Summer 2010

I just thought I’d share some pictures of my summer.  Most of these were taken with my cell phone camera, so please forgive the quality.

Hope you’ve had a great summer!

My daughter is all excited about Fall, so we’ll probably be sharing some photos of an Autumn project she has in mind.

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(Click on the pictures to enlarge.)

My hubby went fishing this morning.

Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

My great-nephew enjoys the pool.

Homemade Pizza on a Low Carb Tortilla

The Pool on a beautiful day!

Purple Hull Peas from my garden

Purple Hull peas on my plate.

This was one of my mom’s favorite summer suppers…purple hull peas, fried summer squash, ripe tomatoes & cornbread.

My daughter’s cat, Angel, goes to the garden with me every day.

Pretty pepper plant.

Fresh green beans.

Fresh tomato on toasted sour dough bread sammie.

A wedding cake by my friend’s daughter…she is self-taught and a mom of 2 young children who bakes out of her home.  I don’t know how she does it!

Another cake by Jada.

(Hopefully someday to be called The Cakery Boutique.)

Chicken Club Ring

Ribs…

Our family made a trip to Lambert’s in Sikeston, Mo.  They are famously called “The Home of the Throwed Rolls”.  When you raise your hand, they’ll throw you a hot yeast roll.  The food is wonderful!

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse of my summer.

I hope to be back soon with some great low carb recipes and stories that warm the heart.  Come back soon!

National Pie Day – January 23rd

In honor of National Pie Day…check out these easy,

yet delicious pie recipes.

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Chocolate Fudge Pie

 Printable Recipe

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Aunt Mary’s Chess Pie

Printable Recipe

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Southern Pecan Pie

Printable Recipe

Link of the Week

Sugar, Spice, and a Little Bit of Life

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Run over and check out Jana’s very entertaining blog.  There’s recipes, crafts, awesome cakes, and great photography for you to enjoy.

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Tomorrow, stop back in for a great homemade biscuit recipe!

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Sour Cream Pound Cake

You can always count on a good friend to give you a good recipe.

My friend, Karen, comes from a long line of good cooks.  Her grandmother was a great cook and her mom is “The Pie Lady”.  She can whip up a Caramel Pie or a Coconut Cream Pie in the blink of an eye.  She always has the ingredients on hand.

Karen has turned out like her mom in that respect.  She’s a great cook.  This is a recipe that she shared with me recently.  It’s so easy, yet so delicious!

I’ve made this cake twice this week.  I polished off most of the first one myself, but took the second one to my inlaws’ family get together.  I had to get that evil thing out of the house!  My hips have gotten wider just this week.  I’m trying to low carb, I really am.  I try to save my treat for that one-hour span, like the Carb Addict plan suggests, but it sure is hard with this treat around!

Karen prefers the cake ‘nekkid’, but I made an Orange Glaze to pour over the warm cake.  Most of it pooled up in the middle, but I just spooned that right out of the middle and onto my slice.  Mmm-mmm, good.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

1 butter recipe yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 half cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup sour cream

Mix well pour into bundt pan and bake at 325 until golden brown, 45-60 minutes.

Orange Glaze (optional)

1/4 cup orange juice
2 T butter, melted
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Mix together and pour over cooled cake.

Sugar-free Oreo Blast (low carb)

Want a quick and easy treat or a simple after-dinner dessert?  What about a Sugar-free Oreo Blast?

Sugar-free Oreo Blast (low carb)
 
1 serving Breyer’s CarbSmart vanilla ice cream
1 serving Sugar Free Oreos, broken into pieces
 
Place ice cream and cookie pieces into food processor. 
Pulse until blended.  Serve in a cute ice cream dish or
small glass.  Top with 1/2 a SF Oreo. 

Now, find a nice quiet spot outside in the swing on a warm sunny day and eat slowly.

Tomorrow…an easy 3 ingredient recipe for a quick supper.

Another Brownie Recipe

Honest, that’s the title of this recipe.  I considered calling it Easy One Bowl Brownies, but decided to go with what I wrote down on the card.  This is another from my vintage recipe collection.

This recipe is very forgiving and I have made substitutions in the past with great results.

Another Brownie Recipe
 
1 stick butter, melted ( I have used 1/2 cup oil or 1/2 cup applesauce)
5 T cocoa ( I used 2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate)
2 eggs
3/4 c flour
1 cup sugar (I added 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1/2 cup pecan pieces, optional

Mix all together.  Pour into 7 x11 dish for thicker brownies. 

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Peanut Butter Balls

I’ve been making this recipe for 27 years now. I first made it as a teenager while living at home back in the 1980’s.  It was a favorite of my brother and he still requests them today.   This recipe is great for the Christmas holiday or even Easter!

Peanut Butter Balls

One 18 oz jar of peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
2 sticks butter, softened
1 & ½ boxes of powdered sugar (I usually buy the 2 lb bag and guesstimate according to the mixture’s consistency)
Chocolate Bark (1 lb or as needed to dip the balls)
(My recipe actually calls for chocolate chips and parrafin melted over a double boiler, but chocolate bark melted in the micorwave is easier)

Cream the peanut butter and the butter in a heavy duty mixer. I burnt up a couple of handheld mixer motors before my Handyman got me a Kitchenaid stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until mixed thoroughly. The mixture will be VERY thick.

Roll into 1” or smaller balls. I then chill mine for a few hours. Melt the bark in a small deep bowl in the microwave until creamy smooth. Proceed to dip balls and place on a parchment covered sheet pan until the chocolate hardens.  This recipe makes several dozen.

Store in the fridge for several days or on the counter ‘cause they won’t last long!

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Check out the parties over at

Butter Pecan Creme Brulee (Low Carb)

When my sister-in-law blessed me with two dozen farm-fresh country eggs yesterday,

I started digging through my old low carb recipes.  I had a breakfast custard recipe in mind, but ran across this creme brulee recipe.  I would love to find out the recipe creator, so I can give them thanks and proper credit. *Updated – I found out the recipe’s creator is named Roni.  Thanks that for info, Linda Sue.

(see how I store/display my farm fresh eggs! )

I found this particular recipe several years ago on one of my favorite low carb sites.  Some of the absolute best cooks congregate on the recipe board at Low Carb Friends!

I used my Pampered Chef Prep Cups (with storage lids) to bake the creme brulees.  Not fancy, but servicable.

I sprinkled a little nutmeg on the creme brulee before baking, like the breakfast custard recipe calls for.  Not sure why, since I planned on topping them with praline pecans.

Don’t you just love the sound of praline pecans?!

Butter-Pecan Creme Brulee

2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt
1/2 cup granulated Splenda (or 1 scoop KAL Stevia, erythritol or sweetener of your choice)

In a medium sauce pan, heat cream over medium heat, just until bubbles start to form.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vanilla, salt and sweetener.
Gradually whisk in cream. Using a mesh strainer, strain mixture.
Divide into four custard cups (you can use some like these.)
Bake in a water bath for 30-40 minutes at 350ºF. 
Custards should be set, but still jiggly.  Chill for one hour.
Make butter-pecan topping and divide between between cups.
Refrigerate for four more hours or overnight.

Butter-Pecan Topping:
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 cup pecans – finely chopped
1 teaspoon Splenda or your favorite sweetener

Melt butter.
Stir in pecans and Splenda.
Heat just until nuts begin to color, being careful not to burn.

This is definitely a keeper! The butter pecan topping is delcious!  I think I will double or triple the topping recipe next time, so it will completely cover the top of each creme brulee dish.

See another low carb dessert.

 

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DISCLAIMER: If you purchase from the links in this post you are helping support Heart of a Country Home at no extra charge to yourself.  Thanks for your kindness.

Aunt Mary’s Special Cake with Strawberries

Several years ago I had a chance

to go through Aunt Mary’s little recipe box.  I copied down the recipes that I thought I might like to make and read through those that I remembered her making.  There was Date Nut Cake, Chess Pie, Pecan Crisp Cookies and even a recipe on stationery sent from a friend along with a greeting and personal  note.  One that stood out to me was hid near the back of the box, with no name other than Cake.  Not wanting it to get lost in my files I renamed it “Special Cake”.

Over the years, I’ve made Special Cake several times, usually during the summer to go with strawberries and fresh whipped cream.  My oldest daughter happens to love Strawberry Shortcake.

I made it again this weekend and decided to use my new bundt pan (can you call it a pan if it’s ceramic?) from Williams-Sonoma that was a gift from my dear youngest brother.  Here’s a similar cake pan if you’re looking for something a little different.  This glass bundt cake pan is very unusual and surprisingly afforable!

My cake wanted to stick a little and didn’t brown as well as the one on the cake pan lable, even after baking for 45 minutes.  I took a slice of it and cubed it up for Strawberry Shortcake Trifle.  Check out these cute individual trifle dishes!

Don’t you just love spring?  Spring brings us those delicious little red bits of delectable fruit we call strawberries.  Aunt Mary brought me a Special Cake recipe to use with that delicious fruit,  along with many wonderful memories.

Happy Spring and happy Strawberry Shortcake Season!

Read more about Aunt Mary’s life and recipes

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Coconut Pecan Frosting

I don’t usually care for German Chocolate Cake

with Coconut Pecan Frosting.  I’m not sure what it is.  I love chocolate cake and I love the Coconut Pecan Frosting, but the two together have never impressed me.  I’ve really tried to like it…what is there not to like?

So, having all the ingredients on hand and wanting to try a new-to-me recipe, I decided to use that chocolate cake mix that I had picked up on sale and top it with a delicious homemade Coconut Pecan Frosting.  I skipped the ton of cookbooks that I have and immediately Googled for the recipe.

Here’s the “traditional” recipe.

Coconut Pecan Frosting

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
• 3 large egg yolks
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/3 cups flaked sweetened dried coconut
• 1 1/3 cups chopped pecans

Combine sugar, milk, egg yolks, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the mixture is thickened and bubbling gently around the edges. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Let cool until spreadable. This keeps, refrigerated, for about 1 week. Soften before using.  The only change I made was to use 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream.

The frosting turned out to be delicious, the cake was another thing…drier than usual.  Most everyone was eating the frosting and tossing the cake!  So that’s a mistake I hope to never make again. 

I’d like to make the Coconut Pecan Frosting again, but top a different cake.  Maybe a Fresh Apple Cake…or a Piña Colada Cake…or a yummy Sour Cream Pound Cake.  Maybe I could use the  Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake recipe.  

The options are endless!   What do you think?

Southern Pecan Pie

I have a young daughter that is an aspiring chef.

She is only 11 but loves Martha Stewart and is always ready to help out in the kitchen.  She loves to peel, chop, flip, scrape, mix… and lick the bowl.  Whether it be making cucumber salad or baking a pie, my youngest is always ready.

A few weekends ago, my oldest daughter was visiting friends so B (also for Bossy) decided she wanted to bake a pie with a homemade crust.  We had all the ingredients, so I loaded Martha on the laptop and took her to the kitchen with us.  The pecan crop has been abundant in our area this year so we decided the pie would be Southern Pecan Pie.  I discovered my glass pie dish was left at Mom’s house at Thanksgiving, so we ran to the store and picked up some foil pie plates and some more sugar.

Back home we got all of our ingredients out and I did the measuring while B started putting the crust ingredients into the food processor.  As the crust chilled, we put together our pie ingredients.

We couldn’t wait until it cooled to cut it, so that’s why it’s falling apart in our first picture.  ( I think it even steamed up my camera lens.)  The Southern Pecan Pie was divine!  The filling was light and and the crust flakey.  Well done, my Valentine!

Southern Pecan Pie

3/4 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pecan halves
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine corn syrup, sugar, beaten eggs, melted butter, vanilla and salt in a large bowl; mix well. Stir in pecan halves. Pour into prepared pie crust and bake for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 35 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of pie.  Cool on wire rack before slicing, if you can.

Pate Brisee (the French version of classic pie or tart pastry, courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies.

· 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon sugar
· 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
· 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Pie (Low Carb)

I tweaked this recipe from The 30-Day Low Carb Diet Solution book by the Drs. Eades.

I found the cheesecake to be very creamy and quite good; the crust was the best ever.

The recipe calls for individual cupcake cheesecakes, but I baked it in a pie dish as my spring-form pan wasn’t handy at the time.  The original recipe is at the bottom of the page.  Forgive the cruddy photo.

Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Crust:
1 cup very finely chopped pecans
3 packets Splenda (I now use Stevia)
2 T butter, melted
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cheesecake:
2 large eggs, beaten
16 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup Splenda (granular) or other sweetener blend
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 T semi-sweet mini choc chips (Enjoy Life brand is soy free)
or chopped up SF chocolate bar

Place the finely ground pecans, 2 packets of sweetener, the butter and
cinnamon in a food processor and combine thoroughly. Press the crust mixture in a spring-form pan or a pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool.

Place the eggs, granular sweetener, cream cheese and vanilla into a mixer and blend until smooth.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust and bake for 35-50 minutes at 350º or until it looks like it is set or kinda firm in the middle.

Cool in the oven for a few hours. Refrigerate overnight.

ORIGINAL RECIPE FROM THE BOOK:

Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

8 T finely chopped pecans
2 packets Splenda
1 T butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup Splenda (granular)
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 T semi-sweet mini choc chips

Place the nuts, 2 pks of Splenda and the butter in
a small bowl and combine thoroughly. Line the
wells of a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners
and distribute the nut mixture evenly, about 2 tsp
per well.

Place the egg, granular Splenda, cream cheese
and vanilla into a mixing bowl and blend until
smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips. Divide the
mixture evenly among the 12 cups. Bake for 15
minutes at 350º . Cool and refrigerate for at least
one hour.

 

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Disclaimer: Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links.  If you purchase through the links provided, I will receive a very small compensation at no extra cost to you.  Thanks!