Flour Frosting

This is Bryan's most favorite frosting. Tradtion is for him to enjoy this on his red velvet cake.
 
  1 c. milk
  5 tbsp. flour
  1 c. butter
  1 c. powdered sugar, sifted
  1 tsp. vanilla

Combine milk and flour in saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat stirring constantly.
Cook until smooth and thick.
Place in refrigerator until cooled.
Cream and beat together butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.
Add flour mixture and beat at high speed until very soft, light
and fluffy. (This may take 10 minutes on high speed to break up and distribute flou mixture throughout.)

Must be kept refrigerated.

Texas Sheet Cake - From Pioneer Woman

THE BEST CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE. EVER.

CAKE:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 heaping Tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup boiling water
• ½ cup buttermilk (Or use this tip to make a buttermilk substitute: Place 1/2 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough regular milk to bring the liquid up to the 1/2 cup line. Let stand for 5 minutes, then use in the recipe.)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

FROSTING:

• 1 3/4 sticks butter
• 4 heaping Tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
• 6 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pound (minus 1/2 cup) powdered sugar (about 3 to 3 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts, optional (Jane did not use nuts in her frosting and it was great…so if you don’t like nuts, leave them out!)

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

Melt butter in a saucepan and add cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into 13 x 18″ sheet cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (if using a 10 x 15″ jelly roll pan, you may need to bake 22 to 23 minutes). NOTE: I greased my pan, but you’ll note that the Pioneer Woman’s recipe doesn’t say to do that, you be the judge.

While cake is baking, make the icing. If using nuts (I never use nuts in this recipe), chop them finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the nuts, stir together, and pour over warm cake. (NOTE: if you follow these directions, you’ll notice your frosting is still a little lumpy. To make frosting really nice and smooth, just simply cook the frosting several minutes longer over low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Another option if you decide to use nuts is to leave them out of the frosting mixture and sprinkle them on top of the icing instead). If you made your cake in a 13 x 18″ pan, pour on all the frosting–you may need to spread it a little so it covers the entire cake; if your cake is in a 10 x 15″ pan, just pour enough frosting on to cover the surface of the cake without going over the edges of the pan. You’ll probably have about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of frosting left over (save for another desert).

You can let the frosting cool and set before cutting into squares if you want, or cut into squares while it’s still warm and dig in! The frosting will start setting in about a half hour, but it needs between 1 and 2 hours to set more firmly; at 2 hours, it should be nice and firm.

Blackberry Swirl Pie - From Sharon

1 rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crust
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp salt
3 cups fresh blackberries or 1 (16-oz.) pkg. frozen blackberries (I used frozen loganberries)

Preheat oven to 450. 

Let frozen berries stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare pastry and line 9-inch pie plate. Line pastry with double thickness of foil. Bake 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 4 minutes more or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. 

Reduce oven to 350.


In a bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, flour, and salt. Add berries and gently stir to combine. Spoon into pre-baked crust. To prevent over-browning, cover edge of pie with foil. 

Bake 25 minutes (50 minutes for frozen berries). 

Remove foil. Bake 20 minutes more or until filling is bubbly and appears set (some berries will "pop" up to surface). 

Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve or cover and refrigerate.

Banana Nut Bread

My favorite Banana Bread recipe!

1/2 C oil
1 C sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C chopped nuts

Beat oil & sugar together. Add eggs & banana pulp and beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients, milk & vanilla. Mix well & stir in nuts. Pour into greased & floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour. Cool. Makes 1 loaf.

Blonde Brownies

(Chewy Butterscotch Flavor)

1/4 C Butter or Margarine, melted
1 C light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C coarsely chopped nuts

Add butter to brown sugar until well-blended. Add egg & vanilla and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients, then add nuts. Spread in a well buttered 8"X8" pan. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on cake rack. Cut into 2" squares. Makes 16.

Crunchy Almond-Cinnamon Granola

This is VERY yummy dry by-the-handful or as a cereal with milk.

5-1/2 C. Oats (I used regular old fashioned, but quick would probably still work fine)
1-1/2 C. sliced almonds
1 C. Sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs whole wheat flour
1 tsp Cinnamon (add more if you like it stronger - I just like a little)
2/3 C. dry milk
1 Tbs vanilla
6 Tbs oil (3oz.)
18 Tbs water (9oz. OR 1 C. + 2 Tbs)

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all dry ingredients in a LARGE bowl.
Mix together wet ingredients (vanilla, oil, water).
Add wet ingredients to dry & stir until well-combined. - Will be somewhat clumpy.
Crumble onto greased baking sheets. - Separate between at least 2 so they wall dry/cook quicker.
Baking time WILL vary. - Check & stir every 8-15 minutes.
Granola is done when evenly dried & toasted.

*If you want to add dried fruit (dried cranberries, cherries, banana chips, raisins, etc.), keep separate & mix when ready to eat. If mixed, granola will absorb the moisture & be less crunchy.

This last time I made this, I kept the almonds and stirred them in after mixing, before baking. I prefer them mixed in & clumped with the oats.
Store in an air-tight container.

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.

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.

Butterscotch Rolls

This is the yummiest pull-apart recipe ever. My mom has made these forever, and my kids love them. They call them "Sticky Buns" and ask for them frequently.

1 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1 pkg cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding mix
Rhodes Rolls (36ct) or equivalent - Meijer has a good brand of frozen yeast rolls
Optional
Chopped nuts or pecan halves
cinnamon

Melt butter in microwave. Add brown sugar & heat until sugar is almost dissolved. Spray 2 bundt pans with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between the pans (18-20 fills a pan). Add nuts to rolls in pan, if desired. Pour 1/2 brown sugar mixture over rolls in each pan. Sprinkle pudding mix over brown sugar & rolls (1/2 each pan). Put into oven & allow to rise overnight.

Remove rolls from oven and preheat oven to 350. Poke rolls so they fit into pan. Bake for 18-25 minutes until cooked through. While warm, turn pans upside-down onto a plate to remove rolls.

Whole Wheat Crepes

1 cup low-fat milk
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 large egg
1 additional egg white
1 Tbs sugar (optional)

In a blender or food processor, process the milk and egg until will mixed, but stopping short of creating foam. Add flour, sugar (if desired) and any spices you want to try and pulse until just mixed. The batter should be quite thin. Add more milk as neccessary. (I think I tripled the batch and did have to thin it a little)

Heat a lightly-greased medium skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. The pan is ready when a drop of water dropped in the pan dances on the surface.

For each crepe, use 3 Tablespoons of batter. Immediately swirl the pan gently to distribute the batter in a very thin layer. Cook the crepe until the surface appears dry -- about 1 minute. Stack completed crepes on a plate with wax paper between each crepe to prevent sticking.

Fill crepes with you favorite filling. Roll and enjoy! I love them with a little Nutella & strawberries or bananas.

(from http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=1156)

Crispy Peanut Butterscotch Pie

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1/4 C - creamy peanut butter
1 Tbs - honey
1-1/2 C - oven toasted rice cereal (such as rice krispies)
1 (1 oz) pkg - sugar-free butterscotch instant pudding mix
2 C - fat-free milk
1-1/2 C - frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed & divided
Cinnamon (optional)
Additional cereal (optional)

Combine peanut butter & honey in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave HIGH 30 seconds, stirring until mixture melts. Stir in rice cereal. Using wax paper, press mixture into bottom of 8" round cake pan. Prepare pudding mix according to directions, using 2 C fat-free milk. Fold in 1 C. whipped topping. Spoon pudding mixture into prepared pan. Cover & freeze until firm. Let pie stand 15 minutes @ room temperature before serving. Cut pie in 6 wedges, and top evenly with remaining whipped topping. If desired, sprinkle with cinnamon & additional cereal.

Servings: 6
Serving size: 1 slice
Calories (g) - 149
Fat (g) - 5
Carbohydrates (g) - 21.2
Fiber (g) - 0.7
Protein (g) - 4
Sodium (mg) - 375
Exchanges - 1-1/2 starch / 1 fat

Angel Food Puffs

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1/2 C - orange flavored sugar-free soda
1/4 tsp - almond extract
1 (16 oz) pkg - angel food cake mix

Preheat oven to 350. Combine ingredients in a large bowl. beat with mixer at medium speed until smooth. Drop batter by heaping Tablespoons onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 9 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets immediately & cool on wire racks.

Try using different flavors of sodas for variety.

***Leave plenty of space between cookies, they spread out a bit. I think next time, I'll make them teaspoon sized & bake for less time. They're yummy, but I think that vanilla extract may also be a better choice depending on the soda used.

Servings: 28 cookies
Serving size: 1
Calories (g) - 61
Fat (g) - 0.1
Carbohydrates (g) - 13.8
Fiber (g) - 0.1
Protein (g) - 1.4
Sodium (mg) - 119
Exchanges - 1 starch

Blender Custard Cups

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
3 C - hot water
1 C - egg substitute
1 C - instant nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 C - "measures like sugar" calorie-free sweetener
2 Tbs - sugar
1 Tbs - vanilla extract
1/4 tsp - salt


Preheat oven to 375. Combine ingredients in blender; process until smooth. Pour into 8 (6oz) custard cups. (Sprinkle with nutmeg if desired.) Set cups in 13 X 9-inch baking pan. Add hot water to pan to depth of 1 inch. Bake uncovered at 325 for 40 mintues. Serve custard warm or cold.

Servings: 8
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories (g) - 82
Fat (g) - 0.1
Carbohydrates (g) - 14.3
Fiber (g) - 0
Protein (g) -6
Sodium (mg) - 183
Exchanges -1 starch

Raspberry Smoothies

Recipe from: Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes

Ingredients
1-1/2 C - fresh or frozen raspberries
1-1/2 C - frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
1 (8oz) carton - low fat lemon yogurt

Combine all ingredients in blender. Add ice cubes to reach 4-cup level. Process until smooth & serve immediately.

Servings: 4
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories (g) - 144
Fat (g) - 0.7
Carbohydrates (g) - 30.8
Fiber (g) - 3.1
Protein (g) - 2.5
Sodium (mg) - 52
Exchanges - 1 starch / 1 fruit

White Cake Icing - Just like buttercream.

I found this recipe for decorating cake icing on Cooks.com. I was really happy with the way it turned out.

1 1/2 c. Shortening (9 oz. by weight)
2 Tbs. butter
2 tsp vanilla (use clear for white frosting)
Dash of salt
1/2 c. warm water
2 lb. confectioner's (powdered) sugar

Cream butter & shortening until fluffy. Add vanilla & part of water. Beat on medium and gradually add sugar and add the rest of water. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 sm. zucchini (about 1/2 lb. total) or 2 c. grated
4 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 (8 x 4) loaf pans. (Or, prepare muffin pans)

Grate zucchini. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In another bowl, combine zucchini except the chocolate chips. Stir into dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick stuck in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool on rack 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely. Bake muffins about 20 minutes, about 10 minutes for mini-muffins.

For a single batch, I got 2 dozen regular-sized muffins & 2 dozen mini-muffins. Muffins freeze well & reheat/thaw easily in microwave.

For more fiber, use 1/2 whole wheat flour & 1/2 white flour. Optional: add 1/2 c. wheat germ, 1/2 c. flax seed, 1-2 Tbs more milk, and double baking powder.

Apple Pie Kits

Wash apples

Peel, core, and slice apples

Put 6 cups of apples in ziplock bag with 1 c. sugar, 2 t. cinnamon, 2 T. all-purpose flour, 1/2 t. allspice

Zip the bag shut and shake coating apples.

Label bags & Freeze

Apple Pecan Crisp

From Betty Crocker

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:50 min
Makes:8 servings

Fruit Mixture
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Gold Medal® self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups sliced peeled Golden Delicious apples (6 medium)

Topping
1 cup Gold Medal® self-rising flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
10 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, mix granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and the cinnamon. Add apples; stir to coat evenly. Pour into baking dish.

2. In medium bowl, mix 1 cup flour and the brown sugar. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and pecans. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over fruit mixture.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 375°F. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.