Catherine Love~ Ramblings from my Heart and Home

Peach & Walnut Cobbler

This was our snack-time treat for today.  It is a variation of a recipe that I use when I need a quick, easy dessert. 

Peach & Walnut Cobbler

Melt one stick of butter and pour into 13x9 baking dish. 

Pour in one 29 oz. can of sliced peaches.

Mix together:

1 cup unbleached organic flour

1 cup Rapadura (or cane juice crystals, or your choice of "sugar")

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda (omit if using plain milk)

Add:

1 cup buttermilk (or plain milk if you don't have buttermilk)

1 tsp vanilla

Stir until ingredients are blended.

Pour over butter and fruit.  Do not stir. 

Sprinkle with a couple of handfuls of walnuts and a little bit of cinnamon.

 Bake in 375 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy! 

Cool Weather Cooking

I really wanted to title this post COLD WEATHER COOKING, because to my wimpy flesh, it's COLD around here!  My husband just laughs at me, and I'm sure those of you who live where it really does get cold would, too . 

That's just fine- I'm used to it. 

Anyway, it is at least cool enough these days to enjoy having the oven on!  I'm going to search through my recipe pile today and do some cooking.  Yes, I meant pile instead of file ; I have a file folder that I've been putting recipes in for a while with plans to type them all up into a cookbook for family and friends..... It's become my Recipe Pile because I'm always digging thru it looking for something, and it is a mess.  Pile and Bulldoze, those are my methods for organization it seems.  Works for me.

On my list so far this morning are:

Chili (I always make chili when it gets cold)

Chicken and Dumplings (my favorite comfort food)

Tortilla Soup (Yummmmm)

Bread (my children consider bread & butter a complete meal)

Herb Rolls (new recipe from  Victoria magazine)

Pumpkin Bread (I love pumpkin bread)

Spiced Apple Cider (for our small group tomorrow)

Most of the above I don't even need to venture to the Recipe Pile for; but I know I've got some good things hiding out in that folder, if I can just find them .  Well, that ought to keep me busy in the kitchen for a couple of days.  Anyone have a favorite "Cool Weather Recipe" to share??? I still have room for some keepers in the Recipe Pile !

Blessings,

Catherine

Caramel Cake Mix Cookies

These are soooo yummy, and simple to make.  My daughters made them for our cottage prayer meeting last night.  They were such a hit that there wasn't even one left, much to my girlies' disappointment .  I felt sorry for them and got them more ingredients last night, and they made another batch today. 

They are not even a tiny bit healthy I'm certain; so they will be a rare treat around here.

Cake Mix Cookies

1 cake mix (caramel is what we used)

2/3 cup cooking oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup walnuts (optional but good)

Mix together.  Roll into 1/2 inch balls.  Bake on ungreased baking sheets at 375 for 10 minutes.  Enjoy!!!

We've also made these with chocolate cake mix and added pecans and/or chocolate chips.

Question for the Hunters...

and wives who cook the game they bring home !  I have been given several packages of ground deer meat.  I need to know the best way to cook it, please.  I attempted a Tamale Pie with one package but it was awful- not sure if that was entirely the fault of the meat, though. 

I know that we were instructed to soak the deer steak before cooking, should I do the same with the ground meat???  The kind lady who gave it to me said it would be good in a "Macaroni Dish"... my family really doesn't eat things like that- picky critters...  Sooooo, if some of you would please give me some idea of what to do with this, I'd be most grateful!  Recipes would be a wonderful blessing! 

I'm cooking from the freezer this week as my poor husband missed some work due to a back problem, which sent our tight budget out the window.  Good news is he finally agreed to go to the chiropractor, and though he has 9 "problems" in his spine , they are all in Stage 1 and can be helped.  Not so good news, is it's NOT going to be inexpensive, and of course our insurance doesn't cover it... Well, anyway the LORD knows all of this and He has always provided for us, so this is also in His loving  hands. 

OK, I'll be waiting for your help with cooking my deer (that sounds rather odd....venison)!!!

Blessings,

Catherine

Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

I was thankful to find this recipe in one of my cookbooks today .  It is shopping day, and we are out of almost everything it seems.  The cupcake recipe doesn't call for eggs, butter, or milk; so I was good to go. I had just enough butter and milk to make frosting for them, though they are pretty tasty just plain .

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 cup oil

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbl. vinegar

Mix all ingredients together until moist and blended.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Makes 12 cupcakes.

*I used a mini-muffin pan and made 24 little cupcakes and had enough left to make a little mini loaf, too.  For mini cupcakes bake about 15 minutes.  Frost when cool (if you can wait that long). 

For frosting I used:

4 tbl. butter, softened

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

2-3 tbl. milk

Cream together butter, cocoa and about 1/2 of powdered sugar; add in vanilla, rest of sugar and enough milk to make a spreadable frosting. 

I gave all 3 girls 3 little cupcakes on a plate, a small bowl with a spoon of frosting in it, and a knife.  Fun, fun, fun!!!  If my camera battery hadn't died, I could have gotten some fabulous photos of chocolaty fingers and faces .  Enjoy!