lady locks

ahhh. a family favorite. mom used to make the pastry part by hand, but, well, i don't want to have to buy the clothespins to make them, and you can't buy pennsylvania pastries in dallas... so mom sent some cookie shells to me with christmas gifts!

if you don't have a wonderful mom like i do, you can make your own shells by following steps 1-3 found here.

but for the filling, oh, the filling. don't listen to anything online. listen to me. because i got my recipe from my mom, and it's a family favorite. in the chances that it's one of those "family secret" recipes, i don't think she reads this blog. and if it is, i promise she won't mind me sharing this amazingness with you.


Lady Lock Filling

• 2 cups milk
• 4 heaping teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) margarine, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• Dash salt

Combine the milk and flour. Cook over low heat until thick making sure to stir with a whisk.  Cool completely (refrigerate until cool).

it ends up being pudding consistency.

Beat the flour mixture, using an electric mixer. Add the margarine, vegetable shortening, sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat at high speed until light and fluffy.

sugar, salt, crisco.

this is the "before"-- the after is so fluffy!

if you don't have a pastry bag, put the mixture in a large baggie.  Only fill baggie about 1/2 full.  Twist so it is all in one end.  Cut off small tip.  Fill lady locks.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Refrigerate or freeze until ready to eat. or eat fresh after they're filled. i think they taste a lot better after the filling has chilled and set a little. mom likes them best fresh.

 

enjoy!!

sweet? savory? ahh-- "delicious" pumpkin cheesecake

i love pumpkin. you may have noticed lately. well, i've stopped using "safe" recipes, and now i'm on to ones i haven't heard of, or have been too scared to try.
this weekend, it was pumpkin cheesecake. and it was awesome.

i was nervous because the recipe only called for 1 cup of pumpkin puree, instead of a whole can. that can't be enough! i need to feel smothered with my pumpkin! but, surprisingly, it was. don't be distracted by the smell of cream cheese that over powers the pumpkin. it's worth it.

however, i didn't bake it long enough. sad panda. well, sorta sad. it ended up more like a custard than a cheesecake, and you can't really ruin anything with pumpkin in it, right? right.
i already can't wait to make it again. this time, though, i'll cook it for about 10-15 minutes longer.

have i mentioned how much i love the sour cream topping? it's a deliciously spectacular mix of sweet and tart.

crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely ground ginger cookies
1T white sugar
4-5T melted butter

cheesecake:

2/3 c (145 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t ground ginger

1/8 t ground cloves

1/8 t ground nutmeg

1/4 t salt

1 pound (454 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (210 grams) pure pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)

topping:

1 c sour cream

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 c white sugar

for the crust, mix together all the ingredients (i did this in the food processor so that it finely ground the graham crackers and the gingersnap cookies), then press into a greased springform pan.

for the cheesecake, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, spices, and salt. in the kitchen aid mixer (or by hand mixer if you are a poor, unfortunate soul like i was such a short time ago), beat the cream cheese until smooth. slowly add the sugar mixture, beating until smooth again. add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. beat in the pumpkin and vanilla last.

pour into the prepared pan with the crust, then place in the oven. ALSO place in the oven a bread pan half full with some HOT water to keep it moist in the oven. bake in the 350 oven for 35 minutes, then decrease temperature to 325 and continue baking for 10-20 minutes more, or until the edges are puffed but the middle still jiggles some when you shake the pan.

for the topping, while the cheesecake is baking, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. when the cheesecake's done, pour this topping over it and rotate the pan so it's completely covered. then return it to the oven for about 8-10 minutes to set the topping.

remove from the oven and run a sharp knife along the inside of the springform sides-- this prevents cracking as the cheesecake cools. place on a wire rack and cover with foil so the cake cools slowly. when it's completely cooled, cover and put it in the fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

 

edited: after just a few days in the fridge, it tasted even better than it did the first day. it firmed up enough to be like a "real" cheesecake and not the thick custard thing i mentioned at first. however, i'll still cook it for a few minutes longer next time i make it.

busy weekend

i had a super busy weekend. starting friday, i was in "homemade" mode. i made so many baked and cooked items, and took hardly any photos. and i won't really post recipes with this post either. i'm just going to tell you of the awesomeness that i created and let you drool a little.

homemade pizza (store bought crust, for time's sake)
his: pepperoni and cheese. (yawn)
mine: summer sausage, homemade roasted red peppers, fresh parsley, black beans, mozzarella cheese.

pancakes (well, the mister made it. not me).

barbecue beef brisket in the crock pot.
giant brisket, in crock pot with beer and bbq sauce. cook on low all day, then remove and shred, and return to the crock pot. stir. serve on toasted buns with homemade potato wedges.

potato wedges.
cut potatoes into wedges. toss with olive oil, rosemary, and kosher salt. bake at 400 for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through. make extras. these go fast.

pie! i made homemade pie crust for apple pie. i still need practice in rolling out the pie crust and making it pretty, but it has to be one of the most flavorful, flaky crusts i've ever tasted. pretty good for a first try.

cake (boxed funfetti). dude. we had a birthday and i had a special request for making funfetti cake. so no, i did not make this from scratch.

bread loaves. instead of my usually boule bread, i made loaves. i just used a recipe from the kitchenaid cook book for cool-rise white bread, and demolished that recipe. i accidentally doubled the butter, and didn't use enough flour (because it was all together and didn't need any more). so i was really nervous, but it worked. the outside crust tasted a little... funny... but it was still delicious. next time i'll try reading the recipe a little better.