Happy Mother’s Day!

Hello, I’m a little late with this so I’ll just use that old adage, “Better late than never”. Today is Mother’s Day, a day in which we recognize mothers of all types everywhere. I know many women who’ve never had children that are actually amazing mothers in their own right. Any woman who is a caring individual and maybe even a man might be considered a mother. I know on a few occasions while being a stay at home dad, my son would call me mommy daddy, when he was learning to talk. Sure it was more of a mama dada thing but it still made me laugh and smile. So today lets just celebrate Mother’s Day anyway you’d like to! I’m going to post a couple of fun recipes for a few sweet treats that I have posted before , but come on do we ever get tired of a really yummy cake or maybe even biscuits and scones served with jam and tea? These things make for a nice comfy moment for the mom in your life. Let’s get started!

Scones

• Pre heat oven to 400 degrees
• 2 Cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 Cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 Cup sour cream
• 1/2 Cup raisins or your favorite dried fruit
• 1 large egg
• Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix together thoroughly.
• Cut butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture and with your fingers work the butter into the flour mixture. It will look like course bread crumbs when finished. Add raisins next.
• In a small bowl whisk together the egg and sour cream until smooth.
• Pour egg mixture into the flour mixture and using a fork or your hands work until a dough starts to form. At first large clumps may form, keep mixing until all the dough comes together to form a ball. It may feel dry but keep pressing the mixture together and eventually it will all become uniform.
• Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and make it in to a circle that is about 3/4 inch high . The circle should be 7-8 inches around.
• Using a knife cut the dough into 8 equal portions. Place on a cookie sheet and put into the pre-heated oven for 15-17 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
• You can brush the uncooked scones with an egg wash if you’d like a darker golden brown finish.

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Bananna Pudding

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 14 ounce size
• 12 ounces whipped topping or homemade whipped cream
• 1 package of softened cream cheese 8 ounce size
• 1 box of Nilla wafers 11 ounce size or larger
• 1 box instant vanilla pudding 3.4 ounce size -some brands are 5 oz
• 2 cups of milk
• 6 bananas ,sliced into 1/8-1/4 inch rounds
• In a 13×9 inch Tupperware or similar dish line the bottom with whole Nilla wafers.
• Top the wafers with sliced bananas. Add more if you desire.
• In a mixing bowl using a whisk or hand mixer, combine the milk and pudding mix and set aside to let it thicken up. 
• In another bowl combine the softened cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk and blend well. Go ahead give it a taste!
• Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture then add that to the pudding mixture.
• Pour the combined mixes over the bananas and wafers.
• Cover the top with whole wafers or crush them up and create a crumbly crust. (that’s how I like to do it)
• Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours .
• Serve cold

• Hillbilly Pumpkin Cake With Maple Frosting.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 1 cup of oil of your choice, you could even use lard!
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs beaten into sugar mixture
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, plus just a pinch more.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Using an electric hand mixer, cream together the oil and sugar.
• Blend all the dry ingredients together then slowly add to creamed sugar mixture.
• Add the pumpkin puree to desired consistency. (Honestly I usually add 2 cups of pumpkin into the creamed sugar before adding the dry ingredients. I’ve made it so often I know how much pumpkin I like)
• This mixture will be rather thick.
• Pour it into a 13×9 inch cake pan
• Cook for 45 minutes or until a fork stuck in the middle comes out clean.
• Allow to cool before frosting.
• Maple Frosting
• 1 stick of butter at room temperature. You may also use cream cheese instead of butter, this gives the cake a different dimension.
• 1 small can of evaporated milk
• 1 bag of powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon maple extract
• Using a hand mixer combine all the butter with 1 cup of the sugar at a time and pour in the milk. Use just enough evaporated milk to get the right consistency. (you won’t use the entire can) Do this until you have used at least half the bag of powdered sugar. Then add the vanilla and maple extract. Add more maple if desired, ( I like the frosting to have a strong maple flavor)
• Now you can frost the cake and lick the bowl, but don’t eat the cake yet….just walk away!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

• Preheat oven to 350
• Topping ( starts out as the bottom)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 1 3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 6 circles of pineapple (depending on how many fit)
• Ok you can put cherries into the center if you want.
• Cake
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter soft/ room temp
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• In a 10 inch cast iron skillet add the 6 tablespoons of butter and the brown sugar and powdered ginger. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is mixed in evenly.
• Remove from heat and arrange as many pineapple circles or chunks as you can, so that they lay flat and look somewhat uniform.
• Add the cherries or pecans if desired.
• Set skillet aside and start making the batter.
• Sift or throughly mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In another larger bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Add egg yolks one at a time and mix throughly. 
• Add the vanilla
• Next add the flour mixture alternating with the sour cream until everything gets well incorporated.
• If you have a little pineapple juice its ok to add a tablespoon or two as the batter is going to be rather thick. (don’t add water or milk)
• Spoon the batter onto the top of the pineapple sugar mixture.
• Using the back of the spoon smooth the batter evenly over the entire mixture.
• Place in the preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
• Be careful not to over cook it as the sugar mixture will burn.
• Remove from oven and run a knife around the edge to release any parts that may have become stuck. 
• Let the cake cool a little ( at least 15 minutes) before placing the serving dish on top of the skillet and flipping it over.
• Serve warm.

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Southern Biscuits

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, preferably light southern flour like Lilly’s
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup lard (or vegetable shortening, chilled)
• 2 tablespoons butter (chilled)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (cold)

1. Heat oven to 450° and make sure oven rack is in the center position.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Cut in the cold shortening and butter until you have pieces the size of small peas. If you can’t find lard you can always use Crisco or more butter.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk. Stir gently until the mixture is just holding together. If necessary, add a few more teaspoons of buttermilk.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat out into a 1/2-inch thick circle. Cut out biscuits with a 2 1/2- to 3-inch cutter and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.

Here’s a few tips for making almost any biscuit recipe taste perfect.

1. Use a low gluten soft flour if you can find it. 
2. Sift all the dry ingredients together several times to create lightness.
3. Use lard for the flakiest biscuits, you can use shortening or butter but please don’t use vegetable oils. The fat used must be chilled so that all the grains of flour get surrounded by the fat thus preventing water from activating the gluten in the flour. 
4. Invest in a good sharp biscuit cutter with an open top to allow air to escape. Don’t twist the cutter as it will seal the edges of the biscuit and keep it from properly baking.
5. Don’t over work the dough.

I hope there’s enough recipes to try for Mother’s Day, all of these are on my blog and can be found using the search tool. Enjoy your day and be sure to give a shout out to that special mother in your life. If you have any questions please leave them in the box provided and I’ll get right back to you. Have a wonderful day and until next time… Boone Appétit!