Cookware.com Review Coming Soon

Do you need a new dutch oven?  Like this one perhaps??

 Hmm. I'm thinking I do!

Or maybe some new trendy bakeware like these:

Yes, I think I could most definitely be swayed by these!

Whatever your cooking/baking needs Cookware.com has it, plus about a million other things you need/want.
Have you ever heard of Cookware.com? Cookware.com is one of the 200+ stores that are part of the CSN.com Stores. If  you've not heard of them, you should definitely check them out sooner rather than later!! 
I'm very excited about an upcoming review I will be hosting thanks to Cookware.com and CSN.com
So be watching for it and I'll try to have a new recipe up soon! The next one will be a no-bake treat since its been so sweltering hot. I have trying to remind myself that I need to learn to concoct  new recipes in the winter months, when we could actually use a little excess heat in the house :)

Just for fun (and pure curiosity):
If you had a choice of any item from the cookware.com store, what would be your favorite item??

Have a great weekend!

Southern as Scarlet O~ MoonPie Chess Bars

So, how do you make Chess Bars more Southern? (as if we even imagined that being possible!)...Well, simple. You add a healthy dose of MoonPies to the mix. I'd certainly have to say that's about as southern as Miss Scarlett O'Hara. And, in the words of Miss O'Hara "As God as my witness," you will want to make these sooner rather than later.
If you're not from the South you may be wondering what this MoonPie is that I'm referring to. Basically, its soft graham crackers layered with marshmallow fluff and dipped in a flavored coating. MoonPies were born in the early 1900's when a Chattanooga bakery owner began trying to cater to all the local coal miners. Well, the coal miners had already discovered that graham crackers dipped in marshmallow fluff (recently being exported from New England)  made an excellent/filling treat, albeit a bit messy to carry around in the mines. So the bakery owner created the multi-layered "pies" as a way for the coal miners to easily pack in their lunches, but made them quite large since sometimes the miners did not get to stop for lunch. They've continued to be a favorite in the south ever since.
Though the exact origins of the Chess Bars are unknown, like most uncommonly good treats, we just try to claim them here in the south as our own:) No one seems to balk at this idea....especially when you start combining them with southern staples such as MoonPies! I will warn you about these particular chess bars......they are incredibly addictive. Usually I can make a dessert, try it and freeze the rest.Well, with this one, I just started eating it straight out of the freezer. Even the subzero temperatures could not stop me. So, save yourself some time at the gym and make sure you make this when you have a group to share it with! Enjoy!

 

Southern as Scarlet O'~

MoonPie Chess Squares

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1-lb box cofectioner’s sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Double Decker MoonPies (flavor of your choice), coarsley chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cake mix, butter and 1 egg. Add pecans and mix well. Press into bottom of 9″ x 13″ pan. Sprinkle chopped MoonPies over crust.
Beat cream cheese, vanilla and confectioner’s sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Pour over crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until set.

Momma's Peach Ice Cream

It dawned on me a few days ago that our (almost take your breath away) humid southern summer has officially arrived in full force. And it made me think back to what I remember summers being like as a kid.  I remember staying outside all day long. Usually, until the street light came on. I remember that when the beautiful peachy- pink mimosa trees had bloomed out, it was officially summer. I remember kudzu covering nearly everything in existence (though, kudzu probably exists all year, I only seem to think of seeing it in the summer).  I remember lightening bugs in mason jars... and Momma’s zucchini bread (this was a summer memory for nearly every kid in our neighborhood!). I remember sticking pine straw in those little holes out in the backyard and “fishing” for whatever those little bugs were that lived in the hole (though I remember the pine straw wiggling, I don’t ever remember “catching” one of those bugs). I remember climbing the magnolia tree in our front yard and picking fruit in the neighbor's yard. But most of all, what brings back memories of my southern childhood summers most is Momma’s homemade peach ice cream. I can remember eating it late in the day. I can almost envision it dripping down my legs. It seems as a child, I could end up being a sticky mess from most anything I consumed. But, this ice cream was worth it. It was fresh and sweet. It was almost as sweet as my memories. I need to start making sure my girls experience some of my favorite childhood summer activities. Perhaps we will start with Momma’s Peach Ice Cream. Enjoy!

Momma's Peach Ice Cream
4 eggs
1 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 pint whipping cream
2 cans condensed milk (not evaporated milk!)
1 1/2 qts  milk
1/4 tsp salt
6 fresh peaches, must be very ripe
1/4 cup white sugar

Prepare the peaches:
Peel peaches. Dice into cubes. Combine with 1/4 c. sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the peaches are soft. Set aside. Let cool completely.

Prepare the ice cream mixture:
In a medium pan, combine the remaining ingredients, except for the milk and condensed milk. Stirring continuously, over medium low heat, simmer until hot, but not boiling. Let cool completely to room temperature. (I even put mine in the refrigerator to cool it quicker) When cool, add condensed milk. Pour into ice cream maker. Add milk up to fill line. Freeze according to maufacturers directions. during the last five minutes in the ice cream maker, add the peaches. When finished freezing in ice cream maker (it will still be very soft-usually 25 minutes), transfer to a container and let freeze in your freezer. The ice cream usually does not become hard until it has been frozen in the freezer for several hours.

4th of July & Blueberry Cobbler

4th of July...A perfect mid-summer holiday to celebrate our many freedoms, and certainly a day to recognize the armed forces that serve (or have served) to defend those freedoms.  Have a great time celebrating our independence today!!

 So, of course I could not leave you without a sweet ending for your 4th of July meal. Lots of people love the traditional flag cake for their 4th dessert. You know the beautiful sheet cake with the beautifully arranged berries meant to depict an American flag. Oh, I love them, I just don't love the patience required to arrange all those beautiful berries. Besides, I just have a favorite 4th dessert that I can't let go of. I believe I have mentioned before that many years ago when Mr. Sweets and I first  started dating, I quickly fell in love with his mother's cooking. Well, one of the first 4th of July's I remember spending with his family, GiGi (Mr. Sweet's mother) made Blueberry Cobbler. I have tried plenty of cobblers in my life. They are quite abundant here in the south. Yet, I had never had a cobbler this good. Honestly, cobbler wasn't even one of my favorites until I'd had GiGi's cobbler. And, I have never found a better cobbler since. I even had to turn down one of my oldest and dearest friends yesterday, when she offered me her blueberry cobbler recipe. I had to tell her I had already found the best!( But, don't fret my southern sister offered me another recipe that I will share with you on another day and boy does it sound good!!)
I'm sure when you look at this recipe and its simplicity you might wonder why its so amazing. I can't answer that exactly. Is it the fact that there is nearly equal ratios of fruit to sugar in the recipe??Hmm, maybe... Is it that the ingredients bake in a full stick of butter???Probably...Honestly, there is nothing uncommon about the recipe (except the no stir method-I've never seen this before). Its just simple, comforting and the perfect ending to your 4th of July celebration. So, go celebrate today. Make this cobbler, grab a huge bowl topped with vanilla ice cream (the ice cream is not optional:) and sit back and enjoy it while watching a few fireworks tonight! Enjoy!

GiGi's Blueberry Cobbler

2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2c-1cup white sugar (depending on sweetness of blueberries)
1cup self rising flour
1 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
1 stick butter
vanilla ice cream

In a bowl, combine the blueberries and 1/2 (or up to 1 cup) sugar. Set aside to allow blueberries to macerate (let them create natural juices). Place butter in a 9x9 square baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the pan with the butter in the oven while its preheating until  the butter is fully melted.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, milk and 1 c. sugar until blended. When butter is melted, remove from oven. Pour batter over butter, but DO NOT STIR. Spoon blueberries over batter, but again, DO NOT STIR. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min-1 hour, or until browned. Serve with vanilla ice cream.