Creamy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pie

Well hello again to all you foodies out there in web land this is MadJon again and today we are going to be talking about some nice and creamy Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Crust.  Last week I went to lunch with my foodies Club and we ate at one of the little bristles in Augusta along the river.  The food was great and the desserts were Hugh!  However I think the Peanut Butter Pies they served could use a creamier filling.  So I went home to my test kitchen and came up with this pie recipe which everyone loved on the set of the "Cooking With MadJon and Friends" show so am going to share it with Y'all.    If you go to this web-site you will learn the history of how the Peanut Butter Pie came to be.  http://www.danspeanutbutterpies.com/History.aspx neat story.  Any who I would have thought the recipe when have been made up at about the time Peanut Butter cookies came into our world.  Any who let's give this a try shall we.

Peanut Butter Pie With Chocolate Crust

1/2 package of Keebler Striped Chocolate Cookies, crushed
3 TBSP. Butter melted
3 TBSP. Sugar, Brown or White

Crush your cookies and to that you add the melted butter and sugar.  Place in a 9" pie pan and bake crust in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Cool when cooked.

Peanut Butter Pie

1 8 ozs. Cream Cheese Package, softened
1 cup Confectionary Sugar
3/4 cup Peanut Butter, smooth
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp Caramel Sauce, ready made
Reese's Minis Peanut Butter Cups
1 Cup Chopped Salted Peanut

In a bowl beat the heavy whipped cream till stiff, then to that you beat in the softened cream cheese.  When it is well blended then you add the sugar and beat till it is smooth.  Then to that you add the peanut butter, vanilla and caramel.  Blend well.  You can use a Ice Cream Sauce for the caramel if you wish.  Now you pour the mix into your crust and cool for about 4 hours.  Then top pie with your Reese's minis and chopped nuts.  Pour alittle of the caramel sauce on top and I say Bona Y'all.

Let's give this recipe a try if you like Peanut Buttter.  Let me know how you like it and also send me some recipes please at madjon51@aol.com.  Visit me on FB and like my fan page and tell your friends about it, https://www.facebook.com/#!/CookingwithMadjon.  Happy trails to you and your until we meet again.  Bona Y'all. MadJon.

Best Depression Comfort Food Banana Nut Bread

Well hi to all you foodie friends out there in web land, its MadJon again writing to you about one of the best comfort foods that I remember my grand mother baking and coming in the door the best smelling aroma there is to smell.  It also made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.  I couldn't wait to cut a piece and slab on the butter, yum, yum!  Any who I just made some today for a catering job coming up and am going to cut the loafs in slices and add a cream cheese filling with it.  Can't wait till they taste it.  I also added some cinnamon to the batter.  What's nice about Banana Bread is that its easy to make and you can add raisins, nuts or even some orange to the mix.  I've even made a Chocolate Banana Bread.  It came to be in cookbooks around the  1930's and it came about with the use of baking soda and baking powder.  The Banana itself is from a wild banana seed and its from like the Pacific and south east Asia.  Any who I say thanks so much for the banana its one of my favorite fruits to eat and isn't as expensive as most fruits.  Any who the best breads are made with really ripe bananas and the one's I used today were black in color.  So, are we ready for the recipe?

Banana Nut Bread W/ Cinnamon

1 stick and 1/2 stick Butter
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3 medium ripe Bananas, mashed
2 Eggs, beaten
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups sifted Flour
1 tsp. Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 cup chopped Pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease two loaf pans with butter or spray.  Sift the flour with the salt and soda, set aside.  Melt the butter and mix it with the sugar.  Then mash your ripe bananas and mix it with the butter and sugar.  Then to that you start adding the dry ingredients to the mix and add your buttermilk till all your flour and buttermilk have been blended with the banana mix.  Then beat your eggs and add them to the mix and blend.  Add the cinnamon and vanilla and blend well.  Then last add the chopped pecans and you guessed it, blend well.  Pour into the loaf pans and bake in a preheated oven for about  1 1/4 hours or until done to touch or tooth pick comes out dry when inserted into the middle of the bread.

You will love this recipe and try it with some fresh coffee, yum, yum.  Please write me and tell me what you think of this recipe at madjon51@aol.com.  I love hearing from you.  Also go like my fan page on facebook Cooking With Madjon nd Friends.  Also come follow my blog. Come watch the TV show at http://www.aikenstandard.com/, ASTV 95.  Happy trails to you and yours until we meet again.  Eileen Hutson, MadJon

Katy Cooking Dessert For Kids Mixed Fruit Parfait De-Lite

Well Hello to all you foodie friends out there in Web Land its nice to visit with you all again.  Its MadJon getting back to Aiken from Atlanta, I went to cook with the Sandy Springs Les Marmitons group and loved every minute of it.  We cooked Roasted Asparagus Salad, Squash Soup, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Garlic Potato's, and Raspberry German Chocolate Parfaits which we will talk about in another blog because we are going to talk about the last cooking show we did last Monday.  I had a wonderful guest and her name is Katy and she stands all of about 4" tall and is 6 years old.  She was so much fun on the show.  She talked and answered my questions just like a pro.  She even knows how to do some cooking because she and her mom get in the kitchen and cook together.  Its wonderful to cook with kids because they are so eager to learn and follow directions very well.  She stood on a cooler and worked right along side me.  So this dessert was made up with her in mind.  We hope you enjoy it and try the recipe with your kids, I heard it was Delicious.

Mixed Fruit Parfait De-Lite

2 Large Instant Vanilla Puddings
1 pint fresh Strawberry's
2 Bananas
1 fresh Pineapple Heart
4 Cups Whole Milk
1 Small Carton Heavy Whipped Cream
3/4 Cup Confectionery Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla

Make pudding according to package directions wit the whole milk.  Dice up the strawberry's, bananas, and pineapples, set aside.  Beat the cream with the sugar and vanilla still it is stiff and then mix the fruit with the cream and set aside.  Then in a parfait bowl or some wine glasses place some pudding, cream mixture in the bottom and repeat the process till you fill the glass or container.  Top with some more whipped cream.  Now you are ready to serve.

Well I hope you give this recipe a try with your kids and did yo know that the Strawberry has 200 seeds on the outside of it and also its the only fruit that carries its seed on the outside.  Please come like my fan page on face book at https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/CookingwithMadjon  and come like my TV show at http://www.aikenstandard.com/ ASTV 95, Cooking With MadJona nd Friends.  Email me at madjon51@aol.com with any questions about your food needs.  If youa re in the CSRA area call me about catering or cooking lessons.  Happy Trails to you and your until we meet again, Eileen F. Hutson, MadJon.

Happy Easter Red Eyed Gravy and Ham Mafia and Daddy

Well hello to all my foodie friends out there in web land I hope all is well this Easter season.  I hope you are going to be cooking some ham and Red Eyed Gravy.  Ham is what my mom always made on Easter Sunday with pineapple, cherries, brown sugar and a few cloves, but not to many just enough to give it a lite flavor for the ham.  Our dad always made Ham and Red Eyed Gravy in the mornings with the slices of left over Ham with girts. He was a mountain man from Spring City Tennessee and his dad was Irish and his mother was from Oklahoma and full Cherokee Indian.  John, his dad saw her on a river boat and traded her for some goods to her dad. So they had 16 children and they lived on a mountain in Tennessee and when my grandmother passed the kids didn't know what to do with the land, they couldn't agree is what I mean so they donated it to the state of Tennessee and there is a Newby National Park named after us and that is the story that we were told anyway.  Well when my Daddy was in the army during WW11 he learned to design and make furniture so when the war was over he and a few of his brothers opened up a furniture manufacturing plant in Florida, Miami if I remember right and we lived in the Cables, am not sure if am naming that right, long time ago.  Any who it was in the 1950's.  However they had to many Chefs and not enough Indians so our Dad left them and opened place around the country.  One of them was in Compton California and it was in the early 60's because I was about 12 years old then.  Any who you know my Daddy always looked Italian with his cold black hair and dark brown eyes.  He stood 6' 3" tall and was about 260 pounds but all muscle when he was at that age.  Well he had six kids and a wife, and a couple more that we didn't find out about until after we were grown.  Well one day three men in suits came calling to my Daddy and told him that they expected some money from him for certain thing that they would do for him, like protection money.  Well they told him that they knew where he lived, how many kids he had and our names and where we all went to school. Well that didn't set well with my dad and he stood up to those men and told them that if any harm came to anyone of his children or his wife then they had better get ready to die because he would hunt down each and everyone of them himself.  He also told them that he would close the whole plant down before he paid them one dime.  So needless to say he closed the plant down and moved use in the middle of the night to Houston, Texas and opened a small Upholstery Shop. Any who we ate a lot of Red Eyed Gravy at our house.  I hope you enjoy the story and give this recipe a try with some ham left overs.

Red Eyed Gravy

Ham Sliced Pieces, like 5 or 6 will do
2 Cups Strong Coffee
Black Pepper to taste
1 tsp. Onion Powder

Cook the ham slices in a sauce pan till browned then remove from pan.  To the drippings you heat and add the coffee, black pepper, and onion powder.  Cook sauce for about 5 to 10 minutes until it reduces and you have all the pieces off the bottom of the pan.  Serve over grits or even mashed potato's.  Bona Y'all.

I hope you come like my fan page on facebook, "Cooking With MadJon and Friends".  Go watch and get recipes from the TV shows at http://www.aikenstandard.com/ ASTV 95.  Send me some recipes at madjon51@aol.com and tell me some stories about them, all foods have a great story.  Happy Easter and happy trails to you until we meet again.  Come follow my blog please.

Bittter Sweet Life and Andes Chocolate Mint Icing-Devil's Food Cake

Hello to all my foodie friends out there in Web Land and I hope that you have been having a great time cooking with new recipes or even making a few up along the way of this thing called life.  Life can be bitter sweet like Chocolate filled with all the antioxidants that life brings you.  That said I have two children and two grand children.  They all four are a joy to have in our lives however as a parent you raise your kids and hope you do the right things by them.  You never really know that for sure until they are grown and leave the nest and have children.  Kids don't come with a book of instructions when they are born.  All you can do is read a few books, which by the way are written by people who never even had children if you know what I mean.  Who's to say is the right way or wrong way to raise them.  Each child is different and each child has their own way of doing things.  I have no advice about raising Children except when they are little they walk on your feet and when they are grown they walk all over your hearts.  Its easy when they are still under your roofs because they are more likely to heed the advice that they are given but when they are grown they seem not to listen or mine seem to not listen.  As a parent you get the blame for anything that may go wrong in their lives but I say once they are out of your house then they are reponsible for their own actions.  Does that make any sense to you?  Any who am just sayin enjoy them while they are young and at home because when they are grown sometimes they still act like your little child but you can't controll what they do with their lives.  They have to make their own mistakes and live their lives the way they want too.  No matter how bitter sweet that life may seem to you.  Let's talk about the hearty antioxidant food called Chocolate.  I went to a St.Patty's day party and made up this Chocolate Mint Cake and it was Yummm.  So I hope that you enjoy it as well.

Andes Chocolate Mint Cake

1 Boxed Devil's Food Cake, Baked according to box directions

Icing

1 stick Butter, Softened
2/3 Cup Cocoa
3-4 Cups Confectionary Sugar, Sifted
1/3 Cup plus 1 1/2 Tbsp. Cream
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Box Andes Creme De Menthe Thins, Melted

Bake your cake according to box directions and cool.

Cream butter and cocoa tegether till smooth. Add to that the sugar and milk alittle of both at a time and mix.  Repeat process untill all the sugar and cream are blended.  Then add your vanilla and melted andes mints.  Blend till smooth and frost your cake when it has cooled down.

Well I hope you foodies enjoy this cake recipe and please come like my fan page on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/#!/CookingwithMadjon.  Please watch the Tv show at http://www.aikenstandard.com/ ASTV 95,  "Cooking With MadJon and Friends".  Send me some recipes to try for the show at madjon51@aol.com because I always enjoy hearing from you all.  I wish you luck with your children and grands out there if you have any to love on.  Give them lots of hugs even when you are upset with them.  Happy Trail to you until we meet again.  Eileen Hutson, MadJon.

When Life Throws You A Curve Eat Some "Carrot Cake" Yum Yum

Hello to all you foodies out there in webland I hope all is well.  Well you know this thing called life is full of surprises for you.   You have everything going for you, you have a family who needs you, a job, grandkids a nice home and then you are ready to retire and you get hit with a bomb.    You go to the Doctor and they find cancer in your body and you go and have the surgery to remove the cancer but they may not have removed all of it.  So your waiting to hear back from them and it takes like weeks to hear.  Well that is where my husband sits now in a waiting period.  If he still has cancer then the only thing they can do is prolong his life.  Life sucks sometimes and what a bitch, its easier to just not know when your time is up.  We've been married for 41 years now and it will be 42 this September and that is alot of years to spend with someone.  We have also had our Ups and downs just like life itself.  I have gone round and round with him when I believe in something and his learned to just to let me do my thing and am alot happier that way.  Any who time will tell what is going to happen and there is one thing I've learned over the years time is something that waits for no man.  It just keeps hoping right along.  Well that is enough talking about this part of our lifes.  Its springtime and getting really close to Easter and am ready to start making my Coconut Cake dressed up like a rabbit.  However we are going to give you a recipe for my famous Carrot Cake that people here in South Carolina enjoy so much.  It has a Cream Cheese Icing which is one of my favorite's.  Carrot cakes have been around for a while now however they became really popular in the 1970's.  Here is the way I make my Carrot Cakes.  I hope you give this a try.

Carrot Cake

2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground Ginger

Sift these seven ingredents together.

1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup Buttermilk
2 cups grated Carrots
1 cup Coconut
1 Cup chopped Pecans or Walnuts
1 8 oz. can drained Crushed Pineapple

Mix all ingredients together till well blended.  Pre- Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake in 3 greased cake pan for about 35 minutes or until done.

Icing

1 stick Butter, softened
1 8 oz. Cream Cheese Softened
1 16 oz. Confectionary Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans or Walnuts

Cream the butter and cream cheese until well blended.   Slowly add the sugar.  Then add your vanilla and beat well.  Then fold in your pecans or walnuts.  Ice your cake when it is cooled.

There now I hope that you enjoy your Carrot Cake and please email me at madjon51@aol.com and come like my fan page on Facebook at, "Cooking With MadJon and Friends.  You may watch the TV show and get recipes by going to http://www.aikenstandard.com/ ASTV 95.  Send me some recipes to try because I always liek hearing from you.  Happy trails to you and yours until we meet again.  Bona Y'all.  Eileen Hutson, MadJon.

Some Texas Old Folks Stories and Texas Chicken Tortilla Soup "Nothing Better"

Well hello to all you foodies out there in web land, I hope all is well.  Yes, am still in the great state of Texas.  However we should be heading back to our home state of South Carolina Next week some time after my hubby sees the doctors.  I've been busy cooking with my sister-in-law and trying some new recipes.  We made a Caramel Cake this evening but am going to have to work on the Icing recipe some before I put it out there.  The test kitchen is still testing.   We also fried some fish and made some Apple Cole Slaw.  We have been feeding my poor in-laws to where they will not be able to wear the cloths they own.  Any who yesterday my hubby says I don't feel like going out to eat with Aunt Ene can you go to the kitchen and whip up something for all of us to eat and I said well we do have some left over roast and I'll see if mom's kitchen is stocked for some home made Beef Vegetable Soup.  Well it was and I made some Corn Bread to go with it.  My father-in-law hates soup but he managed to scoop that down and tell me that he liked and ate all of his.  I made so much and was going to pass some around and mom says NO, am going to freeze it and you are going to make me some more corn bread.  I love it here, am needed!  Any who while Aunt Ene was here she started telling stories about her aunts which they have all passed now but any who she said one day that Pop, Mike's grandfather has some flase teeth and they never did fit right and oen day he was sitiing with Aunt Lou at the table eatting and he said he couldn't take them any more and took them out.  Well Aunt Lou didn't have any teeth and she put his teeth in her month and they got stuck, she could not get them out, so they fit her just fine.  Then one Christmas Aunt Vene was going to play Santa Clause for the kids and she got all dressed up and dared anyone to tell who was playing Santa.  Well she walked into the room and before she knew it everyone was yelling her name Lou, Lou and then she realized that her hair had caught fire from the candles in the room.  So much for not telling.  Then at Hockley Texas, near Doctor Flechers house is a gate and Aunt Vene and Uncle Charley were just getting home and Aunt Vene got out to open the gate and the cemetary is at the gate and when she cloed the gate and black dog started circling her around and around and she couldn't leave and she yelled out< Oh God, and the dog disappeared, vanished right in front of her.  Alot of my hubby's family is buried there.  My hubby and his dad Hal went to Wal-Mart yesterday and Mike turned around to ask Dad what time it was and Dad is hoilding a drink in his hand and just turns the drink upside down to see the face on his watch.  I guess he forgot he had something in his hand.  Well that is all the stories for right now and am sure I'll be hearing about more of them later.  Funny, Funny I think.  Any way let's make some Tortilla Soup.

Texas Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 pounds boneless Chicken Breast, cut up
3 Tbsp. Cooking Oil, for browning
1 Onion, Chopped
4 cloves, Fresh Garlic, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tsp, Ground Cumin
2 tsp. Chili Powder
2 Beef Cubes
2 tsp. each Onion and Garlic Powder
1 packet Ranch Dressing
1 Carton Chicken Broth
2 cans Ranch Style Beans, with juice
1 Can Black Beans, with juice
1 can whole Corn, drained
2 cans diced Stewed Tomatoes with juice
1 Can Rotel Tomatoes with green chiles
2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 Jar Salsa

Cilantro, Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream and Tortilla Chips for topping and a sliced Avacodo is you wish.

Heat the oil in a large crock pot.  To that you add the onions and garlic, cook for about 5 minutes.  Then to that you brown the chicken with some salt and pepper,  and cumin.  Then add the chicken broth and all of your spices and beef cubes.  Then when it comes to a simmer you add all your canned goods and the ranch packet.  Simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes and serve with your toppings.

I hope you give this recipe a try and email me with any questions at madjon51@aol.com and send me some recipes to try.  Send me a story or two would you I love hearing them being passed on.  Go like my fan page at https://www.facebook.com/aolmail#!/CookingwithMadjon on facebook.  Watch my Tv show at http://www.aikenstandard.com/ ASTV 95, Cooking With Madjon and Friends.  Happy Trails to you until we meet again, Eileen Hutson, MadJon.