Winner, WINNER!! of "A Pinch of This...A Smidgen of That"

As promised a couple of weeks ago, a "Christmas" drawing was held from the names of those who left comments for a copy of "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That," and I'm happy to announce that Marianne Pitchford is the lucky cook who will receive the prize!

Congratulations, Marianne, on winning! Leave us a comment and tell us what you'll do with it (since I know you already have your own special copy :-).

Keep checking the blog for more prizes in the future.

May God bless you and yours with much JOY!
Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!!
Patricia

Snowballs from a Snowball Native!

I absolutely LOVE snow! Although, I feel sorry for the folks in Minneapolis right now, since they are buried under about 20 inches of the stuff. I like just enough wet snow to blanket the ground, hang in the trees, and make a decent sized snowman.

I also love this new recipe I found for Snowball Cookies. They remind me of Danish Wedding Cookies that we used to purchase when the kids were still at home. The recipe isn't in the cookbook, so you'll have to copy and paste it to your word processor and save it to your recipe file or print a copy to keep in your kitchen. I'll post the recipe for you below just after the photo illustrations.

I've often been teased about growing up at SNOWBALL and going to school there. But, truly, it was one of the best things God could have ever done for me. I was blessed to have attended all 12 years of school there and to have had some of the best teachers in small classes where we got to know one another. I graduated Valedictorian in our Senior class of THREE! :-) And, all three of us went on to college or vocational school. My best friend received her degree in business from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, and I received my B.S. degree in Medical Technology from the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Campus in Little Rock. I often wonder how different life would have been had we attended school somewhere else.

One thing we enJOYed in that part of the state in the wintertime was bountiful snowfalls. I remember one January when we were out of school for three weeks in a row due to ice/snow covered roads. One disadvantage of living in the country where you use mostly dirt roads is that these are the last to clear when ice and snow covers them. Mountainous dirt roads complicate matters even more, and many of the bus routes followed mountain roads over to Richland Creek or down to the Buffalo River, so getting a bus to kids who lived in these areas was just about impossible and certainly too dangerous to risk the children's lives. So, we enJOYed many extended Christmas vacations in those days.

Another memory that came to mind when making these cookies was my mama's little white pantry cabinet that she stocked with extra flour, salt, sugar, powdered sugar, etc. Since we didn't keep candy and since Sunday was the only day Mama usually made desserts, my sweet tooth often found its way to that little cabinet when I arrived home from school in the afternoons. It's amazing that I have any teeth left, because I sneaked teaspoons of powdered sugar from Mama's reserve boxes until she had almost none remaining when she wanted to make icing for a cake or some other confection. More than once, I was told to stay out of the powdered sugar box with my teaspoon! I only wish I had known about Snowball Cookies in those days! What a YUMMY dessert I could have enJOYed! Hope you enJOY them as much as I do now.

Let's get started...

Here's what you'll need to put these together:

Butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, flour,

finely chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts), semi-sweet mini-chocolate chips.

BEAT butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in large mixer bowl until creamy.

Add flour one cup at a time, and gradually beat into the butter mixture until all is taken up.

Do not overbeat (just until all the flour is incorporated into the butter mixture).

Add finely chopped pecans or walnuts (I used walnuts---they are cheaper and just taste yummy!)

along with chocolate mini-morsels.

Use a spatula to stir in nuts and chocolate morsels.

Preheat your oven to 375 F. while you load your cookie sheet with dough.

Use a cookie dipper to portion out dough,

then roll each portion into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes. Sift powdered sugar over hot cookies on baking sheets.



Remove warm cookies to a bowl with more powdered sugar to roll and completely coat each cookie before placing on a lined countertop to cool completely.

EnJOY!!

SNOWBALLS

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 Cups (3 sticks) softened butter (salted)

3/4 Cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

3 Cups all purpose flour

2 Cups (12 oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini-Morsels

3/4 Cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts)

Powdered Sugar for dusting



DIRECTIONS:

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F.



BEAT butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in large mixer bowl until creamy. Adding flour one cup at a time, gradually beat into the butter mixture until all is taken up. Use a spatula to stir in nuts and chocolate morsels. Use a cookie dipper to portion out dough, then roll each portion into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.



BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes. Sift powdered sugar over hot cookies on baking sheets then remove to a bowl with more powdered sugar to completely coat each cookie before placing on a lined countertop to cool completely.

PERFECT (Don't Change A Thing!) Fresh Apple Cake (and a CONTEST)

I promised last time that you would have a chance to win a cookbook with the next post, so here's your chance. If you read this post and leave a comment below, your name will be entered into a drawing (be sure to leave your email address!!) and you might be the winner of a copy of my new cookbook, "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That." So, let's get cookin' and you get commentin' and we'll see who wins!

Today, we're baking the BEST EVER Fresh Apple Cake! I don't think I've ever tasted one any better than this. I could eat the whole thing all by myself. The glaze alone is so yummy, that it makes you want to get seconds on dessert! I'll admit that dicing the apples is a little time consuming, but oh my goodness, is it ever worth the time and effort. You'll see, if you try this just once. You'll be hooked on this cake for life! It's a perfect cake for taking to those Christmas potlucks or dessert exchanges. Everyone will be asking you for the recipe, so take along extra copies!

Let's get our groceries together and get started:

WOW! Looks like a lot of stuff! Don't let the photo overwhelm you... :-) It will be worth it, I promise!

If you're working from the cookbook, you can find the recipe on pages 111-112. (see below) Otherwise, go all the way to the end of this post for the complete summary of the recipe that you can copy and paste to your word processor and keep in your Recipe File on your computer (or print a hard copy). 

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and generously grease a tube pan.

 MIX THE CAKE: in a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, orange juice, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract; and mix well.

Fold apples, coconut, and pecans into batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours.

(NOTE: I also used that fork you see in the photo to poke holes in the cake, so when the sauce goes on, it can soak down deep and make a really gooey, good cake! .)

Shortly before the cake is done, MAKE THE SAUCE:

Melt the butter in the large saucepan, stir in the sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda, and bring to a good rolling boil, stirring constantly, Boil for 1 minute.

Pour the sauce over the hot cake in the pan,  as soon as you remove it from the oven.

Let stand 1 hour (if you can wait that long), then turn out into a rack or onto your serving plate to cool completely.

The recipe "says" to let this stand for an hour... but I always get impatient, because it smells sooooo good and I like to eat a piece while it's still warm, so I probably wait about 15 minutes, and then plop it onto my cake platter! You can wait, if you want to, but I never do! The Holy Spirit is still working on my "fruit" of "Self Control."

The best part is eating it!

If you want a saucier and more gooey cake (which is what I prefer), poke holes in the cake with a fork before pouring on the sauce, and use these amounts for the sauce topping:

ADDITIONAL SAUCE:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Now, you have an opportunity to make the best Fresh Apple Cake ever and possibly win a cookbook as well! I'll take your comments through December 11 and announce the winner on my big brother's birthday on December 12. So, add your comments below along with your email addresses (you want to be notified, don't you?) for your chance to win a copy of "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That."

Next post will be all about SNOWballs! YUMMY!
Many Blessings to you and yours,
Patricia

Here's the recipe all together so you can copy and print it:

PERFECT (Don't Change A Thing!) Fresh Apple Cake

Cake:

Butter, for greasing pan

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1/4 cup orange juice

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (I use Granny Smith)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Sauce:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease a tube pan. MIX THE CAKE: in a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, orange juice, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract; and mix well. Fold apples, coconut, and pecans into batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Shortly before the cake is done. MAKE THE SAUCE: Melt the butter in the large saucepan, stir in the sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda, and bring to a good rolling boil, stirring constantly, Boil for 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the hot cake in the pan  as soon as you remove it from the oven. Let stand 1 hour, then turn out into a rack to cool completely. If you want a saucier and more gooey cake, poke holes in the cake with a fork and use these amounts for the sauce topping:

ADDITIONAL SAUCE:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Lane's Chocolate Cookies from the Heart

One of the best things about freelance writing is getting to meet new people. New relationships enrich our lives and add elements of JOY that can't be bought with any amount of dollars and cents! A new friend I met recently via a writing assignment for "Ozarks Farm and Neighbor" (http://www.ozarksfn.com/) shared some of her favorite recipes on her blog site "Home Cooking Is What I Like" (http://www.homecookingiswhatilike.blogspot.com/ ). It was on her site that I found this recipe for "Chocolate Cookies from the Heart." (Thanks, Lane! :-)


Lane's Chocolate Cookies from the Heart by Lane McConnell

INGREDIENTS:
1 stick of butter, softened to room temperature
3 T. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 chocolate cake mix
DIRECTIONS: Mix and place on cookie sheet. DO NOT GREASE THE COOKIE SHEET.
Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.


With rain (we HOPED) and cooler weather forecast for Friday evening, I decided it might be a good day for Samuel and me to try Lane's cookie recipe, so we gathered our ingredients:

And, we began by beating our room temperature butter along with 3 T. of brown sugar and 2 eggs. It looked like this when we got it all mixed:

... kind of MESSY, huh? :-)

The brown sugar, eggs, and butter made a caramel colored wet mixture to which we added our dry cake mix. Then we used an electric hand mixer to blend it all together until it was smooth like cookie dough.

As you can tell, Samuel was a big help in checking out the batter, just to be sure it was the right consistency! ;-)

"Nanna, can I have just 'one little taste'?"

Somehow, the batter in the bowl looked much better to him than that on the beaters!

After the "Samuel Stamp of Approval," we used a cookie scoop to drop dough balls onto our ungreased cookie sheet (as below).

We managed to get about 20 cookies on our largest cookie sheet. Then we placed them into a preheated (350 degrees F.) oven for 10 to 12 minutes. NOTE: The shiny aluminum pans---those without non-stick coating--took a little longer--about 12 minutes; the Teflon coated pans (darker pans) took less time---about 10 or 11 minutes.

In the meantime, while we were waiting for our first batch to come out of the oven, Samuel sneaked a few tastings of cookie dough. YUMMM!

"This stuff is really good, Nanna!"

"Awww, come on, just one more bite?" :-)

"I think we should bake cookies EVERY day!" :-)

Finally, after a long 12 minute wait, our cookies were ready to remove from the oven to the top of the stove to cool for a couple of minutes. I may have crowded these just a bit too close, so you might want to spread yours out, if you decide to make these. They rise and make BIG, WIDE cookies...soooo yummy!

We allowed these to sit long enough for them to "fall" and firm up just a bit before we removed them to the counter top (lined with aluminum foil) to finish cooling. After they cooled completely and were firm enough to handle, we arranged them on a plate, so Sam could take some home to his brother and sisters. 

Next time I make these, I think I'll add some white chocolate morsels, just to see how they turn out. With more chocolate, how could you go wrong?!! :-)

Hope you are enJOYing the beauty of God's creation as the trees continue to turn and shed their leaves. Fall is definitely my favorite time of year. We recently took a scenic drive on Hwy. 7N to Harrison and  enJOYed eating at the historic Ozark Cafe in Jasper. 

If you ever get a chance to eat at the Ozark Cafe, order their catfish platter---it's out of this world good!

One of the most colorful places we stopped on our drive was the Maplewood Cemetery in Harrison. I was amazed at how many people were at the cemetery taking photos that afternoon.

Fall definitely allows time to slow down just a bit and catch our breath as we enJOY the beauty of God's creation and remember all the blessings He has given us. What will you have on your "grateful" this Thanksgiving?

Hope and pray you and yours have a BLESSED and Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Watch for the next post... it will involve a drawing for a FREE "Pinch of This ... Smidgen of That" Cookbook, signed and personalized by yours truly :-).

P.S. If you need a good recipe for Skillet Cornbread to use for your Cornbread Dressing on Thanksgiving Day, check out this post: http://pinchofthissmidgenofthat.blogspot.com/2010/10/skillet-cornbread.html 

Skillet Cornbread

In my last post, I promised a recipe for homemade cornbread, so before things get too busy around here, I want to share that information with you from page 80 in the cookbook "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That."

Pat's Cornbread

Let's begin, by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

Then, we can collect the ingredients for the recipe:

1 ½ cup Martha White self-rising corn meal

¾ cup Gold Medal self-rising flour

1 ½ Tbsp. sugar (or heaping tablespoon)

¼ cup cold bacon drippings

2 X-large or 3 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup sour cream

½ (or less… just to thin the mixture) cup canned evaporated milk

To begin:

Grease a 9” skillet with Crisco solid (plain, not butter flavor). A medium sized loaf pan also works well for this and provides nice slices of cornbread for serving (just like they serve at Jack's BBQ in Nashville, TN).

That's right... I use my fingertips to grease the pan. It's quicker and better than trying to use a paper napkin. You may noticed that most skillet cornbread recipes ask you to melt the grease and heat the skillet to sizzling hot before adding the batter for baking. I have found that the crust is much better if you begin with a cold skillet and solid shortening. (My humble opinion only. Just taste the cornbread, Hon! Then, you decide.)

 Combine dry ingredients, mixing well.

 

 

Add cold bacon drippings and eggs.

 

 

 

Beat eggs into dry mixture along with bacon drippings.

 

 

Add buttermilk, sour cream, and evaporated milk to thin and remove all lumps.

 

 

Stir until you have a smooth batter.

 

 

Pour evenly into prepared pan.

 

 

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. (Note, If using a loaf pan or smaller baking pan, you may need to bake longer than 40 minutes. Just watch the top of the bread.)

 

Remove immediately and serve hot. Refrigerate leftovers.

Leftovers are great served with cold milk. Crumble the bread in a cereal bowl and add milk, just as you would for cold cereal. Use a spoon to gobble up the wonderful "Cornbread & Milk" snack you've just created!

If you haven't checked it out yet, try the cornbread with my Chicken Corn Chowder. The recipe can be found at http://pinchofthissmidgenofthat.blogspot.com/2010/10/comfort-food.html#links

Have a BLESSED week!