Apricot Whip

When I was first married, I tried this recipe from a cookbook I had because the apricot trees on Grandpa Cox's farm were abundant producers. So I decided to try this new recipe with some apricots that I had bottled. I have since used fresh apricots so I will include both here.

Apricot Whip (Original Recipe from Jiffy Cooking by Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:

1 1-pound 14-ounce can of peeled apricots (or one quart bottle of pitted apricots)

20 large marshmallows

1 cup whipping cream, whipped (or use an 8 oz tub of Cool Whip)

Steps

1. Drain apricots reserving 1/4 cup of the syrup; remove pits. 

2. Blend apricots in a blender or mash just until broken up. 

3. Combine apricots, marshmallows, and reserved syrup. Cook and stir till marshmallows are dissolved. 

4.Cool. Fold in whipped cream. Chill for a least an hour. 

Makes 6 servings.

Apricot Whip (Zina's version with fresh apricots)

1. Wash and pit about 15-20 apricots. 

2. Put in a pan with 1/4 cup sugar. 

3.Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool enough that you can put if in a blender and blend until smooth. 

4. Pour it back in the pan that you cooked the apricots in and add marshmallows. Cook until marshmallows are dissolved

5. Cool the apricot/marshmallow mixture and add the cool whip or whipped cream. (I started using the cool whip more because it doesn't contain carrageenan and the cream without carrageenan is really expensive)

6. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving..

Note: You can either put if in a 9x13 cake pan or in a bowl. Doesn't matter.

Down-In-the-Dumps Pudding (Brownies)

 1.  Mix together in a bowl:

        2 cups flour

        1 1/3 sugar

        4 tsp. baking powder

        1/2 tsp salt

        4 T. cocoa

2. Stir in 

        1 cup milk

        4 T vegetable oil

        2 cups chopped nuts (if you want)

3. Spread mixture in ungreased 9 x 13 pan.

4. Blend in a small bowl:

        2 cups brown sugar

        1/2 cup cocoa

5.  Sprinkle brown sugar/cocoa mixture on top of the mixture in the 9 x 13 pan.

6. Pour 3 1/2 cups hot water over all.

7.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Banana Pudding (and Pie)

 I found this recipe while I was looking for a Banana Pie recipe in China.  I loved the simplicity of this recipe.  Perfect for one premade pie crust or an 8" pie pan.

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

2 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons softened butter

1-2 bananas peeled and sliced.

1. Mix sugar, flour and salt in a medium size sauce pan.  

2. In a separate bowl beat the eggs.  Add to the sugar/ flour/ salt mixture in the pan.  Stir well, especially in the corners to get it mixed together well.  

3. Stir in the milk.

4. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, always cleaning out the corners.

5. When the mixture starts to thicken and have bubbles, remove from the heat.  Keep stirring and cool slightly.

6. Stir in the vanilla and the butter until it's smooth.

For a Pie:

Layer the bananas in the pie crust.  Pour the pudding in the pie over the bananas while it is still warm.  Cool in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

For Pudding:

Put some vanilla wafers in a cup.  Pour in some pudding, add some more vanilla wafers, layering as you like.

Banana Cake

Banana Cake

Mash 3-4 bananas in a small bowl. 
Add 2 teaspoons lemon juice.
Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together.
3/4 cup butter
1 3/4 white sugar

Add:
3 eggs one at a time.  Mixing well after each egg. 

Then stir in:
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add some of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and eggs, alternating it with:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk.

Mix well.

Stir in the banana mixture. 

Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. 
Pour the cake mixture into the pan.

Preheated the oven to 275 degrees F. (135 degrees C.)

Bake for one hour, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool completely before you frost it.

Frosting:
Cream a softened 8 ounce package of cream cheese until smooth.

Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. 
Add 3 cups confectioners sugar until it is combined, then beat on high speed until it is smooth. 
Spread on the cooled cake.

Cheesecake Cookies

Cheesecake Cookies

1/2 c. butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup powdered sugar

1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth
2. Mix in the 1 1/4 cups of sugar
3. Add the 2 eggs and vanilla and mix well.
4. Blend the flour, baking powder, and salt together.  Then add to the butter, sugar, egg mixture.  Be careful to only mix it until all is blended.  Don't over mix!
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Lay parchment paper on the cookie sheet.  Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough on the paper.  This dough will be sticky.
7. Bake for 10-11 minutes, until the ridges are golden brown.
8. Sprinkle warm cookies with powdered sugar.

Makes 4-5 dozen cookies, depending on how large your spoonfuls are.

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.

Brookies (Half cookie, half brownie!)

Brookies

This was inspired by the fact that I had left over chocolate chip cookie dough and it wasn't going to make enough cookies for the group I was making a dessert for, so I quickly looked up for a recipe on Allrecipes.com  and up pops THE perfect solution.  I used my own chocolate chip cookie recipe that is on my blog and it is a little different than the one on the recipe page mentioned earlier.  So I would use half of that recipe for the cookie base and then the following to make the Brookie.

Use half of this recipe http://step-by-stepcooking.blogspot.com/2012/10/chocolate-chip-cookies.html  for the cookie base.  Spread it in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan make it no more than 1/2 inch think.

Then for the brownie part:

Mix together:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter that has been melted
1 tsp vanilla

Add:
2 eggs

Beat well.

Mix together:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Add to the egg, butter, sugar mixture.
Stir to combine all ingredients.

Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough in the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees (175 C), for 20-25 minutes.  Use a toothpick poked in the center to check it, if the toothpick comes out clean, it is ready.

No Bake Chocolate Cookies

No Bake Chocolate Cookies

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter.

1. Place these ingredients in a 3 quart pan.  

2. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.

3. Add 2 tsp vanilla 

4.  If you like add 1/2 c peanut butter (not something I usually add but if you are a peanut butter lover, do it).

5. Stir in 3 cups oatmeal.

6. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper or tinfoil.  Let cool.

Down-In-The-Dumps Pudding

Beat together:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons cocoa

Stir in:

1 cup milk
4 Tablespoons oil
2 cups chopped nuts

Spread mixture in an ungreased 9 x 13 pan.

Blend in a small bowl:
      2 cups brown sugar (packed)
      1/2 cup cocoa

Sprinkle over the top of the batter.

Pour over all:
   3 1/2 cups hot water.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Oatmeal Macaroons

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar (1/2 brown or all brown if you want)
2 eggs
2 Tbsps Molasses
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla

Combine and beat well.

Add:

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp soda
2 cups oatmeal

If you wish you can add:
2/3 cups raisins
2/3 cups nuts

Roll into balls and then roll in sugar.  Press down with a glass.

Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

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.

Thelda Evan's Raisin Cookies

2 cups raisins
1/2 cup water

Boil together for 5 minutes.  Let cool.

1 cup shortening
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together and then slowly add the cooled raisin mixture.

4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/3 tsp allspice

Blend together and add to the other mixture.

Drop on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

This is for a nine inch pie.

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup lard or shortening
dash of salt

Mix these together really well.  It needs to be all crumbled and in small pieces.

Add 1/4 cup very cold water.

Try not to mix very much after you add the water.  It ruins the crust to mix it too much.  When it all holds together well, roll into a circle and put in the pie crust.

Pumpkin filling:

In a blender put 2 eggs and turn it on for about 30 seconds.

Add:

1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or what I usually use is 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ginger and 1/8 tsp cloves.
2 cups pumpkin
1 cup cream or evaporated milk.

Blend well for a minute making sure that it is well blended.  Pour it into the pie shell.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and bake it at that temperature for 10 minutes.  This helps to set the custard.  Then reduce the heat to 350 and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, but test it with a knife or toothpick before you pull it out to make sure that it is set.  If the knife comes out "clean" (with no pumpkin clinging to it) then the pie is done.

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.

Fruit Pizza

SUGAR COOKIE CRUST

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1-2 Tablespoons cream or milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• assorted sliced fresh fruit

With a mixer, blend the butter for one minute until smooth.  Add the sugar and cream the butter and sugar.  Add the egg and the vanilla and mix until smooth.  Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cornstarch and mix until smooth.  

The original recipe says to chill it for at least one hour at this point or it may rise too much and spill over the pan when you bake it.  I didn't have time and I didn't have a problem with it.  Spread the dough in a 12 inch pizza pan.  (I doubled the recipe and put it on the large sheet cake pan.  Spread it as evenly as possible.  If the dough is sticking to your hands, sprinkle a little flour over the dough and it will help with that.

Bake for 18-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven.  Remove and let it cool.

Frosting

Mix the butter, and cream cheese together.  Add the confectioner's sugar along with 1-2 tablespoons of milk.  I started with one tablespoon and it was enough, so start with the smaller amount and add more if you need it.  Spread over the cooled cookie dough crust evenly.  Top with fruit.

Fruit ideas:

bananas

pineapple (fresh or canned, just make sure that you drain the canned pineapple well)

kiwi fruit

mandarin oranges (if it is canned, drain it will)

berries:  strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.

grapes, cut in half

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1. Beat eggs, sugar, canola oil, vanilla extract, and zucchini together in a large bowl until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together unbleached flour, white whole-wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Mix the dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture, a little at a time, stirring until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into two 4 x 8 loaf pans that have been greased and floured.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.  Check with a toothpick in the middle to make sure it is done.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Mix together:

1 cup oil  (to make a low fat version, use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs

Mix well and add:
1/2 cup of cocoa
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla

Stir in 2 cups of shredded zucchini.

Pour in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top if you want.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  Check that the top springs back with you touch it in the middle to make sure it is done.

Caramel Popcorn Balls (No Bake)

 Caramel Popcorn Balls

·         

Ingredients:

8-10 cups	Popped Popcorn
½ cup	Sugar
1½ cups	Brown Sugar
1 cup	Light Corn Syrup
1 cup	Water
2 tsp	White Vinegar
½ tsp	Salt
½ cup	Butter

Directions:

Combine sugar, syrup, water, vinegar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir frequently. 

Once mixture begins to boil reduce to low heat and stir in butter until melted. 

Combine syrup and popcorn in a large bowl until popcorn is coated. 

Let cool and shape mixture into balls. Make about 12 balls.

Soccer Practice Bars

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips

Icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
2 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream butter and sugar.
Add egg and peanut butter.  Mix well.
Stir in baking soda, salt, flour and oatmeal.
Press into a 9 x 13 baking pan.
Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top (add nuts if you want ;)   )
Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and drizzle with icing.

Cool completely.  Cut into squares and serve.

Makes 24 squares.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Raisin Cookies

While preparing to leave China, I found I had a lot of oatmeal, peanut butter and raisins to use up before I could go or else throw them out.  Not wanting to do that, I found a recipe for Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies and changed some ingredients and added raisins.  David has declared it his NEW favorite cookie!

Cream together:
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter

After it is mixed well add:
 2 eggs

Mix the eggs in well and then add:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Mix this all well and then add:
1 cup of quick oats
1 cup of raisins

When it is all mixed really well, drop by teaspoonfuls to a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute before you remove them to cool.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Raisin Cookies