breasts
Parmesan crusted zucchini
Lima beans
Buttered Egg noodles

Nana & Papa invited us for a weekday dinner last Tuesday and it was so delicious I decided to share it:)

While Papa let the children play outside, Nana pulled together the meal she got ready before we arrived.

Pots simmered on the stove top, steaming pans were pulled from the oven, and freshly made tea was poured into glasses.

The meal was so, so, SO delicious that it was hard to not over eat! Papa said the zucchini was the best he had ever eaten and after one bite into ours... we all agreed!


At the end of the meal, Nana sent home everything we didn't eat so I would have an easy meal for the next day. I spend Wednesday's as previously shared with my DIL and grandchildren so we can stay closely connected. We always share lunch and some type of activity ... even if it is just visiting and listening to the kids.

This one meal actually served as an evening snack for my daughter and husband the same night we ate it AND made the most delightful next day lunch!

I cut the chicken in bite sized pieces and did the same with the zucchini. I had an edge of parmesan cheese left so I shredded that and heated the egg noodles.

The feta chicken with tomatoes, zucchini, and egg noodles were heated on the stove top and at the last minute, I tossed in the shredded parmesan.
This was mouth watering good! We really look forward to enjoying this one again!

The feta chicken recipe is on the back of the feta cheese container my mom and I get from Sam's. I don't have it but I think I've shared it before... I will look for it or get it from her if needed.

I just recall placing the chicken breasts in a greased, oven safe dish. Sliced tomatoes and feta cheese go over and I think it is just salt and pepper and maybe some basil or Italian seasoning.

The zucchini was sliced length ways and put on an oiled baking sheet. Salt and pepper is added, olive oil drizzled and then shaker styled parmesan sprinkled generously over. Oven roasted at 400 or so until it looks to desired doneness.

Great summer meal!

Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies

Servings: 24

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 6/9/2009

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

Servings: 16

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter

1 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped
topping, thawed
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts
Directions:
1. Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
2. Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 6/9/2009