7 Grain Cereal Muffins

NEED:
1 cup seven-grain cereal
1 cup dried tart red cherries - can use cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cooking oil
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, slightly beaten

Grease 12 muffin-top cups, six 3-1/4-inch (jumbo) muffin cups, or sixteen 2-1/2-inch muffin cups. (Or, line standard muffin cups with paper bake cups.) Set aside. In a medium bowl combine seven-grain cereal, dried cherries, brown sugar, and oil. Pour buttermilk over mixture; let stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.

Stir beaten egg into buttermilk mixture. Add buttermilk mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fill the muffin-top cups almost full or other muffin cups three-fourths full of batter.

Bake in a 400 degree F oven about 12 minutes for muffin-top cups, about 20 minutes for 3-1/4-inch muffins, or 15 to 18 minutes for 2-1/2-inch muffins or until golden. Cool on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from cups; serve immediately.

Makes 12 muffin tops, six 3-1/4-inch muffins, or sixteen 2-1/2-inch muffins,

ENJOY!

Toffee Bars

NEED:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/3 cup chocolate-covered toffee pieces - you can crush a Health Bar for this.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in flour and salt until combined.

Spread dough evenly in an non-greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until edges begin to brown and surface is dry. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Let stand about 2 minutes or until chocolate is softened; spread evenly. Sprinkle with nuts and toffee pieces. Let cool in pan on wire rack 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

Makes 36 bars

ENJOY!

Marshmallow Truffles

Just one thing to say about these..TDF ( to die for).
NEED:
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar
Toasted whole almonds, toasted pecan halves, toasted macadamia nuts, toasted hazelnuts (filberts), quartered pitted dates, and/or dried cherries
Powdered sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate squares, chopped
1 tablespoon shortening
Finely chopped toasted nuts, toasted coconut, or candy sprinkles
White baking chocolate, melted

Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper; butter the paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine marshmallow creme, butter, almond extract, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the 3 cups powdered sugar, beating until well mixed. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until mixture is easy to handle.

Lightly dust your hands with additional powdered sugar; shape marshmallow mixture into 1-inch balls, forming the mixture around a whole almond, pecan half, macadamia nut, hazelnut (filbert), date piece, or dried cherry (you may need more marshmallow mixture to completely cover the pecan halves and almonds). Place balls on prepared baking sheet. Cover lightly; freeze for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine semisweet chocolate and shortening. Heat and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

Line another large baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. Remove balls, a few at a time, from the freezer; dip balls in chocolate and use a fork to lift balls out of chocolate, drawing the fork across the rim of the saucepan to remove excess chocolate. Place balls on waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle tops with finely chopped nuts, toasted coconut, or candy sprinkles. Let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes or until completely set. If desired, drizzle truffles with melted white chocolate.

Makes about 40 truffles.

ENJOY!

Macaroon-Chocolate Bars

NEED:
2 cups crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with white filling (about 20 cookies)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3/4 cups flaked coconut
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 teaspoon shortening
Toasted whole almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over the pan edges. Lightly grease foil. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together crushed cookies, 1/2 cup sugar, and cocoa powder. Stir melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla into the crushed cookie mixture until combined. Firmly press cookie mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Stir in flaked coconut. Stir egg whites and vanilla into coconut mixture until combined. Spoon coconut mixture over crust. Using wet hands, carefully press the coconut mixture to edges of pan.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until macaroon layer is set and lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

In a small saucepan, combine chocolate pieces and shortening. Heat over low heat until melted, stirring constantly. Drizzle chocolate mixture over bars. Chill about 30 minutes or until chocolate sets. Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut bars out of the pan. Cut into 24 bars. Cut each bar diagonally to make 48 triangles. If desired, place a whole almond atop each bar.

Makes 48 bars

ENJOY!

Cappuccino Cookie Bites

NEED:
1 cup butter-flavor shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon coffee-flavor liqueur or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons instant coffee crystals
48 milk chocolate kisses with stripes or almonds


Beat shortening in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30seconds. Add 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until mixture is combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, liqueur, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough in the refrigerator about 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease cookie sheets; set aside. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and coffee crystals. Roll dough balls in sugar mixture. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated oven about 10 minutes or until tops are cracked and sides are set; do not let edges brown. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. If desired, while chocolate is still warm, swirl it gently using your finger or with a knife. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

Makes 48 cookies

ENJOY!

Chocolate Bombs

NEED:

1 cup butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan at low temp. In a bowl, mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla thoroughly. Sift the flour and cocoa into the sugar mixture and the add the melted butter - mix well. Pour the mixture into 12 - 1/2 cup non-stick muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes or until the muffins are cooked in the middle (poke with a toothpick and if comes out clean they are done). Cool them in the tins.

ENJOY!

Pumpkin Muffins

I had the BEST pumpkin muffins today..and went searching for a recipe that seemed like it would create the same ones. This came out very close...YUMMY.

NEED:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce

STREUSEL TOPPING
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven 350F degrees. Use non-stick cooking spray on the muffin pans, or use paper liners.

Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl, mix well the wet ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir together just until moistened. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, spoon batter into muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

For streusel topping: put sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter into a one cup mini processor and pulse until crumbly, 2-4 times. Sprinkle over muffin batter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool slightly.

ENJOY!

Quick and Easy Apple Dumplings

This is the perfect fast treat for a cold evening...and the house smells so great while they are baking.

NEED:
1 box (2 pie crusts)Pre made pie dough..the sort that is either folded or in a roll
4 to 5 medium to large apples
butter
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

You want the pie dough to be room temperature to make it easier to work with.
Peel and core the apples. ** coring an apple is not hard but can be annoying..and easy way...cut the apple in half and remove the core from both sides and then just place the sides together**
If you are using large apples, cut the sheet of dough into 3 pieces. ( if you are using small apples you MAY have enough in one sheet of dough to cover 4 apples )
Press the dough out a bit but not too thin.
Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl.
Place the apple in the center of the dough. Place about a 1/2 tablespoon of butter in the center of the apple. Sprinkle with some of the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg mixture and pull the dough up around the apple and pinch it together. Place in a lightly sprayed baking dish. Continue until all your apples are covered with dough.
In a small sauce pan:
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.
**If you didn't use all the other mixture when sprinkling the apples..pour the remainder in too**
Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 5 minutes..stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let sit for 2 minutes then pour over the dumplings.
Place in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly before serving as the apple filling will be very hot. You can serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

ENJOY.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

This is the cookie of all cookies. The cookies cookie dreams are made of. In my area these are known as "THE Pink Cookies" due to the color of the frosting. They are served at all school room parties and if lucky, in the school cafeteria. Many thanks to Jean Gawlik for sharing this recipe. Her mother, Marie Smith passed this down to her and it is now a staple in our school system.

NEED:
1/2 cup of butter or margarine
1/2 cup Crisco
1/1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Mix butter, Crisco and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. In separate bowl, mix baking soda and sour cream until baking soda is completely dissolved. Add to butter mixture. In separate bowl, sift flour and salt together. Add to wet batter and mix well. Dough will be sticky and could the used as drop dough, if desired. If too sticky, add more flour until it can be rolled 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Approximately 8 minutes.

Frost with a butter cream frosting....color of your choice...but I do promote PINK.

ENJOY!

Easiest Fudge in the World

NEED:
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Place chips and milk in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Microwave, stirring at 1 minutes intervals, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth and thick. Pour into greased 8" square pan and cool. You can also melt the chips and milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat.

Makes about 2 pounds candy.

ENJOY!

Strawberry Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins

This is ultra easy because you are going to start with a mix.

NEED:
Strawberry Cheesecake Muffin mix..any brand
Blueberries

Muffin tin to make 6 muffins.

The strawberries in the mix have been dried. So, to change the texture add about 1/ 3 cup of fresh blueberries. The juice from the fresh berries adds great extra flavor and moisture.

Follow the instructions on the package and then blend in the blueberries with a spoon.

Bake as directed. Cool completely on rack before serving.

ENJOY!

Killer Dark Chocolate Brownies

You can use regualr brownie mix if you like. I happen to be a fan of dark chocolate and it made this extra rich tasting.
NEED:
1 box of Brownie Mix ( Dark chocolate or regular)
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup chopped walnuts ( optional )
3/4 cup raspberry jam or preserves - lightly whipped with electric mixer

Make brownie mix as directed and blend in the marshmallows and nuts.

Grease or spray with cooking spray an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking pan.

Pour 1/2 the batter and spread evenly in the pan. Top with raspberry mix and top that with the remaining brownie mix.
*** you will not taste a lot of the raspberry but it adds a bit of "something" to the dark chocolate and adds moisture to the brownies***
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Done when inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Cool completely before cutting.

The marshmallow makes these the richest tasting brownies you will ever have.

ENJOY!

Simple Shortbread Cookie

NEED:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and sugar in large bowl. Stir in flour. If dough is crumbly, mix in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of softened butter.

Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut dough with cookie cutters into desired shapes. The dough can even be cut with a knife into wedges or strips for interesting designs. Bake about 20 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

ENJOY!

Rhubarb Shortbread Squares

NEED:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
FILLING:
4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
4 drops red food coloring (optional)
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Press into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

In a saucepan, bring the rhubarb, sugar, water rand salt to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Stir into rhubarb mixture. Cook and stir until gelatin is dissolved. stir in food coloring if desired. Cover and refrigerate until cooled, about 2 hours.
Fold in whipped cream. Spread over crust.

Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Cut into squares.

ENJOY!

Scones

NEED:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup raisins (or dried currants)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.
In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.

Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)

Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart.

Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

ENJOY!

Easy Jelly Filled Pastry

I just had some of these today...very yummy. They were a creation of my grandchildrens father, Nick Aguilar.

NEED:
1 eight count can of crescent rolls
Jelly of your choice

separate the rolls and with your fingertips spread the dough out a bit..like stretching pizza dough. Place a teaspoon of jelly in the center and fold the sides up..make sort of a round-ish shape. Place on cook sheet, seam side down and bake as directed on the package.


VARIATIONS:
You can sprinkle with powdered sugar
or
take: 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
heat over a low heat until sugar dissolves..let boil, slightly, to thicken. Let cool for one minute and then drizzle over the rolls before baking.
or
make the butter, brown sugar glaze and add chopped nuts and top rolls before baking.
To keep the nuts crunchy, toast in the oven (350 degrees) for no longer than 10 minutes. Let cool slightly and add to the butter, sugar mixture.

You can also use cream cheese instead of the jelly.

ENJOY!

Walnut Bars

NEED:
1 cup white sugar
1 pound ground walnuts
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
3 egg whites
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Combine the white sugar, ground walnuts, orange zest, orange juice and 2 egg whites. This mixture will become very sticky and paste-like.

Form the paste into a long rectangle on a smooth surface sprinkled with sugar so that it won't stick. The rectangle should be about 16 x 4 inches.
Make the frosting by mixing the remaining egg white with the confectioners' sugar. You don't need to beat the egg white first! You may need to add a little water, or a little more powdered sugar to form a paste that you can easily spread, but that isn't runny.
Spread the frosting over your rectangle. Use a knife covered with sugar to cut the rectangle into small 1 x 2 inch bars and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Oven at 200 degrees. Bake for about 35 minutes or until frosting is hard but still white.

ENJOY!

Apple Brownies

NEED:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
3 medium apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

9 x 9 baking pan

In a large bowl, beat together the melted butter, sugar, and egg until fluffy. Fold in the apples and walnuts. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just blended. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.

Oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 35 minutes. Done when inserted toothpick comes out clean.

ENJOY!

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

Carving a jack-o'-lantern is a ritual in our house — we even have a set of tiny saws that were made for the task. Another part of the ritual: toasting the seeds. After scraping out all of the inside goop, rinse and pat dry the seeds, lay them out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and roast them in a 200 degree F oven for 1 hour until they smell nice and nutty.
Let cool and place in an airtight container for a quick snack later.

Enjoy!

Spinach Pepper Jack Pizza

NEED:
8 slice(s) bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
2 package(s) (10-ounce) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained, and squeezed dry
3/4 pound(s) pepper-jack cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground black pepper
Two 12-inch store-bought pizza shells
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
2 tablespoon(s) grated Parmesan

Heat the oven to 425°F. In a large nonstick frying pan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

In a large bowl, combine the bacon, drained spinach, pepper jack, salt and pepper and mix well. Brush the pizza shells with the oil. Divide the spinach mixture evenly between the two pizza shells and sprinkle the Parmesan over the top.

Bake the pizzas directly on the oven rack (for a crisper crust) or on two baking sheets until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Notes: If you want to use fresh spinach, remove the stems and then wash the leaves well and shred them. Cook the spinach in one tablespoon of the bacon fat over moderately high heat until just wilted, about two minutes. Squeeze out the excess liquid and then combine with the other ingredients, as in Step 2. Since fresh spinach cooks down to such a small amount, you will need about three pounds to equal the amount of frozen spinach used here. If you don't mind having less spinach on your pizza, one pound per shell is fine.

ENJOY!