holiday recipes - grace grits and gardening

Simple Pecan Fudge

December 9, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Fudge was one of my Daddy’s all-time favorite desserts. Momma stood at the stove all night (it seemed) stirring together chocolate and milk and sugar. She always used the recipe on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa canister. You know, the canister that hasn’t changed since forever? Two hours later after it reached the right temperature and set, it was yummy. Daddy said so. I never really knew because by the time it was ready, I had fallen asleep.

Today I’m sharing a simple pecan fudge recipe inspired by one I found on Allrecipes. With only four basic ingredients, this may become your new favorite holiday treat. This recipe is quick and won’t dirty up your kitchen. ‘Tis the season when everyone needs a quick dessert recipe, and let’s be honest, no one has extra time to waste slaving away in the kitchen.

Simple Pecan Fudge

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

With your microwave set on 50% power, melt chocolate, milk and butter in a large glass bowl for approximately 4-5 minutes, pausing to stir every minute. (Microwaves vary so heat only until melted and smooth.)
Once the ingredients are thoroughly melted and combined, mix in pecans. (You can substitute walnuts or almonds, or eliminate nuts altogether.)
Spread chocolate mixture onto a piece of Glad Press and Seal Wrap that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Shape into a log approximately one inch thick. Top with a second sheet of wrap and seal the edges.
Place in the refrigerator to set (which only takes about an hour).
Cut into squares.
Enjoy!

Pack a few pieces of this rich, creamy fudge into decorative tins and voila(!), an simple, delectable gift.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Simple to make. Easy to eat. #Fudge #holidaybaking #chocolate #ohyum [/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

The Strangeloves – I Want Candy

Velvet Elvis Poundcake and FREE EGGS!

December 2, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

(This post is sponsored by Great Day Farms. All opinions are my own.)

Y’all. Before I get to this amazing Velvet Elvis Pound Cake recipe, I want to let you know I have ten dozen Great Day Farms eggs to give away just in time for Christmas baking! If you are like me, you can always use extra eggs, especially free ones. I went through almost three dozen eggs preparing my Thanksgiving meal. Almost every dessert and casserole calls for eggs.

But first…

Let’s talk about the yummiest pound cake ever. I present the Velvet Elvis Pound Cake.

My Momma (who rarely cooks these days) made this pound cake last Christmas, and it was so heavenly that I made it for Thanksgiving last week.

According to the recipe Momma found in the Dallas Morning News, it was Elvis’s favorite. I know what you’re thinking and no, it isn’t a peanut butter and banana poundcake. The texture is smooth like velvet (so velvety I’ve named it the Velvet Elvis Pound cake).

This cake is truly perfect from the edges to the center. It’s made with cake flour and whipping cream—therein lies the difference.

Who knew?

Well, Elvis did.

You’ll want to add this to your holiday baking menu. It’s a Christmas worthy dessert and my new favorite.

Velvet Elvis Poundcake

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick 1/2 cup butter, softened
4 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups cake flour sifted twice
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed - about 3 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in half of the cake flour.
Add whipping cream.
Beat in remaining cake flour and vanilla.
Pour batter into a buttered and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean, approximately 60 - 65 minutes.
Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
While you enjoy it, think of The King.

Now here’s more about the egg giveaway. Courtesy of Great Day Farms, I will be giving away one dozen eggs to ten winners. Contest ends December 9. Winners will be announced periodically during contest. There are several ways to enter, just follow the instructions below or on the Grace Grits Facebook page by clicking HERE. Thank ya, thank ya very much!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Velvet Elvis photo courtesy of Jamie Dwyer – http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamidwyer/2474408252/

Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie

November 20, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Happy Thursday! In case you haven’t noticed, we are exactly one week away from Thanksgiving. (Just thought I’d throw that into this Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie post.)

Guess what? Williams-Sonoma asked me to help promote Smoothie Week. (Disclosure: As always, recipes and opinions are my own.) The idea behind Williams-Sonoma’s Smoothie Week is to highlight unusual smoothie recipes, maybe those with an ingredient twist or an odd blend. I thought my Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie fit the bill. Not only is it loaded with flavor, it’s an easy way to sneak an amazing amount of healthiness into your day before breakfast. (Hello beta-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and fiber.)

So here we are facing another holiday season filled with tempting pumpkin spice lattes and sweet potato pie.

Yummy, right?

But we all know those are calorie laden and who needs that? Not me, and probably not you either. Instead, I offer you this substitute—rich and creamy yet low in calories—a perfect holiday treat.

My sweet potato pie smoothie is made from local, seasonal ingredients (sweet potato and apple), basic pantry spices (cinnamon and allspice) and an ingredient you might not expect—blackstrap molasses. When you spoon out a teaspoon for this recipe, you will understand the phrase “slow as molasses”. IT IS THICK, that’s for sure, but unlike refined white sugar or corn syrup, blackstrap molasses is a natural sweetener that is actually good for us. This dark, syrupy byproduct made from the crystallization of sucrose is impressively high in vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, manganese, copper, potassium, magnesium, selenium, vitamin B-6 and niacin.

Now, let’s get started. First, grab your blender. Here’s mine.

It may not look very exciting, but the mere fact that I’ve had this Waring blender (purchased at Williams-Sonoma) my entire adult life, makes it pretty special. The blender still works like new, and I use it several times a week.

An excellent blender is a kitchen necessity, don’t you agree? If you’re in the market for a new blender or juicer or smoothie machine, add one of THESE to your Christmas list now, and you’ll probably never need another one, at least that’s been my experience.

Okay, moving along. Gather and measure your ingredients. I always do this no matter what I’m making. This makes me feel organized even when I’m not.

I bet you thought we’d never get to the recipe. Here it is.

Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie

Print Recipe

Servings 2

Ingredients

3/4 cup 2% milk I used Lactaid
1/2 cup cooked sweet potato smashed and cooled
1/2 medium apple cubed (I used Honeycrisp)
1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
1/8 teaspoon allspice
2 dashes of cinnamon
pinch of brown sugar optional
5-6 ice cubes
1 teaspoon chopped pecans optional

Instructions

Blend together milk, sweet potato, apple, cinnamon, allspice, molasses, and vanilla.
Add ice and blend again until smooth. Taste. Add additional milk or ice for consistency preference. Add pinch of brown sugar if more sweetness is desired.
Serve in your favorite glass and top with chopped pecans and a sprinkle of cinnamon. You can add a dollop of whipped cream too.

Topped with chopped pecans (from our farm) and cinnamon. I was heavy handed on the cinnamon…

Two final notes. If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, buy some before you begin your holiday baking. I love it not only because it adds richness and an extra depth of flavor to your creations but also because of the tiny vanilla bean specks visible in whatever you are making. Also, I used two dashes of cinnamon in this recipe. I’m not exactly sure how much a dash is but I have a tiny little spoon that says dash. Probably close to 1/8 teaspoon?