Pimento Cheese and Red Pepper Mayonnaise

Indian River Fruits Late 40's

I am posting a recipe for Pimento Cheese for sandwiches to take on a picnic this weekend. You will also find a recipe for Red Pepper Mayonnaise.

Pimento Cheese

1 cup of Red Pepper Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

16 ounces Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (4 cups)

1 4-ounce  jar chopped pimentos, drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the cheese and pimientos, blending thoroughly to combine. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Refrigerate until ready to use.
You can add more red pepper if you like. The mayonnaise with red pepper may be enough.  Let it chill for about 30 min. and then taste  and add more red pepper if you like.

Red Pepper Mayonnaise
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 tespoon ground red pepper
2 cups Wesson oil (or any good quality vegtable oil)
2 tablespoon lemon juice

With electric mixer mix the first 5 ingredients and then slowly add oil in small amounts and beat well after each addition. After 1 cup of oil is added add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and just before you add the last of the oil add the 2nd tablespoon of lemon juice.
Place in jar with lid and refrigerate. Makes slightly more than 1 pint.

Another good snack to make using this red pepper mayonnaise follows:

Red Pepper Cottage Cheese
1 16 oz. carton of fat free small curd cottage cheese
1/2 medium yellow onion minced
2 tablespoons red pepper mayonnaise
salt and black pepper to taste
Serve chilled with saltine crackers. It's really good on a hot summer day with a big glass of sweet lemon mint tea! My girls have always loved this treat!

Devastation and Destruction Continues

I would like to thank everyone for the good wishes for my Birthday last week. I am now 29 again! Wish my Levis were still a size 29!!! Maybe if I keep walking they will be! I am so blessed to have my sweet adoring husband and a wonderful loving family and many life long friends. Thank you all for your love and support.

My first birthday. Aunt Shirley and Uncle Jimmy in the background.

Me and my brothers, Steve, Keith and Greg

Today is my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Momma. You are the strongest most loving person I have ever known and I owe everything to you. You are loved by many, many people and all that love is very well deserved. Thank you for your devotion to me and the boys and all of your grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and brother and sister in laws. We all love you very much. And I am sure that all of the people that you have provided jobs for over the past 50 years thank you for your kindness and devotion to them and their famalies.

Momma around 1949

Momma in 1958 picture

Daddy 1958

Me, Mom and Greg about 1962

Momma and Daddy in Panama City 1956

Amber, Momma, Aunt Shirley and Aunt Brenda during the National Peanut Festival Parade 1997

The things I have to talk about today are not happy or bright. It's a sad and depressing situation we find ourselves in today. And those of you who do not believe in God and have no faith may not want to read any more, because what I have to say may make you uncomfortable.

All around us today is death and destruction from natural disasters. The people of the City of Tuscaloosa, Al. are still suffering along with dozens of other towns across North Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Pray for these people and if you can give to the American Red Cross do so. Last night the city of Joplin, Missouri was hit by another devastating tornado. The Red Cross is there also and they need your help. The Red Cross is also responding to the millions of people being affected by the floods along the Mississippi river. Give money and blood if you can.

Since Daddy's death in August of 2008 I haven't really known what to do with my self. Not only did he leave us and change our lives, but the whole world changed for everyone.  I stood still and slowly watched everything around me crumble. I closed my office in Sept. 2008 and moved my library of samples, books, house plans, computers and other office equipment into storage, and watched while other businesses related to the housing industry slowly crumbled and fell. Our Banking establishments soon followed, our nation's industries suffered and some collapsed, the biggest were held up by our government. Now the banks are still folding, our government has reached it's credit limit and the future of the entire world is looking very dim.

From 2004 to 2006 everyone along the northern Gulf Coast was constantly on guard for the next hurricane coming our way. In 2005 New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast took the brunt of the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Up until 24 hours before landfall Destin was predicted to be in the center of landfall for Katrina. New Orleans is about 250 miles to the West of Destin so Wade and I, and most of Destin, decided to stay in our home. It was not pleasant. We lost power for a couple of days. We boarded up all of the windows and doors except for one door and we left one window partially uncovered so we could get some air inside. The temperature was 90+ degrees and the humidity was so high it felt like 120 degrees. We laid on the tile floor in the front room with the sliver of a window opening and tried to sleep but the heat and wind and rain was battering the house so loud it was real difficult to be still, let alone sleep. Our house is built on pilings above ground so we were swaying in the wind. Actually we were vibrating. It felt like the vibration you feel when a train passes and it sounded like one too. I told Wade I would never stay through another Hurricane. After Katrina we cleaned up and went back to completing the work we had due to Hurricanes Dennis, and Ivan. I entered a purchase order in August 2007 that was originally written in August of 2004. It took that long to get back to where we were when the worst of the Hurricanes hit Destin and Pensacola.

I knew the building, design and real estate industries were in trouble in 2006. There were too many homes and condominiums being built on a speculative basis. Loans were being made for second homes that should have never been approved. And the worst was what we couldn't see and didn't know. Financial institutions and large corporations were padding their books to make things look better than they really were. Millions of people lost everything they had. Greed was the driving force for the majority of the world. This world was then and is now a sad, sad place to be.

I had several collegues who took their lives in 2009. One man I knew through my work jumped from the Mid Bay bridge. In January 2009 he drove his convertible to the top of the bridge parked it on the right of way, climbed onto the rail and jumped, taking his life. We later found out that he had recently learned that he had a fatal illness. A few days later there was a local man who went down to the beach on Okaloosa Island took all of his clothes off and walked out into the Gulf and disappeared never to be seen again. He found out that his father's business he recently inherited was going to fold due to the economy. Sad sad stories everywhere.

Everyone suffered except for the guys who were making the bogus loans and padding their financial records to make things look better than they really were. Those guys are making record profits and still writing themselves multi million dollar bonuses, and hounding all the people who didn't file bankruptcy to pay the loans back. When will they have to answer for their part in all of this suffering?

April 2010 rolled around and found the people along the Gulf Coast no longer suffering from the hurricane damage. The dust was finally beginning to settle from all of the crumbling businesses. The businesses related to the building industry and real estate suffered the greatest losses. The lives of countless numbers of families were changed forever. The Emerald Coast was looking forward to the first good productive year in almost 6 years. Then the BP oil platform off the coast of Louisiana blew up. When the platform collapsed and the oil was pouring into the Gulf we knew the year was lost and the future was more uncertain than ever. No one came to vacation. More businesses closed and people moved away. There was no other choice for many people. Untold numbers of people just walked away from their homes and businesses. This added more hardship to the finances of everyone in the area. Our neighbors to the West had the worst of the oil spill. In the Destin East Pass we could see the yellow and white lines of bobbing oil spill containment booms. It was a very sad sight. Is the oil gone? We don't really know. All we know is that it's on the bottom of the Gulf and the long term effects are uncertain. The water appears clear and is as beautiful as ever. We are eating the seafood. We are told the seafood is safe to eat and the water is safe to swim in.

Next weekend, Memorial Day, is the official beginning of our Summer 2011 season. Everyone is excited and ready for a good year. June 1st is the official beginning of hurricane season. My to do list this week has hurricane preparedness checklist on it. Water, lamp oil, candles, flashlights and important papers in a convienent location ready to pack and go if needed.

My prayers are for peace and prosperity for everyone here along the coast and through out the world. My heart is heavy for my home state of Alabama and our neighboring states suffering from tornadoes and floods. The University of Alambama is a part of me. Some of the best years of my life were spent there. I feel an obligation to do whatever I can to help. Encouraging you to give and to not forget about them is just one of the things I can do.

I also encourage you all to pray for our President, and the members of our Congress. They are all faced with decisions that will affect the lives of people all over the world. President Obama carries a heavy heavy burden on his shoulders. As Christians we are charged to pray for our enemies and those that wish to harm us. Please pray for God's will in their lives. Pray for peace in the world and in the hearts and souls of every man on earth. My Granny was a very devoted Christian. She told about me how things would be during the end of time. It's all coming true day by day. She assured me that God would never leave me alone and there was no need to fear death or the things that happen that I can not control. Now I sit here sad for the state of the world but comforted in knowing that in the end all will be well for those who believe and have faith in God. No one knows when that day will come. It may be tomorrow or it may be another 100 years. Just be ready and all will be well.

I recieved an email from my good friend Leah Richardson today and I want to share it with you. Click on the following and go to her blog http://www.leahrichardson.com/ and click on LR Blog and read today's entry. Leah always seems to have the right words to lead and encourage. Thank you Leah for your friendship and open devotion to all. Have a good day.

Fresh Salsa and pictures of Spring in Big Creek and Destin

It's been a while since my last post. April 23rd we attended the Holland Family Reunion in Dothan. We had a great time. I think everyone who came had a good time and ate until they were stuffed! I will post about that later. Today I am going to share a salsa recipe with you and post some pictures I have taken in the past few weeks.
Wade and I were so happy to have our good friends Tom and Annie come for a visit the 14th of April. They live in Ketchikhan, Alaska. We all went to the farm to visit brother Steve who is married to Tom's niece, my sweet sister-in-law Donya. Wow that's complicated.....Here's some pictures we made that day.


Colton holding baby chick




Colton and Uncle Tom




Tom with one of Steve's Roosters named "Red"





Colton gathering eggs




Rooster and hen





Rooster with hens




Brother Steve and his rooster




Cock a doodle do!!!

Every spring we have a flock of Ibis that come to visit for a few days. The ducks let them roam the fields without too much argument. :)

 We had a great time with Tom and Annie. We walked down to the docks and had a great time at the Boathouse drinking a Corona and eating some fried crab claws. Then we rode over to Fort Walton Beach and went to eat some fried chicken at Mary's Kitchen. Tom wanted some southern fried chicken and okra. It was delicious of course. Mary's Kitchen is located in Fort Walton Square on Eglin Parkway. If you are in town and want a good home cooked meal that's the place to go.



The first of May my niece Amber came for a visit with her boys and I took these precious pictures.....



Hudson Smith



Hudson looks like his Dad Justin but sometimes like in this picture I think he looks like my grandfather Hubert Holland.







Hudson and Holland in the bed with Uncle Wade watching Toy Story.....Wade said "Hey this is a good movie!"









 The last picture was taken last week. I cut the cilantro in my garden and made salsa.
This is the way I made it.

2  #2 cans diced tomatoes
4 large cloves of garlic minced
2 jalapeno pepper minced with seeds removed
1 purple onion chopped small
1/2 of 1 red pepper chopped fine
1 teaspoon cumin
3 bunches cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste

I chopped all of the ingredients and then I placed the canned tomatoes in the blender and pureed them. I pureed one can at a time and then poured the puree into a large bowl and added the cilantro, onions, cumin and garlic, and jalapeno. Salt and Pepper to taste.  Then I covered the bowl tightly with lid and placed it in the refrigerator for several hours. This made alot of salsa.

I took a quart out and then in the remaining salsa I added frozen corn, that I cooked in beef broth and drained. I also drained black beans and added those. This was really good too. I made yellow rice and served it with the salsa, corn and beans it was delicious.

This little frog only has one eye now but he is still hanging in there with a big WELCOME for you. :)





Lemon Cheese Cake...."Lucy Goosey"

Momma's "Lucy Goosey"

This is a picture of  "Lucy Goosey." The mother goose left her egg unattended so Momma took it over to my brother Steve's chicken incubator and waited for her to hatch. She was raised with the chicks she shared the incubator with. When she was large enough mother let her roam the yard with her. The other geese didn't accept Lucy to begin with. They chased her away, they wouldn't let her swim with them or eat with them. The herd chased Lucy and she ran straight to mother every time. For several months she had her own custom goose condo! She and mother were so tight that Lucy  actually rode on the golf cart seated next to mother! I missed that picture by a few seconds. Skeeter, mother's dog ran Lucy off before I could snap it. Eventually the other geese accepted Lucy. Now she roams the barn yard in the mornings with the others snatching up the loose horse feed, and sleeps and swims among all of them. And yes she still comes to mother when she calls her. :)

Momma's lemon cheese cake will be a special treat this Easter weekend. She uses Duncan Hines Butter cake mix and makes this wonderful creamy lemon icing. We are having our family reunion Saturday and this cake will be on the table! For a few minutes anyway!!

Lemon Cheese Cake

Bake Duncan Hines Butter Cake Mix in 4- 8" well greased and floured round pans. In my oven for 4 layers it takes about 12 min. at 375 degrees until they test done with toothpick. As soon as you take the cake out of the oven run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen. Let stand in the pan for a few min. Then turn the layers out on a cooling rack of a clean cotton dish towel.

Lemon Cheese Icing

3 large or 4 medium to small lemons zested and squezzed
8 egg yolks
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg white

Seperate the eggs while they are cold.

Mix together lemon juice and zest, egg yolks, sugar and butter, and 1 egg white in large sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until thick enough to spread. Stir constantly do not leave it. This will probably take about 10 min. Remove from heat and let stand until cool enough to touch, then ice cake.

Lay small strips of wax paper on cake plate where the edges of cake layers will lay to keep icing off plate. When cake has cooled and the icing has cooled to point where you can touch without being burned layer icing and cake. Ice sides of cake also. Let stand for an hour and remove wax paper. Store at room temperature in Cake Dome. Do not refrigerate.

Old Friends....Bacon Tomato Dip

This past Saturday, at the farm, I hosted, along with Elizabeth Rich and Lisa Coleman, a bridal shower for Hannah Farris, bride to be of John David Lewis. We had a simple menu. Everyone wanted the recipes so I am posting them here on granny lessons, and mailing the bride to be a copy for her new recipe file! We had a good time. It is such a great joy to see John David and Hannah so happy! Donna Lewis, John David's mother has been a close friend of mine since we were about 14 years old. A long time! I am so very blessed to have had these wonderful women in my life for such a long time. We all still feel like we are 20 when we get together! No matter how long we have been apart when we get together it's like we saw each other yesterday.It's comforting to know that no matter what happens we are all there for each other. I love you guys and I am thankful for every minuet we have together.


The menu for Saturday's shower was real simple. We had Chicken salad, Bacon tomato dip, Pinwheel sandwiches, mixed fresh fruit, and vegetables with cucumber dill dip. Lisa made some yummy brownies marbled with cream cheese and mini pecan muffins. And of course we had to go to Rolen's Bakery for some of their classic cheese straws. For drinks we had sweet and unsweet tea and regular and diet coke and Granny Jane's sweet lemon mint tea.


I am posting the Bacon Tomato Dip and the Pinwheel sandwich recipes for you. Hope you have a great week. :)

Bacon and Tomato Dip

6 medium size ripe tomatoes chopped or a quart of cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 lbs. bacon fried crispy

2  bunches chopped green onions

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil (optional)

1 8 oz package cream cheese room temperature

2 Tablespoons sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel tomatoes and chop into small pieces.

Chop green onions including green tops fine

Chop basil fine

Mix together tomatoes, onions, and basil. Cover tight and refrigerate for several hours or over night.

Cook bacon crispy and let cool. Chop fine and reserve until just before you are ready to serve.

About an hour before you are ready to serve remove tomato mixture and drain. Mash room temperature cream cheese with fork, add sour cream and mix in bacon. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of bacon to sprinkle on top. Lightly fold in the tomato mixture carful not to crush the tomatoes. Place in serving dish and sprinkle with remaining chopped bacon. Serve with “Scoops” corn chips.

This will serve about 30- 35 people appetizer portions.

You can also serve on a bed of lettuce for a luncheon dish with crackers of your choice.

Pinwheel Sandwiches

1 package flour tortillas

1 package cream cheese room temperature (regular or fat free)

2 Tablespoons sour cream (regular or fat free)

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

1 yellow bell pepper chopped

1 small jar pimentos

1 large cucumber chopped fine

Using a fork mash the room temperature cream cheese until soft and creamy. Mix in the ranch dressing mix and sour cream. Set aside and chop vegetables. You can use any vegetable you like. Carrots chopped fine are good and broccoli florets are good cut up fine also. Just make sure that you drain tomatoes if you use those. Wet vegetables will make the wraps soggy and that’s not good.

Working on a flat clean surface, take one tortilla and cover the entire tortilla with cream cheese mixture. Lightly sprinkle vegetables on three fourths of the tortilla covered with cream cheese. Roll the tortilla toward the side not covered with the vegetables. If you put vegetables on entire tortilla they fall out and make rolling difficult. By covering the entire surface of the tortilla with the cream cheese, the cream cheese serves as a binder for the roll up.

After you roll the tortilla, place it on a platter seam side down. When you have rolled all of the tortillas, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or over night.

Remove and cut off uneven ends of tortillas. Slice with serrated knife into ½ inch thick slices. Cover with plastic wrap and return to refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Bacon is really good added to these roll up pinwheel sandwiches but since we were having bacon in the bacon tomato dip I didn't add bacon. You can also add chopped dry beef or prosciutto ham. Get creative and Enjoy.

Sweet Filling for Pinwheel Sandwiches

For a sweeter pinwheel use the following ingredients and roll same as above.

1 package cream cheese room temperature

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 cup drained crushed pineapple

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Pinch of salt if using unsalted nuts

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint

Dash of reserved pineapple juice

Drain pineapple for an hour. Reserve juice.

Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, mint and dash of pineapple juice. Let stand for about 20 min. You want this mixture to be easy to spread but not wet.  

Spread cream cheese mixture on entire tortilla, sprinkle pineapple and chopped nuts on ¾ of tortilla then roll, and place seam side down on tray, refrigerate for at least 1 hour and cut into ½ inch thick pieces.

You can use fat free cream cheese and sour cream.....avoid the calories!

"Pure".... Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

This is a recipe granny made often. If she didn't have all the ingredients she would add in what she had.
She often cooked chicken by browning it without flour until browned and tender. Browning the chicken first and them baking with gravy gives an extra layer of flavor and a crunchy texture to the meat even though it's baked with all those juicy good veggies.
She usually served this over rice or mashed potatoes.

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

1 roasting chicken cut into pieces for serving
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion minced
1 green pepper chopped
2 carrots chopped
6 mushrooms chopped
1 fresh tomato or 1/4 cup canned tomato
1 cup water
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon flour

Melt butter, add onion, and cook until lightly browned.  Salt and Pepper chicken and cook until well skin is browned. Add bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms, tomato. Mix paprika and water and pour over chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook 350 degrees for about 30 min. or until tender. Mix flour and sour cream together and stir into vegetables and drippings. Cook 3 more min.

I am including a picture taken in the Ga. mountains. Daddy loved to tell a story about taking Granny to the Smokey Mountains National Park. They were just outside the National Park around the Cades Cove area and Granny looked up and saw a grave yard on the side of the mountian and she said, "Well my word Doyle, there is a pure graveyard up there on that mountain." Daddy responded with " Yea people die up here too Momma."  "Pure" was an adjective she used usually when she was amazed with or surprised by something. Like, "Oh Katie, there's a pure flea on that puppy."  Or "There's a pure ring on that table! Your Grandpa just won't use a coaster!"
Another story about a trip to the mountains with Granny and Momma Peacock. First of all let me tell you Momma Peacock always referred to Granny as Mrs. Holland and Granny referred to Momma Peacock as Mrs. Peacock. Always. Never first names of Luvern or Lota. Not even after knowing each other for 60 years! That was norm for all of their neighbors and friends, their age. It was always "Mrs. Childs" and "Mrs. Branton" and "Mrs. Snell" and "Mrs. Roney."
Momma was driving and Momma Peacock and Granny were in the seats in the middle of the SUV. They were talking non stop about everything, as usual. Just north of Atlanta, Granny says "Well Mrs Peacock, I don't know where we are right now but seems we should be getting close to Atlanta."  Momma Peacock responds with, " I don't know either Mrs. Holland, but we can't be to Atlanta yet we hadn't come to the first red light."  Momma laughs and tells them they drove through Atlanta about 45 miles back..... on the interstate....no "Red Lights."  :)

Black Rock Mountain, Ga. State Park, looking North East toward
 Highlands, North Carolina

Sally's Chicken Enchiladas

This is a recipe my mother in law, Sally Everett, shared with me. It's easy and delicious. Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

3 bone in chicken breast
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup.......I use low sodium
1 cup shredded monterray jack cheese
1 small can chopped green chilis
4 green onions chopped
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 cup sour cream.....I use low fat
Flour tortillas
salt and pepper

Salt and Pepper chicken breast place in a large pot with enough water to cover and chopped celery. Boil until tender. Remove chicken alow it to cool enough to remove bones and chop, set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cream of mushroom soup, chillis, onions, cumin, sour cream and 3/4 cup cheese.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish spread a little of  the soup mixture in the bottom.

In a skillet warm the flour tortillas and place chopped chicken down the center of tortilla. Roll the tortilla and place on top of the soup mixture in baking dish seam side down. Continue until dish is full.

Spread the remaining soup mixture over the top of tortillas and sprinkle top with remaining cheese. If you like extra cheese that's o.k. too!

Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 min. until cheese has melted and it bubbles in the middle.
Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream, guacamole and chopped tomatoes and chopped fresh cilantro.

Remember if you don't have one or two ingredients you can substitute. For instance last night I made this recipe and I didn't have green chilis and cream of mushroom soup. I substituted cream of celery soup and 1/2 a can of rotel tomatoes. Turned out great. This is a good recipe for a crowd and you can make them ahead and bake just before you are ready to serve.

Ham Recipes

Two ham recipes that are easy and delicous. The first came from my Mom and the second one was Granny's. Both are delicious and easy to make.

Ham and Potato Sour Cream Casserole

2 slices smoked ham cut about a 1/2" thick
8 medium red or golden potatoes peeled and sliced thin
1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced onions
Dash of black pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Cut each piece of ham into 4 pieces. Peel and slice potatoes thin. Combine soup, sour cream, salt and pepper. In greased 3 quart casserole alternate layers of ham, potatoes and onions with sour cream mixture. Top with shredded cheese. Cover casserole loosely with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours.



The following recipe is a good make ahead dish.

Cheese and Ham Casserole

Butter a 2 quart retangular casserole- Remove crust from 6 slices of white bread and cut into 4 squares. Line casserole bottom with squares.

In mixing bowl combine

12 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups chopped cooked ham
3 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 shakes of tobasco sauce

Pour mixture over bread squares. Refrigerate at least 12 hours. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.

Momma Peacock's Twelve Layer Chocolate Cake

This cake was my Dad's favorite. Momma Peacock occasionally made it and brought it over to our house because she knew Daddy loved it. We all love it! I am making it today for my Wade's birthday!
Happy Birthday Honey, I love you!

Twelve Layer Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 or 3 cake pans. Make glaze before you start cooking cake layers. The thin layers cool quickly and need to be warm when you glaze them. If you feel comfortable with mixing the cake and making the frosting at the same time this works well.  Just make sure the glaze is cooked  before you start baking the cake layers.

Glaze:

¾ cup butter

5 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 ½ cups sugar

2 cups evaporated milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ cup strong coffee cooled

In a small heavy bottom sauce pan melt chocolate. Set aside.

In a large saucepan melt butter. Add melted chocolate, sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla and coffee. Cook over medium heat until glaze boils. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking until mixture thickens, about 15 to 20 min.  Remove glaze from heat.  Frost layers as you take them out of the oven. If the glaze cools return to low heat and warm to spreading consistency.

Cake Layers

1 cup butter room temperature

2 ½ cups sugar

6 large eggs room temperature

2 cups milk plus 1 tablespoon

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups self rising flour

In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs beating after each single addition until well blended. Mix vanilla and milk. Add flour in 1/3’s, alternate with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until well blended.

Pour 2/3 cup of batter into well greased and floured cake pans. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 11 min.  Remove layers from pans and frost while still warm.  Spoon up any that has dripped onto the plate. Good idea to line the plate with strips of wax paper or foil so your plate stays relatively clean.

If you have more than 3 pans you can have another group of pans ready to go into oven right away. If not wash and grease and flour your pans again. You should have about 12 layers. I had 14 layers today! 

Yum! I just cut the cake for this picture and after 2 hours it is still warm. Wade is having a good birthday!