Prize Winning Caramel Apple Pie

This is one of my favorite desserts and I know you will LOVE it.  Honey would be seriously disappointed if I didn’t share that I did win 1st place in the pie division with this recipe.  It almost always disappears in the blink of an eye at family gatherings and is just down right yummy. This year, the Chocolate Truffle Pie was the first to go but the Caramel Apple was gone by dinner.  More on the Chocolate Truffle Pie soon.  I sadly didn't take any pictures and wanted to make sure it was a winner before I shared it with y'all.  

Prize Winning Caramel Apple Pie

After trying several recipes, I found fabulous inspiration on Allrecipes.com HERE.  I tweaked it to adjust it how I love it and hope y’all will enjoy this family holiday staple. 

Prize Winning Caramel Apple Pie

1 unbaked double pie crust

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

7-8 Granny Smith apples, peeleKd, cored, and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Melt butter in a saucepan.  Stir in flour to form a past.  Add water, sugar, and brown sugar and bring to boil.  Reduce temperature to low and let caramel simmer for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add cinnamon and vanilla.  

Place the bottom crust into the bottom of your greased deep dish pie pan. Fill with apples and mound the apples slightly.  Pour about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of caramel sauce on top of apples.  Cover apples with lattice work from second pie crust.  Gently pour remaining sauce over lattice and let sauce seep into pie.  Pour slowly.  Seriously, pour slowly to ensure that the sauce does not make a huge mess and waste precious yummy goodness.  Using a pastry brush, gently cover lattice work with sauce.  This will make your crust AMAZING.  

Bake 15 minutes in your preheated oven.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degress and bake an additional 35-45 minutes until sauce bubbles.  It is hard to know if your apples are tender.  I suggest placing your pie toward the bottom of your oven to keep the top from burning.  

This pie is AMAZING.  Promise.  You and your family will love it.  Honey cannot wait to have a piece and I had to bake this without him around to obtain decent pictures that don’t include a fork getting a bite of pie.  

A Tale of Two Pecan Pies - Chocolate Pecan Pie & Caramel Pecan Pie

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved Thanksgiving and especially loved dessert, but didn't love pecan pie because, "It gets stuck in my teeth and on the top of my mouth!!!".  The little girl grew up and decided to make her own pecan pies WITHOUT the sticky syrup stuff.  And so begins the 'Tale of Two Pecan Pies'.

I have worked on and tweaked this recipes for a while before sharing them with y'all.  I imagine I will continue tweaking them because, well, that's just how I roll.  Thankfully, Honey and the children don't seem to mind.  I always know when I've found the 'perfect' combination because my taste testers always let me know.  This weekend, I found what I think is the perfect combination for one of these pies and pretty darn close for the other.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon milk (I use skim because that is what's in the fridge)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups pecans
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy and stir in melted butter.  Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and flour; mix well.  Last add milk, vanilla, and nuts; mix well.  Place prepared pie crust into a greased deep dish pie plate.  Evenly distribute mini chocolate chips on top of the pie crust.  Pour sugar, butter, pecan mixture into your unbaked pie shell on top of chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and 325 for 20 minutes or until done.  Make sure you place your pie toward the bottom 1/3 of your oven so the top of your pie doesn't burn.

If you are feeling a little adventurous add about 3 tablespoons of bourbon to your mixture before baking.

What you will need

What your pre-baked pie will look like

Baked Chocolate Pecan Pie

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Chocolate Pecan Pie

 I think that this recipe has just the right combination of chocolate, pecans, and buttery goodness without the sticky syrup.  Hope y'all enjoy!

Caramel Pecan Pie

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup of Smucker's Caramel Ice Cream topping
1 1/2 cup pecan halves
1 9 inch unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine caramel sauce, butter and milk in a saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Gradually mix in melted caramel mixture.  Stir in pecans.  Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.  Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and the pie sets.

What you will need for your Caramel Pecan Pie

Baked Caramel Pecan Pie

Caramel Pecan Pie

Both Pies Side by Side

 So how do the two compare?  The Caramel Pecan Pie looks prettier baked and slices easier, but the taste of the Chocolate Pecan Pie wins.  I distributed slices of both to the neighbors for their opinions.  Honey and the neighbors loved both pies but declared that the Chocolate Pecan was just a little better.

Y'all let me know what y'all think! Now, I'm off to clean house.

Hope

Mama Jane's Strawberry Jello Salad

Mama Jane's Strawberry Salad

I rarely eat Jello and really don’t like traditional ‘Jello salad’.  I swear, I really am a Southern girl.  

Maybe it’s the wonderful mixture of fruit and maybe it’s the pecan and sour cream filling, but Mama Jane’s Strawberry Salad is a Jello salad that our family loves.  It is, in fact, my mother-in-law, ‘Mimi’s’, favorite holiday dish and I believe she would be seriously disappointed if I didn’t serve it at holiday meals.  You would have to know my mother-in-law, but hardly anything disappoints or upsets her.  

Honey ranks Strawberry Salad as his favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner.  You will again notice that there are no ‘finished’ pictures of this dish.  I think I must have deprived Honey of these beloved family dishes for too long because he helped himself as soon as he got home.  I either need to be quicker with the photos or start putting notes on food that needs to be photographed.  Yeah, I need to be quicker on the photos or hide the dish.  

Even you are like me and normally don’t like Jello salad, I really think you will like this recipe, and if you like Jello salad, you will absolutely LOVE this recipe.  

The Ingredients you will need to make this amazing salad!

My baker in training

What your 'mushy' strawberries will look like

Add all your fruit together

Refrigerate the bottom layer until congealed

Place your sour cream, pecan, powdered sugar mixture on top of your congeal bottom layer in dollops

Spread topping evenly - yes, I didn't wait for the Jello to congeal long enough.  :)

Mama Jane’s Strawberry Salad

2 packages of strawberry Jello

1 cup of boiling water

8-12 oz. package frozen strawberries

1 1/2 cup crushed pineapples with juice

2 mashed bananas

1 15 oz. can mandarin oranges

Filling - 

1 cup sour cream (I always use ‘Light’)

3/4 cup chopped pecans

3 tablespoons confectioner sugar

Place frozen strawberries in a bowl and place in microwave for 1-2 minutes until strawberries are mushy.  Once your strawberries are nice and mushy, cut with a fork and knife until the strawberries are smaller bite sized pieces.  Mix strawberry Jello, cut up strawberries, boiling water, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and banana in large bowl.  Mix well.  Place half of mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  I have found a glass dish works best for this recipe.  Place dish in the refrigerator and let chill for at least 30 minutes to an hour.  While your Jello congeals, mix topping.  

For topping, mix sour cream, pecans and confectioner sugar.  Once Jello has congealed, add filling in dollops on top of the Jello.  (The dollop approach makes it easier to spread an even layer of the filling without messing up the Jello.)  Pour remaining Jello an fruit mixture on top of the filling.  Cover and refrigerate dish until ready to serve.  Serves 10-12.   

The finished Salad

We don’t have anyone with a nut allergy in our family but I have prepared this dish splitting it into two dishes one with pecans and the other without when we had a guest who had a nut allergy.  All you need to do is divide the filling in half and add a little less than 1/3 cup of pecans to the filling for the ‘with nuts’ dish.  

Stay tuned for more desserts, a champagne punch, and more Thanksgiving family favorites!  Stay warm this week y’all!

Hope

Mama Jane's Strawberry Salad

KIzer Family Sweet Potato Casserole - A Thanksgiving Tradition

Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Casserole

The smell of this fabulous casserole has been a part of my Thanksgiving memories for as long as I can remember.  At one particular Thanksgiving gathering when I was about 4 or 5 year old, I remember seeing my grandmother, 'Dear', pull her sweet potato casserole out of the oven.  I have a distinct memory of thinking, "I want to learn how to make THAT in my oven."

Our family's version of Sweet Potato Casserole has been served at family gatherings for much longer than I have been alive and I am grateful that the recipe has been handed down through the generations.  It is so sinfully good that I like to have it for dessert the few days after Thanksgiving!  

Kizer Family Sweet Potato Casserole

3-4 cups sweet potatoes (4-5 large sweet potatoes) - I tend to lean toward more sweet potatoes when I prepare this dish

1/4 - 1/2 cup butter, melted (Y'all know I tend to cut back on the butter and the base of this recipe works just fine with less butter.  The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter.)

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup milk (I use skim)

1/3 cup of sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Boil sweet potatoes.  This will take some time.  Once you can easily put a knife into a potato, they are ready to put into your colander.  Let your potatoes cool so that you don't burn your hands trying to take the peeling off of the sweet potatoes.  (Yes, I know from experience.  Sometimes I'm not very patient.)  Mash potatoes in a large bowl using a hand mixer.  Slowly add sugar, butter, eggs, milk and vanilla.  Beat mixture until potatoes are smooth.  Pour potato mixture into greased 9 x 13 dish.  

Topping - 

1/3 cup melted butter (no skimping on this part)

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix topping ingredients well and sprinkle on top of potatoes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bottom is slightly bubbly.  Serves 10-12.  

What you need to make the Sweet Potato Casserole base

The ingredients needed for the topping

After you boil and peel the sweet potatoes beat with hand mixer until potatoes are smooth

Pour Mixture into prepared dish

What your casserole will look like after you add the topping

Kizer Family Sweet Potato Casserole

Did y'all notice that I didn't show the entire finished dish?  That would be because Honey couldn't help himself and took a serving before I could photograph it!  After he took a serving, I threw caution to the wind and got a serving for myself as well.  It was delicious!

We do have a few members of our family who are gluten free.  To make sure everyone can enjoy this dish, we cut the topping recipe in half and only put the topping on half of the casserole.  You could always put marshmallows on half of the recipe and the brown sugar /pecan topping on the other half so everyone can enjoy this wonderful dish!

What recipe has your family 'passed down through generations? I would love to hear.  

I hope y'all enjoy this as much as we do!

Hope

Yummy Pumpkin Gooey Cake

This is terrible I know, but I am just not a fan of traditional pumpkin pie.  I like the idea of pumpkin desserts and the taste of pumpkin, but traditional pumpkin pie itself is just not my favorite.  This Pumpkin Gooey Cake recipe is an amazing, delicious twist on a Thanksgiving staple.

Because I just love to bake, I am usually responsible for a few desserts for the family Thanksgiving gathering.  A few years ago, I felt bad for never including pumpkin pie in the dessert line-up because it's tradition to have a pumpkin dessert on the table.  And so my search began for the 'perfect' alternative to pumpkin pie to serve at Thanksgiving.  I found this Paula Deen recipe HERE and with a couple of alterations, had what I think is one of the very best pumpkin desserts.  I make this every year around to first of October to give as teacher and neighbor gifts and almost always get asked for the recipe.  I promise, you will not be disappointed.

What you need to make Pumpkin Gooey Cake

Pumpkin Gooey Cake

One 18 1/4 oz package of yellow cake mix
1 egg
6 tablespoons of butter, melted (Paula calls for 8 tablespoons but I have found it to be a little too buttery with 8)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine ingredients and mix well.  I always use my hand mixer because it works better than hand mixing for this recipe.  Pat your 'crust' mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan.  I have found that glass dishes work best for this recipe.

Press your crust into the pan as shown above

Topping -

One 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened (I always use Neufchatel Cheese and I promise you can't tell the difference.  You MUST wait for the cream cheese to soften or your filling will be clumpy.  Yes, I know from experience.)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
5-6 tablespoons of butter, melted (again, Paula calls for 8 tablespoons but the mine works better with less because of the pumpkin puree)
One 16 oz box of powdered sugar
15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add butter, pumpkin and cinnamon and mix until smooth.  Slowly add powdered sugar and mix well.  Spread topping mixture over 'crust' mixture in pan. Bake for 50 minutes.  You want the center to be a little gooey so don't over bake.  Not over baking can be a little tricky with this dessert.  Some tricks I have learned are to make sure you preheat the oven first - no skipping this part.  Also, do not put your pan on the bottom rack because you don't want the crust to harden too much.  I usually move my center rack to the second rung so it's closer to the top but not too close.

What your pre-baked cake will look like with the topping added

I really hope y'all enjoy this dessert.  Please let me know how it works for you and if you family like it as much as mine!

Hope

Pumpkin Gooey Cake - YUMMY!

Thanksgiving Corn Casserole

**If you are going me from Pinterest, Thanks so much for stopping by!  I have lots of great recipes & family ideas and would love for you to join me in this crazy journey called Motherhood.  Clink on the right to add your email to subscribe for a free newsletter with the latest.*

I plan on sharing all of my family's favorite Thanksgiving dishes this week.  Honey came home to corn casserole and pumpkin gooey cake that I had made for picture taking purposes and was thrilled.  His response was, "I think I'm going to like this blog thing!"

Thanksgiving is my favorite family holiday.  I grew up with a big family and even bigger family gatherings for Thanksgiving.  We reserved Christmas for immediate family gatherings so Thanksgiving has always been a fun-filled, big family gathering.
Honey grew up a little differently and, bless him, my family was probably a little much to take in that first Thanksgiving.  I knew it would be an adjustment for him so I promised to make his favorite Thanksgiving dish for the massive spread of food.  I was hoping his response would be something that I already knew how to make because I was in my 2nd year of law school and extra time was not a luxury I possessed.

Honey proudly announced that his favorite was corn casserole.  I had never eaten corn casserole but we were in that blissful newlywed state and I wanted to show I was up to the task of making the perfect corn casserole.  I scoured recipes, reviews and made a few versions before I settled on a combination of recipes I had found.  It has now become a favorite for both sides of the family.

What you will need

I hardly ever make corn casserole throughout the year because, to be honest, I just don't normally cook with much butter.  *GASP!* Terrible for a Southern girl I know.  Honey teasingly claims that I am depriving the children of a Southern staple.  That's ok though.  This mama tries her best to provide a healthy version of things the children love but I'm not one to deprive them of the occasional chocolate chip cookie.

This recipe is very easy and always comes out perfectly.  Be careful to not overcook the casserole.  It can be easy to do with so many dishes in the oven at once.

Thanksgiving Corn Casserole
1 (15 oz) can of cream style corn
1 (11 oz) can of whole kernel corn, drained
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream (I always use 'light')
1 (8.5 oz package dry corn bread mix  (I use Jiffy)
1/4 - 1/2 cup butter, melted

This what your mixture will look like in the dish

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 8x12 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray.  In a mixing bowl, combine cream corn, whole kernel corn, eggs, sour cream, muffin mix, and butter.  Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish.   Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until mixture becomes slightly firm in the middle of the dish.  The cooking time really depends on your oven and if you are cooking other dishes in the same oven so you sadly have to 'babysit' this one if you are cooking multiple dishes.

I hope y'all enjoy this as much as my family does.

Hope

1

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

* To all of my Pinterest Friends - Thanks for stopping by.  I hope y'all enjoy this recipe!  I would love for you to follow me via email, Pinterest or Instagram.  Just click on the side bar or go to the web version on your phone.  Thanks!  Hope *

I am not at ALL fond of cold weather.  The beach, swimming, shorts, swimsuits, the warmth of the sun, toes in the sand (ok, now I want to fly to somewhere warmer!) - those are some of my 'happy' things.  So, when autumn and winter hit, I'm not a fan.

However, the thing I DO like about the weather change is bringing out wonderful soups into our meal rotation.  A family favorite is Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I stumbled upon this base recipe on AllRecipes.com and then altered it to fit my family's preferences. Here is what you need to make this fabulous soup!

Ingredients you need for Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 (16 oz.) can of chili beans, undrained

1 (15 oz.) can of whole kernel corn, drained

1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, undrained

2 (10 oz.) cans of tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (our family likes the Rotel brand)

1 (28 oz.) can of tomato sauce

1 (12 oz.) can or bottle of beer (the type doesn't seem to matter but I like using Bud Light Lime because        of the lime kick.)

1 (1.25 oz) package of taco seasoning or 1/4 cup of seasoning from a large container

1 rotisserie cooked chicken de-boned and shredded (or 3-4 cups of cooked, shredded chicken)

1/2 to 3/4 cup of water if needed depending on desired consistency

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker or Dutch oven and heat on low for 1-3 hours.  

Of course you also need a helper for stirring - the Baby loves this job.

You can use a slow cooker, but if you are short on time you can also heat the contents in a Dutch oven as shown by my lovely assistant.  By the way, yes, I do realize the Baby is wearing a candy cane shirt.  What can I say?  She is youngest of three.  If she comes down the stairs with weather appropriate clothing and dressed herself, I'm cool.  Most of the time anyway.

Below is a picture of the finished product topped with Mexican shredded cheese with a side of multi-grain tortilla chips.  I know the beer in the soup sounds very weird.  I thought so too at first, but it adds a really great flavor and the alcohol is cooked away during the simmer process.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have problems with getting my children to eat healthy dinners sometimes but they do love this soup.  I'm sure the side of chips that hardly ever grace my home don't hurt either.

Thankfully they love this dinner!

This soup freezes very well and I always freeze a couple of containers to take to sick/recovering friends or to pull out for later use.  I hope y'all enjoy and stay warm!

Hope

1