Glace Icing

From Kate Jones, 2009

1/2 pound powdered sugar (16 oz.)
1/4 c. plus 2 T milk
1/4 c. plus 2 T light corn syrup
1 t. of extract (vanilla, almond, etc.)

With a whisk, combine sugar and milk until smooth (no lumps). Then stir in corn syrup and extract.

To thicken for piping, add more powdered sugar.

For sugar cookies.

Apple Dumplings

(From Kate Jones, 2009)
Jeni's variation

1 can cresent rolls
1 granny smith apple, peeled and cored, divided into eighths
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 cup Mountain Dew
Cinnamon for sprinkling


Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350.

Wrap apple wedges with one triangle cresent dough. Repeat for all wedges.

Place in baking dish and melt one stick of butter in saucepan over medium heat.
Gradually whisk in sugar. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Pour butter/sugar mixture over dumplings. Pour Mountain dew on the dumplings next.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake uncovered 40 minutes in oven until browned and bubbly.

Serve with vanilla ice cream:)

Cream Cheese Tarts

From Mom

2 Eight ounce packages cream cheese (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Nilla Wafers

Blend first four ingredients together. Place on top of nilla wafer in a cupcake paper.
Bake 350 for 12 minutes.
Top with cherry pie filling

Pumpkin Bread

From Lexi Majoue

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Spray 2 loaf pans with PAM
Open up a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
Break open 4 eggs into your mixing bowl.
Add 3 cups of sugar
Add 1 cup of vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
Then add your 15 ounces of pumpkin puree
Add 2 teaspoons each of Allspice, Ginger, Cinnamon and Cloves.
Also add 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
And 2 teaspoons of Arm and Hammer baking soda
Put in 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour. Mix, mix, mix
Divide batter between pans. Make sure they're even or they will fight in the oven.
Set your timer for 60 minutes
It's all good when a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Take the loaves out of the pans and let them cool on a rack.

Apple (or Peach) Crisp

3 Apples (peeled or unpeeled), sliced and core removed
**Place in bottom of baking dish, then sprinkle with:
1 T. lemon juice

Combine:
1/3 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon

Add:
6 T. melted butter to dry ingredients

Place oat topping on apples and bake 375 for 40 minutes.

SERVE WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM!! IT'S A REQUIREMENT!!

Fruit Pizza

(From Paula Deen)

Pizza Dough:
1 package store bought sugar cookie dough

Toppings:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
6 ounces fresh blueberries
6 ounces fresh raspberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Flatten cookie dough onto a 6-inch pizza pan. Bake until firm to touch, about 11 to 15 minutes. Cool. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar. Spread the baked cookie with the cream cheese mixture and decorate with sliced strawberries. In a small bowl, combine melted white chocolate with chocolate syrup. Top the pizza with remaining berries and chocolate mixture. Slice and serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler

2 lbs. fresh peaches, sliced
2/3 cup oats (not quick-cooking)
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Peaches in bottom
Mix rest of ingredients and pour over peaches
Cook on LOW for three hours
Serve with vanilla ice cream

Creamy Lemon Squares

(From Everyday Food)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting
1/4 t. salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large egg yolks
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)

Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper.

Make crust: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour and mix on low just until combined. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan; prick all over with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, 15-20 minutes.

Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven and bake until filling is set, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Refrigerate until filling is firm, about two hours or up to three days. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto work surface; cut into 16 squares and dust with powdered sugar.

Carrot Cake Supreme

Cake:

2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 C. sugar
3/4 C. vegetable oil
3/4 C. buttermilk
2 t. vanilla extract
2 C. grated carrots (I use my food processor to finely chop)
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 C. flaked coconut (plus more for sprinkling)
1 small package of chopped pecans (for sprinkling)
Buttermilk Glaze (see recipe at bottom)
Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe at bottom)

Grease two 9 inch round cakepans

Cut circles of wax paper or parchment paper to line on bottom of cake pans.

Grease and flour wax paper. Set aside.

Stir together first four ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and next 4 ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture to batter, beating at low speed until blended.

Stir in carrots, pineapple, and coconut. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Drizzle warm Buttermilk Glaze (see below) over cake layers and allow to cool on wire racks for 15 minutes.

Remove cakes from pans and transfer to a plate. Keep a layer of wax paper between layers so they don't stick and chill in refrigerator (or freezer) for a couple of hours.

Remove from fridge and seperate layers. Remove all wax paper. Place first layer on your cake plate. Spread a semi-thick layer of Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting (see below) on top of bottom layer. Place second layer on top of bottom layer (repeat previous steps if making a triple layer cake). Frost sides and top of cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut and chopped pecans.

Keep refrigerated.

Buttermilk Glaze:

1 C. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 C. buttermilk
1/2 C. (one stick) unsalted butter
1 T. light corn syrup
1 t. vanilla extract

Bring first five ingredients to a boil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Boil four minutes stirring constantly until glaze is golden. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly.

Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/2 (12 ounces) blocks of cream cheese, softened
3/4 C. butter (a stick and a half), softened
1 (16 ounce) package of powdered sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.


***The way I make it is how I entered it above. The original recipe is found in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.***

Pumpkin Pie

(From Libby's canned pumpkin)

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) Libby's 100% pure pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
2 unbaked 9" pie shells

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shells.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Blakley Birthday Pie

2 graham cracker crusts (homemade is best)

8 oz. of cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar
2 t. vanilla
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
8 oz. of Cool Whip

Topping of choice: Cherry pie filling, strawberry pie filling, etc.

Let cream cheese come to room temperature. Mix all ingredients with electric mixer and place in 2 crusts. Put on toppings. Chill AT LEAST two hours.

Graham cracker crust (recipe is for ONE crust):

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients; press over bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.

Pretzel Salad

• 1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
• 4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix together the pretzels, 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.

Banana Pudding

(From Everyday Food, April 07, pg. 135)

2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
2 1/2 cups of milk
4 large egg yolks
2 T. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 t. pure vanilla extract (or 2 t. imitation vanilla)
3 ripe bananas
Vanilla wafers
Cool whip

Have a fine mesh sieve over medium bowl ready.

In medium saucepan off heat, mix sugar, cornstarch, salt. Gradually whisk in milk; add egg yolks.

Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until thickened and 1st large bubble sputters (it takes a while:) Reduce heat to low and boil one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and pour pudding through sieve. Stir in butter and vanilla. Let pudding cool slightly.

Slice bananas. Layer in 8x8 (or similar) dish: 1)cookies 2)half of pudding 3)all bananas 4)rest of pudding 5)cookies 6)Cool Whip (seal edges of cool whip to sides of dish to prevent browning of bananas)

Refrigerate AT LEAST one hour.

Pie Crusts

(From Everyday Food, November 2004, pg. 58)

In a food processor, pulse 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour with 1 teaspoon each salt and sugar. Add 1 cup (two sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces.

Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces remaining.

Add 1/4 cup ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. (If needed, add up to 4 T. more ice water, 1 T. at a time.) Do NOT over mix!

Turn out onto a work surface; knead once or twice, until dough comes together. Divide into two discs, wrap with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator. Can be frozen for up to three months.

Yield: 2 crusts (one bottom and one top OR two bottoms)

Chewy Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

(From Everyday Food, Sept. 08, pg. 144)

1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
6 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 t. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, chocolate chips, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined. Gradually add oat mixture; beat just until combined.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets lined with parchment paper (or silpat). Bake until cookies are golden brown but still soft; 13 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Yield: 2 dozen