Orange Rum Pizzelle

I have posted about pizzelles before and will do so again. Here are my posts on standard pizzelles, chocolate pizzelles, or anise pizzelles. This orange rum variation is delicious. To be honest, I did not even taste the rum in the final product and the alcohol probably cooks off, so I think this recipe is fine for kids. As for the orange peel, I used dried orange peel, but fresh orange peel would be great. As with all pizzelles, they are especially delicious when they are fresh off the press and still soft.

Normally, I do not like to have such a specialized item, like a pizzelle maker, in my kitchen, but with so many varieties of pizzelles that can be made, my pizzelle maker does not seem to be limited in its use. I especially use the pizzelle make in summer when it is too hot to turn on the oven to make other cookies. So, if you want to enjoy pizzelles sometime, but do not want to buy a pizzelle maker, invite me and my pizzelle maker over and we can have a pizzelle party.

Orange Rum Pizzelles 

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tsp. rum
• 4 tsp. orange peel
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• powdered sugar for dusting

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Add the softened butter, rum, and orange peel. Gradually add the flour and baking powder. The batter should be stiff enough to drop by spoon.

Preheat the pizzelle maker. Drop the batter onto each plate, close the pizzelle maker and allow to cook for about one minute. Remove each pizzelle to a flat surface to cool. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Bayou Goo Pie

Recently, Hurricane Harvey wrecked havoc on the Houston area, so I have been thinking about my visit to Houston earlier this year. MDS and I were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed visiting Houston. We especially enjoyed the terrific food while we were there. So when I heard of a local place called House of Pies, I knew I needed to make a stop. As you might expect from its name, House of Pies offers so many types of pies, it would take quite a long time to sample them all. But the Bayou Goo Pie on the menu caught my eye and did not disappoint. House of Pies also serves delicious food, so bring your appetite. I do not know if House of Pies suffered damage from Hurricane Harvey, but if I make it back to Houston, I will definitely seek out House of Pies again.

In the Houston area, bayous are quite common. Bayous are swampy or slow moving rivers in tidal areas. Buffalo Bayou runs through downtown Houston. In places, it has been channelized and developed. But in many places, it is lined by parks so it was part of my morning runs while I was there. Much like running along the Lake Front Trail in Chicago, running along Buffalo Bayou brought me close to nature in the heart of a major American city. It was a nice escape from the city. I know that as Houston recovers from Hurricane Harvey, Buffalo Bayou will be part of that recovery.

This pie's name captures its essence. It is gooey as a result of layers of deliciousness. Although none of the steps to make this pie are difficult, it does take some time. With a crust and then three layers each requiring time to cool, is not quick to make. But it is worth it. The only problem I had was that my pudding layer did not set enough, so it was not quite gooey enough. In the recipe below, I increased the amount of corn starch. I really liked the pecan crust, but if you have nut allergies, another type of crust, like chocolate cookie crumb crust, would work just as well.

Bayou Goo Pie

• 1 cup flour
  
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup ground pecans
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 Tbsp. corn starch
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
• whipped cream
• chocolate shavings

Crust: In a bowl, blend together flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter until crumbles form. Mix in the pecans. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie pan. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

Sweetened Cream Cheese Layer: Soften the cream cheese in the microwave. Blend in the powdered sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Refrigerate while preparing the next layer.

Pudding Layer: In a sauce pan, mix the sugar, corn starch, milk, and eggs. Cook over medium heat, frequently stirring, until the mixture thickens and is about to boil. Remove from heat and blend in the butter and two teaspoons of vanilla. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes. Add in the chopped chocolate (do not blend in the chocolate) and pour over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for at least five hours.

Whipped Cream Layer: Top the pie with whipped cream. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Enjoy!

Spanish Noodles

When I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box, it seemed like something Mom likely made when we were young. After making it and tasting it, the dish seemed familiar, but I did not specifically recall when Mom made this recipe. But, I think I might add this recipe into my regular rotation. The best thing about this recipe is that everything is made in one pan on the stovetop, so even if it is a hot summer day, this recipe will not overheat the house.

I made just a few adjustments to this recipe. First, I used three times as much bacon as the recipe recommends. Mom's recipe called for two slices of bacon; I used six slices and could easily use more next time. Second, in addition to one of can of tomatoes, I used a few finely chopped fresh tomatoes from Mom's garden because she had recently given me so many. Although you could probably use any noodle, I recommend sticking with the fine egg noodles because that add a rich flavor. I also think you could easily add a seasoning or herb, such as cilantro or basil to add to the taste, but the recipe is quite delicious as is. I also ended up adding a little additional water because the noodle will soak up all the liquids as it cooks.

Spanish Noodles 

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 8 oz. fine egg noodles
• ground black pepper, to taste

Cut the bacon into one-inch pieces. Pan fry the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Add the onion, green pepper, and ground beef; saute until beef is browned. Add undrained tomatoes and salt. Bring to a boil. Gradually stir in the uncooked noodles. Cook uncovered over low heat stirring occasionally until the noodles are tender. Add pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Shakes

Although this blog is usually devoted to family recipes, I have on occasion posted re-creations of dishes that I have enjoyed, such as Drunken Cherry Cake. Recently, MDS and I discovered a local breakfast and lunch spot in our neighborhood called Tiztal Cafe. The food is delicious, but the place is really known for its oatmeal shakes. The basic shake is cinnamon, but you can also get it with various fruits.

I think this recipe is a good approximation of the oatmeal shake. I used almond milk, but any other type of milk or even water would be just fine. I love the almond milk with the cinnamon. I used a bit of plain greek yogurt to thicken the shake. Any type of yogurt could work, but the amount could be varied based on how thick you would like your shake. For one of these shakes, I added about half a banana. I preferred the shake with the banana, but MDS preferred the shake without banana. I also used my bullet mixer, so I was able to make each shake in a separate cup, but if you are using a standard blender, just multiply the ingredients as needed.

Oatmeal Shake 

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 cup almond milk
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1/2 banana

In a blender, mix the oats, milk, and cinnamon. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. When you are ready to enjoy the shake, blend for about a minute. Add and blend yogurt and banana, until you reach your desired consistency. Enjoy!

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

While I was growing up, Mom always had a small backyard garden. Although much of her current backyard is occupied by a trampoline for the grandkids, she still manages to keep a nice garden. Every year, she always has a lot of tomatoes. Her tomato plants usually produce lots of tomatoes from August through October. Lucky for me, Mom is happy to let me harvest vegetables from her garden. So far this year I have enjoyed tomato, zucchini, lettuce, and basil.

I wish I had taken a before photo of the tomatoes that I used for this recipe. One tomato was a perfectly shaped roma tomato. The other tomato so large and unusually shaped with some small blemishes that you could not find one like it in a store. But, just cut around the blemishes and there is delicious tomato waiting to be included in this salad. This recipe is quite adjustable to fit the amount of tomato and cucumber that you have available. Also, you can adjust the seasoning to suit your taste.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

• 1 large cucumber
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. chopped mint

Chop the cucumber into one-half inch cubes. Lay out the cucumber in a strainer or on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt to drain excess moisture from the cucumber for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the tomato into similar size pieces. Place the cucumber and tomato in a bowl. Toss with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Sprinkle with mint. Enjoy!

Chocolate Pizzelles

Pizzelles are a great summertime cookie because they do not require the use of the oven. With so many possible flavor options, there is no end to the potential pizzelles that can be enjoyed. I have made standard vanilla and anise. I have even used pizzelles to make stroopwafel. Come back to this site in the future to see other flavors, such as coffee, chocolate mint, orange, among others.

I brought these chocolate pizzelles to Mom's for a standard Saturday night. They were delicious. In the picture to the left, Patrick is enjoying a pizzelle while Ava is having a cake pop that she made. The cake pops were an extra treat and they were delicious. Ava explained how she made them, so you may see cake pops on this site someday. Or, maybe I'll recruit Ava to be a guest blogger to post on cake pops. In the picture below, Jenny is enjoying a pizzelles.

Chocolate Pizzelles 

• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 3/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Add butter and vanilla. Blend in flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder. The batter will be stiff. Preheat the pizzelle iron. Drop batter by the spoonful into each pizzelle pattern. Close pizzelle iron and allow about bake about one minute. Remove the pizzelles with a spatula and allow to cool on a flat surface. Sprinkle pizzelles with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

For MDS's Birthday (still 39!), I made this cake. It was delicious. Although the recipe call for sprinkling it with confectioner's sugar, I decided to frost it with cream cheese frosting. Why should carrot cake get the best frosting? Chocolate cake deserves the cream cheese frosting, too. But, I am sure that this cake would be delicious with any frosting or confectioner's sugar.

I am sure Mom made this cake when I was young. True to its name, it is a deep dark chocolate taste. When I made this cake, I halved the recipe and used a 9X9 square pan with a shortened baking time. The recipe below makes a 13X9 inch pan cake or a layer cake. Because the cake was so good, I wish I had made the larger size so we would have more leftover cake.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake 

• 4 squares bakers chocolate
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• confectioner's sugar

Melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add sugar and mix well. blend in the egg yolks and 1 cup of milk. Sift flour with salt; add to chocolate mixture. Mix until dry ingredients are just dampened. Beat for one minute at low speed with an electric mixer or 150 strokes by hand. Add vanilla and 1/2 cup more milk; mix until smooth. Dissolve soda in remaining 1/4 cup milk and quickly stir into batter. Pour into a paper lined 13X9 inch pan. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until cake springs back. Cool. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or frost. Enjoy!