Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Ginger Cookies




This is a special post and one that is written with love and memories close to my heart. This blog is done in loving memory of my grandfather, "Lut" Hudson Joseph Mayeux, Momou's husband of 70 years. "Grandpa" left us last week to go home to be with our Father in Heaven. My heart breaks to think of my precious Momou without her soul mate but I know Momou is a believer and she knows that one day she will see Grandpa again when she meets him in Heaven.

I was not able to go home to Louisiana to attend Grandpa's funeral last week so I did what any food lover would do in attempt to create comfort in a time like this. I baked. But I didn't just bake anything, I baked Grandpa's favorite cookies, "Ginger Cookies. You should see this recipe for Ginger Cookies. It is written in Momou's handwriting (in pencil mind you) on very yellowed notebook paper with all sorts of stains dated with the year "1940" on it. This my friends is when you know you have a good little recipe in your hands.

These cookies are truly amazing. That Grandpa was onto something:) When you bake these cookies your entire house will smell like the Autumn season. I promise! You know, I think that Yankee Candle might need to create a candle with this very scent and name it "Ginger Cookie". I guarantee it will be a best seller because the smell of these cookies fresh out of the oven is to die for! It smells of all sorts of delicious spices mixed in with the secret ingredient of molasses. I think this recipe will be one that you will want to whip up each holiday season. In honor of Grandpa, I hope to create a tradition to make these cookies each year right before Thanksgiving.

Ginger Cookies
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons molasses
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2/3 cups cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix cooking oil and sugar.
3. Add egg and beat well until mixture thickens.
4. Stir in molasses.
5. Sift all dry ingredients together and add to mixture.
6. Make balls size of large marbles.
(Bonus step added by me: Roll balls in Sugar In The Raw. You will
need about 20 small packets).
7. Put balls on cookie sheet 3 inches apart.
8. Cook 8 minutes.

Makes 4 dozen.

If you follow this recipe to the "t", your cookies will come out perfect...you mark my words. Moist and perfectly sized little cookies. I hope you enjoy them and share them with others. Even though I was not able to make it to Louisiana for Grandpa's funeral, I was lucky to be able to share these cookies with family here in TN who knew what these cookies meant. And that made me feel even more comforted...

Pin It Now!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Rice Cooker Potatoes


Right now, blogging about a Momou recipe is all I can think to do to somewhat feel close to my family in Louisiana. Today is a special and bittersweet day as my family will gather to celebrate my grandfather's 90th birthday and his 90 years of life...and I can't be there. I figured that since I always feel close to home when I blog a Momou recipe that this will have to do for now.

On a lighter note, who exactly has ever heard of rice cooker potatoes? That's right...potatoes cooked in a rice cooker. I have always heard of Momou's famous Rice Cooker Potatoes but could never bring to mind a time that I have had them. Well, I am here to tell you that I know now why these little potatoes are so famous. They are DELICIOUS and easy! If you have some potatoes and a rice cooker (if you don't, then I suggest you run out to get one right now) then you are in business! I know it doesn't sound like anything special but I promise these potatoes were not too shabby for Lisa! The really great thing is that you can add whatever your little heart desires to this recipe...various spices, cheese, sausage...you name it! See below to find out more and I am warning you that this may be just the easiest recipe you ever did see!

Rice Cooker Potatoes
1/2 stick butter
4-5 medium potatoes-peeled and cut into small pieces
1/2 small onion sliced
salt and pepper to taste (Of course a little Tony's too!)

Mix potatoes, onion and salt and pepper in bowl. Put margarine in rice cooker and add potato mixture. Turn rice cooker on. Cook about 1/2 to 3/4 hour or until the rice cooker turns off. Stir occasionally.

And there you have it...done and done! These potatoes remind me of a zesty hash brown dish. What a cheap and quick recipe and one that you truly can fix and forget! In a day where life is so busy and it is important to save money,this recipe is perfect to have on hand. The special part of this recipe is that it is a "Momou original" written in her handwriting which means it is definitely a recipe to add to your "tried and true" collection. Enjoy!

Pin It Now!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Fabulous Fudge


Fudge has such an image. It is found at almost every Christmas party, it reminds us of our grandmother's house and it is usually given as a homemade gift in a cute little tin. I had never given fudge a chance until recently in these past few years. I would always turn my nose up at it as if it didn't even deserve a spot on my plate. Shame on me because I have missed out all these years. Fudge is fabulous (no pun intended). Not only do you NOT have to bake it, but you can pretty much satisfy your little sweet tooth with just a teeny little piece. How many desserts can you say that about? I am so guilty of not being able to stop at one brownie, one cookie or one cupcake. I always want another! But fudge...she is your friend. She is satisfying in just one little piece.

I am glad I have a taste for fudge these days because that precious grandmother of mine has so many wonderful fudge recipes. That Momou...she was onto how good fudge was the whole time. Last Saturday we had friends over to watch the LSU vs. AUBURN game and I had it in my mind to make fudge. Look at me getting crazy...making fudge and it isn't even Christmas! I really think I am going to reinvent the wheel on this and start making fudge year round!

This fudge recipe is perfect. I tasted a teeny little piece before our friends arrived and was so very pleased. For the first time ever, I had tasted fudge that wasn't deathly rich! It was perfect. And I think I know why. I believe it is because of the salt that the recipe calls for. I truly think it cuts the sweetness. And to back my point up, many of my friends said the same exact thing after tasting their first bite of this fabulous fudge! The recipe is below for you to try yourselves and see what you think. And did I mention how easy fudge is to make? Seriously, everyone needs to give the idea of fudge a second thought. It is not given enough credit anymore!

(I am writing this recipe in the exact format I found it. It is a bit odd compared to the way most recipes are written out so bear with me.)

Fabulous Fudge
1. Mix in a heavy 2-quart saucepan 2 1/4 sugar, 3/4 cup PET EVAPORATED MILK, 16 large marshmallows or 1 cup marshmallow creme, 1/4 cup butter of margarine and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

2. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat to a boil (mixture will be bubbling all over top.)Boil and stir 5 minutes more. Take off heat.

3. Stir in until completely melted 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels. Stir in 1 cup cut-up pecans and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Spread into a buttered 8-inch square pan. Cool. Cut into 30 pieces.

I hope you try this recipe and fall in love with fudge all over again. Let it take you back to the days where a cute Christmas tin filled with fudge was as good of a Christmas present as any.

Pin It Now!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies


Oh do I have the dessert for you! Now these little brownies are a hidden gem from the past I tell you. Go out and buy the ingredients now because you will want these brownies after you read this!

So hubby was out of town on business last week for a majority of the week so I decided to host a little impromptu dinner for some darling gal pals of mine. There were 4 of us total and between us, my Halloween mix (that's a whole other story)and the fabulous weather outside we had a great time and were able to solve the worlds problems...at least most of them:)

For dinner I cooked a Parmesan Chicken with Apricot Sauce,Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping and Crawfish Bread. All very yummy but the fun didn't stop there. I had to try out a Momou recipe of course. And I am apparently just like my precious grandmother...we both have more dessert recipes then we do anything else:) I get it honestly for sure! So I choose a dessert recipe from her collection and decided upon Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies. These brownies are not your typical brownies. They are not chocolate like most brownies BUT they have chocolate chips, pecans, marshmallows and butterscotch chips. That combo should not even be allowed because it could be deadly! The recipe is below for your taking.

Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies
Makes 12 to 18 Brownies

Part 1
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 9 inch square baking pan. Melt above ingredients in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat cool to lukewarm.

Part 2
3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

Add to butterscotch mixture in saucepan; mix well.

Part 3
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Fold into butterscotch batter just until combined, about 5 strokes. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Center will be jiggly but becomes firm upon cooling.

These brownies were oohed and ahhed over at dinner and then finished off by my hubby and small group girls the next night. Go grab these ingredients and get ready for some ooey, gooey yumminess!

Pin It Now!

Monday, September 21, 2009

"Deal" Cookies-A treasured recipe from my husband's grandmother



The name of this cookie may throw you off but believe me...this recipe is legendary. This recipe comes from a cherished woman by the name of Odile Thiels Welch also known as "Deal" to my husband and everyone in his family. She is loved by so many and is now at home with our heavenly Father watching over her beloved family from Heaven. I never had the chance to meet Deal but I feel like I know her. Deal is my husband's grandmother and my father in law's mother. I have listened to my husband and his family speak so wonderfully of her since the day he and I met. She was a strong, courageous woman and mother of 5, grandmother of 13. She raised her children to love, to take care of family and to love the Lord. I only wish I could have had the pleasure to meet Deal but I truly feel like every time I bake these cookies I get to know her a bit better.

Deal loved her grandchildren and created this recipe just for them. This recipe is treasured and held closely to all family members as this recipe brings back so many memories of her. And did I mention that these cookies are AMAZING? My husband and his family will fight over these cookies and this is not a lie. Every year, Deal's children host the annual Welch Christmas party and my first year in attendance I honestly witnessed these cookies being snatched up and eaten before the main course ever came out. These cookies are made for every special occasion and they are always the highlight of each event. I am honored and grateful to have been handed down the recipe from Brenda Gremillion (Jason's aunt, Deal's youngest daughter). I promise to make these cookies with love and honor to Deal every time I bake them and I look forward to the day that I will be able to hear my husband tell our children and our grandchildren about these special cookies.

This past Saturday my hubby invited all the guys to our house to watch the Auburn game on the "big screen". I surprised him with a fresh batch of Deal cookies to wow the guys with. And were they ever a hit! Jason said at one point they gave up on plates and started eating out of the pan. Not surprising as these cookies are so delicious AND addicting. The recipe is below:

Deal Cookies
1 package yellow cake mix
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
12 oz. bag chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Grease and flour jelly roll pan. Mix first 5 ingredients on medium speed for 3 minutes until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts if you like). Pour mixture and spread evenly in pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Brush glaze on top of cookies. Cut into squares. No matter how large you choose to cut your cookies this recipe makes plenty. Should you cut 2" squares you will average about 60 cookies.

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons milk

Mix together until smooth.

This recipes has brought much joy to my husband and his family. I thank Deal for raising such a wonderful family as I am blessed to now call them my own. Deal, you are loved and missed....

P.S. The picture above is of my hubby and Deal many years ago.

Pin It Now!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Potatoes Au Gratin


Well it is official...college football is finally here! I will be honest and say that I am more into the tailgaiting part of things versus actually watching the game but that is why I have my honey. He watches the game and I get to focus on what we are going to be eating while he watches the game:)

Last Saturday, we went to watch a football game (I think it involved Ohio) over at our dear friends house. There were a few other couples there and we each brought a dish (or 2 or 3). I swear we had enough food to feed an entire football team! It truly was the best kind of football party. The girls yapped all night long (not even looking at the TV) and the men were in the living room watching the game...and out of our hair (but we do love them so:). Jason and I were put in charge of bringing a side dish so I immediately went to Momou's collection of recipes...

I think Momou must LOVE potatoes because she has so many different potatoes recipes clipped out! Which is perfect for me because I love potatoes too and I will be happy to try out all of her potato recipes. The recipe is below with my precious little thoughts following. I must add that this recipe was introduced by the following statement "This rich casserole is a delicious and elegant way to serve potatoes". I don't know why but this statement tickles me. No telling when this recipe was printed but in 2009 an elegant way to serve potatoes would be some sort of gourmet recipe that would call for infusing fingerling potatoes with strawberry champagne sauce then drizzling the potatoes with balsamic vinegar THEN topping with garlic roasted baby bella mushrooms. Nothing is simple anymore! But I think I rather Momou's day in age much better where elegant was considered nothing but using lots of butter and cheese and topping it with bread crumbs! Anywho, the recipe is below:

Potatoes Au Gratin

4 medium-size (1 1/2 pounds) all-purpose potatoes,
cut crosswise into 1/4 inch-thick slices (4 cups)
5 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar, Swiss or Muenster cheese
1 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease shallow 1 1/2-quart casserole or baking dish. In heavy 2-quart saucepan, cover potatoes with water. Heat to boiling; boil until just tender-5 minutes. Drain and set potatoes aside in colander.
2. In same saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk until smooth.
3. Return saucepan to stove and bring to a boil. Lower heat to low-medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened-5 minutes. Add cheese, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat.
4. In 1-quart saucepan, melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Remove from heat; add bread crumbs and lightly toss.
5. Layer half the potatoes in greased baking dish. Pour half the sauce over potatoes, lifting slices to cover all potatoes with sauce. Layer remaining potatoes on top and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
6. Bake uncovered until potatoes are tender and top is golden-30 to 40 minutes.

Now I know there are so many au gratin recipes out there but this one really is simple and delicious! The sauce alone is amazing! It is almost like an Alfredo sauce (which I LOVE). For all of you spice lovers out there I would suggest adding a dash of Tony's or Cayenne pepper for a little heat! My bacon lovin honey also suggested adding a layered of crumbled bacon between the 2 layers of potatoes. That is actually not a bad idea of all! This dish feeds about 8 people so it would be great to serve at an intimate dinner party or for Sunday lunch with the family. Or just cook for you loved ones as the perfect comfort food!

Pin It Now!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Applesauce Nut Bread


Every Sunday morning hubby and I head off to our 8am Sunday school class. I know you must be thinking that 8am is way too bright and early for a Sunday but when you absolutely adore your friends who are in class with you it makes it much easier to wake up and go:) Each Sunday a different couple takes a turn to supply the class with breakfast. Now we all love to eat so this is quite the important task! Last Sunday was our turn to supply breakfast so of course I turn to Momou's recipe selection to hunt down the perfect breakfast dish to bring. Since the season of Autumn is approaching slowly but surely I decided on a recipe for an Applesauce Nut Bread. I loved the idea of this bread because I am not the world's biggest apple eater but applesauce I can do! Check below for the recipe and details:

Applesauce Nut Bread

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups wheat cereal crushed into 3/4 cup
(bite-size crispy wheat squares)
1/3 cups raisins, coarsely chopped
1/2 cups walnuts
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups applesauce

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 inch (1.5 quart)loaf pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and sugar. Stir in cereal, raisins and nuts. Combine egg, oil and applesauce. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Spread into pan. Bake 70 minutes or until done. Let cool 15 minutes before removing pan. Makes 1 loaf.

I actually made 2 loaves of this bread for our class and there were only 4 pieces left. I told you our class likes to eat! I tried out 2 variations and both were a hit! I will be upfront in that I totally omitted the raisins because frankly neither hubby or I care for raisins. So one loaf had the walnuts as called for and the other loaf had no walnuts BUT I did add 1 cup of dark chocolate chips instead. The chocolate chip loaf was no doubt the most favored because there were not any pieces of that bread left on the plate at the end of class. This bread was very good and smelled of Autumn spices. It will be perfect to eat for breakfast right out of the oven on a chilly Autumn day. Each loaf can make about 10 pieces depending on how large you slice the pieces. I say go ahead and get creative with the extras you could add to this bread. It is the applesauce part that you will want to keep the same! Enjoy and Happy Autumn!!!

P.S. A perfect way to see if this bread is cooked and ready to come out of the oven is to stick a wooden grilling skewer (you can buy a large bag of these for cheap) and insert into the middle of the bread. If the stick comes out clean then that means the bread is done, done and done! These grilling skewers are also perfect for testing angel food cakes and bundt cakes.

Pin It Now!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Onion Shortcake


Every Wednesday night I meet with an amazing small group of girls for our weekly bible study. Each time we conclude a particular bible study we always celebrate with a dinner party. This past Wednesday concluded our study on evangelism so I hosted the dinner party in our home. All I have to say is that a dinner party with 8 dear friends equals LOTS of talking and LOTS of yummy food. Therefor, I made sure to choose the perfect menu complete with another Momou recipe. I made a Chicken Tettrezini accompanied by an Onion Shortcake, compliments of Momou! I know you must be thinking "what in the world???" but hear me out because it was some good stuff! The introduction to this recipe says "It's easy to prepare, it's new and exciting, and it's perfectly delicious. What is it?" Well, check it out...the recipe is below with the scoop after:

Onion Shortcake


Ingredients:
1 large onion
1/4 cup butter
1 12-oz.package corn muffin mix
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 cup cream-style corn
2 drops Tabasco
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon dill weed
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and slice onion and saute in butter. Set aside. Combine muffin mix, egg, milk, corn and Tabasco. Pour into buttered 8-inch square pan. Add sour cream, salt, dill weed and 1/2 cup cheese to onions. Spread over batter. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.

All I have to say is that this stuff is amazinggg! Trust me! I did not know whether this would be some sort of zesty dessert or some sort of savory bread. It was definitely in the savory bread category. But this is NOT your regular cornbread. Imagine if you will a cornbread loaded with corn then a layer of creamy, cheesy goodness on top of the cornbread layer baked until gold and bubbly. Cut into it and serve like a cornbread but this is not a bread you eat with your hands. Much more elegant and must be eaten with a utensil. There is nothing I can say differently about the cooking method. Just follow the directions and you will end up with the best bread on this side of the Mississippi River! Okay, so I just realized that now that I live in TN I will be talking about the other side of the Mississippi River from here on out. I think my little sister Claire and I are the only ones of the same side of the Mississippi River at this point. Well, other family in Louisiana, I promise this bread will be just as delicious on your side as well!

Okay, so I digress. My darling gal pals ooohed and ahhhed over this bread. And my honey has declared it a new "holiday must"! But then again that man is a fool over some cornbread! But I too think it would be the perfect bread served at any Sunday or holiday meal. It is not only aesthetically pleasing but it feeds 10-12 people and no doubt will be a ooey gooey cheesy crowd pleaser!

Pin It Now!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Cheese Burst Biscuits




Hubby and I decided to grill out on Sunday night to enjoy the gorgeous weather that I think the entire south was blessed with this past weekend. Jason was in charge of grilling our red fish which was absolutely delicious! He marinated it in Dale's marinade and sprinkled some blackened spices on top. Whew wee! It was good. Anyway, I digress. So I was in charge of the sides. Well, of course I jumped at the chance to try out a Momou recipe. So I decided on a recipe for Cheese Burst Biscuits to accompany the Butterscotch Pepper Glazed Carrots from a Paula Deen cookbook. Well my honey LOVES him some biscuits which is why I choose this recipe. And you must know that I think this recipe is one of the oldest looking out of the entire collection. The newspaper is very very yellowed with little tears in it. I wonder how old it is... The recipe is below and then I will fill you in on the rest after:

Cheese Burst Biscuits
Ingredients:
10 oz. can flaky layers biscuits
10 (1/2 inch cubes/slices)American or Cheddar Cheese
Milk
Sesame, caraway or poppy seed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Insert a cheese cube in each biscuit between layers; seal edges well. Cut a "X" on the top of each biscuit.Brush with milk. Sprinkle with sesame seed. Bake on cookie sheet 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Now for some reason I could not find the bags of cheese cubes for sale at my grocery story so I just bought a block of mild cheddar cheese (found right under the shredded cheeses in the grocery store) and made little slices from that. It worked out perfect. These little biscuits were quite the tasty treat! I think kids to adults will love them. I know Jason went wild over them! They are yummy served right out of the oven because the cheese will be hot and bubbly! I used sesame seeds which made a perfect topping. This recipe is WAY too easy to skip out on trying! Serve them morning, noon and night.

P.S. Tonight I am making a chicken tettrezini for my girlfriends. Does anyone know what makes a tettrezini a "tettrezini"? Just wondering! But with that tettrezini I am making another Momou recipe....Onion Shortcake. Stay tuned!


Pin It Now!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Waldorf Astoria Cake


So it's time for my first official recipe blog! Jason and I had long overdue dinner plans with our good friends last Saturday night and we were asked to bring a dessert. Well...desserts are my absolute favorite part of cooking AND the largest section of Momou's clipped recipes so I couldn't have been happier. So I turned on a good movie fully expecting to pour over Momou's dessert recipes for a good hour or so until I found THE perfect dessert but it turned out that I found the perfect recipe only five minutes in! The name alone sounded great so I called off the search! I decided on a recipe for a Waldorf Astoria Cake. I scanned the recipe quickly and discovered that the cake would be nothing but homemade chocolatey goodness! Who could go wrong with that??? The recipe is below with my cooking experience following:

Waldorf Astoria Cake

Cake Ingredients:
1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup nuts
1/2 package chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Add melted chocolate and eggs. Add sifted dry ingredients and milk alternately. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Bake about 1 hour at 350 degrees in tube pan.

Frosting Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1/2 package chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg white

Melt butter and chocolate. Add sugar and cream. Add egg white and beat until well mixed. Add lemon juice and rest of ingredients. Spread on cooled cake.

Okay, so here is how the story goes. First of all, from here on out I am going to read and re-read these old recipes. The gals from back in the day sure knew how to cook and they are the ones who refer to cooking instructions as "a little of this and a dash of that". Take a look at the ingredients for the frosting. Does it say anything about cream??? No! But it sure talks about cream in the frosting directions. So moral of the story is to read and re-read the recipe because there could be some surprise ingredients in store for you in the directions! Thankfully, I know a thing or two about cooking and I realized that I probably wouldn't need any cream because I have never used cream when making icing before. If I did need it then I would just use milk. So done, done and done! Next thing, make sure to put the top back on your BRAND new bottle of vanilla extract right after you finish using it. Otherwise you will knock the bottle right over and spill the extract in the middle of your cooking madness just as I did:( I used my new angel food cake pan for this recipe. That is as good as any tube pan! And frankly, a Bundt pan would work just as nice. My honey had bought me a fancy smancy angel food cake pan for my birthday in March in hopes that I would start making him angel food cake (he loves that stuff). Well, bless his little heart because it is now August and this experience was my first time to use my new angel food cake pan. Now before you judge me you must know that my honey does not lack for desserts around this house. I may not have made him angel food cake yet but I can promise that he has indulged in other good treats! I have just been looking for a delicious sounding angel food cake recipe to start out with which is why I have been waiting. If any of you have one then please feel free to send it over. Jason and I would both thank you! Speaking of hubby, if yours (or your significant other) decides to take a little nap while you are cooking this cake and you find yourself needing help rest assured you can manage on your own! I realized that I had cake batter all over the outside of the pan and inside the tube hole and that I should probably clean it off so it wouldn't burn it while in the oven. Well, this is kind of hard when you have to lift the filled pan over your head to wipe off messy batter on the outside of the pan. This is difficult because the filled pan is heavy and you need one of your hands to do the holding and the other to do the wiping. So...I just kind of balanced this pan on the edge of my head and I was perfectly able to see inside the tube hole and wipe it clean! Last but not least, I would suggest baking this cake for 50 minutes instead of an hour. I set the timer for one exactly hour because Momou had underlined AND rewritten "1 hour" so I figured I better listen to her. Well, maybe it is just our oven but I think the cake could have used less time in the oven. All in all, the cake was DELISH and well received by all! Just the sight of it was beautiful! Oh and the smell of the homemade chocolate frosting makes you just want to slap your mamma! This cake is perfect to serve to a crowd not only because it looks pretty but because it feeds many...I would say about 12. And do not be intimidated that this entire cake is made from scratch. It is so worth it and really not hard at all. Promise! Good luck and let me know if you have any thoughts or new ideas about this cake.
P.S. I used chopped walnuts and they were very yummy in this cake. But use whatever nuts you like or none at all!


Pin It Now!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

So The Story Goes...

I recently saw the new movie Julie and Julia and oh wow...I was inspired. That movie was so cute, so interesting and it kept me on the edge of my seat like a thriller would have done. If you haven't see the movie I say you go right this minute! You will fall in love with both Julie and Julia as well as a love for cooking even if you don't love to cook! So again I say I was inspired. I walked out of that theatre bound and determined that not only was I going to blog about cooking but I was going to find the perfect set of recipes to blog about! So I go to thinking and racking my little brain and I finally realized that I have in my possession a certain collection of recipes that would be PERFECT to blog. Why I hadn't thought about this sooner I will never know. I could have beaten Julie to the punch and wrote a blog, book and created a major motion picture all about cooking. But I didn't think of it sooner so I will just say thank you to Julie for passing along her bright idea. Now what will make my blog different is that I personally know the person who is responsible for the recipes behind my blogging. She is my grandmother that we call Momou. Her name is Narcille Katherine Roy Mayeux and that darling lady is known for her cooking. So the story goes like this: The last time that she and I had a slumber party (about 3 years ago) I asked her if we could go through some of her favorite recipes and I could write them down in my recipe binder. So she takes out an accordion type file folder with TONS of clipped newspaper recipes and hand written recipes stuffed right in that folder. I knew then and there that it was going to be the best slumber party yet! She and I stayed up all night taking turns pulling out random recipes and reading them to each other. We would "ooh and ahh" over every recipe that we read aloud and then tuck it back in the folder while reaching for the next. Momou told me that the recipe collection had been started the year she married my grandfather in 1939. To many people that little file folder would look like nothing special...it wasn't even a real cookbook. But to her and I it contained recipes that were like little tiny dreams collected over a lifetime. Anyone that clips recipes or flags a page in a cookbook knows that you are saying to yourself that one day you will make that recipe and you will find the perfect time in life to do so. Well that night came to an sleepy end. As hugs and kisses were exchanged Momou told me very nonchalantly that I could have the recipe collection. Again, to others it would look like I had just inherited a folder that had more dust than anything but to me I had just inherited a priceless gift. In my 24 year old, newlywed eyes it felt like she was entrusting me to carry on with all of those tiny dreams in that folder. So here I am...3 years later and I am ready to take on the challenge she gave me that night. All of the recipes that she clipped with the hopes of making one day will be made. I will never forget her pulling out a recipe that night for some type of yummy sounding pie and she told me that she never had the chance to make it. Well Momou...I will make it for you. I am going to lovingly prepare, cook and taste each recipe that you had at one point clipped with the intention of making. Momou is loved by many and my hope is that this blog will serve as a way for all of us to have a copy of that dusty old file folder with the precious recipes inside. I invite you to write in about your favorite memory, recipe or story about Momou or your own grandmother. And between my husband and I, we have 4 wonderful grandmothers that share a love for cooking: Momou, Momee, Maw Maw and Deal. So while this is a tribute to cooking for Momou I want to take the time to share beloved recipes by all four of these women at some point. I don't know how often I will get to post to this blog. The blogs will consist of the actual recipe itself and then my little story about my experience with that recipe. Get ready because there are lots of recipes for me to try. Whew...there is lots to do so let's get cooking!

Pin It Now!