Microwave Peanut Brittle

Awesome recipe--BE VERY CAREFUL!  CANDY MAKING GETS VERY HOT!

1/2 C. White Karo Syrup
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Raw Spanish peanuts
1 Tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. Baking soda

Mix syrup, sugar, and peanuts in a microwave-safe bowl.  Cook in the microwave for 5 to 8 minutes (until it just barely turns brown).  Then add butter and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.  Remove from microwave and stir in baking soda and pour on buttered cookie sheet or marble slab.
*** I made this yesterday and left out the peanuts, put it in the microwave for 7 minutes, put in the butter and *forgot* to put it back in the microwave at all.  I added the baking soda and poured it on a cookie sheet on parchment (of course ungreased).  It turned out great!  It broke just fine and the family ate up! :)

Crepes

3 eggs
3 cups  milk
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
2   1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. Vanilla

High heat. Spread on griddle with a spatula until thin. Remove when brown present.  (Dad's variation)

Cinna Pecan Rolls

The balance of salty/sweet is amazing on this recipe!!  Like eating those chocolates with the sea salt.  First I'll post  the original (from organizedliving.com) and then I'll tell you my changes:

Artisan bread dough:

 1 1/2 pound of dough

(Artisan recipe) 1. 3 c. warm water

2. 1.5 T. granulated yeast

3. 1.5 T. kosher salt

4. 6.5 c. unbleached, all-purpose white flour {they have other recipes for different types of flour too}

Quickly mix the ingredients in a large food-safe plastic tub with a wooden spoon.

Let it rise for 2 hours.

Put the entire tub into the refrigerator and use throughout the next 2 weeks.

First, you mix up the maple/caramel topping and spread it in the bottom of a round cake pan.

• 6 T. softened butter

• 1/2 t. salt

• 1/2 c. brown sugar

Then  roll out the dough and mix up the fillings:

• 1 1/2 pound chunk of homemade bread dough {see recipe above}

• 4 T. softened butter

• 1 t. ground cinnamon

• 1/4 t. nutmeg

• 1/2 c. chopped pecans

Roll the bread dough flat, smooth the filling onto the dough and then roll it log -style up and cut in to 8 equal pieces for the rolls.

 Bake at 350F. for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.  (She doesn't say so, but it is obvious from the pictures that you carefully flip the pan onto another pan so that the topping can be, well, on top!  I used a cookie sheet to deposit them onto because that's a big surface.  Be very careful, because it is VERY HOT.)

Original content from Simple Organized Living: http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2011/03/24/simple-delicious-homemade-bread/#ixzz2QAYP6DuI

Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

 MY VARIATION:

No pecans, simply because I didn't have any. 

Double the topping recipe, and I put it in a non-stick 9 x 13 pan (simply because it's the one in my house with a lid that fits after cooking for storing uneaten food).

There is no sugar in the filling recipe, so I added brown sugar.  Half a cup, I think, but maybe a cup.

After cooking and flipping them onto the cookies sheet (see above) and my family devouring the majority (again--very hot, so I let them cool before the kids dug in) I put the remainder back in the pan, so I could put the lid on.)

She calls them Maple Pecan Sticky Rolls, but there is no maple in the recipe.  Maybe one of these days I will through some maple in for kicks!!

Try these rolls!!  They are a keeper!!

Best Sugar Cookies

The best, most mouthwatering sugar cookies.  Usually I just scoop them onto the cookie sheet.  Today I will try  crushed candy canes in them. =)

1 1/4 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter flavored shortening
2 eggs
1/4 Cup light corn syrup or regular pancake syrup
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 Cups all purpose flour (plus 4 Tbsp divided)
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
 1/2 tsp. salt

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Combine sugar and shortening in large bowl.  Beat at medium speed until well blended.  Add eggs, syrup and vanilla.  Beat until fluffy.

3. Combine the 3 cups flour, baking powder,  baking soda and salt.  Add gradually to cream mixture at low speed.

*Here is where I scoop this deliciousness onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes usually. =)

For cookie cutters:

1. Divide dough into 4 quarters.  (If dough is too sticky or soft, wrap each quarter in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a least 1 hour.)

2.  Spread 1 Tbsp. flour on waxed paper place 1/4 of dough  on paper and flatten slightly.   Cover with another sheet of waxed paper and roll to 1/4 thickness.

Cut with floured cutters, transfer to cookie sheet, and bake at 375 degrees for 5 to 9 minutes.  Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen

The only way my kids will eat zucchini...sigh.

Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

frosting

• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 209 | Total Fat: 8.6g | Cholesterol: < 1mg

Peach Cream Pie

Yummy peach pie I always make when I have fresh peaches. =)  Which is today!  Lucky me!!!!

Crust:
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter

Filling:
4 cups peaches, sliced
1 cup sugar, divided
2 tablespoons AP flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream

Topping:
1/3 sugar
1/3 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Crust:
Combine flour and salt.  Cut in butter until crumble.  Press into a 9 inch pie pan.

Filling:
Place peaches in a bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar.  Combine flour, egg, banilla , salt and remaining sugar; fold in sour cream.  Stir into peaches; pour in to crust.  Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20 minutes

Topping:
Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over the pie.  Return oven temp to 400 bake 15 more minutes.


YUM!!
(I don't necessarily use the crust part, but I have (I think) and it is good.)

Smoothie Pops!

Getting my kids (especially my youngest) to eat fruits and veggies is like pulling teeth, and then trying to replace them...

But he loves green!  So the smoothie pop was born.  It is just smoothies poured into popsicle molds and frozen.

The green is spinach.  Spinach is the most amazing good for you food; at least that's what they taught me in nutrition class 2,000 years ago.  So I take frozen spinach and blend it in a blender with everything and yes, it turns everything green.  Sometimes it tastes like grass, too, (but my youngest eats it anyway because it is green) but yesterday it did not taste like grass. Here's how:

1/2  bag of frozen spinach (12 oz.) (blend in blender with some water or milk until fine)
1 tub plain yogurt (32 oz.)
1/2 cup sugar
enough milk or water to blend easily.

Freeze in popsicle mold.

Voila!!  Nutrition for my little man!