Saturday, December 11, 2010

Over-the-Top Candy Bars

Over-the-Top Candy Bars

1 (16.5 oz) roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, softened

4 nutty s’mores trail mix bars, shopped

1 (12 oz) package butterscotch chips

2 ½ cups mini marshmallows

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 ½ cups mini pretzels

1 (12 oz) package peanut butter chips

¾ cup light Karo Syrup

½ stick butter, cubed

1 (12 oz) package milk chocolate chips, melted

With hands, combine dough and trail mix bars. Press into an ungreased 11x7-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 ° about 10 minutes, or until golden. Sprinkle with butterscotch chips and marshmallows. Bake 3-4 minutes more or until marshmallows turn golden. Sprinkle with walnuts and pretzels. Melt peanut butter chips, Karo, and butter; brush over bars. Drizzle melted chocolate over bars. Chill until firm before cutting.


Makes 36 bars.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Helpful Tip #2: Favorite Spice as Air Freshener

I heard the tip on the radio last week and thought I would give it a try. I tried it once I got home with vanilla and hours later the house still smelt like vanilla.

Use your favorite spice or scent as an Air Freshener.
In a small pot add at least 1 cup of water and add a little of your favorite spice or scent. Bring the water to a boil and then just let it simmer on the stove. Just make sure you turn it off, set a timer to remind you if need be. I have used vanilla extract and pumpkin spice. Other ideas could be cinnamon, cloves, or add a little of your favorite juice to the water. You also also mix and match different scents.

Give it a try I know you will love it too!!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Harvest Pound Cake

Here is the recipe to a yummy Harvest Pound Cake made with fresh apples, chopped nuts and covered with a warm caramel sauce.


Harvest Pound Cake


Cake
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 medium apples, peeled and finely chopped (2 cups)
1 cup chopped nuts

Caramel sauce
½ cup butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan. In large bowl, beat sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in flour, salt and baking soda until smooth. Stir in apples and nuts. Pour into pan.

Bake 1 hour 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat all sauce ingredients to boiling, stirring occasionally. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Spoon sauce over warm cake.

ENJOY!!

Chocolate Gobs


Chocolate Gobs

Cake

2 cups sugar
½ cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup cocoa

Filling
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup
1 stick of butter, softened
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425 °.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs and continue to beat. Stir together buttermilk, boiling water, vanilla, and blend this into the creamed mixture at low speed.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. Add to mixture 1 cup at a time, blending well at low speed. Batter will be very thin but do not worry. Drop by teaspoons onto ungreaded cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and transfer onto waxed paper.

To make the filling, place flour into saucepan and slowly add milk, stirring until smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring until very thick. Mixture should become as thick as solid vegetable shortening. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. In a medium bowl, cream together sugar, butter, shortening, and vanilla using a handheld electric mixer. Add the cooled flour mixture and whip until fluffy. Spread onto bottom side of cookie and top with another cookie to make a sandwich. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.

Yields 25 Gobs

ENJOY!!

Snickerdoodles

Who doesn't like snickerdoodles. Yum! Yum!Snickerdoodles

1 cup Crisco shortening
1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 °. Cream shortening, 1 ½ cups sugar, and eggs. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Combine with egg mixture. Chill dough thoroughly and then roll into balls the size of a small walnut. Roll in mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes on a ungreased baking sheet until lightly browned but still soft.

Yields approximately 4 dozen

ENJOY!!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Baked Beans

I recently found this recipe and when I tried it it was a big hit with everyone. This is the baked bean recipe I will turn to from now on.

Baked Beans

4 (16oz) cans of Pork-n-Beans
1 (16oz) can of crushed pineapple, drained
½ cup molasses
1 cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons yellow or brown mustard
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 (6oz) can french-fried onions, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 ° F.

Drain all but one can of pork-n-beans. In large bowl, mix together beans, pineapple, molasses, BBQ sauce, mustard, ¼ of the bacon and ¼ of the onions. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. Pour beans in a 9x13 in casserole dish and sprinkle remaining crushed onions and bacon on top. Cook in oven for 1 hour or until beans are brown and bubble. Serve warm.

ENJOY!!



(recipe and photo from www.foodnetwork.com)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Our ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship) class takes turns bringing in breakfast every Sunday morning. This is always a big hit when I take it to church.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, softened
¼ cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

For cake, combine 1 cup flour, granulated sugar, buttermilk, oil, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and egg in mixing bowl. Beat with wooden spoon until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

For streusel topping, mix remaining flour, brown sugar, butter, walnuts and cinnamon in small bowl with a fork until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Serve Warm.


Enjoy!!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate Pound Cake

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract


Special equipment: 10-inch bundt pan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa and set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well after each addition.

Add flour and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until cake is done.

Remove from oven and allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto cake plate and serve.


ENJOY!!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Helpful Tip #1: Use Orange Glo on Stainless Steel

I do not remember where I heard this tip but it works like a charm every time. I try not to be brand specific on things so that I can buy what is on sale at the time that I need it but this is one thing I will always have around the house.

Use Orange Glo on stainless steel to remove finger prints.

Not only does it remove finger prints and everything else but you don't have to do it very often. We have stainless steel canisters right next to the sink and the stove so they are always getting things splashed and dripped on them. I wipe mine down with glass cleaner or something like that and then give it a quick rub with Orange Glo and a little bit goes a long way.


Right after I tried it for the first time I was visiting with someone who has everything stainless steel in their kitchen and I was telling them about it they handed me some cheap version of orange glo so I sprayed it on wiped it off and it didn't work. It is worth a few extra bucks to have Orange Glo around the house. I saw they are now making an Orange Glo Stainless Steel Polish but I have not tried it. I'll stick with my regular Orange Glo because I can use it on both my stainless steel and also on my wood.

Give it a try I know you will love it too!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Buttermilk Pancakes

Everyone needs a basic pancake recipe in their file. Most everyone loves pancakes and you can always dress them up many different ways by adding fresh fruit, flavored syrup, powdered sugar or any other idea that may come to mind. One great thing about pancakes is that they are great for breakfast, brunch or even a pancake supper.

Scott and I were watching "Throwdown" last night on the food network and this one was when Bobby Flay was challenging a couple on their pancakes. So, I thought I would add our favorite pancake recipe.

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside. combine the egg, buttermilk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Add additional buttermilk to thin batter, if necessary.

Fro standard-size pancakes, pour or spread about ¼ cup batter into a 3-inch circle onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. For dollar-sized pancakes, pour or spread about 1 tablespoon batter into a 1-inch circle onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat about minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown, turning to second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces, edges are slightly dry.

Serve warm.

Makes 8 servings.


ENJOY!!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry

This is a new favorite around our house. I think we will be making this again and again. I warmed some up for dinner the next night and the bell pepper still had a little crunch to it. Scott always likes a little extra sauce on things so by using the bottled sweet and sour sauce he can add a little extra to his. I served it with rice this time around next time I think I may try it with pasta. You can also try it by adding extra veggies.



Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size cubes
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 cup ½"-wide stripes onion (about 1" long)
1 cup ½"-wide stripes green bell pepper (about 1" long)
2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic
¼ cup bottled sweet and sour stir-fry sauce

In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix well. Add the chicken and toss until the chicken pieces are thoroughly coated.

Place a large nonstick skillet or nonstick wok over high heat. When hot, add 1 teaspoon sesame oil, onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until garlic softens and the vegetables are crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or the garlic may burn. Transfer the vegetables to a large bol and cover to keep warm.

Return the pan to high heat and add another teaspoon sesame oil and half the chicken in a single layer. Cook until the pieces are lightly browned on the bottom. Flip the pieces and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the cooked chicken to the bowl with the vegetables. Return the pan to high heat, add the remaining oil, and cook the remaining chicken.

Return the vegetables and chicken to the pan to reheat if necessary. Transfer to a medium serving bowl, add the sauce, and mix until well combined. Divide the stir-fry among 4 serving bowls and serve.

Serve with rice.

Makes 4 servings


ENJOY!!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Buckeyes

Buckeyes have been a part of our Christmas tradition for several year now. Scott along with our family, friends and co-workers look forward to them every year.




Buckeyes


2 lbs powdered sugar
3 cups smooth peanut butter
2 sticks of butter
1 pkg. of Almond Bark flavored coating

Mix the first three ingredients and then chill for about an hour. Roll mixture into 1-inch calls, then return to freezer or fridge while you prepare chocolate. Melt chocolate over double boiler, then dip balls in chocolate using a toothpick, leaving a small part uncovered at the top. let dry on waxed paper.

Makes about 13 dozen YummY treats!!

* Almond Bark can be melted in the microwave.


ENJOY!!