Puff Pastry Cream Horns

 

Cream Horns are one of my favorite desserts going way back.  We had italian bakery owners in our family, so desserts were always plentiful.  These were routinely part of the assortment of pastries.  I've never made them, but would love to.

Jillian's recipe at Food, Folks and Fun utilizes puff pastry to make the horn part of the pastry.  Sounds easy and delicious.  The puff pastry will make it so light and flaky!  Jillian is always so inventive with her recipes!

Click here to go to the recipe source page.

Cake with Rum Syrup

 

Photo Source: Recipes of Ybor City Facebook Group

This cake takes me back to childhood Christmas seasons.  There was a time when we would visit friends and family on Christmas Eve like a marathon.  I can't remember exactly who made this cake, but it was made every year.   

It was sinfully delicious!

CAKE:

2 c. sifted cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
6 egg whites
12 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla

Set oven to 375 degrees. 

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium-size mixing bowl. 

Beat egg whites until stiff, adding sugar a little at a time. 

Add egg yolks one by one. 

Fold in sifted flour. 

Add vanilla and pour into a buttered square cake mold. 

Bake for about 30 minutes. 

Let cool. 

Cut cake into squares but do not take out of the pan.

SYRUP:

4 c. sugar
2 c. water
1 cinnamon stick
1 lime peel
3 or 4 drops lime juice
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. rum or sweet wine

Put the sugar, water, cinnamon stick, lime juice and lime peel in a pot. 

Bring to a boil and let it boil for about 5 minutes. 

Take off the stove and add vanilla.
 

Let cool and add the rum. 

Pour the syrup over the cake squares. 

Best when refrigerated a while.

Recipe from Recipes of Ybor City Facebook Group

Coconut-Pecan German Chocolate Pie

     Photo source:  Taste of Home

Going through recipes in my collection from old cookbooks and magazines.  My files are full of these recipes. Here is a recipe for a pie that could be a contender for your holiday dessert table from Taste of Home.  I love Taste of Home!  Check out their website for lots of awesome recipes.

Doesn't it look delicious?

NOTE:  I'm not a fan of lard, so I would substitute with shortening or butter.

Originally published as Coconut-Pecan German Chocolate Pie in Taste of Home, December 2013

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/coconut-pecan-german-chocolate-pie/


Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold lard
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

FILLING:

• 4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

TOPPING:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Mix flour and salt in a small bowl . . . blend lard in until crumbly.  Add ice water gradually, toss until dough holds together.  Shape into a disk and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight wrapped in plastic wrap.

Preheat oven to 400°. 

Roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle on a lightly floured surface.  Transfer dough to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate and flute edge. Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil and fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice.

Bake 11-13 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned. Remove foil and weights . . . bake 6-8 minutes longer or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack. 

Reduce oven setting to 350°.

Melt chocolates in a large bowl in the microwave and stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk in milk, egg yolks and vanilla until well blended.  Stir in pecans. Pour into crust. 

Bake 16-19 minutes or until set. 

Cool 1 hour on a wire rack.

Meanwhile . . . combine brown sugar, cream and butter in a small heavy saucepan.  On medium heat, bring to a boil, while stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.

Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks in a small bowl.  Return all to pan and whisk constantly, cook 2-3 minutes or until mixture thickens and a thermometer reads 160°. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and vanilla; cool 10 minutes.

Pour over filling; sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate 4 hours or until cold. 


Yield: 8 servings.

Air Fryer Baked Potato

 

The baked potato looks so crispy and perfect!

I've made frozen french fries in the air fryer, but not baked potatoes.  Sometimes I make a meal of a baked potato, so I will have to try this.  

Thank you Ashley!  The Recipe Rebel is one of my new favorites with great information to go with the recipes.

Click here to go to Ashley's informative recipe page.

What To Make With Chicken Broth

 

Photo Source: Easy Chicken Recipes

Chicken broth is one of the most important items to have in your kitchen.  

While many make homemade chicken broth, I keep a jar of Better Than Bouillon to make my own chicken stock.  Since I love shortcuts in the kitchen, I just mix it in water and have delicious chicken stock in minutes.  Click here for the Better Than Bouillon website for everything you want to know about using this awesome product that comes in many flavors.

One of my cooking tricks is to use chicken stock instead of water when making rice or pasta.  Think about all the items you make that require water and replace with chicken stock.  It brings an enhanced flavor to whatever you are making.

Becky at Easy Chicken Recipes has an in depth article on everything you want to know about chicken broth, including 29 recipes using it.

Click here to go to Becky's post.

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

 

Photo Source: Food Folks and Fun

The air fryer is what I now predominantly use since The Captain passed away and I am cooking for one.  I've adapted many of my recipes to prepare in the air fryer and will post many of these recipes.  There are many people cooking for one and using their air fryer, so I am looking for more air fryer recipes.  More recipes will be posted in the future.

Jillian at Food, Folks and Fun has posted an in depth air fryer recipe post for chicken thighs.  The article is very informative.  Thank you Jillian!  I am a subscriber to her newsletter and everyone should too!

Click here to go to the recipe post.

Pastina

 

Photo Source:  La Bella Vita Cocina

Pastina is one of my favorite childhood foods.  Maybe the fascination was the little tiny star noodles, however, it was also very delicious.  

It conjures up memories of my nana in the kitchen taking care of everyone.  Pastina would be served to anyone who had the flu or a cold, even though I would ask for it on a normal day.  Guess you could call it italian chicken soup.  

It has been decades since I've had Pastina since I have had no idea of how to make it.  My mom doesn't even remember.  It was one of those things that was so normal, the mindset was that it would always be there, like my nana.  We all loved it.  This reminds me how much I miss my precious nana, she was a treasure. 

Now, thanks to Roz at La Bella Vita Cucina, I can make pastina myself.  I would love to make a large batch and freeze it in portions.  

I mentioned Pastina to The Captain all the time and told him how special it was.  It makes me sad that he will never know.

Click here to go to the recipe page source.  Thank you so much Roz!