Pistachio Salad

Alright..it really doesn't photograph well. Especially at 9pm at night as leftovers.

This is definately an old-timey recipe, but it's a nice, light-feeling dessert on a hot night.

I love it, and I don't even LIKE actual pistachios!

Pistachio Salad

(No idea..family recipe?)

1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple

1-3.4 oz. box instant pistachio pudding

1- 8 or 9 oz. (I can't remember which it is?) Cool Whip

1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions

- Mix pistachio pudding mix with pineapple and juices in bowl

- Add marshmallows and cool whip; stir until completely blended; spoon into a container to store in fridge

- Refrigerate until set; about 3 hours; serve.

- Makes approx. a 9"x9" pan of salad

"Ice Cream" Cone Party Favor

Aren't these adorable?? My mom had them for our Easter dinner, so I thought I'd share them with you. She purchased them from a woman who makes and sells them as little favors.

I don't have any instructions on how it's put together, but we dissected one and came up with the following:

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or, in the microwave.

Dip a large marshmallow into the chocolate, and then place in a small, child-sized ice cream cone, chocolate side down (probably have to go to a restaurant supply for the cones..they're pretty small?). This will keep the marshmallo adhered to the cone once it's dry. Then, gently take your marshmallow that's uncoated, and coat with chocolate. Either by dipping, or drizzling over. Add sprinkles, and let harden.

Adorable!

The pen is to give you an idea of size...hope it works!

Lemon Coconut Bread

I thought this combination sounded heavenly, so I baked up two loaves of this over the weekend. I took one into my co-workers....I may keep the other one!

Lemon Coconut Bread

(Baking Bites)

*Note: This bread is delicious on it's own, but toasted and slathered with butter it is a-ma-z-i-n-g!

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk (lowfat is fine)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened...it truly doesn't matter)

1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; grease and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan

- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt

- Stir in sugar and coconut

- In a medium bowl, or large measuring cup, whisj together the eggs, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla

- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture

- Stir until just combined and only a few streaks of flour remain

- Add in melted butter and stir until just smooth; being careful not to overmix
- Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

- Turn loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing

- Makes 1 loaf

Strawberry Cream Dessert

Sometimes, DH sees recipes, and brings them home to me to try. Since it's difficult to get him to tell me what he'd like me to make more of sometimes, I usually make anything he brings home as a request.

This was one of his requests, taken from a local 'free' newspaper called The Merchandiser. All the while I was making it, it sort of reminded me of my strawberry pretzel salad...I guess it was the use of jello and fruit.

There's a lot of 'processed' foods in this, but oh well. I'm far from a purist.

Strawberry Cream Dessert

(Local newspaper)

*Note from the recipe: This cool and elegant dessert will serve a crowd. You could use the chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos), for the crust if you'd like, but I think the golden variety is really nice.

30 Golden Vanilla Sandwich Cookies (Golden Oreos)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 (6 oz.) package Strawberry Jell-O

1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 (6 oz.) can pineapple-orange juice (DH and I had a conversation that they USED to sell these 6 oz. cans of juice similarly to how they sell mango and pineapple juice in the ethnic sections nowadays. I had no luck finding these little cans, so I just bought myself a 64-oz. Dole Orange-Pineapple juice in the OJ section, and had tons left over for drinking/smoothies)

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups mashed or pureed strawberries (about 3 cups if you're using whole berries)

1 (8 oz.) tub of Cool Whip, thawed

Directions

- Crush the sandwich cookies by placing in a heavy-duty plastic zip bag and pounding with a rolling pin (I would think a food process would do this much easier/faster/cleaner)

- Place crumbs in a 9"x13" glass baking dish and pour melted butter over it.

- Mix well with a fork, and press the buttered crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Set aside

- In a large bowl (seriously...use a HUGE BOWL), combine gelatin with the boiling water, and stir until the gelatin mixture completely dissolves.

- Add the pineapple-orange juice, and the cold water, and stir well. Add the strawberry puree and mix.

- Refrigerate until the mixture becomes a bit thicker (about 10-15 minutes)

- Using a wire whisk, stir the thawed Cool Whip into the mixture until smooth

- Chill in the refrigerator for another 10-20 minutes, or until the mixture thickens a bit more but is not set

- Pour over the crumb crust in the baking dish, cover, and chill for 4 hours or until set

- Dessert can also be frozen

- Serves 12-16

Irish Cream Brownies

These are delicious (assuming you like irish cream!)!

I made them as a test batch for a St Patty's day luncheon we're having at work -- wanted to make sure they were, err, "suitable" for work, while still containing booze!

They most certainly are -- delicious!

Irish Cream Brownies

(Culinary Concoctions by Peabody)

For the cream cheese swirl:

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

2 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream

For the Brownies:
6 ounces sweet baking chocolate (I used German sweet, you can use semisweet), chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

½ cup all purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the Glaze:
4 ounces sifted powdered sugar

1 tablespoon Bailey’s Irish Cream

milk to thin out (amount will vary)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F

- Lightly butter 8-inch square nonstick baking pan

- Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in medium bowl until light and fluffy

- Gradually add sugar and beat until well blended

- Beat in egg, Mix in flour, Irish Cream, and vanilla. Set mixture aside

-Stir baking chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth, Cool slightly

- Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in large bowl until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes

- Mix in flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in chocolate mixture and extracts. Stir in chocolate chips.

- Spread half of chocolate batter (about 1 1/4 cups) in prepared pan

- Using rubber spatula, spread cream cheese mixture over chocolate batter

- Spoon remaining chocolate batter over top of cream cheese mixture

- Using tip of knife, gently swirl through batter, forming marble design.

- Bake brownies until tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes

- Make glaze: Combine powdered sugar and Irish cream. If too thick thin out with milk

- While still warm brush (using a pastry brush) glaze over brownies

- Let sit for 15 minutes

- Cut into squares

Fastnachts

Have you ever heard of them? Can you even say it?
Fastnachts (fost-knots) are a huuuuuuuuge deal where I'm living now. York and Lancaster areas of Pennsylvania (south-central in the state) have a large population of "Pennsylvania Dutch" and those folks love these little doughnuts, called fastnachts.

The fastnacht is basically a fatty doughnut (read: carbohydrates from heaven) that is served on "Fastnacht Day" -- the Tuesday before Lent begins (also known as Fat Tuesday for our N'Orleans folks!). Wikipedia tells me they were originally created to use up all the lard, sugar, fat and butter before beginning Lent.

Seems like a pretty good deal to me!

There are only two places that really embrace the fastnacht -- Lancaster/York areas of Pennsylvania, and a town in Switzerland called Basel. Basel actually has a festival for the little buggers!

There are also different types of fastnachts - the german fastnacht is basically a yeast doughnut that can be filled with cream or jam, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar....but the Pennsylvania Dutch version is the best: a potato-dough, fried and dusted with powdered sugar.

Anyway -- now that you've been educated, I'm passing along a delicious recipe and some pictures. I didn't make these little wonders -- the mother of one of DH's high school friends makes THOUSANDS of these little lovlies every year on Fastnacht day, and she's always happy to share them with everyone!

Recipes vary greatly -- some fry in oil, some in lard, for example -- but here is an example that is very "Pennsylvania Dutch"

Fastnachts

(Bella Online)

2 cups milk
1 cup mashed potatoes (no salt, milk, or butter added)
1/2 cup sugar + 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 stick margarine
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
6-1/2 cups flour (divided, 2 cups + 4 1/2 cups)
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 can (3 pounds) Crisco® or similar vegetable shortening for frying

- Scald the milk

- In a large mixing bowl, combine the scalded milk with the mashed potatoes

- Add 1/2 cup sugar plus the margarine and mix with an electric mixer (If the mixture is still warm, cool to about room temperature before proceeding with next step)

- Dissolve the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in barely warm water

- Add to the potato mixture and mix well. Add 2 cups flour and mix again. Cover with a towel and let rise for 25 minutes
- Add the salt and beaten egg to the mixture

- Add 4-1/2 cups flour, stirring it into the mixture with a large spoon

- Turn onto a well floured board and knead for about 3 to 5 minutes

- Add a small amount of extra flour if necessary so the dough can be handled without sticking to your fingers

- Grease a large bowl and place the dough in the greased bowl, cover with a thin towel, and let rise in a warm, draft free place for about 2 hours or until it is at least double in size
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough 3/4" thick. You can use a doughnut cutter to cut the dough or cut as typical Fastnachts - Cut the dough into 3" to 4" wide strips, then cut the strips into 3" to 4" pieces

- To allow the center of Fastnacht to fry completely, cut a small slit in the center of each piece, using a sharp paring knife

- Arrange the pieces of dough, about 1-1/2" to 2" apart, on large wax paper lined trays

- Cover each tray with a thin towel. Place the trays in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough pieces have raised to about double in size
- Heat the shortening to 365º. Deep fry until both sides are golden brown, turning one time.

- Drain on white paper towels. Cool completely before serving

- Store in a covered, airtight container. Makes about 20 to 24 Fastnachts, depending on size

- This recipe can be doubled with no change in preparation directions

- When cool, place in a ziplock bag with powdered sugar and shake to coat

Almond Sandwich Cookies

I made these as a little Valentine's Day treat for my co-workers. Mmmm..they're delicious.


I could've sat down with a glass of milk and ate the entire batch!! I'll definately be making these again.

I made them per the instructions this time (using the pre-made sugar cookie dough), but I'd like to try making them with a homemade sugar cookie dough recipe next time. Biggest reason being that the recipe claims this makes 7 1/2 dozen sandwich cookies. Uh...I got more like 2.5 dozen.

Almond Sandwich Cookies

(Pillsbury)

Cookies

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon granulated sugar (I used large granule sugar instead)

Filling

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 teaspoons milk (I actually needed a smidge more...)

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 drop red food coloring (I used 2 -- and use whatever color you want!)

Directions

- Heat oven to 350 degrees F

- Break up the cookie dough into a large bowl and stir or knead in additional flour and almond extract until well blended (I just used my Kitchenaid mixer with the paddle)

- Shape dough into 1/2" balls and place balls 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets

- Press bottom f glass dipped in granulated sugar on each ball until 1/4" thick; prick the top of each cookie with a fork (I ended up rolling the balls in the sugar and then proceeding -- my sugar wouldn't stick to my glass)

- Bake 6-8 minutes, until set but not brown. Cool 1 minute then remove from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack and cool completely (about 20 minutes)

- To make the icing, beat filling ingredients together with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth and creamy. Spread about 1 teaspoon (this seemed like a lot for a 1/2" cookie...) on the bottoms of half the cookies, then top each with another cookie, bottom side down. Press gently.

- Store in the refrigerator; remove 15-20 minutes before serving for optimal flavor.

Lemon Delight

I grew up eating this plain/simple dessert. It "feels" like a light dessert, but don't be fooled -- it still contains an entire can of condensed milk!

This dessert is especially good in the summer -- it's a frozen dessert, so it's a refreshing, and it keeps for a long time (A few weeks) in the freezer, so it's easy to have on hand.

Lemon Delight

(Family Recipe)

2 tbsp butter

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tbsp graham cracker crumbs for topping

- Melt butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs, then press into the bottom of an 8x8 dish

1 (21 oz) lemon pie filling

1 small can, Eagle Brand Condensed Sweetened Milk

1/2 cup "Real Lemon" juice

- Beat ingredients together until smooth, then pour the lemon mixture on top of the graham cracker crumbs

1 (8 oz) Cool Whip

- Spread Cool Whip on top of lemon mixture, and sprinkle remaining graham cracker crumbs on top

- Freeze for at least 3 hours before serving. To serve, sit out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to make it easier to cut.

- To make it "fancy": slice lemons thinly and place on top of cool whip.

Velvet Crumb Cake

We've had some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Florida strawberries in our local farmers market lately, and its such a nice pick-me-up from all the cold weather, snow, and ice. I think DH and I have been through 5 quarts in 2 weeks!

What with all of this happy strawberry deliciousness, I thought I should share my favorite way to eat strawberries...

I grew up eating strawberries and shortcake, like most people. But after I met my DH, his mother introduced me to Velvet Crumb Cake.

I've never looked back.

I scoff at your shortcake! Your shortcake has nothing on the velvet crumb!

This cake is amazing. The recipe was originally a whole cake that had nothing to do with strawberries (I'll post the Honey Crisp Topping that's supposed to go on it at the bottom of this post), but somewhere along the line, the cake-sans-topping became the most delicious accoutrement to fresh strawberries that I'd had in a long time!

I didn't photograph it the way I like to eat it, because it's not the prettiest thing: I like to put a slice of this cake in a bowl, top it with strawberries that have been sitting in some sugar, then pour about 1/2 cup of milk over the whole shebang, and top it with whipped cream.

Oh my god, it's sinful. And heavenly. All at the same time.

Velvet Crumb Cake

(Mother-in-law)

1 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp shortening (I use butter)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

- Heat oven to 350 degrees F

- Blend all ingredients in a large mizer bowl on low speed 1-2 minutes, scraping the bowl frequently

- Beat 4 minutes at medium speed in your mixer bowl

- Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8x8 (or 9x9) square pan

- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

- (If using the Honey Topping listed below...) While warm, spread with Honey Crisp Topping

- (If eating it with strawberries like I do...) Cool, slice and serve.

- I store mine in the refridgerator to get more life out of it, but that's up to you.

Honey Crisp Topping

3 tbsp butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup crushed Wheaties cereal

1 can (8.5 oz) crushed pineapple, drained

- Mix together and spread on warm Velvet Crumb Cake

Apple Pie Bars

Of all kinds of pie, apple is my favorite -- by far. But really, the part I love about pie is the crust --not the fruit.

And to top it all off, I really don't like making pie crust. I can do it, I just HATE IT.

So these bars seemed like the perfect solution! Apple pie, in bar form, with more "crust" -- awesome!

They really are delicious. You could omit the nuts if you wanted, but they add a nice crunch to the strusel topping, so I recommend you use them.

Apple Pie Bars

(Peanut Butter and Julie)

*Julie says it makes 12 bars...I cut mine smaller and got about 18

For the filling:

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

For the crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

For the strusel:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, as I used)

Directions

- Cook the apples: In a large skillet or stockpot over medium heat, combine apples with the brown sugar, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon and cardamom. Cover the pan for 5 minutes to allow the juices to release, and then uncover and cook, stirring occasionally until the apples have turned a golden brown and there is almost no liquid left in the pan (Julie says 15-20 minutes -- but my apples were super-juicy and took a little longer). Set aside apples to cool.

- Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and butter the foil. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix to blend. Then, on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients until just combined. With lightly floured hands, press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the crust is golden-brown.

While the crust is baking, prepare the streusel.

- For the streusel: Combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in pecans (or walnuts).

- When the crust is done, immediately spread the cooked apples evenly over the hot crust. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples, lightly pressing to adhere. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake the bars for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned and crisp.

- Let the pan rest to cool and chill for several hours before cutting. Lift the bars out of the pan with the foil and cut on a flat surface.

- Julie says to dust the bars with confectioner's sugar and serve -- I omitted the confectioners sugar

Some Notes:

- Julie reccommends granny smith apples here, but you can use your favorite baking apple

- To get nice clean lines on your bars when you cut them, you must let them cool for a few hours. Fresh out of the oven, they're too soft to stand up to a knife

- I'm sure you could omit the cardamom if you don't have it (it's pretty expensive..) but if you have it, throw it in. It adds a nice undercurrent of flavor to the apples.

Sunshine S'mores Cupcakes

First, I have no idea why these are "Sunshine" S'mores Cupcakes. For me, they're just S'mores Cupcakes.

I made these because I had 1/2 jar of Marshmallow Creme left from making S'mores Bars. These were pretty good, but not nearly as good as the Bars!

They did provide some cute photos, though...

S'mores Cupcakes

(Allrecipes)

1 (18.25 oz) French Vanilla cake mix

2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 cups water

3 egg whites

24 milk chocolate candt kisses

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 24 muffin cups with paper liners

- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs, water, and egg whites

- Beat for 2 minutes at high speed of an electric mixer

- Divide the batter evenly among paper-lined cups, filling about 2/3 full

- Place a chocolate kiss in each cupcake, pressing in lightly

- Spoon 1 teaspoon graham cracker crumbs onto each cupcake

- Bake at 250 degrees F for 18 to 25 minutes (Mine took exactly 18)

- Remove from oven and top each cupcake with 1 teaspoon marshmallow creme -- dip spoon into hot water to prevent sticking

- Return to oven for about 1 minute to melt slightly

Notes:

- For the hot water/spoon trick, I had to dip my spoon in hot water before EVERY spoonful of creme or I got a sticky mess

- I also moistened my fingertips, and that allowed me to scoop the creme out of the spoon and try to arrange it on the cupcakes with minimal stickiness

- These are WAY BETTER warm, so if you have leftovers, just pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds to heat everything up again.

Southern Peach Cobbler

Since DH had brought me home so many peaches, I figured I needed to make a dessert with them!

I rather hate making pie, so when I came across this cobbler recipe, I thought I'd give it a shot instead.

It was the best cobbler I've ever had. Hands down. And it would be JUST as good with any type of fruit!

The most impressive part is the fact that we finished the last of the cobbler 6 days after I made it -- and the topping was still nice and crisp! No soggies!

Southern Peach Cobbler

(All Recipes)

8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I omitted)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch.

- Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish (I used a 9 x 13 pan and it worked great).

- Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.

- Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. - Stir in water until just combined.
- Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them.

- Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

- Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes. (Mine was only about 23-25 minutes)

Sorry for the pictures -- I didn't get any single-serving images!

Edit: I've entered this cobbler in Joelen's Culinary Adventures blog event -- Cobblers, Crumbles, and Crisps, Oh My!

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Everybody's mad for blueberries these days! 

These little numbers showed up over on Smitten Kitchen, and -- like most things Deb makes -- the pictures were so crisp and clear, you could almost TASTE them through the computer screen.

I had to have them. 

They really are delicious. My blueberries were just a weee bit tart, and I probably should've added a bit more sugar, but I pretty much followed the recipe exactly.

I also love that they're EASY. So many crumb bar recipes are too many ingredients and too much time!

Mm, mm, mm!!

Blueberry Crumb Bars

(Smitten Kitchen)

(Deb says she got 36 bars. Apparently I cut bigger than her - I got 24)

Crumb

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cold butter (2 sticks)

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

zest of 1 lemon

Blueberries

4 cups fresh blueberries (Deb does say you can use frozen!)

1/2 cup white sugar

4 teaspoons cornstarch

juice of 1 lemon

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9x13 pan

- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in the salt and lemon zest

- Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend the butter and egg into the flour mixture. Dough will be crumbly

- Pat half the dough into the prepared pan

- In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries

- Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the prepared crust

- Crumble the remaining dough over the berry layer

- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown (Deb said, and I agree, that this took an additional 12 minutes for me in my oven!)

- Cool completely before cutting into squares

I Swore I Wouldn't Bake

I swore I wouldn't bake. I swore I wouldn't make anything "picnic" or "get-together"-worthy this weekend. I told myself it was because DH and I didn't have any plans...and because we've both been carrying an extra 3-4 pounds lately that won't budge.

But that was really only half of it.

On some level, it was my rebellion against living far away from my family (who always gets together for holidays in some form) and living near my in-laws (who never celebrate holidays, it seems). It was my rebellion against my tiny 1-bedroom apartment on the third floor of a building that doesn't allow grills. My rebellion against a kitchen that makes a sailboat galley look enourmous. My rebellion against being able to celebrate the 4th of July outside, in the country -- no sounds but the animals and friends and family laughing, and the crackle of a bonfire that we'd roast marshmallows on later.

And I was doing pretty well. Until this.

S'mores bars? Could it be??? Could it be that I could have a s'mores this weekend? Sure, it wouldn't be charred -- but it has to be better than a microwaved s'more, right?!

With renewed hope, I flew to the store, bought the three things I didn't have (graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow fluff -- all the actual s'mores pieces), and promptly made these.

I'm still missing the bonfire, the friends and family, and the 4 different kinds of meat and pasta salad -- but at least I had a s'more for the 4th of July. :-)

And you're getting no-natural-light pictures, because I couldn't wait until tomorrow :-)

S'mores Cookie Bars

(Found at Lindsey's Blog -- Originally a Hershey's recipe)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 (1.55 oz each) Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars

1 cup marshmallow creme (or Fluff -- as I call it!)

Directions

- Heat oven to 350 degrees farenheit

- Grease an 8-inch square baking pan

- Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy

- Add egg and vanilla; beat well

- Stir/sift together all-purpose flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture and beat until blended

- Press half of the dough into the prepared baking pan

- Arrange the chocolate bars on top of the dough, breaking as needed to fit

- Spread with marshmallow creme (I took Lindsey's advice here and sprayed my spatula with Pam -- made a HUGE difference!!)

- Scatter bits of the remaining dough over the marshmallow; carefully press to form a layer (I think next time I might try to gently roll out this half of the dough and lay it over the creme...that would make my top layer more even and smooth) **Make sure you really press this down -- I had some trouble with my top layer separating from the fluff.

- Bake 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned

- Cool completely in pan on wire rack

- Cut into bars

What Happened to Jello??

Warning: Jello does NOT photograph well.

Growing up, I remember my grandmother always had several varieties of jello and canned fruit in her pantry (along with a little Dream Whip to make things fancy!) -- so my question is:

What happened to jello??

Jello and fruit used to be a common, light dessert for my family, and my grandma was happy to "whip up a batch" when she knew we were coming over. She had several varieties (admittedly, my favorite was orange jello, mandarin oranges, and dream whip), and it was always a nice, cool treat in the summer.

In honor of the weatherman, who told me our "hot and humid" weather for the summer will be setting in this week, I've brought jello back. This actually isn't one of grandma's jello's, but it's still delicious.

(And perhaps Grandma's recipes -- for jello and otherwise -- will be making an appearance in the coming weeks. I'm feeling nostalgic!)

Strawberry-Cranberry Jello Salad

2 cups boiling water

1 large box cherry jello (Feel free to use sugar free if it floats your boat)

1 can whole or jellied cranberry sauce (I think mine was 14 oz. maybe smaller. whatever standard cranberry sauce is!)

1 20-oz can crushed pineapple (drained)

1 box frozen strawberries (thawed -- do not drain)

Directions

-Dissolve jello in the boiling water, and add cranberry sauce.

- Smash until the cranberry sauce is dissolved into the jello mixture.

- Add strawberries and drained pineapple.

- Stir and refrigerate until solid.

P.S. - If you were really old school -- this jello would make jello molds really well, I think! It's a good, solid jello!

Oatmeal Fudge Bars (Ooey Gooey Bars)

These are similar to a blondie brownie (I think? I've never had a blondie) with a fudge layer on top. They're very tasty!

I made them as a quick dessert for a memorial day get-together.

Oatmeal Fudge Bars

(Chera's Recipe)

Brownie Layer:

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups oats (you can use quick or regular -- i use regular)

1 cup butter

2 eggs

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions for Brownie Layer

- Cream together butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla

- Add flour, baking soda and salt to the mixture

- Mix well

- Stir in the oats (I reccommend doing this by hand)

- Press 2/3 of the batter into a 15" x 10" pan (I often use a standard 13" x 9" with no problem...just makes a thicker brownie)

Chocolate Layer

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz can)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup nuts or coconut (optional)

Directions for Chocolate Layer

- Melt the chocolate chips, butter, and sweetened condensed milk over low heat

- Add the vanilla, salt, and nuts/coconut to melted mixture

- Spread the chocolate mixture over the 2/3 pressed batter

- ** Don't spread to the edge of the pan -- the batter will expand during cooking**

- Drop remaining 1/3 batter by little pieces on top of the chocolate layer, slightly pressing them flat between floured fingers) (I think you could make cute shapes with this remaining batter if you were so inclined)

- Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

"Pittsburgh-style" Rice Krispie Treats (Butterscotch & Chocolate)

I call these rice krispies "Pittsburgh-style" because I'm from that area of the world, and when I moved away from there, I discovered not many people knew about these!

Looking back, I thought these were the only kind of rice krispies for a LONG time!

I love them, they're affordable to make, and they're easy. What more could you ask for??


Pittsburgh-style Rice Krispie Treats
(Source: Moi)

(Original recipe makes 1 8"x8" pan)

1 - 6oz. butterscotch chips/morsels (you can also use peanut butter morsels)
1 - 6oz. milk chocolate chips/morsels
1/2 cup peanut butter
4 cups rice krispie cereal
1 tbsp. water

Directions
- Melt the butterscotch morsels and the peanut butter in a non-stick pan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Pour the butterscotch-peanut butter mixture over the rice krispie cereal in a bowl, mixing until completely coated.
- Press 1/2 of the rice krispie/butterscotch-peanut butter mixture into an 8x8 pan with a fork, then (the first time you do this, you may be tempted to press with your fingers. don't. seriously. use the fork.)
- Refrigerate your 8x8 pan with 1/2 the butterscotch rice krispies.
- Melt chocolate morsels with the water over low heat in a non-stick pan.
- Pull your 8x8 pan out of the refrigerator and spread the chocolate over the layer of rice krispies.
- Refrigerate again for 5 minutes
- Press the other 1/2 of the rice krispie mixture on top of the chocolate-water mix
- Refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Remove from the fridge, cut into squares, and serve. I recommend pulling them out 10 minutes or so before you serve them, so the chocolate layer isn't rock hard.

- Refrigerate any leftovers

Cookies n Cream Cupcakes

Since my family lives far away from me, I knew if I didn't bake myself something delicious for my birthday, no one would!

I decided to make cookies n cream cupcakes...but I was worried they'd be no match for the Famous Strawberry Cupcakes I made last weekend...and I was so wrong!

These are deeeeeeeeeeeelicious!

Cookies n Cream Cupcakes

(Recipe from Natalie's Blog, originally from 'Cupcakes! By the Cake Mix Doctor')

Cupcakes

30 Oreo (or Oreo-like) cookies
1 pkg plain white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

-Preheat your over to 350 and line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

-Count out 12 Oreos and separate the top and bottom wafers. Make sure each half has some icing on it.(If you twist slowly and press you'll get some icing on each side)

-Place one wafer, icing side up, in the bottom of each paper liner.

-Crush the remaining Oreos by any means you like. I put them in a Ziplock and beat the bejesus out of them with a mallet.

-Place the cake mix, oil, sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds.

-Scrape down the sides and beat again on medium about 1.5 minutes more.

-Measure out 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreos and fold these into the batter.

-Set the rest of the crumbs aside for garnish.

-Fill your liners 3/4 full with batter and place the pans in the oven.
-Bake the cupcakes for about 18-20 minutes until they are golden and spring back when lightly touched with your finger.

-Cool in the pan on wire racks for about 5 minutes and then remove cakes from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

**Nifty hint from the original blog: A little trick if you get fewer than 2 dozen cupcakes out of this, take the liners out of the empty cups and fill them about half way with water. This allows the cupcakes to bake evenly.

Icing
I used my standard buttercream, here...but if you wanted something quick you could always use store bought.

Regardless of which you use, when your icing is ready, fold in the remaining crushed oreos, then ice your cupcakes.
Yum!

Standard Buttercream
(Mine!)

1-1 lb. package Confectioners Sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3-4 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

- Combine the sugar, butter, milk and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on low speed.
-Beat at medium speed 1-2 minutes until creamy.
-If you need to, add more milk until the frosting is the desired spreading consistency.

Makes enough to frost a 2-layer cake, one 13x9 sheet cake, or 24 cupcakes.

Famous Strawberry Cupcakes

These are the best homemade strawberry cupcakes you'll ever taste. They're simply amazing!

Advice Note: The recipe does not call for it, but I highly, highly, highly reccommend using baking cups. These cupcakes are delicate and very moist, and without the baking cups they tend to fall apart. Just FYI.

P.S. Katie also reccommends these cupcakes with a dark chocolate frosting, rather than the strawberry frosting given here. Yum!

Angie's* Famous Strawberry Cupcakes
(*I don't know Angie -- but Katie does)

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar (or a little less)
2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups fresh, chopped strawberries

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two cupcake pans.
- Sift flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
- In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time until combined.
- Add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla until just combined.
- Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Fold in chopped strawberries.
- Fill your cupcake pans 3/4 way full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Strawberry Frosting
1/4 cup strawberries
1 tbsp. strawberry liquor** (I had no luck finding this -- I omitted it, added 1/2 tbsp of water, and it still tasted DELICIOUS)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions
- Put the berries, liquor (or water), and lemon juice in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce to a simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
- Let cool (about 20 minutes) and then blend until smooth.
- In the bowl of your mixer, mix cream cheese and butter until creamy.
- Add sugar, then vanlla.
- Add berry puree until smooth.
- Frost cupcakes.

**Katie gives no advice on this, but, I store these cupcakes in the fridge because of the cream cheese icing.

3-Banana Banana Bread!

Ahhh...the beauty that is leftover bananas for banana bread. DH only likes them green, and I can only eat so many before they are too brown for my tastes.

I had only 3 leftover bananas, and the lovely ladies at the What's For Dinner? board on thenest.com were kind enough to provide me with this recipe.
3-Banana Bread
(Original recipe is in Katie D's blog)

**Have all ingredients at room temperature**

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
5 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 c. sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. mashed very ripe bananas (I used 3 medium-sized bananas)
optional: 1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts (I left these out -- simply because I didn't have any!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare loaf pan.
Whisk together flour, salt, soda, and powder in a medium bowl and set asdie.
In large bowl, beat butter and sugar on high speed until lightened in color (2-3 mins).
Beat in flour mixture just until blended and the consistency of brown sugar.(**this is katie's wording...I didn't think it looked like the consistency of brown sugar, so I just made sure it was all combined)
Slowly beat in eggs.
Fold bananas into mixture until just combined.
Spread mixture evenly into loaf pan.
Bake about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Let cool in pan on rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on rack.

This is a deeeeeeeeeelicious banana bread recipe! (I made it last night, and DH has eaten over half of it already!)