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Happy November Everyone! Yes, it’s November already; can you believe it? Please don’t tell me you’re one of those people that’s done with all your Christmas shopping. I probably won’t be finished until the last minute, but I refuse to be out shopping Christmas Eve, I have too much baking and cooking to do.

Yep, ’tis the season for shopping, baking, and EATING. Thanksgiving then Christmas, retailers aren’t the only ones looking to get lucky either. All those fitness clubs, spas, and weight loss centers are lurking, just waiting to say, I told you so. LOL.

What I wanna know is, why do have to wait ‘til Thanksgiving and Christmas for all the really GOOD STUFF? Have you been to the grocery store lately? Well, don’t go if you’re hungry. You’ll end up with more than you can fit in your car. The store shelves are overflowing into the aisles. Not just with regularly purchased staples, but items you usually only see this time of year. Thanksgiving must be the time of year when the food manufacturers debut all their new creations too.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, for years I thought everybody had the same traditional Thanksgiving meal I did, Turkey and Cornbread Dressing. Not! It wasn’t until I visited family during the holidays in Louisiana that I realized this. A typical Thanksgiving Dinner in Southern Louisiana might consist of Rice Dressing and Turducken. Okay, I saw that coming…it’s a Chicken stuffed in a Duck stuffed in a Turkey. They’re very good, you can actually order one from www.cajungrocer.com. What does your traditional holiday meal consist of?

Okay everybody get your paper and pencils out we’re going to have a Pop Quiz. WAIT, I’m joking. LOL. Seriously though, initialize you printer, or get your paper and pen ready; you’re not gonna wanna miss this. This recipe I am about to share with you is one of my most prized, excluding old family recipes. When my family and friends find out I’m whipping up a batch of these babies, the doorbell starts ringing. Scouts Honor.

These appetizer balls grace the buffet table at all of our family holiday meals. If you miss them your first trip around, you’re S.O.L. (So-outta-Luck), there won’t be any left when you go back for seconds. I’ve even caught my sister wrapping some in a napkin and stuffing in her purse to take home. True Story! BTW, I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, thank you Cindy, we all do. LOL.

Rice Balls

1/4 Cup Margarine
1/3 Cup Flour
1 - Cup Milk
1 - Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Paprika
1- Teaspoon Sage
1- Teaspoon Onion Powder

4 - Servings Instant Rice, cooked, (about 4 cups)
1 ½ Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I use 2% sharp)
1 - Small Jar Pimentos, drained

2 - 3 Eggs, beaten
Kellogg’s Corn Flake Crumbs, about 2-3 cups, (not bread crumbs, usually found on the same aisle)

Combine rice, cheese, and pimentos in a large bowl, mix and set aside. In saucepan combine margarine, flour, milk, salt, paprika, sage, and onion powder, heat and stir over medium-high heat until thick. Pour over rice mixture and mix until well blended. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, form rice mixture into balls, (about 1 ¼ - inch), dip in beaten egg and roll in corn flake crumbs. Deep fry until golden brown; don’t let them get too brown, and be sure to use fresh, clean oil, not previously used. Drain on paper towels and serve with your favorite salsa

Ding-Dong! Ooops, there goes the doorbell now…see what I mean. Hehehehe.

Bon Appetite
The Backseat Gourmet

Popularity: 6% [?]

I have already been reminded that I became the Christmas candy Divinity Queen in recent years according to DH and his crewmen. DH made it a point to remind me that it’s getting close to time for me to stock up on the Divinity makin’ ingredients and prepare to pay attention to the humidity levels so I can pick the right day to make Divinity Candy for the Christmas and the holiday season.

He was disappointed last year because the humidity level was always too high here where we live for a successful batch or two or three of Divinity. Trust me…it ain’t gonna be Divinity if it’s too damp. A strange version of Taffy maybe, but Divinity, no.

I’ll never forget an attempt years ago by a friend to make it. She got SO aggravated after the 3rd or 4th attempt that she finally took the whole pan with the goodies and all in it and literally flung it out the front door! There was a wet snow out there and the pan kinda sizzled after it landed.

Needless to say, witnessing that episode kinda squelched any desire I ever had to give it a shot. This woman could COOK and I figured if SHE couldn’t make it, NOBODY could!

Fast forward a few years…don’t ask me WHY I did it, but I plopped down a few bucks…lotta bucks actually, for one of those heavy duty, super duper, mix/mash/mush/punch-ANYTHING-you-want-no-matter-how-complicated-it-is mixers made by Kitchenaide.

I don’t cook that much…just ask Hope. Maybe I was thinking I needed something ELSE on the countertop to make it LOOK like I do…I dunno. Anyway, I got it…thumbed through the cookbook that comes with it…found a Divinity recipe in it. And, THEN, one day I actually had a desire to attempt making Divinity. So I did.

IT WORKED! I, the let’s-go-out-to-eat or here-have-a-sandwich-and-some-chips cook, SUCCEEDED at making Divinity with this thang! Now, I had to practically stand on my head while up on a chair at the counter as I s-s-s-l-l-l-o-o-o-o-w-w-w-l-l-l-y-y-y poured the hot Divinity mixture into the mixer as the beaters swirled it around.

It has to go in as a drizzle once it has reached an EXACT temperature, and the humidity has to be JUST right for this stuff to setup. Once it was mixed, I had to pop that mixer bowl loose and run like a bat-outta-you-know-what before it setup IN the mixer bowl to the wax paper waiting patiently on the table for the spoonfuls of white stuff to be plopped onto it.

I made it! Plopped those spoonfuls of white stuff on that wax paper JUST IN TIME, stuck a pecan half on top of each mound of Divinity, and, VOILA! The Divinity Queen was born!

DH was delighted! He LOVES candy! And he LOVES to share candy…just ask the grandkids! Since the grandkids don’t live nearby he decided I needed to practice this new feat and make MORE for him to share with his train crews.

So, for ONCE I did as he wished and made more…and he shared…and now according to HIM they ask him when there’s going to be more Divinity. If he wants any other kind of Christmas goodies he’s gonna have to have a discussion with Hope, The Backseat Gourmet.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Happy Halloween, tomorrow, and Happy Birthday Mom! You see my mother was born on Halloween. She’s not computer savvy though, so she won’t know if I talk about her. Shhhhhhh. LOL.

My mother doesn’t cook much any more, not like she did when I was a child. I remember her meatloaf though, that and her homemade Strawberry Cake. She’d set this cake out for Santa every Christmas Eve with a glass of cold milk. Those were two of my favorite dishes of hers growing up.

Several years ago she entered another one of her cake recipes in a contest. She was pleased as punch when her entry won second place. When all was said and done, the judges told my Mom her cake was the best tasting dessert, and had she done a presentation her cake would have easily taken first place. Being as this was my Mom’s first, and only ever stab at any cooking contest, she wasn’t aware of the criteria.

I don’t know how old this recipe is, but it has been passed down through several generations of my family from in-laws to ex-laws. Everybody has those, right, ex-laws? Anyway I thought it would be appropriate to share her award-winning recipe with you for her birthday. Hats Off To You Mom!

Butternut Cake

2 Cups Self-Rising Flour
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Milk
4 Medium Eggs
1 Teaspoon Butternut Flavoring
1 Cup Pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease, and flour two 9” cake pans. Hand mix dry ingredients, then add remaining ingredients, do not use electric mixer. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

When cake is cooled, mix the following in saucepan over medium heat:

1 Cup Milk
¾ Cup Sugar
1 Cup Coconut, grated

Heat until hot, not boiling. Slowly pour/drizzle over cooled cake. Then mix the frosting below:

1 Stick of Butter
1 Pound Powdered Sugar
8 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1 Teaspoon Butternut Flavoring

Cream butter and cheese together, add powdered sugar and flavoring. Frost cake, slice and serve.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM, your Card is in the Mail, CALL YOU TOMORROW….Oh that’s right, she can’t get past the power button on the puter. LOL!

Bon Appetite
The Backseat Gourmet

Popularity: 6% [?]