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Incredibly moist Dark Chocolate Cake iced with a Whipped Cappuccino Buttercream icing and served with chocolate ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup… 

We used to have this great restaurant in Huntsville called Darryl’s. Everyone loved that place. As a teenager, anytime homecoming, birthdays, or any other eating out occasion rolled around, we all went to Darryl’s. It got to be kind of funny because you’d show up with a date or a group of friends and it would turn out more like a class reunion with practically every other table filled with folks you know.

Unfortunately, Darryl’s closed a good while back. There is only one remaining in North Carolina, but I live in Alabama so I’ve spend over ten years pining away for my very favorite thing on their menu – Cappuccino Cake.

Cappuccino Cake was one of their signature desserts and they always brought out a huge wedge of it for birthdays and special events. My sister got her first job working there as a hostess and we’d never been more proud of her than when we’d come home on the rare occasion and find an entire cappuccino cake in our refrigerator! They served it cold (I think it is better that way) with a side of chocolate ice cream and generously drizzled chocolate syrup over the whole thing.

This is a deep dark chocolate cake iced with a whipped cappuccino buttercream icing. Does it get any better than this? Maybe, but not right now because right now, we’re focusing on this little side of heaven .

After pining away for over a decade, I decided it couldn’t be that difficult to duplicate the recipe so I set out to do just that. You can’t find a copy anywhere on the internet so I went by memory and a basic starting point of dark chocolate cake, coffee infused buttercream – and we have a winner. We have  grand prize winner. This puppy deserves one of those 6 foot tall trophies.

If I didn’t share this recipe I could retire and just bake Cappuccino cakes the rest of my life. But it’s not nice not to share recipes and I don’t really want to wash that many dishes. 

I hope you get to make this soon. It is definitely a showstopper cake perfect for any special occasion.

Come to think of it, today seems pretty special to me, doesn’t it to you? 

For the cake part, you’ll need: 

Chocolate Cake Mix*, milk, sour cream, eggs, dutch process cocoa powder (dark cocoa powder), and oil. 

*You can use any dark chocolate cake mix such as devil’s food, dark chocolate, or even regular chocolate if you like. You can also use your favorite chocolate cake recipe if you like but I like this one because it is dense and extremely moist.

In a mixing bowl, place all of your ingredients. 

Mix that with an electric mixer until well blended and smooth, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. 

Some folks have you add gradually but unless you’re just now joining this party, you know I’m really not a gradual person. 

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Be sure and visit our Front Porch forum too. There is a recipe sharing and request forum that has literally hundreds of recipes already on it. We have fun there You have to register to post but once you register, we’ll approve your account and you have Front porch and sweet tea privileges for the duration!

While that is mixing, grease two or three 8 inch round cake pans. I’m only using two. 

To grease my pans I fold up a paper towel and dip it in vegetable shortening and then smear it around real good.

Instead of flouring our pans, since this is a chocolate cake, I like to use cocoa powder. Just put a tablespoon or so in your pan and then…

 tilt your pan all around while patting it to distribute it evenly like this. 

Dump excess out into the trash or back yard. Squirrels need chocolate too. Just kidding. It may be bad for squirrels and then I’d get all sorts of squirrel rights activists boycotting my website and such, which is utterly ridiculous considering I’m practically running a squirrel wildlife refuge here at my house considering I have two of the biggest pecan trees you’ve ever seen in my yard but have gotten a grand total of two pecans in the past three years. The squirrels sure are plump though. And happy. In fact, I don’t think they could be any happier unless I started giving them chocolate…

Then you divide the batter evenly between your two baking pans.

This batter is going to be really thick and will likely remind you of jello.

Remember, never ever eat raw cake batter. 

But I don’t count licking it off the spatula as eating it. 

So many things are all about perspective…

~grins~

Bake cake layers in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Note: If you are making more than two layers, check on them after twenty minutes. Mine are thicker since I’m only doing two layers so they will need to cook longer.

Once they are finished baking, remove from oven and let sit in the cake pans for ten minutes. 

After ten minutes, turn cakes out and allow to cool completely. 

I like to let mine cool and then wrap them really well and refrigerate overnight for easier icing the next day

Time to make Cappuccino Buttercream Icing!

You’ll need: Butter, milk, instant coffee, vanilla, and powdered sugar. 

I only use instant coffee for recipes such as this so I got those neat little packets that have a sleeve you open for each cup. They were just $1.00 for a box of seven so that seemed like a pretty good deal to me and my instant coffee stays fresh for whenever I need it.

When it comes to my daily coffee, I need the hard stuff. The real stuff. I’m talking coffee so strong you’d have to put quarters on your eyelids if you wanted them to shut anytime in the next eight hours. 

Take the instant coffee and stir it into your milk until dissolved.

 This may take a minute. 

You don’t have to heat your milk first though.

Place your well softened butter in a mixing bowl. 

Important: Don’t be tempted to soften your butter in the microwave, on the stovetop, or any other trick we use to soften it when we’re in a hurry for this recipe. We really want to just leave our butter on the countertop for a few hours until it softens on it’s own for this recipe. Normally, I’m all about shortcuts but this one is important because we’re gonna have us a whipped icing in the end so bits of melted butter won’t help us achieve our purpose

.

Beat for a minute or two, until fluffy like this. 

Add in all other icing ingredients. 

and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed (like in this picture)

Now crank up that mixer again and beat this icing until it is fluffy, 5-7 minutes. 

If you haven’t tasted this icing by now, I’d sure like to know where you get your willpower from.

Time to ice the cake!

This cake is best if made ahead and refrigerated until good and cold. 

I know that is torture but just try it for me once, it’s totally worth the wait!

Serve with chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup (I used Hershey’s) and a strawberry.

Eat the strawberry last – your body might get confused and think you just finished a fruit plate

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

 “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Proverbs 16:24

The honeycomb is one of the strongest structures designed. Strengthen those around you with uplifting speech. Everyone needs cheerful words these days. Life and death are in the power of the tongue, Choose LIFE.

~Submitted by Marilyn Miller. Click here to submit your quote.

There are around 500 recipes so far on SouthernPlate.com so it can get a bit overwhelming at times.

Today I thought I’d pick out a few of my Christmas Candy and Gift Mix posts to make your holidays a bit easier. Feel free to browse through the entire index of recipes on Southern Plate my clicking here. 

Candies and Christmas Snacks 

Microwave Chex Mix

Holly Jollies - One of the most popular posts of all time on Southern Plate. Click to see why!

Double Layer Peppermint Bark

Brady’s Butterscotch Chow Mein Candy - Some folks call these haystacks. I just call them yummy

Homemade Caramels – You’ll be spoiled! 

Homemade Caramel Corn - This makes great gifts!

Quick, Easy, and Delicious Homemade Turtles  - Ever made turtles out of pretzels, rolos, and pecans? They sure are good!

 Want to give a gift from the kitchen but short on time? 

Below are some of the gift mix recipes on SouthernPlate.com and each comes with printable tags as well! 

Fruit Crisp Mix

Pecan Pie Muffin Mix

Chocolate Gravy Mix

S’more’s Kits - great to hand out to classmates or co-workers!

Snowman Soup - another classroom favorite! I actually got this recipe from my First Grade teacher  

 Sugar Free Cappuccino Mix 

FUN Crafts for your little ones (and you!)

Easy Reindeer Shirt – and fun Reindeer gift ideas for Grandparents!

Christmas Mice with Candy Cane Tales (Includes printable template)

Click here to see my favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes! 

 ”Appreciate what you have before it becomes what you had.”

Submitted by Mona Hickey. Contribute to our collection of inspiring and uplifting quotes by clicking here. 

Please read the post below to see why I’m calling this “original” mud hens, and then try them soon! Have a GREAT day!

Gratefully, Christy

I have spent a considerable amount of time in the kitchen lately trying to come up with a shortcut recipe for my original Mud Hens recipe from My Cookbook.

No matter what I did, I ended up a little disappointed. The “shortcuts” weren’t nearly as good as the original. I normally don’t post recipes on SouthernPlate.com that are exclusive to my cookbook but when I found myself online looking to see if anyone else had come up with a good way to shortcut Mud Hens, I immediately came across over ten websites featuring the recipe from my cookbook ~laughs~  So I decided that if they can post my original recipe, I certainly can, too!

So forget the shortcuts. This recipe is simple and easy as it is. Once you taste it, I’m sure you’ll think it is worth the effort  

You’ll need: Shortening, sugar, eggs, butter, salt, baking powder, and all purpose flour. 

You’ll also need: Chocolate Chips, Marshmallows, and Brown Sugar

Note: Use dark or light brown sugar, whatever cranks your tractor.

You don’t have to use mini chocolate chips but that is what I had on hand.

Begin by separating two of your eggs, whites in one bowl and yolks in the other.

Make sure you don’t get any of the yolk into your whites because we’re about to make an amazing brown sugar meringue and if any of those yolks get in there our meringue won’t beat up right.

Now put your butter, shortening, and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Add in your 2 egg yolks and the additional whole egg and beat again. 

Like this. 

At this point you should get out a separate bowl and place your flour, baking powder, and salt in it and stir together.

You really should do that.

I’m not, I’m going to just add in my flour, baking powder, and salt into the batter.

But you should really mix them up in a separate bowl first and then dump them in.

Unless you’re not in the mood to. In that case just put them into your batter separately like I did.

Mix that up until well combined and you have your dough.

Pat into the bottom of your greased 9×13 inch dish.

If you need to you can put a little flour on your hands to help keep it from sticking, like I did. 

Top with chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Now we need to make our brown sugar meringue topping.

My mouth started watering just typing that..

Place your egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat the mess out of it until stiff peaks form.

Like this  

Add in your brown sugar…

And stir with a spoon until it’s well combined like this.

Now this contains raw eggs so you shouldn’t taste it..

~She says as she licks the spoon and sets it aside for the next photo~

Pour your meringue over the top of your marshmallows and spread it around to the edges.

Like this.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Oh how pretty!

Allow to cool completely and then cut into bars.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

“Opportunity is always knocking.

The problem is that most people have the self-doubt station in their head turned up way too loud to hear it.

~Brian Vaszily

ENTER NESTLE’S BAKE AND SHARE HOLIDAY TREAT CONTEST

I’m teaming up with Nestle to help promote their Bake and Share Holiday Treat Contest! Click here to visit their Facebook page and get details on how you can enter your recipe for a chance to win $5000! We have some AMAZING cooks in the Southern Plate Family and I’d love to see one of you win this!

No matter how much I love cooking, there is always a special thrill when I make something that I know has one of my kids or auntlings are going to get excited about. That’s why I love these cloud cookies so much . They got their name from my nephew, Austin, about eight years ago. I’ve always been a fan of meringue cookies and I whipped up a batch when Austin was over at my house and decided to stir some chocolate chips into them before baking. Austin waited patiently while they cooked and then took one bite and declared them just like clouds – with the added bonus of chocolate chips!

So if you want to be the cool aunt/mama/grandmama/daddy/uncle who knows how to bake chocolate chips into clouds…I got ya covered today!

You’ll need: Chocolate Chips, two eggs, sugar, Cream of Tartar, a bit of salt, and some sprinkles if you’d like to add a little sparkle to your clouds...I mean cookies.

Crack your eggs and separate the whites from the yolk. Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and your salt.

There are all sorts of gadgets that do this but I just use my hands. Usually, I crack the egg and just gently tilt it until the white pours off, saving the yolk in the shell. You can also pour the entire egg into your hand and spread your fingers slightly to allow just the white to slide through while the yolk remains.

Or you can get one of those gadgeterators that lets you pour the egg into it and the white comes out of little spout on the bottom.

Whichever way you go, make sure you don’t get any of the yolk (the dark orange part) in this because our meringue won’t fluff up if we have yolk in it.

Beat your egg whites until soft peaks form.

Okay so what this means is that you need to beat them on high with an electric mixer for a few minutes. They will start out getting frothy and then begin to get foamy, and eventually turn white like this. As you keep on beating, they will start to hold their shape a bit, meaning you’ll see ripples remain in them where the beater has been.

Stop your mixer and pull your beaters up. Where your beaters came out of the egg whites a point will come up.  If that droops back down again (kinda like the top of a dairy queen ice cream cone), you have soft peaks.

Add in your sugar and beat it some more, unit the sugar is well incorporated.

It will get thick and glossy like divinity.

Oh my, I need to do a post on how to make divinity, don’t I? Oooh Mama has a great recipe for it…

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Stir in your chocolate chips.

Place spoonfuls onto the greased baking sheet.

I do about a well rounded teaspoon…or whatever size I’m in the mood for

A lot of my cooking is centered around my mood. Good thing I try to pick good moods out of the bucket each morning!

Allow your clouds to cool completely and then store them in an airtight container, or just hand them to the kids in your life and watch them disappear!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

I’m teaming up with Nestle to help promote their Bake and Share Holiday Treat Contest! Click here to visit their Facebook page and get details on how you can enter your recipe for a chance to win $5000! We have some AMAZING cooks in the Southern Plate Family and I’d love to see one of you win this!

Some people are so poor that all they have is money.

~Unknown

Thank to to Ticha for submitting this one! Add your quote to our ever growing collection or go get inspired by some others by clicking here.

And don’t worry about whether or not your quote has been submitted already. The good ones bear repeating!

I had a wonderful time at Great Day Houston a few weeks back when I went to film a segment on Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas for Southern Living. Below is the segment if you’d like to see it. After that, be sure and scroll down for easy and inexpensive ideas for some homemade gifts that would be great for children, co-workers, faculty, and more!

To see the full list of recipes I used in this segment and more photographs of the crafts we made, click here to visit my blog on Southern Living.com.

Want more Homemade Christmas ideas?

I did a whole series of posts back when I first started blogging. Check out the great recipes along with package ideas below!

Note: I took these photos three years ago. I have now set a personal goal to take better photos this year  

S’more’s kits

These are so much fun to make and cute as a button to gift! They are economical enough to allow your child to make one for every member of their class. Also great for co workers, grandchildren, and anyone else who has a love of chocolate and marshmallow goodness! Includes printable tags.

Chocolate Gravy Mix 

We make these assembly line style and let the kids pass them out to every member of faculty at their schools!

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix and Snowman Soup Kits (Includes printable tags) – Homemade Hot Chocolate mix is easy and DELICIOUS! Plus, this post is just too precious because I wrote it two years ago and my kids just look so little! 

These are just a few of my homemade gift ideas you might enjoy. There are plenty more on SouthernPlate.com and more to come this season! 

Gratefully, 

Christy 

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I’ll be at Southern Living all day today and tomorrow filming a new series of webisodes I’m hosting for them called Quick Fix Suppers. To see behind the scenes throughout the day, join us over at the Behind The Scenes With Christy thread on the Front Porch by clicking here! Note: anyone can read our forums but you must register in the top right hand corner in order to join in the conversation. See ya on the porch!

My mother takes three of my nephews to school each morning and some interesting tales have risen up over the past few years from those fifteen minute car rides with three young boys. It’s amazing how much can occur in such a short span and how easy it is to see into a kid’s world based on what they talk about at the start of their day.

Recently, Mama read an ad in their local paper that the school needed crossing guards at certain spots near the campus and help kids cross the street. She mentioned in offhand conversation to my nephew Austin (10 years) that if she didn’t keep her youngest granddaughter during the day she’d take that job just to help out. Austin looked at her and remarked “Grandmama, you just like to help people, don’t you?”. Mama thought about it a minute and said “Well Austin, thats just what you’re supposed to do. Whenever you get a chance you are supposed to always help out other people, especially in your town, and there is always something you can do to help.”

Mama is right about helping people, but I think she also understands how good it makes us feel when we step up and help out. Just think about it. The last time you opened a door for someone, didn’t you perk up just a little bit yourself? Each time we reach out and help someone else, even in a small way, it boosts our heart just a little bit higher in our chest and makes our next smile come a little easier.

So many folks are trying to change the world in broad strokes these days and that is certainly commendable. But I think most significant change takes place on a smaller scale, and it can begin in your hometown – by helping a kid cross the street, opening the door for someone, or just looking around and offering a smile to someone who needs it. As the wisdom of our elders teaches us, “That’s just what you’re supposed to do.”

And now on to our recipe. Aren’t you lucky my soapbox was short today? You know how longwinded I can get!

These peanut butter bars are an old school cafeteria recipe from back in the days when the lunch ladies would come in at the break of dawn and set to making the day’s meals from scratch. They were our mothers away from home, always there to make sure we got enough to eat and offer a kind smile and hug whenever we needed it – and boy was their food ever good!

Peanut butter treats were usually in abundance since peanut butter was a government commodity, provided in large quantities to lunchrooms. This is a great recipe that requires no baking and ends up tasting like what a Reese’s cup aspires to be – all it needs is a sweet lady in a hair net to hum softly to it as she pats it into the pan.

This post is dedicated to all past and present lunchroom ladies. We sure do love you!

You’ll need: Creamy Peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, brown sugar, butter (or margarine), and semi sweet chocolate chips.

You don’t have to have a whole tub of peanut butter like I have pictured here so don’t worry about that. My family just happens to think peanut butter is the best thing since…well peanut butter, so I tend to buy it in large quantities. This jar is like the “Bubba” of peanut butter.

Okay, I did this the easy way.

Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Microwave until the butter and peanut butter are both melted, this will take about a minute or so.

Check it after 45 seconds and make sure though because microwaves vary so greatly.

This is our melted “stuff”. Now take a spoon and give it a really good stir.

Like this.

At first it will seem like a big old mess, but after several stirs it will all come together and leave the sides of the bowl.

Like this.

Don’t you just love getting to see what these things are supposed to look like? I think the photos work so well for everyone, whether you are a new cook or a seasoned pro, because by the time you are done reading the post you’ve already mentally made the dish, so getting in the kitchen and making it in real life seems much less daunting.

Now transfer your peanut butter mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 pan and pat it out into the pan with your hands.

Until it looks like this.

Time to crank up that microwave again! Pour the entire package of chocolate chips into a bowl and microwave them at 30 second intervals, stirring in between each, until completely melted.

Pour the melted chocolate chips over your peanut butter mixture and spread it all around until the top is evenly covered.

Now the hard part: waiting for this to harden.

You can do this at room temperature or you can do like me and place it in the fridge for about half an hour or so.

Cut into bars and serve.

Leftovers can be stored in your cookie jar on the counter or in the refrigerator, whatever cranks your tractor .

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”

-J.M. Barrie

Submitted by April. Submit your quote by clicking here.

~~~~~~~~~

Click here to join us on the Front Porch where we’re talking about food, books, family, and more!

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]]> http://www.southernplate.com/2011/04/no-bake-cafeteria-peanut-butter-bars.html/feed 107 http://www.southernplate.com/2011/01/double-chocolate-chip-muffins.html http://www.southernplate.com/2011/01/double-chocolate-chip-muffins.html#comments Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:43:27 +0000 Christy Jordan http://www.southernplate.com/?p=13156 Pin it

My Katy Rose (Karo)  loves Chocolate. She especially loves double chocolate anything. The Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies earned me the title of the Best Mother In The Entire World and these muffins brought home a second honorary crown from the taste buds of my kids. After I got back from the Today Show, I was anxious to get up early the very next morning and make them a treat. I dearly love being home with my kids so I can do things like this for them.

Until I was twenty seven, I had never even flown on an airplane. That first time involved a trip to Disney World with two year old Brady, who was our only child at the time. We got airfare super cheap back then, $100 round trip for each of us, so it ended up being cheaper than driving. Ricky was also going for a conference so his portion was paid for along with our hotel room. All that was between me and getting to take my son to Disney for the first time was a little bit of gravity defying courtesy of Huntsville International.

Man was that some flight. I’ve never hidden terror so well. I spent the entire time mentally going over every possible crash scenario and how I would get little Brady out of it alive (Ricky was a big boy, he was on his own). I never dreamed in a million years that flying would become normal to me. Now, after this past year, I am one of those people who get on the plane and settle in for a nap before it even takes off. I’ve only seen a small fraction of the country in my book tour travels but its far more than I ever dreamed of or expected to see in my entire lifetime. I’ve met some wonderful people, gotten and given more hugs than I can count, and found that my theory about the world is true : The world is, by and large, made up of really good people.

But you know the main thing I learned on my travels? I do not have the wanderer’s soul I once thought I did. Hand me a globe and tell me to point out anyplace in the world I’d like to go and I’ll stick that thumbtack right smack dab on North Alabama every time. I used to not be like this. I used to want to see things an go places, but as I’ve grown older I’ve realized that there isn’t a place my heart wants to go unless I can turn and look into the eyes of my family and share it with them.

Call it blessed, call it luck, call it enlightenment, but either way you look at it I fully realize how much fuller my life will be for me having been given a chance to learn this lesson. You may not be able to visit twenty cities in a month like I did, but I bet if you take a moment to think about it, to imagine doing just that, you’ll find your arms aching to hold your family and your appreciation for them all the more greater.

Contentment. I think that is one of the greatest gifts and it is one that you have to give yourself, but it often comes for some people in wistful strains while looking through the rear view mirror. Today I want to urge you to turn around and check out what is right in front of you now. Because what is in your windshield now will surely pass you by, too. Moms, Dads, Grandparents, I know you’re tired. I know you work long days regardless of whether or not you get a paycheck, but these are the days. This is it. They’re eating and making messes and distracting you and dancing and talking nonstop, but before you know it that house will go silent and that refrigerator could be holding just enough food for one.

So take a breath, in and out. Close your eyes. Feel the love around you.

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” ~Frederick Keonig

Now go make ‘em some double chocolate muffins.

You’ll need: Vanilla (not a gallon like I have pictured though), Milk, Chocolate Chips, Margarine, Cocoa Powder, Self Rising Flour, Egg, and Sugar.

I’m using semi sweet chips but you can use any kind you want, really. You can also use butter if the thought of using margarine makes you feel as if you will most certainly go to some horrid place where folks who use hydrogenated oils and such go. Personally, I know a lot of people in that place and I happen to know that if I go there we’re gonna have some fine eatin’!

Place your sugar, flour, and cocoa powder in a bowl.

Don’t worry if your cocoa powder is lumpy, mine was so its in good company

Melt your margarine in the microwave. You can use butter if you prefer.

To the margarine, add your milk, vanilla, and egg and stir that up.

**If your margarine is fresh from the microwave you need to add your milk first so it will cool the margarine on the off chance it is hot enough to cook your egg.

Now pour that into your dry ingredients.

and start stirring…

until it looks like this

Add in your chocolate chips

and stir some more. If it is a little lumpy, thats fine.

You can cook this either in a greased muffin tin or muffin papers. I’m using muffin papers right now. 

Bake at 400 for twenty minutes. Serve them with love.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not.

Remember that what you now have was once among the things

you only hoped for.”

~Epicurus, Greek Philosopher

Catch up on Life At Bountiful by reading these posts:

• Wow, That Was An Intensive Interview!
• Christmas Miracles In Alabama
• Family Snapshots From Disney
• Behind The Scenes At The Today Show

]]> http://www.southernplate.com/2011/01/double-chocolate-chip-muffins.html/feed 89 http://www.southernplate.com/2011/01/cold-outside-treat-yourself-with-these-recipes.html http://www.southernplate.com/2011/01/cold-outside-treat-yourself-with-these-recipes.html#comments Sat, 08 Jan 2011 20:51:08 +0000 Christy Jordan http://www.southernplate.com/?p=13106 Pin it

They’re saying it’s gonna snow again but here in Alabama we get twenty snow warnings to every snowflake that drops so I’ll hold off on expectations of a winter wonderland. After all, we already had one miracle in the past thirty days.  Whether we get snow or not the temperature is still dropping so I thought I’d share some great old fashioned recipes to help keep you warm over the next few days while I finish up some new recipes posts to bring you. Gratefully, Christy

Old Fashioned Stovetop Hot Chocolate

I’ll never forget the first time I had homemade, real, hot chocolate, made on the stove and not with a mix. Although we made our ownmix from scratch (and it was delicious) there was just something about that extra chocolaty decadence of classic hot chocolate, with that little extra bit of cocoa lingering for the last sip that had me hooked. Click here to print recipe.

Homemade Cinnabuns – The Easy Way!

These cinnamon rolls have power behind them – real power. You could pretty much get anything you wanted if you showed up toting a plate of these babies, warm with icing oozing down the side.

Our Family’s Chicken Stew Recipe

Please make this chicken stew.

Its that good. Its so good that it actually bothers me to think that some of you might only look at the photos, read the tutorial, and never make it. Its so good that if I could, I would seriously arrange a time and place for all of us to meet up under a tent somewhere in the middle of the country just to serve you this chicken stew. Its just……..its…..well folks, its just so good!

Mama’s Hoe Cake

I can honestly say that this is a rare recipe, having searched and not found it anywhere online. I do hope you will try it and guarantee that if you like biscuits, you’ll LOVE hoe cake.

This is especially good with Crock Pot Apple Butter!

• Want more recipes? Check out the index at SouthernPlate.com where you’ll find well over three hundred recipes complete with tutorials.

• If you’re looking for more ramblings to read, I’ve been posting up a storm over in the Life At Bountiful Section of Southern Plate- Click here to read!

Also, Amazon.com is now selling the Southern Plate cookbook for a little over $15.00 so pick up your copy now at this great price!

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth,

for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:

it is the time for home.

~Edith Sitwell

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I just LOVE having company for Sunday dinner and am thrilled to have not one but two guests coming today! I got up a little after five to get everything cooking so I could just come home and heat and serve.

Here is my menu for today. I just kinda went with whatever I was in the mood to make!

• Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice
• Sweet and Sour Green Beans (Cookbook page 41)
• Corn Casserole (Cookbook page 23)
• Mama’s Homemade Macaroni and Cheese (Cookbook page 200)
• Frozen Cranberry Banana Salads (Cookbook page 189)
• Grandma Lucy’s Chocolate Pie (Cookbook only, page 147)
• Fruit Cocktail Cake (Cookbook page 39)

Click on each name to visit the recipe tutorial.

HAVE A WONDERFUL SUNDAY!

If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness.

It will change your life mightily.

~Gerald Good

Thank you for sharing this photo with me, Karen! This is what its all about!

Grandma Jenny. Don’t you just love her already? I can’t imagine a “Grandma Jenny” being anything but kind, sweet, and good hearted with a love for children and family. That’s why when Andrea sent me a letter which included her Grandma Jenny’s recipe for her special chocolate chip cookies I knew I had to make them that very day. It was like finding treasure in my P.O. Box and I am proud to report that dear Grandma Jenny did not disappoint.

I emailed Andrea and asked if I could share her Grandma’s recipe with y’all and also asked that she tell me a little more about her. She quickly responded with the following story that really speaks to the heart of what a kind and loving woman her grandma was.

The last memory I have of my Grandma baking these cookies was when she was wheelchair bound. My mom had been staying with us (I lived with Grandma at the time), and Dad was coming to visit. Grandma wanted so badly to make cookies for her boy, but she wasn’t physically able to on her own. Mom helped her into the wheelchair and wheeled her in the kitchen so she could “help” make the cookies for my dad. Mom set the cookie sheets on the kitchen table so Grandma could drop the dough on the sheets before Mom put them in the oven for her.

I’m honored that Andrea has allowed me to bring you dear Grandma Jenny’s special cookie recipe today.

Grandma Jenny’s cookies have a special ingredient :Bread Flour. This keeps them soft and delicious. She also uses two different kinds of chocolate chips but you can just use one if you have that on hand (I’m sure Grandma Jenny would understand).

You”ll need: Bread Flour, Vanilla, Sugar, Brown Sugar, softened butter or margarine, Shortening, Egg, Baking Soda, Bit of Salt, and White  Chocolate and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.

Place your sugars, butter, and shortening in a mixing bowl.

Mix them up really well and add your egg and vanilla.

Then mix that up again until it looks like this.

Now add in your flour and baking soda.

and salt …

Mix it up again.

Add in your chocolate chips.

Spray your baking sheet with cooking spray.

yeah, its name brand but I had a coupon (waves at jenny from Southern Savers).

I’ve actually found that I like the nozzles better on the generic cooking spray.

Spoon your dough (I used tablespoon sized dollops) onto greased cookie sheets.

Thank you, Grandma Jenny. For sharing your love and your recipes. Andrea said she sure would be tickled if she had of seen this post about her but I feel confident we’re the lucky ones to get to read about her and sample the cookies she put so much love into.

Thank you, Grandma Jenny and Andrea

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Grandma Jenny’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup soft margarine
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1½ cups BREAD flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon soda
• ½ to 1 cup EACH milk chocolate and white chocolate chips (she always kept hers chilled in the freezer, but it works fine even if they’re not)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix shortening, margarine, and sugars. Add in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and soda. Add chips. Drop onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they just start to brown.
2. NOTE: Don't try to substitute regular flour for bread flour because the cookies won’t turn out like Grandma Jenny's. They run and flatten out to cookie “pancakes.” Oh, and unless you just really need a small batch, you might as well plan on making a double batch. One batch doesn't go very far when you have a bunch of "cookie monsters" around!

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1.2

If you want to make cookie “sandwiches,” this is the creme filling recipe:

Filling:

¾ cup shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
7 ounces marshmallow crème
1 to 3 Tablespoons milk

I only tried it with creme filling this last spring. The filling recipe is “borrowed” from the filling for Taste of Home’s “Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies.”

What is it about grandparents that is so lovely?

I’d like to say that grandparents are God’s gifts to children.

~Bill Cosby

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