I discovered this recipe from a canning book.  We have loved it! 

Pear Honey

7-8 cups of mash/chopped peeled pears. 

1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple

1/4 cup lemon juice

5 cups sugar

1. Peel and core pears. You can either mash them or use a food processor or a blender to chop them.  It's nice to have little chunks of the fruit still in the finished product.

2. Put pears a large pot and add the crushed pineapple (if you don't have crushed, you can put slices, chunks or tidbits in with the pears as you blend them), 

3. Add the sugar and the lemon juice.  Stir well.  

4. Turn on the heat to a medium and make sure that you stir frequently so that it doesn't scorch or burn.  

5. When it is heated through, put in jars and process for 15 minutes.

We love it on pancakes and waffles but it's also great on ice cream.

Cream Cheese Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Getting ready to leave China, I had 1/2 cup of butter and 8 ounces of cream cheese to use up.  I found a recipe that was similar to this, but I had to make changes for exactly what I had left to use up.  I was pleased with the results.

Cream Cheese Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 c. flour
1 c white sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix these all together in a large bowl.  Make sure it is well blended.

In a small bowl:

2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup softened butter (this must be butter!  no margarine)
1 tsp vanilla
1TBS apple cider vinegar

Blend together and then add to the flour, sugar, cocoa mixture.  Mix until well blended
Fill lined cupcake pan with about 1/2 inch of batter.  You will have a total of 18-20 cupcakes with batter left over for just a minute.

Mix together:

8 oz of cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Mix with a mixer until the sugar is well blended in. 

Add:

1/2 to 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Put a TBS of the cream cheese/chocolate chip mixture in the batter that is in the cupcake tins.  When all the cream cheese mixture has been added to the batter in the cupcake tins, finish putting the rest of the batter over the top, using up all the rest of the batter. 

If you want, you can add chopped walnuts or pecans to the top of the cupcakes.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Test with a toothpick to see if they are done.  No batter will be sticking to the toothpick if they are done.

Apple Brownies

Apple Brownies

1/2 C. Butter
3/4 C. White Sugar
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
1 egg
3 apples
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

1.  Melt the butter
2. Add white and brown sugar and the egg.  Beat them until they are fluffy.
3. Peal and thinly slice the apples.
4. Add the apples and walnuts to the butter, sugar, egg mixture.  Fold them in.
5. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together.
6.  Add them to the apple mixture and stir it just until it is blended.
7. Spread the mixture into a 9x9 inch greased pan.
8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Check to make sure it is done by inserting a toothpick in the middle.  If it comes out clean, it is done.

Kay Cox's Easy Caramels

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cups chopped nuts

Mix together all the ingredients and cook slowly to hard ball stage (240-245 degrees), stirring constantly.

Pour into a well buttered 8 x 8 pan and cool.  Cut into squares and wrap in plastic wrap or dip in chocolate.

Kay Cox's Basic Cream Fondant

This will be posted in two different sizes.  First the small batch, then the large batch numbers in parenthesis.

4 Cups white sugar                (10 lbs white sugar)
1 cup milk                              (4 cups whole milk)
1/2 cups whipping cream        (2 cups whipping cream)
2 Tbsp white corn syrup         (1/2 cup white corn syrup)
2 Tbsp butter                         (1/4 lb of butter aka 1/2 cup butter)
Pinch of salt                           (1/4 tsp salt)

Combine all ingredients in a large pan, place over heat and stir constantly until mixture begins to boil.  Keep boiling rapidly until fondant reaches desired temperature, soft ball stage (230-232 degrees).  If a firm fondant is desired, cook two or three degrees higher.  Cool as rapidly as possible and beat.

When making the fondant, the amount of cream, milk and butter can vary to make as rich a fondant as you like.  You may use more milk and less cream, but increase the butter, etc.  Ten pounds of sugar when dipped makes twenty pounds of chocolates.

Grandma Cox's Sugar Cookies

Grandma  Cox's Sugar Cookies

11/2 cups butter
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla or almond
Beat them together.

Stir together:
6 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Alternate mixing this flour mixture into the butter/egg/sugar mixture with 1 cup milk.

Roll dough on a floured board and cut with cookie cutters.  Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until very light brown.  DON'T OVER COOK!  Frost as desired.

Pear Honey

Pear Honey

9 cups of sliced pears (this can be an approximate amount so if you have more, it still works)
1 can pineapple chunks
1/4 cup lemon juice
3-5 cups sugar

1.  Peel and core the pears.
2.  Slice before measuring.
3.  Put in a blender or food processor with the lemon juice and pineapple.
4.  Blend until partly smooth, but also partly chunky.  I like the chunks in it, but not too big - pea size or smaller is great.
5.  In a large 6 quart pan, pour the blended mixture in and add the sugar.  I start adding the smaller amount and then only add more if I want it  sweeter.
6.  Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.  Be sure to keep stirring the mixture at regular intervals to avoid scorching, it can scorch pretty easy.
7.  Pour the mixture in the jars and process for 10 minutes.

Goes great on pancakes and waffles!

Zucchini Bread

This recipe is originally from my sister, Adell.  It is an easy, good quick bread.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini with the peal on
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat the eggs until they are fluffy and light colored.  Then add the oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla and stir well. Then add:

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix until it is well blended.  Add 1/2 cup of nuts if you want.  Divide into 2 greased loaf pans.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until done.  You will need to do the "toothpick stuck in the middle to see if the batter is still sticking if it is done" test.  (The batter will not stick to the toothpick, BTW)