Chili Dogs

     So here it is the end of January and yesterday we had our air conditioner on and today we put the heater on.  And then the wind was blowing so hard.  Or as we say it was blowing 90 to nothing.  Our weather gauge said the peak speed was 26 mph.  Aw the joys of living in south Louisiana.  
     So when the weather turns cool around here most people either cook gumbo, soup or chili.  Well my husband requested chili dogs for supper.  I have tried a few chili recipes and finally found one we both love.  My chili is really thick.  We like it that way on top of our chili dogs.  You can add more water as it cooks to make it to your liking.  And you can add beans if you like.  We are a no beans in the chili family.  Except my White Chicken Chili.  But that's a whole different ball game.  
     So here is the recipe for my Chili.  

Chili Sauce for Hot Dogs

1 pound ground beef
1 (15 ounce) can chicken or beef stock ( I always use chicken)
1 can water (use the empty stock can)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste, plain
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion 
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound ground beef, browned 
     Brown 1 pound of ground beef and set aside.  With clean hands start by adding the water, stock and tomato paste in a large pot.  Place the other pound of ground beef in the liquid and use your hands to break all down so there are no chunks.  Add onion, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, parsley, cayenne and black pepper and mix well.  Add the browned ground beef.  Simmer uncovered over low heat for 2 to 4 hours or until the mixture becomes thick.  Stir often.  Taste for seasoning and spice level. 

Here is the finished product.  Nice and thick for hot dogs.  

  
Here is me and my hubby's hot dogs.  He likes his with chopped onions and shredded cheese.  I usually just eat mine with chili but topped mine tonight with Easy Cheese.  And I must say it was so good.  And then we topped it with some tabasco.  Made them even better.

They were so good with some waffle fries on the side.  And to end a great day.  The sunset was amazing tonight.  Not a great shot but you get the idea.  I need to work on my settings to get a really great shot. 

Friendship Bread Day 10

     So here it is day 10 well day 11.  I made the friendship bread yesterday.  I added my flour, sugar and milk before measuring out my one cup that I needed to make my recipe.  I ended up with at least 6 cups of starter.  3 I put in the freezer which is suppose to be just as good when you take it out to use it.  1 I kept for myself to start another 10 days and the other 2 I used to make two recipes.  
     I first made Banana Nut Bread.  Instead of making two loaves like the recipe calls for I made 6 small loaves which are prefect for giving.  That way me and my hubby didn't have to eat two big loaves, which we don't need the extra calories.  The second was a Chocolate Chocolate Chip which I also did in the small loaves.  So whoever was lucky enough to get this wonderful breads got to taste each.  
     Here is the Banana Nut Bread.  Which my husband said was very addicting and tasted like old fashioned Banana Bread like his mom used to make.  

And here is the first loaf sliced up.  The edges were the best part.  They were sticky and gooey.  

Here is the recipe for the Banana Nut Bread.  

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
2 mashed bananas
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon banana extract
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1 small box banana cream banana cream instant pudding. ( I didn't have any banana so I   used french vanilla)
1 cup chopped nuts ( I used pecans)
     Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl , add ingredients as listed.  Grease 2 large loaf pans.  Dust the greased pans with granulated sugar.  (This is what makes the outside sticky and gooey.  YUM - O).  Pour the batter evenly into loaf pans.  Bake for 1 hour, or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.  I baked mine in 6 small loaves for 35 minutes.  



And here is the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bread.  This is a very chocolaty rich bread.  So good with a big tall glass of milk. 

Here is the recipe for the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bread.

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 small boxes instant chocolate pudding ( I used 1 chocolate and 1 chocolate fudge)
1 cup chocolate chips ( I tossed mine in about 2 tablespoons flour so they wouldn't sink)
     Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, add ingredients as listed.  Grease two large loaf pans.  Dust the greased pans with a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cocoa. (Makes the YUM-O stuff).  Pour the batter evenly into loaf or cake pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar-cocoa mixture on the top.  Bake for  1 hour or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.  Again I used 6 small loaf pans and baked them for 45 minutes.  

So there is the recipes for the bread.  If anyone would like a starter let me know and when I make my next batch I will share one with you.  Till next time enjoy. 

Mardi Gras

     Anyone who lives in south Louisiana knows what Mardi Gras is.  It is one of the biggest celebrations here.  I live in a small town and about two weeks before Mardi Gras we have a Mardi Gras run.  Everyone dresses in costumes and rides on decorated floats and of course chase chickens.  So to celebrate Mardi Gras I made some cupcakes in the traditional colors, purple, green and gold.  For anyone who wants to know the technique to these cupcakes check out Crafty Mama.  I have made the camo ones which came out great so I just changed the colors to fit Mardi Gras colors.  It is really a simple thing to make.  And she also has a link to her icing.  Trust me it is the best icing I have ever had.  It is so smooth and silky and I could eat the stuff out the bowl with a spoon.  So here is my finished product.  So all of you that like to do a little baking give them a try they are delicious.  

      Here is one cut in half to show you how they look.  And of course I had to eat this one since I had cut it in half. 

Amish Friendship Bread

     I can remember when I was a kid my mom would make Friendship Bread.  I remember it being in a jar and she would add fruits to it on certain days and give it a stir.  Although it was good it was not my favorite thing.  So I found an awesome website with so many Amish Friendship Bread recipes and decided I wanted to try these.  No funky fruit being added on certain days just the regular flour, sugar and milk.  So here is day one of my starter.  Nine days to go which gives me some time to decide which bread I am going to make.  If you want to see how many choices I have to choose from check out this website. http://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/ 

 Here it is January 13 and so far this month my rain gauge says we have had about 19 inches so far this month.  13 days and we have had that much rain.  I must say I love winter but this is the worst wet winter I have ever seen.  And to top it off.  Had the air conditioner running this morning and looks like by this evening we will either but the heater on or light the fire place.  Oh the joys of living in south Louisiana.  

     So my mother in law made another salad the other day and it was delicious.  It would be a perfect summer salad.  To me this salad is good anytime.  My mother in law did say that sometimes glazed walnuts are hard to find.  She did fine some candied pecans that worked in this salad too.  And this salad is so easy to throw together.

Spring Salad
1 bottle poppy seed dressing
1 package of spring salad mix or iceberg lettuce
1 container of sliced strawberries
1/2 purple onion sliced or diced
1 bag glazed walnuts, must be the glazed ones
1 can of mandarin oranges, well drained my mother in law used the big can
     Mix together, wait to add dressing until time to serve.  You may not want to add the whole bottle of dressing.  Just add enough to your liking. 

First Post and Recipe

     Okay everyone so here it is my first blog post and first recipe.  This blog will be just a place for me to share my recipes that I try, my cross stitch hobby, and my photography which is okay but needs some improvement.  And just some occasional things I feel like sharing with everyone. 

     So here is the salad my mother in law made that we had for New Years Day.  I loved it so much she made me another one the other day.  It is an addicting salad.  My brother in laws wife has her mother make this for her for her birthday instead of a cake.  So give it a try you won't be disappointed.  

7 Layer Salad

1 head lettuce, chopped into bite size pieces
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
Red onion, as much to your taste, chopped small
1 (15 ounce) can Le Sueur very small peas, drained
2 cups mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 cups shredded Mexican 4 cheese, or shredded cheddar or a mix of both
Bacos or cooked crumbled bacon as much as you want
     Stir together sugar and mayonnaise in bowl to dissolve sugar.  In a 9x13 inch pan layer ingredients as listed above.  Spreading each layer evenly.  Cover with plastic wrap and press down lightly and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.  


Well there is my first post and recipe to share. There will be many more to come.  So come back and check out my country place.