This pie brings back great memories for me!  My mom made it quite often – she always had fresh mint on hand.  I literally thought the recipe had become lost, but I found it at the very back of her card file.

When I made it for my family, it was an immediate success!  The rice cereal crust is light and goes so well with the mint cream filling.  All in all, it’s a summer delight.

Once you make this, it will become a favorite – I promise!  It only requires 30 minutes to set in the fridge.  So, truly a quick make-ahead dessert.

I’d love to hear your feedback!

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Mint Cream Pie

Fresh and light -a perfect summer dessert

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 3 3/4 cup bite size shredded rice biscuits
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 2 tsp hot water

Mint Cream Filling

• 3 cups milk
• 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp butter
• few drops of blue food coloring if desired

Instructions

 

Crust

• Crush cereal in a plastic bag using a pie roller. Combine shredded cereal and sugar.  Add butter and water until uniform. 
• With back of spoon pack crumbs firmly and evenly along bottom and sides of a 9” pie pan.  Refrigerate 1 hour.

Mint Cream Filling

• Scald 1.5 cups milk.  Stir in mint leaves.  Steep 1 minute.  Strain. Pour back in pan.  Add enough milk to make 3 cups and heat until bubbles form at the edges.  
• Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a small bowl.  
• Add sugar, cornstarch, and salt mixture to the hot milk, a little at a time, stirring until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. 
• Remove saucepan from heat, and stir tin vanilla and butter.  Pour into shell and chill at least 30 minutes.  Top with whipped cream and sprigs of mint.     

Notes

I don't add the food coloring - but it does make for a pretty showing!

Keyword Mint, cream pie, dessert

Elegant, rich, and definitely fit for a special occasion: This recipe was passed down through the Sam and Margaret Houston family.  It has been published many times – the first thought to be in the 1941 Blue Bird Circle Cookbook.  The Texas Imperial Sugar Company also featured it in several of its publications.

A layer cake can really create the “WOW” factor to end a special meal.  Time-wise, it takes little more than a sheet cake and once you set it on a pedestal cake stand – well, it’s a knock out.  I served it at a family gathering a few weeks ago and received “ooh’s and aah’s!

You can fill it with either the Margaret Lea Houston chocolate icing or a lemon curd.  The Shiny Chocolate Icing completes the yummy desert.  I literally just spooned it on the top and let it run down the sides for a natural look.

Give it a try, and go for the adventure!  After all, that is what cooking is all about!

View the “how-to” video here:

Sam Houston's White Cake

A thick layer cake passed down through the generations

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups sifted flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond flavoring
• 6 egg whites

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter until soft and bright. Gradually add sugar and continue creaming in order to incorporate as much air as possible.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift together 3 times, or stir until blended.
• Add flavorings to milk and water. Alternate adding flour and liquid mixtures to butter mixture. Beat well after each addition.
• Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into batter. Blend well but do not beat. Pour into three greased and floured 9 inch layer cake pans and bake for 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then turn onto cake racks and remove pans. Wait until cake is cool to frost with Shiny Chocolate Frosting.

Notes

You may fill between the layers with Lemon curd.  

Are you headed on a road trip this Spring Break?

Here’s an easy snack to keep the kids happy or the “kid in you” happy!  Pinwheels have been around for quite some time, but we generally think of them as an appetizer.

Throw them into a soft-sider ice chest that you keep handy and they also provide a snack on the road.

In this video, we show you both the protein version using turkey and the veggie version using cucumbers and fresh dill.

How to change it up?  Add arugula, baby spinach leaves, or even shredded carrots.  This is a snack you can truly use your creativity.

“Happy Trails to you!”  

And on that note – did you know Dale Evans was born in Uvalde, Texas on October 31, 1912?

Travelin' Texas Pinwheels

Protein and Veggie Options

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

Vegetable Pinwheels

• 4 tortillas (can use whole wheat or 1/2 and 1/2)
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 pkg fresh dill
• 2 small cucumbers

Protein Pinwheels

• 4 tortillas (can use whole wheat or 1/2 & 1/2)
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 pkg ranch dressing mix (or seasoning of your choice)
• 4 slices sliced turkey (or sliced protein of your choice)
• 4 slices Cheese

Instructions

 

• Spread cream cheese on tortillas
• Veggie: sprinkle on dill, Protein: sprinkle on ranch dip
• Veggie: spread cucumbers evenly over tortilla, Protein: Place sliced turkey evenly over tortilla, follow with cheese
• Roll up tortillas, slice in 1/2, then slice into 1" slices

Video

Notes

You can get creative with these pinwheels - add arugula, baby spinach leaves, or even shredded carrots.  

You can also use burrito size tortillas.

You can finish prep through the rolling up stage, place in a gallon size bag in the fridge, and cut right before packing to leave.  

Keyword snacks, protein snacks, vegetable snacks

Celebrating Texas Independence Day

Many people have attempted to identify what exactly makes Texas, well Texas?

At Texicureans, we celebrate all of the unique cultures that contribute to our state’s culinary pallet. We like to say Texas is much more than BBQ and Tex-Mex. But this month, we are going to honor the Texas trait that transcends the differences any of us may have – independence. And how fitting, because this month we celebrate Texas Independence Day.

In search of the origin of that signature Texas independent spirit, we enlisted Justice Ken Wise. As a Judge, Texas historian, and podcast host of “Wise about Texas”, he was the perfect person to make this month’s recipe – Sam Houston’s BBQ sauce. So, tether your horse and come in for a while for a history lesson with Justice Wise as we roll up our sleeves and set about recreating Texas’ Father Sam’s BBQ Sauce.

Texas Independent Spirit

Justice Wise explains, “Texas has the most unique and interesting history of any state in the Union in my judgment and the judgment of many others. Texas has existed in several different conditions. It was unexplored for the longest time, we had a large indigenous population, we have international borderlands and all of that always combines to make the history very interesting.”

“It took a special kind of person to make a life here in Texas. That’s why you get so many fascinating characters and an independent spirit that survives to this day. And that’s why people want to come to Texas.” – Justice Ken Wise

About Sam Houston

Bigger than life, intelligent, adventurous, wild, and a natural-born statesman. Sam Houston is known as the Father of Texas with the distinction of being the first President of the Republic of Texas and the 7th Governor of the State of Texas.

Born in Virginia on March 2nd, 1793 (does that date ring a bell?) he is the only individual to serve as governor of two states – Tennessee and Texas.

As a teenager, he ran away from home to live with the Cherokee for three years. After divorcing his first wife, he moved to Texas in 1832, quickly rising to be a top-ranking official in the Texian Army. He led the Texians to victory at San Jacinto – a decisive win for the Texas war for independence against Mexico in 1836.

Fast forward to 1839 when 46-year-old Houston attended a garden party in Mobile Alabama, meeting 20-year-old Margaret Lea. They were wed a year later, subsequently moving to Galveston. Although the couple was separated for long periods due to Sam’s travel, they wrote frequent letters to show their love and devotion to one another.

Justice Wise and I spent a few minutes chatting about lesser-known facts concerning Sam Houston.

As mentioned above – he was born on Texas Independence Day – March 2nd. “He was a diplomat to the Cherokee and other Native American tribes. He had a wealth of experience as a Statesman before he got to Texas and he was invited to come to Texas by some individuals who recognized that something was going to happen – they weren’t sure what. So, they needed a Statesman – someone with political experience to help guide them through the situation. That’s how he got to Texas.” shares Justice Wise. An interesting side note to this is that “statesmanship or political leadership and the wisdom that comes with the experience was really its own craft and was not very common at the time.”

Justice Wise continues, “Sam Houston liked to party. Period. Yes, he was well known for that. He was a big guy (obviously liked to eat) and the way you would put your best foot forward would be to cook BBQ for people. He married Margaret Lea, First Lady of the Republic of Texas when he was in his late forties and she was 21, from Alabama. She got him to quit drinking, and be baptized in the Baptist church in Independence Texas. Their love for each other is evident in their letters which survived and you can read to this day.”

On that note, we asked Justice Wise about some of the historical factors that set Texas women apart in their strength and character. Justice Wise, “Many of the Texans I talk about on my podcast, are individuals who did heroic things, they just happen to be women. For the longest time, I don’t think that was focused on and I still don’t think it’s focused on as much as it should be.”

“If you think about this, Texas was created out of revolution. And if you have a revolution and the men go off to fight, you had to fight off any hostiles, you had to grow your own food, you had to do all of that. If the men went off to fight, guess who had to do it all? The women. And they did.”

“One interesting fact related to the legal world in Texas, we had an all-female supreme court in 1925. There was a case where pretty much every judge in Texas would be recused from it so the Governor decided to appoint three women to the Texas Supreme Court to hear that case. That had never happened in United States History. There are fascinating stories like that throughout Texas history.”

Hear and learn more about Texas History from Ken Wise on his podcast “Wise About Texas” which “presents Texas history in an engaging, scholarly and interesting way. You’ll learn more about the Texas history you know, and a lot of Texas history you don’t know” according to Wise.

We found the recipe for Sam Houston’s BBQ sauce in “Early American Cookbook” by D. Kristie Lynn and Robert W. Pelton. Like many old recipes handed down, we can’t be sure of the exactness, but I think you’ll be very pleased adding this to your BBQ repertoire. You can find the recipe below and on www.texicureans.com. Go to YouTube for a demonstration and join our email list for weekly recipes – historical and otherwise!

March is Texas’ birthday month – and now you know – Sam Houston’s birthday month!

Sam Houston's Famous BBQ Sauce

Fresh and a Blast from the Past

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Sauces

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 3 TBSP cooking oil
• 1/4 cup grated onion
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 cup catsup
• 1/4 cup worcestershire
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp water

Instructions

 

• Heat the cooking oil in a large heavy cast iron skillet.  Add the onion and the garlic.  Sauce this lightly.  Stir in the catsup, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, white vinegar, hot pepper sauce, sugar, paprika, chili powder and salt. 
• Blend together thoroughly the dry mustard and the water until smooth.  Then stir this into the sauce.  Slowly bring this mixture to a boil.
• Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Makes 2 cups.  

Video

Notes

Sam used this spicy concoction both as a marinade and a batting sauce for his barbecued steaks, chops and chicken.

Keyword BBQ Sauce, Marinade, Basting BBQ sauce

Sometimes you just need a good casserole recipe.  Some obvious reasons are to make and take, to make and freeze, or to make and consume the next day with little preparation.

Someone brought this to my bible study and the raves were through the roof!  I’ve modified it to include extra chiles and also to give you the option for self-made hash brown potatoes.

You can increase the heat by adding more jalapeños and simply leaving the seeds and ribs intact.  I love fresh cilantro!  But, I know this is a personal preference as well.

Since this casserole includes your complex carbs (potatoes),  your protein, and a bit of vegetables, you can easily serve it with a side salad for a complete meal.  Add a little chocolate candy for desert and you have it!

Enjoy!

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Chicken and Chiles Casserole

A "take and share" or 'keep and enjoy" recipe

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

Hash Browns (can be substituted with packaged hash brown potatoes)

• 2 lbs potatoes
• 1/2 med onion, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup olive oil, or enough to fill frying pan 1/4"

Casserole

• 3 cups cooked chopped chicken (dark or light meat)
• 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 poblano peppers, chopped
• 1 jalapeno chopped, seeds removed
• 1 red pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Instructions

 

Hash Browns

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Shred potatoes.  Rinse in a colander until the water runs clear.  Press water out of potatoes, then wrap in a linen towel to remove as much moisture as possible
• Place potatoes in a bowl, add onion, llour and egg.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill frying pan with oil to 1/4 inch.  Heat oil . Place potato mixture in oil and cook until brown, being careful to only turn once.  Set aside
• In a large bowl, combine the chicken, sour cream, half-and-half cream, onion, chiles, salt and pepper.  Stir  in the potatoes and 2 cups cheese.
• Pour the mixture into a greased 13x9 inch or 3 qt baking dish.  Bake, uncovered, until golden brown, about 1 1/4 hours.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro before serving.

Keyword Chicken, casserole, chiles

Sometimes you have to take it up a notch!  And that is exactly what I did with this recipe!

Sweet potatoes are so healthy and work just as well for gnocchi as a white potato.  Factor in a heart shape – and there you have it:  a romantic addition to your valentines celebration.

I used about a 2 ” heart cookie cutter and of course the color of the sweet potatoes adds additional form.  If you can find ruby sweet potatoes, the color will be even deeper.

Toast the gnocchi in a little butter and olive oil with Italian herbs, and you have a tasty side dish meant to WOW.  You can top it with freshly shredded parmesan as well.

Honestly the time factor is minimized  when you present the results – just serve the dish, and wait for the acclamations!

Watch Video Here

Sweet Potato Gnocchi Hearts

You will love them!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Side Dish

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, baked in skin
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Butter Sauce

• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs
• Grated parmesan to taste

Instructions

 

• Scoop out flesh of baked sweet potato and transfer them to a bowl. Smash or rice potatoes. Transfer to a sheet pan that's lined with paper towels to draw out any excess moisture. Press an additional paper towel on top to encourage additional moisture out of the potatoes.
• Transfer potatoes to a bowl, mix in egg yolk. Add 1/2 of flour and salt and combine. Add remainder of flour and combine until the dough comes together.
• Flour a silpat or chopping board and gently knead the dough a (only) a few times.
• Roll out the dough and using a small heart cookie cutter (approx 2 in), continuing until all dough is used. Transfer the hearts to a floured pan.
• Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the gnocchi and boil until the gnocchi rises to the top of the water which should take about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer to a pan

Butter sauce

• Heat EVOO and melt butter together. Add Italian seasoning.
• Transfer the cooked gnocchi into the brown butter and let them toast on one side over med - low heat for about 1 minute. Remove to serving platter, sprinkle with parmesan if desired. Serve and enjoy.

Keyword gnocchi, sweet potato, valentines

Sissy Preston – WSET Level 3 Certified Wine Consultant, generously shares her vast knowledge of wine with Texicureans and YOU!  Enjoy and thank you, Sissy!

“Valentine’s day is around the corner and the city will be filled with lover’s holding hands and strolling the streets, sipping wine in corner booths and gifting chocolates. So, when you retire after dinner and open that special bottle of wine, before popping those chocolates in your mouth, there are a few things you should know that will make your wine and chocolate pairing much more enjoyable.

If you plan ahead, there are chocolatiers that make chocolates specifically for pairing with wine. I discovered this when I went to a Scotch tasting and there were chocolates made for each particular scotch. It was nothing short of amazing. When pairing chocolates with wine you must start out with one simple rule, the wine must be at least as sweet as the chocolate. You do not want a sweet milky chocolate with a tannic wine. This combination will make your wine very bitter and unpleasant.

Let’s start with milk chocolate, which is one of the easier chocolates to pair. Milk chocolate is usually very sweet and creamy, so you want a sweet wine. A sweet Riesling or dessert wine, like Eiswein have the right amount of sweetness to balance with the sugar in the milk chocolate.

Eiswein is made in Canada and Germany and is made from grapes which are frozen on the vine, freezing the water in the grape and concentrating the sugars. This wine is a “clean”, lighter wine that pairs beautifully.

For a wine with a little more substance and depth, a Ruby Port from Portugal or some of the new Port “style” wines from the Hill Country, with its fruit flavors compliments the chocolate nicely. Ruby Port is affordable and available and is made to be consumed young.

Dark chocolate and dark chocolate truffles go very well with Merlot and Petite Sirah. I have found that Merlot, with its jammy and chocolate undertones goes particularly well with rich dark chocolate. Girard Petit Syrah, which is on the list at Huisache Grill, has flavors of black currant, jam, cassis and vanilla and would pair nicely with dark chocolate strawberries.

Getting into the semi-sweet dark chocolates, Merlot still pairs nicely, as does Pinot Noir, but my favorite is Syrah with dark chocolate ganache or a dark chocolate with some spice or nuts. In Australia, the Syrah grape is called Shiraz, and although these wines can pair as well, I prefer the more subtle California or Texas version.

Bittersweet chocolate or chocolate with cayenne, peppercorn or ginger requires a warm climate Cabernet, (Texas, Napa, Paso Robles) or a Zinfandel. I prefer a spicy Zinfandel. If the chocolate is over 70% cocoa a vintage Port from Portugal would be bold enough to hold its own with the high cocoa percentages. This dark, bittersweet chocolate is a little more challenging and you will have to use trial and error to find what works for you.

White chocolate, which is not really a true chocolate, is very sweet and can pair with Moscato d’Asti, Tokaji, or fruitier Pinot Noir. As a general rule, Champagne or Sparkling wine does not pair well with Chocolate unless it is a demi-sec or sweeter champagne and usually only with the white chocolate.

Rose’ champagne or rose’ sparkling can pair with a raspberry or cherry cream filled chocolate.

To get the most out of your tasting, bite the chocolate first and rather than chewing it, let it melt on your tongue, then take a quick sniff of the wine and a sip. Enjoy the lingering flavors and see if you like the flavor and feel. Take your time to savor and appreciate the nuances. To make it extra fun with your partner, have one of you taste the chocolate, the other take a sip of wine and KISS!

Make your tasting fun and if you find a pairing you love, e-mail us at sispreston@aol.com or Cindy at cindy@texicureans.com.

Cindy and I found that a soft Garagiste’ Bordeaux paired nicely with Comal Pecan Farms Semisweet dark chocolate covered pecans. Happy Valentine’s Day!