Loganville, Dacula and Bethlehem Real Estate - The Rains Team

Gooey. Creamy. Tasty. Easy. Those are the words I would use to describe this banana pudding recipe! It’s so simple to make yet so delicious that you better watch out or you may eat the whole thing! The great thing about this recipe is that it makes a huge amount. It serves at least 12 people so it’s great to take to the next family gathering or the potluck supper at church on Sunday.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bag of vanilla wafers or 2 bags Peperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
• 6 to 8 bananas, sliced
• 2 Cups milk
• 1 5-ounce box instant French vanilla pudding
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 12-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line bottom of a 13×9x2-inch dish with cookies and put bananas on top.
2. Blend milk with pudding mix well with a handheld electric mixer.
3. Beat cream cheese and condensed milk together in a bowl until smooth; fold in whipped topping.
4. Add to pudding mixture, stirring until well blended.
5. Pour mixture over cookies and bananas; cover with remaining cookies.
6. Refrigerate.
7. Eat, eat, eat!

Okay, a few quick notes about this recipe: if you want to make a lighter version of this (so you can eat more *smile*) then use skim milk, neufchatel cheese (it’s the low-fat version of cream cheese–tastes the same) and light whipped topping. It still tastes the same I promise!

Also, I think that crushing the cookies for the top layer makes the presentation prettier. And I think this recipe is better if it’s made a day in advance and has time to chill in the refrigerator for several hours–I believe it makes the texture better because the cookies get soft and gooey.

ENJOY!
You know, I would really enjoy any wonderful dessert recipes you have…leave your best recipe in the comment section please

(This recipe is found in Paula Deen’s cookbook: “The Lady & Sons: Just Desserts”)

It’s a great time to buy a home in Georgia, whether you’re a first-time home buyer or not, and I would love to walk you through this process. If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today: 404.357.2231!

I love trying out new recipes and luckily last night I had the opportunity to as it was my night to bring snacks to my Small Group Bible Study. One of the recipes I attempted was this Mixed-Berry Crumble Tart and afterwards everyone said it was a keeper…so I thought maybe you would like to try this one out too!

Now, I forgot to take a before picture…but here’s an after picture…it’s nearly gone, so that’s got to tell you that it’s delicious. It’s made from a mixture of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries which I thought was perfect for the summer time. And berries are really good for your body too–full of antioxidants and vitamins, which is great–okay, okay there’s definitely some sugar and butter in this so it’s not the healthiest but what can I say? I love the sweets!!

Ingredients:

• Pastry for One-Crust Pie (You can use a store-bought pie crust)
• 1 1/2 C. sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 1/2 C. fresh blueberries
• 1 C. fresh raspberries
• 2/3 C. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1 tsp. grated orange peel
• 1/3 C. butter/margarine, melted

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degree F. Press pastry against bottom and side of pan. Trim any overhanging edge of pastry even with top of pan.

In large bowl, gently toss berries with 2/3 C. sugar and the cornstarch. Spoon into pastry-lined pan.

In small bowl, stir flour, 1/2 C. sugar, the orange peel and butter with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over berries.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until fruit bubbles in center. Serve warm.
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Just a few little tips and hints. If you don’t want to make your own pastry, it’s perfectly fine to use the store-bought crust…nobody will be able to tell the difference. Also, since berries can be pricy, I bought the frozen ones. I found a blend of raspberries, blueberries and black berries and then also bought a package of strawberries. Let the thaw and then they’ll be fine to use. If you don’t want to use a tart pan, you can also use a regular pie pan as I did.

Saturday morning I got up early and made hubby and I home-made waffles. They were delicious and the recipe I used was very simple and easy. We had a few left over, so I made a tasty dessert later that night…WAFFLES and ICE CREAM! Now, if you’ve never had this before, you simply must try it.

Eating this delicious treat got me thinking about my wonderful memories from when I first had this–back in 2002 when I went to NYC for the first and only time (so far). I remember we had just seen the broadway musical Phantom of the Opera and we were hungry. So we stopped in at one of those cute 24 hour diners and I ordered a belgium waffle with vanilla ice cream. Mmmm! So good!!

I loved visiting NYC–I loved the energy of the city, I even loved how crazy busy the sidewalks and streets were! I loved taking a carriage ride in Central Park and eating at Tavern on the Green. I loved all the lights on Times Square and going to the top of the Empire State building at night and looking out at the city. It was so much fun going to see the Statue of Liberty and it was awesome going to shows on Broadway. All in all it was a great trip and I would love to go back sometime soon. I was just thinking how neat it is when a food reminds you of a memory…just eating that waffle with a bit of ice cream made me think about that trip.

Photo by Steve Kelley

SIMPLE, YUMMY WAFFLE RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• 2 C. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 C. milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. melted butter

Directions:

• Separate the egg whites from the yolks and beat them until they turn into snow
• Mix the milk, melted butter, sugar and egg yolks in another bowl, until the sugar dissolves.
• Put all the dry ingredients in a larger bowl and pour in the wet stuff. Mix until the batter is even but with a few lumps.
• Gently mix the eggs whites into the batter.
• Put one cup of batter into a preheated waffle maker and bake for about 2 minutes.

Just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some syrup and you’ve got yourself a wonderful treat. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Well, it’s been a very long time since my last post!! There’s no excuse except that I’ve been out of town and on the road for the past couple of weeks…last week I was in Jamaica for my belated Honeymoon trip. If you have never been to Jamaica, you should really go sometime! November is actually a really great time to go too…not too crowded and plenty warm enough. We stayed at the Couples Swept Away all-inclusive resort in Negril. I highly recommend this place…the food was excellent, the drinks were good and the beach was beautiful. The staff are so friendly and provide such a high level of service.

We got home late Thursday night, did laundry, re-packed and headed out Friday morning for the National Association of Realtors conference in Orlando, FL. After spending a few days there, we drove on down to Miami and will be here until Friday morning because Matt is teaching a couple of classes here this week.

Anyways, this Pumpkin Roll-Up Cake (courtesy of my favorite, Paula Deen, who else?!) is simply delicious and a definite crowd pleaser. I encourage everyone to make this delectable treat for Thanksgiving!! It is elegant and impressive looking and very tasty. The cream filling has toffee bits and rum in it and makes each slice of cake so pretty to look at.

Here’s the Recipe, Bon Appetit!!

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE:

3/4 C. cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. ground allspice
6 lg. eggs, separated
1/3 C. granulated sugar
1/3 C. light brown sugar, packed
2/3 C. canned pumpkin, packed
1/8 tsp. salt
powdered sugar

FILLING:

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
2 Tbsp. dark rum
1 C. whipping cream, chilled
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. plus 1/2 C. English toffee pieces for garnish
Additional powdered sugar for garnish
1 1/2 C. caramel sauce, warmed for garnish (such as hot sundae topping)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Line a 15″ by 10″ by 1″ baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray
3. Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice into a small bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until very thick.
5. Add the pumpkin to the egg mixture and combine at a low speed until incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients and beat at a low speed until mixed.
7. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry.
8. Fold into the cake batter, stirring with a spatula, until most of the white streaks are gone.
9. Spread the batter onto a baking sheet and smooth out. Transfer baking sheet to the oven and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes.
10. While the cake is hot, dust generously with powdered sugar. Loosen the edges and turn the cake out onto a kitchen towel. Fold the towel over the edge of the cake and roll up. Cool completely, edge down, for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
11.For the filling: Soften the gelatin in the rum. Stir over low heat until the gelatin dissolves. Cool. Beat the chilled whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl until peaks form. Fold in the gelatin and 6 tablespoons English toffee pieces.
12. To assemble, unroll the cake and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of English toffee pieces. Spread the filling over the toffee. Start at 1 long side of the cake roll and, using the towel as an aid, roll up the cake to encase the filling. Place the cake, seam-side down, on a platter.
13. Trim the ends of the cake at a slight diagonal. Dust the cake with powdered sugar. Spoon some warm caramel sauce and the remaining toffee chips over the top of the cake. To serve, use a serrated knife to cut the cake crosswise into 1-inch thick slices. Drizzle more sauce on each slice and serve.

ENJOY!

We are eating dinner with some friends of ours tonight and I’m bringing the dessert. I decided that a really yummy chocolate chip cookie would be perfect. In the past I’ve sometimes had trouble with my cookies turning out too flat, which I’ve determined was probably from letting the butter sit out too long before starting or from beating the batter too much. I decided to be very careful when making these…and I’m thrilled with the way they turned out! The are soft and chewy and taste absolutely scrumptious!

I love making cookies because they are easy to do, don’t require too much time and they yield so many! This recipe made 3 1/2 dozen! Plenty of cookies for everyone!

Here’s the recipe, I got it from The Great American Cookie Cookbook:

Ingredients:

1 C. (2 sticks) butter (no substitutes)
1/4 C. packed light brown sugar
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/4 C. light corn syrup
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. Hershey’s cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pckg. (10-12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degree F
2. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add corn syrup, egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned and almost set. Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Cookies will be softer on the second day.

*I found that the perfect time for my cookies was 7 minutes and 25 seconds, but I have a gas oven and it tends to cook fast. So, you’ll want to play around with your oven to find the perfect time for you.

Try these; they really are delicious!! Enjoy!