5 Minute Fudge

5 Minute Fudge (12/18/10)


I got this recipe from Mike's mom, it's one of the things that Mike knows how to make, and enjoys making. Mikes's mom, sister, and I spent a good portion of a day making all kinds of Christmas goodies which I'll be sharing this week. We had a great time and have lots of goodies in our houses now!

You will need:
2/3 cup Carnation Evaporated Milk (it's the tiny can)
1-2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups mini marshmallows (you can also quarter regular sized marshmallows)
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Mix milk, sugar, butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla, chocolate chips, and marshmallows.
4. Stir until marshmallows melt.
5. Immediately pour into a greased 8x8 pan.
6. Cool before cutting into squares.

This recipe makes 2 pounds of fudge!

Original Source: Overisel Christian Reformed Church Centennial Cookbook, 1983

Caramel Puffs

Caramel Puffs (12/18/10)
I recently received this recipe from a recipe exchange. I decided to add it to my holiday baking this year and I'm so glad I did! I love caramel corn and this has the same taste, but no kernels! Over the next week, I'll be sharing some of the great recipes I made Friday and Saturday for Christmas, so stay tuned!!!

You will need:
2 bags Jays Corn Puffs
2 sticks butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Pour both bags of corn puffs into a turkey roaster pan.
3. In a sauce pan, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla.
4. Bring mix to boil over medium heat. Once it begins boiling, boil for 2 minutes. (Don't over boil)
5. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda; the mix will become foamy.
6. Drizzle half the mix over the corn puffs and stir gently.
7. Then pour remaining mix over corn puffs and stir to coat fully.
8. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
9. After the puffs are cooled, break apart and store in airtight container.

Pancake and Sausage Bites

Pancake and Sausage Bites (12/7/10)

We keep on seeing commercials for a restaurant that has a similar dish. It sounded so yummy and seemed easy enough, that I decided to try them out myself! It took only about 5 minutes to whip these up and then 20 minutes to bake, quick enough for breakfast, but we had it for dinner!

You will need:
1 cup pancake mix (prepared according to directions on box)
5 breakfast sausage links

1. Prepare pankcake mix as directed on box (I just had to add water to mine).
2. Cut sausage links into 3 pieces.
3. Place 1 piece of sausage in each hole of a greased mini-muffin tin. (Learn from my mistake and grease your tin, please!!!)
4. Pour pancake mix over sausages.
5. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes, until tops are golden brown.
6. Serve with syrup and enjoy!

Berry Cream Filled Chocolate Cups

Berry Cream Filled Chocolate Cups (12/10/10)
Tonight is our first Christmas party of the season. Mike's extended family (great-aunts & uncles etc.) all gather for a rousing game of BINGO (with a huge pile of presents) followed by appetizers and desserts. This is the first year we have been able to attend, so we are excited about that. I told his Aunt I would bring a cheese ball, but the other day we were in a gourmet outlet and I saw these chocolate cups. I knew I had to make something with them instead! I couldn't find a recipe for what I wanted to make, so I figured I'd just try the idea in my head. It turned out really well! Now, I just need to come up with a better name for this recipe, any ideas?

You will need:
1 package frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8 oz tub Cool Whip
36 chocolate dessert cups
Fresh berries (blueberry, raspberry, or blackberry)

1. In your food processer, chop up the berries until they form a paste.
2. Mix in cream cheese and powdered sugar until fully blended.
3. Carefully stir in Cool Whip. You want it to maintain its whipped texture.
4. Spoon filling into a pastry bag and fill chocolate cups.
5. Top with a berry of your choice.
6. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Turkey Crescent Squares

Chicken Crescent Squares (11/29/10)
I made this recipe the other day to use up some leftover Thanksgiving turkey. You can probably substitute any meat you want and it would still taste great! I loved the contrast between the savory cream cheese and the sweeter crescent rolls. These are super easy~ and they taste great cold for lunch the next day!

You will need:
1 package crescent rolls
4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese
2 Tbsp. milk
1 cup diced turkey
1/2 package bacon bits (probably 1/3 cup crumbled bacon)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.

2. Combine cream cheese and milk in a bowl.

3. Add in turkey, bacon bits, garlic powder and cheese. Mix well.

4. Separate crescent rolls into 4 squares (leave 2 triangles together).

5. Scoop 1/4 of the turkey mixture into the center of each square.

6. Fold each corner of the crescent roll in to the center and pinch to close.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crescent rolls are golden brown and turkey filling is warm.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie "Cake"

Chocolate Chip Cookie "Cake" (11/26/10)
I created this recipe last week as a replacement for Mike's birthday cake. He doesn't like cake! (Can you imagine? Marrying someone who doesn't love cake when I love to bake? Oh well--leaves me room to get creative!) So I had to come up with something else. He does love chocolate chip cookies, so I figured I would try a cookie in a cake form. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and so is he! Maybe we've created a future birthday tradition? :)

You will need:
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup margarine (softened but not melted)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a round cake pan.

2. Beat together shortening, margarine, and sugars until creamy.

3. Add in egg and vanilla. Mix well.

4. Stir in flour and baking soda. Mix until flour is totally incorporated.

5. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

6. Pour mixture into cake pan.

7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle.

8. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over cake. They will melt on their own, but you might need to spread the chocolate evenly over the cake.

9. Allow chocolate to harden before serving. Enjoy!

****UPDATED PICTURES HERE****

Fruit Slush

Fruit Slush (6/9/10)

My mom made this recipe a few weeks ago for her Bible study group. It is a recipe she got from one of her friends, and it was a huge hit with everyone! It is the perfect dessert or snack for the summer!

You will need:
1 cup sugar
2-1/2 cups water
6 oz frozen lemonade concentrate (thawed)
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed)
8 oz frozen strawberries
16 oz crushed pineapple, with juice (I would modify the recipe to use only 8 ounces)
4 medium bananas
7 Up, Sprite, or Ginger Ale

1. Cut fruit into small pieces.
2. Stir together sugar and water until sugar is dissolved.
3. Stir in lemonade and orange juice.
4. Add in fruit.
5. Stir all together and freeze in plastic bowl with cover.
6. Remove from freezer after 1.5 hours, just when it is becoming slushy, and stir it.
7. Return to freezer until 30 minutes before serving.
8. Scoop into individual bowls and pour a small amount of 7 Up over slush. We also added a few slices of fresh strawberries.
Enjoy!!!

Sugar cookies

For probably 2 years now I have been looking for a sugar cookie recipe that tastes like some cookies I made for some friends. The only problem was, the ones I made were really those break and bake cookies, and I wanted something I could make from scratch. I thought I had found the perfect recipe when I had some cookies from the nursing home, but when I made them, the texture just wasn't right. I have tried recipe upon recipe and I just haven't found one that is what I am looking for. Today I was reading blogs and I came across a recipe that looked like it was "the recipe". I couldn't wait, so I made the cookies this afternoon...and, the verdict is in...these are the closest I have come to "the recipe"!!!! I am so happy! Here is the recipe.

Vault Bread

Vault Bread (3/1/10)
I've recently been introduced to the wonder of beer bread. Simple and delicious! I read in one recipe that you can subsitute a can of soda for a can of beer which got me thinking...and that thinking led to the creation of this bread.

I substituted a can of Vault for the beer. And rather than pour the melted margarine over the top of the bread, I made an icing glaze and poured it over. The result was delicious! The baking actually brought out the underlying orange flavor in the Vault and the sweet topping complemented it fabulously!

You will need:
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz) can Vault
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Add in Vault.
4. Pour into greased bread pan.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown and a knife comes out clean when stuck in the center.
6. Mix together powdered sugar and milk to make icing.
7. While bread is still warm, pour icing over top.
Enjoy! Let me know if you have tried making beer bread with any other sodas!

Cheesy Dutch Oven Bread

Cheesy Dutch Oven Bread (07/09/09)


I had seen a recipe for Dutch Oven Bread a while ago, and I finally decided to make it today. I had a big chunk of Muenster cheese leftover from another recipe, so I decided to create my own bread and see how it turned out. And here it is!

You will need:
1 cup water
1 tsp yeast
1 stick (8 TBSP) margarine
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
4 cups all purpose flour (bread flour works too)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used muenster)

1. Combine water (110 degrees) and yeast in mixing bowl until the yeast is dissolved.
2. Melt margarine and combine with yeast mixture.
3. Mix in garlic powder and salt until dissolved.
4. Scoop in 4 cups of flour and mix until fully moistened.
5. Add in cheese.
6. Mix bread until a windowpane can be achieved. (This is when you can pull off a small chunk of the dough you’re kneading and stretch it gently to see if it is somewhat translucent. If you can do this without it tearing, it’s ready.) I used my stand mixture and it took about 12 minutes on level 2.
7. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until double in size (1-4 hours).
8. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
9. Grease a dutch oven pan with olive oil and place dough in pan.
10. Cut an 'X' in the dough to allow it to bloom.
11. Bake for 30 minutes with the cover on, then another 15-30 with the cover off. I sprinkled more cheese on top of the bread during the last 5 minutes of baking. I placed a cookie sheet under the pan to prevent the bottom of the pan from burning. If the bottom of the bread is too dark when it's done baking, just slice it off.
Enjoy!!!

*After tasting this bread, I was quite pleased, considering I just threw stuff together with no idea how it would turn out. However, there are a few changes I would make. I think I would use a stronger flavored cheese, maybe a sharp cheddar instead. The muenster was good, but Mike and I both thought it lacked flavor. I think I would also increase the amount of garlic powder, probably to 4 tsp instead of 2. I wish the bread had risen more, but from previous uses of the yeast I have, I think my yeast is going bad, so that would explain the lack of rising. I will definitely be making this bread again!