Christy's Tres Leches Cake

Christy's Tres Leches Cake

3/4 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C sugar
9 egg yolks
1 t vanilla
2 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 C milk
9 egg whites
1 t cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour (or spray with Pam) a 9 x 13 pan (better if it's a little deeper than normal).

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until whites form stiff peaks. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla.  Sift together the flour and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well after each addition.  Gently fold egg whites into the batter using a rubber spatula.  Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While cake is baking, mix:
4 C heavy cream
1 lg can evaporated milk
2 14oz cans sweetened condensed milk
Wisk until mixed well.

Right when the cake is taken out of the oven, using a wood kebob stick, pierce cake all over (each hole about 1/4 inch apart from the next).  The cake will fall. As soon as cake is adequately pierced (it may look messy, but don't worry, it will be covered with whipped cream), slowly pour the three milk mixture over the cake, allowing it to absorb.  It may look like it is going to over flow, but give it time to absorb and more milk can be poured in.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Just before serving (or an hour before), whip:
2 cups whipping cream
Until almost stiff then add:
1/2 C powdered sugar (or more if desired)
1 t vanilla

Spread over the Tres Leches Cake and serve nice big pieces! Lovely with a little fruit on the top or side!

**My friend Christy made this for me and I died and went to Heaven! I couldn't stop thinking about it, so a few days later, I made it for Hans and the gang...everyone loved it! Thanks Christy!

Cucumber Lime Drink

Cucumber Lime Drink

2L Sprite Zero (Just one big bottle)
½ 12oz can limeade concentrate
1 cucumber peeled and sliced (Or use a English cucumber and don't peel.)
Mix sprite and concentrate, add cucumbers and refrigerate until ready to serve.

**So yummy with Mexican food. 

Baja Fish Tacos

Baja Fried Fish Tacos

1 C dark beer  (Or Ginger Ale)                     
1 C flour
1 t salt                         
1 1/2 pounds tilapia (I use frozen Tilapia Loins from Costco)
Canola Oil                     
12-16 corn tortillas warmed

Whisk beer, flour and salt. Rinse fish and pat dry; cut cross wise into 1 inch wide strips.  Pour about 1 inch of oil into 10-12 inch fry pan (tall sides are good to prevent oil splatter).  Heat oil on med-high heat. With a fork dip each piece of fish into batter, let drain briefly and then slide into oil, a few pieces at a time.  Cook until golden turning a few times.  2-4 minutes per batch.  Remove with a slotted spoon and put on a paper towel lines cooking sheet. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven.  Must be served with Cabbage and cilantro slaw and chipotle tartar sauce,

Cabbage Cilantro Slaw
1 1/2 quarts finely shredded cabbage         
1/3 C chopped cilantro
3 T lime juice                     
2 T oil
1/4 t hot chile flakes                 
salt to taste
Mix and keep chilled until ready to assemble tacos.

Chipotle Tartar Sauce
Rinse 2 T canned chipotle chiles and discard seeds and veins.

In a blender, blend the chiles with:
1 C mayo
1/4 C sweet pickle relish
1/4 C chipped onion until smooth.

To assemble taco, take a corn tortilla and top with a couple pieces of fish, then a spoonful of slaw and sauce to taste.  Yummy with lime juice squeezed over the top.


**I love these tacos! The hot crunchy fish, with the cold crunchy slaw and the warm spicy tartar...oh its heaven for me.  And I love them on a yummy corn tortilla (homemade if you have the time)!  You could get away with not frying the fish, or using a different slaw or lettuce, but don't substitute the tartar!
**Hans' sister Holly made these for me years ago and I have been thanking her ever since! Along with a ton of other fave recipes...like the midnight cake!

Roll Ups

 Roll Ups

2 eggs
1 C milk
1 C Bisquick

Serve with cinnamon, sugar and fresh lemon. No other way. :)

Blend in a blender. Cook in a large skillet over medium heat, by melting a little butter (1/4 tsp) and pouring batter to make about a 4-5 inch circle. Tilt and swirl the pan to spread batter, like you are making a crepe. When mostly cooked through, ease spatula under the roll up (the middle usually has a little spot that sticks) and flip. Re-invert on to a plate.  Butter generously, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and squeeze some lemon over the sugar.  Roll up and eat.

**This recipe gives me grief. Sometimes they stick, somettimes they don't. So sometimes I add a little oil (a tablespoon to a double batch of batter) and sometimes I add a little more Bisquick to thicken the roll up a bit. But no matter what I do, the first one is always a disaster.

**This is what I ate almost every Saturday growing up.  I can see my Mom with a dish towel on her shoulder, swirling the pan, and all of us waiting impatiently because they couldn't come fast enough.  My kids love them and every once in a while they try to add syrup and I shudder. Long live the Roll Up!

Peanut Butter Yum

Peanut Butter Yum

3 C  white chocolate chips
1 1/4 C peanut butter

Melt together in pyrex bowl in microwave or in double boiler on stove to prevent burning.
Pour over...

8 C rice krispies
1 bag of small marshmallows (10.5 oz bag)
1 C  milk chocolate chips
1 C  mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 C Reeses pieces

Mix well and pour onto a foil lined cookie sheet.  Refrigerate until set.  Break apart or cut before serving.  Best flavor is at room temperature, but are yummy cold too.

* I love having a big bowl of broken up chunks for a fun gathering!

Alyson’s Peach Blueberry Cobbler

Alyson’s Peach Blueberry Cobbler

3 C peaches (peeled and sliced)
2 C blueberries

Mix and add 2 T sugar. Place in baking dish (9x13 needs a little more fruit to fill it).

Topping:
1C flour              
½ t salt
¾ C sugar              
½ t ground cinnamon
1 t baking powder          
1 egg lightly beaten
1/4 C melted butter

Mix until coarse crumbs and spread over fruit.  Drizzle ¼ C melted butter on top of topping.  Bake at 375* for 35-45 minutes. 


**We love this cobbler topping and use it with any fruit.  Above are individual apple cobblers with vanilla whipped cream.

Holly's Midnight Cake

Holly's Midnight Cake

1 C shortening
2 C sugar
5 eggs (room temperature)
1 C cocoa
2 C flour
1 3/4 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 C water

Cream together shortening, sugar and eggs until fluffy and then beat for 5 minutes more on high.  In a separate bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking soda and the salt.  In another small bowl, mix the vanilla and water.  Alternately add a small amount of the flour mixture and then a small amount of the water mixture to the creamed egg mixture.  Beat constantly until all the ingredients are added and it is well mixed.  Pour batter into 3 greased and floured round cake pans.  (I just use parchment instead of flour.)  Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 or until tester comes out clean.  Cool completely and frost with Midnight Frosting.  (I often freeze the cake a day or so in advance and then frost while frozen.) Top with the Chocolate Crazies if desired.

Midnight Frosting

12 T butter (room temp)
1 1/2 C cocoa
5 1/2 C powdered sugar
2/3 C milk
2 t vanilla
Cream butter, then add sugar and cocoa alternately with the milk and vanilla, whipping constantly until everything is well mixed.

Chocolate Crazies

1 C Chocolate chips (semi sweet works best)
Wax paper

Melt chocolate chips and spread thinly on  the wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Cool until slightly firm.  Score with a knife in a diamond pattern and roll up, width ways.  Place cookie sheet in freezer.  When chocolate is solid, slowly unroll and chip off diamond pieces.  Place on cake in whatever pattern looks fun! If cake is in a warm room, the chocolate will droop.