Christmas with the Bunko Babes!

I thought it was time to push down that whole post from my birthday months ago...

We had bunko here last night and also did a little Christmas movie exchange. It was lots of fun- as it always is and we were able to celebrate the season together. It doesn't get any better!

Can you guess who this is? Nice jugs!

Happy Birthday, Erika!

Orange Mini Bundt Cakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Orange Mini Bundt Cakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
10 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup egg substitute
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped orange slice candy (about 12 pieces)
1 cup pitted dates, diced
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup fat-free buttermilk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, heavily coat mini Bundt pans with cooking spray; turn pan upside down to drain excess. Place granulated sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a heavy-duty mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended. Add egg substitute and eggs to sugar mixture; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring well. Sprinkle candy, dates, and coconut over flour; stir well to disperse and coat candies. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Spoon batter into each mini Bundt cup. Bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of 1 cake comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove cakes from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Yield: 13 mini Bundt cakes (serving size: 1 cake)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 329(25% from fat); FAT 9.2g (sat 4.9g,mono 2.6g,poly 0.9g); IRON 1.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 40mg; CALCIUM 34mg; CARBOHYDRATE 58.3g; SODIUM 154mg; PROTEIN 4.7g; FIBER 1.6g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2006

Brooke’s Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
1 stick butter at room temperature
3 ½ cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate
½ tsp. vanilla

Combine cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar and combine well. Add frozen orange juice and vanilla.

Twilight

Cream Cheese Grape Salad

Sorry it's taken me so long, computer problems.

1 8 oz cream cheese softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup walnuts

Mix all of these ingredients until smooth

1 bag red-seedless grapes
1 bag white-seedless grapes

wash and mix with cream cheese mixture.

Enjoy.

Squash Casserole

6 cups large diced yellow squash and zucchini (2 large yellow and 2 large zucchini)

Vegetable oil

1 large onion chopped

4 T of butter

1/2 cup sour cream

garlic powder

1 cup sharp grated cheddar cheese

1 c crushed butter crackers (Ritz)

Preheat oven to 350.  Saute the squash in a little vegetable oil over med-low heat until it has completely broken down, about 20 min.  Line a colander with a clean paper towel.  Place the cooked squash and onion in colander and drain excess moisture from veggies.  Set aside.

In med bowl, mix all wet ingredients together except for cracker crumbs.  Pour mixture into buttered dish with cracker crumbs sprinkled on top.  Bake for 25 min.   Enjoy!

The Lady and Son's Smoked Boston Butt Roast Recipe (Brooke’s Version)

Here is my take on this delicious dish.

1 (5-pound) pork butt roast
4 tablespoons House Seasoning, recipe follows
4 tablespoons liquid smoke
Barbeque sauce of choice, for serving

Sprinkle 1 side of the roast with 2 tablespoons of the House Seasoning, making sure to rub well. Flip the roast over and rub the remaining 2 tablespoons of House Seasoning. Repeat the process with liquid smoke. Place the roast in a crock pot on low before you go to bed the night before. I placed it in the crock pot at midnight. Turn the roast over in the morning and pull it out when you’re ready to have dinner.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Because I cook my roast in the crock pot for so long it will not slice as shown in the picture.

Here is Paula Deen's original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_23501,00.html

Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cake

Let's have those yummy recipies ladies!

Ingredients & Directions:

Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Prepare Filling.

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla 8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Mango Sweet Rice

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 coconut milk

Bring to a simmer for 3 min. Then add 2 cups of cooked sticky rice and 1 cup mango's or any other fruit. Bring to a simmer for 5 more min. You can serve warm or cold.

Mary's Pralines

Here's the recipe for those yummy BUNKO pralines!

1 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c pecan halves

Combine everything except vanilla and pecans in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat to 232 degrees using a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and add vanilla and pecans. Stir until creamy with a wooden spoon. Pour on to wax paper and separate piece by piece.

Announcing Eleanor Grace Rose

I thought you might want to see a few photos of Ellie. She came as planning on Friday - albeit, not as pain-free as one would hope. :) She weighed 9 lbs. 12 ozs. and is about 22 inches long. She's a big girl and is eating and sleeping great so far.

They induced me in the morning around 8 am and I got an epidural a few hours later which was very nice until it started to fade about 3 pm and then totally coped out shortly thereafter as my water broke and I dialated from a 5 to 10 in 30 minutes (yes, just like Evan and Cole.) So yah, I pretty much felt that part as if I didn't have one. Ouch. After thirty minutes of serious pain, I felt the need to push and surprise surprise to everyone except Brent and I, she was crowning and they all started rushing around trying to get things ready. The nurse ran and got the doctor - who must have been just out in the hall because he came right in, they slapped some gloves on him and two pushes later here she came. I tore pretty bad and am really sore but recovering fine.

All I can say is - she's here and I NEVER HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN!!!!! :) Thanks heavens for that!

Your next Erika! :)

Allison

Delmonico's Creamed Spinach

2 lbs fresh spinach, tough stems removed and washed 

1/4 c heavy cream

4 T of butter

1 teaspoon minced garlic (I added 3 teaspoons)

6 T flour

1 1/3 c whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

3 T finely chopped shallots

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup grated swiss cheese

1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes.  Drain and press out as much water as possible.  Set aside.  (You could even use frozen spinach, warm and drain extremely well)

Bring the cream to a low boil in a small saucepan.  Remove from heat.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook stirring until soft and brown in the butter mixture, about 3 minutes.  Add the flour and cook, then reduce the heat to low and stir constantly to make a light roux.  Add the milk in a steady stream whisking constantly and cook till thick.  Approx 1 min.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and simmer 3 min.  Add the hot cream, stir, fold in the swiss and parmesan cheeses and mix till smooth.  Add the spinach, mix well and cook until completely warmed through 2-3 min.   Voila! 

Crab Stuffed Potatoes

6 Large baking potatoes
Vegitable oil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound fresh lump crab meat (or 6 ounce can lump crab meat, drained)
1/4 cup finely sliced green onions
2 tablespoons fine, dry breadcrumbs
1/4 paprika
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

Wash spuds, and rub skins with vegetable oil. Prick each spud several times with a fork and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until done. Let cool. Cut a 1 inch lengthwise strip from the top of each spud. Carefully scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4 inch shell intact: mash pulp.

Combine pulp, butter and next 5 ingredients; gently stir in lump crab meat and green onions. Stuff shells with potatoe mixture. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning. Bake stuffed spuds at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Yeild: 6 servings

Note - I couldn't find Old Bay seasoning at any of the stores I went to so I just used dill weed in its place.

Caesar Salad Dressing

Caesar Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
2 cloves garlic - pressed
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley - crushed
Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for about 1-2 minutes. Cover and chill for several hours. Makes around 2 cups.

Surprise!

Comfort Food

Recipe for Southern Vegetable Casserole

Toler-Charleston, SC

1 can shoe peg corn (drained)

1 can French green beans

1/2 c chopped onions

1/2 c chopped celery

1/4 c chopped green pepper

1/2 c grated sharp cheese

1 8 0z container sour cream

1 can celery soup

Topping:

Ritz crackers

1/2 c butter

Mix all ingredients together (except for topping ingredients).  On top, finely crumble Ritz crackers and drizzle 1/2 c butter evenly over top.  

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  

You can't mess this comfort casserole up.  It's delicious and reminds you of home.  

Angie Toler