As most of you know, I am NOT Catholic, but you may not know that I love a lot of Catholic things. King Cake, historically a Catholic thing, for instance, is delicious! I was in my local Publix grocery store yesterday and I noticed they had King Cake for sale. I don't ever recall having seen it in a store before, but they had both large and small ones. I didn't buy one because awhile back I found the BEST recipe for King Cake, so I just make it at home. I can't imagine a cake being any better than this one. YUM! So easy too, since I use frozen yeast bread dough...the loaf kind. To see the recipe I use, click HERE. There are step by step photos there too. I promise you, it is VERY easy and VERY delicious! I've made it with orange extract instead of lemon and that is yummy too. I never hide the plastic baby in it because it is usually just me eating it. It keeps well in the fridge for a week or more if you keep it wrapped tight. I keep saying I'm going to freeze it, but it never lasts that long. Oh well.
In case you're confused and wondering, "What the heck is a King Cake????" Click HERE to read all about the history of the King Cake.
Those of you who have ever visited New Orleans during Mardi Gras probably already know. 😋
Do you ever think back? Way way back to your early childhood? What do you remember? They say your earliest memories are embedded inside you. If you get old and lose your memory, those early ones are the last to go. As I approach retirement, I find myself thinking of my early years a good bit. I remember many of those days bright and clear like they were yesterday, but some of the memories are fuzzy around the edges. Frayed. A little worn out and faded like an old 8mm movie that's been played too many times. Today I'm remembering one of those days. I was very little. I'd say I was only two years old, as my sister, Debbie, was not yet born and she came in 1958. Mama and Daddy took my older brothers and sister and I to see some elderly people they knew. It must have been some kind of family reunion or something because there were so many strangers there that day. It could have been Thanksgiving. Maybe it was. That would make sense. I remember the house. It was a BIG two story house with white paint that was old and peeling. The house was sitting high off the ground. The porch was so high that I could easily walk under it since I was little. There were dogs under there, so that's where I went the minute I was out of the car. I've loved dogs all my life. I was just trying to get one of the dogs to come to me when it happened. A yellow jacket stung me on my chin. It hurt very bad and I cried like the baby I was. The older children all made fun of me as was their way. My brother, Gene, pointed at my swelling chin and threw back his head and laughed and laughed. Mama got mad at me for making such a fuss, and then she took a dab of snuff out of her mouth and put it on the sting, which made me both hurt worse and stink to high heaven. Mama made me stay inside after that. There were a LOT of ladies in there. Most of them were in the kitchen, but the older ones were in the sitting room dipping their snuff and spitting and talking about how children were so spoiled those days and how they had to work when they were my age. (REMINDER: I was TWO YEARS OLD!) I remember feeling ashamed that I didn't have a job and I didn't do a good job of taking care of my Mama either. Now, as an adult, I realize Mama was sitting with the elderly women because she would have been very pregnant that day, and they were trying to guilt me into being good because they knew Mama would have yet another child to care for in a few weeks or months. The men were all gathered outside smoking cigarettes and doing their man gossiping. Some of them were splitting more wood for the old wood cook stove and the fireplace in the sitting room. You could hear the chop chop chopping from inside where I sat.
The chopping noise was mixed with the squeals and war whoops of the boys outside playing cowboys and Indians. The girls were much quieter in their play. The younger ones were jumping rope while the older ones were sitting around a small campfire in the yard whispering and throwing sideways glances at the older boys helping stack the wood. The elderly men were sitting either on the porch or in the front room fussing about how long women took to cook. Some of them had pipes and were having good natured smoke ring competitions. I still love the smell of good pipe tobacco to this day. I loved those old men. They were always sweet to me. It was the old ladies that always let me know I was not good enough. There was a big long table in the kitchen. By the time the women finished putting the food on it, it practically groaned from the weight. I didn't feel much like eating with my swollen chin that hurt so bad, but I was the only one. They attacked that food like ravenous bears and it was gone in no time. Leaving a mountain of dishes for the women to wash.
By mid-afternoon the water had been carried in from the well and all the dishes were done. The people started leaving family by family. We were one of the last to leave as my Daddy dearly loved to spend time with family and friends.
My chin finally healed, of course, but I will never forget that day.
I still do not know where I was or who the people there were, but I can see it in my mind's eye as clear as day. All the people knew my parents, so they had to have been either family or friends. When I grew up, I asked Mama about it many times, but she never remembered. I even asked my older brothers and sisters, but they don't remember either. They say, "It could have been... or it could have been... or it could have been..." We visited a lot of places like that when I was little, I guess. Daddy loved visiting family and friends. That is true. We were always going to see someone back then. No matter. I remember it, so I thought I'd share. I hope you have memories like this worth remembering and sharing too. Lest we forget how the times have changed and how they have stayed the same....
I never did get to pet those dogs under the porch. I'd still pet them if I could. I just love dogs.
CHOCOLATE MAGIC FLAN CAKE INGREDIENTS Non-stick baking spray with flour ½ cup salted caramel sauce Cake 1 – 15.25 ounce box Devil’s Food cake mix 1 cup water ½ cup vegetable oil 3 large eggs, room temperature Flan 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 4 large eggs, room temperature 1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1 – 12 ounce can evaporated milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Set a kettle of water on to boil, and ready a deep roasting pan or baking dish large enough to hold a 12-cup Bundt pan along with space all around the sides for water.
Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with non-stick baking spray with flour.
Pour the caramel sauce into the prepared Bundt pan.
Prepare the cake batter by adding the water, vegetable oil, and 3 eggs to the cake mix and mixing until well-combined.
Pour the cake batter into the Bundt pan evenly over the caramel sauce.
In a large blender, prepare the flan by combining the cream cheese, 4 eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla. Process until smooth.
Slowly pour the egg mixture into the Bundt pan over the cake batter.
Coat a piece of foil with non-stick cooking spray, then cover the pan tightly with the foil.
Place the large roasting pan or baking dish on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Carefully pour in the boiling water until it is about 2 inches high. Place the Bundt pan into the middle of the roasting pan, and carefully slide the rack back into place so you don’t splash hot water on yourself. Be careful.
Bake for 1 ¾ to 2 hours, until a toothpick stuck into the center still has a few moist cake crumbs and the edges have started to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from the oven and take the Bundt pan out of the water bath. Remove the foil and cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Chill overnight.
After the overnight chilling, unmold the cake and serve!
TIP We highly recommend using a non-stick spray that contains flour. We tested this recipe several times, using both regular non-stick spray and unsalted butter to grease the Bundt pan, but in both tests, some of the cake batter refused to rise to the top. The result? A flan cake with a marbled top. While that version is fine to eat, if you really want the visual appeal of the two-toned cake, use non-stick baking spray that contains flour to prep your Bundt pan.
Cinnamon Roll Waffles With Cream Cheese Glaze
Slow Cooker Potato Soup
Slow Cooker Potato Soup - Yield: 8-10 servings This Slow Cooker Potato Soup recipe is thick and creamy (without using heavy cream), wonderfully flavorful, and made extra easy in the slow cooker! Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 4 hours 10 mins Total Time: 4 hours 20 mins Ingredients: 6 slices cooked bacon*, diced 3-4 cups good-quality chicken or vegetable stock 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes**, peeled (if desired) and diced 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and diced 4 tablespoons bacon grease* (or butter) 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 (12-ounce) can 2% evaporated milk 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or more to taste 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, extra bacon, sour cream Directions: Add bacon, 3 cups chicken stock, potatoes and onion to the bowl of a large slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the potatoes are completely tender and cooked through.
Once the soup has slow cooked and is about ready to serve, cook the butter in a small saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat until it has melted. Whisk in the flour until it is completely combined, and then cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Gradually add in the evaporated milk while whisking it together with the flour mixture, and continue whisking until the mixture is completely smooth. Let the mixture continue cooking until it reaches a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then it should get really thick.
Immediately pour the milk mixture into the slow cooker with the potatoes, and stir until combined. Add in the cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt and pepper, and stir until combined. If you would like the soup to be even thicker, you can use a potato masher or a large spoon to mash about half of the potatoes (while the soup is still in the slow cooker) to thicken the soup up. If you would like the soup to be thinner, add in an extra 1-2 cups of warmed chicken or vegetable stock. Stir to combine, then taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Serve warm, garnished with desired toppings. Or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (This recipe will not freeze well.) *You can either fry the bacon, cook it in the microwave, or buy pre-cooked bacon. If frying or microwaving, I recommend dicing the bacon before cooking it. And if you are frying it, I highly recommend saving the bacon grease for later and then using it to make your roux (instead of butter). **I highly recommend using Yukon gold potatoes, which have the perfect texture and buttery taste for this soup. But Russet potatoes or red potatoes would also work just fine in this recipe. ***If you would like to make this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock, omit the bacon, and I would recommend adding in 2-3 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning for extra flavor.
