Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Irish Soda Bread Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
 1/2 t. baking soda
 1/4 t. salt
 1/2 cup butter, softened 
1/2 cup sugar
 1 egg
 3/4 cup raisins
 1/3 cup buttermilk
 2 T. sugar for tops 
 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two sheets with parchment paper

 2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl

 3. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add egg. Beat one minute until mixed. Add flour and beat on low until combined. Add raisins and buttermilk until combined.

 4. Drop 1 T. of dough 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Score top of cookie with X and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 12-15 minutes until light brown on bottoms. 5. Remove to wire rack. Serve warm. 
Makes 2-3 dozen.

 PS: I sugared the tops by pressing on a plate of sugar and then marking with an X. Recipe from Lori Minger of Caseys.

Monday, October 5, 2020

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/2 cups (71/2 ounces) all-purpose flour 
1 t. baking soda 
1/2 t. table salt 
1 1/2 c. packed (10.5 ounces)dark brown sugar 
1 c. (9 ounces) creamy peanut butter 
2 large eggs
 4 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
 2 T. honey 
1 t. vanilla extract 
1/2 c. dry roasted peanuts, chopped fine

1. Adjust the oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350. 
Line two 18x13 rimmed pans with parchment paper.
 Whisk all dry ingredients in medium bowl except sugar.

 2. In large bowl, whisk sugar, peanut butter, eggs, melted butter, honey, and vanilla until smooth. 
Add the flour mixture and stir with rubber spatula until soft dough forms.
 Stir in peanuts.

 3. Form 2 tablespoons of dough (30 portion scoop)into ball and evenly space on prepared sheets.
 (12 dough balls per sheet).
 Using your fingers, gently flatten dough balls until 2 in. diameter.

 4. Bake cookies 1 sheet a t a time until edges are set, 10-12 minutes. Rotate sheets halfway for even browning. Let cookies cool 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Cooks Illustrated May/June 2019

Monday, August 24, 2020

Watergate Salad

Watergate Salad There is nothing better than Watergate Salad! This simple dump-and-go salad is a classic that makes it's way into every celebration because it's both incredibly delicious and incredibly easy. Whip it together in less than 5 minutes and you're good to go! Prep Time5 minutes Chill Time1 hour Servings10
 Calories158kcal

3.4 oz pistachio Jell-O instant pudding mix 
20 oz can crushed pineapple
 1 cup miniature marshmallows 
1/2 cup chopped nuts your favorite
 8 oz container Cool Whip I used lite - thawed Instructions 

Combine pudding mix, pineapple (with juice), marshmallows and nuts in a large bowl and mix well. Blend in Cool Whip and chill until ready to serve.

Monday, August 10, 2020

Classic Sloppy Joes Cooks Illustrated

2 T. water 
1/2 t. baking soda 
1 lb. 85% ground beef 
---------------------------
1/2 t.salt divided 
2 t. vegetable oil 
1/2 onion chopped fine 
2 garlic cloves, minced 
-----------------------------
2 t. brown sugar, packed 
2 t. paprika
 1/4 red pepper
 1/4 tomato paste 
-----------------------------
1/3 ketchup
 1 T. red wine vinegar or regular 
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
 1/2 t. cornstarch
-----------------------------
 4 hamburger buns

 1. Combine 1 T. water and 1/2 t. baking soda. Toss beef with the baking soda and add 1/2 t. salt until mixed. 
2. Now, heat the oil until hot and add the onion and remaining 1/8 t. baking soda. Cook until soft,3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Stir in sugar, paprika,peper and 1/8 t. salt. about 1 minute. Add paste and cook 3-4 minutes.
 3. Add beef. Cok until no longer pink. Mash beef with potato masher until fine textured. Add ketchup, vinegar and Worcestershire and stir well.
 4. Combine cornstarch and 1 T. water. Pour into beef mix. Cook until it thickens. Season and eat on buns! I've tried this recipe with a combination of turkey and beef. I like it much better with just beef. August 10, 2020 Cooks Illus.

This is tasty but maybe too much work for sloppy joes. I think that I prefer the simpler version of sloppy joes that I make. This flavor is a little more subtle than the other one.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Molasses Bran Muffins

Randy Foege loves these muffins and eats one every day. He shares them with me and sometimes I just have my own.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Gingerbread People

Gingerbread People

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup dark molasses
2/3 cup cold water
7 cups all purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. ginger, ground
1 t. salt
1 t. allspice, ground
1 t. cloves, ground
1 t. cinnamon, ground

Mix brown sugar, shortening, molasses and water.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on
floured board. Cut with floured gingerbread cutter.
Place 2 inched apart on lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake until no indentation remains when touched.
10 to 12 minutes. Cool. Decorate if desired.
About 2 1/2 dozen 2 1/2 " cookies.
180 calories per cookie.
Betty  Crocker recipe

Monday, September 16, 2019

Poppy Seed Bundt Cake III

Poppy Seed Bundt Cake III 

Poppy Seed Bundt Cake III

Rated as 4.79 out of 5 Stars

Recipe By:Susie
"This cake is very easy to make and tastes wonderful. You can use different pudding and cake mix combinations."

Ingredients

  • 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix or lemon
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix or lemon
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup poppy seeds
  • 1 cup water

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract and or lemon extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix, pudding mix and poppy seeds. Make a well in the center and pour in water, oil, and eggs. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
I used lemon cake mix and lemon pudding and did not add the almond extract. I was afraid the lemon cake with pudding in the mix would be too heavy to support the pudding mix. It wasn't. It turned out light and springy and pretty much perfect and delicious.