Daddy's Chocolate Cake

3/4 cup butter
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
1 salt
1-1/3 cup water

Combine first 4 ingredients and beat for 3 minutes
Mix flour cocoa soda baking powder and salt, sift together.
Add flour mixture and creamed mixture alternating with water, ending with flour mixture.

dust baking pan with cocoa. Bake for 30-35 minutes in 350* oven til pic comes out dry.

Cool then frost.

Pomegranate Almond Toffee

1 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup chopped dried pomegranate
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup of dark chocolate chips (more if you are using mini chips)

Line a 13x9x2 inch pan with foil and butter the foil then sprinkle both almond then dried pomegranates evenly.
Set aside. In large dutch oven butter sides of pot then melt butter and sugar together over medium heat til sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes.
If using a candy thermometer, stir frequently til reading is at 270 degrees.
No thermometer, mixture should boil till rolling! This is called "soft crack" stage. This has soft frothy bubbles. About 15 minutes.

Quickly pour mixture over fruit and nuts. Spread evenly. Let stand 2 minutes till surface is
firm. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top hot toffee. Let stand til softened. Spread chocolate over candy. Chill till firm, lift candy out of pan. Break into pieces and chill again in air tight container.

Makes 2 lbs of candy

Pumpkin Ice Cream

1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 caramel milk (below)
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup cooked pumpkin puree'

* 14 oz can condensed milk
6 tall sticks of cinnamon
In a double boiler slowly heat the milk and cinnamon sticks for about 1 hour til milk is thickened and color is amber.
Set aside till later. There might be caramel bits, this is yummy in the ice cream.

Combine the first three ingredients in sauce pan and heat slowly til the caramel cream is blended into the milk mixture.
While this is heating up, whisk sugar and eggs about 4 minutes.

Once milk and caramel cream is blended, add milk to egg mixture a small amount at a time.
Blend well, continue till all is mixed together.
Add the vanilla, fresh lemon and pumpkin puree'. mix and set in and ice bath for till mixture cools.
Add to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions for churning.
Serve with extra caramel sauce.

Simple Scones

Yummy and easy!
servings: 8
preheat oven to 400


2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons frozen butter
1/2 cup dried fruit ( your choice)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg


Place racks in lower to middle of oven.
Mix first 6 ingredients together, then add butter and cut in with a fork till coarse crumbs.
In small bowl mix eggs and sour cream.
Add to flour mix until dough clumps form. Use hands, dough might be sticky in some places,
but as you press it will come together.
Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-8 inch circle or 2 smaller 4-5 in circles about 3/4 inch thick.
Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon of sugar.
Use sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, aboutr an inch apart.
Bake until golded brown, about 15-17 minutes
Cool 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

* Orange cranberry - add 1 teaspoon of fine zest of orange and cranberries for the raisins.
* Lemon blueberry - add 1 teaspoon of fine lemon zest and dried blueberries for raisins.
* Cherry almond - add 1/2 tsp almond extract to sour cream mixture and dried cherries for raisins. I like a bit of almonds crushed in this one too!

Blackened Fish Tacos

Seasoned Tilapia is served atop a bed of crispy slaw and wrapped in tortillas for a light family supper.

Ingredients

Slaw
1/4 cup Sliced green onions with tops
1 tbs Frsh lime juice
1 tbs Vegetable oil
1 Garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Cajun or blackened fish seasoning
( or try this Cajun mix)
Stir together salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes until evenly blended. Store in an airtight container.

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

2 cups red and green cabbage thinly sliced

Fish
1 pound Tilapia fish filets
1 tbs Cajun or blackened fish seasoning
1 Avocado, seeded and sliced
8 (6 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
3 Radishes
Additional snipped fresh cilantro

1) For slaw, combine green onions, lime juice, oil, garlic, sugar and Cajun seasoning; whisk until blended. Add slaw mix; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve.

2) Heat skillet over medium heat 5 minutes. Moisten fish filets with water and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning. Lightly spray pan with vegetable oil. Place filets in pan; cook over medium heat 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork, carefully turning once. Remove from heat. Flake fish into bite size pieces.

3) Cut avocado in half lengthwise; remove seed and cut flesh away from skin. Cut one avocado half into slices. Warm tortillas in microwave. Top tortillas evenly with slaw mixture and fish. Grate radishes evenly over fish. Top with avocado slices and sprinkle with cilantro if desired.

Red, White and Blue Cheese Potatoe Salad

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 2 pounds red new potatoes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop. leaving skins on.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, green onions, salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, bacon and cheese and toss to coat.

Crispy Lemon Meringue Pie

Crispy Meringue Crust
4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
non-stick cooking spray
Coat 9-inch pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon meringue mixture into pan, and with a tablespoon, push mixture up around edges to form pie shell. Bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours. Cool.

Filling
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large lemon, juiced and zested
2 cups whipping cream, whipped
1 tablespoon powdered sugar For the meringue crust: Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Blend in juice.
For the filling: Beat egg yolks with sugar, lemon zest and juice until light in color and slightly thickened. Cook, stirring, in top of double boiler set over, but not touching, simmering water until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool thoroughly. Fold in half of whipped cream. Turn into meringue crust and refrigerate at least 2 hours to set.

Dust meringue crust with powdered sugar before serving.

Yum Mexican grilled corn

Ingredients

• 4 ears corn, shucked
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup grated cotija cheese (parmesan cheese is a good alternative)
  
• 4 wedges lime (optional)

This can easily be made indoors

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
2. Grill corn until hot and lightly charred all over, 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the temperature of the grill. Roll the ears in melted butter, then spread evenly with mayonnaise. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and serve with a lime wedge.

Creamy Lemon bars

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

Filling:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons flour
2 to 3 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with Reynolds Parchment Paper, extending paper up sides of pan; set aside.

Combine crust ingredients in a large bowl on low speed of an electric mixer until mixture is crumbly. Press mixture evenly into parchment-lined pan.

Bake 20 minutes or until light brown; remove from oven.

Beat together filling ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended; pour mixture evenly over warm baked crust.

Return to oven and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes longer or until filling is set and bars are brown around the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack. Use edges of parchment lining to lift bars from pan. Place on a cutting board. Pull back edges of parchment for easy cutting; sprinkle with additional powdered sugar. Cut into bars.

Cream puff with lemon cream filling

Lemon-cream filling:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
• 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Cream puffs:

• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour (sifted, then measured)
• 6 large eggs, divided

Assembly:

• Robin Eggs malted milk candy (optional)
• 4 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), finely chopped

• Special Equipment: Pastry bag with 1/2-inch plain round tip

Preparation

For lemon-cream filling:
Combine sugar, egg, lemon juice, lemon peel, and pinch of salt in heavy small saucepan; whisk to blend. Add butter. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until curd is hot and thick enough to coat spoon (do not boil), 4 to 5 minutes.

Transfer lemon curd to medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat cream in another medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into curd in 3 additions. Cover and chill filling 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

For cream puffs:
Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring first 4 ingredients to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat, stirring with wooden spoon until butter melts. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until dough forms and pulls away from sides of pan. Continue to stir until film forms on pan bottom, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer dough to large bowl. Cool 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 egg and, still using wooden spoon, beat until blended. Add remaining 5 eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each, then beat until dough is smooth and shiny, 2 to 3 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer dough to pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch plain round tip. Pipe 1- to 1 1/4-inch mounds, spaced about 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Using wet finger, smooth tops of mounds.

Bake puffs 15 minutes. Reverse baking sheets. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue to bake until puffs are dry, firm, and deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Cool puffs on baking sheets.

For assembly:
Cut each puff horizontally in half; pull out any soft dough. Fill puff bottoms with 1 tablespoon lemon-cream filling. Place egg-shaped candy atop filling, if desired. Press on puff tops to adhere.

Place white chocolate in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over small saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until chocolate is soft and almost melted. Remove from over water; stir until completely melted and smooth. Using teaspoon, drizzle white chocolate decoratively over each cream puff. Arrange filled puffs on platter. Refrigerate until chocolate glaze sets, at least 15 minutes and up to 3 hours.

macadamia cookies with white chocolate

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
• 1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Beignets with fudgy chicory chocolate sauce

Beignet
use a zeppole recipe and baked them

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons table salt
• 2 cups bread flour
• 7 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• BAKE on a lightly oiled baking sheet

In a large saucepan over moderate heat, combine 2 cups water with the butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the salt. Cook until the butter and sugar are melted, about 2 minutes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat. Stir in the flour then place over low heat, and using a wooden spoon, beat constantly until the dough is stiff, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool for 4 minutes.

Transfer the batter to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and let the dough sit for 2 minutes. Turn the mixer on low and add the eggs, one at a time, until the batter is thick and ribbonlike (the dough should be the temperature of lukewarm water). Cover with plastic wrap and let the batter cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Fudgy Chicory Coffee Sauce

You’ll want to find a can of chicory and coffee for this recipe, although you can also substitute strong black coffee or espresso. I used French Market brand chicory and coffee.

The coffee flavor is very subtle, so feel free to adjust to your own tastes.

1/3 cup brewed chicory coffee
1/8 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Heat the coffee, butter, cream and sugar until the butter and sugar have melted, and the mixture is smooth. Add the chocolate, and remove from heat. Let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes to melt the chocolate. Then whisk until smooth. If the mixture has cooled too much before the chocolate has completely melted, return it to low heat and whisk continuously. You can serve it warm, or let it cool and thicken.

ENJOY!
Thanx epicurious

Perfectly scrumptous Hummus

Garbanzo Beans - 2 cans- drain and reserve the liquid

Garlic - 4 cloves minced or coarsely chopped and added to processor to mince

small piece of a canned chipotle pepper or more to taste
( softer to work with)

1/3 cup sesame tahini
(if you want, we like it. Hey try making it too!)

2/3 cup canola oil

juice of 2 lemons

1 tsp. sea salt or to your taste

In a food processor, add the chipotle pepper and garlic and process till minced. Add the other ingredients and pulse till nicely blended. Add more lemon juice if needed. If too thick, you can thin with reserved liquid from the garbanzos.
(thanks Joyce)