PRUNE CAKE

PRUNE CAKE
This came from The Pioneer Woman.  Everyone loved!  Wouldn't guess it has prunes/plumbs in it.  I had plums so I made the same way as prunes.  I used 1/2 cup of pear sauce we had.  I think 1/2 cup wheat flour would work as well.  I only added 3/4 cup of sugar in the icing.  Next time will only add 3/4 cup in the cake as well especially if using apple or pear sauce instead of some of the oil.  Scott said he wouldn't mind for him birthday.

CAKE:
1 cup prunes
1 cup sugar
3 whole eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cup flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

ICING:
1 cup sugar (only added 3/4 cup)
1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Cover prunes with water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft and mashable, about eight minutes. Remove from heat, drain water, and mash on a plate. Set aside.
NOTE: I cooked mine in the microwave, and it worked.

Mix together oil, sugar, and eggs. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Combine wet and dry ingredients, add buttermilk and vanilla and stir gently until just combined. Throw in the mashed prunes and stir gently to combine. DO NOT OVERMIX!

Pour batter into buttered baking dish (9 x 13 or so) and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE.

While cake has five minutes remaining, make the icing. 

Combine all icing ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a slow boil. Boil without stirring for 5 to 7 minutes, or until icing starts to turn dark. (about 220°F worked for me).

Do NOT allow icing to reach soft ball stage; icing should be caramel in color, but not sticky like caramel. Icing should be easily pourable.

Remove cake from oven and pour on icing immediately. Allow to rest on the counter. Serve warm.

PIONEER WOMAN'S PECAN PIE

PIONEER WOMAN'S PECAN PIE
Very yummy!!! This is so easy to make and everyone loves it!  Have made it for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Also made it for Kyle's birthday (2017).

1 whole unbaked pie crust (like to use Mom's recipe)
1 cup white sugar
3 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup corn syrup
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/3 cups melted butter (recipe calls for salted, but I always use unsalted)
3 whole eggs, beaten
1 cup (heaping) chopped pecans

Prepare pie crust (Pioneer Woman suggests "Sylvia's Perfect Pie Crust found on Tasty Kitchen).

Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, eggs and vanilla together in a bowl.

Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.

Pour syrup mixture over the top.  Cover top and crust lightly/gently with foil. 

Bake pie at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove foil, then continue baking for 20 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust or pecans.

NOTE: PIE SHOULD NOT BE OVERLY JIGGLY WHEN YOU REMOVE IT FROM THE OVEN.  

If it shakes a lot, cover with foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until set.  

Required baking time seems to vary widely with this recipe. Allow to cool for several hours or overnight. 

CREAMY MASHED POTATOES

CREAMY MASHED POTATOES
This is the only way I am going to make mashed potatoes from now on.  No longer am I going to use the Bosch. I can't believe I have been making them wrong for so many years.  I love, love doing it this way.  They are so creamy and yummy!  Thank you Pioneer Woman!  I don't always add as much butter/cream cheese and it calls for.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/delicious_creamy_mashed_potatoes/

• 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 3/4 cups Butter
• 1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
• 1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
• 1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through. 

Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICHES & SLAW

BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICHES & SLAW
Abagail requested BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner.  I went to Pioneer Woman to see how she would do it.  I was telling my co-workers about it and how you do it before I did it.  They were like wow that seems like a lot of work.  It was but so worth it.  Yum!  Everyone loved it!  I bought a whole chicken and cut it up because I wanted to try doing it.  Next time I will buy one already cut up.  The slaw was okay.  Liked it a lot better about three days later.  I had a small bottle of the BBQ sauce we like so I made a 1/2 batch of the best bbq sauce on this blog and mixed them together.  Thought it was just the right amount of sauce.  It took about 3.5 hours from start to finish.  Would be faster next time if I didn't need to cut up the chicken.  Used my red pan.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/barbecue-chicken-sandwiches/

• 1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1 bottle (large) Barbecue Sauce
• 1 whole Onion, Sliced
• 8 whole Cloves Garlic (more To Taste)
• Slaw:
• 1/2 head Cabbage, Sliced Thin
• 1/2 head Purple Cabbage, Sliced Thin
• 1/2 cup Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon White Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 bunch Cilantro, Roughly Chopped

SLAW

Combine shredded cabbage and sliced jalapenos in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix milk, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Pour over cabbage. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate two hours.

Before serving, toss in cilantro leaves. 

CHICKEN

Heat canola oil in a heavy pot over medium high heat. Season chicken, then sear on all sides until skin is golden brown and some fat is rendered. Remove chicken from pot and pour off excess grease. 

Add sliced onions and whole garlic cloves to pot and stir around to cook for 2 minutes. Pour in barbecue sauce, add chicken to the sauce, and place lid on the pot. 

Place in a 300 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until chicken is falling off the bone. 

Remove the whole garlic cloves from the pot and set it aside. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool enough to handle. Using hands or two forks, remove the meat from the bones. Finely shred the chicken using your hands or two forks. 

Carefully skim off the excess fat that has risen on top of the sauce. Return shredded chicken to the pot and stir into the sauce. Reheat so that it's warm.

Spread butter on kaiser rolls and toast on the griddle. 

To serve, place a good amount of chicken on the bottom half of the roll. Top with one or two garlic cloves, then a good helping of slaw. Top with the other half of the bun and dig in!

CASHEW CHICKEN

Everyone loved, loved this!  There wasn't much left.  If have company over..double recipe.  Found the chicken in the freezer section - used the whole bag.  Think this would be a good recipe to replace chicken with beef and bell pepper with broccoli.  We liked without the green onions.  Took about 30-40 minutes from start to finish.  Good with steamed broccoli, peas and corn.

UPDATE: Would have this any day over Safeway chinese.  Yum!  Good with chicken breast as well.  I didn't have green onions so used celery (added with bell pepper).  Also did some slivered almonds because I only had salted cashews (did any some).  Used Soba noodles (3 pak).  Didn't chop up water chestnuts.  Would be a good meal to take to a family.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/cashew-chicken/

Prep: 5 Minutes	Level: Easy
Cook: 10 Minutes	Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut Into Small Cubes
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Ginger
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
• 1/4 cup Sherry Or Chicken Broth
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1/2 cup Drained Canned Water Chestnuts, Coarsley Chopped
• 1 cup Unsalted Cashews (be Sure To Use Unsalted)
• 2 whole Green Onions, Thinly Sliced
• Cooked Rice Or Noodles, For Serving (if Desired)

Preparation

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside. 

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat and add the chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt, then leave it alone for at least a couple of minutes to give the chicken a chance to brown. When the chicken has turned golden, stir it around so that it can brown on all sides. Throw in the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Stir in the bell pepper and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

While the pan is still hot, pour in the sherry. Stir it around, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the flavorful bits. Turn the heat to medium-low and pour in the sauce mixture, then mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry and pour it in. Stir the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken, then add the water chestnuts and cashews and stir to coat everything with the sauce, adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.

Finally, sprinkle on the green onions. Serve with cooked rice or noodles.


CHINESE CASHEW CHICKEN 
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/chinese-cashew-chicken-30-minute-meal/

We all loved this especially Scott.  I doubled the recipe so we would have enough for lunches.  I also added celery, frozen broccoli and sugar snap peas.  I also used roasted garlic.  If the cashews are salted - rinse them first.  I roasted them by toss them in 1-2 tsp oil and roast at 200 for 5-10 minutes.  Had pineapple on the side.  Would be good with yakisoba noodles.  Abagail didn't like the cashews so next time I will not add and just have everyone put some on their dish if they want.

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon grated or finely chopped fresh ginger (or ginger paste from a tube)
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded, cored and diced into bite-size pieces
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups roasted cashews (I prefer unsalted)

SAUCE:

• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Place the diced chicken in a medium bowl and toss with the 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
2. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside.
3. Rinse the chicken in a colander and pat dry (I leave the rinsed chicken in the colander, grab a bunch of paper towels and dab all over the surface, kind of turning the chicken as I pat dry).
4. In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. You want the skillet very hot.
5. Add the chicken in a single layer and stir constantly; the chicken should turn white as it cooks – but not get overly brown. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes (it’s ok if it isn’t fully cooked yet; it will cook more in the next few steps).
6. Scoot the chicken to the edges of the pan. Add another drizzle (a teaspoon or so) of olive oil to the center of the skillet.
7. Add the garlic and ginger to the center of the skillet and mash gently as it cooks, about 30 seconds.
8. Add the green peppers; stir to combine the chicken, garlic/ginger, and peppers.
9. Whisk the sauce to recombine, and add it to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened, the chicken is cooked through, and the peppers are crisp-tender.
10. Remove from the heat, add the cashews, and serve over hot, cooked rice (if desired).

TRES LECHES CAKE

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/tres-leches-cake/

Yum!  Easy to make.  Kids loved the cherries on top.  Any kind of fruit would be good on top.
UPDATE: Good with strawberries (made strawberry petals with a cherry in the middle).  Scott really likes this.  Added Cajeta (Mexican caramel) before putting on icing (any kind of caramel sauce would be good).  Really liked the edition.
We had this type of cake for our ward Christmas dinner 2016.  They did it with a yellow cake mix.  It was not even close to as good as this recipe.

UPDATE: Abagail wants this for her birthday.  She loves it!

• Tres Leches Cake

  September,29,2009 1526

  PREP TIME:

  45 Minutes

  DIFFICULTY:

  Easy

  COOK TIME:

  1 Hours

  SERVINGS:

  12 Servings

  
  

  INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup All-purpose Flour
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 5 whole Eggs
  • 1 cup Sugar, Divided
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1/3 cup Milk
  • 1 can Evaporated Milk
  • 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
  • 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
  • _____
  • FOR THE ICING:
  • 1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
  • 3 Tablespoons Sugar

  
  

  INSTRUCTIONS

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

  
  

  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a LARGE (red one works great) bowl. Separate eggs.

  
  

  Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

  
  

  Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

  
  

  Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

  
  

  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool. (Can leave in 9x13)

  
  

  Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

  
  

  Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. Better if you stick in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.  To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.

  Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

PERFECT POTATOES AU GRATIN

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/perfect-potatoes-au-gratin/

These are super yummy!  Would probably use less garlic (used 4 fresh) next time.  Went perfect with ham, cranberry bread, pumelos and homemade creamed corn.  Perfect Christmas 2014 dinner. 

Perfect Potatoes au Gratin

Prep Time:

 10 Minutes

 

Cook Time:

 1 Hour

 

Difficulty:

 Easy

 

Servings:

 8

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
• 1 teaspoon Salt
•  Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths. (sliced about 1/4"-1/2")

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful. Delicious!