Hey, what's cooking for your Happy Father's Day this Sunday? I have decided to take the easy way out this year! Will do fillets from the Meat Shoppe, salad in a bag, bottled Kraft Seven Seas Green Goddess dressing, Green Giant Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower in a cheese sauce, Mary B's Tea Biscuits/Cheddar Cheese, and my very own...make ahead and stick it in the freezer...Di's Tortoni! Yes, I'm doing something different this year and getting outta the kitchen and into quality visiting time with three of the greatest dads in the whole world...Willie, #3, and AB! AB won't be with us in person, but always in our hearts...he does live in Charlotte! And, you gotta make my special Di'sTortoni...cool, refreshing, and soooo eassssssy! So, get outta the kitchen and spend some quality time with all the favorite dads in your life, and have a very Happy Father's Day! And, please leave a comment about how special your favorite dad is!
Di's Tortoni
1 cup crushed macaroons
1/2 gallon soften, vanilla ice cream
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
1 teaspoon almond extract
Mix all together gently and put in plastic cups or lined cup cake tins. Garnish with cherries and mint leaves. May store in the freezer for up to one week...cover them with foil. Serves about 8 in plastic cups and 18 if using the lined cup cake tins. Enjoy!!
Did you catch the final moments of LOST? Like who didn't? Date night for me and #3 had us flipping back and forth between the last LOST and the Celebrity Apprenticefinale,simultaneously. Way to go, Brett Michaels! He's a cool dude! We did record both shows and will watch each one in it's entirety, at a later "date." Love that modern technology...the DVR! I especially love the fact that we can operate this convenient device without any grandkids present for assistance! Anyway, #3 and me usually plan a delectable, easy, and memorable spread for these 'one of a kind' final episodes or season finales that are sure to stimulate active conversations for many years to come. These flashy and epic like endings on the shows we all know and love like Mash, St. Elsewhere, Seinfeld, Friends, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor, deserve majestic dishes and beverages to go right along...and this night was no exception. Our paramount menu included only fabulous and classic items we could never choose to live without...
Homemade Pizza and Red Sauce with Meat, Caramelized Onions, and Cheeses
Nothing like freshly made pizza and sauce with whatever meat and cheeses you have on hand. Some delicious brats with freshly ground Parmesan and Mozzarella were just aching to jump on our pizza! And, caramelizing the onions always gives the toppings an extra special taste! No plain chips, either...I brushed the round corn tortillas with a hint of canola oil and popped them into a 425 degrees F oven to bake until crispy and golden. Yum, yum! One pound of Kraft Velveeta (cubed) and a full can of Rotel Tomatoes in the microwave on high for 5 minutes came out bubbly and tasty as ever!! Kraft and Rotel...I even like them on Facebook!
In fact, this famous cheese dip recipe, along with freshly fried corn tortillas, dates back to the 50s when it was the center of attention at my annual overnight birthday bashes...till we got the Ouija Board out. However, from way back then until this moment in time, this legendary queso dish, homemade pizza and sauce, fresh Arkansas strawberries, and a cold Coors Light have become some of the classics I would beforever LOST without, if I were somehow LOST on a deserted island!!
And, best wishes for Jack Shephard...discovering the final way out of all chaos and being the true shepherd he was meant to be by leading the LOST sheep home...as Hurley probably would have said..."Cool, dude!"
Ahhh...strawberry season has arrived in the Natural State! Don't you just love the taste of fresh strawberries? They are so low in calories and full of vitamins, fiber, and minerals, you should really include these juicy little morsels into your meal plans any way you can!. Lots of ways you can do this, too! And...according to the London, Ohio Strawberry Festival, how about a few, fun strawberry facts?
Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside
The average strawberry has 200 seeds.
Madame Tallien, a prominent figure at the court of the Emperor Napoleon, was famous for bathing in the juice of fresh strawberries. She used 22 pounds per basin.
Strawberries are a member of the rose family.
Ninety-four percent of US households consume strawberries.
Check out this site for more interesting trivia on strawberries. But, in the mean time, if you are one of the 94 percentile of families in the US that consumes this delicious fruit and doesn't bathe in them like Madame Tallien, please read on...
I have been working on a recipe for the Real Women of Philadelphia Contest and, recently have come up with a wonderful and hopefully winning dessert that will rock Paula Deen and her boys socks off! They are judging this super contest, and I have my fingers crossed to get to meet them in Savannah, come late June, to cook this luscious recipe I just originated, especially for Paula! Check out all of my cooking videos for this fun contest on YouTube! And, try this prize winning recipe...at least in the Hocut home...when your local berries come in season!
Strawberry Scone Shortcake
with Strawberry 1/3 Less Fat Philly Cream Cheese
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, unsifted
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cold
1/3 cups milk, whole
1 (8 ounces) tub of Strawberry 1/3 Less Fat Philly or more!
Heat oven to 425 degrees F
Wash, hull, and slice berries
In an upright mixer, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder and then add the butter
Mix until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs or cornmeal and remove from mixer
By hand, mix in about 3/4 cup of the prepared strawberries
Add all of the milk and with a fork, toss together until the mixture holds together, well
With floured hands gently form into a ball
On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness with a rolling pin
Cut the dough with a 2 1/2 inch circle cutter
Place the scones onto a greased cookie sheet and bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown
Remove from oven and serve your Strawberry Scone Shortcakes warm and generously spread with the Strawberry 1/3 Less Fat Philly
Sprinkle with the remaining strawberries
When I tasted these scrumptious scones lathered in the Strawberry Philly for the first time, I knew they were absolutely the best dessert I have made in a good while! I hope you enjoy the simplicity and tastiness of this ???prize winning??? recipe. The Strawberry 1/3 Less Fat Philly Cream Cheese is the perfect topping for these perfect Strawberry Scone Shortcakes. And, thanks for stopping by Di's Cup Cakes...we always love your visit and especially enjoy reading your comments! And, as my Nannie use to say..."Y'all drop in when you can!"
If by chance you have been living under a rock lately, and not heard of the Real Women of Philadelphia Contest, you have to drop by the site and check out this Real Woman...Debi Wood! This month, I've been told is her birthday, and if it isn't...who cares...you gotta meet this gal!
On her Real Women Contest profile, Debi considers herself a "lucky girl." Yes, Debi, as for my experience, the harder you work, the luckier you get...and, I see how hard you are working at husbands, kids, grandkids, gardening, pets, a rewarding job, cooking, and everything else that comes your way like this Real Women Contest. I'm worn out just writing about it! And, you are doing a terrific job, Debi, because apparently you are doing the things you love! Debi also says, "As you can see I wear many hats, and speaking of hats, I have a huge collection of unique hats, too!" Well, Debi, if those hats are as colorful as your shining personality, I'm gonna need some powerful shades, for sure, if I ever get to the Sunshine State to meet you! Happy Birthday and congratulations on your "lucky" life...and thanks for all you do on the Real Women of Philadelphia website! We other Real Women appreciate and absolutely love your humor and zest for life!
Check out all of Debi's contest entries at YouTube...your're in for a Real treat! And, don't forget to wish her a big 'ol Happy Birthday, all month long!
This Ordinary Housewife has been working especially hard these days! Blogs, husband, kids, animals, shopping, cooking, cleaning, lover (tee hee hee...just checking to see if you're still with me)! However, I have taken a new love... Philadelphia Cream Cheese...my new BFF and cooking buddy! I've hooked up with this dude because Kraft Foods has sponsored an exciting cooking contest called Real Women of Philadelphia. So, I have been recreating every cream cheese dish imaginable to enter in this fun and rewarding challenge.
I must confess, Philly (pet name for my love) is not really a new love...rather a comfortable old friend I have kept around for many, many years! Ahhh...a friend with benefits. The reason I have resorted to such behavior is because Philly is such a versatile ingredient that goes so well in tons of different appetizers, desserts, side dishes, and entrees! Philly thickens my soups, enhances my doughs, and satisfies in ways you can never imagine! Warning, once you begin this kind of affair with Philly, you will never be able to live without it.
Check out the recipe entries on my Youtube Channel! Please be sure and tell me what you think...go ahead...I'm a big girl...I can take it...but, please be nice...my feelings get easily distressed these days because I'm worried at any time now, #3 will begin to suspect my sinfully indulgent amusements, and I will never hear the end of it!
On this day in 1951 a wonderful and big surprise came to the Hocut family in Hot Springs, Arkansas. No, they didn't win big at the now famous Oaklawn Race Track http://oaklawnpark.com, which, by the way, opened February 24, 1905 and is still growing bigger and better every year. They also did not get pampered and rejuvenated at one of the legendary hot baths on Bath House Row http://buckstaffbaths.com. And no, they didn't stay at the famous and exciting bigArlington Hotel http://arlingtonhotel.comin downtown Hot Springs. They didn't even go for the big, plate sized pancakes at the Pancake Shop http://pancakeshop.com on Central Avenue, either. They had bigger things to do as they headed to the Hot Springs, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital to deliver a bouncing, big, baby boy into their lives! Douglas Michael Hocut, sometimes referred to as BIG Mike, was born to Vollie Mae and Juanita Hocut on February 10, 1951. By the time this dude started grade school, he was always the biggest guy in the class every year, which probably was the reason Big Mike always attempts to surpass everything on the mediocre or average scale with an appetite for only the biggest and the best!
BIG Mike happens to be 6'6" tall and a whopping 300 pounds! But, that is not the biggest thing about him...his heart is also very, very big! Yes, this big guy is loved by all (just ask his grandkids) and always the life of the party (just ask his co workers). In fact, there is nothing average about him. He has successfully worked in the trucking industry for over 30 years becoming a vital part of the company he loves, MHC Kenworth/Volvo in Springdale, Arkansas. He is devoted and happily married to the woman of his dreams (and nightmares) for 23 years...me...of course. And, for a guy of this magnitude...he deserves a big cookie on his birthday today! Not just an average cookie, rather a Big Heart Cookie. I adapted this recipe just for BIG MIKE, the big guy with the big heart! You will need an 11inch heart shaped cake/cookie pan. Don't have a heart??? Shop for your heart pan at Wilton...http://wilton.com.
Big Mike is not just the only big happening to the small town of Hot Springs...check out all these great Hot Springs sites, just like we are gonna do on BIG Mike's BIG Birthday Bash! See you there! We'll be the ones with the big cookie. You can't miss us...nobody can miss BIG Mike.
Big Heart Cookie
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate morsels
Ganache
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 11 inch Wilton Heart Pan with cooking spray
Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a med bowl and set aside
Cream butter and sugars using a mixer until fluffy
Add egg and vanilla and mix
Add dry mixture and blend well
Stir in chocolate morsels
Transfer cookie dough to the pan and spread evenly until the bottom of pan is covered
Bake about 12 minutes or until nicely browned
Remove from oven and cool, then remove carefully from pan
While cooling, make the Ganache
Heat cream and butter in a saucepan until melted and remove before boiling
Place chocolate morsels in a bowl and pour cream mixture on top
Let it sit for a few minutes, then stir until smooth
Let cool and then spread on top of cookie with a spatula
Decorate as you like, and be sure to give it to someone you really love!
What a wonderful grandson to have! Today is Noah's 11th birthday and we celebrated this momentous occasion with favorite foods (Pepperoni Pizza and Cupcakes), family, and friends! The party included Noah, of course, and his mommy, good friend...Rianne, Trey, Nana and Pawpaw. Our scrumptious pizza party consisted of Noah and Rianne making their very own 'scratch' pizza...as they like it. If you have not ever made homemade crusts and tomato sauce along with your favorite toppings...what's your problem? Try these great recipes and you may never order take out pizza again! And, so long Chucky Cheese!
Basic Pizza Dough
Makes 1 10-12 inch round pizza
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp rapid rise dried yeast
1/2 - 2/3 cups lukewarm water
1 tbsp olive oil
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the water and oil and mix with a spoon to a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about one hour or until the dough has doubled in size. Punch down the dough. Turn on to a floured surface and knead again for 2-3 minutes. Roll out as required and place on a greased baking sheet. Pinch up the dough to make a rim. The dough is now ready for topping.
Tomato Sauce
Enough to cover 1 10-12 inch pizza
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, oregano, thyme, and basil
pinch of sugar
salt and black pepper
Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and gently saute for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, sugar, and seasoning. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced to a thick pulp. Let cool.
Favorite Toppings
Have on hand shredded mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, chopped veggies, pepperoni, and cooked ground beef or whatever you so desire. Spread the cooled sauce on the prepared crust. Sprinkle with toppings and cheeses. Cook at 425 degrees until crust is brown and cheeses are bubbly...about 20-25 minutes. Enjoy...along with a competitive game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey!
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