1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 squares melted unsweetened chocolate

l tsp vanilla

3 egg yolks beaten

2 cups milk

2 T. flour

pinch of salt

In a pan, melt the chocolate.  In another pan, stir together the sugar, flour, and salt.  Add chocolate and stir.  Slowly stir in the beaten egg yolks and milk.  Cook over low heat stirring constantly until mixture becomes thick.  Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.  Pour in a bowl and put saran wrap on top to prevent from forming a thick surface on top.  Cool and put in pie crust of your choice.  Use flour or graham cracker crust.

Top with meringue or whipped cream. 

If you are going to make meringue, beat the three egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar until they form soft peaks..  Add l T of sugar at a time (making a total of 4 T).   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown- preferably on the middle shelf of the oven.  Eggs should be room temperature before whipping for meringue.

This is the chocolate pie recipe I promised !!!

Here is a treat for the family and something you would probably not buy at the bakery because the price is too high. You will be pleased with the end results when you bake these. Take them to a get together with friends and you will win the prize for the evening!   We were invited to a weiner roast last week and I took approximately 14 or 15 cream puffs dusted with powdered sugar.  Needless to say the plate came home empty.  It was a totally different treat for the evening.   

BEST RUM CAKE EVER!!!!

This is a totally different recipe and you will be totally relaxed when you finish making it.  If you are making it for a party, etc., do not take or deliver it the same day.  You shouldn’t be at the wheel of a vehicle for about 48 hours.  Enjoy!
1 or 2 quarts of rum
L cup butter
Nuts
Lemon juice
2 large eggs
4-6 cups flour??
Brown sugar
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. sugar
Baking powder
1 cup dried fruit

Before you start, sample the rum to check for quality (good, isn’t it?)  Now go ahead.  Select a large mixing bowl, measuring cup, etc.  Check the rum again.  It must be just right.  To be sure rum is of the highest quality, pour one level cup of rum into a glass and drink it as fast as you can.  REPEAT.

With an electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.  Add one seaspoon of thugar and beat again.  Meanwhile, make sure that the rum is of the finest quality.  Try another cup.  Open the second quart, if necessary.  Add 2 large eggs, 2 ups fired druit and beat till high.  If druit gets tuck in beaters, just pry it loose with a drewscriver.  Sample the rum again, check for tonscisticity.  Next, sift 3 cups pepper or salt (it really doesn’t matter which.)  Sample the rum again.  Sift 1 pint of lemon juice.  Fold in chipped butter and strained nuts.  Add 1 babblespoon of brown thugar, or whatever color you can find.  Wix mell.  Grease oven and turn cake pan to 350 gredees.  Now pour the whole mess into the oven and ake, Check the rum again and go to bed.  Sweet dreams!!!

This was given to me by a friend named Bob Kerr who has since passed.  He was quite a comedian in his own way.  He was always coming up with something funny.  I have made small rum cakes for gifts and put this recipe tied with a ribbon with the cake.  It is a great conversation piece.

Enjoy,
Gogi 

CHICKEN-NOODLE-CHEESE CASSEROLE

400 degree oven.

1 can mushroom soup
¾ cup milk
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cups frozen veggies
3 cups noodles cooked and drained
¾ cup cheddar cheese
2-3 cups cubed chicken (already cooked)
In a 2 ½ – 3 qt. casserole, add soup, milk, black pepper, cheese, veggies, and noodles.  Mix well. Put in oven and heat for 25 minutes or until hot.  Top with extra cheddar cheese if you have some.

In less than an hour you can have a very tasty meal for the family.  A good way to top this meal off is to serve it with hot French bread.  Also a fruit salad made up of whatever you have on hand, apples, bananas, fruit cocktail, canned peaches, etc. for dessert would also be great. 

You could make both of these dishes the night before and refrigerate until you get home from work, shopping, church, or whatever.  Make it easy on yourself!

Enjoy,
Gogi

Isn’t it amazing how vinegar is used in so many ways?  I found this recipe a few years ago.  The ingredients are slightly different than your regular basic pie crust but it really works.  The crust turns out real flaky and delicious, especially with all that butter!

For a 10 inch pie (double crust):

1 ¼ sifted all purpose flour
1 T cold water
1 T white vinegar
2 sticks of unsalted butter

Using a pastry blender of fork, work butter into flour until dough is size of peas. 
Add 1 T cold water and 1 T white vinegar and mix gently until liquid is absorbed.  Form dough into slightly flattened ball and place on baking sheet and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. 

Before you roll out your dough, bring it to room temperature.  Make the bottom crust 1 inch larger than the top edge of the pie tin.  Make a second one of equal size for the top crust. 

Fold one round in half and lift to pie tin and unfold.  Gently press bottom and sides into pan and trim the edges with a knife. Fill the shell with your choice of filling.  Make an egg wash of 1 whole egg and 2 T water along with a pinch of salt.  Brush the rim of bottom crust with this wash.  This will help to keep the filling from leaking through the top and bottom crust while baking. Next fold the top round in half and cut about a ½ -3/4 inch circle in the center.  This allows steam to escape while pie is baking.  Line up the top and bottom crust when placing over the filling.  Trim off any excess dough.  Press edges of dough together with fork, your thumb, or be creative and do something that says it was you who made this wonderful pie!

Be sure to throw any left-over egg wash away.  Do not save. 

If you have any dough left, roll it out, spread a little cinnamon and sugar over the top and bake a tasty treat for the kids!

ENJOY!