Mocha Punch

Several years ago I was invited to a Valentine’s Day party with other single young ladies. The hostesses served a delicious mocha punch! My friend, Kristi, got the recipe and always served the punch for her Christmas parties, so I enjoyed it at least once every year! I also got the recipe but didn’t have opportunity to make it until I started hosting parties in my own home. This year I made the punch and it turned out so nice I took a picture and I want to share the recipe with you!

Mocha Punch

2 quarts strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tblsp. vanilla extract
1/4 gallon coffee ice cream, softened
1/4 gallon chocolate ice cream, softened
3 cups whipping cream, whipped (makes 6 cups)
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Combine coffee and sugar in large mixing bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Stir in vanilla.  Chill thoroughly.  Beat whipping cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Spoon ice cream & 4 cups whipped cream into punch bowl.  Slowly pour chilled coffee mixture into punch bowl; stir to blend.  Dollop remaining whipped cream on top.

Yield:  1 gallon

Apple Cream Pie

I wanted a new and different apple pie to give to someone as a gift. I did a little searching and found this recipe. I had to make two so that my husband and I could try it too! We both enjoyed it very much. I also passed the recipe on to a friend. She made it for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it so much that she made another one on Thanksgiving day for everyone to enjoy that evening!

Apple Cream Pie

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-3 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 recipes Flaky Pastry Crust

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter, softened

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream, and 1/4 cup butter. Heat until butter is melted, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla; stir into saucepan. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a medium bowl, combine the apples, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.

Line a 9 inch pie pan with pie dough. Pour thickened filling mixture into pastry-lined pie pan. Arrange apple mixture evenly over filling. Top with second crust, seal and flute the edges. Cut slits in top crust.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender. Cool for at least 30 minutes.

In small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon softened butter. Blend until smooth; pour evenly over warm pie. Refrigerate for AT LEAST 1 1/2 hours before serving (longer is better).

Flaky Pie Crust

I have used my mom’s pie crust recipe since I first learned how to make crusts and I don’t think I’ll ever find a better one. It’s always produced a delicious result! I’ve made one little change to the recipe recently that has made it even more flaky. I use lard instead of shortening. I also like to chill the dough before I roll it out, but if you don’t have time to do that, you’ll still have a good crust. Try it and you’ll love it!

Flaky Pie Crust

1 cup white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon lard or shortening
2-3 tablespoons very cold water

Mix flour and salt in large bowl. Cut in lard with pastry cutter until crumbly. Add water and stir with a fork until a ball forms. Using your fingers, shape dough into a small disk. Place on lightly floured area and roll out with a rolling pin into desired size. Gently place in pie plate, trim edges if needed, turn edges under and crimp. (For a pre-baked pie crust, prick all over with a fork. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 475°.)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

This is a recipe that even those that don’t like cheesecake or pumpkin pie may enjoy. A flaky crust with a layer of cheesecake, topped with a layer of pumpkin pie filling and finished off with pecan streusel! It’s one of my favorite fall desserts. I’ve just started using lard in my pie crusts. I love the results! And supposedly lard is better for you than shortening. (Note: I ran out of pecans and so I made the streusel without them. You can see in the picture that it created a sugary crust on the top of the pie.) Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

1 (9 inch) pie shell (see Flaky Pie Crust recipe)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten

1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

To make Cheesecake Layer: In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1/4 cup sugar, then add vanilla extract and 1 egg. Beat mixture until light and smooth. Spread into pastry shell and chill for 20 minutes.

To make Pumpkin Layer: In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Spoon pumpkin mixture over cream cheese layer. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or pie crust ring.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil or pie crust ring from edges and bake an additional 25 minutes.

To make Pecan Streusel Layer: While pie is in oven, combine flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a small bowl. Mix well, then add softened butter or margarine and stir until ingredients are combined. Mix in pecans.

After pie has been in oven for 50 minutes, remove and sprinkle pecan streusel evenly over top. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Tapioca Pudding

Growing up, I always loved it when my mom would make tapioca pudding. It was a rare treat only enjoyed by a few of us. The rest of the family turned up their nose at what they called “fish egg”  pudding. :-) They also used dramatics to express their dislike, such as gagging,  choking and puking noises as I savored every spoonful in front of their disapproving eyes! :-P Such antics did not dampen my spirit.

My mom used quick cooking tapioca and followed the Fluffy Tapioca Pudding recipe off the box. It was always very good. Now I buy tapioca pearls and make the recipe below. I enjoy eating it both warm and cold. You can add coconut, top it with a bit of whipped cream or sprinkle with nutmeg! Try it soon. :-)

Tapioca Pudding

1/3 cup tapioca pearls
3/4 cup water
2 1/4 cups milk (I use whole)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, soak tapioca in water for 30 minutes. Stir in milk, salt and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

Beat egg whites, in large bowl, with electric beaters until foamy. Slowly add sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add the pudding a cup at a time into the egg whites, folding gently with a spatula until combined. Serve warm. Store remaining pudding in refrigerator.

Brownies with Berry Cream

I had the privilege of catering an appreciation dinner for a home-school organization that wanted to honor donors and volunteers after a big conference. The attendance was 250.

I had planned to make this dessert but had not tried it out ahead of time. I began blending equal parts of the cream cheese and sour cream together. Once combined I realized I had cream soup! Fortunately I had decided to mix up half of the recipe at a time. So I added the rest of the cream cheese and didn’t add any more sour cream. After adding the powdered sugar the whole mixture was still too runny! I had a half gallon of heavy cream available so I beat that until it was stiff and folded into the whole mix. Whew! I had a lovely, “scoopable” texture at last. After letting it all chill until it was time to serve dessert, it had thickened up even more. We used ice cream scoops to top the brownies with the finished product. I’m very thankful that it ended up looking and tasting as good as I was hoping!

The photo isn’t very good because we had to use a cell phone camera, but you get the idea. :-)

Make sure you use regular block cream cheese and not whipped or light or nonfat.

Brownies with Berry Cream

1 fudge brownie mix (9 x 13 size)
2 1/2 c. cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 c. sour cream
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract (or more, if you like almond!)
1/2 c. heavy cream, whipped
1/2 c. raspberry pie filling
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Prepare brownie mix according to directions on package. Cool and cut into squares.

Blend cream cheese and sour cream with electric beaters until combined. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Stir in almond extract. Taste to check sweetness. Add more powdered sugar if desired. Remember the pie filling is sweet too!

Whip cream until stiff. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Fold in raspberry pie filling. Chill for a couple hours.

To serve, place a brownie square on a serving plate. Top with a scoop of raspberry cheesecake mixture. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Enjoy!

Lemon Cream Tart

We were invited to dinner last night and I offered to bring dessert. Since we've been having such hot weather lately, dinner was going to be light. The hostess and I thought we should keep dessert light as well and decided something "lemony" would taste refreshing! Then I just had to come up with a recipe.

I started browsing the internet for ideas and Lemon Tarts kept catching my eye. There was also some Lemon Bar recipes that looked good, but it was mostly the crust that looked so appealing! I had just bought cream cheese the other day and wondered if that could be incorporated in some way. So an idea formed and here’s the results. :-)

Lemon Cream Tart

Shortbread Crust:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cups (2 cubes) unsalted butter, cut in pieces

Preheat oven to 425°. Grease a 10 inch spring-form pan with butter.

In your food processor, place the flour, sugar and salt and process to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the pastry starts to come together and form clumps. Place the pastry in the prepared spring-form pan and, using your fingertips, evenly press the pastry onto the bottom of the pan. Cover and place the pastry crust in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill.

Remove pastry from freezer and place spring-form pan on a baking sheet or large piece of foil. Bake on center rack in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Lemon Filling:
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup whipping cream

Combine the sugar, 1 1/2 c. water and salt in saucepan; heat to boiling. Mix cornstarch and 1/3 c. water to make smooth paste. Gradually add to boiling mixture, stirring constantly. Cook until thick and clear. Remove from heat.

Beat together egg yolks and lemon juice; stir into mixture. Return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles again. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and lemon rind. Cover and chill.

Once chilled, beat in whipping cream. (Filling will be very stiff. The cream helps make the filling spreadable.)

Cheesecake Filling:
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and sour cream together until smooth. Add sugar and beat until sugar is dissolved. Reserve 1 cup of filling.

Directions:
Spread cheesecake filling to the edges of the shortbread crust. Spoon lemon filling over the top and gently spread to within a half inch from the edge. Fill a pastry bag with the reserved cheesecake filling. Attach a star tip and pipe a decoration around the edge. Garnish with lemon rind curls, if desired. Chill for a few hours. Remove outer ring of spring-form pan and serve. Enjoy!

Feather Light Muffins

I’m sitting here with the smell of nutmeg and cinnamon wafting through the air. The scent is coming from one of my family’s favorite muffins. We first came across the recipe in a Taste of Home magazine. We served it along with Potato Soup and it became a tradition after that. If we made Potato Soup we HAD to make Feather Light Muffins! They really are one of the lightest muffins I’ve ever had. There’s a hint of nutmeg in the muffin and the tops are brushed with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. They are a great addition to any meal!

Feather Light Muffins

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour (use 1 T. per cup less of all purpose flour)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk

Topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

In a bowl, cream shortening, sugar and egg. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Let cool for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll tops of warm muffins in melted butter, then in sugar mixture. Serve warm. Yield: 8-10 muffins.

Toffee Cream Pie

A few weeks ago my husband and I were at a friend’s home for dinner. They served a couple choices for dessert. Chocolate cream pie and butterscotch pie. I took a piece of chocolate cream and my husband had one of each! I decided to try a bite of the butterscotch even though I don’t really care for that flavor. I was pleasantly surprised by the delicious taste! It was homemade butterscotch not artificially flavored. The next week, when I was planning a meal to take to some friends that recently moved, I decided to find a good butterscotch pie recipe. I had huge success! The recipe I have posted below has an oatmeal/brown sugar/butter crust which pairs fabulously with the filling! So far there haven’t been any complaints. :-) It’s also very easy to make and requires no baking. I call it Toffee Cream Pie because it tastes much more like butter toffee than the butterscotch flavor most people think of.

Toffee Cream Pie

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups milk

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup whipping cream, whipped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oats on a baking sheet in preheated oven for 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Crust: In a medium bowl combine oats and 1/4 cup brown sugar together; mix in 1/3 cup butter. Press firmly onto bottom and sides of a 8 inch pie pan. Chill for 1 hour.

Filling: Combine 3/4 cup brown sugar, flour, salt and milk in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons butter and vanilla. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; cover with foil and refrigerate for 1 hour or until cold.

Once cold, fold in 1/2 cup of the whipped cream. Pour mixture into pie shell; chill until set. When ready to serve, top with dollops of remaining whipped cream.

Notes: I did not heat the oats at all. I’m sure I will try that sometime to see if it enhances the flavor.

One recipe of the filling doesn’t make a really full pie. 1 1/2 times the recipe would work better.

Polenta with Turkey Sausage

I’ve only had polenta twice in my life but I really enjoyed it both times. I finally got around to buying some and found a wonderful recipe to use it in! You can use regular Italian sausage in the sauce but I prefer the less fatty taste of turkey sausage. This recipe serves 6-8.

Polenta is coarsely ground corn. Some people make polenta from regular cornmeal but I prefer the substantial texture that the coarse grind gives the finished product. You can use polenta as a side dish (like rice or potatoes). You can also make it into patties and fry it in butter. As I experiment with it I will post my results here!

Polenta with Turkey Sausage

2 cups whole milk

2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup polenta

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 pound ground turkey

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dried sage

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian stewed tomatoes

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese

In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring milk, water, and salt to a boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 20 minutes, until creamy, lifting the lid and stirring every 3 or 4 minutes to prevent sticking. Remove pot from stove, stir in pepper and butter. Gradually stir in cheese.

Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey, herbs, spices and minced garlic in a large skillet. Add parsley, tomatoes and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Spread half of the polenta in a serving dish; top with half of the sausage mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.