Applesauce Cake

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup hot water
2 cups applesauce
4 cups flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups raisins
1 cup walnuts

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs.
Dissolve baking soda in hot water.  Stir into applesauce.
Mix together dry ingredients.
Add flour and applesauce alternately into batter.
Fold in raisins and nuts.
Bake 350 deg, 1 hour, in greased and floured bundt pan.

Walnut Snowball Cookies

2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Cream butter with sugar and vanilla.  Fold in flour and nuts. 
Form into small balls and place on cookie sheet.
Bake 300 deg for 20 min.  Remove from pan while hot and roll in icing sugar.

Almond Cookies:  Use almonds instead of walnuts.  Use almond essence instead of vanilla.

Fruity Bran Muffins

3/4 cup bran
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 chopped apple or half cup drained crushed pineapple
1 mashed banana
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup apple or orange juice
1/4 cup milk

 Bake 375 deg for 20 min in muffin pan.  Makes 12 muffins.

Pecan Pie

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted 5 min
3 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
4 tablepoons butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tablespoons rum (optional)

Place nuts in pie crust. Warm pie in oven till hot to the touch.
Pour in filling. Bake 375 deg for 45 min till center is gelatine-like.

Cream Puffs

Dough
1 cup water
1 stick butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Melt tog water, butter and sugar.
Add salt and flour, remove from heat and stir till dough holds together.
Beat in eggs one at a time till dough is glossy.
Put in bag and pipe round shapes on baking sheet.
Brush with beaten egg and bake 10 min at 450 deg.
Lower heat to 325 deg and bake another 15 min.
Turn off heat.
Pierce the puffs and leave in oven for 10 more min.

Custard Cream Filling:
2 tablespoons custard powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water

Mix above 3 ingredients and cook till thickened.  Let cool.
Beat one cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar till stiff.
Fold into custard.
Fill puffs with cream filling.

Lemon Bars

 Crust pressed into pan.

 Crust baked till light golden color.

Lemon filling is poured over baked crust and baked till set.

Crust:
1 3/4 sticks butter, softened
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
Cream first 3 ingredients, then mix in flour.
Press into 13x9 inch pan with hand dusted in flour and bake at 350 deg for 20 min.

Lemon Filling:
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup water
4 eggs
5 tablespoons lemon juice
zest of one lemon (optional)
Beat all together and pour over baked crust.
Bake at 350 deg for 25 min until set.

Cool completely and then dust with icing sugar.

Cookie Christmas Log

Made with Cool Whip and a box of thin chocolate wafers.

Apple Crisp

To make one 9 inch pie:

About 8 medium or 12 small Cortland apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
Mix well and put in 9 inch pie dish

Streusel Toppng:
2/3 cups flour
2/3 cups regular oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 stick butter or marg, melted
Mix all and rub till crumbly, put over apples.

Bake 375 deg 55 min.

Apple Crisp

When fall comes around, we go to the farm and pick apples and make apple crisp.  The smell of the baking apples and oatmeal streusel is unbelievable.  This is best eaten the same day as the streusel topping turns soft the next day.

Ingredients:
10 Cortland/Empire/Macintosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
Mix everything and put in buttered 9 in pie dish
Pour 2 tablespoons of melted butter over.
Top with streusel and bake 45 min at 400 deg until bubbly and top is browned.

Oatmeal Streusel:
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup whole oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick margarine or butter, softened
Rub butter into dry ingredients till crumbly.
Squeeze together to form some bigger pieces.

Cheddar & Chives Scones

Great for breakfast or an afternoon high tea. Simple to make.

 Chives and cheddar.

 Handle dough as little as possible and preferably, add the liquid all at once.

 Just form dough quickly with palms of your hands, don't press too hard. Scones look better when rustic and unevenly shaped.

Recipe:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
20g chives, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 cup packed shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 stick (4oz) salted butter, chilled & diced
1 egg
1/2 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)

Mix dry ingredients, cut in butter till crumbly (or pulse in food processor).
Stir in chives and cheddar.
Beat egg with cream. Add to flour mixture (add more cream if nec. until dough can just stick together)
Handle as little and as lightly as possible.
Take half of dough and press lightly into round shape on flour-dusted surface.
Cut into triangles, brush top with either melted butter, beaten egg, or heavy cream.
Bake at 400 deg, 20 - 25 min.

Tip: Best to bake only what you can eat that day and refrigerate the rest of the dough until needed. Tastes best freshly baked as scones tend to dry out very quickly.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Jello

Pineapple Cream Cheese Jello:
1 1/2 packages plain gelatine (or 3 tsp gelatine powder)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup pineapple juice taken from can of pineapple below
20 oz can crushed pineapple
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz container Cool Whip

Directions:
Sprinkle gelatine over water and pineapple juice and allow to bloom.
Melt in microwave or over stove and cool.
Beat cream cheese and sugar together. Beat in melted gelatine.
Fold in Cool Whip and pineapple.
Pour into 9x13 glass pan and chill overnight.

Coffee Jello Ring

This is a variation of the Fruit & Cream Jello Ring.

Black Coffee Layer:
2 packages plain gelatine
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
4 level tsp coffee powder
squeeze of lemon juice
Put sugar and gelatine in water and bring to boil.
Turn off heat and stir till gelatine is melted
Pour into lightly greased Tupperware jello ring mold and chill.

Cream Coffee Layer:
2 1/2 cups half and half
2 packages gelatine
1/2 cup sugar
5 level tsp coffee powder
Put sugar and gelatine in half and half and bring almost a simmer.
Add coffee powder.  Stir till gelatine is melted.
Pour over chilled clear coffee layer and chill till set.

Fruit & Cream Jello Ring

This is a great dessert to bring to a party as it looks very festive and is enjoyed by young and old.

Jello mold from Tupperware.

Fruit Layer:
1 package plain gelatine or 21/2 tsp gelatine powder
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 small can cocktail fruits, drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about one medium lemon)

Mix gelatine and sugar in water and bring almost to a simmer.  Stir to melt gelatine, then add drained fruits and lemon juice..
Pour into a lightly greased Tupperware jelly ring mold and place in the fridge about one hour.
(To grease mold, pour a little vegetable oil onto a napkin and rub the insides of the mold.)

Cream Layer:
5 oz package flavored Jello - I usually use lemon or strawberry.  Pineapple flavor cannot be used as it reacts with milk and turns it into curds.
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup light cream or half n half.
Add jello to the cold milk and bring almost to a simmer.  Stir to melt.
Remove from heat, add in cream.

Pour cream layer over the fruit layer and chill 4 hours or overnight.
Turn out of mold onto serving plate.

Finger Jello with Cream

Finger Jello with Cream:
3 packages of plain gelatine (like Knox) O\or 6 tsp of gelatine powder
12 oz flavored Jello (any kind)
3 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Mix plain and flavored gelatines in water and heat until almost a boil.  Turn off heat and stir until gelatine is melted.  Stir in heavy cream.
Pour into a 13x9 glass pan and let cool.
The cream will float to the top, forming two pretty layers.
Chill in fridge till firm and cut into small squares.

Blueberry Muffins

Photo to come.

A favorite in summer when we can pick our own blueberries.  Those we can't finish eating can be frozen and made into muffins.  Frozen blueberries are better for muffins than fresh ones as the fresh ones will burst too quickly when heated and the muffins look all blue and messy.

Blueberry Muffins:
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 to 11/2 cups sugar (depending on how sweet the berries are)
3 eggs at room temp
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups blueberries
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
about 1/4 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 deg
Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
Cream butter with sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla essence.
Stir in flour mixture and milk.
Pour into muffin pan and bake 25 min till golden at the top.
Makes about 18 muffins.

Pineapple Banana Cream Pie

Photo to come.

Pineapple Banana Pie
4 oz cream cheese
4 oz butter (1 stick) softened
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
8oz can crushed pineapple, drained
2 bananas
8 oz Cool Whip
1 prepared graham cracker crust

Directions:
Cream together cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar.
Add sliced bananas and pineapple, top with Cool Whip.
Optional: Sprinkle with chopped nuts and put cherry in the middle.
Freeze 3 hours or chill overnight before serving.

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe:

11/2 cups icing sugar

1 cup butter, room temp

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

21/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 deg.

Cream butter with icing sugar, add egg and vanilla and beat well.

Stir baking powder and salt into flour and mix into butter mixture.

Wrap dough in clear plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

Remove wrap, take half dough and roll thinly on a floured board. (I actually like to roll them on a large sheet of clear plastic wrap.)

Cut into shapes, decorate, and bake 10-12 min till lightly browned at edges.

Tips: Dip shape cutters into flour to prevent dough sticking to it.

Pumpkin Swiss Roll

A modified recipe from Libby's Pumpkin Pie can label, perfect for Thanksgiving.  Original recipe calls for eggs to be beaten whole, but I prefer to beat the yolks and whites separately for a melt-in-your-mouth feel.  You can beat the eggs whole if you prefer but texture will be rougher, though still delicious.

Pumpkin Swiss Roll Recipe:
1 1/4 cups flour, sifted with:
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg, ginger, cloves

5 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 cup canned pumpkin puree

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degree.
Beat yolks with oil and 1/2 cup sugar.
Beat egg whites till frothy, slowly whisk in 1/2 cup sugar till firm peaks form.
Stir pumpkin into yolks mixture, then fold into egg white mixture alternately with flour.
Pour into 10x15 jelly roll baking sheet lined with greased and floured parchment paper.
Bake 20-25 min.

Filling:
Cream together (room temp)4 oz cream cheese, 6 oz butter and 1 cup icing sugar.

Cake Setup:
When cake is done, cut along edges and immediately turn cake out onto a dry cloth towel. Peel off paper and immediately roll cake(in the towel) into a log lengthwise.

Let it cool completely, then unroll and fill with frosting.  Can prepare the night before serving, just wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Bread Pudding

Rustic Apple Pie

Instead of slaving over a perfect crust apple pie, why not make it the easy way, which I actually think looks more homemade and special.