Raspberry Trifle

This was so berry, berry good.  (Someone has been watching too much Strawberry Shortcake.)
I made this on the 4th of July, right after picking fresh raspberries at West Union Gardens.  Mmmmm.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup raspberry jam
4 cups raspberries
2 cups heavy cream (or more)
2 Tbl sugar
1 1/2 pounds favorite pound cake (2 loaf pans is plenty)
      ***I used the sour cream pound cake recipe from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

In a small saucepan bring 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water and lemon juice to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Let cool.

In another small bowl, combine jam with 3 cups of the berries, mashing slightly.

In another bowl whip the cream and the 2 Tbl sugar to stiff peaks.

Slice cake into 3/4" slices, brushing both sides with lemon syrup.

Fit 1/3 of the slices in the bottom of a trifle dish, trimming edges if needed.  Gently spread 1/3 of raspberry mixture, and then 1/3 of whipped cream.  Repeat twice, and then add whole raspberries to the top.

Refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Kit Kat Cake

I made this for Easter, but it would be super easy to replicate for any other occasion, switching up the candy type in the top.  It is especially handy to make if you aren't super confident in your frosting skills, as none of the frosting will show up! 

All you do is bake two round cakes.  Stack and frost them.  Line the outside with kit-kats (I think I used 22 sets of 2,) and then fill the middle with candy.  Voila!  

Chocolate Cookie Dough Dip

I read about this recipe on a blog somewhere, but I can't remember where.  We served it up at Abigail's birthday party.  It is decadently delicious.  We had it with graham crackers and nilla wafers as dunkers, but a spoon works equally as well.  :)

1 cube butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Melt butter and brown sugar together, stirring until bubbly and the sugar dissolves.  Add vanilla.  Set aside to cool a bit.

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together.  With mixer on low, stir in brown sugar mixture.

Stir in most of the chocolate chips, and then sprinkle the rest on the top.

Sugar Donut Muffins

Sugar Donut Muffins

3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk (low fat is fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract.

Divide batter evenly into 10 muffin cups or ~24 mini-muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.

Bake for 15-18 minutes for standard-sized muffins or 11-12 minutes for mini-muffins, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, melt butter and pour sugar into a small bowl.

When muffins are done, lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in sugar. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: ~10 standard muffins or ~24 mini-muffins

Pumpkin Dump Cake

I made this for Nathanael's birthday proper, since we were having a chocolate cake the next day at his party.  Notice the 34 pecans for his 34th birthday?  :)  The cake is perfect for the fall.  It is so very rich and filling, so small pieces do the trick.

6 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 cups pumpkin
2 cups evap milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

1 cake mix or equivilant
1 cup butter - softened
pecans

Mix the top 7 ingredients and pour into a greased 9x13.  Cut butter into the cake mix and sprinkle by spoonfuls onto the pumpkin mixture.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.  Sprinkle with pecans and bake another 10 minutes.

Quick Cobbler

I forgot to get a finished product picture of this one, because we munched it up. But here is the pretty summer fruit:

This is such a simple recipe.  Take 32 oz frozen fruit (or enough to cover a 9x13), top with 1 box cake mix (or substitute), top with one can of sprite/7-up/fizzy drink, bake at 350 covered for 20 minutes, and then uncovered for 40 more.  Simple and summer yummy!

Mint chocolate shortbread

Abigail picked this one out of a cookie cookbook and made them (mostly) all by herself.  They are so, so good.

3 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powered sugar
2 tsp mint extract
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup York peppermint patty bites (In the big bag.  This was Abigail's touch.) Mmmm
1 container frosting (or half a batch of frosting from your favorite recipe) --  Dyed green

• Preheat oven to 325.  Grease a 9x13.
• In large mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar.  And mint and mix again.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour and cocoa.   Blend into butter mixture.
• Stir in chocolate chips.  Dough will be stiff.
• Press into pan and back 18-20 minutes.  (It will start to look matte, and not shiny as it is done.)
• Cool completely
• Frost and sprinkle mint candy on top.

Oatmeal chocolate chip muffins

Abigail helped make these muffins last week.  We ate them while they were still gooey warm, and a dozen disappeared in one sitting.

1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Generous handful of chocolate chips (we used mini)

1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup oil

This is a standard muffin recipe.  Mix the wet. Mix the dry.  Combine.  Pour into greased muffin tins.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until golden.

Banana "ice cream"

I read about making banana "ice cream" several places in a week, and wanted to try it out.  The only ingredient is ripened bananas, which you need to freeze.  So week after week I bought double batches of bananas, hoping to freeze 3 or 4 when they got ripe.  And week after week they all got eaten before they made it to the freezer.  I suppose there are worse things than banana lovin' kids.  So one week I bought three bunches of bananas, and finally got 4 into the freezer.

So all you need are frozen bananas.  You want them a tiny bit thawed, though, so either pull them out 15 minutes or so beforehand, or microwave them a tiny bit.  Then just break them into 2" chunks (or so) and put them in the food processor and blend, blend, blend.  They turn mushy, then suddenly transform into a creamy ice cream texture.  It was a huge hit with all the kids.  We just topped them with a few M&M's, but it would be good with peanut butter, or Quik powder, or caramel sauce, or ......

Simple Berry Cobbler

I love it when I try a new recipe and know it is going to be a new staple in our household. This cobbler was so simple to throw together and so delicious with vanilla ice cream and whipped topping!

Ingredients:

1 stick melted butter

1 - 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup bisquick

1 cup milk

1-2 cups berries

Preparation Instructions

Melt butter in a microwavable dish. Pour 1 cup of sugar and flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk. Mix well. Then, pour in melted butter and whisk it all well together. Butter a baking dish.

Now rinse and pat dry the blackberries. Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter; distributing evenly. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar over the top.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly. If you desire, sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream
1 box chocolate fudge cake mix with pudding in the mix
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 medium zucchini, shredded, about 1 1/2 cups shredded
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:
Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan or two bread pans.

In a mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat the butter until light; beat in eggs and flavorings. Beat in the sour cream and cinnamon, then slowly beat in the cake mix. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate to cool completely. Frost the cake or dust with powdered sugar.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (20 oz) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved
1 jar (6 oz) maraschino cherries without stems, drained
1 box yellow cake mix
Vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). In 13x9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice, and arrange remaining cherries around slices; press gently into brown sugar.
2 Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 cup. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
3 Bake 42 to 48 minutes (44 to 53 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Lemon Buddies

This is straight from the Chex box.  They are tangy and sweet, sort of like lemonade. 

9 cups Rice chex 1 1/4 cup vanilla baking chips 1/4 cup butter 4 tsp grated lemon peel (I used the entire lemon) 2 T fresh lemon juice (from half a lemon) 2 cups powdered sugar Measure the cereal into a big bowl. Melt the chips, butter, lemon peel and lemon juice on high for 1 minute and stir. Micro 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth.   Pour over chex.  Stir until evenly coated. Pour into a 2 gallon baggy.  Add powdered sugar.  Shake-shake-shake. Spread onto wax paper to cool.

Ice cream pie

If I reminiscence back to dinner at my Grandparent's house, it always brings up lasagna, followed by ice cream pie.  It is such a simple recipe that I am surprised every time I have it just how tasty it it.  Plus, as a bonus, you make it the day before you serve it, so it is all ready to go when you need it.

Nut choppers:

ICE CREAM PIE:

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
3 cups corn flakes
1 cup coconut flakes
1 quart vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Add melted butter to brown sugar in a large bowl.  Add corn flake, coconut and pecans and mix well.

Pack about 3/4 of the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 10" pie plate.

Spoon in the ice cream.

Sprinkle remaining crumbies on the top, pressing into the ice cream. 

Cover and keep in the fridge several hours, or overnight.

My first slow cooker dessert: peanut butter brownies

I have finally found the answer to all of life's problems: dessert in the slow cooker! For years I meticulously planned meals when friends came over, but never got far enough in the planning to actually make a dessert. Usually after dinner I'd send "Anton and the guys" up to Safeway to pick up something for dessert! But then it occured to me to put something in the crock pot before I even make dinner and by dessert time it's ready to go. Why didn't I think of this years ago? :)

The Ingredients:
--5 T butter
--1/2 cup granulated sugar
--2 eggs
--1 t vanilla
--1/2 cup flour
--1 cup natural peanut butter
--1/4 t baking powder
--1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
--1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Press into bottom of the crock pot and cook on HIGH for approx 2.5 hours, using a chop stick to prop open the lid. Brownies are done when edges start to darken. Keep in mind these will not be the same as brownies baked in an oven, but they were still really good. Serve warm with ice cream!

Mud Pie

Friday my kids made this mud pie, with minimal assistance from me.  (It is meant to be made with gummy worms, but we couldn't find them at the store so went with Swedish Fish.  Logical? No.  Amusing?  Yes.)  Here are a few pictures over on my family blog of the dessert being assembled and then consumed.

1 package Oreos
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 8oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 container cool whip, thawed
1 package gummy worms (or whatever)
1 lg package instant chocolate pudding
Milk for the pudding

1. Prepare pudding as directed and place in the fridge.
2. Crush about 3/4 of the Oreos.  Stir with melted butter.  Press into a 9x13.
3. Whip the cream cheese and powdered sugar together.  Fold in cool whip.  Spread into the pan.
4. Spread the pudding into the pan.
5. Break the remaining Oreos and sprinkle into the pan.
6. Squish worms or fish or whatever into the dessert.
7. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

Key Lime Pie

I've never made a lime pie before, but we had a pile of limes from Bountiful Basket, so I decided to try it out. The entire family loved it! The title scared the kids a little, so I told them it was lemonade pie, and that did the trick.

Graham Cracker Crust:
Blend together, and then press into a pie plate:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
6T melted butter.

Pie filling:
Combine:
4 egg yolks, beaten
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup lime juice (I think it took me 8 limes, but I forgot to count.)

Pour filling into crust. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Chill before serving.

Reece's Cake

I made this cake for Father's Day. Mmmmm.

Bake chocolate cake of your choice, in two 9" rounds.

Peanut Butter Frosting: This made a lot, so be generous when spreading. :)
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup soft butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup whipping cream

Beat butter, peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar and blend. Slowly add enough cream to reach spreadable consistency.

Place first layer of cake on the plate. Spread a layer of frosting in the middle. Top with other cake. Frost the tops and the sides. Decorate with miniature Reece's cups, cut in half, along the bottom and the top. Sprinkle center of the cake with chopped Reece's.

Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting

from allrecipes.com

Yummy, light, easy. Used only about 1/2 of the batch for the cake, and I put it on thick. Should have taken the photo before putting on the lid for travel, though. Also would be good as a dip for fruit.

1 (8 ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups heavy cream.

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large mixing bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a couple of times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a still peak. (I used a hand mixer and it worked just fine.)

Ice cream cone cupcakes

Zachary requested these for his school party. They were super easy, and a huge hit with the kids. The cones lost their crunch, so I thought they didn't taste so great, but the kids didn't seem to care in the least.

Make a cake mix according to directions. Fill cones not even half full. (Mine in the picture are a tiny bit too full, several spilled over.) Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for around 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Frost and sprinkle. With this size cone it made 30.