Mom's Crockpot Corn

Meals at my parent's home in rural Stafford, KS almost always included Crockpot Corn. If memory serves me, I believe she obtained this recipe from Gerry Ann (Hartnett) Hildebrand.  
We haven't had this for awhile but it was on the list of "comfort foods" Mom requested for Christmas dinner 2017. 

Mom's Crockpot Corn 
20 oz. frozen corn
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter or margarine
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Cook and drain corn.
  2. Place with other ingredients in crockpot and simmer (LOW) for 4 hours.

Recipe without photos . . .
Mom's Crockpot Corn 
20 oz. frozen corn
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter or margarine
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Cook and drain corn.
  2. Place with other ingredients in crockpot and simmer (LOW) for 4 hours.

FRENCH SILK FROSTING

The incredible flavors of French Silk Pie is a frosting. This cocoa flavored buttercream  has a creamy, silky consistency; so good that it could be eaten by the spoonful! And, yes, this is the frosting I used to make at the Kirby House restaurant. 

FRENCH SILK FROSTING  enough to cover a 3-layer cake                                                                    
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened  (2 sticks)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened baking cocoa powder + 3 T. vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk
  1. In a medium bowl, blend powdered sugar, butter, cocoa powder, vegetable oil and vanilla on low speed. Increase speed to high. 
  2. Gradually add milk; beat until smooth and very creamy and  fluffy; the color should also lighten -- about 4 to 5 minutes.
    Meringue Cake frosted with French Silk Frosting.

Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Trees

A simple, minimum-mess way to spruce up you Christmas cakes or cupcakes . . .

Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Trees 
Chocolate Chips (amount depends upon number of trees you plan to make)
Crushed Peppermint Candy
Pretzel Sticks
Other: plastic storage/freezer bag that can be sealed & wax paper

  1. Simple, minimum mess way to melt and pipe chocolate -- Place chocolate chips in a plastic storage/freezer bag. Place bag with chips in microwave and heat for just a minute or two -- until chocolate chips melt. Squeeze chocolate to one of the pointed ends of the bag. Make a small snip at the tip -- just large enough to be able to pipe.
  2. Arrange wax paper on a tray and pipe tree shapes on the paper. 
  3. Push a pretzel stick into the "tree," allowing part of pretzel to extend (it becomes the tree trunk and what is inserted into the cake/cupcakes; pipe with a little more chocolate as needed. Sprinkle with crushed peppermints (sprinkles, etc.)
  4. Let set (or refrigerate) until firm.
  5. Then, insert trunk of tree into cake or cupcakes.
Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Trees decorate
our Christmas Meringue Cake.
Recipe without photos . . .
Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Trees 
Chocolate Chips (amount depends upon number of trees you plan to make)
Crushed Peppermint Candy
Pretzel Sticks
Other: plastic storage/freezer bag that can be sealed & wax paper
  1. Simple, minimum mess way to melt and pipe chocolate -- Place chocolate chips in a plastic storage/freezer bag. Place bag with chips in microwave and heat for just a minute or two -- until chocolate chips melt. Squeeze chocolate to one of the pointed ends of the bag. Make a small snip at the tip -- just large enough to be able to pipe.
  2. Arrange wax paper on a tray and pipe tree shapes on the paper. 
  3. Push a pretzel stick into the "tree," allowing part of pretzel to extend (it becomes the tree trunk and what is inserted into the cake/cupcakes; pipe with a little more chocolate as needed. Sprinkle with crushed peppermints (sprinkles, etc.)
  4. Let set (or refrigerate) until firm.
  5. Then, insert trunk of tree into cake or cupcakes.

Christmas Cake – Meringue Cake with French Silk Frosting 

Saw this cake on the Food Network and was intrigued. I used their basic cake recipe and then put my twist on it for Christmas. 

Christmas Cake – Meringue Cake with French Silk Frosting
Nonstick cooking spray, for spraying the pan
4 egg whites 
1 cup granulated sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
Pinch salt 
4 cups finely crushed graham crackers
1 cup chopped walnuts 
Special equipment: a 9-inch nonstick springform pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9” springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust it with a few of the crushed graham crackers.
  2. In an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
  3. Add the granulated sugar slowly, then the vanilla, baking powder and salt while beating, about 2 more minutes – egg whites should be at the stiff peak stage
  4. Fold in the graham crackers and walnuts. The mixture will be very thick.
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
  6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
  7. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the springform pan.
  8. Frost with French Silk Frosting and garnish with Christmas Trees.

Recipe without photos . . .
Christmas Cake – Meringue Cake with French Silk Frosting 
Nonstick cooking spray, for spraying the pan
4 egg whites 
1 cup granulated sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
Pinch salt 
4 cups finely crushed graham crackers
1 cup chopped walnuts 
Special equipment: a 9-inch nonstick springform pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9” springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust it with a few of the crushed graham crackers
  2. In an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
  3. Add the granulated sugar slowly, then the vanilla, baking powder and salt while beating, about 2 more minutes – egg whites should be at the stiff peak stage
  4. Fold in the graham crackers and walnuts. The mixture will be very thick.
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
  6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
  7. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the springform pan.
  8. Frost with French Silk Frosting and garnish with Christmas Trees.

Copycat Macaroni Grill's Rosemary Bread

Always in search of yet another good bread recipe, I found many references to this copycat version of an Italian style bread from Macaroni Grill. It is relatively easy and the added rosemary + salt and pepper give it an Italian flavor. Serve with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for an even more authentic taste.
Copycat Macaroni Grill's Rosemary Bread 
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup warm water (about 110-115°)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and serving
2 tablespoons dried rosemary or 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
  1. Combine the yeast, sugar and ¼ cup of water in a large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.
  2. In the same bowl, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 ½ tablespoons rosemary, fine salt, ¾ cups warm water and all the flour.
  3. Mix with large spoon until dough forms.
  4. Then knead dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for about 5 to 7 minutes.
  5. Rub olive oil on the inside of a clean bowl and put the dough in, cover with plastic wrap or a cloth and let stand for 1 hour. The dough should have doubled in size by this time.
    Above - before rising.
    Below - after rising.
  6. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
  7. Next, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 halves.
  8. Knead each piece for a minute or so, sprinkling with flour, as needed and work into a ball. Place each loaf on the prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly. Let stand, uncovered, for about 1 hour or until dough has doubled.
  9. Preheat oven to 400°.
  10. Bake the loaves for 10 minutes.
  11. Remove them from the oven and brush with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with the kosher salt and pepper and crumble the remaining rosemary over top of the loaf.
  12. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
  13. Let cool slightly and serve warm.
Recipe without photos . . .
Copycat Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread 
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup warm water (about 110-115°)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and serving
2 tablespoons dried rosemary or 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
  1. Combine the yeast, sugar and ¼ cup of water in a large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.
  2. In the same bowl, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 ½ tablespoons rosemary, fine salt, ¾ cups warm water and all the flour.
  3. Mix with large spoon until dough forms.
  4. Then knead dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for about 5 to7 minutes.
  5. Rub olive oil on the inside of a clean bowl and put the dough in, cover with plastic wrap or a cloth and let stand for 1 hour. The dough should have doubled in size by this time.
  6. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
  7. Next, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 halves.
  8. Knead each piece for a minute or so, sprinkling with flour, as needed and work into a ball. Place each loaf on the prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly. Let stand, uncovered, for about 1 hour or until dough has doubled.
  9. Preheat oven to 400°.
  10. Bake the loaves for 10 minutes.
  11. Remove them from the oven and brush with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with the kosher salt and pepper and crumble the remaining rosemary over top of the loaf.
  12. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
  13. Let cool slightly and serve warm.

Hot Spiced Cider

Another Peppernut tasting this morning for a small group and I offered coffee, tea and
Hot Spiced Cider. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary about this recipe but it is just one that I'd like to use again as it's not to sweet and the spices compliment the cider without overpowering. So, if it's on the blog I'll know where to find it.

Hot Spiced Cider
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 large cinnamon stick or 2 mall
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground nutmeg
Orange peel
2 quarts apple cider
  1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. For ease, place whole spices and orange peel in a cheesecloth bag or large tea ball. I simply put them in the pot and then strained them out before serving.
  2. Turn down heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to meld flavors.

Gingerbread House Decorating Party

"Works of art: on display!
Last year (2016) I bought a gingerbread house cutter after much deliberation – it was in my hand, then I put it back on the shelf and left the store. Later, in another store I found it for half price and bought it. My idea was to have a gingerbread house decorating party. I make a batch of dough and constructed one house. That was enough! All party plans were off the table and I vowed never to make another.
However, by the time the 2017 holiday season rolled around a decorating party again seemed like a fun idea. This time around I found a sturdy dough recipe and instructions @ Genius Kitchen blog. This is what they said about it, “While edible, this gingerbread house dough recipe is ‘structural.’ It has no leaveners that would make it puff up and distort the shapes, and it's firm so it can support lots of decorations.”
I made the dough, baked it and all was well so I proceeded to invite several couples to an party.
Wednesday before the Sunday afternoon party was designated as the construction day.  Made the Royal Icing and began to build . . . and the sturdy sides immediately began to fall in! Decided if I’d support the first wall and let it set, then I could proceed; that seemed to be working. After the four walls were up and dry, then I attempted to add the roof (the sturdy dough is also relatively heavy) and kept sliding off . . . then the walls started imploding! By this time I’m ranting ###@@** and telling Barry that I was going to cancel the party! He said, “Just use a hot glue gun!” Still determined to do it the traditional way, I managed to get two houses together and I decided our decorating challenge would be to turn a shack into a mansion! But by then, it was time to leave for the GTP play and I only had two of the five constructed and no time left before Sunday to finish. That meant after the play out came the glue gun and I finished off the other houses in a relatively short period of time.
On Saturday afternoon I covered our dining room table with brown packaging paper and set out candies, cookies, crackers, cereal, etc. in anticipation.
Sunday the guests arrived and I have to say we had a blast! It was lots of work, but definitely worth the effort. I might even do it again next year.
Gingerbread House Cutter Kit
Gingerbread Dough  Sturdy Enough to Make a House
This recipe makes 2 gingerbread houses using this cut outs I purchased.To double or triple the recipe, see the Note below.

2 cups light corn syrup (or dark corn syrup for a darker house)
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light-brown sugar (or dark brown sugar for a darker house)
1 1/4 cups margarine
9 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
  1.  In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat corn syrup, brown sugar and margarine until margarine has melted and sugar has dissolved completely. Stir until smooth.Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add syrup-sugar-margarine mixture. Mix well.
  2. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
  3. Heat the oven to 350°.
  4. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick onto a sheet of parchment (I used a silicon sheet) cut to fit your baking pan. (If dough was difficult to roll, microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds.)
  5. Lightly flour the cutters and place them on the rolled-out dough, leaving about a 1-inch space between pieces. Try to fit as many as you can without crowding. Remove and reserve excess dough. Reroll dough scraps for the remainder of the pieces.
  6. Grab the opposite edges of the parchment paper (silicon sheet) and transfer to the baking sheet.
  7. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until pieces are firm and lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely before removing from pans. 

Note: This recipe can be easily be doubled or even tripled. Instead of measuring out the flour, for a double recipe, use 1 (5-pound) bag plus 1 cup flour. For a triple recipe, use 2 (5-pound) bags plus 2 cups flour.

Partial pictorial construction of a house . . .
I secured one wall with the peaked roof on a tray with Royal Icing and rested it against a mixing bowl until dry.
Coat edges on edges of sides and attach to tray.
Add 4th piece and as you noticed I tied the house so it wouldn't fall apart and then allowed the icing to harden.
Here's what it looked like on the inside. Roof additions were the problem until I resorted to gluing them in place with a hot glue gun.


Easy Royal Icing      Recipe from the Spruce blog
An icing that hardens as it sets so ideal for gingerbread house construction.
1 lb powdered sugar (about 4 cups or 450 grams)
4 egg whites (or 1/2 cup liquid egg whites)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Optional: food coloring in desired colors

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy.
Switch to low speed and gradually sift the sugar into the egg whites until it's completely incorporated. Then add the lemon juice and beat on high speed until the icing is very thick and forms stiff peaks, about 5 to 10 minutes.
At this point, you can add the food coloring, if you're only going to need a full batch of one color. But if you need more than one color, separate whatever quantities of icing you need into individual bowls and just stir in the coloring you want.
Tips:
Although the icing can be thinned, keep it thick for gingerbread house construction. Add it to a piping bag or use a spatula to spread.

You should use the royal icing right away or store it in an airtight container because it will harden quickly when exposed to the air. You can store it for a few days in the fridge, as long as it's in an airtight container.


Photos of the party set up, construction and final "works of art" -- all were unique and creative. The party was a blast!















Recipes without photos . . .
Gingerbread Dough  Sturdy Enough to Make a House
This recipe makes 2 gingerbread houses using this cut outs I purchased.To double or triple the recipe, see the Note below.

2 cups light corn syrup (or dark corn syrup for a darker house)
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light-brown sugar (or dark brown sugar for a darker house)
1 1/4 cups margarine
9 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
  1.  In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat corn syrup, brown sugar and margarine until margarine has melted and sugar has dissolved completely. Stir until smooth.Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add syrup-sugar-margarine mixture. Mix well.
  2. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
  3. Heat the oven to 350°.
  4. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick onto a sheet of parchment (I used a silicon sheet) cut to fit your baking pan. (If dough was difficult to roll, microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds.)
  5. Lightly flour the cutters and place them on the rolled-out dough, leaving about a 1-inch space between pieces. Try to fit as many as you can without crowding. Remove and reserve excess dough. Reroll dough scraps for the remainder of the pieces.
  6. Grab the opposite edges of the parchment paper (silicon sheet) and transfer to the baking sheet.
  7. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until pieces are firm and lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely before removing from pans. 
Note: This recipe can be easily be doubled or even tripled. Instead of measuring out the flour, for a double recipe, use 1 (5-pound) bag plus 1 cup flour. For a triple recipe, use 2 (5-pound) bags plus 2 cups flour.

Easy Royal Icing      Recipe from the Spruce blog
An icing that hardens as it sets so ideal for gingerbread house construction. 
1 lb powdered sugar (about 4 cups or 450 grams)
4 egg whites (or 1/2 cup liquid egg whites)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Optional: food coloring in desired colors

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy.
Switch to low speed and gradually sift the sugar into the egg whites until it's completely incorporated. Then add the lemon juice and beat on high speed until the icing is very thick and forms stiff peaks, about 5 to 10 minutes.
At this point, you can add the food coloring, if you're only going to need a full batch of one color. But if you need more than one color, separate whatever quantities of icing you need into individual bowls and just stir in the coloring you want.
Tips:
Although the icing can be thinned, keep it thick for gingerbread house construction. Add it to a piping bag or use a spatula to spread.

You should use the royal icing right away or store it in an airtight container because it will harden quickly when exposed to the air. You can store it for a few days in the fridge, as long as it's in an airtight container.)
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