Apple Brownies...Or Rather Apple Blondies

2/3 c. butter, softened (10-2/3 Tbsp)
1-3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c. chopped nuts
1 c. apples, peeled & chopped
1/3 c. raisins (optional - or use extra apple or nuts)

Cream butter & brown sugar. Add eggs & vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients & beat until mixture is smooth. Add apples, nuts & raisins and stir gently. Spread batter into greased 9"X13" pan and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

Apple Bundt Cake

Cake Batter

3 c. flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
4 eggs
2-1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. orange juice (I used apple cider)
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Filling
2 c. apples (about 2 med.), peeled & diced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bundt pan & set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside. Beat sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla & juice at high speed until well combined. Add dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Fold in nuts. Prepare filling by combining apples, cinnamon & sugar in a bowl or plastic baggie.

Place 1/3 of batter into prepared pan & top with 1/2 the apple filling. Continue layers ending with batter.

Bake 50-60 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with icing after cooling slightly.

Mexican Lettuce Wraps or Lettuce Tacos

1lb ground beef or turkey
2 C. rice
2 C. water
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
Shredded cheddar cheese

Lettuce leaves, salsa, sour cream & additional cheese for building wraps

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown beef or turkey. Season with salt, pepper & garlic or onion powder. Drain meat. Add rice & cook, stirring continuously so rice does not burn. Add water, enchilada sauce & soup. Stir until well-mixed, then add black beans. Pour mixture into casserole dish, top with shredded cheese & bake for 45-55min or until rice is tender.

Serve filling with lettuce leaves, salsa & sour cream.

Microwave Caramels

I'll admit that I found a recipe online & tweaked it. Well, let's say I had to "fix it". My first attempt @ Microwave Caramels was a bit of a disaster. I mean, they tasted good, but ended up more like a Sugar Daddy. Definitely yummy, but way too hard to chew. I looked at some other recipes online to find out a better idea of how long they should take to cook. Well, I decided to give it another go, but cut WAY back on the cook time. They turned out FANTASTIC! I was thrilled. They came out delicious, soft & chewy. Mmmm...this recipe is definitely a KEEPER!
1 C. Butter (2 sticks)
2-1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 C. chopped nuts (optional)

Line a 12 X 7 X 2 inch pan with buttered aluminum foil. Set aside.

Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave butter until melted.

Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk & salt. Cover with plastic wrap, venting one corner. Microwave for 6 minutes. Mixture should be bubbly. Stir, recover & cook 3 more minutes.

Uncover, stir well. Cook 3 more minutes. Stir again & cook 3 more minutes. Basically, the caramels have now cooked for a total of 15 minutes. If you want to check the consistency, drop a little into a bowl of ice water. If done, it should hold together when cooled, but still be chewy. If the mixture doesn't hold together, is too soft, or dissolves immediately...cook longer. I would probably only do 1-2 minutes at a time.

When caramel mixture is cooked, stir in the nuts, and pour into the prepared pan. Allow the caramels to cool. Then cut into pieces and wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap.

Chocolate Marble Gooey Butter Cake

Recipe from: The Cake Mix Doctor

Crust
1pk (18.25oz) plain yellow cake mix
8 Tbs (1 stick) butter, melted
1 large egg

Filling
8oz. cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 Tbs (1 stick) butter, melted
3-3/4 C. confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 C. (6oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Set aside an un-greased 9"X13" baking pan.

For the crust, place cake mix, butter & egg into a large mixing bowl. Blend well with electric mixer. Scrape sides. Batter should come together into a ball. With your fingertips, pat the batter evenly into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

For the filling, place cream cheese into same bowl used for crust (no need to clean bowl or beaters), and blend on low until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and butter, then blend at medium for 1 minute. Add confectioner's sugar & blend until well combined, scraping down sides as necessary.

Melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted. (OR melt in microwave stirring after every 30 seconds until smooth & melted). Measure out 1 cup of the cream cheese filling, and fold it into the chocolate mixture, stirring so the batter becomes well combined. Set aside.

Pour the reamining cream cheese filling onto crust, and spread out evenly to edges. Drop spoonfuls of chocolate batter over the top of the filling. Swirl them with a dinner knife, so the top has a marbled effect. Be careful not to cut through the crust.

Bake cake until it is well browned, but the center still jiggles when you shake the pan. About 45-47 minutes. Remove from oven & cool on wire rack 30 minutes. Cut into squares & serve.

Store this cake covered in aluminum foil at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the refridgerator for a week. Or, freeze wrapped in foil for up to 6 months. Thaw cake overnight in refrigerator before serving.

This cake is great warm, but very gooey when hot/warm, and you have to eat it with a fork. I prefer to make it ahead of time & serve @ room temperature, because it has more of a brownie texture - A VERY decadent, gooey brownie. ENJOY! This is a Great cake.