Saturday, November 22, 2008

An Oldie But a Goodie (not me, this recipe!)

KISS the Cookie.
KISS the Cook.

"new" *Hot Cocoa* Hershey Kisses
they taste like chocolate truffles


Peanut Butter Blossoms


Ingredients:

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.
(this recipe only made 31 cookies for me
I used a 1 1/2" cookie scooper)

ps I borrowed this title from an ad I saw LOL

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

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~HAPPY THANKSGIVING ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let the candy corn sit for a few minutes after you glue it with the frosting
before you proceed with the assembly of Tom Turkey.

For each Turkey you'll need:

6 Candy Corn

2 Oreo Cookies

1 Whopper

1 mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

For assembly:

1 tub of white icing

1 Yellow and red food coloring

1 plastic Ziplock bag

1 sharp knife

1 pair of scissors

Prep: Put your Peanut Butter Cups in the fridge to cool. If you have cold hard chocolate to work with it makes it a lot easier. Squeeze some of the white icing into a bowl. This will be your orange. Mix red and yellow food coloring with the icing to create your desired orange. Then put that into a plastic bag and set it aside for later.

Creating: First you will be creating the tail using 1 Oreo cookie and 5 Candy Corns. Gently, with one candy corn pull apart just one side of the Oreo. Don't don't break about the entire thing. Put a good amount of icing in between the two sides. This will help the Candy Corn stay. Place 5 Candy Corn (white side down) in between the cookie. See picture.

Take your white icing and squeeze a generous amount onto the top back of an Oreo cookie. Take the other Oreo and put the bottom into the icing to have it stand up. If it doesn't stand, add more icing! Once you have it stand put it up against something so it doesn't fall until the icing is dry. I used a thick book.

Remove your Peanut Butter Cup from the fridge. Take your knife and cut off the very bottom so you have a flat surface. Put icing on the bottom of it the bigger side. Bump it up against the bottom and back of your Oreo cookies. See picture.

Next take your Whopper and squeeze more icing on it on one side. Place the whopper on top of the Peanut Butter Cup to make your head. Find a piece of Candy Corn that has a nice big white end. Using your sharp knife cut the color off leaving you with the white point. Place some icing on it and stick it on your whopper as the beak to your Oreo Turkey. Hold for a moment.

Take your icing and place two white dots as eyes. Grab your bag of already created orange. Cut a very small hold in the corner of the bag. Now, pipe feet & wattle.

You can of course substitute type of cookie & candies to your whim

I used to make these every year with vanilla wafers, candy corn &

the head was a Hershey kiss & cinnamon red hot for the wattle.

I recently found this new version (to me) on the internet & decided to try it.

~ Happy Feasting ! ~

Waffle and Pancake Syrups/Topping

Coconut syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon coconut extract
Combine sugar,water and butter and bring to a boil;
boil 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in flavoring.
Serve over warm pancakes or waffles.
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Cinnamon Honey Butter

1/2 bup butter/softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
In a medium bowl, combine butter,
confectioners' sugar honey and cinnamon.
Beat until light and fluffy.
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Honey Orange Syrup

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
Combine all ingredients in a heavy sauce pan.
Simmer 5 minutes. Serve warm
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Apple Cinnamon Syrup

1 cup sugar
2 cups apple cider (apple juice works too)
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 and 1/2 Tablespoon real lemon juice
In a sauce pan combine all ingredients except the butter. Bring mixture to a low boil, stiring often. Reduce heat to low and add butter. Stir until butter is melted and well mixed. Serve warm over pancakes or waffles.
This stores well in the refrigerator for a week.
Warm in a sauce pan or microwave oven before using again.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Aloha Waffles

ALOHA WAFFLES
Toasted Coconut
Chopped Macadamia Nuts
Coconut or Maple Syrup
To toast coconut quickly, spread in a microwave pie plate.
Microwave on HIGH 3 minutes or until
lightly browned. Stir after every minute.

Max helping me make some blueberry waffles for Grandpa

What are your favorite waffle toppings?

Friday, November 7, 2008

Gifts in a Jar

M & M Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cups mini baking M&Ms

1 1/4 cups reg M&Ms
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt


Instructions:Combine baking soda, flour and sale in a medium mixing bowl. Spoon into large mouth quart jar. Layer brown sugar(pack it!), sugar and then M&Ms.

For the Tag:

M&M Cookie Mix

1 jar M&M Cookie Mix
3/4 cup soften butter
1 beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla
In a large bowl, pour in cookie mix and mix together. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, work in softened butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg with vanilla. Work this into the flour mixture until well combined. Dough will be a little crumbly. Shape dough into 1 inch sized balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Slightly flatten the balls with the palm of your hand. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden on the edges. Remove from the oven, and cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Quick Triple Layer Pumpkin Spice Pie

Sugared Nuts are a very quick topping to make
(I subsituted walnuts & sugar for pecans & honey)
They add a nice crisp crunch






2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Pumpkin Spice Flavor Instant Pudding
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1 Graham Pie Crust (6 0z.)
1/2 cup Pecan Halves
1 Tbsp. honey
BEAT milk, dry pudding mixes and cinnamon with wire whisk until well blended. Spread 1-1/2 cups onto bottom of crust.
ADD 1-1/2 cups of the whipped topping to remaining pudding mixture; stir gently. Spoon over layer in crust; top with remaining whipped topping.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour. Meanwhile, cook pecans and honey in skillet on medium-low heat 2 to 4 min. or until nuts are caramelized, stirring frequently. Spread onto sheet of waxed paper, separating larger clusters. Cool. Sprinkle over pie just before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.