Monster Munch

1 package Almond Bark (1 lb)
2 bags of microwave popcorn, popped (approximately 16-20 C popped popcorn)
1 C candy corn
1 1/2 C dry roasted, salted peanuts
1 C Reeces Pieces

Pop popcorn and place in a large bowl. The largest you have.  Pour peanuts, candy corn, and reeces pieces on top.

Break up almond bark. Melt according to package directions. Pour over popcorn mixture. Stir until everything is well coated and then spread out onto waxed paper, parchment, or foil. Let sit until completely dry and then break up into clumps.

Faux Fried Ice Cream Sundaes

1 quart of vanilla ice cream
3 cups crushed corn flakes cereal (I crushed them in the food processor)
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
2 tsp of sugar
1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls (regular, not Grands)
chocolate sauce

Scoop ice cream into 8 – 1/2 cup size rounded balls. Place on baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

In a shallow dish combine crushed corn flakes, cinnamon and sugar. Roll the ice cream balls in the corn flake mixture, covering completely. Repeat as needed.  Freeze ice cream again, until firm (about 3 hours).

When ready to serve make cinnamon roll waffles.

Spray waffle maker with cooking spray. Heat waffle maker.

Separate dough into individual cinnamon rolls. Place up to 4 cinnamon rolls at a time on waffle maker. Close lid of waffle maker; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until light golden brown.

Place cinnamon roll waffle on plate, top with ice cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

PEAR CRISP

4 or 5 pears, peeled and chopped or sliced

Lemon juice (to sprinkle over pears, keeps them from darkening) Optional

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 stick or 4 tablespoon butter or margarine

 

Sprinkle pears with lemon juice, drizzle with corn syrup.  Place in baking dish.  Whisk together remaining ingredients except for butter. Sprinkle over pears. Cut margarine in pieces and put on top of casserole.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.  Enjoy!

 

Note:  You can replace brown sugar with white, leave out the oats, and sprinkle 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese over pears for another variation of this recipe.  Can also combine apples with the pears or make this recipe with just apples.

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE BUTTER CAKE

1 box Lemon  Cake Mix

3 eggs

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine, melted

3.5 ounce box Vanilla Instant Pudding and Pie Filling

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup water

1 cup fresh blueberries                      

1 cup walnut pieces                                           

 

In a mixing bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, and eggs. Mix
well with mixer.  Add milk and melted margarine, cream cheese and water
and continue mixing.  Batter will be thick. Fold in blueberries and
walnut pieces. Spray your cake pan well. Cook in preheated 350 degrees
oven for 55 to 60 minutes until center is cooked.  Let stand for 15 to
20 minutes before removing from pan. 

Glaze:

 1/2 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups (more or less) confectionery sugar

 Mix ingredients in a small pan over low heat on the stove

stirring with a whisk until melts and desired consistency.  Punch holes
in cake with toothpick and pour glaze over cake. Use any remaining glaze
to pour over individual pieces.

 

Enjoy

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour (Add a bit more if dough seems too wet after first few minutes of kneading in the bread machine.)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling (I doubled this since we like our filling, oh yes we do!):
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Icing:
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons (or less) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.

Roll up and cut into 10-15 rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.

You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning. I do it all the time

Zucchini Pie aka mock apple pie

before baking  

after baking 

4 cups shredded zucchini (or any type of summer squash)
¾ cup white sugar
2 T lemon juice
1 t cinnamon
2 T whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened (1 cube)
1 unbaked whole wheat pie crust

In a large mixing bowl combine zucchini, sugar, lemon juice,  cinnamon and 2 T ww pastry flour.  Spoon into pie crust.  In a smaller bowl combine 1 cup flour, brown sugar and butter.  This will be soft and creamy like.  Drop small amounts all over the top of the pie.  Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Let cool for a little while.  This pie is delicious!!

Zucchini Coffee Cake

1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 ¼ cups oats
1 cup sugar
1t baking soda
1t cinnamon
½ t salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
½ cup butter, softened
¼ c yogurt
1t vanilla
2 eggs

Topping:
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup oats
½ t cinnamon
¼ cup butter, softened


This is a very easy coffee cake to make. Combine all of the cake ingredients into your Kitchen Aid or Bosch bowl (or use a mixing bowl and a hand mixer) and blend until it is well combined. The batter will be thick. Spoon and spread this into a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Combine the dry ingredients for the topping and use a fork or your (clean) hands to mix in the butter until it is crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over the cake. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40minutes.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist devil's food cake mix
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
3 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz) melted, cooled slightly
1/2 c. sour cream
3/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. red food coloring
3 eggs

Heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap outside bottom and side of 10-inch springform pan with heavy duty foil. Spray inside of pan with baking spray with flour. Reserve 1/4 cup cake mix for filling. In large bowl, beat remaining cake mix and butter with electric mixer on low speed. Press in bottom and 1-1/2 inches up side of pan.

In large bowl, beat reserved 1/4 cup cake mix, cream cheese, chocolate, sour cream, sugar and food color with electric mixture on medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended. Pour over crust. Bake 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes or until edge of cheesecake is set 2 inches from edge of pan but center of cheesecake still jiggles slightly when moved. Turn oven off; open oven door 3 inches. Let cheesecake remain in oven 30 minutes. Run small metal spatula around edge of pan. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Run small metal spatula around edge of pain; remove side of pan. Store covered in frigerator.

Serves 16.

Paula Deen's Rum Pound Cake

 

1 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup dark rum (you could probably replace with rum flavoring if you are opposed to spirits in your dessert, but I wouldn't know the replacement amounts, certainly not 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Rum Glaze

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rum

Preheat oven to 325°F

Grease entire 12-cup tube pan and line bottom with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In a small bowl, combine milk, rum and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans. Bake 1 hour and 10-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes clean. Pierce top of cake 8-10 times with a thin skewer. Pour Rum Glaze over hot cake. Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, invert onto wire rack and let cool completely. Serve cake pecan side up. Rum Glaze:. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Lemon Bars

½ cup or 1 cube butter
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

Mix these ingredients together and press into the bottom of a 9x9 pan. Bake for 15 min. at 350 degrees.

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 TBSP. lemon juice
½ tsp. baking powder
2 rounded TBSP whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached white flour ..

Mix these ingredients together very well. I use my Kitchen Aid for this or a hand mixer would work well too. Pour this onto the hot crust when it comes out of the oven. Return to oven and bake for 30 minutes more. Cool and sprinkle with extra powdered fructose if desired. Cut into bars and serve.

Ghirardelli Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies

Actually, it is a Ghirardelli recipe but I'm sharing 

Crust:
2 cups crushed graham crackers

1/2 cup sweet ground cocoa 

1/2 cup melted butter

2 tbsp granulated sugar 


Cheesecake Layer:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

16 ounces cream cheese, at room temp

2 ounces chopped milk chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine crushed graham crackers, ground  cocoa, butter, and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Press into a 13x9 pan and bake for 8 minutes, transfer to wire rack and cool completely. 


In large bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar, peanut butter, and flour at low speed. Add eggs, one at a time while mixing. Add vanilla and milk. Pour cheesecake mixture into pan and bake for 40 minutes or until set. It will "puff up" a bit, but will settle after cooling completely. 


Melt chocolate and vegetable shortening in double broiler stirring until smooth. Spread the melted chocolate over the cooled cheesecake layer. Chill for 10 minutes, chocolate layer should be slightly set, score the chocolate with a sharp knife into 2 inch squares. Return pan to refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes, cut bars, serve, and eat! 

If you have a food processor use it! I hand crushed my graham crackers and well it just made it a little crunchier. The cheesecake is firm after 30 minutes, but I thought it tasted better after about 2 hours, the peanut butter taste really comes out then!