A New Year A New Blog...

So, it's a new year and I decided to start a new blog.  It is actually a continuing an old blog, "I Can Cook Anything."  Cooking will be a part of this blog, but there are so many other interest in my life that I couldn't limit myself to one topic.  I'm not sure I'll ever be a daily blogger, but I'm going to do my best.  A few things I'm going to cover in the next few months:

1.  A Trip to Turkey -- On January 11th, I leave to visit my mom in Turkey for a week.  I'm super excited because it will include several days of cooking classes in a Turkish Resturant.

2.  Beginning a Couch to 5K Program, running my first 5K, training for a half marathon and running it!  I have tried in the past but something always got in my way this year, I will become a runner!

3.  Moving to Concord NC and hopefully starting a new job.  I have three interviews this weeks.  They are all very exciting opportunities, so hopefully on will work out.

4.  Figuring out if my BF is the man I was meant to spend the rest of my life with (hopefully this is a YES)! 

Of course there will be a lot of cooking, Lilly, other fashion, and being the perfect Southern Woman!

Easy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie

When I was a kid, I loved Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake.  My mom would special order me a cake every year to the bewilderment of the employees in Baskin Robins.  What 5 year-old wants a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake? It would be me.  A couple of weeks ago, I found myself with some extra Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, that I knew was not going to get eaten as ice cream, so I decided to make a pie.  It was super easy and tasted much better than I could imagine.

1 Carton of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

3/4 a Carton of Cool Whip

1 Sleeve of Mint Oreos

1 Gram-cracker Crust

Extra Mint Oreos for Garnish

Let Ice Cream soften for 5 - 10 minutes on the counter.  Blend together Ice Cream, Cool Whip, and Mint Oreos on medium for 2-3 minutes, then whip for 3 minutes.  Spoon mixture into pie shell -- smoothing the top with a spatula.  Place in freezer for 2 hours.  Before serving, using a pastry bag, put stars of Cool Whip around the edge, sprinkle Mint Oreo Crumbs on the inside the Cool Whip Boarder.  Serve with on Oreo on the side.


Enjoy!

Eleanor

Quick, Easy, and Addictive Cheese Dip

Here's a quick recipe to throw on at any party.  Its quick, easy, and ADDICTING!!!  It is great for cold winter nights.  I always make a double batch because my guest cannot get enough!

1 brick of Velveeta
1 can spicy rotel tomatoes
1 package Spicy Jimmy Dean Sausages

Place Velveeta in a crock-pot on medium/high.  Brown and Drain Sausage.  Add tomatoes and sausage to Velveeta.  Stir every 5 minutes for the first 30 minute and as needed throughout the night.  Serve with your favorite tortilla chips!

Butter Nut Squash Soup

Two years ago, the Director of Music at the church I was serving in brought her extra Butternut Squash Soup to church.  Even before I got really serious about proving I could anything, I always enjoy a challenge in the kitchen.  So, I decided to take one and figure out how to cook it.  I looked-up recipes, but everything seemed to have a sweet or cinnamon base.  I don't have a huge sweet tooth, so I decided to try a little something different.  Here's what I ended up with....

Butter Nut Squash Soup

1 Butter Nut Squash chopped into cubes
2 cups of chicken broth
1 cube of cream cheese
Cayenne Pepper

Cook the squash and chicken broth in a crock pot on low until squash is soft.  I prefer to hand mash the squash, but you can also puree it in a blender.  Add the brick of cream cheese allow to melt into the soup.  Add cayenne pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Now, if you want to get really fancy (which I do from time to time), you can buy an acorn squash for each person you are planning to serve.  Cut the bottom off the squash (the tops are normally flatter), remove seeds, and bake the squash upside down in 1 inch of water -- including the top.  Bake for about an hour on 400.  When squash is soft to a squeeze -- not mushy, but soft -- place on a plate.  Serve soup in the bowl made out of the squash.  Put a pat of butter and a spoon-full of brown sugar in the top, for a sweet ending to you meal!

Enjoy!

Eleanor

Pecan Pie

Hey Ya'll!  One day I'm going to get better about posting every day or at least every week.  Maybe that's what I'll do for the new year.  I have so many wonderful new dishes to share with you!  I have been cooking up a storm.  I just love my time in the kitchen and wish I could be there every day.  If anyone has an extra $100,000 or so laying around, I would love to borrow it to help start my very own lunch and coffee shop here in Hilton Village.  Just let me know :)

I wanted to give you my Pecan Pie Recipe.  Now, I must say growing-up I was never a fan of Pecans, much less Pecan Pies.  My grandparents had a small Pecan Farm (The Norman Nut Farm -- no lie, I have the hat to prove it), so we had Pecans on everything.  I always wanted Walnuts or Cashews, not trashy Pecans.  A few years after my granny died and my grandpa sold the farm, I went to the store to buy my first bag of Pecans -- I couldn't believe what people paid for that "trashy" nut.  Pecan is now really my nut of choice for baking and such.  I guess I returned to my roots -- somethings are just in your blood and will always be in your blood. 

Even after discovering my love for the Pecan, I still was not a fan of the Pecan Pie -- it was too gellie inside.  But I did love the top and the pie crust.  So I decided to start experimenting.  Boy did I strike gold!  It still has all the wonderful elements of a great pecan pie, but with all the gellie mess inside.  Now being a good southern pastor, my Pecan Pie would not be complete without a little Jack Daniels as well!   I hope that you can find a way to put this into your holiday baking, you will be glad you did!

The Pastor's Jack Daniels Pecan Pie

1/4 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. dark corn syrup

1/2 c. light corn syrup
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 a cup bourbon
1 pie shells
1 bag pecan piecs

1 bag whole pecans

 

Combine butter, sugar and corn syrup. Cook over low heat, stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Let cool slightly -- only one or two minutes -- if you wait too long it will be too gellie. Add eggs, vanilla, salt and bourbon to mixture; mix well.  Cover the bottom of the pie shell with pecan peices.  Pour filling into shell and top with pecans. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

 

If you ask me the ONLY way to bake a pecan pie, is with the pecans nicely placed on top.   Here's my latest pie ;

 

I know I'm a strange one, but I love Cool Whip on Everything!  So, I put a little Cool Whip at the top of the crust before I serve the pie.

Notices how the gel is not oozing out.  

Happy Cooking!

Eleanor

Guava, Lime, and Mango Pork Tenderloin

OK, I'm back and going to try again!  I promise one day I'll get tons of post-up and you will have something to read every day.  I've had a lot of great cooking adventures over the past few months, so I have lots of great recipes to share!  The one today turned out to be REALLY GOOD!

I had some left over red and orange peppers in my fridge.  I'm not a huge fan of any type of bell peppers, but I hated to see them go to waste.  I also had some limes left over from a party where there were Corona's.  So, I went to the store to see what I could figure out.  They had these BEAUTIFUL Mangoes and it hit me......Mango Salsa on a Pork Tenderloin.  I've always had a strange obsession with Guava.  I'm not sure why, but its there.  So, I decided to throw that into the mix as well.  Here's what I came up with:

1 Pork Tenderloin
2 Mangos
1 Red Pepper
1 Orange Bell Pepper
1 Can of Guava Juice
3 Lime
Lime Pepper  (I LOVE Jane's)















In a small roasting pan place your tenderloin sprinkle all sides with Lime Pepper.  Squeeze one Lime on top of tenderloin.  Pour 1/2 the can of Guave Juice in pan.  Cut 1/2 of each pepper into strips and place around the tenderloin.   1 lime into slices and mango into chunks.   Place on top of tenderloin   - limes first. 

Bake for about 45 minutes on 350 covered and then 10-15 uncovered.

Mango, Guava, Lime Salsa

Finely chop the left over peppers and mango. Mix together.  Add about 1/2 of what's left of the Guava Juice into bowl and the juice of 1 lime.  Add some fresh cilantro, lime pepper, and maybe a little salt.  Place in Fridge.  

Once the Tenderloin is done, slice into thin pieces, placing 3-5 pieces on a plate.  Spoon Salsa on top of the pieces.  Use Veggies and Mangoes from the pan as a side.   I served some plantains and Jazmin rice on the side as well.  There is so much more where this came from!  Stay Tuned and Happy Cooking!!!

Sunday Dinner....

I missed you all yesterday, I hope that you saw my guest blog spot at Maryland Pink and Green.  I had a recipe for one of my favorite soups for fall.  There's not a lot I like about fall, but soup would be an exception to that rule.  I love a good soup in the fall.

When I was a child, Sunday Dinner took place at my granny's house and involved lots and lots and lots of food, even though there was only 6 of us most of the time.  No matter if was 6 or 60, granny made too much food to feed the masses. I loved those Sunday afternoons, that were filled with dinner, and playing in the sun.  We always stayed dressed for dinner, but had play clothes for the afternoon.  I feel like those were magical times in my life. 

Now that I'm a pastor, Sunday Dinners consist of naps most of the time.  I am so tired by the end of Sunday Service the last thing I want to do is cook.  So, Sunday Dinner has become snack time.  Here is my favorite Sunday Snack:

Hummus
Olives
Feta Cheese

And....

These 7 grain Deli Flats are so delicious!  I like them better than Pita and I think they are better for you.  You Sunday may not be snack day, but pick some of these us for the next time you need a snack.  Some other ideas for them:

Mini-Pizza
Peanutbutter on Toast
Toasted Veggies and Cheese
Grilled Chicken Melt (With avocados)
Cream Cheese with cucumber

The possibilities are endless.....

Happy Sunday!