Pawtuckets, A Quirky Old Recipe

Hi, Friends,

How are you? I hope you are well. I haven't disappeared into the woods of East Texas.

 I am only blogging when I feel like it these days which is a good feeling but I have missed you all.  

I talked about East Texas in my last post. In that one, I mentioned that I have taken more time to relax when we are out there which has been wonderful. The urge to do everything at once as subsided. I've taken your advice. Thank you for that. 

I still have a list of things to do. however. 

Our kitchen is a joy to use, so on Saturdays I've been trying out new recipes. 

 Before she died, my step mother sent me a box of my mom's old cookbooks. 

"Favorite Recipes of the Red River Valley" was among the volumes. 

I came across a recipe for Pawtuckets while looking for a sweet treat. 

I read the ingredients aloud to Bill and he was intrigued. He was headed to town so he would pick up pecans and baking chocolate before he returned. The pantry out there isn't quite complete. 

Pawtuckets

1/2 cup butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 squares chocolate (We assumed she meant unsweetened baking chocolate so that is what we used.)

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans 

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one a a time Beat well. 

Then add flour which has been sifted with salt and baking powder. ( I never sift.)

Add chocolate which has been melted, vanilla, and pecans. 

Pour in a buttered shallow pan and bake in a moderate oven. 

Cut in strips and roll in powdered sugar. 

I used a 7 by 11 baking dish. A moderate oven is 350° which was something I'd never encountered with a recipe. 

This is more of a brownie than a cookie so I started toothpick checking after 20 minutes. 

They baked in about 25 minutes. 

I didn't cut them into strips but powdered sugar was sprinkled on the top while they were still warm. 

They were delicious. They have a very light chocolate touch which is good with the pecans. 

We decided that they would be really good frosted with a German chocolate cake frosting. 

I tried to find a recipe like this on the internet and there was nothing. If you have every heard of these, let me know. 

We both had no idea where the Red River Valley was. The forward cleared that up for us. 

Once we learned that the Red River Valley is in Louisiana, I realized the cookbook had to have been gifted to my mom from my Aunt Susan. 

The front cover has my mom's and my aunt's handwriting which is so special. 

Cookbooks are a wonderful gift and this one is a treasure. 

My aunt is still alive and she always has tidbits of family history to share with me. 

Recently she told me about a house that my grandfather designed and had built. 

I was able to find the address from my father's draft card which I'd found on Ancestry. 

It sold in 2016 so there were listing photos on the internet.  

Here is the link in case you'd like to see. 

My aunt told me that as they were building the kitchen window wasn't installed according to the blueprint. My grandfather made them take it out and put it in the right place. 

I could absolutely see myself doing the same thing.

 Sadly, I didn't know my grandfather because he died of tuberculosis a decade before I was born. 

If I ever get to Valparaiso, I'll have to drive by to see this house. 

I've been tinkering with our decor. I know spring is still a bit away but I've added a few spring tidbits. 

I'll get some photos to share with you soon. 

Stay well, 

Katie  

Holiday Recipe Blog Hop Day 1

Hi Friends,

Please get ready for the Holiday Recipe Blog Hop beginning today over at BlueSky Kitchen. 

18 bloggers will be sharing holiday recipes with you. 

Bluesky Kitchen is sharing a delicious tart that would be perfect for Thanksgiving. 

Shannon at Bleu Belle Interiors shares two family recipes. 

Her Strawberry Salad and Mudder's Cornbread Dressing. 

Laura at White Spray Paint shares Chocolate Layered Dessert, 

This is a favorite in my husband's family as well. I have that dish and have used it for the same dessert. 

Finally, we have Southern DayDreams, 

She is sharing a great gift idea called her Merry Mix. 

Come back tomorrow for some more wonder links. 

I will be featured on Wednesday with a recipe for my Grandmother's pecan cookies. 

It isn't too late to link to our Monday Social party. 

Have a wonderful day. 

Katie 

Hot Onion Dip

It isn't too late to make this dip for your New Year's Day gathering.
 I've taken this dip to several events and it gets demolished.
I found a version of it last year while searching Pinterest for hot dip recipes.  

This is a hot onion dip made from caramelized onions. 
I love caramelized onions!
You will need:

3/4 of a large onion

3 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 block of cream cheese

1 heaping cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup smokey cheese

Dash of Chipotle Pepper seasoning

Combine butter and chopped onion in a skillet. 

Caramelize over medium heat. 

Mix softened cream cheese, cheddar, mayonnaise and Chipotle pepper seasoning until blended. 

Add the onions and mix well. 

Spread into a serving dish.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly. 

Serve with your favorite cracker. 

We like this with Wheat Thins and Baked Ritz but it's good with Lays Potato chips. 

I hope you will give this a try. 

I love it not only because it is delicious but because I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. 

Even non-onion lovers love this dip. 
"This is amazing!" said my foodie brother. 
That is high praise coming from him.

 
Happy New Year's Eve! 

Katie 

Chocolate Cake Emergency

I had a chocolate cake emergency.

My go-to dessert after a stressful day is chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream frosting. 

 Bekah and I went to La'Madeleine for Sacher Torte on the day of the emergency.

It was good in a pinch, but I decided I needed an easy chocolate cake recipe in the event of another crisis. 

I didn't need a big cake because we won't eat it all.

I just needed a wee bit of chocolate cake.
I like a cocoa cake rather than an unsweetened baking chocolate cake.  

I decided to try cutting the recipe on the back of the Hershey's cocoa box in half.
I made a few changes to make it mine. 

A Wee Bit of Cake
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease one 9 inch cake pan.

1 cup sugar

7/8 cup flour
3/8 cup cocoa

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/4 cup half and half

3/4 cup boiling water

1/4 cup melted salted sweet cream butter

1tsp. vanilla extract

Mix together and pour into a greased and cocoa dusted cake pan. I like this pan with the thing that swings around under the cake so the cake will come out of the pan.  

I dusted it with cocoa because it doesn't leave white flour all over the bottom of the baked cake.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2 tbsp. salted sweet cream butter
 (never, ever, ever use margarine)

1/3 cup Hersey's cocoa

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup half and half and water mixed.

Beat together in a mixing bowl.

If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar.

If the mixture is too dry, add more half and half.

Making your own butter cream frosting is easy and it's much better than the stuff that comes in a tub. 
Even if you use a box cake mix, it's easy to make a homemade frosting. 

This cake is easy, delicious and the perfect stress reliever.

It is dense and has a deep, rich chocolate flavor.
Quite a few chocolate cakes are buttermilk cakes and this one is not. 
You can't make a spur of the moment cake if you have to run out for buttermilk!  
I rarely have milk in the house so that's why I use half and half for almost everything. 

I ate the piece after I photographed it and I was in  chocolate heaven.

I cut the rest of the pieces and put them on a cookie sheet and set them in the deep freeze.

Once they were frozen, I wrapped them in wax paper and put them in a Ziplock baggie. 

Next time I have a chocolate cake emergency, I can pull out a piece, let it thaw and find restoration.

You are probably wondering what could cause such an emergency?

Edinburg, Tx. and a heart attack.
Bill has been whisked away by an investor to work on a project near the border of Texas and Mexico. 
He has never had a job involving travel, which is exciting for him, but a change for me. It's just my adult son and I at home. We are blessed that his travel is paid for and he will be home every weekend and sometimes during the week for meetings.
This happened quickly so it was a bit of an abrupt change.
During his first few days away, my sister in law had a heart attack. 
We are grateful that she is fine, but it was a little more stress than I could deal with.
Chocolate cake was needed! 

Let me know if you give this cake a try!
What do you like to eat when you are stressed?
Katie  
Linking with,
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia  
Coastal Charm   
Savvy Southern Style   
French Country Cottage