Cranberry - Raspberry Mousse Souffle

A must for Thanksgiving dessert!

1 cup raspberry juice

1 package raspberry gelatin (4 oz)

16 oz canned jelled cranberry sauce

2 cups thawed Cool Whip

Heat juice to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved. Beat sauce; stir into gelatin mixture. Chill until thickened, about 2 1/2 hrs.

Fold in whipped topping, blending thoroughly. Spoon into dessert dishes, 9' graham crackers shell, or serving bowl. Chill until firm, about 3 hours. 

Easy Peach Dumplings

Made these for an after school snack; Elena wasn't in the mood, Aaron liked everything but the peach, and I was teaching so I don't know about the other boys (don't know why I bother sometimes!).  Jill and I enjoyed them though!  I would've liked a bit more peach in the middle, but for a quick treat, they'll do.

crescent rolls

peaches

Wrap peaches inside crescent rolls.  Place in a buttered dish and pour the following sauce over it. (I used the following amounts for 16 rolls and it was fine.)

1 stick unsalted butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon juice

Melt butter, then add the other ingredients.  Stir until it boils and thickens up then pour the deliciousness of it over the rolls.  Take a can of 7-Up, Sprite, or Fanta and pour it around the rolls but not on top.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until they are golden brown.  You can sprinkle more cinnamon-sugar on top if you like; ice cream or whipped cream is always a good idea.

All-Day Apple Butter

5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Add all ingredients to list

Directions
Prep
30 m
Cook
11 h
Ready In
11 h 30 m

Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.
Cover and cook on high 1 hour.
Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.
Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

Jam Tarts( Apple Tarts)

Ingredients

10 Tablespoons (140grams) unsalted butter, room temperature (you can use margarine instead of butter)
1/2 cup (100grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (260grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4teaspoon salt

Filling
if you want to make jam tarts  1/2 cup jam
If you want apple tarts
Around 4 small or 3 midium chopped apple cooked with 1/2cup or less sugar , little bit of cinnamon about 30min on high temperature
You can use any kinds of fruits you can use

Direction

In the bowl of your electric mixer or hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2~3min).
Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until blended.

In a separate bowl , whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. And the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just until incorporated. Do not ever mix the dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough a few times to bring it together, and then divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic warp and refrigerate until firm (at least an hour)

Preheat oven to 400 degree F  and place rack in the center of the oven. Have ready 36 miniature muffin tins.
(I use normal size muffin tins)

Remove one portion of the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8inch thick. Using a lightly floured 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out the rounds and  gently press them into the muffin tins. Fill each pastry about two -thirds full with your favorite jam. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10~14min. Or until golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Can garnish with a dollop of whipped cream or clotted cream or sprinkle with finely chopped nuts.

Makes  36 miniature tarts.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

We are headed to a pumpkin party tomorrow, so it only seemed fitting to bring some homemade pumpkin ice cream. The little recipe booklet that came with my ice cream maker did not have a pumpkin ice cream recipe. I was hesitant, but it turned out fantastic, and sooooo yummy! And I don't even like pumpkin ice cream - go figure!

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. whole milk

1 c. packed light or dark brown sugar

2 tbsp. molasses or dark corn syrup

1 3/4 c. pumpkin puree (equal to one 15 oz. can)

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 1/2 c. heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

optional: 1 c. crumbled ginger snaps, vanilla butter cookies, or graham crackers

{I used ginger snaps and it gave the ice cream more of a spicy pumpkin flavor}

ice and salt {if needed with your ice cream machine}

Instructions 

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk, brown sugar, and molasses until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 mins.

Stir in the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmet.

Add heavy cream and vanilla. 

Pour mixture into machine bowl/container and make ice cream according to type of machine you have.

* the recipe recommends adding the crumbled cookies the last 5 minutes of mixing. I ended up mixing the cookies into the ice cream after it was all finished.

This ice cream has a soft, creeeeeamy texture. It is so yummy, can't wait to share it.

Happy Fall!

recipe found at: http://www.cuisinart.com/recipes/desserts/100.html

pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

So fall foods are everywhere these days - why not jump on the bandwagon ... even if it is still 95 degrees? At least mornings and evenings are cool and crisp, so we can pretend, right?!?

The original recipe is a gluten free recipe, but I just adapted it to what we had at home. I did try pecans in half the batch and chocolate chips in the other half. The muffin itself is not nearly as sweet as all the other pumpkin stuff out there {which is kind of nice}. But if you are looking for just the right flavor, maybe add more coconut oil? or syrup? or just the chocolate chips will suffice - they were the preferred muffin in our home.

Serves 5 dozen mini muffins or 2 1/2 standard muffins

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pie filing!)

1 c. OJ

1 c. oats (I used quick-cooking, but rolled oats will work also)

1/2 c. pure maple syrup

3 eggs

3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

2 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. chocolate chips

(I made the mini muffins and used the mini chips, which were perfect)

Instructions

1. Whisk together pumpkin puree, OJ, oats, syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. 

2. Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

3. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Scoop by heaped tablespoons into greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 for 16-20 mins. or until set.

5. Allow to cool slightly, then remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rake. 

* If using a standard muffin pan, fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bakte at 375 for 20-25 mins. or until set. 

Enjoy! Happy Fall!

recipe found at: http://www.onelovelylife.com/

oatmeal chocolate chip, cranberry, coconut cookies

Kristen (Adams) Graham shared this recipe with me - and I couldn't resist making them ASAP. They are DELICIOUS! Either share them or prepared to eat them all up ...

Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate, Cranberries, & Coconut

Recipe by Our Best Bites

http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup dark brown sugar (I used light brown)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract*

2 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife (very high altitudes may want to try adding 2 additional tablespoons of flour)

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon table salt)

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (I used chocolate chunks and they were awesome!)

3/4 cups coconut (Trader Joes has the best!)

3/4 cups dried cranberries

*If you want a stronger coconut flavor, you can substitute the 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract with 1/2 teaspoon of coconut flavor.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325. If desired, line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Beat the softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extracts and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the raisins). Add to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips, coconut, and cranberries

Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, drop the dough by the scoopful onto the prepared baking sheets. You should be able to get about 6 cookies per sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until they begin to turn light brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Makes about 16 giant cookies (or you can make more cookies that are smaller; you may need to adjust the bake time slightly).

banana almond muffins

Not the best photo, but some pretty yummy muffins. I had to {slowly} collect the ingredients - since I didn't have them all at home. But we gobbled these up pretty fast over the weekend {I was able to freeze a small bag-full for breakfast options for Avery}. You gotta try these!!!

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup almond butter

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

3 eggs

2 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey 

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1 cup almond meal 

{I found this at Trader Joe's - look in the Gluten Free section of your grocery store}

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, stir bananas, almond butter, coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract. 

Stir in almond meal, baking soda, and salt.

Mix until well combined.

Scoop into a greased or lined mini-muffin pan, fill each cup 3/4 full.

Bake about 20 minutes, or until cooked through. 

Cool and enjoy!

(I did make a few regular size muffins and they took 5-7 minutes longer to cook)

recipe found at: http://www.onelovelylife.com/

Black-Eyed Pea Dip

Ben grew up eating black-eyed pea soup on the first day of the new year - a sign of good luck. He never liked the soup, yet he felt obliged to eat it all for the sake of a good year. This year, I found this yummy dip recipe that we devoured with tortilla chips, so I am sure our year will be extra lucky!!!

Ingredients

1 can (14-ounce) Can Black-eyed Peas

1/4 whole Onion, Chopped Fine

1/4 cup Sour Cream

8 slices Jarred Jalapenos

1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

3 Tablespoons Salsa

Hot Sauce, to taste

Salt And Black Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain black-eyed peas and partially mash, leaving some whole.

Add all other ingredients, stirring to combine.

Spread into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips!

*Note: if you have them available, you can use the canned black-eyed peas and jalapenos (they're canned together.) If you do this, you can omit the extra jalapeños.

recipe found at: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/12/black-eyed-peas/

Lemon Crinkle Cookies (although I would call them Lemon Bar Cookies)

I made these last night for our Sunday dessert and they were really good.  They tasted like lemon bars but not as tart!  Kelly even really liked them!  They won the Cookie of the Year for LDS Living and I pinned them from Pinterest if you want a better, non-blurry picture.

Makes 2-3 dozen (unless you make them bigger like I did)

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Finger grabs

I had a bridal shower here the other night and a cousin of the bride offered to bring some mini donuts.  I had no idea what treat we were in for!  These are just some of the leftovers, but she had red, blue, yellow, and multi-colored sprinkled ones, and coconut, edible beads, gold flaked, and finely chopped almond ones.  She used one of those little donut makers, but said to use a cake mix instead of their recipes cause they turn out to dry.  They're done in 3 minutes, a little frosting (she used the recipe that came with the donut maker and it was good) and your decorations and voila!  They were so stinkin' cute and really yummy!

I made these cute treats-a Pampered Chef recipe from back in the day...They are also tasty little things, although a bit time consuming.  They aren't as cute here because I took this picture after the Saran Wrap and a night in the fridge got to them.  The recipe follows:

Nonstick cooking spray with flour
1	pkg (18-21 oz or 450 g) fudge brownie mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies)
2	square (1 oz/30 g) white chocolate for baking
2	tbsp (30 mL) milk
8	oz (250 g) cream cheese, softened
1/4	cup (50 mL) powdered sugar
1	cup (250 mL) thawed, frozen whipped topping
1	pint small strawberries, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Spray cups of Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies. Fill wells of pan two-thirds full. Bake 14 minutes or until edges are set. (Do not overbake.) Remove pan from oven; immediately press tops of brownies to make indentations. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove brownies from pan; cool completely. Wash pan; repeat with remaining batter.
2. Combine white chocolate and milk in large microwave-safe bowl; microwave on HIGH 1 minute. Stir until smooth; cool slightly. In large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar; mix well. Gradually stir in white chocolate mixture until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
3. Pipe cream cheese mixture into brownie cups; top with strawberries. Refrigerate 1-3 hours before serving. 

Yield: 4 dozen brownie cups

Nutrients per serving: (1 brownie cup): Calories 100, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Carbohydrate 11 g, Protein 1 g, Sodium 50 mg, Fiber 0 g

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Awesome cookies. Cannot stop eating them. You could easily 1/2 this recipe. Or make up all the dough and freeze it- or make up all the cookies and freeze them. Either way, you're gonna eat them all up.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
(makes 4-5 dozen)
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsbp. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. chocolate chips (I used 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 peanut butter chips)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350

Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. In a large bowl combine butter and peanut butter and beat until it is light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and white sugar and mix until combined. Add the eggs and mix for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is well combined and light in color. Add the milk and vanilla and mix again. Add the dry ingredients and mix briefly. While there are still large spots of flour, add the chocolate chips and then continue mixing until the flour is all mixed in. Let the cookie dough sit for 15 minutes before scooping onto cookie sheets.

Scoop the dough onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, making sure to not over bake- it may be hard to tell because they do not get golden brown, but keep an eye on them. Leave the cookies on the sheet for 2-3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. The cookies will look lightly undercooked but they will firm up as they cool.

They are so good. Too good.
Found this recipe at http://barefootandbaking.blogspot.com/

Baked Alaska

My friend, Tanja and I tried this out last week and it was heavenly. Ayrel has begged me to share the recipe. :)

We cut the recipe in half and it made a few big ones and a few small ones-the size all depends on what size of ramikin you use.

For the cakes:

2 c. sugar

1 1/3 c. flour

1 c. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

salt

1 c. vegetable oil

2/3 c. warm water

2 tsp. vanilla

6 large eggs, room temperature, separated

For assembling:

vegetable oil cooking spray

6 c. (3 pints) chocolate ice cream (we used Tillamook chocolate mud slide or something like that-I think the more chocolate the better)

For the meringue:

12 large egg whites, room temperature

3 c. sugar

pinch of cream of tartar

• Preheat oven to 350. Make the cakes: Sift 1 1/3 c. sugar, the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and 1 tsp. salt into a bowl. Combine oil, water, and vanilla in another bowl
• Whisk egg yolks with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. With machine running, slowly pour oil mixture into yolks, then add sugar mixture.
• In a clean mixer bowl, whisk egg whites on medium high speed, gradually adding remaining 2/3 c. sugar, until medium stiff peaks form. Mix on-third of the whites into cake batter, then gently fold in remaining whites.
• Divide batter between two 12x17 inch parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Bake until cakes are set and spring back when touched, 18-20 minutes. Let cool.

To assemble the Baked Alaska:

• Coat six 11 oz. (or whatever you have) ramekins with cooking spray; line with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang. Cut out 6 cake circles to fit in bottoms of bowls (we just eyeballed it and it was fine-if you're really picky, use cookie cutters) and place in each bowl. Top each with 1/3 c. (or however much you like!) ice cream, smoothing surface. Cut out 6 more cake circles to fit on top of ice cream and place on top. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes. (We actually did all the layers and froze them overnight and it was just fine, but I'll put what the recipe says)
• Top each cake with 1/3 c. ice cream, smoothing surface, and cut out 6 more cake circles to fit on top. This should fit just at the top of the bowl. Cover assembled cakes with plastic wrap overhang and freeze for at least 4 hours.
• To remove from bowls, open plastic wrap, flip cakes (or pull with the plastic wrap) onto a baking sheet and remove plastic. Freeze cakes while making meringue.

Finishing touches:

• Preheat oven to 500. To make the meringue: heat egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (basically a double boiler), whisking often until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes.
• Cover each assembled cake with about 1 c. meringue. Bake until meringue is browned, 2-3 minutes (ours took close to 4). Or, hold a small handheld kitchen torch at a 90 degree angle 3-4 inches from surface of meringue. Move flame back and forth until browned and caramelized.

To make ahead: assembled dishes can be frozen for up to 3 days. Meringue-covered cakes can be frozen for up to 4 hours (ours still tasted fine after a couple of days, though).

This recipe is supposed to make 9, so I don't know why it only calls for you to cut 6 cake circles each time...just work with what you have to make however many you can!

Creme Brulee

I don't remember if I've already posted this recipe, but I made it again the other night and thought I'd put it up anyway.

4 egg yolks

pinch or two of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 c. heavy whipping cream

brown sugar

*Lightly beat the egg yolks, then add salt and sugar gradually.

*Scald cream (not too much or it "cooks" the yolks) and gradually add to egg mixture, taking care not to overbeat.

Add vanilla, pour into ramekins (I found mine at Walmart in a pack of 4 for $5, and unless you use smaller ramekins, this recipe will make 4 ramekins).

*Put ramekins into an oven proof dish (like a casserole) and put about an inch of hot water in the dish.

*Bake at 350 for 45 min-1 hr, till the top is set. Remove from oven, turn your broiler on low, sprinkle some brown sugar on top, and put back in the oven.

*PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION!! It only takes 30 seconds to 1 minute for the brown sugar to caramelize.

One nice thing about this recipe is that you can cut the proportions down to make only 1 serving if no one else wants to indulge with you!

Bon Appetit!

Cheese Ball and Creamy Mint Brownies

The other night a friend and I threw a baby shower for another friend and I was put in charge of the food. Luckily, my prego friend has a lot of the same likes as I do, so it made it easier. Both these recipes received many a compliment, although the cheese ball went too quickly for a picture. The brownies are heavenly.

Cheese Ball

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 pkgs. sliced beef (Buddig brand is what I use), cut up in squares

1/2 green pepper, chopped

green onions, most of a bunch, chopped

garlic powder to taste

onion powder to taste

salt/pepper

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Form into a ball, cover and chill. Serve with crackers (duh).

Creamy Mint Brownies

1 pkg. fudge brownie mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 drops green food color (optional)

1 pkg (4.67 oz or 28 pieces) creme de menthe chocolate thins (like Andes)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x9 dish. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies. Pour into dish and bake 35-40 minutes till brownie is set-don't overbake. Cool completely.

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar, mixing till smooth. Add food color, if desired, and mix well. Spread evenly over cooled brownie.

Coarsely chop 18 of the chocolate thins, sprinkle over filling. Place the remaining 10 in a microwave safe bowl and melt them-do not overheat. Drizzle chocolate over filling and allow to set 5 minutes.

*This is a Pampered Chef recipe

Meatball Cassoulet and Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

This was our second go-around with this recipe, and we all enjoyed it as much as the first time. Sadly, our soup days are waning and I will be saying good-by to my foul-weather friend (aka my crockpot) for a season; I probably won't make a hearty pot of stew like this again until next fall.  We had it with some southwest-style cornbread and a yummy, easy strawberry rhubarb crisp, so I'm including both recipes. Is that allowed?


Meatball Cassoulet

2 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups tomato juice
1 12-ounce package frozen cooked Italian meatballs, thawed
8 ounces cooked smoked turkey sausage or Polish sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup finely choped carrots
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
white pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a 3-1/2 or 4 quart crock pot. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8-9 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 4-1/2 hours.

From the Better Than Mom's Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook by Better Homes & Gardens. I guess that means that when you make it, it will be better than when I make it!


Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

1-1/2 pounds rhubarb, stalks only, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 pint fresh strawberries (I cheated and used thawed berries - they were just fine)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest, freshly grated

Combine all ingredients and pour into a buttered 8-inch baking dish.
Cover with topping:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans (the recipe said to use walnuts, but we don't do that in Texas!)

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and walnuts; pour melted butter on top and toss to combine. Tumble over fruit mixture. Bake until fruit is bubbling and topping is browned, about 30 minutes, at 350.

Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla cream anglaise.

From Sweet Melissa Patisserie, Inc.

Monica and I went crazy baking goods for all who are in hardcore study mode. It was a very therapeutic night for the both of us! Here are the 4 recipes we made...enjoy!

Buckeyes
This is a newer, better version of the recipe I had last year

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1-2 tbsp. shortening/lard

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-line cookie sheet.
Press toothpick into the top of each ball and chill in the freezer for ~ 30 mins.
Melt chocolate chips in the microwave- add the shortening to help thin out the chocolate and allow it to cling to the peanut butter balls better.
Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick.
Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like the Buckeye nuts.
Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

sooooooooooooo gooooooooooooooood!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Harvest Chocolate Chip Cookies"
I wanted to make a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie without the moisture of the pumpkin because we were mailing some off to Monica's brother. So, I tried it out with Birgid's pudding cookie recipe. They don't quite hit the spot like moist-pumpkin cookies, but they taste like fall, and are quite good. Hence the change of name.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
*1 small package Jello Instant Pudding- Pumpkin Pie filling
1 cup margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
12 oz. package chocolate chips

*little bit of nutmeg and cloves to add some additional fall flavors.

* the Jello is a seasonal thing. I looked all over- found it at Walmart and at 1 of 3 local grocery stores. It may not be with the regular pudding mixes- you have to look and ask.

Mix flour with baking soda.
In separate bowl, combine butter, sugars, vanilla, and pudding. Beat until smooth and creamy.
Beat in eggs.
Gradually add flour mixture then stir in the chips- batter will be stiff.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls, about 2" apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 375 for 8-10 mins.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Chocolate Dipped Oreos

1 package of oreos- we made sure to get the Halloween ones
1 bag of melting chocolate (NOT chocolate chips!)
any sprinkles if desired
toothpicks

Melt the chocolate in the microwave- or with a double broiler on the stove.
Place toothpick on the side, through the filling.
Dip and cover the oreo cookie and place on a waxed baking sheet.
Quickly sprinkle some sprinkles on top before the chocolate hardens.

You can place these in the fridge or freezer to harden quicker.
Can be easily placed in cupcake linings for easy transport and sharing.

Mom's Apple Pie

I know everyone has mom's apple pie recipe in their family cookbook, but being that it is fall and apple season, I thought I would add her recipe in hopes of inspiring yummy smelling homes that remind you of home :)

Pie Crust
this makes three pastry balls- you can make an apple pie with a traditional crust and a second with a crumble crust, or use the third ball for a different pie- like a pumpkin pie!

Ingredients
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/4 cup ice cold water
2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 cup shortening

In a small bowl stir together the vinegar and egg with 3 tbsp. of the water.
In a large bowl mix flour and salt.
With pastry blender cut shortening into flour until fine like cornmeal.
Gradually stir in egg mixture with a fork, adding more water as needed, 1 tbsp. at a time until pastry forms a loose ball.
Divide into 3 separate, but equal, balls, packing tight like a snowball.
Wrap each ball in plastic wrap.
Chill for 30 mins to 1 hour.
When rolling out pastry use a pastry cloth and a rolling pin sock, lightly dusted with flour.

Filling
fills 2 pies- if only making 1 pie, cut filling ingredients in half

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. nutmeg
dash salt
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
12 cups thinly sliced tart apples (Granny Smith)

Preheat the oven to 425.
Stir sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together; stir into apples. Cover and set aside.
Roll 2 pastry balls into rounds for 2 9-inch pie pans.
Place pastry in the pans and fill with apple mixture.
Dot the one that will have a top crust with butter.
Roll out the last pastry ball and place on top of the pie.
Seal and flute edges; cut slits on top.
Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Fill second pie with choice filling (apples, pumpkin, etc).
Bake pies 40-50 mins, covering with foil for the last 10 mins. if needed to prevent burning.

* Crumb Topping
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 cup firm butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Blend all together with pastry blender until crumbly.
Sprinkle on top of the second pie.
yum, yum, yummy!

Peanut Butter Drops

You've got to try these! Kelly's Aunt Ellen has lots of food allergies, the most serious being gluten and dairy, so she's pretty limited in a lot of ways. We recently visited her in Hawaii and she had us try these. They were frozen, and still delicious (unlike a lot of other "sweet" things she can have) so I'm anxious to try them fresh. And they are incredibly easy to make...don't worry, I didn't forget any ingredients...give them a shot!

Peanut Butter Drops

2 eggs

1 c. crunchy peanut butter

1 c. sugar

Beat the eggs, then add the peanut butter and sugar and mix. Drop in small spoonfuls and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kyra gave me this recipe, and I LOVE it!
Of course, I had left over from that big zucchini, so I made some cookies for Ben [and me of course] and his classmates. This recipe doesn't make the crispy cookies, but the soft-melt-in-your-mouth cookies; I promise, the flavor in these is great, and they are a bit healthier than your regular chocolate chip cookie!

Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened (I use light butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a bowl

1 c. white flower
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Combine in a separate, small bowl; blend into liquid mixture.

1 c. finely shredded zucchini
12 oz chocolate chips (I LOVE the chunks)
optional (but not to most Jensens): 1/2 to 1 c. chopped pecans

Stir these into other ingredients, mix well. Drop by the spoonful onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!