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Beef and Cheese Enchiladas & How to shred lettuce or cabbage

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I often say that I was raised in a “health food only home,” but that isn’t completely true.  If it were, I would have starved to death before I ever started kindergarten.  The sad fact is that as a child, I hated everything healthy and loved everything else.  My Mom still has a note from me, written in third grade, in which I thanked her for being a wonderful Mommy but asked if we could please have pizza sometimes.  LOL!  Needless to say, I went hungry most nights and gorged myself when we were allowed to have spaghetti (this was junk food to us), cheese sandwiches, or Mom made enchiladas.  She didn’t do it often, but it was one of my favorite meals that she made. To this day, enchiladas are my favorite meal.

Mom made them very simply.  She made taco meat and rolled it up with cheddar cheese in corn tortillas.  She made red enchilada sauce from a mix and always stirred in a liberal amount of cilantro.  She dipped each tortilla in the hot sauce before filling them, which made it a very messy procedure.  She poured the leftover sauce over the top, topped with more cheese, and that was it.

I updated the recipe to simplify things, using canned sauce and stirring the cilantro into the beef mixture instead, and decided to top them with lettuce because my husband has always insisted this is the proper way to serve enchiladas.  I fought this for a long time, because Mom knows best and she never served hers with lettuce, but I finally saw the light.  Lettuce really freshens up this cheesy dish.  Even with the changes, these are still very much like my Mom’s enchiladas, which makes me happy.  Don’t we all love foods that remind us of our childhood homes?

Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning (or a packet of store-bought)
½ cup cilantro
2 (8 oz) packages sharp cheddar cheese
16 corn tortillas
2 cans red enchilada sauce
½ head lettuce, shredded
Sour cream to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray, then cover the bottom with a thin layer of enchilada sauce, about half a can. Set aside.

Cook beef and onion together in skillet over medium-high heat until meat is browned. Do not drain. Stir in taco seasoning and cook another minute, until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Shred both packages of cheese and set half aside in the refrigerator. Dampen a paper towel and squeeze out water; wrap around a stack of five tortillas and microwave one minute or until hot and pliable. Place stack on a plate. Now you have everything you need to put the enchiladas together.

Place about two tablespoons of cheese down the middle of a tortilla, then top with 3 tablespoons of the beef mixture.  The temptation is always to overfill them, but you must resist.  Overfilled enchiladas means unsightly enchiladas that won’t close, and we want to keep things nice, tidy, and appealing.

Roll tightly and place in prepared dish.

Repeat, heating fresh stacks of tortillas as necessary, until all ingredients are used and dish is full of enchiladas.  I always have to scooch my enchiladas to make them fit, but scooch they will. :)

Pour remaining sauce over the top, then sprinkle on reserved cheese. I was short on cheese but if you follow the recipe, yours will be fairly smothered with cheese.  Which is proper.  This sad amount of cheese is sacrilege.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

After plating, sprinkle with lettuce and add sour cream, if desired.
Devour.

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I’m sure many of you know how to shred lettuce, but I get very basic questions about cooking from time to time, including how to prep veggies, and thought I’d give a quick tutorial on this for those who don’t.  You can also use this method to shred cabbage for coleslaw.

Cut thin slices of lettuce starting from the outside edge, working your way towards the center.  Do not go all the way to the core.

Once you are getting close, turn the lettuce and start from the opposite side.

It is very important that you wear your Tweety bird pajama shorts during this process.  Arg!  I changed my shirt so you guys wouldn’t know I wore my PJ’s all day (it was my day off and I spent it cleaning), and didn’t think that my shorts would show above the table.  On the plus side, I guess I’m taller than I thought I was. :)

Continue until you have sliced away on all sides, then do the top.  Discard the core.

I didn’t cut very much off the core because I didn’t need a ton of lettuce.  Usually I would cut down a lot more.

You should have a row of sliced lettuce.  Chop along the row in 1/2″ increments, or smaller.

Turn your cutting board/sheet and repeat in the perpendicular direction, slicing every 1/2″ or so.

If you want your lettuce shredded even more finely, mix the lettuce with your hands, spread out in a line again, and repeat the cutting in both directions.

Voila!  Shredded lettuce.

Thankful Thursdays #36: a pie-ful day

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I made a thanksgiving resolution to find something to be thankful for every day until next Thanksgiving.  Here’s what I am thankful for this week!

Thursday: For another day of life.

Friday: For the most fun, most uplifting day I’ve had for a while! I spent the morning and early afternoon teaching my friend, Teri, how to make pretty pies and we had such a blast, it’s almost ridiculous.  (We agreed back in December it would be a fab idea for each of us to teach the other something we know that they don’t.  I know pretty pies, and Teri knows homestyle cooking.  So after many busy months, we finally made the time for our first lesson.  Can’t wait for mine!).  Then we joined Teri and her husband for a Bible study in their home!  She served us a wonderful summer meal comprised of many different hearty salads, and we gobbled pie for dessert.  Then we delved into God’s word.  It was the type of day that at the end of it, you feel peaceful & content to your very soul.

This shows one each of the pies we made (we made two of each of the smaller ones). Clockwise from top: Brown Sugar Peach, Triple Berry, Dixie, and Cool Strawberry.

Saturday: My first day as a “career” employee at the USPS Remote Encoding Center!  (For those new to my blog, I have been a transitional employee there for 7 years.) Although my new schedule is unpredictable and I’m having trouble adjusting to the later hours, I’m very thankful for the ≈$3/hour raise and the benefits.

Sunday:  Due to my new schedule, which will require me to work many Sunday mornings (the only real complaint I have with this position), I had to find a replacement to teach Sunday School for the next three months, and the first lady I asked agreed.  I am so thankful for her help!

Monday: That orientation lasted 6 hours so I only had to work for two hours.  :D

Tuesday:  Finally got the invitations out for our annual Davis-family reunion (AKA “The Pig Roast“).  (I am on the planning committee and have been in charge of invites for the last 6 or 7 years.)  This is our 35th and final year at Uncle Pete’s and Aunt Nadene’s (the same place Dennis and I got married!), so I really hope I can make it.

Wednesday:  RAIN!  I was surprised when Jessie cut our walk shorter than usual and led us back home after just a few blocks, but realized why when as soon as we got inside, the heavens opened wide and a waterfall gushed forth!  Boy, did we need it.  Thank you, Lord!!

Peppermint Pops

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I have several pops posts, and am ready to change things up a bit with a completely new type of pop filling that doesn’t involve cake at all.  As I mentioned in my cream cheese mints post, I got bored just cutting the dough into squares, and decided to combine it with chocolate in pop form.

This photo was taken by Jen in the break room at work after I handed her a bag of Peppermint Pops in exchange for some delicious chocolate sheet cake that she made.  I had to use it because it’s a much more attractive photo of the insides than the atrocity below.  Thanks, Jen!

The method for these is the same as making cake pops, just with a different filling.  Take a batch of cream cheese mints, roll it into balls, insert sticks, dip in chocolate.  And voila, peppermint pops!  It’s simple and even easier than cake pops because it doesn’t require any baking.  And the taste?  Well, if you like mint chocolate, you’re going to love these.  The mint center is soft and creamy and the dark chocolate coating is classic.  Think York peppermint patties with a softer, creamier center and slight tang.  Bonus: it’s on a stick! Wheeeeeeeee!

Peppermint Pops

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 lbs. powdered sugar
2 (12 oz) bags semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons oil or shortening
50 lollipop sticks
50 (3″x4″) clear treat bags (optional)
curling ribbon (optional)

Beat the cream cheese until creamy, then beat in the extract. Beat in the powdered sugar until well blended.  Depending on your mixer, you may have to use your hands to fully incorporate the sugar.  The mixture will be smooth and like a stiff dough.  Pinch off pieces of the mixture and roll into 1″ balls; place on rimmed baking sheet. You will get 40-50 balls. Cover and refrigerate two hours or overnight.

I had several mint projects going at once-classic party mints (left), peppermint pops, and peppermint patties (not pictured).

Gently melt chocolate with oil in double boiler or microwave. Dip ends of sticks in chocolate, then insert into the flat end (the end that has been resting on the baking sheet) of the mint balls. As you insert sticks, place the pops upside down on the baking sheet until all the balls have sticks. Refrigerate until chocolate around stick is set.

Now you can see evidence of the peppermint patties!  The square mints are long gone…in mah bellah.

Dip each pop in chocolate and gently shake off excess while holding upside down. Don’t tap, as you would a cake pop, because the mint balls are more prone to fall off the sticks. Insert pops right-side-up into a large foam block. Once all pops are dipped, place foam block in refrigerator and let sit until chocolate is hardened, about half an hour. If you would like to package them, slip a treat bag over each pop, and tie curling ribbon around the base.

After writing this, I just can’t resist saying, “on a steeeeek.”  :)

Thankful Thursdays #35: a clean house

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I made a thanksgiving resolution to find something to be thankful for every day until next Thanksgiving.  Here’s what I am thankful for this week!

Thursday: I was able to wriggle out of helping my hubby help a friend of his move.  OK, so I’m terrible, but I’m still thankful for the time to myself.

Friday: Pay day! ‘Nuff said.

Saturday: Got to see the final Harry Potter in 3-D at the IMAX theater, and had a gift certificate to help pay for it!

Sunday: Dark chocolate. It helped me through a day of feeling yucky.

Monday: Little boy voices.  Sure, little girl voices are sweet, but I’m especially fond of little boy voices.  It’s kind of like how I think large-breed baby animals are cuter than small-breed baby animals.  Boys will lose that precious tiny voice and develop a deeper one with time.  So will girls, but not to  the same degree.  And maybe because I have a nephew, I just find their voices enchanting.  And I love how they misuse pronouns, saying things like, “why is her doing that?” and “why did her say that?”  I heard a little boy that sounded just like my nephew at Wendy’s and the sound of his voice was so much better than anything else in my entire day.  Love little boys.  I miss my nephew.

Tuesday: I took the day off to go to a motivational seminar, but I skipped it so I could stay home to clean.  I thought I would regret it, but I don’t.  I missed Bill Cosby and Terry Bradshaw, among other VIPs that were speaking, but I now have a (fairly) clean house and no regrets.  Besides, Dennis went so I’ll be motivated by the motivation he got from the seminar. :)

Wednesday: I finished the house cleaning by attacking the floors. Yay for clean floors!  See, I’m motivated enough without going to a seminar.  If I’d went, I’d be running for president and believe me, nobody would benefit from that. :)

Cream Cheese Mints & Peppermint Patties

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I’ve been making these mints for years and they are always a hit.  Unlike the hard & powdery ones you buy at the store, these are soft and the flavor far superior to the aforementioned imposters.  Combine them with white cake and nuts, and you’ve got my idea of heaven.  :)  They are also very simple to make, though if you use a mold, it is a little time-consuming.  You can let them air dry until they are almost like the classic mints that accompany most wedding and baby shower cakes, but I usually only let them dry overnight so they are just dry enough to hold their shape (unless smashed), but are still soft and creamy on the inside.

I made this batch because a co-worker requested them, and after turning 1/4 of the batch into the classic square mints for him and a girlfriend that loves them, I got bored and tried a couple other things with the dough.  I figured I could use them as filling for peppermint patties, and although the flavor is a little different than the classic (I have a recipe for York-style peppermint patties here), I like it even better because I like the added tang of cream cheese.  I also had another stroke of genius (if I do say so myself) after I made the peppermint patties, but that one deserves a post all of it’s own.  Check back Friday!

Cream Cheese Mints

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 lbs. powdered sugar
Food coloring (optional)
Granulated sugar, for coating (if using a mold)

Beat the cream cheese until creamy, then beat in the extract. Beat in the powdered sugar until well blended.  Depending on your mixer, you may have to use your hands to fully incorporate the sugar.  The mixture will be smooth and like a stiff dough. Add icing gel coloring if desired. Pinch off a chunk of dough and roll it into a slender log.

Cut the log into small squares set onto waxed paper to dry.(Keep the remaining dough covered or sealed in Ziploc bag(s) during the rolling and cutting process, or it will dry out.)

Repeat until all the dough has been cut into squares. If you wish to shape the mints using a mold, pull off a small piece of dough, enough to fill the mold, and roll it into a ball. Roll the ball in granulated sugar, coating it very well, then press into the mold. Turn it over and pop the mint out onto wax paper. Allow to dry overnight before packing in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Yield: 2 1/2 lbs. mints

To make peppermint patties, roll dough out to desired thickness and use a small round cookie cutter or juice or shot glass to cut circles.

Place on wax-paper lined baking sheet and freeze, uncovered, for an hour. Melt a 12-oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon oil or shortening and drop the peppermint patties in one at a time, turning and lifting out with a fork. Quickly tap off excess and use another fork or your finger to help slide the dipped patty onto another waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Once all patties are dipped, place baking sheet in refrigerator until chocolate is set, about 15-30 minutes. Store in airtight container and keep refrigerated.

Life with Dennis Miller

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Yes, it’s true.  I live with THE Dennis Miller.  No, not the famous comedian.  My husband!  He’s the only Dennis Miller that matters…at least to me.  He’s not famous, but he’s a comedian in his own right, and though I’m not familiar with the other Dennis Miller, I have to say I’m pretty partial to my husband’s brand of humor.

Last month I started writing down some of our exchanges and collecting pictures, etc., so I could compile them into a post for you guys, to give you a peek into what everyday life with Dennis is like (with his permission, of course).  I hope you enjoy and grow to love my man as much as I do.

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Scene: Me holding a cake I just finished decorating in front of the open refrigerator, realizing there’s nowhere to set it.
Me: “Can you make some room in the fridge for me?”
Dennis: “No matter how much room I make, I don’t think you’re going to fit in there.”

When I was studying for the test that determined my future with the post office, I asked Dennis to help me by coming up with some math problems I could practice with.  Five minutes later, he handed me this:

It helped more than real math problems would have, because it was a stressful time and the five-minute laugh session I got out of this paper was cathartic. :)

A friend called to tell Dennis he was moving his family to Wichita and asked where a good area was to buy a home. From my end, I heard Dennis say, “I don’t know…the east side has like…things. And the west side, has like, I don’t know, Mexicans I guess.” I nearly suffocated because I was laughing so hard I couldn’t take in air. He’s so crazy!

Background: I have a bad habit of throwing clothes on the floor or laying them on top of my dresser.
Scene: Me in the bedroom, calling into the nearby office.
Me: “I’m hanging up my clothes, Dennis! Aren’t you proud of me for putting my things away?”
Dennis: “Yes. Behold, this is my wife, with whom I am well pleased.”

Background: I’m always trying to get Dennis to try things he thinks he hates. He thinks he hates guacamole.
Scene: In the kitchen, sampling the guacamole I just made.
Me: “This is delicious! Do you want to try?”
Dennis (in a whiny voice): “But look, it’s all green, and I hate green things. Besides, I just filled up on lettuce.”

I asked Dennis to take a “before” picture of me for my henna post.  I told him “I only need my hair,” meaning he didn’t have to do a full-body shot.  This is what he took:

Scene: I’m making popcorn on the stove and Dennis is singing “Jimmy crack corn, and I don’t care,” while washing dishes, when suddenly he stops and turns to me.
Dennis: “If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, then why is there a song about it?”

Dennis and I have a late night tradition where he will chop up half a head of iceburg lettuce into a big bowl and drown it with homemade Italian dressing and we’ll share it in the office.  As we were devouring our shared salad one night, I speared a piece of lettuce that had no end.  I am the perfectionist and Dennis is the laid-back one.  When I chop lettuce, each piece is bite-sized.  When Dennis chops lettuce, some pieces are bite sized, and others, well….

Background: We dropped off my car at the shop earlier, just before they closed, knowing they wouldn’t get to it until after the July 4th holiday weekend.
Scene: In Den’s truck with him at the wheel, coming home from grocery shopping. It starts to rain.
Me: “Oh no! I can’t believe I left my windows down. What if they didn’t roll them up before closing the shop? I think we should go see if we need to roll them up.”
Dennis: “OK, but if they’ve already moved your car into the garage, I’m not breaking in so you can roll your windows up.”

Me: “I can’t believe it’s already 10:00! How did that happen?”
Dennis: “Well, it was 9:00. Then an hour passed.”

Background: I can’t stand long socks unless they are covered by long pants.  Therefore, I’ve bought Dennis numerous pairs of ankle socks for shorts weather.
Scene: Getting ready to go grocery shopping, headed to the door when I look down at Dennis’ feet. He is wearing shorts, tennis shoes, and his favorite kind of socks—the kind that go up to his knees.
Me: “Dennis! Look at your feet! I don’t think so, not happening.”
Dennis: (laughing): “I was going to roll them down.”
Oy!  Happens every time.

Me: “There’s something on your forehead.”  Dennis swipes at it ineffectually. I take over and then stare down in horror.  “It’s a booger!”

I may as well have kids.

We have a magnetic pad on the refrigerator (Thanks, Tina, for the fabulous cake pad!), and as we run out of things or realize we need something, we write it down so that I can include it on next week’s shopping list.  When I ask Dennis to add things, well, you can see some of the things I find on a regular basis:


Peanut butter really is our life source-we go through about a pound a week!

While taking a walk, Dennis and I were discussing how we, as a nation, sit too much. Then he went off on a typical-Dennis expostulation.

“The real problem with America is there are too many people that don’t sit,” he began. “A nation divided will fall. If there’s a disproportionate ratio of people exercising to people sitting all day, we will weaken as a nation. If I ever run for office, I’ll propose huge tax breaks for Americans who sit for at least twelve hours of each day. Then more people will sit to claim the tax breaks, and it will strengthen us as we become united. My slogan will be, ‘Sit, and be strong!’”

*sigh*  How can you not love someone this ridiculous?  Resistance is futile.

Cheeseburger Pie

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Nearly every single recipe that Faith from An Edible Mosaic posts, I want to try.  I have saved so many, but just like most recipes I save, I forget about them quickly.  However, this one really stuck in my cranium and even a week after I made it, I still can’t get it out.  I have to make this again, stat, and luckily I still have another sheet of puff pastry waiting in the freezer for me!

Her Cheeseburger Pie jumped out at me for several reasons.  First, it’s fairly simple.  Second, it’s pizza.  Third, it’s pizza that tastes like a cheeseburger, with a crust that looks like a bun!  Fourth, the ketchup and mustard are mixed in with the hamburger filling along with Worcestershire to kick it up a notch.  And fifth, she added a garlic & chive dressing to the top that I thought was a stroke of genius. I’ve had cheeseburger pies before, but never one quite like this.

This pizza not only met, but exceeded my expectations.  I wasn’t so sure using puff pastry as a pizza crust would work, but I really loved the shattering-crisp flakiness of it.  It really went well with the toppings.  The flavors in the filling were spot-on, and the lettuce, tomato, and dressing on top gives it a very nice, fresh quality that pairs well with the salty, cheesy filling.  This recipe is definitely worthy of my my “favorite recipes” folder and has already claimed it’s spot inside.  Thanks, Faith!

Cheeseburger Pie

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 sheet (1/2 lb) puff pastry, thawed
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 to 3/4 lb 95% lean ground beef*
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dill relish
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning
4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
1 egg, beaten (for eggwash)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, diced
Creamy Garlic & Chive Dressing (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place onion and beef in skillet and cook over medium heat, mixing and crumbling with spatula, until meat is browned. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add relish, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, and steak seasoning and cook until the liquid is evaporated (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat.

Unfold puff pastry and place on prepared baking sheet. Spread the meat mixture on the pastry (leaving a 1-inch border all the way around), and sprinkle the Cheddar on top. Use your finger to lightly brush the border with eggwash (you will have extra eggwash) and sprinkle sesame seeds around the edge. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

Cut into four slices and top each with lettuce, tomato, and a drizzle of Creamy Garlic & Chive Dressing.

*If you use meat with more fat than this, drain off the fat after browning.

Creamy Garlic & Chive Dressing
Yields about 1/3 cup

1/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dried chives
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch salt and pepper

Whisk together all ingredients; store refrigerated until serving.

Recipe source: adapted from An Edible Mosaic

Not Your Grandma’s Chocolate Sheet Cake

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A while back, my cousin, Pattie, shared a recipe for chocolate sheet cake with me that our Grandma Davis had written in her own hand, and allowed me to scan it so I could keep a copy for myself.  (Thank you, Pattie!)  This is precious to me, because my Grandma was and is precious to me, I love to bake, especially cake, recipes are precious to me, and this one is doubly so because it was written and used by her.

However, I don’t think I will ever make it as written.  I have had this old-fashioned chocolate sheet cake before (not baked by Grandma, but the same recipe), and I was not impressed with the lack of chocolate flavor, and thought it wasn’t quite moist enough.  I hate to say it, but it was, in fact, the worst homemade cake I’ve ever had.  Not that it was a terrible gag-worthy cake, it just wasn’t as good as all the others I’ve had.

Yes, my name is Veronica, and despite liking cake mixes, I am a cake snob.  I won’t even touch a store-bought cake (gag) unless I’m at a party where it’s being served, and I’ll take a slice so as not to offend.  But don’t you dare try to buy me one for my birthday.  I require that cakes have great flavor, great texture, delicious homemade frosting (preferably made with real butter), and be very moist.  This cake met none of those requirements, although the icing was almost good enough.

When I ran across Paula Deen’s recipe for Savannah Sheet Cake on From Apples to Zucchini recently, I could tell right away that it would be more moist, sweeter, and more chocolatey than Grandma’s recipe.  I combined that recipe with my Grandma’s directions for baking, and switched the regular cocoa powder with Dutch process to make it even more chocolatey.

I’m pleased to report that this cake is everything I hoped it would be: insanely moist and perfectly chocolatey.  It’s so good, I’m thinking of using the cake recipe to make a layer cake and seeing if it is as good as my favorite chocolate cake.  And I’m not sure how I know this, but when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it is sheet cake nirvana.

Super Chocolate Sheet Cake

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 cup water
1 cup unsalted butter
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup Dutch process or Hershey’s Dark cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Pecan Icing:
½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup Dutch process or Hershey’s Dark cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
16-oz. box confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted*

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour an 18″ x 12″ jelly roll pan. In a small saucepan, combine water, butter, oil, and cocoa. Bring the mixture to a boil; remove from heat. Stir together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, sour cream and cocoa mixture. Add the vanilla. Mix until very smooth, about 2 minutes.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 15 minutes, until the center appears firm and the cake has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Five minutes before the cake is done, start the icing. Bring the butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in the sugar and beat with an electric mixer until smooth, about a minute. Stir in the vanilla and pecans. Pour warm icing over warm cake and spread quickly with a spatula. Let cool about 2 hours before cutting. Laugh after reading that and dig right in, topping the warm piece with ice cream and let your eyes roll back in your head as you take your first bite.

*To toast pecans, place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until nuts are toasted and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Recipe source: Adapted from Paula Deen’s Savannah Sheet Cake

Thankful Thursdays #34: I’m a real person

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I made a thanksgiving resolution to find something to be thankful for every day until next Thanksgiving.  Here’s what I am thankful for this week!

Thursday: That I somehow managed to lose .4 pounds last week, despite only counting points two days out of seven.  Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m paying for Weight Watchers any more.  Actually, I do.  I think paying for it is the only thing that’s keeping me from gaining.  I’m not following the WW plan at all, so it must be those dollars spent that is keeping me from gaining.  I think I may have just jinxed myself, though!

Friday: Once again, our friends, Ben and Ashley, invited us over to dinner, but this time I remembered my camera.  I know my Thursday posts are always on the long side, but forgive me because I’m about to share a bunch of photos of our wonderful dinner with you.  Ben is a foodie, and fabulous chef.  Try not to be too jealous, OK?

Our appetizer: fried zucchini (garden fresh) with Ben's special sauce

The master at work.

Buttered mushrooms & caramelized onions to top the steaks, and a side of potatoes seasoned with smoked paptrika and bacon.

He also made a side of lemony buttered artichokes.

Den's T-bone steak with rosemary butter. As you can tell from the lack of anything else on his plate, this was all he cared about. He was in steak heaven!

My plate! It was soooo fantastic, and I don't really even like steak usually.

Individual apple pie tarts for dessert!

Served warm with ice cream. Pie nirvana.

You might recognize their daughter, Leah, from my Bible class.  BTW, she has renamed me “Caddy.”  Or maybe she’s calling me “Catty.”  (Hope not! lol)  Not sure how she got either from “Veronica,” but it’s kinda cute and I like it. :)

Playing in the sandbox while Daddy makes dinner.

Saturday: Good local restaurants and my zany family.  We had breakfast at Lexi’s, a new diner-type place just a few blocks from our home, and they had the best, biggest, fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever eaten.

In the evening, I went to my cousin, Racine’s, Tupperware party and she greeted me at the door in this getup, calling herself “Mrs. Discofire,” pronouncing it “disco fi-ah” in a perfect NY accent.  She stayed in character almost the whole night, and as you can guess, it was a fun one with lots of laughs.

Sunday: My Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. ALWAYS.

Monday: That we found someone who could fix my water pump for $75, just 1/4 of the price quoted to us at the shop, and that we had exactly that much money in our bank account!  Actually, we were short $5 but my Dad ended up paying us $10 (he does this once a month b/c that’s how much we pay to keep him on our phone plan) so it all worked out.  Booyah!

Tuesday:  That I no longer have to carpool with my husband!!  My water pump started leaking so bad that I couldn’t even make it two miles without having to pull over to refill the radiator with water, so I had to stop driving it last Wednesday.  Because our schedules are different, carpooling meant I had to drive him to work (across town), then drive home, then drive myself across town to work, then pick him up when I got off, and his huge extended-bed F150 is not so economical when it comes to gas consumption.  So glad we both have our own cars again.

Wednesday: I got the job!  As of August 1st, I will be a career employee for the US Postal Service.  Woot-diddly-doot!  I’m a real person now! LOL, that’s what my preacher said when I told him that I got offered a permanent position after all this time.  I’ve been a temp for seven years, so it does kinda feel like I’m real now. LOL!  Honestly, this still hasn’t settled in yet.  It just doesn’t seem real.  I’ve been a temp so long I don’t know if I can handle being a “real person” with job security and benefits.  Ha!

Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

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I saved a recipe for “Perfect Pulled Pork” that I found in a magazine in an ad for pork, but since I don’t like pork (other than bacon, of course), I decided to try the recipe with beef and turn it into barbecue beef sandwiches.  It worked famously!  I’m not a huge meat eater, but I kind of went crazy for these and was so sad when the last of the leftovers were gone.  I can’t wait to make them again.

Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

5 lbs. beef roast
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
2-3 cups barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s)
Soft sandwich buns
Dilly Cucumber Salad or coleslaw (optional)

Combine all seasoning in a small bowl and rub evenly over roast. Place meat in a 6-quart slow cooker; add water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours or until beef is very tender. If you are at home, I recommend turning the roast over halfway through cooking time because the top will get a little dry. Place beef on large cutting board or platter and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, pour out all the juices from the crockpot. Pull, slice, or chop the meat and return to crockpot. Stir in as much barbecue sauce as you desire. Serve on buns and top with Dilly Cucumber Salad or coleslaw, if desired.

Serves 16-20

Recipe source: adapted from the National Pork Board’s Perfect Pulled Pork