Sunday, September 15, 2013

Deliciously Crunch Pecan Pie Filling

One of my husband's favorite deserts is Pecan Pie, and it was one of the first deserts I experimented with. There are a couple things that I do in my Pecan Pie recipe that are not done in most. I use both brown sugar and white sugar in my recipe, and I think this adds to the smoky flavor of a Pecan Pie. I also dust the pecans that I sprinkle on top in brown sugar, which caramelizes as it bakes. I can proudly say that this has become my husbands favorite Pecan Pie to eat. He is no longer satisfied with the store bought Pecan Pies. 

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees

  • 3 Large Eggs 
  • 1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup of White Sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons of Melted Butter
  • 1 3/4 Cup of Pecans
  • 1/4 Cup of Pecans (Topping)
  • 1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar (Topping)
  • 1/2 Cup of Light Corn Syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons of Pure Vanilla

Mix the brown sugar and white sugar together in a medium size mixing bowl.
Crack the 3 eggs into the mixture and pour in the melted butter, light corn syrup, and the vanilla. Stir all of these ingredients until smooth.
Measure and dump the pecans into the mixture.
In separate bowl gently fold in the pecans and brown sugar for the topping. Pour the filling into the pie crust and sprinkle with the pecan brown sugar topping.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. Once finished, the pie will need to cool for an hour or two. 

I hope you or your special someone enjoy this pie as much mine does.



Biscuits

My plan was to post a recipe or something of that sorts once a week at least, but this last week was very hectic at my house. It started with myself getting an ear infection, and just as I was starting to get better both of my daughters woke up with high fevers. I am going to make it up to you though by posting double for this week. Earlier in the week I was craving a juicy steak and salad, but in my mind to be a complete meal there needs to be a starch of some kind. With that in mind I made my biscuits, and my recipe was been tweaked time and time again until I came up with my present recipe. These biscuits are crispy on the outside and break apart to reveal a soft and fluffy center. They work great for biscuits and gravy or plan on the side. My favorite is fresh or reheated with some Strawberry Jam for breakfast.   

  • 2 Cups of Flour 
  • 2 Teaspoons of Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder
  • 8 Tablespoons of Butter Melted
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 3/4 to 1 Cup of Milk
The first thing to do is preheat the oven to 425 degrees and mix the Flour, Sugar, Salt, and Baking Powder together in a bowl.

Then create a well in the middle and pour in the melted butter. 
Mix the melted butter in with your hands until it is well mixed, and then add the milk until the dough can be shaped into a round ball that is not sticky. The dough should be able to be handled without sticking to your hands. 
 
Once the right consistency has been obtained, rip of pieces of the dough, and roll them into balls while placing them spaced apart on a greased baking sheet. 
Place the baking sheet in the oven for 12 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.
Enjoy! :)

Monday, September 2, 2013

Heavenly Chocolate Cake

I have been working on getting a cooking blog started for awhile now, and it dawned on me the other day that I had the perfect recipe to start with. I was sitting on my couch reading a book when my sweet tooth called my name. It took awhile, but I got up and began to make a cake, which is one my favorite deserts. I have always been partial to the boxed cakes because of the fact the chocolate is never rich enough, or the cake is not moist enough when baked from scratch, so over the last year I have begun to play around with baking cakes. I have been a on a mission to find the perfectly moist and decadent chocolate cake, and I have found it. The recipe is not a complicated one, but it is the moistest cake that I have developed thus far. You will want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9 baking pan.


  • 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
  • 2 Cups White Granulated Sugar
  • 1 3/4 Cups Flour 
  • 3/4 Cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Teaspoon  Salt
  • 1 Cup  Milk
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Cup Freshly Brewed Dark Roasted Coffee
Mix all the dry ingredients together and create a well within the ingredients. Then add the wet ingredients into the well and fold in the dry ingredients until they are combined. At this point, you can pour the mix into the pan and bake it for 30-45 minutes. I use the toothpick test for my baking and as soon as it comes out clean remove the item from the heat. The cake lasted less than twenty four hours in my house. It was by far the tastiest cake from scratch that I have tried. I topped mine with a Marshmallow Creme frosting that I will post in the next few days. 

With this being my first blog, I would appreciate any comments towards improvements. If you, as the reader, would like to see pictures along with the directions let me know, or if you feel that I am leaving certain instructions out please do tell. I want this to become a blog that is accessible to both the seasoned cook and the cook just starting to cook from scratch. 

Enjoy the delicious chocolate heaven!