Dylan & Erica’s Place…

It was my co-workers birthday and ever since I saw Foodie Bride’s Cupcake cake I wanted to make one.  It was so much fun.  Dylan and I attempted it and I really enjoyed it.  However my first batch cupcakes didn’t come out so well =( Made me very very sad but .. after I figured out the exact amount of batter to fill each cup up with it was heaven.  Here are some photos (once again photographed by Marsh Wong, himself)  I had some problems with some of the icing (the 28 on the cake icing was too thin) and the cake board the cake was not that sturdy and the middle of the carboard buckled and warped and the icing in the middle wasn’t smooth.  I am such a perfectionist and if I had time I probably would have started all over again!

Mother’s Day 1990. I was a little kid in kindergarten trying to reach my 6th birthday. I was one of the lucky ones who was able to start school early because I have a summer birthday. I was able to graduate high school at the age of 17 and college at the age of 20. The later part was me working my butt off trying to finish college in 3 years. Go Me! Thank you mom and dad for pressuring me and challenging me to finish! I have such a great life because of it.

Okay, back to my story about Mother’s Day. In school we always did “nice” things for our Mothers for Mother’s Day. I remember one year we made a pillow and we always made some sort of pictures. Well in kindergarten we made a Mother’s Day Cookbook. Obviously we didn’t know how to spell or even write our names out for that part so how did this happen? Well I am pretty sure, if my memory serves me correct, that we were sent home with a letter to our parents to get 2 -3 of our mom’s favorite recipes. Then the teachers typed it up and made a little cookbook out of all the students (All 30 of them, I grew up in a TINY TINY TOWN, that I miss every now and then.. more whenever something horrible happens in Houston).

Well my mom still has this cookbook, well its somewhere in her house. And I was able to get a hold of the two things I remember her making and me saying, “Mommy, can you please make that strawberry thing for me”. Yummy her own version of strawberry cheesecake. Its so super simple and ridiculously yummy. It’s so nice to serve at a BBQ or during the spring / summer.

The other thing my mom made for me was anything Red Velvet. I LOVED this stuff! I don’t know why but her recipe is TO DIE FOR! Its so super delicious. I don’t get it nor do I want to know why I love only this type of cake. Mmmmm Red Velvet. Next up I will show you her red velvet recipe for 1990 but first must give you the strawberry cheesecake recipe.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cheesecake, Momma Kaspar (1990)

Crust

1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together with hand mixer or stand mixer and then press in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

Filling

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 8 ounce of cool whip
1 3/4 - 2 cups of powdered sugar
1 container of rinsed and cut FRESH strawberries
1 16 ounce package of strawberry glaze or filling, as seen here, I did not however use the sugar free =)

Mix together cream cheese, cool whip and powdered sugar. Set aside. In medium bowl mix together strawberry filling or glaze
and mix with fresh cut strawberries.

Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of cooled crust and then layer the strawberry glaze. Refrigerate for a hour.
Best served when cold.

Crust Ready for Oven

The Finished Product

And The Recipe.. Just for Fun from 1990!

Dylan and I had our first BBQ at our house a couple of weeks ago.  It was fun.  I have some awesome co-worker’s that I invited over who were in town.  Luckily I was able to catch Kelly (A coworker who I like to hang around with because we understand each other.  She is planning her wedding and I just got married and we can bond over the ups and down of wedding planning.  Ahhhh how thankful I am that is over with) and her fiancee’ in town.  Kelly’s fiancee’ Bill lives in Kentucky so I wanted to make sure he was able to join in on the fun. They are super awesome people to hang around with and Dylan and I really need some more “married” friends (Techinally.. they aren’t but SOON TO BE!)

 I would have invited more people but I live so far out.. people just don’t like coming over.  Luckily Kelly’s apartment is on my side a town along with my … work spouse Marsh.  I can’t LEAVE out my workspouse! He will get invited to every BBQ no matter what!!

What is a work spouse you ask?

A work spouse is a co-worker (usually of the opposite sex with whom one shares a special relationship, having bonds similar to those of a marriage; such as, special confidences, loyalties, shared jokes and experiences, and an unusual degree of honesty or openness. The work spouse is a potentially key relationship when one’s actual spouse or boy/girlfriend is not able to understand the nuances of the workplace. (Wikipedia, 2008).

 Well Dylan and I needed a good excuse to buy a new BBQ so what is better than, “Dylan sweetie we are having BBQ tomorrow so we need a new pit” Score! We got one and decicded to make some ribs, steaks, and kabobs! I LOVED LOVED the Kabobs they are so yummy and fantastic! Mmmmm.  Dylan did all the grilling but I was able to make the sides! Enjoy the photos taken by Marsh Wong.  Oh and also check out his website and some other photos located here and here.

Super Steak Kabobs 

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar 
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil  
16 large mushrooms, cut in half 
2 green onions, minced   
4 medium onions, cut into quarters
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
2 pounds of beef sirloin steak, cut 1-inch thick
salt and pepper
skewers
Combine the soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, canola oil, green onions, salt and peper in bowl.

Cut steak into 1-inch cubes, marinate with vegetables, for 2-4 hours, refrigerated.   Soak 16 small bamboo skewers in water for 1/2 hour before threading with meat and vegetables.

Alternate with mushroom halves, pineapple chunks, and mushrooms. Lightly oil the grill grate.  Grill kabobs, uncovered, over medium coals (or broil 3 inches from heat) for 12-14 minutes or until meat is done, turning kabobs once.

Erica’s Version of Twice Baked Potatoes

5 large russet baking potatoes
1 green onion package
3 strips of turkey bacon
10 oz light sour cream
1 package of reduced fat shredded cheese
salt and pepper ***

Boil potatoes in pot until potatoes are soft with a fork.  Takes approximately 40-50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.

Peel and grate potatoes with grater into large bowl.  Microwave or fr 3 strips of bacon and chop into small bits.  Chop up green onions and sautee in small pan.  Add the bacon, green onions,sour cream, cheese (save about 3 oz for top of potatoes) in the grated potatoes.  Add salt and pepper
for taste.

Place the potato mixture into a cassarole dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top of poatoes.

Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees until the cheese on top is melted.

*** You can use regular ingredients for a more profound taste but it adds extra calories.  It is super yummy no matter what you use however!

I work with computers all day. I really do love my job and love the people I work with. Yes I have to get up at the crack of dawn to travel to a client site and have to work 9-10 hours a day but you know what .. I love the people I work with and what I do. I mean I wish I could open up a bakery and just bake all day long but low and behold.. I can’t. So I bake for my co-workers.

I work with nothing but boys who can eat, eat, eat, did I say eat, and never gain weight. The make me sick, but they also get rid of my goodies. I never know what I am going to bake. I have no idea. I usually just find stuff and try to add my own little touch on it. I sometimes have requests from my co-workers and sometimes just tell them I will bake something. I used to work inside the office and would have this co-worker named Rahul who could eat eat eat and never gain a single pound. He LOVED my baked goods. Whenever I didn’t bring something in he would be upset and say, “Erica why didn’t you bake anything last night?” Sometimes you just don’t have enough time to bake… whenever you work 45-50 hour weeks but I do try to bring some goodies in at least once a week. I like to make people happy and smile.

Fast forward a couple of months, I was put on a project … not in the office anymore. Poor Rahul is dying in the office all alone IM-img me every so often saying, “why didn’t you stop at the office to bring me something? You can do that before you go out to the client site.” Or..”I’m hungry, what did you bake today..bring me some. FEED ME!” I feel bad for him but I’m sure he can go buy something at HEB or Kroger or something. I mean its right down the street.

I however now know why I was put on this project…. To be the official baker. Boys get hungry… add food their stomachs and you have… happy boys. Happy boys means happy clients. Yes I know that really isn’t my purpose at the office and on this project but it makes me happy to know my co-workers are wondering what I brought in today.

I haven’t been baking alot because of the drive and we were busy moving into our new house and hosting some family functions but now I believe I am back to business. Not to mention, I ran out of flour and sugar! How does that happen? I guess the same way my co-worker Sarah, ran out of butter! It just does. My pantry is now stocked! So guys, and you know who you are, you will be having more goodies I promise. You won’t have to say, “awwww man, you didn’t bring anything today” but instead, “w00t! Erica brought use some goodies.. they are in her cube”!

This now leads me to telling you about pink lemonade cupcakes. My manager came up to me the other day and said, “Man, you didn’t bring anything”. I felt horrible. I used to bring stuff every day into the office. And now.. I’ve been slacking. I told him I would make some cupcakes. I LOVE making cupcakes. They are so easy to transfer from house to office and no mess up. The boys can just pick one up without having to cut anything. Its very nice. I told my manager I would be making something and decided I wanted something easy. What’s easier than pink lemonade cupcakes? Piece of cake.. I mean cupcake!

I love Shawnda’s blog. She has hard and easy recipes. So nice.. very nice! My team was able to have some yummy cupcakes and it didn’t take long. Love it! Everyone if you need a hit at a picnic or BBQ definitely think about these. They are super easy and super yummy! Don’t worry team.. I’m back to baking regularly!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes, Adapted from Foodie Bride, and BakeSpace

Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1/3 cup thawed frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 or more drops red food coloring

Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites and lemonade concentrate. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until just smooth. Add just enough food coloring to turn the batter a light shade of pink.

Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.  And top with yellow colored sugar.

1 recipe Lemon Buttercream Icing (recipe follows)

Lemon Buttercream Icing
3 cups + 3 Tbsp confectioner’s sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 TbSp Pink Lemonade Concentratate
Red food color (to color icing and sugar, optional)

Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, lemon juice,lemonade and food coloring (if using) to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the icing is fluffy and uniformly pink.

Kolache (also spelled kolace, kolach, or kolacky, from the Czech and Slovak plural koláče) are a type of pastry consisting of fillings ranging from fruits to cheeses inside a bread roll. Originally only a sweet dessert from Central Europe, they have become popular in parts of the United States (Wikipedia, 2008).

For all of you out there, a kolach, is not, is not I tell you, the item you get at Shipley’s filled with meat, nor is it the things they call Kolache from Kolache Factory. I want everyone to know this. It makes me cringe every.time I hear someone say, lets go to Kolache Factory and get some ham and cheese Kolaches. No Ma’am. Those aren’t kolache (Yes this is the plural. Kolache is plural. Kolach is singular). Stepping off my soapbox. Can you tell Kolache is near and dear to my heart? Let me tell you a little bit about my family.

My father is Czech and German. The Kaspar family (My father’s side) immigrated from the Czech Republic, then known as Czechoslovakia, in 1905 to South Texas to farm. I was so fortunate to grow up eating homemade kolache. Not the things you find in Houston. I’m talking about Grandma Kaspar waking up at 4 in the morning to make the dough, kolache. These little sweet dough pastries were so yummy. Absolutely my favorite thing to eat. I would be so excited when my mom would say, Grandma Kaspar made some kolache for you. My grandmother would make all different filled ones from prune to cream cheese. Guess what kind were my favorite? Yep, cream cheese.

My mother was SO lucky to learn how to bake from the best. My mom was able to learn from her mother in law (My Grandma Kaspar) how to make these little goodies from scratch. My mother is now a wonderful kolache maker along with these rolls called cream cheese rolls (We will get to this in another post, but just know my mom makes the best ones EVER!) Thankfully after my grandmother got older, my mother was able to bake homemade kolache. And then she taught me. I am so thankful my mother was such a great teacher other wise, I would know how to sift anything. Heck, I wouldn’t even know what I sifter was. I am able to know when the yeast has risen, how to make some yummy cream cheese filling, and how to roll out the dough. Thank you momma for teaching me the basics of baking 101!

My Grandmother has went on to another life and oh I miss her so much. However, I can continue her legacy by baking some homemade kolache for my children. Hmmm I guess I need to have a daughter now to continue this?

Here is my first attempt at making homemade kolache. I have to admit they were scrumptious. Thank you mom for teaching me Grandma’s Czech baking skills. And Grandma Kaspar, every time I bake kolaches, cheese rolls, and sugar cookies I am thinking about you and watching you shine above me!

Cream Cheese Kolache, Adapted from Grandma Kaspar and Texas Monthly

Dough

1 cup milk
1 packet of yeast
3 tablesppoins sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup shortening
3 cups flour

Warm on cup milk and pour into a bowl. Dissolve yeast, sugar, and salt in the milk. Add the beaten egg and shortening.
Mix well. The dough is ready when “the dough chases the spoon around the bowl”. This usually takes about a total of about 3 - 3 1/2 cups of flour.

Cover the dough in the bowl and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 -4 hours.

Melt a stick of butter on the stovetop so that it is ready for spreading on the dough. Grease the tops of two cookie sheets and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After the dough is doubled, punch it down into the bowl. Flour the work surface slightly. With a tablespoon scoop out balls of dough and drop onto work surface, maybe a dozen at a time. Then take each fall of dough to the palm of your hand and roll into a ball. Place the ball on a cookie sheet in evenly spaced. Brush with melted butter. Let them proof maybe another 20 - 40 minutes.

Press down an indentation in the center of each ball and fill with approximately one heaping teaspoon of filling. Let them set another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with posypka. Bake the pan of kolaches about 20 minutes but check after 15. They should be a light golden brown in color.

Yield: about 24 kolaches

Posypka

1/2 cup butter
1 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Cream Cheese Filling

16 oz cream cheese
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Soften the cream cheese. Beat remaining ingredients together with cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl.

Sorry everyone for the lack of updates.  Unfortunately, my laptop crashed and well I lost alot of my photos.  I know its sad however I did find some on my work network and all I have to say is YIPPEY!!! Get ready to learn how to make some homemade kolaches.  NO not the kind you buy at Kolache Factory.  A Real Kolache.  A Czech Kolache.  Get ready to be impressed!

Repeated from last week =)  

Recently I found this website, Blake Makes from Foodie Bride which gives out free food. Yes free food. I saw on Foodie Bride’s blog that she made some yummy yummy brownies with Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche. Who on earth would make such a thing. Doesn’t that person know there probably is 1,000 calories in one serving of that stuff? Seriously? There has to be. Well I don’t know exactly. I haven’t tried it…. YET. I should be receiving this finger licking goodness pretty soon. I heard its in the mail.

I was one of the lucky 40 or so people to get my hands on some Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche. Problem is.. What do I make with this goodness? I will only have one jar and man I want to make EVERYTHING and anything with this. Or wait, I just want to eat it. Darn it, I need to make something. Hmmm so I got to pondering…I thought about my dad. Let me tell you a little about my dad.

My dad is amazing. He is a wonderful baker (my mom is the “cook” in the family, my dad and I only know how to bake and fry stuff. Wow, we are alot like Paula Deen). Back to my dad. My dad is also a little nuts. He loves ice cream. Ice cream .. any kinda of ice cream. This man eats a bowl of ice cream every.single.night before he goes to bed. Every night. Every night. To make it even better he even has a candy bar with it. Yes this isn’t healthy but the man gave up drinking beer and started eating ice cream. I’m sure his doctor is happy :-).

I remember growing up my favorite thing to do on weekends is making homemade ice cream. My dad used to go to the store and get TONS of ice and rock salt and hours later we would have homemade ice cream. It was so good and yummy and Oh.My.Goodness CREAMY. Gosh I miss that. I got to thinking PBDDL ice cream.. this is going to be the best ever!!! I can’t wait to make it. You have no idea. With some sprinkles on top.. Thank you for stretchy pants and gym shorts.

First item of business make some ice cream with PBDDL. I have a feeling Ben and Jerry’s might be calling up Blake and me and wanting our recipes. Hey if Steven Colbert can do it, we can right?

So I did it everyone.  I made my first batch of Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche Ice Cream.  Yummy. It was so creamy and delicious.  The chocolate ice cream went SO well with the PBDDL.  Not to mention the peanut  butter cookies.  Nothing says dessert better than ice cream sandwiches. NOTHING! Take a look at my ice cream and enjoy.  Maybe one day Blake’s PBDDL will be on your selves in your local supermarket.  Or you could always take a trip out to New Orleans, get some gumbo, pralines, watch some LSU football, and visit Blake and get some PBDDL.  My next trip.. I’m so doing that =).  I’m so lucky to have a Louisianian husband!

Chocolate Ducle De Leche Ice Cream and Peanut Butter Cookies = Sandwiches! , Adpated from Emeril, 2004

For the ice cream:
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 pound semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
5 large egg yolks, beaten
1 small jar of Peanut Butter Dulce De Leche

For the cookies:
1 cup  crunchy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Ice Cream:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and chocolate.
Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the chocolate melts completely.
Heat the mixture to the scalding point (where bubbles form around the edge of the pan).
Remove from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the beated egg yolks.

Then whisk the egg mixture into the remaining hot cream mixture in the saucepan.
Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to
coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean mixing bowl.
Cover the top of the mixture with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator
until thoroughly chilled around 2 hours.

Process in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions.
When the ice cream is nearly completely churned, spoon in the peanut butter dulce de leche to create a swirl in the ice cream.

Transfer to an airtight, lidded container and freeze for 2 to 3 hours or up to overnight.

Cookies:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and position 2 oven racks in the center of the oven.

Combine the peanut butter, sugar, and egg in a mixing bowl and stir until smooth.
Divide the dough into 12 portions, each about 2 heaping tablespoons each.
Roll each portion in your hands to form a smooth ball.

Place the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Press down on each ball of dough with a fork to form a crosshatch pattern.

Bake the cookies, switching the baking sheet positions mid way through cooking,
until they are lightly golden, 12 to 14 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Let me tell you a story about when my husband and I started dating. Dylan worked at a big public accounting firm and had to go out of town a lot. I was quite upset and sad whenever he left and always needed something to do to take my mind off of it. I just missed him a lot. Everyone say together.. Awwwwww. Well one of these times he had to leave to go to I believe it was to Chicago. I decided I would go to build a bear (I know real grown-up of me, I should have went to a wine bar instead), with a friend and build a monkey. I have no idea why. Monkeys are so interesting to me and they always look so happy. They are amazing creatures.

I stuffed this piece of cloth shaped like a monkey and created our friend, Roger. Yes I even named this stuffed monkey. Roger is his name and he sits on my dresser. I’m sure he loves it. He gets to sit there every day and watch TV. Yes, I am acting like a child with a huge imagination but at least I still have one. Ahhhh what it was like to be a child again.

Now to talk about Monkey Bread, also known at our house as Roger Bread (hence the reason why I told the story above). My older brother Garry came down to visit one day and he was talking about this bread he had at a house party that someone made. He said it had cinnamon, brown sugar, and maple syrup in it and it was ooey and gooey. Hmmm what was this boy talking about? We googled it and found it to be Monkey Bread. We found a recipe online at all recipes and the boys went to the store and bought all the ingredients and made it. Within 2 hours it was devoured. There was nothing left.

Recently Dylan and I were watching the Food Network and ran across a show, Sugar Rush, and they were making Roger Bread!! But with a slight difference. They added cream cheese. NO WAY. My favorite. Cream cheese.. inside this Monkey Bread. I have to make it. Well I made a few changes and my new “Roger Bread” was created. Enjoy this with some vanilla ice cream and I won‘t tell you how many calories is in it. You can just imagine it is fat free. Enjoy our Roger Bread!

Roger Bread, adapted from Vita Shanley 2005

Flour or spray for coating the bundt pan
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup of maple syrup
20 buttermilk canned refrigerator biscuits
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 20 cubes
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups walnuts — I omitted co-workers with allergies. I don’t want to kill anyone!

Lightly grease a bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Separate biscuits and flatten each slightly with your hand. Coat each biscuit with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. (There will be some sugar mixture left over)
Place one cube of cream cheese in center of biscuit and fold in half to resemble a half moon.

Melt the 1 stick of butter in a saucepan and add brown sugar, maple syrup and bring to a boil; remove from the heat.

Place 1/2 cup nuts on the bottom of the bundt pan (if applicable) and then line the pan with a row of cream cheese filled biscuits.
Sprinkle with half of the leftover cinnamon and sugar mixture. Drizzle half of the butter mixture on top and then repeat steps, beginning with nuts (if applicable)

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Remove from the pan when it’s still hot to avoid sticking. Place three scoops of ice cream in the center hole and enjoy!

Recently I found this website, Blake Makes from Foodie Bride which gives out free food. Yes free food. I saw on Foodie Bride’s blog that she made some yummy yummy brownies with Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche. Who on earth would make such a thing. Doesn’t that person know there probably is 1,000 calories in one serving of that stuff? Seriously? There has to be. Well I don’t know exactly. I haven’t tried it…. YET. I should be receiving this finger licking goodness pretty soon. I heard its in the mail.

I was one of the lucky 40 or so people to get my hands on some Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche. Problem is.. What do I make with this goodness? I will only have one jar and man I want to make EVERYTHING and anything with this. Or wait, I just want to eat it. Darn it, I need to make something. Hmmm so I got to pondering…I thought about my dad. Let me tell you a little about my dad.

My dad is amazing. He is a wonderful baker (my mom is the “cook” in the family, my dad and I only know how to bake and fry stuff. Wow, we are alot like Paula Deen). Back to my dad. My dad is also a little nuts. He loves ice cream. Ice cream .. any kinda of ice cream. This man eats a bowl of ice cream every.single.night before he goes to bed. Every night. Every night. To make it even better he even has a candy bar with it. Yes this isn’t healthy but the man gave up drinking beer and started eating ice cream. I’m sure his doctor is happy :-).

I remember growing up my favorite thing to do on weekends is making homemade ice cream. My dad used to go to the store and get TONS of ice and rock salt and hours later we would have homemade ice cream. It was so good and yummy and Oh.My.Goodness CREAMY. Gosh I miss that. I got to thinking PBDDL ice cream.. this is going to be the best ever!!! I can’t wait to make it. You have no idea. With some sprinkles on top.. Thank you for stretchy pants and gym shorts.

First item of business make some ice cream with PBDDL. I have a feeling Ben and Jerry’s might be calling up Blake and me and wanting our recipes. Hey if Steven Colbert can do it, we can right?

First of all lets clarify for everyone out there is it, PRAY - LEENS or PRAW-LEENS? You tell me? Pralines. Actually it can be pronounced either way you prefer. Lets just say my crazy husband from Louisiana says, PRAW-LEANS along with my good ole’ co-worker Sarah. I should believe them. They know. I don’t. Regardless of what they are called for this time being, we can call them “pecan of goodness”.

So I never really had pralines growing up. Most likely because I thought they looked ugly. Yes I was one of those kids. If it didn’t look pretty, I wouldn’t eat it. Let me tell you my Godmother’s Dirt Cake was my favorite favorite dessert ever and all it was… oreos, pudding, and whipped cream. Amazing what would make me happy.

Well I am bigger now and my eyes have opened and now I know what this “pecan of goodness” is. Amazing. When I first met my husband all he could talk about was his momma’s cooking. I thought to myself, “Oh no, I have one of those on my hands”. Whenever I went to visit them for the first time she made us what my husband would call, “her famous rolls”. (One of the many things he misses from home). I took a bite and thought to myself. There is no way in HELL I can compete or meet his expectations. No way. I even had her shrimp bread which my husband talked about ALL.THE.TIME. He said I HAD to try it. Even though shrimp makes me get hives and visit the toilet and throw up. (Thank you God for the allergy to shellfish). I just couldn’t compete with this woman. She is like Paula Deen just about 100 lbs thinner. How she stays thin and cooks all these wonderful treats… I HAVE NO IDEA! Beats my mind, except for the fact I know she visits Curves religiously.

Now off to talk about her pralines. Dylan, my husband, used to talk about how his mom ALWAYS sent out Christmas Candy at Christmas. Well ummm yeah I just buy Christmas Candy what are you talking about? Luckily we got some and Oh.My.God the fudge, the chocolate covered pretzels, the haystacks, and the PRALINES. Yes for the first time I had a PRALINES!! I love her. I really do. If she lived with us I would be a 500lb blimp but I would still love her. Her food is Louisiana Goodness. Yummy. Okay now off to post about these.

My co-workers were lucky enough to try some of her famous pralines and well everyone knows I have her wonderful book of recipes so guess what? I’m gonna try to make some. Here is my experience. They came out wonderful. Even Dylan said, “Awww tastes like my mom’s”. Mission Accomplished. Thank you Momma Kathy for these wonderful recipes. Your daughter loves you =)

Pecan Pralines, adapted from Momma Kathy

• 4 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of evaporated milk
• 1 stick of butter or margarine
• 4 cups of chopped pecans

Cover a large area of a smooth surface (table) with saran wrap or wax paper. In large pot with deep sides, add 3 cups of granulated sugar, milk, and butter. In small pot add the remaining sugar (1 cup).

Cook both pots over high heat, stirring constantly. Keep a watch on the small pot (be careful not to let it burn as you are melting the cup of sugar to a light caramel color).

When the sugar in the small pot is melted (do not leave on heat, it will burn) and the contents in the large pot is bubbling around the edge, pour the contents of the small pot very slowly into the large pot, stirring constantly. Add pecans and place a candy thermometer in the pot, keep heat on high. Continue to stir the candy until the temperature reaches 234 degrees.

Remove from heat and set to cool for 5 - 7 minutes. Remove the thermometer and stir candy until it starts to thicken slightly and the shine of the candy dulls slightly about 5-10 more minutes. It will become a duller color. Scoop out the pralines onto the prepared saran wrap or wax paper. If the candy in the pot starts to get too thick, scoop the rest into a bowl, microwave for 30 seconds, stir and scoop out the rest of the pralines.