Monday, October 31, 2011

Easy Dessert

I saw this brownie recipe on a friend’s blog and thought we’d give it a try.  It literally could not be easier and it’s a new fun snack.

INGREDIENTS
1 box of devil’s food cake mix
1 can of pumpkin

DIRECTIONS
Mix them together and bake at 350 for 40 min. or until done.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Apple-Butterscotch Brownies

Yesterday we went to the Altapass Orchard along the Blue Ridge Parkway and it was such a neat experience. We thought that it would be a lot of fun to actually pick some apples in the mountains.  It was a beautiful fall day and so picturesque.  Definitely something that we’ll be venturing out and doing again.  We came home with a huge peck of apples, and I knew that I wanted to try out a different recipe with them.  So this time, it was apple-butterscotch brownies.  To say the least, the brownies didn’t disappoint.  We did alter the recipe some though and although it called for three cups of peeled/diced apples, we only used one and added butterscotch chips. 
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INGREDIENTS
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup pelled and diced apples

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350.  Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 – 10 minutes.  Stir together brown sugar and next 3 ingredients.  Stir together flour and next 2 ingredients; add to brown sugar mixture and stir until blended.  Stir in apples and pecans.  Pour mixture into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan.  Bake at 350 for 30 – 40 minutes.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Ham and Navy Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS
A 1 pound bag of dry navy beans or
3 cans of canned navy beans
3 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
7 Cups Water
1 Cup Milk
2 Chopped Celery Stalks
2 Minced Garlic Cloves
3 Sliced Carrots
1 Large yellow onion (chopped)
1/4 Cup chopped Fresh Parsley
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 1/2 pounds Smoked Ham Hock
1 10 ounce can of tomato soup

DIRECTIONS
Soak the beans overnight for 8 hours. Pour the beans in a stock pot, add 4 cups water and simmer for 45 minutes on medium heat. Stirring occasionally. While the navy beans are cooking skim the top with a large spoon to get rid of any foam. While the beans are cooking, in a separate pot add 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 3 cups water and 1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hock. Heat to boiling then reduce heat and simmer on medium high heat for 30 minutes.  While the broth and ham is simmering add 2 minced or crushed garlic cloves, 1/4 cups chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. After simmering the ham and broth for 35 minutes, pull the ham hock out and set it on a plate or in a bowl. Now strain the broth into a bowl so that we can get some of those nasty white chunks of fat and grizzle out of there. Now pick out the pieces of ham that's in the strainer / colander that you would like to save and put them back in the pot after picking off any unwanted fat. Do the same with the other ham that you put on a plate. Now strip the bone totally and add it back to the pot. By this time the beans should have cooked about 40-45 minutes. So keep the heat on and pour the broth in the pot with the beans and then add the ham and the ham bone. Now pour about 2 tablespoons olive oil into a large frying pan and heat the oil on medium high. Now add 1 large chopped onion, 3 thinly sliced carrots, and 2 finely chopped celery stalks and saute for about 4 minutes. Stirring frequently. After sauteing for 4 minutes add the saute mix to the beans along with 1 cup of milk and 1 10 ounce can of tomato soup. Now simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. You will have to watch it after adding the milk because it tends to bubble over if the stove is on too high. On the 20 minute mark the recipe for navy bean soup is finished. Let it sit for a few minutes and skim the top with a large spoon to get rid of the film on the top which is extra fat that you may not want.