My Recipe Gift to You!

Merry Christmas!

This easy recipe is my Christmas gift to you! You can make it in about 15 minutes from start to finish, although it needs a little time to firm up. It has a fudge-like consistency when firm. You make it in your microwave. If you have an old microwave, you may need to extend the cook time. If your microwave is more powerful than the standard, you may need to drop a minute or two off cook time.

Easy Leche Quemada

  This recipe is simple and very quick. All you need is a large (8 cup) heat resistant  measuring cup or bowl and a microwave, apart form the ingredients.

In a large, heat resistant measuring cup or bowl put:
1 stick butter (1/2 cup) (Use a good brand of real butter. The cheap stuff foams up and over the cup near the end of cooking!!!) Melt the butter and add:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I use Eagle Brand)
Mix well and microwave on high for 7 minutes, stopping every 2 minutes to stir well. Watch the last half of the time to be sure it doesn't start foaming up out of the container. If it does, you will have to keep stopping and stirring it down. (I think cheaper butter has more water in it and the steam causes it to do this. That's only my theory, but I've found that the good stuff doesn't foam!)
While it is cooking, prepare a piece of aluminum foil (about 12" wide) by spraying with a little Pam and sprinkling cinnamon over it.
After cooking, remove from the microwave and place on a heat proof surface. Beat with a hand mixer until it cools a little. Add some vanilla (about a teaspoon) or a little rum (again, about a teaspoon) and 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts. Beat these in well. Pour out onto the aluminum foil and spread it in a log. You can do this by pulling the sides of the foil together to form a channel for the candy to "flow" into, then crimp the foil together to hold it in a log shape. When hardened, cut into slices.

                This recipe is so easy, you can have candy in no time at all.

A Recipe Gift for You!

A mini Gingerbread on a plate from  a child's tea set!

I have returned now from almost three weeks of helping a friend in need. I am so happy to find cooler temperatures and fall landscapes. I am republishing the recipe for one of my favorite fall treats. (This post was originally published in October of 2013.) I  made a batch yesterday. They are very quick to make and really, really easy!  If you have never had lemon sauce with gingerbread, you need to give it a try. It's one of those classic combinations because it is GOOD!
  Cooler weather has me thinking of childhood comfort foods. In my childhood home, Fall meant gingerbread and lemon sauce. Yum! Today I made MY version of this delicious treat.

             Linda's Gingerbread Cupcakes

      (this recipe makes 3 dozen Mini-cupcakes, but can easily be doubled)

In a medium sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients and cut in the butter until it forms pea sized crumbles.
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
dash salt
1/2 cup butter, cubed
(Reserve 1/2 cup of the above mixture to use as a streusel for the top of the cupcakes.)
To the remainder of the dry ingredients, add:
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix well.
Boil 1 cup water. To the water, add 1/2 cup molasses*. Mix and add to the dry ingredients. Stir until well blended, then spoon into 3 dozen mini-cupcake** liners (placed in the tins). You should fill each one about 3/4 full.
Sprinkle the streusel on top. 
Bake in a 350 F. degree oven for about 12 to 15 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness before removing from oven. Do not overbake!
*You can use honey in place of the molasses, if you need to.
**You can use regular sized cupcake tins, but increase the cooking time by about 5 to 10 minutes. 
 After removing from the oven, let them cool. 

                      Easy Lemon Sauce
In a microwave safe dish, put:
1/4 cup sugar
dash salt
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Mix well. Add:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
Mix well and microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and add about 1 tablespoon butter. Mix well and let cool.
              Now to build these delicious little delights! 

                           Remove the tops of the cupcakes.

Place in a fresh cupcake liner, if desired, then spoon a dollop of sauce onto the bottom section. Replace the top.

 

                                                   Enjoy! 

My Chicken Tamale Recipe!

I mentioned in my last post that I was making Chicken Tamales for my Thanksgiving crowd. They are NOT in place of turkey, but an addition to it that is customary here in south Texas because of our proximity to the Mexican border. Most tamales are made of beef or pork, but you can find tamales in many flavors. Sometimes with jalapeno pepper added, sometimes with a sweet filling instead of a meat. (For some reason, Blogger is insisting in inserting a "You May Also Like" between the recipe and this heading. I have done everything I know of to omit it, but can't, so just skip over it and go to the recipe!)
Linda's Chicken Tamales

Here is my chicken tamale recipe.My husband loves these! They are about half the calories as regular tamales, but are really delicious! There is nothing difficult about making these, but it is easier with two people so one can spread the masa on the corn shuck and one can put in the filling and roll the tamale. A third person would be nice, as they could stack them in the big pot for steaming. I usually make them all by myself, though. :o(   Oh, well, it's worth it! The Mexican families here have a Tamalada (I'm not sure if I'm spelling that right or not). They have a huge group in and they make a party of rolling tamales.

Linda's Chicken Tamales

Filling:
About  5 lbs. bone in chicken breast , boiled, then deboned and skin removed, and chopped or shredded) ( save broth)
2 cans (7 oz. each) Herdez brand salsa verde
Mix the chopped, cooked chicken with the salsa verde.  You can let it marinate for an hour or so, or overnight, but you don't have to.

Masa:
6 cups Maseca Corn Masa Mix or any corn masa mix
6 cups chicken broth (I use fat free or make my own by placing the broth in the refrigerator until the fat hardens, then remove the fat)
1 cup corn oil
2 1/2 tsp. salt
optional: I add about 2 tablespoons ground cumin
 Mix well.

Soak 1 bag of corn husks in hot water until soft. (You can buy these in the grocery store, but if you can't find them, I think you can use parchment)  Rinse and then soak in hot water. I leave mine in the water until I use them, but I rinse them off and dry them on a clean dish towel before spreading the masa on.
To assemble:

It is very hard to see the masa on the husk in the photo since they are the same color. You may need to click on the picture to enlarge it.

Lay a husk down with the cupped side up. Spread the masa in about a 2" x 4" square at one corner (use the wide side of the husk).

Put about 1 1/2 tablespoons chicken mixture across the center of the masa.

Bring the edge of the husk to the edge of the masa so that opposite edges of the masa meet.

Continue rolling.

Fold the end up.  When you  place in the steamer, place the open end up.


Place the tamales in a steamer (or a big pot with foil wadded up in the bottom to hold them out of the water). Pour water in the bottom of the pot to provide steam. (You will NOT be filling the pot with water!) I usually place a big wad of aluminum foil or a large canning jar in the center of the pot if I don't have enough tamales to fill it completely. You don't want the tamales to fall over. Keep the open end upright.
Steam about an hour. It could take a little longer if the masa or filling is very wet. Test doneness by taking out a tamale and cooling slightly. If it will release easily from the husk, it is done. 
Serve with a little more of the Salsa Verde. These freeze well. This recipe makes about 5 dozen tamales. NOTE: you must remove the husk before eating!

A Gift Idea for Your Quilting Friends!

If you're needing a small holiday gift for quilting friends (or any other friends for that matter!) this might be an easy one for you to try. If you're like me, when you quilt, sew, or embroider, you often end up with pricked, sore fingers. This lotion has vitamin E to help them heal and to give your hands a soothing, smoothing treat on these cold, dry days. (I am having a horrible time getting my post to do what I want it to do! I'm having to write all of this as a comment on the photo since I can't seem to do anything else!!! ) There are recipes all over the internet for making hand lotion at home. The one I chose is from Patchwork Times and uses 16oz. baby lotion, 8 oz. Vitamin E cream, and 8 oz. Vaseline. I chose the Vaseline that contains Cocoa Butter. Mix all of the above in a mixer until it is creamy. I found empty squeeze bottles (3 oz. size) in the travel section at Wal-Mart. I had to fill them by putting the lotion in a plastic bag (the kitchen zipper type) and snipping off one corner. I then squeezed the lotion into each bottle, tapped it to settle the lotion, and filled again until full. I made up a name for it and printed off a free vintage tag (also found by searching the internet). I tied a ribbon around the top of each and they are ready for gift giving.

Here is another site you might want to check out for recipes, suggestions, and even labels! This site has a natural lotion that does not use "pre-existing" lotions.
A Sonoma Garden 
 

Orange Cream Pop Cupcakes!

Yummy! Maybe my cupcake pincushion tutorial last week (?I've lost track of time!) inspired me or maybe it's just that
I am helping host a baby shower soon, but I have been making cupcakes all week. I'm freezing them and plan on decorating them when I have more time. I happened to pick up the Better Homes and Gardens "magazine" (it costs $10 so I should call it a book!) called "Cupcakes, 150 Sweet Recipes". It is full of great recipes for cupcakes of every kind.

 This particular cupcake takes me back to my childhood when I would stand by the curb and hold out my dime for the ice cream man. He would hand me my Dreamcicle, a vanilla ice cream with an orange outer shell. It was wonderful. These cupcakes remind me of that taste. You can get the recipe here:  

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cupcakes/orange-cheesecake-cupcakes/
or below (because they won't keep that recipe up forever!).
 What does this have to do with quilting? Absolutely nothing, except that quilters are sometimes asked to help with things like baby showers and they need good ideas like this one. Cupcakes are fast and easy - perfect for someone who is busy quilting!!!!

Orange Cream Pop Cupcakes


1   3-oz. pkg. orange-flavor gelatin
1   2-layer size pkg white cake mix
1   4-serving size package cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 1/4 cups orange juice
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line twenty-seven 2 1/2" muffin cups with paper bake cups and set aside. (I used only 24.) 
Set aside 2 teaspoons of the gelatin for the frosting. In a mixing bowl beat the remaining gelatin, the cake mix, pudding mix, orange juice, eggs, oil, and vanilla. 
Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups for about 5 minutes, then remove from pan.
Spoon orange-flavor frosting into a pastry bag with a large round tip. Spoon the vanilla flavored frosting into another pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. Pepe orange frosting onto each cupcake to cover the top. Pipe a medium size star of white frosting onto each cupcake. If desired, insert a craft stick into top of each cupcake. 
Frostings: Prepare 1 recipe Cream Cheese frosting. Place 1/4 of the frosting in a separate bowl and beat in an additional 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. To the remaining bowl of cream cheese frosting, add the reserved 2 teaspoons gelatin from the cupcakes and 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel. If desired, add a few drops orange food coloring. Beat to combine. 
Note: Cream Cheese Frosting: 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 5 to 6 cups powdered sugar. All cream cheese and butter to soften. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.