Upside-down Puff Pastry

 Brilliantly simple dessert!

Picture from ABC news

This past weekend was such a blessing to this old grandma! I had a few grandchildren and my great grandchild spend the weekend, then a big family dinner with my daughter and her hubby along with another granddaughter! Pretty awesome, huh? Loved every minute!

My grandson, Jordan, came with ingredients to make a dessert he spotted on TikTok, and we made this beautifully simple pastry together. Simple? Yes! Delicious? Yes, yes!

We used raspberries, canned peaches and thinly sliced apples, but the best part was baking and spending time with this wonderful young man! 

Ingredients:

1 box of frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in fridge

Fruit slices (your choice)

Honey

1 egg, beaten

Parchment paper

Baking sheet with sides (the honey and juices spilled onto the oven)

Preheat oven to 400'F. 

Divide pastry dough into 12 rectangular pieces, keep in fridge until ready to use.

Make 6 rectangle shapes with a little of the honey onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Six pastry squares fit nicely per baking sheet.

Arrange your fruit onto the honey and cover with a sheet of puff pastry. Press down around the sides of the fruit.

Brush the egg wash over the top of the pastry. 

Bake for 17-20 minutes or until pastry is puffy and golden brown.

Let cool a few minutes, then flip them over onto a cooling rack. 

Makes 12 pastries.

A Tip from Grammy:

-Drizzle a glaze over top when cooled or powdered sugar.

-Use a savory filling, like caramelized onions flavored with balsamic vinegar and a little honey.

-Switch up the fruits

-Pepperoni and cheese with a little sauce (quick pizza)

Be encouraged:

"For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself."  -Galatians 5:14

Hot Fudge Brownie Bread

Hot Fudge.Brownie.Bread...'nuff said!

A few weeks ago, my neighbor and good friend brought me a piece of her chocolate bread to try. It was delicious! This led me on a quest to find different versions of chocolate bread because that's what chocoholics do.  LOL!

A I began browsing the web, the title of this recipe alone stopped me in my tracks! What!? Is there really a recipe that contains three of my favorite food groups? Yes, Grammy, there is! And this could not get any easier to make using just five ingredients!

I'm not going to "sugar-coat" how rich this bread is...and it's a heavy loaf, but SO WORTH IT! The fudge brownie flavor is in every bite and it's slightly gooey in the middle. Just like a brownie!

This recipe is from the blog "12 Tomatoes" and I thank Rachel Murray for her version. I didn't need to change a thing!

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix (your choice...I use Ghirardelli)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 (11 oz.) jar hot fudge sauce (I used Smuckers)

3 eggs (slightly beaten)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350'F. and grease a standard loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine brownie mix and baking powder. 

Microwave hot fudge sauce for 30 seconds to soften and add it to the mix along with the eggs and oil.

Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until cooked though the center. (Insert knife or toothpick and if it comes out mostly clean, the bread is done)

Allow to cool completely before moving to a wire rack. 

Yields: 8-10 servings

A Tip from Grammy:

-Use slices to create a sweet treat with ice cream or whipped cream and strawberries.

-Slice and individually wrap each piece, then freeze until your next chocolate craving. LOL!

-Buy 2 jars of hot fudge sauce and use the second as a glaze for the top. Just heat it and pour over the bread, letting it drip down the sides. (You probably won't need the whole jar.)

Be encouraged!

"...God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" 1 John 1:5-10

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Decadent, delicious and easy!

Looking through my mom's recipe box, I found some great old recipes...oldies but goodies! It was like a treasure hunt and I came across my favorite childhood cake...Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake.   Anyone else remember this classic from long ago?

Anyway, the spirit of "must bake now" pulled me into the kitchen and I started feverishly working on this cake.  Yes, it was going to be just like I remembered, my mind dreamed of eating that first piece and falling back into my childhood! Ahhh!

I couldn't wait to get it into the oven and I was on full speed ahead.  Well, great plans, and daydreams, don't always go as we would wish. I don't recommend this speed when baking!  

So, you know what's coming...my masterpiece came out flat and hard, looked and tasted pretty bad, but what did I do wrong?  I followed the recipe exactly, right? Wrong!  You can't leave out the baking powder and soda...ugh, a rookie mistake. But, that wasn't going to stop me...I began again (I really wanted this cake).

The results of not giving up were totally worth it.  It brought me back to my childhood and I enjoyed every bite of the best chocolate cake ever!  Beautiful texture, light, fluffy, moist and delicious!  It's all there in every bite, and the Fluffy Cool Whip Frosting was an added bonus because it really brought out the flavor of the cake. 

I added the recipe for the Cool Whip Frosting below...you're welcome! LOL!

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup real mayonnaise (not salad dressing)
1 cup cold water
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray with cooking spray or grease and flour 13x9 inch baking pan or 2-9" round pans.

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add mayonnaise, vanilla and water.  Beat until smooth and well-blended, about 2 minutes on medium.

Pour batter into a prepared pan(s).

Bake at 350' for 28-30 minutes (9" round pans) or 30-35 minutes (13x9").  Cake is done when middle springs back when touched or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Careful not to over-bake or it will be dry.

Cool before frosting with your favorite Buttercream, 7-Minute Frosting or Chocolate Frosting...or just dollop with whipped cream and confectioners' sugar.  The cake is the star!

Vanilla Cool Whip Frosting:

1 (3.5) pkg. of instant vanilla pudding

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup milk

1 (8oz) tub whipped topping

Combine pudding, confectioners' sugar and milk in bowl; beat for about a minute. Fold in whipped topping.

Be encouraged! 

"He has shown you, o man, what is good.  And what does he require of you?  To act justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God!"  Micah 6-8