Cinnamon Bun Cake

courtesy http://www.keyingredient.com

Ingredients:

Batter:

3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter

Topping:

1/2 cup softened butter (original recipe calls for 1 cup but i felt that was too much)
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 tbsp cinnamon

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all batter ingredients together except for the butter.  Once mixed, slowly add melted butter and stir.  Pour into greased 9x13 pan.

Mix all topping ingredients together until well combined.  Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

While cake is warm, drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Crock Pot Corn Chowder with Bacon

Ingredients:

1 lb. bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled 
2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes (approximately 5 medium), NOT peeled, diced in 1/4 inch cubes 
8 cups (about 2 lbs) kernel corn 
1 medium/large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped 
1 cup chopped celery 
6-8 garlic cloves, crushed 
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt 
32 ounces chicken stock 
16 ounces half & half or heavy cream 
salt & pepper 

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT cream in the crock pot.
Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours
Blend about half the soup using an immersion blender (or just scoop it into your upright blender then return to slow cooker) Add cream and continue cooking, uncovered, for about another 15 minutes, until heated through.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Courtesy of Sally's Baking Addiction.com.  These are so good you'll want to double the recipe!
 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 Tablespoons pumpkin puree 
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft.  Fold in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes. Chilling is mandatory.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Roll the dough into balls, about 2 Tablespoons of dough each. Slightly flatten the dough balls because the cookies will only slightly spread in the oven. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes.  Makes about 18 cookies.

The cookies will look very soft and underbaked. Keeping them in the oven for longer may dry them out.  Remove from the oven and press a few more chocolate chips onto the tops, if desired.

Allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to a wire rack.  The longer the cookies cool, the chewier they will be.  Cookies stay soft, moist, and chewy stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Freezing directions: Roll the chilled dough into balls and freeze in a large ziplock bag for up to 2 months.  Baked cookies may also be frozen up to 2 months.

Peanut Butter Cookie Brownies

courtesy of Shugary Sweets.com

 

Ingredients

For the Brownie layer: 
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels 

For the Cookie layer:
• 1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt (I used plain salt, it was fine)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup peanut butter morsels
• 8oz bag Reese's mini peanut butter cups

Directions:

For the brownie layer, melt chocolate chips with butter for 1 1/2 minutes in microwave safe glass bowl. Stir until smooth. Add sugar, flour and eggs and combine completely.


Pour into a 13x9 baking dish lined with parchment paper.




For the cookie dough, beat crisco with butter. Beat in milk, vanilla, sugars, peanut butter and egg. Add flour salt and baking powder. Fold in peanut butter morsels and Reese's mini PB cups.

Drop cookie dough onto brownie batter layer. Smooth evenly.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Refrigerate and cut into bars.

Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, cooks for 4 homeschooled children, her cowboy husband "The Marlboro Man", their ranch hands, extended family and friends.  She cooks large meals and brings food to friends and neighbors.  I cook for...me.  Me and sometimes Joe and Casey (he doesn't eat much!)

Ree's original Cinnamon roll recipes makes close to 70 rolls.  So I quartered each ingredient and made about 20.  If you're making for a large crowd, her recipe is here.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 package Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets
• 2 cups (Plus 1/4 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) Salt
• Plenty Of Melted Butter
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon

 

MAPLE FROSTING: (adapted using REAL maple syrup)

• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• Maple Syrup to taste (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 Tbsp. Milk
• 1 tsp Melted Butter
• pinch Salt

Directions:

For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm.

Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.

Add 2 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine.

Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)

To assemble the rolls, on a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, the dough should be rolled very thin.

To make the filling, spread 1/4 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle ground cinnamon and 1/4 cup of the sugar over the butter. Don’t be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar! Gooey is the goal.

Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work.  When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down.

With a sharp knife, make 1/2-inch slices, about 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a bit of melted butter into cake pans and swirl to coat. Place the sliced rolls in the pans.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the maple icing: In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, and salt. Splash in the maple syrup. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add in more maple, sugar, butter, or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.


Remove pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top.

Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies

Courtsey of Nicole of Baking Bites, wonderfully peanut buttery flavored cookies loaded with goodies to give a salt/sweet taste. 

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp finely chopped roasted peanuts

2/3 cup coarsely chopped chocolate covered pretzels (1 cup whole)

2/3 cup mini peanut butter cups

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, peanut butter and vanilla until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture, then stir in the coarsely chopped peanuts, chocolate covered pretzels and mini peanut butter cups, mixing until well-distributed.

Drop dough in 1-inch balls onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until light golden around the edges.


Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Layered Cake with Cheesecake filling and Nutella Frosting OR May Birthdays = another new cake to try!

Although not as many as April, our family has several birthdays in the month of May...most come from within my house, so I usually host a celebration of May babies.  This day we celebrated Aryn, Matt, Casey and Mom  with a chocolate layered cake with cheesecake filling and Nutella frosting.

I used the pinterest posters original chocolate cake recipe which was delicious, but used my own cheesecake recipe.  Finally, the nutella frosting, which was also delicious is hard to work with because its very thin, more of an icing than frosting.  So the cake, while not pretty at all, was well received by all and a few wanted more.

Chocolate Cake

 

Ingredients:

 

1 3/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar in a cup of milk)
1 cup strong black coffee
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup mashed bananas
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Heat over to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 9" round pans.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachement or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder.  Mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, mashed bananas and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed for two minutes, the batter will be think.

Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.  Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.  Cool completely.

Cheesecake

Make your own cheesecake, or the recipe I used was:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, 8oz package
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs

 

Directions:

Cream the cheese and sugar.  Mix in vanilla.  Mix in eggs, 1 at a time.  Mix on medium until batter looks uniform.  Pour into a 9" springform pan.  Using a water bath, cook in preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.  Chill completely. 

  

Nutella Frosting

1 cup Nutella, chilled
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream.

Beat the Nutella with the cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in the heavy cream.  Sift in powdered sugar and mix in, in small amounts at a time.

Assemble: cake, frosting, cheesecake, frosting, cake and frosting.  Keep refrigerated but take out 10-15 minutes before serving, enjoy.

Moscato Strawberry Cake for April Birthdays

I was browsing through pinterest and came across a Moscato Strawberry cake that looked perfect to celebrate the group birthday party we have the for April birthdays in our family.  The strawberry icing didn't seem to be stiff enough for me to make the roses as I wanted them so I substituted with a perfect crusting buttercream recipe used by the original pinterest poster.  My practice cake was just a plain yellow cake with the buttercream icing.  The Moscato cake didn't come out as I had hoped.  Mine didn't raise, cake was too dense.  Tasted ok, but not sure I'd make again.  But the roses came out good (better in test cake wouldn't you know!)  and I'd make them again.

Test Cake:

 Moscato Birthday Cake:

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

(source: allrecipes.com)

 Love that ingredients are all stuff always in my kitchen, quick to make, tasty moist cookies to eat.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas
1 3/4 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  (My first batch came out too dark, I lowered the temp to 375 but it may be my oven.)

2.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

3.  Cream together the shortening and sugar, beat until light and fluffy.  Add egg, banana, oatmeal and nuts (I left out).  Mix well.

4.  Add dry ingredients, mix well and drop by the teaspoon on greased cookie sheet.

5.  Bake for 15 minutes (mine were 12) or until edges turn lightly brown.

Raspberry Magic Bars

Courtesy of Pinterest's "Mom on Timeout."

 Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (I use 2 cups, I like to make sure there's a full bottom crust)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted (I use an extra 2 tbls)
2 Tbls sugar
3 cups sweetened, flaked coconut
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup seedless raspberry preserves (or flavor of your choice) (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup white baking chips
1 tsp shortening

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar in a small bowl.
3.  Press into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish
4.  Sprinkle the coconut over the crust and drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top.

5.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until coconut is light browned.















6.  Let cool completely.
7.  Spread the preserves over the cooled coconut crust and sprinkle with pecans.















8.  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and stir until nice and smooth.  Drizzle over pecans.
9.  Melt the white chips in the microwave and add shortening.  Stir until nice and smooth.  Drizzle over the top.
10.  Let chocolate firm up and cut into bars.

Baked Potato Salad

(Source:  Taste Of Home Magazine, 1995)

I made this for our family reunion.  I was away while it was being served and when I returned my husband greeted me wide eyed and said "have you tasted this!"  It was being scarfed down, they loved it.  Its quite a bit of work, but worth it.

 

 

 

 Ingredients:

• 4-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 envelopes Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

• In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with oil and dressing mixes. Place in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool. Transfer to a large bowl; add peppers, onions, tomatoes, eggs and bacon. Toss gently. 

• In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over salad and stir gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Yield: 16-20 servings.

Crockpot Ground Beef and Barley Soup (Source: Lindsey'sLuscious, 2011)

My co-worker, Professor Gina Lindsey is a marvelous cook and has a great blog: http://www.lindseysluscious.blogspot.com.  I have made many of her recipes, but this one is one of my favorites.

Crockpot Ground Beef and Barley Soup (Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups thinly sliced carrots (4 medium)
1 cup chopped onion (1 large) or 1/2 large onion and one leek, thinly sliced  
1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks) 
1/2 cup chopped red pepper (or use roasted ones from a jar)
2-4 cloves garlic, minced (I love garlic, so I used 4!)  
48 ounces beef broth  
1 28-ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes, undrained 
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce  
1 cup medium barley (uncooked)  
2 bay leaves  
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed, or 2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano  
1 teaspoon dried thyme  
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne (to taste)  
1 teaspoon black pepper 
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

In a large skillet cook beef, carrot, onion, celery, sweet pepper, and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain well; add to crock pot.

Stir in beef broth. Add undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, barley, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, dried or snipped oregano, thyme, cayenne, black pepper, and salt.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours until barley is tender. Discard bay leaves before serving.  Finely-shredded Italian cheese blend makes the perfect garnish.

Makes five quarts