The Best Strawberry Muffins

Bill actually said these were the best muffins I have ever made. 

We had some strawberries nearing the end of their life cycle. I decided to pop them into some muffins.

This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. 

It is from the very vintage cookbook that we got as a wedding present.
 Bill and I are very vintage.

I used the Nut Bread recipe but added fruit instead of nuts.

Nut Bread
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking posder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup half and half
3/4 cup water
1 egg
1 heaping cup of fresh strawberries  - washed and cut

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Grease bottom of muffin tin
Mix all ingredients except strawberries by hand or with a hand mixer.
Gently fold strawberries into the mix.
Spoon into muffin tins.
Back until wooden tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean - about 20 minutes.
This made about 17 muffins.

Serve warm and slathered with butter.

I blame my grandparents for this overwhelming need to put butter on food that is already delicious.

They were from Wisconsin - the dairy state. Margarine (Oleo) was against the law.

I worked very hard to get a bite with teeth marks.
Unsuccessfully, as you can see.
Images with teeth marks really annoy me.
I don't need to see teeth impressions.  They are not an additional incentive to bake something and they kind of gross me out. Too many teeth impression photos are floating around Pinterest, in my opinion.
These muffins freeze well. Just pop them on a plate and let thaw.
Slather with butter and eat.
Have a wonderful Saturday!
Katie 

Dishing and Digging It @ Life and Linda, 

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A Texas Favorite/ Chicken Fried Steak

Bless my heart. 

I moved to Texas and married a Texan. 

I had no idea how to make a Texas (or southern) favorite - Chicken Fried Steak. 

It took some hands on training with a next door neighbor from Georgia and years of practice but this recipe is worth all the fuss and trial and error. 

You will need some cube steaks, flour, eggs, salt and pepper. 

Salt and pepper some flour to taste. 

Dredge the cube steaks in the flour. 

Dunk them into some slightly beaten eggs. 

Dredge them through the flour one more time. 

Plunge the breaded steak into a skillet of very warm oil. It should bubble when you put them in. 

We use my mother in law's cast iron skillet. It is very well seasoned. 

If you are a vegetarian you might want to look away at this point. 

Cook it for a few minutes until you see some blood seeping up. 

I told you to look away! 

Flip the steaks and continue cooking for five minutes or until brown on the other side. 

You don't want to continue to flip these. That could knock off the delicious, crunchy breading which is probably illegal. 

I move the cutlets to another pan and finish cooking them in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. 

Do not be intimidated by my clean looking oven. It's photo edited. 

In real life, it is a mess. Somebody needs to clean! 

While the chicken fried stead is baking, make the cream gravy. 

You could make it from scratch. Bill and I never have milk in the house so this works fine.  

Chicken Fried Steak is confusing to those that live up North. 

Is it chicken? 

Is it steak? 

It is a steak that is fried like chicken. 

It is delicious!  

Thanks for stopping by. 

Katie 

Chocolate "Thang"

There are some people that are just cheerleaders. My husband"s Granny Vi was one of those. She was a happy lady with tons of charm and grace.

She went home to be with the Lord Wednesday morning at the age of 95.

There were two things that this fun, gracious lady always said.

"That is the cutest baby I have ever seen." 
This is what she said at the birth of my oldest.

I thought he was the cutest baby too, so it didn't occur to me that it wasn't true. 

When my husband's cousin had his first baby I heard her say.

"That is the cutest baby I have ever seen." 

All the babies were the cutest thing. He was the cutest but so were all the other great grandbabies.
 And isn't that how it should be?

The other thing she said over and over concerned food.

Vi was a healthy eater at our little family get togethers.

She was not at all shy around food. 

When she was finished she always said "Hmmm hmmm hmmm. That was so good!" "I couldn't eat another bite." " I'm so full!!" (Of course she could and she did when she went back for seconds.)
Our favorite family lunches were always brisket, potato salad and Ranch Style beans.
But, I will always remember her signature dessert.

Her assigned dessert to bring to our family Sunday lunches was 
Chocolate "Thang".

I have heard this layered dish referred to 
Chocolate Ecstasy

Layered Dessert.

Four Layered Pudding

Heavenly Layered Pudding Dessert

By now you have used your amazing power of deduction to realize 
this dessert is layered.

I have eaten it many times at family gatherings but also at church socials.

(Although in recent years, I've noticed very little potluck food is actually homemade anymore.) Too bad!

Vi either didn't know the name or she just didn't care to 
call it Four Layered Dessert.

She called it "Chocolate Thang". 
When we said it we all had varying degrees of emphasis on "Thang" 
Here is what you will need.
1 1/2 cups flour

1 1//2 sticks butter

1/2 cup pecans or to taste
1Tablespoon confectioner"s sugar
Press into a greased 9x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 25 minutes

Allow this to cool completely.

Stir together 1 package cream cheese

1 confectioner's sugar

Spread over cooled layer.
(If you want this cheesier, increase cream cheese and sugar by a half of a cup.

Beat together 3 cups milk and 2 small packages of instant chocolate pudding.

Spread over cream cheese layer.

Dress the top with an 8 oz. container of Cool Whip. Sprinkle with chocolate curls.

I was a little sad that I could not make the cute curls like Vi did. So, I just chopped up some Hersey's Chocolate bar.

Refrigerate overnight.

We will have this for a Sunday lunch in celebration of Vi's life and home going. 
I will miss her quick wit and southern charm.
I loved that she was always perfectly dressed with her little pant suits, 
blinged out with her diamonds from her dear husband.
We are going to miss her!
Sprinkled with thoughts of Vi,

Katie