Jimmy Carter Cake

Don't know where the name comes from, always assumed it was because of the peanut butter... but the peanut butter is the smaller equation compared to the pudding and whip cream.  Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert or Reese's Dessert seems more fitting... but this is what I've always known it as.  You call it what you like.

Jimmy Carter Cake

First Layer:  Mix
1 cup flour
½ cup melted margarine/1 stick of butter (your choice)

Pat into 9x13x2 glass dish. Bake 20 minutes @ 325°.  Cool.
This is a fairly thin crust so just push and pat with your fingers until bottom of pan is covered.

Second Layer:  Mix
1 cup Cool Whip
1 brick (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup Peanut Butter

Spread onto cooled crust layer.


Third Layer:  Beat
(2 pkgs) 3.4 oz. instant Vanilla Pudding
(1 pkg) 3.4 oz. instant Chocolate Pudding
2 ½ cups milk

Pour over second layer.

Top with remaining Cool Whip and garnish with chopped nuts or chocolate shavings (or both).  Refrigerate.

Pasta & Italian Sausage w/ Spinach, Onion, Garlic Sauce

I made this tonight for dinner.  I was expecting to use whole wheat pasta, but when I opened the cupboard, I noticed I had some leftover tri-color pasta (plain/tomato/spinach) that was taking up space and decided to rid myself of it instead.

It's pasta and Italian sausage with a sauce/not sauce of EVOO, spinach, garlic & onion.  **I say sauce/not sauce because it's not something you want to ladle on... just enough to toss and coat the pasta.**

I cooked some Italian sausage earlier, and had it resting. I also had the pasta boiling. 

Then I put some olive oil down in a small saute pan (this time I used Red Pepper flavored EVOO), added diced onions, frozen chopped spinach, fresh chopped garlic, and a couple of shakes of rosemary, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic salt and pepper.  When it was ready, I took half the saute mixture and put it in my Magic Bullet with a splash or two of fresh olive oil and puréed it.  Added that back into the pan.  I wanted to maintain some chunkiness to the sauce with the the onions and spinach.

I sliced one of the sausages in half lengthwise and cut it up into bite-sized pieces.  Put that back into the pan I had cooked it in, added a few spoons of the sauce, then threw in a couple spoons of pasta.  Mixed thoroughly, plated, and added a couple shakes of shredded parmesan cheese.  Waa-laa!  Dinner is served.

Deee-licious!

...and you know the leftovers are going to be just as good!

Eclair Cake

Eclair Cake

1 Lb. (box) Graham Crackers
2 - 4 Oz. (instant) French Vanilla Pudding
3½ C. Milk
9 Oz. Cool Whip

Butter bottom of 9"x13"x2" baking pan. Line pan bottom with graham crackers. Mix pudding and milk until thickened, fold cool whip into mixture. Pour 1/2 of mixture over cracker layer, smooth, then add second layer of graham crackers, then pour remaining pudding and smooth, cover with third layer of crackers. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Frost.


Frosting:
6 Tbsp. Powdered Cocoa
2 Tsp. Light Karo Syrup
2 Tbsp. Soft Margarine
3 Tbsp. Milk
2 Tbsp. Oil
2 Tsp. Vanilla
1½ C. Powdered Sugar

Mix well, spread over top layer of graham crackers. Refrigerate finished product for 24 hours.

My Food Creations

 I've been getting into creating my own things in the kitchen... discovering and using herbs and foods in new/different ways. I don't buy processed foods, pre-packaged meals, or canned soups.  I make my own soups, spaghetti sauce, and various creative dishes.  I use to go through mayonnaise and ranch dressing fairly rapid... now I barely touch the stuff.  I don't buy that pre-sliced processed bread either.  I either make it or buy Artisan or hearty fresh baked loaves.

I use to have some basic herbs and spices that I kept around... each had it's purpose.

Herb's/Spices:

• Sage and Thyme for meats and soups.
• Dill for tunafish sandwiches.
• Paprika for deviled eggs.
• Cinnamon for toast or cinnamon rolls.
• Then the standard salt, pepper, garlic salt and seasoning salt.

 Then I discovered Rosemary, Basil, Parsley, Mediterranean Oregano, Crushed Red Pepper, Ginger, Ground Mustard, Celery Flakes, Cloves, and Fennel Seed.  Olive oil is just about the only oil I use anymore.

I discovered that cabbage could be used for more than cole slaw, stuffed cabbage, and boiled dinner.  I can go through a head or two in a week.  I eat beans now, and I'm not talkin' green beans, I've always eaten them.  The only time I ate beans was when I ate kidney beans in chili or baked beans at a bar-b-cue.  My favorites are black beans and cannellini beans.  I love romaine and spinach salads, but I started keeping frozen chopped spinach in the freezer to throw into omelets, soups, pasta dishes, sauces... whatever I desire. 

Here's a pasta dish I made.  I put fresh garlic, garlic salt, pepper, basil and extra virgin olive oil in my Magic Bullet and blended it well.  I used that to sautee some cubed pork (added some crushed red pepper), when that was well cooked I tossed in some pasta and dried parsley. Sprinkled shredded parmesan cheese, tossed, and a served with brussel sprouts.

I also made some rosemary/garlic bread.  Made a small 'oops', but it worked out well.  When I laid the dough out on the pan to raise, the two loaves puffed out into each other.  I moved one to another pan and centered the other.  When I moved them they fell (deflated).  I figured they would puff back up while cooking... wrong!  They came out about an inch or so high.  I'm thinking, "Oh great, what a waste."  I hate waste so I was trying to figure some way to use them.  I thought I could use them in a savory bread pudding, but when I sliced it... it was fine, it wasn't all hard and dense.  It looked like the shape of biscotti... so I brushed some slices with EVOO and stuck them in the oven.  Made FANTASTIC breadsticks.

So I'll be adding my recipes and pics of my creations to my blog.  If you try any of them, let me know what you think... or any changes you've made.

Cherry Cola Bar-B-Cue Sauce

I got this recipe from my cousin... it's very good.  Spicey-sweet!  I just made another batch and made a few minor changes.  The recipe is very good as is... I just like playing with recipes.

4 (12 oz) cans Cherry Cola (flat)
2 cups Cherry Jam or Preserves
2/3 cup Dijon mustard w/horseradish (I used French's Horseradish Mustard, not fond of Dijon)
3 Tbls Soy Sauce
2 Tbls Malt Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar  (I used 1 Tbls. Worcestershire & 1 Tbls. Balsamic Vinegar)
1 Tbls Hot Pepper Sauce
7 to 7-1/2 lbs. Spareribs (or any Pork, Chicken, Beef)

• Boil cherry cola in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1-1/2 cups, about 45 minutes.

• Stir in next 5 ingredients. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is reduced to 2-1/2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.

• Transfer glaze to large bowl.

• Position racks in top and bottom thirds of oven and preheat to 325°.

• Sprinkle ribs w/salt and pepper. Wrap each rib rack w/aluminum foil tightly, enclosing completely.

• Divide foil packets between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until ribs are very tender, switching positions of baking sheets halfway through baking, about 2 hours total. Cool ribs slightly in foil; pour off any fat from foil packets.

• Prepare barbeque (medium-low heat)

• Cut each rib rack between bones into individual ribs. Set aside 1 cup glaze. Add ribs to bowl w/remaining glaze and toss to coat. Grill ribs until brown and glazed, turning to prevent burning, about 5 minutes total.

• Serve, passing reserved glaze separately.

 
Try the recipe either way and let me know what you think.