Today's Blast from the Past--Chocolate Gravy

The first time anyone hears the words chocolate and gravy together, they wince and proclaim "Chocolate Gravy"? And with good reason. I love chocolate and gravy, but the idea that they could be one and the same, does take some getting used to. Even my adventurous kids weren't real excited about the prospect, but all three were converted instantly with the first bite.

Many Saturday mornings, my mom would make homemade biscuits, chocolate gravy and bacon. And let me tell you, it is a wonderful combination! There's something so good about soft, buttery biscuits, covered in hot, rich chocolate gravy with crispy, salty bacon for a side. It is the quintessential Southern comfort food combination.

Today I made the entire meal for the kids and all three loved it! I was afraid that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered it. A lot of things are for more enjoyed in the memory than they are relived, but not this time. The chocolate gravy was every bit as good and as scrumptious as I remembered.

Food Memories Too Good Not to Share

I've been thinking lately about how my kids are missing out on some of the food pleasures that I enjoyed as a child. There are a lot of things that I ate on a regular basis growing up that my kids are totally missing out on. We were poor, but mom was a really good cook and always made sure we had something warm, filling and yummy to eat. It just wouldn't be right if they grew up and left this house without eating a single fried potato (tater) sandwich or trying a fried bologna sandwich.

I have many fond memories of roasting hot dogs on a fork over the flame on mom's cooktop. My kids would love to be able to do that, but it's quite impossible with my electric range. We've roasted them over the fire in the fireplace, but it's just not the same. But there are some things that I can make sure they have the opportunity to try. In the next few months, I plan on making some of the things that I remember mom making that for whatever reason I don't make now. Here's the list I've compiled so far (if any of my family members want to remind me of something I've left off, please do so). I'm sure there's more, but this is all I can think of now.

Fried Potato Sandwiches
Fried Bologna Sandwiches
Sandwich Spread (I loved this stuff as a child. Do they still make it?)
Bread Pudding
Jelly Roll
Chocolate Gravy

Little Davis's Pizzeria

We've had a lot of fun rowing Little Nino's Pizzeria this week, especially knowing that we'd be making our own pizza for our final lesson. Have you ever thought about all the lessons to be learned from eating pizza? No, I'm not talking about the lesson I'm sure we've all had to learn a few times when indulging in Pizza, namely, overeating leads to guilt and weight gain. Instead, I'm talking about nutrition, food groups, digestion, managerial skills required to run a pizza business, measurements, fractions. We even learned about homonyms, such as need and knead. The list really could go on and on and we covered most of that and more in our short daily lessons, all the while having fun together!

And to top it all off, the kids did an excellent job making the pizza. It was absolutely delicious!! It looked home-made and rustic, which is just two of the things that give homemade foods so much charm! They all helped rolling out the dough for the crust. Kristen was in charge of the Spinach Garlic Mushroom Pizza (my favorite), and the boys shared the responsibility of putting together the Canadian Bacon and Pineapple Pizza.

 

  

 

 

By Popular Demand

Coconut Cream Pie-

2 C Milk

1/4 c Corn Syrup

4 Tbs Corn Starch

1/2 C Sugar

2 Egg Yolks

1 Tbs Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

11/2 C Coconut

Mix 1/2 cup milk, corn syrup, corn starch, sugar and egg yolks to form a paste.  Stir in the rest of the milk and cook over low heat stirring constantly until boiling.  Then remove from heat and add butter, vanilla and coconut.  Pour into your pre-baked crust and top with your choice of whipped cream or meringue.  For maximum enjoyment, hide from family members and keep it all for yourself!!  

My dear sweet, sister Tammi says this is the BEST coconut cream pie ever and I'm inclined to agree with her! Try it for yourself and see if you agree.

Pumpkin Panache

I was trying to come up with a catchy title for this post and Pumpkin Panache kept coming to mind. It sounded good, but I wasn't entirely sure what panache meant. Here's what the dictionary had to say on the matter: panache- noun - flamboyant confidence of style or manner. I think it kind of fits. What do you think? Well anyway, it sounds good and that's the most important thing!

I love autumn. I love the the green leaves changing to a rainbow of golds and reds; the cool, crisp feeling in the air; the leaves swirling in the wind as they make their way to the ground where they crunch underfoot; the shortened days with the sunsetting in early evening; and I love pumpkins. Pumpkins just embody fall to me.

The best thing about pumpkins is all the goodies you can make to eat with them! And never forget how good they are for you! They are loaded with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. So when you're indulging in Pumpkin Pie this Thanksgiving you are really doing your body a favor.

In the past, I've eaten Pumpkin Pie (duh), Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Fritters, Pumpkin Bars, Pumpkin Roll (thanks Mom) and Pumpkin Fudge. I've even made and eaten Pumpkin Soup. This weekend I made Pumpkin Ice Cream with crunchy Pecan Topping that is really good! I also made Spiced Pumpkin Bread that turned out delicious! That is really what this post is all about! It was so easy and delicious that I thought I'd share the recipe. What made this recipe stand out from ones I've tried in the past is the addition of orange peel. It gave the bread just a touch of citrusy freshness that really complemented the pumpkin and spices perfectly!

If you try it, let me know! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

Spiced Pumpkin Bread 

(Cooking Pleasures magazine)

1 3/4 c all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/3 c sugar

1/2 c unsalted butter, softened

1 c canned pumpkin

2 eggs

2 tsp grated orange peel

1/2 c toasted pecans

Heat oven to 350. Spray 9" loaf pan with cooking spray.

Whisk the first 5 ingredients together in medium bowl.

Beat sugar and butter at medium-high speed  4 minutes 

or until light and fluffy.  And pumpkin, eggs, and orange peel.

Beat at medium speed until well blended.

Slowly beat in flour mixture at low speed just until blended.

Pour batter into pan and bake 60-65 minutes or until edges pull

away slightly from sides of pan and center springs back when lightly touched.

Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool completely before adding glaze.

Glaze--

1 c powder sugar

1 tbs milk 

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp orange peel

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Pour over bread and enjoy!

Labor Day

We don't usually do much for Labor Day and this year wasn't any different.  We relaxed and enjoyed being home until late in the afternoon, when we went across the street to my in-laws house and enjoyed my FIL's famous Baby Back Ribs!  I'm telling you he makes some lip-smacking, finger-licking ribs!  

I always bring Potato Salad to these events.  I don't even know if they'd let me in the door without it, but I was really in the mood to bring something fun in addition to the PS.  Ya know something sweet, and yummy and different! 

I rarely make cream pies.  I don't know why.  Maybe because they're not Justin's favorite or maybe it's because I don't really enjoy making pie crusts.  Well, that's no excuse.  Pilsbury makes some awesome pie crusts that you just unroll and plop in the pan!  So I armed myself with those and decided on Coconut Cream Pie and Chocolate Cream Pie.  It really couldn't have been any easier.  

The Coconut Pie recipe is from my sister.  I have no idea where she got the recipe, but it is the easiest custard recipe ever!  You make a paste with part of the milk, egg yolks and sugar and then add the rest of the milk and stir over low heat until it boils.  That way you don't have to worry about tempering the yolks correctly and ending up with scrambled eggs in your custard!  YUCK!  No, this recipe turns our smooth and creamy every single time!!  Thank you, Tammi!!

The Chocolate Pie recipe came from a recent issue of The Taste of the South magazine.  It was everything you want from a chocolate custard:  thick, rich and creamy and it used cocoa powder!  I'll definitely be making it again.