Pineapple Breakfast Muffins

I had some crushed pineapple left over from my pineapple & ham pizza, so I thought I would throw it into some muffins for a tasty, quick morning snack.   If you don't like pineapple, you could always substitute in your favorite fruit.  These muffins are incredibly light and moist! They go just perfect with your morning coffee!

These muffins are very light and delicately textured.

Pineapple Breakfast Muffins

2 c. all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. milk
4 T. melted butter
1 egg
3/4 c. crushed pineapple

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners or generously grease.  Combine all dry ingredients; then add milk, butter, egg and crushed pineapple. Stir until combined.  Batter will be lumpy.  Fill muffin tins until 2/3 full.  Bake about 15-20 minutes or until delicately browned on top.  Serve hot with butter if desired.  Makes 12 average-sized muffins.

Substitute the pineapple with your favorite fruit if desired.

Homemade Pineapple & Ham Pizza

Pineapple and ham--my favorite!

I hope you all like my new layout as much as I do.  It isn't that I didn't like the other one, but I just wasn't satisfied with it somehow or other. I couldn't ever really put my finger on what it was that I thought wasn't just quite right; I really love this one, though!

This evening for supper I made pizza.  Pizza is one of my go-to meals, because I always have the ingredients on hand, and it doesn't take long to make. It's also cheaper (and better!) than the frozen ones which I usually try to keep on-hand for whenever I really just don't feel like making anything.  Of course, you could always substitute your favorite toppings (i.e. green peppers, pepperoni, hamburger, onions, black olives, mushrooms, sausage, etc.)  in place of the pineapple and ham if you aren't a fan of it.  We, however, like to mix it up now and then so that "pizza" doesn't just mean cheese and pepperoni. This is  how I make my pineapple and ham pizza:

Pizza Crust

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. or 1 pkg. rapid rise yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar
2 T. oil
3/4 -1 c. hot tap water

Combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar in mixing bowl.  Add oil and hot tap water; beat well. (Add 3/4 c. water at first, then more if needed to thin the dough.) Dough should be soft, but be able to hold its shape.  Cover with a towel and let rest 10 minutes.  Punch down, turn-out on generously floured surface and knead about 1 minute or until dough is firm.  Pat out into greased pan(s).  Bake at 350 degrees until crust is just set, but not browned.  Spread with favorite toppings and bake at 425 degrees for about 17-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is slightly browned.  Cut and serve hot.  (My mom uses this recipe for two crusts; I prefer a thicker crust, so I use this for only one pizza.)

Pizza Sauce

1 (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1/2 T. sugar
pinch of garlic powder
1tsp. basil
1-1 1/2 tsp. oregano

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and spread on prepared pizza crust.  Top with cheese and topping of choice. (Since I was making a pineapple and ham pizza, I added an additional 1/2 tablespoon of sugar to my sauce to sweeten it up a bit.)

Toppings

3 c. shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
1 (8 oz.) can diced or crushed pineapple (without juice)
6 pieces of Canadian bacon, sliced
Parmesean cheese

Spread cheese evenly on top of prepared crust. Then distribute pineapple and Canadian bacon evenly on top of cheese.  Cover with additional shredded cheese if desired, and sprinkle Parmesean on top of this.  Bake at 425 degrees for about 17-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is browned.

Also: Try making individual, deep-dish pizzas in cast iron skillets sometime! They make for an extremely good crust.

Dough is mixed-up; now resting for 10 minutes before kneading.

 Dough has baked for about 6 minutes at 350 degrees until set.
Now we can top it!

Hot, cut and ready to eat!

 Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by! =)

Cream Puffs

There are very few cakes which are moist enough to suit my dad's taste.  So, many years ago, (probably even way before I was born...) my mom started making him cream puffs for his birthday instead of cake.  Since Dad's birthday fell on a weekday this year, and both he and Mom work, I decided to make the cream puffs so that Mom wouldn't have to worry about it.  Let me warn you...if you have never had cream puffs before, you are missing out on one of the great pastries of the world.  As Dad would say, they're so good, you can't hardly sit still and eat them.

Cream Puffs (Dough)

1 c. water
1/2 c. butter
1 c. all purpose flour
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat water and butter to boiling point in saucepan.  Stir in flour and stir constantly over low heat until the mixture leaves the sides of pan and form a ball (about 1 minute).  Remove from heat and cool.  Beat eggs in, one at a time, blending well after each addition.  Mixture should be smooth and velvety.  Drop by generous spoon-fulls on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in hot oven for about 45 minutes.  Puffs should be browned and dry to the touch.  Makes 8 large puffs.

Custard

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
6 T. all purpose flour
2 c. top milk
2 eggs, or 4 yolks
2 tsp. vanilla
1 T. butter

Mix sugar, salt and flour in saucepan.  Stir in milk and  cook over low heat, stirring until it boils. Cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Transfer a little of this mixture into beaten eggs (or yolks), being careful to add mixture slowly while stirring vigorously .  Transfer egg mixture back into saucepan, stirring constantly.  Return to heat and bring to a boiling point.  Remove from heat, and blend in vanilla and butter.

After puffs have cooled, slice off tops (reserve) and scoop out soft filling. Fill inside of puffs with custard and replace tops.  Sprinkle powdered sugar over them if desired.

Spoon dough out onto ungreased baking sheet

 Puffs are done when golden brown and dry to the touch

Slice off tops (reserve) and scoop out filling

My bowl full of scooped-out filling

Fill each puff with custard, then replace tops

Ready to serve!
(As you can see, I made a double batch; it's one of the requirements of making them
for the family...)

Caribbean Jerk Grilled Trout

It's spring, everybody! (And about time!!) Warmer weather means one important thing for me when it comes to cooking: grilling out.  We do a lot of grilling during the spring and summer, which is nice for a variety of reasons: enjoying being outdoors, no messy kitchen to clean-up, tasty food, and hubby is top chef! We don't have one of those  $1,000 + intimidating, stainless steel contraptions, rather a simple charcoal grill, which I prefer to gas anyway. I like grilling with charcoal because: 1) It gives more flavor to the food; 2) I have a gas stove, so why wouldn't I just use it instead of a gas grill? and 3) it makes your general vicinity smell like summer! 

 

Rainbow Trout

One of my absolute favorite things to fix on the grill is fish. Of course, you probably have to be a like-er of fish to even think about grilling(or at least be some what adventurous) unless it's something you're already accustomed to. Unfortunately, it seems that many Americans who eat fish tend to stick to the panko-breaded, battered, deep-fried crunchy stuff a la Long John Silvers.  Not that I'm knockin' on that, because I enjoy a crispy, golden fillet (and crunchies! ) from time to time myself.  However, the best fish, in my humble opinion, is always grilled.  In fact, as much as I love a great prime rib, I would opt for good, grilled fish over steak any day.  I would also have to admit that many of the best meals I've ever had consisted of fish as the main course: grouper in Florida, mahi mahi in Hawaii, trout from the Bonefish Grill, sea bass prepared by a local acquaintance and whole tilapia made by my friend's mother. All of these, by the way, were grilled or baked--a coincidence? I think not.   





There is so much to be said of fish that is properly prepared: it's tender, it's moist, it's flavorful, it's delicate, and...it's even good for you! (Well, the grilled kind is good for you; the deep-fried, batter-clad catfish we love so much probably isn't...) So the next time you fire up the grill, think about trading some of those hotdogs and hamburgers in for some grilled fish and shrimp.  One of my favorite methods of preparation happens to be one of the easiest: open a bottle of marinade and let your fish/shrimp marinate for at least 30 minutes before throwing it on the grill.  Fortunately, there are about as many kinds of marinade available as there are ways to use it.  Find one that has a flavor you like (i.e. Caribbean Jerk, Teriyaki, etc.) and try it out!  It's also great over grilled veggies, especially peppers, mushrooms, squash and zucchini.  My favorite marinade is currently KC Masterpiece's Spiced Caribbean Jerk 30 Minute Marinade. It's soo good...sweet and spicy! (Just like me--haha!)

Caribbean Jerk Grilled Trout 

Fresh trout (frozen will do, but fresh is much better)

KC Masterpiece Spiced Caribbean Jerk 30 Minute Marinade

(Hot grill)

Place trout in a shallow dish, skin-side down.  Spoon marinade onto fish, applying liberally.  Turn fish over so that skin faces upward, and generously apply marinade to skin as well.  Cover with plastic wrap, place in refrigerator and allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes.  Place on preheated grill, skin-side down, and close grill lid.  Allow to cook for about 7 minutes, then begin testing for doneness.  (Cooking time will vary based on thickness of fish and grill temperature.)  Fish is done when easily flaked with a fork and juices are clear.  Serve hot.



Trout is such a beautiful fish--so appetizing to the eye!



Marinate for at least 30 minutes

 You can also marinate shrimp the same way

Hot off the grill and ready to eat!

Not exactly the most appetizing of pictures (Hubby won't eat the skin for some reason...),
but you can see how the flesh is tender and flaky--just perfect!

Happy spring, everyone!

(P.S. Cream Puffs tomorrow to celebrate my dad's birthday...can't wait for those!)

Cafe Mexicain

This coffee recipe comes from one of my new-found treasures, Betty Crocker's Guide To Easy Entertaining.

 As a coffee-lover, I am especially pleased to find new ways to enjoy my favorite, hot beverage, and hope you will be as pleased with this recipe as I am.  Now, my kind of coffee is very straightforward: very strong, with a little cream.  I don't get into all this specialty coffee (although, I confess, my abstinence is largely due to the fact that I simply can't bring myself to pay that much for one cup of coffee, or bag of coffee for that matter).  Besides, I like the coffee and cream just fine...usually. Occasionally, if I am out and about in the early morning, I will stop at McDonald's and get some "fancy" coffee--you know, the one with the whipping cream on top--but this is pretty much the extent of my specialty coffee experience. 

I bring this up because, if you're like me, and enjoy a good cup of strong coffee, but would occasionally like to spice things up a bit--yet, cannot bring yourself to pay a war-price to have someone else make it for you--there is hope!  You can do it at home yourself!  So the next time you want to exchange your boring cup of Joe for something a little more exotic, try this:

Cafe Mexicain

1/2 c. heavy cream
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 T. confectioner's sugar

Mix cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar into cream.  Whip until stiff just before serving.  Place a generous dollop on top of hot, black coffee.  Makes 6 servings. (I also added about 1/2 tsp. of vanilla, which was delicious!)

   

Warning! This could be addictive!

*On a side note, I don't know why the recipe title is spelled as it is, because "Mexicain" is definitely not Spanish, but I decided to leave it as is spelled in the book from which it came for the sake of being authentic.

Chocolate Whoopie Pies!

I've gotten behind in my cookie swap recipes due to having spent time with my little sister who is home on break from college. However, I am really excited to share my cream-filled cookie recipe with you guys, as these whoopie pies are a real treat! On a side note, you can make whoopie pies of different flavors: chocolate, pumpkin and oatmeal being the most common.  But it's very versatile, so you could really do a lot of experimenting with them if you felt like being creative. I, for instance, would love to make some maple or butter pecan whoopie pies someday! The recipe I am sharing is that of a Mennonite bakery which is well-known in my little corner of the world for their breads and sweet treats.  Whoopie pies are just one of the many baked goodies that line their store shelves, and the recipe itself is for a rather large quantity of pies, so it may be that you will want to scale-down the ingredient proportions to fit your own baking needs.

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

1 1/2 c. margarine
3 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 c. cocoa
2 1/4 c. buttermilk
5 1/2 c. flour

Cream margarine and sugar. Blend in eggs, vanilla, salt, soda and cocoa.  Add flour and buttermilk separately, mixing after each addition.  Chill dough at least 1 hr. Drop onto greased cookie sheet by rounded tablespoonfulls.  Make cookies equal in size.  Bake for 8-10 minutes in moderate oven (about 350 degrees). Cookies should be nice and rounded. After cookies have cooled, place a scoop of filling between two cookies, and wrap individually in plastic wrap for storing. Makes 42 whoopie pies.

Filling:
1 c. margarine
8 oz. softened cream cheese
2 tsp. vanilla
4 T. flour
3-4 c. powdered sugar
2 T. milk

Beat margarine and cream cheese together.  Add remaining ingredients and beat until light and fluffy.

Whoopie pies make for a special treat

For more great cookie recipes, visit here and here!

Jelly Surprise Cookies

In case anyone was beginning to wonder why I am posting so many cookie recipes this week, it is because I'm participating in a cookie swap via my Australian blogger friend at CALM Homemaking 1950's Style. Each day we are posting a different cookie recipe with a different theme:

Monday: Chocolate
Tuesday: Spice
Wednesday: Jam/jelly
Thursday: Cream-filled
Friday: Dried fruit

For my "cookie of the day," I made apple jelly "surprise" cookies. The surprise, of course, is a dollop of jelly in the center of a folded-over shortbread cookie. If you don't like working with super-sticky dough, or having to roll dough, you might want to skip this recipe as it can definitely try one's patience. However, if you're like me, and find that patience can be a learned virtue, you might want to give it a shot.  Just remember a couple things when working with dough that is super-sticky and super-soft: 1) flour is your best friend; 2) the colder, the better; 3) try covering your rolling pin with a clean stocking (knee-highs are great for this!); and 4) try using a large, wooden cutting/bread board to work on if you don't have a granite counter top.

If rolling pin is sticking, try covering it with
a stocking coated in flour.

Jelly Surprise Cookies  

1/2 c. soft shortening, butter or cream cheese
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 T. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
jelly of your choice

In a mixing bowl, cream together shortening (or other fat), sugar and eggs. Stir in cream and vanilla.  Combine flour, soda and salt in separate bowl, then add gradually to creamed mixture.  Chill thoroughly.  After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pour dough onto generously-floured counter top, and sprinkle top of dough with flour to cover. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out until very thin, about 1/16" thick, and cut with floured biscuit or cookie cutter.  Transfer onto lightly greased cookie sheet, and drop a teaspoonful of jelly onto center of each cookie.  Pull dough from one side of cookie over jelly and onto other side, pressing edges together to seal. (Fold cookie in half as you would for fried apple pies.) Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just starting to brown. 



I used homemade apple jelly because it's the only kind I had on hand, but you
can use whatever you like.

*It will be nearly impossible to transfer the cut dough onto the cookie sheet by using fingers alone; the dough is so delicate, it will most likely tear.  Use a metal spatula, dipping in flour before each use to "scoop" up the dough for transfer.  Using the spatula in the same way to fold the cookies over for sealing will also be easier than trying to use your fingers.

If you're interested in the other great recipes from our cookie swap week, you can check them out here.  Chantal is collecting our recipes and re-posting them on one page for convenience.

Snickerdoodles

I've always loved snickerdoodles because they're crunchy on the outside, yet chewy on the inside--you get the best of both crunch and chewy cookies, all in one!  They go great with coffee, and make a perfect afternoon treat.  They are also a great spice cookie, as they have good flavor that is not overpowering.

Snickerdoodles

2 3/4 all purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. soft shortening
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 T. granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

In large mixing bowl, cream shortening, 1 1/2 c. sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.  In separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt.  Gradually add to shortening mixture and blend until batter is dough-like.  Chill until easy to handle.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees, then shape dough into walnut-sized balls.  Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl, and coat each ball of dough with this mixture.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart and bake for 8-10 minutes until done, being careful not to over-bake. 

Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Cornmeal Waffles

I first heard about chicken and waffles in one of my favorite novels, Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain, one of the great noir masters. (You may have seen the 1945 film by the same name with Oscar-winner Joan Crawford--also one of my favorite film noirs.)  In the novel, Mildred opens her own restaurant and works her way up the social and financial ladder by specializing in selling chicken and waffles.  Ever since reading this, I've been intrigued by the idea.  After doing some more research, I learned that this seemingly-odd combination is actually pretty common fare in the South, and is also frequently prepared in other parts of the country as creamed chicken and waffles.  I figured it was worth a try, and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.  Of course, nothing was new about the fried chicken, and nothing especially new about fixing waffles; however, these are cornbread waffles, so in that respect they are very different from any you would normally eat.  I also found in doing my research that many people actually make regular, breakfast-style waffles (which I have yet to try with this dish), but I do think the cornbread waffles are a nice change-up from the typical cornbread that I would otherwise make.

Nothing says "South" like chicken frying
in a cast iron skillet!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

1 frying chicken, cut up
buttermilk (about 4-6 cups)
1 c. all purpose flour
1 T. salt
1 1/2 T. paprika
dash of pepper
about 2/3 c. oil for frying

Place chicken in container where all sides of each piece can be covered with buttermilk.  The amount of buttermilk needed will depend on the size of the chicken and the container in which it is placed. Cover with plastic wrap, place in refrigerator and allow to marinate at least 4 hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl (or bag) mix flour, salt, paprika and pepper.  Place each piece of buttermilk-coated chicken in flour mixture and coat generously, being sure to cover entire surface.  In a large cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat, until hot enough so that drops of water will sizzle when sprinkled onto it.  Place dredged chicken in hot oil, one piece at a time, making sure that no piece directly touches another. Do not overcrowd skillet. You will most likely have to fry the chicken in two or three batches.  Fry on each side about 5-6 minutes, or until golden and crispy, then transfer onto foil-lined baking sheet.  When all chicken has been browned and transferred onto baking sheet, place in oven and bake for about 35 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Cornmeal Waffles

3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 T. butter, melted (or use oil from skillet in which chicken was fried)
1 egg
2/3 c. milk

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  Add butter or oil, egg and milk.  Stir until combined (batter will be lumpy).  Pour into hot, greased waffle iron, and bake until done.  Serve hot.

Buttermilk fried chicken, cornmeal waffles and green beans...welcome to the South!

Meringues

If you want a really fancy-looking treat that is also relatively healthy for you (these have no fat--how many cookies can you say that about!?), try these impressive looking meringues.  They are a dessert that looks complicated, but is actually very easy (not to mention cheap).

Meringues

2 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 c. superfine or powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Add cream of tartar to egg whites and beat until stiff; gradually add sugar, beating until whites hold stiff peaks. Fold in vanilla and food coloring. Drop by teaspoonfulls or pipe onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 40 minutes at 250 degrees, but do not allow to brown.  Let cool in oven for 30 minutes before removing.

Meringues are a very light and special treat

$25,000 Orange Kiss-Me Cake

No frosting--just sugar, cinnamon and walnuts

Hi, everyone! I've been busy with family things for the last couple days, and I tried out a new cake recipe for Mom's birthday yesterday, which I thought was so good, I would pass it along to you all! This cake was the $25,000 first prize-winning entry in the 1950 2nd Annual $100,000 Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest.  (Do they even still have those??)  I figured it had to be good, and it is...and I think if you try it, you will be pleasantly surprised, even if you're not big on "fruit" cakes.  The orange flavor is mild and refreshing, and the cake itself is extremely light, especially in comparison to, say, a carrot cake which is also very moist but tends to be on the heavy side. This cake is so moist and perfectly sweet already, you don't even frost it; instead, you drizzle fresh orange juice over the hot cake and sprinkle a sugar, cinnamon and nut mixture over the top.  Perfection!

$25,000 Orange Kiss-Me Cake

1 large orange
1 c. seedless raisins
3/4 c. walnuts
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. milk
2 eggs
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Zest and juice the orange. (Reserve juice.) Grind together zest, pulp, raisins and 1/2 c. of walnuts. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, soda, salt and sugar. To this mixture add shortening and 3/4 c. milk. Beat for 2 minutes.  Add remaining 1/4 c. milk and eggs, one at time, beating for 2 more minutes. Fold in ground zest, pulp, raisins and nuts. Pour into prepared 13 x 9 x 2" pan, and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until sides begin to pull away from pan and toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean.  Remove from oven, and drizzle reserved orange juice over top of cake.  Chop remaining 1/4 c. walnuts and sprinkle onto cake, then mix together powdered sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over top as well. Cut and serve.

Very moist, light and refreshing: perfect for Spring or Summer!

Chicken and Rice Soup

We went to the grocery store yesterday, and chicken was on sale, so I (of course) stocked up on it.  Needless to say, we will be eating a lot of chicken dishes in the near future! (Although, most of what I bought I went ahead and put in the freezer, because I always try to have some on-hand to use for whatever.)  Since we are both still somewhat sick, I thought it would be good to have some chicken soup of some kind. However, I made Chicken Noodle Soup not long ago, so I thought it would be nice to make some chicken and rice soup for a change.

  

A change from traditional Chicken Noodle

Chicken and Rice Soup

2 T. butter

2 large ribs of celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 chicken leg quarters or 1 large breast (with skin)
4 chicken bouillons
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. rice (white or wild)
1 tsp. dried parsley
6 c. water

Prepare vegetables as indicated. In a large cooker, melt butter, and add celery, carrots and onion. Saute until tender, but do not brown. Add water and chicken.  Cover with lid, and cook for about 25 minutes, or until chicken is done.  Remove chicken from stock, and transfer to cutting board. Check stock for any solid pieces that may have formed during cooking and discard. As soon as chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin, and pick meat from bones, discarding any unused parts. Cut chicken into pieces of desirable size, and transfer back to stock. Add chicken bouillons, rice, salt, pepper and parsley.  Cook covered for about 20 more minutes until rice is tender (wild rice may take longer). Serve hot with crackers or grilled cheese sandwiches.

In making this soup for us, I dice the celery very fine because my husband wouldn't want to eat it if he could see it! (Anyone else have this problem..?) Otherwise, you would be able to see the sliced celery in there.

Goes great with hot, grilled cheese sandwiches!

Aunt Danola's Baby Ruth Cookies

My Aunt Danola was an older sister to my grandmother, Hattie. She was truly a great lady whom I always admired; she really enjoyed a good laugh and always had a good story to tell. She had a chuckle that just made you feel good and would often begin a remark with, "Now, children..." They sure don't make 'em like Aunt Danola anymore.

  



Chewy and rich, salty and sweet,you'll want a tall,
cold glass of milk to go with these!



Like my grandmother, she was an excellent cook, and completely won me over about 15 years ago with her baked beans.  This cookie recipe was given to me by her son, Joel, and I promise you won't regret making them. (I would recommend, however, making sure there is milk in the fridge before you do.)

Aunt Danola's Baby Ruth Cookies

1 c. margarine

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs
2 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
3 large Baby Ruth bars, cut-up

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs, and beat until creamy. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda and salt; add to sugar mixture.  Add vanilla and Baby Ruth candy; stir until well-combined.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes, or until tops are delicately browned. Remove from oven, and as soon as cookies have cooled enough to hold together, transfer them onto cooling racks. (This can be somewhat tricky, as any melted caramel from the candy will harden onto the cookie sheet as they cool.) Makes about 52 cookies.

I like to use a small ice cream scoop to drop cookies; this insures that they will be a uniform size,
and it allows you to skip the step of chilling the dough, since you don't have to handle it.  

Is That a Cookbook--or What!!!

OK, so I'm going to embarrass myself a little here, but I'm so excited, I really don't even care if you find out   how big of a nerd I am! Haha! My "new" cookbook came today!  It feels like Christmas around here right now! (No; really--I was so excited, I actually called my poor husband at work to tell him that it came!....I know, I know...)


Is that a cookbook--or what!!! =)

I have been searching for some old cookbooks on eBay, and finally came across some that I really wanted. This is the first of the lot, and needless to say, the mother of them all! It is actually a binder with 20 of Good Housekeeping's Cookbooks contained within.  They are each about a specific type of food (i.e. "Good Housekeeping's Book of Cookies," etc.), and are from 1958. So you know what I'll be doing in my spare time for the next few days/weeks/months... =)

If anyone knows of any really good, vintage cookbooks, please let me know as I would love to add to my collection! (PS: I am expecting Betty Crocker's Party Book and Betty Crocker's Entertaining Guide any day now...)  =)

Mom-ma's Gingerbread

If you have ever had my grandmother's gingerbread, then you will understand when I say it clearly needs no introduction, and that whatever description I might give--however good--will still not adequately convey how absolutely delicious it truly is!

  

Mom-ma's gingerbread: the best you'll ever eat!

I also have several other recipes for "gingerbread" (most of which are of a cake-like texture and baked in a square cake pan), and recipes for gingerbread cookies, but this is a recipe for what one might describe as individual gingerbread cakes.  If you have read my "About Me" page, then you already know that gingerbread is one of Mom-ma's signature dishes.  Regardless of the fact that she's my grandmother (and I could, therefore, be somewhat biased), she makes the best gingerbread I've ever had...and I'm sure many of my family members would attest to that.

Like many breads, much of how this turns out will have to do with the handling of the dough, as opposed to how it's put together.  Try to handle it as little as possible, while still shaping it as necessary. Also, Mom-ma and I like our gingerbread very chewy and moist in the middle, so we usually pull ours out of the oven after about 10 minutes of baking.  However, if you prefer yours to be on the dry side, you will want to leave it in for about 12-14 minutes. Also, I will give you the recipe as Mom-ma gave it to me, which will make a lot of gingerbread (about 44 pieces), so I always half it when making it for just my husband and myself.

Mom-ma's Gingerbread

6 c. self-rising flour
3 tsp. (heaping) of ginger
3 eggs
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. molasses
2/3 c. oil
1/2 c. water or milk
(plus 1 egg and about 3 T. milk for glaze)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In large mixing bowl, combine flour and ginger. In separate bowl, combine eggs, sugars, molasses and oil.  In small bowl, beat additional egg with milk and set aside. Pour liquid into flour mixture and stir to combine. Make sure that it is well-blended, but do not over beat.  Pour dough onto a generously floured counter top.  Sprinkle with flour and be sure to keep flour on your hands so it does not stick. Roll into individual cakes and place about 1" apart on greased baking sheet.  Glaze tops with egg wash and bake for 10-14 minutes.  If you want gingerbread to be very moist in the center, start checking after about 10 minutes of baking, and take it out when it is still soft to touch.  If you want it to be dry, leave it in for about 14 minutes or until firm to touch. Remove from oven, place on cooling racks, and enjoy! Warning: you will want a tall, cold glass of milk to go with this!

Also: When making the gingerbread for the pictures below, I didn't have any plain molasses.  Not to worry, though: I did have blackstrap molasses. However, if used alone, blackstrap molasses would be entirely too dark and too rich to use by itself, and would basically ruin the bread.  So, I used 1/2 the amount of molasses the recipe calls for, and used honey for the remaining 1/2. This helped to balance out the flavor.  

You will need to be generous with the flour while shaping the dough as it is very sticky.

 Space individual cakes out about 1" apart on prepared baking sheet and brush with egg & milk wash.

Out of the oven and ready to cool (and eat!)

Get the milk ready!