Mississippi Mud Cake

Mississippi Mud Cake

A classic Southern sheet cake. It is a decadent dessert yet simple to make.

• 2 sticks butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 bag miniature marshmallows
• 1 recipe chocolate frosting

Melt butter and cocoa over medium heat.
Remove from heat and stir in sugar.
Add eggs and mix well.
Add flour, salt and vanilla, stirring well.
Pour into a greased and floured 13"x 9"x 2" pan.
Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
Test after 30 minutes for doneness.
As soon as cake is removed from oven, sprinkle top with marshmallows.
Spread with chocolate frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1 pound confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 stick butter or margarine, soften
• 1/2 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.

Printable Recipe

 

Top cake with marshmallows directly out of the oven.

 

 

Spread frosting over marshmallows.  Cool completely before serving.

 

 

 

Luscious chocolate, crunchy pecan, and gooey marshmallows

 

Spiced Pear Paste

Pear paste is ideal for adding to cheese platters. A great counterpoint to any cheese with a touch of acidity.  It is very refreshing and flavorful.

 

4 pounds pears
4 granny smith apples
1/2 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
2 lemons
5 cups sugar
1 box of powdered pectin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and core pears and apples.
Cook peels and cores in 1/2 cup of water until mushy.
Put in food mill and extract pulp.  Return to pot.
Place pears and apples in sauce pot with the pulp, Simmer until soft.
Place this mixture through food mill.  Return to pot.
Add the zest and juice of lemons.
Mix pectin and fruit and bring to rolling boil.  Boil 1 minute.
Add sugar all at one time, bring to rolling boil.  Boil 1 minute.
Pour fruit mixture into a heated crock pot.
Add cinnamon stick.
Cook on high 6 hours, stirring  every 30 minutes.
Stir in vanilla and remove cinnamon stick.
Ladle paste into sterile 4 ounce jelly jars.
Top with lids and bands and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Printable Recipe

What you will need:

Pears, apples, lemons, pectin, sugar, cinnamon stick, and vanilla

 

Use a food mill to extract pulp.  Do not use a food processor or blender.  It will breakdown the natural pectin in the fruit.

 

 

 

Warm crock pot before you pour the fruit into it.  Heat on high with water in it.   

 

Pears are a low pectin fruit.  Additional pectin is required to make them jell  Pear paste is a concentrated jam.  By using a crock pot it eliminates constant watching and stirring. Yield is about 6 pints. 

How to Make Canadian Bacon

Apple-Wood Smoked Canadian Bacon

• Pork Loin, trimmed of all fat
• 1 tablespoon of Morton Sugar Cure per pound of meat
• 1 teaspoon of sugar per pound of meat

Mix sugar and sugar cure together.
Rub seasoning into meat.
Place in food grade bag.
Place in refrigerator  3 to 5 days, turning occasionally.
Remove from bag and refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours.
Smoke over indirect heat at 200 degrees until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Printable Recipe

Mix sugar and sugar cure together.
This is 5 pounds of pork loin, so 5 teaspoons sugar and 5 tablespoons Morton Sugar Cure.

Rub cure into pork.

Place in food grade bag. Store in refrigerator 3 to 5 days.

Rinse off salt, pat dry, and place in refrigerator 24 hours uncovered.  As the meat dries it will develop a pellicule. This will give a surface for the smoke to adhere to.

Grill over indirect at 200 degrees for 4 hours or until internal temperature is 160 degrees.

Make a foil packet of wood chips and place over heat source.  Poke holes in top of packet. You will need to replace packets during smoking. 

Morton Sugar Cure is a product for home curing.  It can be found it most grocery stores. It contains salt, sugar, propylene glycol, and sodium nitrite.

Tips:

• Slice a small piece from end after curing 3 to 5 days.  Fry in skillet and taste for saltiness.  If it is too salty soak in clear water for 30 minutes.
• Do not use more sugar cure than recipe calls for. 
• Loin can be cooked in oven if you prefer.

Peanut Butter Fudge

 

• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 1 cup of corn syrup
• 1 1/4 cups nonfat powdered milk
• 1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling candy

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. 
Knead. 
Shape into balls.
Roll candy in 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar.
Makes about 2 pounds of candy.

• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Place morsels in a heavy-duty zip-top bag. 
Submerge in hot water until melted.
Snip a tiny hole in corner of bag and drizzle over candy. 
Place in freezer for 5 minutes to harden chocolate

Printable Recipe

What you will need:

Corn syrup, peanut butter, dry milk, and confectioner's sugar

 

 

Mix together, peanut butter, corn syrup, powdered milk, and confectioner's sugar.

 

 

Mix until well blended.  Candy will be stiff.

 

 

Knead candy.

 

 

Roll into balls. Roll in confectioner's sugar.

 

 

Place 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate in zip-lock bag.

 

Submerge in hot water until melted.  Snip a tiny hole in corner.

 

 

Drizzle over candy. To harden chocolate place in freezer for about 5 minutes.

 

 

Goodies without the hassle.  This is a great candy recipe that children can help with.

 

 

 



Pecan Pie Muffins

 

 

 

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together flour, sugar, and pecans.
Beat eggs until foamy and stir in melted butter. Stir in vanilla.
Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients.
Stir until just moistened.
Line muffin tin with paper liners.
Spray liners with Baker's Joy.
Fill muffin tins with batter until almost full.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 350* degrees for 30 minutes.
Makes about 10 regular sized muffins.

Printable Recipe

What you will need:

Flour, brown sugar, pecans, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract

Mix together flour, brown sugar, and pecans.

Beat eggs until foamy.

Stir butter and vanilla into eggs.

Stir dry ingredients with wet ingredients until just moistened.

Line muffin tins with liners and spray with Baker's Joy.

Fill muffin tins almost full.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 350* degrees for 30 minutes

 

Spray liners with Baker's Joy to prevent sticking.

Ham and Spinach Quiche

• 1 pre-baked pie crust
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 pound ham, chopped
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cup cream or half and half
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute onions until tender.  Combine spinach with onions and ham
Fill pre-baked pie crust with spinach mixture.
Layer  shredded cheese in pie crust; reserve 1/4 cup for top.
Blend eggs, cream, pepper and salt; Pour slowly into pie crust.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 350* for 30 minutes.   Remove from oven and top with reserved cheese.
Continue baking for 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Printable Recipe

What you will need:

 

pie crust, onion, ham, spinach, cheese, cream, eggs, salt, and pepper

 

 

 

Saute onion, add ham and spinach.  Cool.

 

 

Layer spinach mixture into crust and top with cheese.

 

 

Blend eggs, cream, salt, and pepper.

 

 

Slowly pour custard into crust

Bake at 350 degrees in pre-heated oven.

 

 

Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

 

Fresh or frozen spinach can be used for this recipe.  Defrost and remove all moisture from frozen spinach.  Chop and saute fresh spinach with onions to wilt.   Quiche in photo is baked in a springform pan but a deep dish pie pan may be used.  The garnish is micro-green radishes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Igloos

 

• 1/2 cup butter, soften
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup toasted pecans
• 1 package 8 ounce package buttered flavored cookie rings
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 20 maraschino cherries with stems

In a medium bowl cream butter and sugar.  Stir in pineapple until blended.
In food processor chop raisins and pecans until coarse ground.  Stir into pineapple mixture.
Spread filling onto 3 cookies.  Stack and gently press together.  Top with plain cookie.
Repeat until you have 20 stacks.
Let stand 8 hours or overnight at room temperature until cookies are soft.
Just before serving beat cream with sugar and vanilla until stiff.
Frost cookie stacks with whipped cream.  Sprinkle with coconut and top with cherry.

Printable Recipe

What you will need:

Sugar, butter, pineapple, raisins, pecans, butter cookies, whipped cream, vanilla, coconut, and cherries

 

 

Spread filling on three cookies.

 

 

Stack the filled cookies and top with plain cookie.  Press together gently.  Repeat with remaining cookies.

 

 

 

Let stand 8 hours or overnight at room temperature.  Cookies will soften.

 

 

After 8 hours.

 

  

This makes a pretty dessert for Christmas.  Cool Whip can be used for whipped cream frosting.  It is  more stable than whipped cream and will allow frosting the cookie stacks several hours before serving.  Refrigerate after frosting the cakes.  The unfrosted cookie stacks can be stored two days in refrigerator or frozen for one month, making this a great make-ahead dessert.