Celebrity Recipes for Comfort Food and Cake

06/04/2023

Cold hands, warm heart, right? If the winter days are chilly where you are, I've got just the thing. January is a great time to warm things ...

06/04/2023

You know those nuggets of sausage and cheese that someone always brings to your church potluck. You know the ones - they're held together wi...

05/12/2020

We had a family tree decorating last night. Kody gave me a big slab of beef to make room in his freezer for deer meat. That's how the evening started, with a beef dinner and applesauce cake for dessert.

This week's recipe is the caramel frosting on the cake. This is the second time I made it and I haven't perfected it yet. It's a Crum family recipe from my daughter-in-law. She said the trick is to cook the butter and brown sugar on very low heat until it starts to boil. Then add the milk and continue to stir constantly until it starts to boil again. The mixture should be thick at this point. Take it off the heat and let it cool before adding powdered sugar and whipping with a mixer.

The cake recipe is from Reese Witherspoon and her cookbook, Whiskey in a Teacup, which I shared in a past post. I added homemade applesauce made from McIntosh apples. Its a very moist cake.

We made memories last night. Its the last Christmas that my daughter is with us. My nest will be empty when she gets married to Caleb in August. So I gave her most of our Christmas decorations since I'm downsizing to just a tree. Too many boxes up and down the stairs.

That's Rebekah checking if the decorative horn actually makes music. It did! All these years I thought it was fake. Thanks Delaina for the photos. My camera stinks. I need a new phone for Christmas. Do you hear that hubster?

29/11/2020

Most of the tomato soup we eat comes out of a can. But it's a must-have item in our pantry. Who doesn't love dipping a grilled cheese sandwich in creamy tomato soup?

And who hasn't grown up eating from that familiar can of Campbell's soup. Sometimes comfort food takes us back to our childhood and the memories of coming home from school or coming inside after hours of playing in the snow, and sitting down to a bowl of soup that we still love as adults.

On page 188 of Valerie's cookbook is an easy recipe for the homemade version with grilled cheese croutons. You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months so make a double batch.

Add any cheese you like for the croutons. I cut the grilled sandwich into croutons with a pizza cutter. Our favorite cheese is Cooper Sharp white cheddar. Valerie says her soup is creamy and comforting and takes little time to make. I enjoyed making this soup and it was very quick and easy.

22/11/2020

I love the aroma of apples baking. For some reason I feel most inspired to bake on a Sunday. Apple crisp is my go-to apple recipe, which I already posted.

Here's another great way to eat apples without the added fat, carbs and sugar in a crumb topping. The recipe is found on page 169 of Livwise by Olivia Newton John.

Olivia notes that you can also use pears in the recipe. I smothered the apples with maple syrup instead of honey. The addition of orange juice is perfect.

Only four ingredients in the recipe makes for a quick easy dessert. It would be delicious with vanilla or salted caramel ice cream.

14/11/2020

The trick to making a good peanut butter frosting is using peanut butter with no added sugar. I get mine at Indian Trail Country Market. It's made fresh on the premises and it is a bit grainy, but I love that.

When you eat peanuts, its not a smooth texture in your mouth, so a little bit of graininess in your frosting shouldn't be a big deal.

This recipe is from the book, Cakes by Melissa. I use vanilla rum instead of vanilla, and the butter must be a good quality organic brand like Weis organics.

I topped the cake with pieces of peanut butter Snickers candy. The chocolate cake recipe is the one I always go back to from Ina Garten at the Food Network.

Her cake is so moist and the addition of black coffee and buttermilk adds flavor. I use sunflower oil instead of canola because canola is often genetically modified.

Melissa's Peanut Butter Frosting.

2 sticks butter at room temp
1 1/4 cups peanut butter no sugar added
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. Fine salt

Whip butter & peanut butter on high 2 minutes. Add vanilla. Whip until blended. Combine the sugar and salt. Put mixer on low. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Scrape down bowl. Whip on high 2 minutes.

05/11/2020

Lets talk banana cake. My favorite recipe comes from page 299 of a favorite cookbook, titled, Comfort Foods. People love this cake, so there's no reason to look any further.

I discovered that I can freeze bananas when they reach the peak of ripeness. Put them in the freezer with the skins on. Then peel them when they are partially frozen and do not drain any water from them. They will appear watery. That's a good thing.

The best and quickest icing for this cake or cupcakes comes from Giada DeLaurentis. So Good!

Best Quick Buttercream

2 sticks good quality organic butter at room temp.
3 cups confectioners sugar
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla rum or other vanilla liqueur.

Beat butter at high speed until pale and light. Add sugar slowly at medium high speed. Add salt and vanilla rum and whip on high speed until light and airy.

29/10/2020

Who gets tired of eating burgers? Not my sweet Raelyn. This photo was taken last year during a trip to the Lock Haven area. Odd Fellas is a favorite spot for burgers.

I'm always looking for the best way to jazz up a burger. Kate Hudson's Best Damn Burger recipe from her book, Pretty Fun is close to perfection. It's also a good way to sneak some veggies into your kids.

1/4 cup dried onion flakes
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp. Paprika
1/8 tsp celery seed

Mix the above seasonings together
Then put the following in a large bowl

2 pounds ground beef
1 packed cup of kale or spinach finely chopped (optional)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1 Tbsp Braggs liquid aminos (instead of soy sauce)

Mix the meat mixture and spice mixture until just combined. Don't overmix or burgers will be tough. Shape into eight or 12 (sliders) patties and grill.

22/10/2020

When it comes to cookies, mine have never gotten rave reviews... until I made these cowboy cookies from Reese Witherspoon's delightful cookbook, Whiskey In a Teacup.

The recipe can be used as a base for an oatmeal cookie with your favorite mix-ins. You could add simply raisins or every ingredient on the list. I added white, butterscotch and chocolate chips, pecan meal instead of pecans, and coconut.

Reese said the dough is very forgiving so be as creative as you want. I didn't have Rice Crispies. I also didn't add an entire Tablespoon of both baking soda and baking powder. I used two teaspoons of each.

Reese's Cowboy Cookies

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups soft unsalted butter
3 eggs
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups Rice Crispies cereal
2 cups coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Sift first five ingredients in a bowl. Cream sugars, vanilla and butter in another bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mix well between each. Add flour mixture in batches until just combined. Fold in oats, cereal, coconut, pecans and chips. Bake 10 to 12 min. for a small cookie, and 13 to 15 min. for a medium cookie.

18/10/2020

You see this dish at every picnic so I wanted a good recipe for baked beans. But not something fussy and time consuming. Adding bacon to anything makes a dish better. And a sweet Vidalia onion adds flavor and texture.

Here's how Trisha Yearwood jazzes up a simple can of pork and beans for a family picnic.

Trisha's Easy Baked Beans

1 pound of bacon
1 large Vidalia onion chopped fine
4 14-ounce cans of pork & beans
(I use Hanover)
1/2 cup of dark molasses
1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
2 Tbsp yellow mustard

I put the bacon in the oven on a broiling pan so the fat drips out and cook it until it's crispy brown. 350 is high enough and it takes about 30 minutes. Ovens vary, so keep an eye on it.

Fry the onion in olive oil until it starts to brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and crumble the bacon into the mixture. Let it simmer on the stove as long as you like. It will cook down and get thicker as it simmers.

11/10/2020

I always hate to see summer go, but Autumn does have its charms. Apple season is one of them.

We are lucky to have Schlegel's Fruit Farm at our local Friday market. That first trip to buy a bushel of fresh fall apples is always a treat.

I couldn't wait to taste one, so I washed a big, beautiful McIntosh in the car with the cinnamon sanitizer I carry in my handbag. I love the crunch of that first bite and if the juice flies out, it's even more fun.

Within a few days, that bag of apples moved me to make apple crisp. The best recipe I found is on page 103 of a 1995 cookbook named, Diner.

What I love about this recipe is that the apples underneath aren't sugared. All the sweet is in the crumbly topping. So you get this wonderful combo of sweet and tangy tart in each bite.

Serve it with salted caramel ice cream to make it even more special.

Apple Crisp with Dried Cranberries

Topping
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter chilled and cut into small pieces

Filling
8 McIntosh apples (about 2 1/2 lbs) peeled, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick.
3 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 and butter a 9 x 12 baking dish.
Add all the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the topping ingredients and work the mixture with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs. They will be sticky.

Place the apple mixture evenly across the baking pan. Top with the crumb mixture, dropping small pieces while pushing the crumbs off your fingertips. Do this as evenly as possible to cover the apples.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown and bubbling.

05/10/2020

Beer Braised Beef
From Nancy Fuller, Farmhouse Rules
Food Network

Any meal that starts with a slab of meat and beer is right up the hubster's alley. He devoured this dish. The dog and I loved it too.

I compare this to beef stew with two differences: add beer instead of wine and the broth doesn't thicken because you don't add flour.

The recipe calls for beef brisket. I used a cut of meat called London broil and it worked well. For the brown beer, Yuengling Lager worked well. But you could choose a darker beer.

This was easy to make. Instead of baking in the oven, I put it in a crock pot for 6 hours on high. Check the meat. It should fall apart easily. If not, another hour will suffice.

I might add some baby red potatoes to this next time. Leave the skins on for nutrition and color. Then it will have everything hubby wants in a meal: a slab of meat, a potato and a vegetable.

I will post the recipe above in my next post or you can find it at the Food Network. Search Nancy Fuller, Beer Braised Beef.

29/09/2020

Valerie Bertinelli's carrot cake on page 254 of her cookbook is divine. It's three layers of pure joy.

I add one Tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice instead of one teaspoon of cinnamon. I got that tip from a well-known baker and it makes a delicious difference.

I have several recipes for cream cheese frosting. I don't like it so sweet. Try beating one cup of cold heavy cream to stiff peaks. Then beat 16 oz of room temp cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp. Vanilla in a separate bowl. Whip both together very quickly and briefly.

This creates a lighter frosting than those with butter. Just tell yourself that you're eating something healthy and have another slice.

26/09/2020

The lasagna recipe from my last post below.

Heat a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the thyme, bay leaves, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook,stirring often, for about 2 minutes,....

26/09/2020

I'm not a frequent lasagna maker, but the hubster has been hinting around for some, so I tried a recipe on page 244 of Curtis Stone's cookbook, What's for Dinner?

His recipe contains grilled vegetables, which would be fabulous, but I'm not a griller. So I added ground beef to the ricotta-tomato sauce. The smaller photo is mine.

The result was very good, probably the best lasagna I ever made. I often have trouble with lasagna being either watery or too dry. This was perfect. I boiled nine lasagna noodles for seven minutes, although the recipe suggests using uncooked noodles.

I also used a combination of canned crushed, stewed and diced tomatoes instead of fresh.

Armstrong Valley winery provided the wine I needed for the sauce. I chose a semi-dry Niagara and it was perfect. I prefer local ingredients when possible. I think it's important to support local businesses.

I learned that five sprigs of fresh thyme is about a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme. And for the 1/2 cup of fresh basil, I added a heaping Tablespoon of dried basil. You could add more or less.

I didn't find it necessary to add the cheese after 30 minutes in the oven. I put the mozzarella on top before it went into the oven. The foil protected the cheese until the foil was removed for the final 25 to 30 minutes.

I spread the work for this dish over two days. I made the sauce yesterday, then boiled the noodles and assembled & baked it today. The grilled vegetables can also be made a day ahead.

This was a three-hour project, which is why I don't make it often. But it is worth the work when you have a good recipe. Curtis Stone's lasagna recipe is posted above this post.

20/09/2020

A beautiful day for crafts and cake. The cake and frosting recipe is from Ina Garten and can be found at the Food Network

18/09/2020

Making a chocolate overload cake for craft day. Story and recipe in my next post.

17/09/2020

The best chicken stew you'll ever eat is on page 246 of a favorite cookbook, Farmhouse Rules. I've been binge-watching Nancy Fuller on the Food Network. I want her life. But she certainly earned what she has.

No need to peel potatoes for this dish. Red potatoes with skins on add color and nutrition. I look for pre-cut chicken the size and thickness of a breaded chicken strip or pattie. That's faster and easier to cook than chunking a whole breast.

This dish can be served alone or over biscuits, toast or mashed potatoes.

14/09/2020

Hubby got to them before I could snap a photo. I'm forever looking for the ultimate deviled egg recipe. This one from Oprah is a new favorite.

12 large eggs
3 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp sweet pickle minced
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 dash horseradish sauce
1-2 dashes Tabasco or Frank's red hot
Salt & pepper
Garnish with parsley and smoked paprika

13/09/2020

Scroll down for the details about tonight's dinner. Here's the recipe.

Get Shepherd's Pie Recipe from Food Network

13/09/2020

I made Alton Brown's recipe for shepherd's pie tonight. The recipe asks for lamb but I normally use ground beef. I was feeling lazy so I tried canned chicken and skipped having to cook meat. I also skipped peeling potatoes and used a box of my favorite organic potatoes. It was just enough to cover the dish as made according to package directions.

I wondered if the thyme and rosemary would be overpowering because neither of those herbs are something I would normally put in this dish. But I trusted Alton and added them. Everyone loved it, including our dog, Tucker.

We had dinner with my future son-in-law tonight while discussing wedding plans. We figured out table linens and the drinks we plan to serve. Delaina said she wanted fruity cocktails. I told her about the weddings I attended back in the eighties. Seven and seven with peach schnapps and orange juice were popular wedding drinks.

I mixed up the peach drink for her to try and remembered why people loved them. I think we have the fruity cocktail figured out.

Back to the recipe, If I were using ground beef in this pie, I would add beef broth instead of chicken broth. The recipe can be found at the link above this post. The coleslaw is Dolly Parton's recipe and you can find it by scrolling down to my next post.

11/09/2020

I've been looking for an old-fashioned coleslaw recipe and came across this one from Dolly Parton. I almost ruined it by tossing salt in, thinking it was sugar. Fortunately a half tablespoon of salt isn't overpowering in this recipe.

I made the cake to celebrate my daughter's 22nd birthday. It's a red velvet recipe from bakery owner and cookbook author Melissa Ben-Ishay. It's very moist and has three times the cocoa used in similar recipes. You can find the recipe in her book, Cakes by Melissa. It's her most requested cake so I expected perfection.

I like to let the red peek through on red velvet cakes. The icing is equal parts cream cheese, sour cream and powdered sugar. I doubled the sugar for a thicker texture and it wasn't too sweet. Only use full-fat cream cheese and sour cream. Light will not give good taste and will not stay fresh.

To make Dolly's coleslaw, shred a medium head of cabbage, mince a medium onion, grate a carrot and mince a red bell pepper. Add 1/4 cup of sweet pickle juice and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Then add one tablespoon of pickle relish, one cup of full-fat mayo, 2 Tbsp. of sugar, 1/4 tsp. of black pepper, and one teaspoon of salt or more.

I serve the coleslaw on top of hamburger barbeque or burgers.

07/09/2020

Some people think cooking and baking is work. To me, cleaning the mess is the only work involved. But that could be reason enough to prefer eating out.

In my younger years, I didn't enjoy cooking. I had my mind on other things. My ex-husband once told me I'm not much for cooking and housework. He often ate blue boxes of weaver frozen chicken and frozen fries.

I'm not sure what changed me, but now I love to cook. Finding a good recipe is like a treasure hunt. Cooking is a form of creativity that can be therapeutic. And watching people enjoy what I made is a satisfying accomplishment.

The photos below are additions to my last post. The recipe for hamburger soup can be found on page 72 of Ree Drummond's cookbook, Dinnertime.

The beer bread is an original recipe. I looked at several recipes online and read the reviews. Then I did a little tweaking with a recipe that was recommended by my brother, Ed. I used a bottle of Yuengling Lager in the batter and it was devoured.

There's something about melting chocolate that gives a cake more flavor and a denser texture than cocoa. The spatula is a treasured gift signed by my granddaughter, Raelyn. I think of her every time I bake. It was a sweet gift.

That's what cooking is too... a gift to the people you love. That's where the joy is for me. It's work, but they are worth it. Beer bread recipe below.

Beer Bread
3 cups sifted flour
2 Tbsp sugar
0ne 12-ounce bottle beer
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Salt
Mix together until blended. Do not overmix. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Pour 2 more Tbsp of melted butter on top of batter. Bake at 375 for 55 minutes.

05/09/2020

One of the reasons why we needed a good celebration cake last night.

05/09/2020

Cake makes a gathering a celebration. Without cake, it's just a meeting. Our family has much to celebrate these days. My daughter got engaged and a promised promotion at work. She also got a new car, a Subaru she nicknamed Subrina, my son paid off his college debt, my future son-in-law bought a house, and we are planning a wedding.

I wanted our gathering last night to be special so I made beer bread, Ree Drummond's hamburger soup, and this moist rum cake, which I served with salted caramel vanilla ice cream. I'll post recipes for the soup and bread in my next two entries.

The cake recipe can be found by googling Maida Heatter's 86 proof chocolate cake. I added vanilla rum to the batter, but according to the recipe you can add bourbon, cognac or scotch whiskey.

Next time I make this I will use butter instead of coconut oil. I love coconut and chocolate but not everyone does. The recipe calls for butter. Either way, the cake will be moist enough to serve without icing.

Maida Heatter is the author of several cookbooks, including her latest, Happiness is Baking, where I found this recipe. Martha Stewart claims that she learned to bake by trying Maida's recipes.

This morning the half-eaten cake was sitting there beside me as I drank my coffee. I wondered what vanilla rum tastes like in coffee and could someone get drunk on a rum cake? Apparently most of the alcohol cooks out, so this cake can be served to children.

02/09/2020

Get Marinated Roasted Portobellos Recipe from Food Network

31/08/2020

The best mushroom I ever ate was a Portobello that tasted like a steak. Today I tried to recreate the dish that I still think about since ordering it years ago at the Glass Lounge on Front street in Harrisburg. I added one tablespoon of beef bullion to the marinate, hoping it would taste like a steak. I was surprised how close this recipe from Trisha Yearwood comes to the taste of that fabulous mushroom. Scroll up to watch Trisha's recipe video.

28/08/2020

Potatoes and bacon are comfort food heaven. You can have them both in this easy frittata spiced with red bell pepper and smoked paprika. I was lazy about peeling potatoes, so I used organic frozen french fries. Fresh thyme from your garden adds to the flavor. This dish can be served hot for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Let leftovers cool and cut into bite-size pieces for snacking. Find the recipe on page 96 of Curtis Stone's cookbook.

27/08/2020

25/08/2020

The meatball recipe on page 230 of Kate Hudson's book, Pretty Fun (from the post and photos below) goes well with Ree Drummond's recipe for pineapple sweet & sour sauce. Scroll down for photos of the dish and the cookbooks they came from.