Easy Homemade Marshmallow Cream "Fluff"

Making your own homemade Marshmallow Cream "Fluff" is simple! The light, fluffiness is delicious when you pair it up with peanut butter or spread it over your favorite dessert.

Ingredients Needed:

3 egg whites

2 c. light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar

1 T. vanilla extract

Directions:

Using an electric mixer, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites, corn syrup, and salt. Beat for approximately 10 minutes on medium-high until thick. Reduce speed of mixer to low and gradually add the confectioners' sugar until completely mixed. Then add the vanilla extract and beat until well blended. 

Yields approx: 2 quarts

Storage: Store covered, in plastic container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Freeze for up to 2 months.

 Linked With:
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Homemade Chili (Stove or Crockpot)

 

Always on the search for a good recipe, a long time ago, I set out to find a match for Wendy's chili because it is one of my favorites. Since I am the self-declared "Google Queen" I started there. I then went to my other favorite option Pinterest.

Source

I tried several different recipes claiming to be "Wendy's copycat recipes". Let me just say that if Wendy's chili taste like some of these recipes posted and claiming to be a match in your neck of the woods.... I am SO SO sorry for you! Yuck-o!

 

Source

 

However, after many failed attempts I finally came across one that I liked. Unfortunately, I can not link to its original author because it was just an uploaded cell phone screen shot as a pin, with no link back. *I hate that* (If someone can show me the original website that published this particular recipe, I would be more than happy to link it to them.)

 

Anywho, I tried it and I loved it. Now that one of my dear friends and assistant Samantha has posted on her Facebook recently asking for a good chili recipe, I figured now would be a great time to share this delicious recipe.

 

So.... this one is for YOU Sam!!

Wendy's Copycat Chili

Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh ground beef
1 qt tomato juice
1 (29oz) can tomato puree
1 (15oz) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (15oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup chili powder (use more or less to taste)
1 tsp ground cumin (use more for added flavor)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Stovetop Instructions:
In a large skillet, brown ground meat with onions, celery, and bell peppers. Drain fat & liquid. Place the meat mixture in a 6-qt pot along with all remaining ingredients. Cover the pot and allow chili to simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes.

Crockpot Instructions:
In a large skillet, brown ground meat with onions, celery, and bell peppers. Drain fat & liquid. Place the meat mixture in crockpot along with all remaining ingredients. Cover the pot and allow to cook on low for 3-4 hours.


Blessings from the South!

 

 

 

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Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Another Cool Weather Favorite.....

 

 

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

 

Ingredients
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 bag frozen vegetables (peas/corn/carrot/green bean mix)
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
4 chicken breasts,cooked and cubed

Salt & Pepper
1 frozen pie crust
1 egg, beaten

 

Preheat oven to 400°F

 

1. Sautée the onion and garlic in oil. 

2. Microwave the veggies until just under tender.

3. Add the chicken, cream of potato soup, vegetables and S&P to taste. 

4. Transfer to a casserole dish or four ramekin dishes. 

5. Unroll the pie crust on top of the casserole dish or cut to size of ramekins. 

6. Brush the egg on top. 

7. Cut a few slits in the crust and bake at 400°F for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

 

Note:

If you prefer a soupier consistency, add milk or cream. However, don't add too much, or it will spill over the top and cause the oven to have crusty burnt pieces things on the bottom of the oven. In this case, you will probably want to place the ramekins on a cookie sheet while baking.

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Linked To:
New Life on a Homestead, TwelveoEight, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Boogie Board Cottage, Between Naps on the Porch, The Tablescaper, By StephanieLynn, Nifty Thrifty, Twigg Studio, VGM206, The Chicken Chick, The Heart of Your Home, The Dedicated House, Time Warp Wife,

3 Fruits You Might Be Eating The Hard Way

[Image credit: FoodBeastTv]

We all know how to eat an apple the correct way, right? Wrong! Last week, FoodBeast posted a video entitled "How to Eat an Apple Like a Boss" that quickly went viral. From what the video shows, one should eat the apple from the top down, thereby eliminating the almost 30% waste from eating the apple from the outside into the core. So that got me to searching [yes I Google everything] to find what other fruits we may be eating incorrectly.

[Image credit: Crazy Bananas]

Crazy Bananas shows us that most people start peeling the from the longer stem, but if you peel from the bottom, it will be easier and the banana wont have all those stringy pieces left on it. Since this is also the way a monkey would eat a banana, it makes perfect sense to me.

[Image credit: Homemadesimple]

 

What about the pomegranate? Well there is a truly easy way to get all of the scrumptious seeds out using water. All you have to do is cut the fruit in half then submerge the fruit in cold water. This will allow it to pull right apart with very little mess. Perfect right?

 

 

 

 

 

 Time Warp Wife,

 

 

 

 



 

Mandarin Orange Chicken

This recipe can be made with chicken or tofu, but if you are making both chicken and tofu, but I think you have to keep a close eye on this cooking, since they don't cook at exactly the same rate. I personally don't care for tofu, so I have no idea what it would taste like in the recipe.

 

 

Mandarin Orange Chicken

 

Ingredients:
1 package skinless, boneless chicken breasts OR

1 pkg Extra Firm Tofu, cut into 1/4" slices
1/3 cup Soy Ginger Sauce
1 TB honey
1 small can mandarin oranges
1 TB olive oil
1 TB minced garlic
2 cups fresh broccoli flowerets
1 small can water chestnuts 

steamed white or brown rice

 

Preheat oven to 400° F.

 

Brush both sides of the chicken or tofu slices with sauce and arange in a 6 x 9 baking dish, overlapping as needed. Mix sauce with honey and spoon on top of the tofu or chicken. Top with orange slices. Bake 30 minutes, or until the tofu is lightly browned. In a large sauté pan or wok, heat olive oil and saute garlic until lightly browned. Add broccoli and water chestnuts and cook until crisp-tender. Serve over rice and baked tofu or chicken with additional sauce on the side.

 

 

Let me know what you think!

 

 

 

 

Linked Up With:
The Heart of Your Home, The Dedicated House, Time Warp Wife,

Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

I found  this great summer salad on Paula's Home Cooking, courtesy of my cooking idol, Paula Deen. Surprisingly, this particular P.D. recipe contains no Crisco, bacon fat or sour cream. [I looooove Paula Deen's fatty homestyle cooking, but unfortunately, my hips don't.] Now that Paula has been diagnosed with diabetes she is cleaning up her cooking, so many of her recipes are taking on a healthier nature.

 

 

Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked corn, fresh or frozen
1 avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup finely diced red onion

 

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

 

Combine the corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion in a large glass bowl. Mix together the dressing ingredients in another bowl, pour over the salad, and gently toss to mix.

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

Product Review: Proctor Silex Electric Knife

 

 

 

Call me crazy, but this is probably one of my most used kitchen gadgets. No doubt, Thanksgiving would be a bust in my house without it, because I couldn't carve a turkey to save my life without it, but that isn't the only thing I use it for.

 

Over the years I have become a pro at making sandwich trays all because of this amazing little gadget. I simply spread the bread out across the counter, make the sandwiches and then stack the sandwhiches 3-4 high and WHAM, I go to cutting. Ahhhhh, lets tackle 3 large sandwich trays in a matter of an hour.

 

How about cutting fruit & veggies? Easy-peasy with an electric knife!

 

This thing really is a time & life saver and at a VERY affordable price.... why doesn't everyone own one of these? They retail for less than $30.00!!

 

 

Cheers from the Deep South!

 

 

Sonoma Chicken Salad

This is a variation to a recipe from one of those free little recipe books at Whole Foods. The grapes make it stand out from a garden variety chicken salad. I didn't have some of the ingredients on hand in the original recipe, so I had to improvise a little..... but it was delicious nonetheless.

 

Sonoma Chicken Salad

 

The Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise (I used my favorite lite mayo to save on calories & fat)
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
5 tsp honey
2 tsp poppy seeds
Sea salt and Black pepper

 

The Salad:

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup pecan halves, chopped and toasted (I didn't toast mine)
2 cups red seedless grapes
3 stalks celery, finely chopped

 

Directions:

Prepare the dressing by thoroughly mixing together all dressing ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad (can be prepared up to 2 days ahead). Preheat oven to 375°F. Place chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with 1/2 cup of water. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove cooked chicken breasts from baking pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate. When the breasts are completely chilled (at least 2 hours refrigerated), chop & tear into small bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pecans, grapes, celery, and dressing.


This Post Is Linked To:
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The Happy Housie
Faith Filled Food For Moms
Wonderful At Home
A Peek Into My Paradise
Time Warp Wife
Savvy Southern Style
Fluster Buster
DIY by Design
The Style Sisters
Foody Schmoody
Easy Life Meal & Party Planning




 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Pie

After a big turkey dinner there is always room for pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving dinner just wouldn’t be the same without it. Add some character by drawing a turkey design on top with sour cream and milk before baking. It is simple to draw as it consists mostly of circles and a few straight lines.

 

 

Pumpkin Pie

 

Pie ingredients:

1 can (14 oz)) cooked pumpkin purée
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup light cream
3/4 cup 2% milk, scalded

Pre-packaged Pie Shell

 

Directions:

Mix pumpkin purée, brown sugar, spices, and salt together. Add lightly beaten eggs and mix together until well blended. Add cream and mix well. Stir in scalded milk just until blended. Pour pumpkin mixture into the pie shell.

 

Turkey Design Ingredients:

2 1/2 tbspsour cream
1 1/2 tsp milk

 

Directions:

Mix sour cream with milk until smooth making sure there are no lumps. Pour mixture into the corner of a small Ziploc bag. Cut off the corner of the Ziploc bag to make a very small opening and draw your turkey design on top of the pie as follows: 

 

Make a medium circle towards the bottom of the pie. Draw another smaller circle inside for the head. Make an arch above the medium circle, connect lines to the medium circle to make feathers, and add a scallop to the top edge of the arch. Add eyes, beak, snood, and feet. Smooth out any uneven edges with a toothpick.

 

Preheat oven (350 F) and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until filling is set. Cool and serve with maple whipped cream.

 

Maple Whipped Cream Recipe:

2 cups whipping cream
1–2 tbsp pure maple syrup

 

Mix all ingredients together in electric mixer on high speed until firm enough to hold peaks.

 

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Cozy Little House.com
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The Road to 31
The Time-Warp Wife
 

 

 

Crawfish & Corn Soup

It's the time of the year when the only thing you want to eat is something hot. Saturday was a cold and wet day here in South Louisiana, so my sweet hubby (being a much better cook than I) made a delicious Crawfish & Corn Soup.

 

Honestly, the only thing I would change is to add some cheese to it..... of which I did in my own bowl. :)

 

 

Crawfish & Corn Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk of celery, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 (15 ounce) cans cream-style corn
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of potato soup
1/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 dash hot-sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
 2 pound crawfish, peeled

Directions:
Melt butter in a large pot over low heat, and stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly to make a blonde roux, about 5 minutes.

 Add yellow & green onions, green bell pepper, celery and garlic, cook until wilted. Pour in milk, heavy cream, creamed corn, whole kernel corn, and cream of potato soup. Season with Creole seasoning, hot-sauce, salt & pepper. Stir to blend, and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Add the crawfish, and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Easy Chicken & Dumplings

I haven't been feeling well this week and dinner has quickly turned south. Hot dogs, corn dogs, pizza delivery..... Ugh. I am done. Its also finally starting to cool off down here in the Deep South, so what better idea than my Easy Chicken & Dumplings for dinner? I literally spent no time at the stove and we ended up with a delicious dinner.

Need: 2 stock pots (I know, I know! Two? Well.... it just goes faster that way!)



















In one pot, boil until cooked, then drain in a strainer:
2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins (frozen, straight from the bag is what I do)
2 cups seasoning blend (onion, bell pepper, celery that is pre-chopped)

While chicken is boiling, In the other pot:
2 - 32 oz. boxes Swanson Chicken Broth
2 - 12 oz. cans Evaporated Milk
3(approx) tablespoons Paul Prudhomme Poultry Magic (I get mine at Winn Dixie)

This is really to taste. I don't actually measure the seasoning and it will really depend on your own taste as to how much you will want to use.

Combine the above in the pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Don't forget to stir or you will end up with scorched milk. 

Once you have a rolling boil, you need:
4 rolls of CHEAP can buttermilk biscuits - I am talking the cheap small ones. Cheaper the better, honest!

Take each biscuit and break off into pieces. You will get 4-6 pinches off of each biscuit. Throw into the boiling broth/evap. milk mixture.

Finishing Up:
Really, after about 15 minutes of the biscuits boiling in the liquid you could be eating, but I like mine to thicken up and be more of a stew consistency than a soup consistency. Its really a matter of preference. 

Once you have added your pulled pieces of biscuit, you need to break the chicken into bit size pieces and add it to the pot.

From the time my biscuits go in, I am usually serving bowls of this up within 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Product Review: Elite Pressure Cooker

Not your grandma's pressure cooker, folks! This thing is down right amazing!! No lie, I was a bit scared at first. I mean, we have all heard the stories of an exploding pressure cooker, right? Then my aunt told me about this particular pressure cooker and she just raved about it so, I decided to take the plunge and buy it. I knew she would never steer me wrong after all. 

Can we say:

ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS OF MY LIFE? Seriously! I used to be a crock-pot queen, but now I am just a pressure cooker queen and I only use my crock-pot for some of old favorites. Cooking time is just amazingly fast with a pressure cooker and I am in love! Its large 8 qt  capacity is perfect for our family of 6 (and whatever "extras" may be at our house on any given night.) 

It is user friendly and super easy to clean! My favorite part!! Forgot to defrost dinner? No big deal. I cook frozen chicken breast in it at least once a week.... at least! 

I will be posting some of my favorite electric pressure cooker recipes in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, here's the 411 on the Elite 8qt Electric Pressure Cooker:

Large 8qt capacity

Suitable for preparing many family-size meals

High-pressure, high-temperature cooking

Cooks food rapidly and with less power Also allows for high-altitude cooking

Multiple cooking options

Includes functions for pressure cooking, stewing, braising, simmering and roasting Select the appropriate menu button on the cooker and cooking is done automatically Takes the guesswork out of cooking soups, stews, chili, rice, meat and vegetables

Touchpad digital control with LED display

For easily setting and monitoring cooking times

Choose from preset or user-programmable cooking times

User can set pressurized cooking time from 0-99 minutes for customized cooking

24-hour preset delay timer

Allows user to program cooking to begin in up to 24 hours Cooking starts automatically at end of countdown

More Features

Removable nonstick interior pan Indicator beep at end of cooking cycle Automatically switches to Keep Warm at end of cooking cycle Automatic resumption of cooking when power is restored after a power failure Various colors available: black, red, blue Retail Price: About $100.00 (depending on where you purchase)

What Happen To Thanksgiving?

Now that Halloween is over, I am sure by now you have seen your first Christmas commercial or been to a store that is already fully stocked with artificial trees, wrapping paper & silver bells ..... BUT I REFUSE TO SKIP THANKSGIVING! It's only two weeks away. Did you forget? I am sorry, but it is as if Thanksgiving has become the red-headed step child of the holidays.

 

I like Thanksgiving.... the whole being grateful for the things you have and the people in your life thing; yeah I kinda like that! Lets not forget the FOOD. I mean, helloooo, I am from the South; we like to eat down here and we like to eat good food.

So to get everyone in the mood and to start thinking Thanksgiving I am posting my favorite holiday recipe. The recipe goes back as far as my mind can remember and has always been one of my favorite family traditions. Nowadays my children enjoy it and my oldest son has become a real pro at making it as well. It has many names here in the deep South, but in our family, we call it:

 

Yum-Yum Cake

 

 

For the Crust:

1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/4 cup of finely minced pecans

First Layer:
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup of Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream)

Second Layer:
2 (3.9 ounce) packages of instant chocolate pudding
3 cups of whole milk

Topping:
1-2 cups of Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream)
Additional chopped pecans, for garnish, optional
Grated chocolate or Heath bits, for garnish, optional

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, mix together the flour, pecans and butter until mixture resembles cookie dough. Spread into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch glass Pyrex baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely, about an hour.

Mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended. Add 1 cup of the Cool Whip and mix together. Spread this layer over the cooled crust.

Mix together the two boxes of pudding with the 3 cups of milk until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Carefully spread over the cream cheese layer.

Spread the remaining cup of whipped topping on top. Cover and refrigerate - best if refrigerated 24 hours. Before serving, grate chocolate over the top and sprinkle with additional chopped nuts. Cut into squares.

 

 

 

Linked To:
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