For a Serious Chocolate Fix

When I was in college, one of my favorite indulgences after a very late night of studying would be to go to the gas station on the corner and get a hot chocolate. It's been years since I have done that, but this weekend I had some extra milk that I needed to use and I found this hot chocolate recipe that tasted just like the gas station stuff. It's a little more work than the instant packets you can buy at the grocery store, but I think it's worth it. The smell alone is a heavenly chocolate smell. So I wanted to share...

Hot Cocoa (4 servings)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup Cocoa
1/3 cup water

Mix together in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Boil & stir for 2 minutes, then add

4 cups milk

Continue cooking until milk has warmed, but do not let it boil (although I did by accident and it still tasted fine).

Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Serve.

Derby & My Favorite Kentucky Recipes

Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby and even though we won't be going to the Derby this year, I just can't help enjoy the festive atmosphere. It seems to be everywhere right now, it's all over the television, the kids come home from school with their derby hats, parades and horse crafts, even Jeremy had the opportunity to go to Churchill Downs yesterday for work. This year, we have other plans so we will be breaking our usual tradition, but most years we get together with friends, watch the Derby on TV (it only lasts about two minutes) and eat Derby Pie. One of these years I will get myself a fancy Derby hat (although I'm not sure if I would dare to actually wear it anywhere).

Derby Pie
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
2 eggs
1 stick butter (melted)
1 cup walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teas. vanilla
1 pie shell (room temp.)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour & sugar together, then add eggs, melted butter, walnuts, chocolate chips and vanilla. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell.

2. Bake pie in 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes until pie is chewy but no longer runny.

Serves 6-8

Another favorite recipe that I found here in Kentucky is Sweet Potato Casserole. I have had so many people ask me for this recipe, so here it is:

Sweet Potato Casserole
Serves 10-12

Casserole
3 large sweet potatoes (approx. 4 ½ cups cooked & mashed)
½ cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 teas. vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Peel sweet potatoes and cube into 1 inch squares. Boil in a large pan for approx. 20 minutes. When potatoes are soft (poke with fork), drain sweet potatoes and return to pan. Add butter and let it melt. Add milk, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Beat until smooth and blended. Spread into a 13x9 inch baking pan.

Brown Sugar Topping
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup flour
2/3 cup butter softened (not melted)
2 cups chopped pecans

Mix all together until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over sweet potatoes mixture. Bake for 25 minutes until topping is golden brown.

Our Favorite Christmas Goodies

At Christmas time, we have plenty of fun traditions that we look forward to. One of my favorites is Christmas baking with my mom. We always do the essentials - Christmas sugar cookies with butter cream frosting, chocolate covered pretzels, Bon Bons and fudge. This year I tried a new one - peppermint sticks dipped in chocolate. I tried to make my mom's old fashioned fudge recipe for the first time without her present, but that one needs a little practice. Still, I ended up with a few good things. After I finish, we like to give them away and share with friends and of course save a few for New Year's Eve.

Our family favorite is the Bon Bon's (my kids call them chocolate meatballs). This is my paternal grandmother's recipe that she has made every year of my life. Hers always taste better than mine.

Bon Bons

3 cups Rice Crispies
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup coconut

Mix well in a large bowl. Then add:

3 cups crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter (softened)

Mix well and form into balls. It gets pretty sticky so I like to wear latex gloves. After forming into balls lay on a cookie sheet and freeze overnight.

The next day, dip in chocolate. Good with milk chocolate, white chocolate, and my favorite - dark chocolate.

Another Christmas time favorite is my great grandmother's Boiled Raisin Bread. It is so yummy and makes the house smell so good and festive. This is what I gave my neighbors.

Boiled Raisin Bread

In a 3-quart saucepan, combine:

2 cups raisins
2 cups sugar
3 cups water
1 cup oil (not olive oil)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of cloves.

Slowly simmer until raisins are soft and mixture is blended. Let cool.
Then add:

2 teaspoons baking soda (mixture will foam)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour or more until batter is thickened
nuts (optional)

Pour into bread pans and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Will make 2 regular size loaves of bread.

I didn't make these, but a friend of mine did. I thought they were so cute that I took a picture and I am keeping this as a cute idea to use next year.

We have great friends

I have been overwhelmed by the kindness of so many people lately. Random phone calls, emails just to check up on us, hugs and thinking of you gifts. I feel so spoiled. This past week, we have been the recipients of some random acts of kindness. There is a very clever, kind and wonderful person or family out there who is leaving gifts on our door step for the twelve days of Christmas. Your thoughtfulness means so much and has brightened our week. So, whoever you are, thank you! And to all the rest of our wonderful friends, family and neighbors who have done so many nice things for us, thank you too! You are an answer to our prayers.

See how cute these reindeer cookies are?

Hugi Pancakes

Three years ago, we went to visit my old roommate, Hugi, in Washington, DC. Hugi is from Hungary and made us breakfast Hungarian style. She made crepes for breakfast and my kids loved them. It became a favorite and we have them almost every weekend, but we call them "Hugi pancakes" at our house. So, of course this morning we made.....Hugi pancakes (again). Here is the recipe:

Making Hugi Pancakes
Mix together
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
2 eggs.

Add
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix until smooth. Spray with nonstick spray a 7" skittlet and heat pan over medium low. Using a ladle, pour batter into pan and twirl pan so that there is a thin layer of batter covering bottome of pan. Brown until the edges look dry (it only takes about 30 seconds or less) and then flip the pancake over for another 20 seconds or so until the pancake is cooked.

Eating Hugi pancakes

My kids like to cover their Hugi pancakes with peanut butter and cool whip. Some people in our home allow children to put chocolate syrup on theirs also, but that would not be me, I'm too mean. I have not had one of these in months, they have lost their appeal to me, but when I do eat one, I like it with apricot jam.

First cover with peanut butter and cool whip...

Roll it up...

Eat it up...

Lick the plate clean...

Do it again next week.

Easter bunny cake

Yesterday our young women's group hosted a potluck dinner and bake sale to raise money for girls camp. Livie and I made this little bunny guy. He sold for $21.00. I wasn't too disappointed with that, but my kids were upset because we didn't get to keep him.

Sugar Cookies

Sam & Livie had their fall break this week, so we have been having lots of fun. Yesterday we went to the zoo and it felt like the middle of July. It was the first time Nathan has shown any real interest in the animals. He was very excited about the fish.


He took 8 steps all by himself today - does that make him an official walker? After he fell on his bum and clapped.


In the spirit of Halloween, we made our Halloween cookies today. I wish you all lived closer, we have plenty to share. (They were very good, just in case you were wondering).

Barb, Here is my cookie recipe:

Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter softened
1 ½ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teas vanilla
3 ½ cups flour
2 teas cream of tarter
1 teas baking soda
½ teas salt (although I don't usually add salt)

In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, stir in vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Chill for 3 to 4 hours.

Later,
Preheat oven to 350 (375 will give crunchier cookies)
On well floured surface, roll dough out to ¼" thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on un-greased cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes. Cool on rack

Frosting (makes 3 cups of frosting)
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbls milk
Food coloring for decoration

Cream butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating on medium speed. When all is mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. If making multiple colors of frosting, divide into smaller bowls and add food coloring.