Joyce Middleton's Blog, page 17

Making Chocolate

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today, most people think of chocolate; to give and to receive. Most of the chocolate will be purchased from a store, leading me to wonder why more people don’t make chocolate. The other day I told you I’m not big on making candy, but that doesn’t necessarily extend to ALL candy… especially chocolate. The first time I made truffles, I was surprised by the ingredients. I guess I had never thought of what’s inside chocolate candy before. {Read More}

Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake

I’m thinking of Valentine’s Day coming up this week. I’m not a big candy maker, so I selected a chocolate loaf cake to share with you from my recipe card box. This is moist and marbled to perfection and sure to impress. I don’t even bother with a frosting, but feel free to use one if you have a favorite recipe. Don’t confuse this recipe with a quick bread just because it’s baked in a loaf pan! You will definitely {Read More}

Taking Care of Family

I have to apologize to everyone as I have been neglecting my blog. I’ve been with family in Nevada since early November. I originally took the trip for the holidays, but it’s turned into helping to take care of a family member who was recently diagnosed with a serious illness. Although I am getting a little work done, not really much. It’s pretty hard to write when your brain is concentrating on other matters. Since posting to my Facebook page {Read More}

Tomato Basil Cream Soup

When I was a girl, I loved Campbell’s Tomato Soup (in the can) which I prepared with milk. We didn’t use herbs back then, so this creamy soup was as good as it got! Well, today I just have to have my herbs and fresh food I make from scratch. This simple recipe also makes a nice base for anything else you want to add… think of left-overs you want to finish up or vegetables, beans, rice or pasta. Now {Read More}

Pumpkin Cheese Pie

My whole family loves pumpkin pie during the holidays. I’ve baked pumpkin bar cookies and cakes, but never a pie. This Thanksgiving I pulled out a recipe for Pumpkin Cheese Pie that I finally convinced the family to try, but they wouldn’t even consider it until I made our traditional Pumpkin Pie. The ratings are in: everyone likes the pie, but not enough to make it again; they thought it was too rich. That doesn’t mean you won’t like it, {Read More}

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

This is a recipe that I have been waiting to try for years, but I always seem to go back to my original recipe. I’m in Vegas, at my Mother’s for the holidays, and decided to make this last week. It was good, but if I made it again, I would use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar the recipe uses. If you’re looking for something new for sweet potatoes, I recommend giving this a try! Do you have a {Read More}

Vintage Nut Cake

I have been making this cake for years; at least since the early 70s. It is a little expensive to make due to the amount of nuts you’ll need, but the positive is that is makes a huge cake that keeps well. You might want to consider making this for the holidays. This cake is made in an angel food cake pan and will weigh 5 1/4 pounds when it’s done baking. That’s a lot of cake. When I made {Read More}

Savory Quick Breads – Sneak Peek

I am having a blast creating new recipes for my next book. This may be the last book in the quick bread series. I was going to do one book on sweet quick breads, without using fruit, but I’m not sure. If I do, it will have to be sometime after the New Year. I am sending the recipe for this savory bread to all my subscribers on Saturday. I’m hoping you decide to bake it and come back and {Read More}

Cooking on a Budget with Budget Meals

When I was raising my son, I didn’t have much time to do my cooking since I was also running a business. This business kept me busy not only with customers, but with employees. I knew I could never have enough energy to come home and do my cooking at the end of the day. Without realizing it at the time, I was cooking on a budget with budget meals from my pantry. My weekly routine was to take one {Read More}

Lemon Pepper Chicken Soup

Now that it’s Fall, I was looking through my favorite soup recipes and came across this creamy, flavorful soup. It brought back so many memories. Not only is this a full meal when served with warm French bread, but it is also best served with a savory quick bread. I love the combination of a creamy broth spiced up with lemon and red peppers. I guarantee you’ll be asked to make this again! Print Lemon Pepper Chicken Soup Author:Joyce Middleton {Read More}