Mock Apple Cobbler- Karlene Von

10 cups sliced, peeled, take out seeds of Zucchini
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 BIG tablespoons of cornstarch
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 1/2 c. water

Bring these to a boil then simmer until soft (about 7-10min). Pour into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of cinnamon on top of "apple mixture" and top with 1 box dry cake mix.(Yellows the BEST). Can add sliced butter chunks on top for added fattening about 1 stick.
 Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Enjoy!!

Fast Whipped Jello - Karlene Von

1/2 c boiling water
1 small pkg jello

blend these together for 1 min in a blender

add 1 tray ice cubes

mix well and pour quickly into a bowl. take out any un-melted ice cubes. refrigerate for 25 min.

Valentines Day Ideas

I know this is so late... Let me know if I missed anything else that we talked about that night.


Chocolate Dipping - Louise Day

Temper your chocolate by bringing it to 115 degrees gradually so that you don't scorch the chocolate. Take the chocolate off the heat and bring it down to 80 degrees by either letting it cool or adding un-melted chocolate. Bring the chocolate back to 87 degrees and it is tempered and ready to dip in.
Un-tempered chocolate will harden with a white dusty coating and will not look as nice.


Chocolate Bowls - Karlene Von

You are supposed to use a blown up balloon for this, but Karlene found that using a silicone baking cup was much easier. Dip your item in chocolate and lay down to cool and harden. Repeat until you have the desired thickness. Yum!

These can be used as part of a date night with a crazy menu. Karlene has the details if you are interested.

Banana Cream Pie - Karlene Von

Karlene - I need this recipe:)

Apple Crumb Pie - Linda Jackson

Pie Crust:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1/2 tsp salt
Mix these 3 ingredients together with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly

Mix together: 1 egg slightly beaten, 1/4 cup cold water, and 1 Tbsp. vinegar. Add all at once to the flour mixture and stir with a fork until all is moistened. Divide dough into 3 balls. Roll out each ball on a generously floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough as well and on the rolling pin. The secret to good pie crusts is to roll out paper thin. Place in 9 inch pie pan. Cut dough off around edge of pie pan and flute edges. If you will be cooking the crust before adding the filling, poke the crust with fork in several places and bake at 425 degrees until lightly browned.

Apple Crumb Pie:

5-7 tart apples
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 3/4 tsp cinnamon

With pastry blender mix until crumbly:
1/3 C. sugar
3/4 cup flour
6 Tbsp. butter (not softened).

1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell

Pare and core apples. Cut in slices. Arrange in pastry shell. (apples should be heaping because they shrink down when cooked). Sprinkle sugar/cinnamon mixture on top of apples. Then top with sugar/flour/butter mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until done. Let set 1/2 hour before serving.

Cute Halloween Treat Ideas

Gummy Pumpkins - Lori Jackson

Cut a thin slice off each side of two gummy oranges so that they are sticky. Stick the cut sides together. Cut the bottom off of a green gum drop and stick it on top of the orange. Ta da! you have a pumpkin.


Root Beer - Louise Day

Stir together:
1 bottle of root beer stuff
5 lbs of sugar
5 gallons of water
dry ice


Witches Hats - Karlene Von

stick together Hershey's kisses and Fudge Stripe cookies using orange frosting - cute!


Scary Pudding Cups - Lisa Mercer

Melt chocolate and paint faces with it on the inside of clear cups
Make vanilla pudding and tint it green with food coloring - pour into cups
Top with crushed Oreo cookies

4 servings of pudding will fill 4 5 oz cups

Halloween Peanut Butter Fingers

1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c powdered milk
1/3 c + 2 Tbsp peanut butter
1/3 c + 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
small pretzel sticks
almond slices (for fingernails)

Mix sugar, milk, peanut butter, and corn syrup together to form dough (similar to play dough)
Form dough around each pretzel to create a finger shape. Add an almond for a finger nail and score with a knife for the knuckles. Keep refrigerated until serving. Makes 15

Almond Cheesecake Bars

Here is the recipe for the bars we had at our Enrichment Night with Dave Prows. Yummy!

Crust:
2 c flour
1 c butter - softened
1/2 c powdered sugar

Combine and press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min until golden brown.

Filling:
1 pkg cream cheese (8oz)
1/2 c sugar
1 t almond extract
2 eggs lightly beaten

Beat the cream cheese, sugar and extract together until smooth. Add the eggs and beat on low until combined. Pour over crust and bake for 15-20 min until center is almost set. Cool.

Frosting:
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 c butter - softened
1 t almond extract (we cut this in half)
4-5 t milk

Combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread over bars and top with sliced almonds.

Store in the refrigerator. Yield = 3 doz.

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with wheat flour and oats

This is doubled, makes about 6 doz.
Cream together:
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla

Then add:
2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Stir in 2 cups oats
1 bag choc.chips.

375 for 10-12 min. They freeze well too.

Sof Ginger Snaps - Linda Jackson

3/4 c shortening
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger

Cream the first four ingredients. Stir dry ingredients together and mix with creamed ingredients. Form dough into small balls, roll in sugar, and bake on greased cookie sheet for 6 minutes. Don't over bake.

makes about 30 small cookies

Home Made Ice Cream

The basics with an ice cream maker:

* when putting your salt and ice around the canister, layer them
* when the machine stops churning (it's done) take out the paddle turny thing (technical term = dasher) being very careful not to get any salt into the ice cream, replace the lid, and cover the lid with ice (no salt) and a towel. this helps the top of the ice cream to freeze a bit more.
* time to churn is usually about 20 - 30 minutes
* home made ice cream does not set up hard unless you put it in the freezer.

Food Sorage Ice Cream - Lousie Day

1 1/2 qt bottled apricot juice
1 gal of frozen peaches
2 tsp lemon juice
1 pt whipping cream
1/2 - 3/4 qt half and half
3 c sugar

Blend the frozen peaches with the apricot juice until you get the texture you want. Place all ingredients in the ice cream maker and churn. When the machine stop turning take the dasher out, replace the lid, and cover with ice and a towel to help the top freeze harder.

Rolo Cookies - Karlene Von

1 bag of rolo candy
1 devils food cake mix
1 egg
1/2 c water
3 Tbs vegetable oil

Mix everything but rolos together, dough will be dryish (crumbly moist). Flatten about a Tbs of dough and wrap it around a rolo. Place balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Optional: melt white chocolate and drizzle in top of cookies when they come out of the oven.

Makes about 30 cookies

Churros - Louise Day

by special request here is the Day's churro recipe - makes about 2 dozen 4" churros

1 c water
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c butter
1 c white flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

cook in hot oil until golden brown

Frozen Fruit Ice Cream - Merilyn Seifert

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
1/2 gallon pineapple sherbet
small bag frozen raspberries or strawberries
5 bananas, cubed

Place ice cream in large bowl and let soften just enough to be mixed. Fold in thawed frozen fruit with their juice and the bananas. Mix thoroughly being careful not to let it melt and refreeze. It needs to refreeze for about 8-10 hours.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares - Shellise Matagi

1/2 c sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c butter/margarine, softened
1/3 c peanut butter (creamy)
1 c flour
3/4 c quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 c chocolate chips

grease 13x9 pan. mix sugars, margarine, and peanut butter. stir in remaining ingredients except chocolate chips. spread in pan and bake 15-20 min at 350 until golden brown. immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. let stand 5 min until chips are softened and carefully spread them over the baked layer. refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes until chocolate is firm and drizzle with glaze.

Glaze:
1/3 c powdered sugar
2 Tbs peanut butter (creamy)
1-2 Tbs milk
mix until smooth and thin enough to drizzle.

Caramel Popcorn

This is a great recipe that I got from my old neighbor Rachel Bankhead. It does make a lot so I usually half the recipe.

1 stick butter
1/2 bag brown sugar (about 2 1/3 c)
1 c light caro syrup
1 c sweetened condensed milk
1 t vanilla
4 bags of microwave popcorn - I use a light kind and it works, I don't think I'd use a heavy butter kind.

melt the butter in a medium sauce pan with the brown sugar and caro syrup. stir pretty constantly until just before it reaches soft ball stage (softball is about 234 degrees). remove from heat and add the condensed milk and vanilla. mix well and pour over the popcorn in a large bowl.

If you are making a whole recipe you may want to split it into two bowls so that it is easier to stir. Also when putting the popcorn into the bowls I like to shake the bag to get all the un-popped kernels at the bottom and then scoop the popcorn out by hand so that the un-popped kernels stay in the bag.

Berry Smoothies - Kathy (Von) Moore

1 c frozen berries
1/2 c milk
1/2 c water
1/4 t vanilla
1/2 c sugar (can use less)

Blend all together and top with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. For a fancier look layer the smoothie, whipped cream and sliced strawberries parfait style. Delicious!

Fresh Strawberry Cheese Pie - Linda Jackson

Line 2 pie pans with graham cracker crust (approximately 4 c crushed graham crackers mixed with 1 1/2 - 2 cubes butter)

Mix:
2 - 8 oz packages cream cheese softened and beaten until smooth
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 t vanilla
1/4 c lemon juice

Pour evenly over pie crusts and let set in fridge for 30 min or more.
Mix 1 package strawberry junket according to directions on box (or 2 c strawberry glaze). Add 2 quarts fresh strawberries cut in chunks. Pour over pies and refrigerate several hours before serving. Can top with whipped cream if desired.

* for valentines I shape the strawberry topping in the shape of a large heart on the top of the cheesecake.

Chocolate Molten Cake - Helen Thomas

5 oz bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate (3/4 c of chips)
10 T (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c flour

Chop the chocolate into small pieces or use chips. Melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat. Set aside and cool slightly. Preheat oven to 450. Whisk eggs in a large bowl, then whisk in sugar. Slowly add in the chocolate mixture while mixing so that it doesn't cook the eggs. It is easier to add in the chocolate into the eggs with an electric mixer. Add the flour and blend well. Pour into buttered custard cups, very small bread pans, or cupcake papers. You can refrigerate the cakes at this point until you are ready to bake them - they should be eaten right after baking. When ready to bake, place the dishes on a cookie sheet and bake 11-12 min (14 minutes if refrigerated). When done run a knife around the edges to loosen them and turn over onto a plate. Serve immediately. Serve with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sause if desired.

Green Eggs and Ham Treats - Lori Jackson

For Dr. Seuss Day

Melt white chocolate or white candy melts and drop onto parchment or wax paper top while still warm with a green M&M with the M side down (or other green candy). These look just like the green eggs from Dr. Seuss' book. So Cute!