Traveling Mac

Is there anyone out there that does not like macaroni and cheese? If so, stop reading now and come back tomorrow. There nothing like a creamy mac n cheese that just came out of the oven with a golden crust of cheese on top. I'm making myself hungry!

I came across a recipe for a pasta bake with cream of mushroom. I tried it. Liked it and then made it my own. Instead of cream of mushroom, I use cheddar cheese soup. I am not big on making things that call for canned soups but trust me, this is the exception.

I started this recipe for my Mama. She is the one that taught me how to cook and I believe it to be an honor when she askes me to make something for her. She said that she has been craving some good mac n cheese, but my dad doesn't care for it too much so she won't make it for herself. That is why it is called the "Traveling Mac." I have to drive about 45 mins to take it to my Mama. It is also great to take to parties and get togethers with family and friends.

First boil enough macaroni, I use elbows, to make 3 cups. Oh and while you are at it, preheat the oven to 400.

While that is boiling, mix together the cheddar cheese soup, 8oz of the 4 cheese blend, black pepper to taste, 1/4 cup parmesan and a cup of milk.

When the noodles are done, mix everything together and pour into a greased a casserole dish, then bake for 20 mins. I like to sprinkle a little parmesan on top before it goes in, but you don't have to.

This batch will be traveling to Dauphin Island, AL to be enjoyed by my wonderful parents. One for now and one for later. Mama will have to bake it when it gets there. Sorry no picture of the golden masterpiece. Guess you will have to make your own now.

I hope you all enjoy this as much as my family and I do. It really is awesome. Make it your own. Try different cheeses or something. Be creative! Let me know how it turns out!

Moon Pie Bienville

I do believe that this is one of the coolest recipes ever! It is sort of a cross between a trifle and banana pudding. I love both. I didn't repeat the layers to make it more trifle-ish, but I'm sure you can if you want to. Especially if you have a pretty trifle bowl to put it in. Note to self: buy trifle bowl.

In the last blog I left off with the conundrum of figuring out what flavor Moon Pie to use. I finally settled on banana.

Start by mixing vanilla pudding with 1/2 cup less milk than the directions call for.

Mix 1/4 cup of sour cream with sweetened condensed milk, then blend with the pudding.

Fold in 12oz of whipped cream

Cut Moon Pies into bite size pieces and arrange on the bottom of a casserole dish.

Top with sliced bananas.

Spread pudding mixture on top.

Refrigerate overnight.

One word: YUMMY!! I hope you all try this recipe sometime. Try it out on all of your friends and family. Let me know how it turns out! Don't forget the other Moon Pie flavors!

RC Cola and a Moon Pie

The Moon Pie was invented at the Chattanooga Bakery in 1917 by Earl Mitchell, Sr. Originally it was a snack for the coal miners to put in their lunch boxes. A Moon Pie consists of 3 graham crackers with marshmallow filling, then dipped in chocolate. There are many flavors to choose from like vanilla, strawberry, banana, orange, lemon and of course, chocolate. This little slice of heaven is about the size of a hockey puck or you can get the mini pies that are available during Marid Gras.

The Moon Pie has a long running history here in Mobile. Why even on New Years Eve we raise a giant lighted Moon Pie as the countdown begins. Every Mardi Gras float that cruises down the streets of Mobile will be throwing beads, cups, stuffed animals and of course, Moon Pies, from every side. Some choose to start eating them right there on the sidewalk, and some will take them home to munch on later, or give them to their children for a treat. Not all are Moon Pie fans. There are many a pie that lay swashed in the road or trampled on the sidewalk never to be enjoyed as they should.

I have always loved Moon Pies. There is nothing like a Coke in a glass bottle and a banana Moon Pie. I know you are suppose to have a RC Cola, but I prefer Coke. I am one of the people that likes to take the pies home to eat later. If you microwave them for a few seconds and they get all gooey, then you put ice cream on top!! YUM! In the paper every year they have recipes that use Moon Pies so I will be trying out the Moon Pie Bienville. I'm thinking this will be similar to our traditional banana pudding but with a twist. Now to figure out what flavor Moon Pie to use.....I think banana!

Check back later to find out how it turns out!

A Royal Mess

In the last blog, I had just put the dough for the king cake in the fridge for sit overnight. All I could think about yesterday was if the cake was going to turn out right. Is the dough to sticky? Did I let it rise enough? Did I follow instructions correctly? That kind of stuff. I am telling you guys, and I have told you before, I DO NOT BAKE!!

When I got home I took the dough out. I had to pry it out of the bowl and onto my floured counter top. I formed it into a ball and then rolled it out with my rolling pin. So far, so good.

Then I mixed the filling together. Brown Sugar, roasted pecans, cinnamon, allspice, salt and Steen's Pure Cane Syrup (which smells odd). I spooned it onto the dough and then I folded it width wise. Yes, I said "width." Thanks to my loving husband, he corrected me. I had to unfold it and spread the filling all over again. Not so good.

Finally I folded it length wise and rolled it up. Shaped it into a circle. Brushed it with an egg wash and popped it into the oven for 30 mins.

The glaze was no problem what so ever! Powdered sugar, lemon juice and water.

The house was smelling wonderful and cinnamoney, but in my mind I knew that this was NOT going to turn out the way I wanted it to. And I was right! I took it out of the oven and stared at the crusty bread looking, oozy mess of a king cake. My heart sank a little at the sight of it. It really did smell good though.

Figuring that if I slapped some glaze and sprinkles on it, at least it would look better. There are no amount of sprinkles to save this cake! It helped a little, but not enough. I made my husband try it first since he was full of encouraging words like "it looks like a donut" and "you folded it wrong." Surprisingly he liked it. He wasn't too crazy about the lemon glaze, but at least the cake and filling tasted good. Then the real judge tried it. If the 4 year old likes it then I guess it's not that bad. He said it was, in his words, "really, really, super good!" I almost started to cry.

I guess you can't win them all. At least I tried and I didn't fail completely. I will not be baking again for a VERY long time. Good luck if you are planning on making a king cake at home. I'm sure you will do far better than I did.

Next up in the Southern Foodette world is....Moon Pie Bienville (no baking required)!

King Cake in the Making!

Ok guys, I have not burned down the house yet, but I did get started on the king cake. I went down to my local Winn-Dixie and picked up all of the ingredients that I didn't already have at home. I arranged them all on the counter and picked up the recipe for review before I started. This is when I found out that the dough has to be made first and then sit overnight in the fridge. Great, I thought, since I wouldn't have to do this whole thing in one day. As I mentioned in my first blog, Gearing up for Mardi Gras, I am not an avid baker. I can bake cookies without burning them and that is about it, so this is a BIG undertaking for me.


I started by heating up some water to 115 degrees so that I could dissolve the yeast with it. It was suppose to stand until "frothy." Does that mean covered in bubbles? I wasn't sure so I called my Mama. She was a big help! When in doubt, CALL MAMA!!




Next I had to mix the salt, sugar and orange zest with milk and then add it to the yeast. I love my microplane. It is one of the coolest kitchen gadgets ever!







Then it came time for me to sift the flour and cinnamon together and beat 2 eggs. The eggs went into the mixer first and then the flour mixture. Adding the flour was an absolute mess. Yes, it was on low, but that did not keep it from flying all over the place.







While that was all kneading together in the mixing bowl, I got the cold butter out and diced it into small pieces. Then I added it slowly so it wouldn't heat up and melt while incorporating. It didn't take long and it all came together.






After transferring it to an oiled bowl and covering with plastic wrap, I let it rise for an hour. This is when I started to panic. I couldn't tell if it was rising so of course, I called Mama, again. She calmed me down and said to make sure it was in a warm place. I moved it to the top of the microwave and that did the trick.







When I was confident that it had risen enough, I punched it down in the center, covered it again and put it in the fridge. I have a question though, was the dough suppose to stick to my hand? Oh well...I'm sure I will find out tomorrow if it is going to work or not.





Wish me luck!! I'm going to knead it.....I know, corny....

Gearing up for Mardi Gras!

This week I will be doing something that I don't normally do, but in the spirit of Mardi Gras, I thought I would give baking a shot. I will be trying my hand at making a King Cake. King Cake is a staple down here in Mobile and along the Gulf Coast. There are many varieties of fillings but most are the same shape, icing and sprinkles.

History of the King Cake




The King Cake is believed to have originated in France around the 12th century. These early Europeans celebrated the coming of the three wise men bearing gifts twelve days after Christmas calling it the Feast of the epiphany, Twelfth Night, or King's Day.

The main part of the celebration was the baking of a King’s Cake to honor the three Kings. The cakes were made circular to portray the circular route used by the kings to get to the Christ Child, which was taken to confuse King Herod who was trying to follow the wise men so he could kill the Christ Child. In these early King Cakes a bean, pea, or coin was hidden inside the cake. The person who got the hidden piece was declared King for the day or was said to have good luck in the coming year.

Twelfth Night also signifies the beginning of the carnival season which ends with Mardi Gras Day. The bean, pea and the coin have been replaced by a small plastic baby to symbolize the Christ Child. The person who gets the baby is expected to carry on the carnival festivities by hosting the next King Cake party.

I have my recipe in hand, thanks to Emeril, and my grocery list made out. Just keep your fingers crossed, wish me luck and check back in the next couple of days to see if I have burned down the house!