German Chocolate Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust

1 (4 ounce) sweet baking chocolate bar

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup dark corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 cup sweet flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface, unroll pie crust and roll into a 12 in circle.  Press crust into a 9 inch pie plate, crimping edges, if desired.  In a microwave safe large bowl, microwave chocolate and butter on high in 30 second intervals, stirring after each until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Let cool 10 minutes.  Add sugar, corn syrup and vanilla, whisking to combine.  Whisk in eggs.  Stir in pecans and coconut.  Pour into prepared crust.  Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set, covering pie with heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning if necessary.  Cool completely. 

This recipe came from August issue of Paula Deen’s Chocolate Celebration magazine.  (a special collector’s issue) 

I love anything that contains the words German Chocolate in it so naturally this recipe jumped right out at me.  I had it baking in the oven one evening while I finished cooking dinner so that we could have it with coffee out on our patio later that evening.  It says to bake it for 55-60 minutes.  After this amount of time the pie looked great on the outside but when I cut into it, it was still oozing and gooey inside.  Back in the oven it went for 10 more minutes.  Still, oozing and gooey.  Ten more minutes.  Still oozing and gooey only this time it was beginning to get too brown on the top.  Ten more minutes then I was going to give up.  We finally dove into it about 10 minutes before bedtime and must say that we were very disappointed.  It was too done on the top and too hot to eat the inside.  It didn’t even really seem to have a German Chocolate taste, just goo and pecans.  The next day I had a taste of it and it was actually better, minus the burnt top.  Maybe you guys can have better luck with this one and I guess the key to it is to place foil on the top while you let it cook for 2 hours.  And, don’t serve it until the next day, it will be better and cool enough to eat.  This one will not be repeated again in my kitchen. 

Chocolate-Orange Angel Food Cake

12 egg whites (at room temperature)

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp orange zest

1/4 tsp orange extract

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup cake flour

3 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa

Sweet Orange Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt at high speed with a mixer until foamy.  Gradually add granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.  Fold in orange zest and orange extract.  In a small bowl, sift together confectioners’ sugar, flour and cocoa; gradually fold into egg white mixture.  Spoon batter into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan.  Bake for 30 – 32 minutes or until lightly browned.  Invert cake onto the small end of a large funnel; let cool completely.  Gently run a knife around edge of cake to release sides.  Remove from pan, drizzle with Sweet Orange Glaze.

Sweet Orange Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tbsp cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp orange extract

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cream cheese, milk and orange extract.  Beat at low speed with a mixer until smooth.

This recipe came from the special collector’s issue from the August 2012 Paula Deen’s Chocolate Celebration magazine.

Strike two for Paula.  My family couldn’t wait to hack into this cake after dinner tonight.  The first couple of minutes there was nothing but silence.  Then came the sarcastic remarks.  “What kind of cake is this?”  “It taste like an orange peel!”  “This cake sucks!”  Shall I go on????  It had the consistency of a sink sponge!  No taste, except for the glaze which, I’m sorry to tell you, did taste like an orange peel.  We did have to tell Mr. Little Bob several times that he couldn’t have any more after giving him a few bites.  He seemed to be the only one in the house who liked it.  The bad new here is that these recipes are from a brand new magazine I just bought, I’ve only tried two and both were awful.  My husband said that I should let him pick out the next recipe to try.  I guess it can’t hurt but I don’t think there are any chocolate recipes with beer and meat in it!

Citrus Chicken Kabobs

1 pound fresh broccoli, broken into florets
2 large navel oranges
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 large onion, cut into wedges
Glaze:  1/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
Place 1 inch of water in a large saucepan; add broccoli.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until crisp/tender.  Drain.  Cut each orange into eight wedges.  On eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread chicken, vegetables and oranges.  In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients. 
Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill.  Grill kabobs, uncovered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear, turning once.  Brush frequently with glaze.  4 servings

These chicken kabobs were a winner!  The sauce you make to go over them is really good.  This is a good dish to grill out in the summertime.  The recipe called for the broccoli florets to be cooked crisp/tender and then you layer them on the skewers but it didn't work for me.  The broccoli was too tender and just fell apart.  I think I will just leave them raw next time and they should soften up a bit after they have been on the grill while the chicken is cooking.  Another thing I would do is double the sauce because I think it would be nice to brush on a bit more right after you have taken them off the grill and before you serve them.  This dish went well with the Strawberry and Orange Pasta Salad that I made today.  The Citrus Chicken Kabob recipe is from the Taste of Home Grilling Cookbook.  Enjoy!

Strawberry-Orange Pasta Salad

2 cups farfalle (bow tie pasta)
1/3 cup Kraft Creamy Poppy seed Dressing
1/4 cup Kraft Real Mayonnaise
4 green onions, sliced
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt, drain, cool.
Mix dressing and mayo in medium bowl.  Add pasta and onions, toss to coat.  Gently stir in fruit.
Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Ok ladies, your gonna love this one!   This is a great cold pasta salad for summertime!  It is refreshing, sweet and light.  Very easy to make and colorful on top of that!  I LOVE poppy seed dressing on fruit of any kind so this recipe really appealed to me when I saw that it called for it.  I love mandarin oranges and strawberries too so this was a win win for me!  Now here is the shocking part so call Ripley's cuz you ain't gonna believe this...... my husband LOVED it!  He ate three helpings.  Poppy seed dressing on a cold pasta salad with fruit.  Yep, he lapped it right up.   This recipe came from a Kraft food magazine, not the grilling cookbook. 

Grilled Pork Chops with Basil-Garlic Rub

4 pork bone-in rib shops 3/4 inch thick
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon course salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
With machine running, drop garlic through feed tube of food processor to mince.  Stop, add fresh basil and process until chopped.  Add lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper; process to make thin wet rub.  Spread both sides of pork chops with basil mixture.  Let stand 15 to 30 minutes.
Prepare medium hot fire in grill.  Brush grate clean and oil the grate.  Grill chops over direct heat, turning once, to medium rare doneness, 5 to 6 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees followed by 3 minutes rest.  Serves 4

Nice tasty pork chop, easy to prepare and had good flavor.  It would have been nice if I could have cooked mine out on the grill but halfway through the cooking the grill ran out of gas.  (Story of my life!)  I finished them under the broiler which didn't affect the flavor but they were missing that grilled out taste.  I used fresh basil that I grow out on my patio which was kind of a pain to chop up because the leaves don't strip off the stem as easy as say rosemary.  It also takes a lot of basil so I added some I had in a jar in the spice cabinet.  Anyway, the rub was easy to make in a food chopper/processor and you just apply it to both sides of the chops and grill.  Easy, pretty and yummy!  Oh, this recipe didn't come out of the Taste of Home Grilling Cookbook.  I found it in the pile of recipes that I tear out of magazines before I discard them so I am sorry to report that I cannot tell you where the recipe came from but don't hold that against me!

Crowd Pleasing Scalloped Potatoes

1 tub (8 ounces) Philadelphia Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Spread
2 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
10 slices Oscar Mayer Bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided
4 1/2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (about 12), cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup Kraft 2% Milk Shredded Colby and Monterrey Jack Cheeses
Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook first 3 ingredients in saucepan on medium heat until cream cheese spread is melted and mixture comes to boil, stirring constantly with whisk.
Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon.  Layer half each of the potatoes, onions and remaining bacon in 13X9 inch baking dish; repeat layers.  Add cream cheese sauce; cover.  Bake 1 1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown, uncovering and topping with shredded cheese and reserved bacon for the last 10 minutes. 

This dish made the house smell so good while it was cooking.  It also makes a huge amount too so if you are having a "crowd" this would be a perfect dish.  It was easy to prepare and was a pleaser at my house.  Who doesn't love scalloped potatoes!  On a scale of 1-10 I'd give it a 9.5! This recipe came from a Kraft recipe magazine, not the Taste of Home Grilling Cookbook.

Jalapeno Grilled Chicken

4 to 8 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped or 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
2/3 cup lemon juice, divided
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
6 to 10 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
2 teaspoons dried thyme
8 bone-in chicken breast halves
2/3 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
In a bowl, combine the peppers, 1/3 cup lemon juice, parsley, garlic, rosemary and thyme.  Gently stuff pepper mixture under the skin of each chicken breast.  Place in a greased 13 X 9 X 2 baking dish.  Combine the broth, pepper, lemon peel and remaining lemon juice; pour over chicken.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.  Drain and discard marinade.  Place the chicken skin side up on grill.  Grill, covered, over medium heat for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear, turning once.  8 servings. 

This recipe looked impressive during the marinating process and the grilling process but I have to say that when we dove into it it was just a good piece of grilled chicken.  I really didn't get a huge jalapeno flavor in every bit like I thought I would.  You could see all of the jalapeno mixture stuffed under the skin so you would expect the flavors to come through in the meat.  I'm stumped here because there was a lot of ingredients going in to this dish and it was marinated for over 6 hours.  In the past, when I have baked chicken with a rub under the skin, it called for a lot of butter.  (Must have been a Paula Deen recipe).  I think that these ingredients, together with some butter, would help marry the flavors so that you would get a tasty, delicious bite every time.  I would be willing to try this recipe again but I think next time I would like to try it with a whole chicken and roast it in the oven with butter added to the jalapeno stuffing.  Also, this recipe didn't call for any salt which I added to the chicken before it was grilled so if I was going to bake this chicken it would definitely need to be salted before going into the oven.  I grilled six large chicken breast to make this dish and they were very juicy and tender, I just wish that the jalapeno flavor would have made more of a statement. 

This week’s featured cookbook: Taste of Home–Backyard Grilling

This week I will be chewing and reviewing a few recipes from this great grilling cookbook.  My son Marshall gave me this book for Mother’s Day and it has some really great looking recipes in it.  I just wish he was home this week to help me try them out!  He is still at school taking summer classes.  So proud of my little rockhound!

Tacos on a Stick

1 envelope taco seasoning
1 cup tomato  juice
2 to 4 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless beef top sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 medium green pepper, cut into chunks
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into wedges
16 cherry tomatoes
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the taco seasoning, tomato juice and oil; mix well.  Remove 1/2 cup for basting; refrigerate.  Add beef to the bag; seal and turn to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 5 hours. 

Drain and discard marinade from beef.  On metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread beef, peppers, onion and tomatoes.  Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side.  Baste with reserved marinade.  Continue turning and basting for 8-10 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness.  6 servings

                                                                                        

I think that the next time I make this dish I will use the mild or spicy taco seasoning instead of the regular.  It was good but the meat could have used just a scosh more spice for my taste.  This was super easy to prepare.  It is pretty much your typical shish kabob but with a Mexican twist.  I served it with Spanish rice, guacamole and a spicy side salad made with mixed field greens, pico de gallo, a sprinkling of taco flavored shredded cheese, crumbled tortilla chips (for croutons) and spicy ranch dressing.  Yummmm!