Recipe Monday

Has it really been a whole week since my last recipe post the weeks of January definitely seem to be flying by, so this past week I've had some successes well cooking and some total disasters you remember me telling you about Sunday's being pancake day well I thought lets try something new Swedish Pancakes that sounds neat, well not so neat, it was a complete FLOP ...the pancakes were sort of supposed to be like a crepe ( I think that's enough said) "ME" I have never made a crepe before, GOAL TWO on my list this year will be trying to master a crepe, but for now we will just leave it at, it was a FLOP. Onto my good foodies...

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I have made a gazillion banana breads, banana cakes, banana muffins and NOTHING has compared to this it was pure decadence. This recipe came from all recipes http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-cake-vi/

Banana Cake 

                                                                                                                                       

3/4 cup butter                                                   

2 1/8 cups white sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.        Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2.        In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3.        Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

4.        For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

Why? oh Why? did I have to try this you know how somethings stick in your brain after you hear about it ...well that is what happened ... I had lived in Mississippi for 4 years and had heard people talk about Chocolate Gravy numerous times and had resisted the urge to make it ..don't get me wrong I adore chocolate but despise chocolate covered doughnut (I like chocolate cake doughnuts though) so needless to say after all the hype of how awesome this gravy was ...I did not like chocolate gravy covered biscuits the gravy was good the biscuits were good but it was a nix on the combination for me ...but for the rest of the family the only type of doughnut they order is chocolate covered doughnuts so surprise, surprise it was a winner I got the  "Why have you never made this before?", how could you be so mean?"

Mississippi Chocolate Gravy

This recipes also came from all recipeshttp://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Gravy-II/Detail.aspx

Chocolate Gravy

1/2 cup butter

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 cups milk

Directions

1.        Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add cocoa and flour; stir until a thick paste is formed. Stir in sugar and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick.

If y'all try the Chocolate Gravy I just want you to know its a long process of stirring constantly and thinking "this is not working,this is not working, its chocolate soup I give up..." Don't!!! don't do it, don't give up!! Keep stirring and wait the magic of solidification will come over time it will become gravy I promise

Darn Good Brunswick Stew

 Its been down right cold here and when its cold,... stews, soups , and chowders are in my thoughts of things to cook it warms me up thinking about them now...Friday I threw a pork loin roast in the crop pot that night it was served with scalloped potatoes and salad than came the left overs Ox said, "pork sandwiches" so Saturday we cooked up some pork sandwiches for lunch, Now what?? there is still left overs, and you can't waste the pork, first thing that came to my mind was Brunswick Stew the pork was all ready flavored with a homemade mustard based BBQ sauce for the sandwiches it was a no brainer to me its cold I need stew..and Brunswick Stew is one of my favorite Stews..here's my recipe for the Stew

Brunswick Stew

1 1/2 pounds BBQ meat (you can use any leftover cooked,shredded BBQ chicken, pork, beef, or game or a combination there of )

1 can Lima beans

1 can butter beans

1 can corn

1 can green beans

1 big can stewed tomatoes

2 beef bullion cubes

1/2 cup of BBQ sauce

1 tbsp of mustard ( I did not add this,this time because the meat all ready had a mustard sauce) 

2 tbsp of bell pepper (I used jar red bell pepper )

1 tsp dried onion

dash of granulated garlic

add a little water as needed

salt and pepper to taste

you can always add a little heat with  Tabasco sauce

if you want a little different flavor liquid smoke is a nice addition and so is Worcestershire sauce

as you can see you can play with the recipe and make it you own change out veggies if you want I added lots of Lima beans and butter beans cause I love them

Directions:  I throw everything into a pot (draining the liquid from the cans and rinsing beans first) and let it simmer for 1 hr on low medium heat this is an easy recipe for the crock pot too

This Stew Is Truely a Satisfying, Hearty, Soul Warming FOOD