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I am a simple country girl who loves life and lives it to the fullest. I cook for one of the greatest families ever. Cooking is my passion and I consider it as well to be my gift.

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Thursday, November 21, 2013

CANDIED BACON JERKY

Oh Baby...Oh Baby...Oh Baby...this is my latest addiction. CANDIED BACON JERKY! There is nothing else out there that can compare to it. Not that I've ever had anyway.
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 to 10 strips of OSCAR MAYER bacon (no other will compare...just trust me on this matter). I could only fit 8 slices on my rack.
Preheat your oven to 225 degrees. Place a rack on rimmed baking sheet, line with foil and spray the rack generously with cooking spray. Not an olive oil or a butter spray...just a plain old spray. In a shallow bowl, such as a pie plate which I used here, combine the brown sugar and cayenne pepper. Dip/pat each slice of bacon on both sides in the brown sugar mixture, shaking off excess (I kind of sort of brushed the extra off), and placed it on the rack.
Bake bacon for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Mine went the entire 3 hours. Flip the strips every hour. I set my kitchen timer for each hour. When it is done it will be a deep mahogany color (like the brown on Max-A-Million-Mahogany Forbes-now that's what I'm talking about!). Allow it to cool a minute or two then move it around so that it doesn't stick to the pan. It will firm up for sure as it cools.

From www.kitchenhealssoul.blogspot.com   who said these very words.... "I won't judge you if you eat it all in one setting"....


Friday, November 15, 2013

APPLE SALSA & MY POOR PITIFUL BRAIN

I don't know if it's my age or my habits, BUT, I can tell each and everyone of you that a brain is most surely a terrible thing to waste! The only thing that I can tell you that I know for sure is my name...ADELE...the rest of it is a muddle of sorts as in I can't remember a DAMN thing....things for instance like my dentist appointment, my pocket book, my phone, my friends birthdays, telephone numbers, where I parked my car, some body's name that I know as well as my own, my car keys, why I walked into the kitchen, my grocery list, where I left that illusive glass of water, the Apple Salsa recipe....
2 large crisp apples (such as Gala or Pink :Lady)~chopped
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers (a mix of red, green, yellow)
2 limes~juiced
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup cilantro~chopped
1/3 cup red onion~diced
1/2 of a jalapeno~seeded, minced
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
Combine apples, bell peppers, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno. Drizzle with lime juice and honey. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. You'll be so glad you did!
Remember that ADELE loves you...

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

GHIRARDELLI CHOCOLATE HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM POUND CAKE

It's SINFUL I tell you SINFUL as in BAD to the BONE...BaBaBaBaaaaad...I've made other chocolate pound cake recipes in my time and they were all of course delicious but this one here, so to speak, is by far the best like ever!
It is moist and chocolaty and rich as R. Stuart Dickson (that's my boss man). So you know it's got to be good...no not just good...it's GREAT in a real big way. The only way you are going to know it is to make one for yourself.
2 sticks real butter-room temp
3 cups sugar
6 big eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (use a whisk to get it mixed up good)
1/2 cup Ghirardelli Natural Unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 cup heavy whipping cream (heavy is an important step here)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 Beat the butter at medium speed in a stand electric mixer until mixture is creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition just until the yellow disappears. Combine flour and cocoa; add to butter mixture alternately with the heavy whipping cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch bundt or tube pan at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to rest on top of the stove for 10 minutes then remove to a plate. Allow to cool completely (unless my husband is hanging around).
"I never met a chocolate pound cake that I didn't love!"~Adele Forbes

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

BROWN SUGAR BUTTER PECAN TOFFEE POUND CAKE with a CARAMEL GLAZE

Pound cakes are God's gift to those who love butter and sugar. I personally never met a pound cake that I did not love. The varieties are unending which means you can always come up with a new pound cake recipe to try. Some of my favorite ones are Black Walnut, Butter-Nut, Buttered Rum, Chocolate, Coconut, Cream Cheese, Eggnog, German Chocolate, Ginger, Lemon, Orange, Peach, Pineapple, Praline, Pumpkin, Sour Cream, Sundrop, Sweet Potato and Whipping Cream.
Then I happened to run upon this delectable pound cake recipe on Pinterest by www.keyingredient.com and just knew I had to try it and boy howdy am I ever glad I did. It's one of the best pound cakes I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. I took it to a 'Renewal of Wedding Vowels' of our best friends recently and there was not a crumb of it left in a matter of only a few minutes. Here's the recipe, I hope you like it as good as myself and all the others did.
3 sticks butter-softened
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 8 oz. bag toffee bits
1 cup chopped pecans
 Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside. Beat the butter until creamy. Add sugars beating until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Stir in toffee bits and pecans. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake 75 to 85 minutes. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes then remove from pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Spoon Caramel Glaze over cooled cake.
CARAMEL GLAZE:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
 In a saucepan combine milk and brown sugar; bring to a boil over medium high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat, simmer 8 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Let cool 5 minutes before using.
"A slice of pound cake hot out of the oven is like a slice of heaven."~Adele Forbes

Sunday, June 16, 2013

QUICHE LORRAINE

Being a Personal Cook to a well to do family has it's perks. I get to try new recipes from all  over the world as they are world travelers. When the lady of the house asked me to make her husband's favorite quiche for his Father's Day lunch I eagerly took to the task ahead. 
The recipe itself came straight from the Cordon Bleu School of Cooking located in Paris, France.
It's really a simple recipe consisting of ham, Swiss cheese, eggs, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell-baked
1/2 lb. sliced ham
1/2 lb. sliced Swiss cheese
2 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup scalded milk (I used evaporated milk)
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
salt, pepper, nutmeg
Heat oven to 350. Beat 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk together. Add pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Scald 1 cup milk then temper the eggs by pouring the hot milk just a little at a time into the eggs. This makes up the custard. Place ham slices over the bottom of the pie crust. Top ham with the slices of Swiss cheese. Pour the custard mixture over the ham and cheese. Cook 20 minutes or just until the custard is set. The top of the quiche should only be tanned in spots. Allow it to stand for 6 to 8 minutes to give it time to set up. Cut into wedges to serve.
Serve with French-style green beans and a lovely red tomato which has been peeled and sliced. You can get 6 large servings out of it or 12 hors d'-oeuvres servings. You can also use cooked bacon and cheddar or any other cheese you like with this recipe. Enjoy!

"I am convinced that I am the one who introduced quiche to America."~James Beard

Monday, June 3, 2013

LOW-CARB PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE IN CHOCOLATE

Yes my butt is big. Big as a watermelon. Big as two large cantaloupes. Big as a basketball. Big as the side of the house. Big as my head on both sides. Big as the moon. Big as a dinner plate dahlia. BIG! BIG! BIG! So I have been on a low-carb diet now for a week or so and have already dropped 5 lbs. It's the only diet that has ever worked for me so I am sticking with it this time around and we'll just all see together what happens with that. Wish me luck.
1.5 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Tbsp. Hershey's Lite Chocolate Syrup or Sugar-Free
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
3 tablespoons Splenda
 Place metal mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer. In a different bowl, combine cream cheese, peanut butter and chocolate syrup. Add two tablespoons heavy cream to the chocolate peanut butter mixture, stir well. Remove the mixing bowl from the freezer and add remaining heavy cream and Splenda. Beat sweet cream mix on low speed until sweetener is completely incorporated and then increase to medium speed. Beat on medium about 1 1/2 minutes or until you see the cream starting to thicken. Add 1/4 of chocolate peanut butter mix at a time to the whipped cream until it is just fully mixed, being careful not to over mix.
2 servings~5 grams carbs each of billowy delightfulness
"“I could make the whole of Manhattan disappear into that [Jennifer Lopez's] amazing butt.”~David Copperfield

Friday, May 3, 2013

ICICLE PICKLE MACARONI SALAD

My husband, Mr. Larry Forbes, loves him some macaroni salad. Love may not even be the right word. Actually, he worships and adores macaroni salad. So every now and then I break down my barriers and make him a big bowl full. I know he will be highly grateful when I place a bowl of it in front of him.
I have used a lot of different pickles through the years when I make macaroni salad but it turns out now that our favorite pickle for this dish is Icicle Pickles that we buy a case of each year at a church yard sale in Holden Beach. The church ladies make and resale them every year and I just have to tell you that they are 'to die' for. I've never seen another icicle pickle like these anywhere. And that is why I buy them by the case. They are especially nice in potato salad as well.
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tsp. olive oil
1 cup sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup each of diced red, orange, and yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped icicle pickles
1/4 cup icicle pickle juice
salt and pepper to taste
 Cook the pasta in salted boiling water just until al dente. Drain well and then drizzle with the olive oil, mixing well. Place in a large bowl and add remaining ingredients.
DRESSING: 1/2 cup Duke's mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp. icicle pickle juice, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt.
Mix all together then add to pasta ingredients in the bowl. Chill well in the refrigerator before serving or try to at least. Mr. Forbes wants to eat it whether or not it is chilled.
"Me and Mr. Forbes have never met an icicle pickle macaroni salad that we did not like."~Adele Forbes

Sunday, March 24, 2013

CHICKEN STUFFED CHIPOTLE JALAPENOS

Now don't be scared...these jalapenos have some fire in them, yes sir-e they surely do but not to the point of blistering your tongue. They're just kind of like the hot pop-rocks that explode in your mouth and leave a tingling sensation.
But I can personally guarantee all of you jalapeno fans that these beauties deliver not only in some semi-mild-hot taste bud explosion but in a rush of savoriness...yes savoriness...say that twice.
 If you get the munchies then these here stuffed jalapenos should fill your bill. I had a 24-Hour Layered Salad chilling in the fridge and it paired beautifully along side of the peppers. Took some of the heat off so to speak.
8 big old jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped rotisserie chicken
4 ozs. softened cream cheese (you can use low-fat)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (I love that stuff)
1 to 2 tsp. chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (yeah baby you get some heat there too)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat pan with butter or olive oil cooking spray. Place the peppers in the pan and cook about 8 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until charred nicely. Cool for a few while you prepare the chicken-chipotle mixture.
Combine the chicken with the cream cheese, cilantro and chipotle peppers.
Slice the jalapenos into, remove the membranes and seeds.
Fill the peppers with this mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, or just until cheese is lightly browned.
Serves 6 to 8 people
 "I never met a jalapeno pepper I didn't like."~Adele Forbes

Friday, March 22, 2013

THE EASIEST PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE EVER!

What makes this the easiest peanut butter ever you may say? 4 ingredients. Nothing less, nothing more.
Simply throw 2 cups of sugar into a saucepan along with 1/2 cup milk (I used evaporated). Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Allow to boil for 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract and 3/4 cup Jif creamy peanut butter.
Pour into dish/pan. Let it cool for awhile on the counter and then when it has cooled off to a luke warm place it in the refrigerator to finish chilling. Cut in small slices to serve. It took me approximately 5 minutes total to make this from start to finish and believe me when I tell you that it is delicious.


"I never met a peanut butter fudge I didn't like"~Adele Forbes

Monday, March 4, 2013

SUNDROP POUND CAKE

My husband absolutely adores a pound cake. So every so often I like to greet him with one when he comes in from a hard day of working out in the cold. Being that today is National Pound Cake day I thought this would be the perfect time to present him with one. And what did he do...absolutely nothing. Didn't look at it, didn't ask what it was, not even a little sniff of it. Fine! Didn't smell the Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet & Spicy baby back ribs swimming in the crock-pot either. Do I look like I care?????????????????????????????????
So maybe you yourself will appreciate it. 
Here's the recipe.....
3 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups sifted cake flour
1/3 cup Sundrop
2 tablespoons pure lemon extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour pan. Combine butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Slowly add flour, but try to not over beat it. Add the Sundrop and lemon extract. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes. Do not be tempted to open the oven door. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a serving dish. Allow it to cool completely then drizzle with a glaze made from powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice and Sundrop. You want it to be just of pourable consistency. Share it with someone who appreciates it!
"If you want peace in the house, do what your wife wants."~African Proverb

Sunday, March 3, 2013

BANANARAMA WAFER PUDDING

Just thinking about a Banana Pudding makes my tongue slide out of my mouth and lick my lips...my maternal Grandmother, Mama Joe, made the best banana puddings this side of culinary heaven. Hers was  in the form of a homemade boiled custard type pudding which she always made on a Saturday and when she had finished putting it all together it got 'put away' in the 'modern' refrigerator in the dining room until dessert time on Sunday. As a young child I would sneak peaks at it in the fridge when nobody else was around and I dang near grieved my fool self to death waiting for that 24 hours to pass until I could have my own bowl full.
These days I have to think about my health and my waistline so I lean more towards a Weight Watchers view of things. What that means is that I make a No-Fat version of the dish  which in no way measures up in my mind to my Mama Joes 'knock-your-socks-off' masterpiece. But hey...it is still mighty good when it's rolling across my taste buds. So my best advice for you is not to knock it until you have tried it.

2 cups fat-free milk
1 small (4 oz.) pkg. Jell-O Sugar-Free Instant Vanilla Pudding
30 Reduced-Fat Nilla wafers
3 small bananas or 2 large ones, sliced
Cool Whip Free or Fat-Free

Combine milk with pudding mix in bowl. Beat with a whisk for 2 minutes. In an 8X8 baking dish layer half of the wafers and then top with a layer of banana slices. Pour half of the prepared pudding over allowing it to sink down in among the wafers and bananas. Repeat by making another layer of wafers, bananas and the remainder of the pudding. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Place a dollop of Cool Whip on each serving.
Weight Watchers 1/2 cup serving = 3 Points

"I never met a banana pudding that I didn't like."~Adele Forbes

CIABATTA BUTTER PECAN FRENCH TOAST

In my humble opinion, Ciabatta bread is the only bread to use when you're making French toast. It is an Italian bread made with olive oil that has a chewy texture. 
Note the holes in the bread. This allows for better absorption of the French toast batter.
I do not per-say have a written recipe, but just beat together about 1 1/2 cups of 2% Horizon Organic milk with 1 fresh egg, a teaspoon or so of butter pecan flavoring and either 4 packs of Splenda or 1 tablespoon agave syrup.
Next, heat up a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When hot add a couple of tablespoons of Brummel & Brown Yogurt Spread. Allow it to melt, swirl it around in the pan and then add your well-soaked bread slices to the pan.
Flip each piece over when they have turned a nice golden brown on the bottom and allow to cook until nicely browned on the other side. That's all there is to it. Serve with a quality thick bacon and fresh scrambled eggs on the side with a drizzle or more of the Pure Maple Syrup from Vermont. (Thank You Patty Horsford!)