Chess Cake

My mother made this sweet treat for as long as I can remember.  I recently made them for a party and noticed a step that seemed foreign to my memories.  You can read about that HERE.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups sifted, plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

• Heat butter and brown sugar on low heat in a saucepan.
• When a thick liquid forms, remove from heat and add other ingredients in order listed.
• Put in a 9"x13" baking dish that has been greased and floured.
• Bake for thirty minutes at 300 degrees.
• Cut and roll in powdered sugar while still hot. (Obviously, this step is optional and you can just wait till they cool and cut them into squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar!)

As Mama's recipe accurately states, "This is quick and easy and very good!"

Pioneer Woman Soup

This is a delicious soup and feels like a comfort food.  We love it because it warms our hearts and our bellies.  For a little background info on why it is called this, you might want to read this story.  If you just want to stir up a quick and easy dinner, just follow this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 can Meat-Only Chili (I used some left-over made-from-scratch chili with beans)
1 can Pinto Beans (I used some left-over pinto beans that Mike had soaked and cooked earlier this week)
1 can Black Beans
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 can Fiesta Corn
1 can Rotel
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 chunk Velveeta cheese, cubed

Directions:

• Empty the contents of each can into a large pot and place on medium heat.
• When the mix begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes.
• Add chunked cheese and stir till melted.

Serve in a big soup mug with cornbread or Jessica's Spicy Crackers!

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman's 7-Can Soup.