Recipes & Party Planning

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Easy Peach Cobbler

1 cup self rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 (15 ounce) can sliced peaches in syrup

Pour the peafches and syrup in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Mix the flour, sugar and milk together. Pour over the fruit. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean.

Mississippi Mud Cake

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
6 eggs, seperated
1 cup water
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 (12 ounce) package chocolate chips
2 1/2 cup minature marshmellows

Mud Icing (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together 3 times. Set aside. Combine sugar and cocoa; mix well. Beat egg yolks in large bowl with electric mixer. (I use a Kitchenaid mixer it is easier for me to handle) Beat in water,vanilla and sugar mixture at medium speed. Beat in flour mixture. Beat egg whites unitl stiff peak form. stir on-fourth of chocolate batter gently into whites. Fold egg whites into remaining batter. Carefully add in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 baking pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from owne and sprinkle marshmellows evenly over cake. Bake 5 minutes longer or until marshmellows begin to melt. Cook in pan on a wire rack. Spread with mud icing.

Mud Icing
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup evaporated milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine butter an cocoa in a large mixing bowl; stir in evaporated milk. Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in pecans. Spread over cake.

Party Planning

For the last 6 weeks, I have been working on my mother's surprise 80th birthday. Her birthday is in November. There is not much published to give guidance on how to plan a party for an 80 year old. Most of what is available less than traditional. Our family is traditionally southern.
Issues that came up were who to invite (lots of people this age do not drive at night), date (you have to work around doctors appointments), time (afternoon is best) and location (a place everyone can locate). Luckily, our family has a large family reunion every year in south Mississippi at Thanksgiving. This is a two and three day affair.

The party was planned between the reunion scheduled events. This large extended family keeps in touch by a quarterly newsletter. The newsletter is great for planning. One of my first cousins maintains the mailing list. I used the newsletter mailing list to send invitations. The invitation selection is great at the Hallmark Crown store. The selection I chose were more traditional (nothing silly such as "aged to perfection").

Plans were discussed with one of my mother's sister and another first cousin in the area to select the best time between meals, games, and visting.

On the invitations I requested only regrets to let me know who would not be attending. After the invitations were mailed the real party planning began. The theme was southern traditional with using the fall colors for cake decorationg, table decorations and flowers. The main table was covered with white table cloth and matching floor length lace.

Games were probably the most difficult. I decided to use milestones in my mother's life and have the guest try to guess when each of her children were born on what date, what year. Schools attended elementary, high, nursing, university she graduated from.

The prizes are a gift bag with all the ingredients for the Muscadine Cake in my blog minus the eggs and oil. You can actually use any of the recipes and pack them in a gift bag. I also, sell Mary Kay comestics so I purchased hand cream, lotion etc. It was important for everyone to get a prize.

I had two custom cakes made by a co-worker who makes and sells custom cakes. The birthday cake is a Italian Cream Cake with Sour Cream frosting decorated in the fall theme with "Happy Birthday Mom". The trimmings are fall leaves, acorns all in the green, gold, and orange colors. The secondary cake was the Chocolate Sheet cake for those who do not like Italian Cream Cake. The Chocolate Sheet cake recipe is in my blog. The Chocolate Sheet cake is always a big hit for any party. Party Punch was pineapple lime again the green color theme. Of course we have decaff coffee since it usually cool in the early afternoon and evening.

Since my mother is moving to an active retirement center (Kirby Pines) in December she does not need any additional trinkets. I let everyone know she only needed things to decorate here new apartment such as matching towels for bath and kitchen. Everything turned out perfectly.

I had pre - purchased thank you notes with postage stamps applied. This was great for my mother after the party to thank all of those that attended.

Welcome to "Patty's Blog"

Patty enjoys her retirement home in the Ozark Mountains on Piney Bay. Her kitchen overlooks looks the beautiful Piney Bay. Being on the lake nature abounds. Canadian geese, squirrels, ducks, ground hogs, wild turkeys, deer etc. The look of the lake is ever changing in many ways. Summer brings the campers, swimmers, pleasure boaters and lots of outdoor cooking. Fall/Spring brings fishermen and outdoor fish frying with low trans fat oil of course. Winter brings neighborhood pot lucks with indoor cooking and baking.