Hot Fudge Sauce/Fondue/Dip

Another great recipe from a lady I used to work for. This is not good for you, therefore it tastes divine.


HOT FUDGE SAUCE

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Use a large saucepan to prevent boiling over. Melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients except vanilla. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, if desired.

If sauce is not creamy and smooth, poor hot mixture into a blender and blend for 2-4 minutes, with the lid vented to allow steam to escape. Store in the refrigerator.


This is great hot fudge sauce for ice cream. Warm, it's a great fondue for fruit and pound cake. Cold, it's a great dip for fruit. Or whatever else needs some chocolate!

Making Rice-a-Roni Go Farther

Just a few suggestions to get more out of your box of Rice-a-Roni. You can do one, some, or all of the following:

• Add 1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped onion while you saute the rice in butter.
• Add 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds while you saute the rice in butter.
• Add 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped, when you add water to the rice.
• Add 2 cups diced cooked chicken or browned ground beef when you add water to the rice.
• Add 1 cup fresh broccoli florets during the last five minutes of cooking.

You may have to adjust cooking time when adding the celery - sometimes I've found that it needs a couple more minutes to simmer.

I haven't tried adding carrots yet, but I bet if you chopped them small enough or shredded them it would work.

Please comment with any tricks you have used with the San Francisco Treat and I'll add them to this post so we can all benefit from your excellent wisdom!

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My friend, Becky, suggested browning the rice minus the butter to save on calories. Good tip!

Easy Black Forest Cake

Okay, so I need to work on my presentation skills. Clearly I don't know how to drizzle glaze like Martha Stewart. The cake still tastes wonderful. I found this recipe online (as is the case with most of my recipes - I'm not that gifted, myself). I'll be bringing this beaut to the family party on Sunday, in case any of you were wondering.


EASY BLACK FOREST CAKE

1 pkg. any flavor chocolate cake mix (preferably one with pudding in the mix)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. almond extract
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, water, almond extract, pie filling, and 1 cup chocolate chips. Stir until just combined. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let cool.

Heat 1/2 cup chocolate chips, butter, and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once chips are melted and mixture is combined, stir in powdered sugar. Drizzle glaze over cake.

• Now I made this in a bundt pan and I only baked it for 40 minutes and it was just right. If you do go the bundt route, make sure you grease the pan well with shortening. Nobody likes their cake to stick to the pan!
• I didn't put the 1 cup of chocolate chips in the cake because I accidentally forgot on purpose (I don't like chips in cake). Still tasted delish. I'll put them in for the family party, though.
• Do make sure you add the full tablespoon of almond extract because that is what makes this cake!
  

Soft Drop Sugar Cookies

SOFT DROP SUGAR COOKIES

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl or mixer, cream together the shortening, butter, and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended.

Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. (To make the cookies look like mine above, flatten balls with a glass).

Bake 10 -12 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to wire rack.

Barbecue Meatballs

This is one of Caralie's all-time favorites. Probably because ketchup is involved.


BARBECUE MEATBALLS

2 lbs lean ground beef
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup quick cooking oats
7 oz. evaporated milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 cup dried minced onion

Sauce:
2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. liquid smoke

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix beef, egg, oats, evap. milk, and spices. Form into 2 inch balls (I just use an ice cream scoop) and arrange in a single layer in a shallow baking dish (I usually need one 9x13 and one 8x8 glass baking dish). Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. When meatballs are finished baking, pour sauce over meatballs. Return to oven for 15 more minutes.

WELCOME

So here it is - my new blog in all it's resplendent glory. I've copied all of my recipes from The Tall Family blog and put them over here. Every recipe is labeled and if you look to the right of the screen, you'll find your search criteria.

More recipes to come soon!

Thanks for stopping by.

Black Bean Soup

Tonight I tried a new recipe for Black Bean Soup that I found in the March issue of Good Housekeeping. Here is the recipe as printed in the mag:

BLACK BEAN SOUP

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 med. carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 med. red bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
salt
2 c. water
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-14.5 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth (1 3/4 c.)
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

In 6-qt. saucepot, heat oil on medium until hot. Add carrots, garlic, onion, and pepper; cook 12 - 15 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Add cumin, crushed red pepper, and 1/2 tsp. salt; cook 1 minute.

Stir in water, beans, and broth; heat to boiling on med-high. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes to blend flavors.

Ladle 3 cups soup into blender; cover, with center part of cover removed to allow steam to escape, and blend until pureed. Stir puree into soup in saucepot; heat through on medium. Stir in cilantro and lime juice, serve. Makes 6 servings.
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I had more than 6 people to serve so I used 3 cans of beans, more carrots, more water and broth, more spices. I also added 3 cups of diced cooked chicken after making the puree to beef it up a bit, and the juice of one whole lime. I recommend adding a tsp. of chili powder. This is a good soup, and apparently it's good for you - it's part of Good Housekeeping's "Anti-Aging Diet."