Vanilla Cake
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, plain yoghurt, or sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour a 9×9/9×13 cake pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together melted butter and sugar until completely combined. Add eggs and beat until mixture is smooth and light. Stir in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture in two additions, alternating with buttermilk. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes (cake) or 15-20 minutes (cupcakes), until cake is barely golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with only a few loose crumbs.

Peanut Butter Cup Bars
Recipe from Michelle at One Ordinary Day

1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

(Line a 8×8, 9×9, or 7×11 pan with foil for easy removal of bars later.)

Melt 1/2 c. butter of low heat. Remove from heat and stir in confectioner’s sugar. Add peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs, stirring until creamy. Spread mixture into pan, patting down evenly.

In same pot, on low heat, melt butter. Add chocolate chips and stir until chips are nearly melted and very soft. Remove from heat and continue stirring until chocolate is smooth and shiny. Spread over peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

Store peanut butter cup bars in refrigerator.

Yield:  16 or more bars (depending upon how big you cut them)

The result is beautifully crisp slivers of apple with a tinge of sweetness. I used Gala apples and the flavor burst in your mouth with each bite. And let me tell you, there will be lots of bites, because these little puppies are addictive. Luckily apples are good for you, so eat up and enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 gala apples, or a sweet, crisp apple of your choice
6-8 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250°

Thinly slice apples as thin as you can get them.

Sprinkle a thin layer of powdered sugar over 2 baking sheets.

Arrange slices in one layer over sugar, then sprinkle another thin layer of powdered sugar over top.

Place the baking sheets in the over and bake for an hour. Switch positions of the baking sheets and place back in the oven for another hour. When the time is up, check on them to see if they’re crisp, if not place them back in until they’re slightly golden and crisp.

Once you remove them from the oven, remove from baking sheet and place on cooling racks. Once completely cooled, place in air-tight container. This is key, if you leave them out they’ll get soft and it’s no fun.

—————————————————————————————————-

Yields: 12 small sized pretzels

Ingredients

2 tsp. active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
2/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. warm water

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. oil

3 Tbsp. baking soda
1 cup hot water

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast into water with a pinch of sugar, let stand 10 minutes, until the mixture is creamy colored. Mix the yeast mixture with flour, sugar, salt and canola oil, and knead until combined (about 5 minutes).

2. Transfer the dough in a greased bowl, cover with cling wrap and let it rest until double in size. Time needed depends on the temperature in your kitchen.  We let our dough rise about an hour and a half.

3. When the dough has doubled in size, divide into 12 balls. Take one ball and roll it into a long strand. Set aside. Repeat with the rest of the dough. After all 12 long strands are rolled out, take the first one and stretch it out again and twist it into a pretzel shape and place on the parchment paper. Repeat and finish the rest. If you want to make turtle shapes, take one strand, and take off a small part of the strand, enough to make the tail, legs and head. With the rest of the strand, roll into a spiral shape. Then connect the head, tail and leg pieces. Use something dark to stick on the face piece for the eyes like black sesame seeds or chocolate chips.

You can probably use almost anything for the eyes. Maybe some chocolate. Some of the turtles came out better than others. It was hard to keep the feet and head pieces attached to the shell. When I dipped some of the turtles in the baking soda water, sometimes the small pieces fell off, and then I had to reattach them.

For the cupcakes:

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake recipe

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa (natural)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup heavy cream

8 oz dark chocolate, chopped

1. Heat heavy cream in a small pot. Be careful to not let it boil over. Once it begins to boil, remove from the stove.

2. Pour heavy cream into bowl of chopped chocolate. Stir and mix until chocolate is completely melted.

3. Let ganache cool and set before putting it in a piping bag and frosting cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 package pizza dough, or your favorite recipe
1/4 C. melted butter (or margarine) 
1/2 C. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Icing
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out pizza dough to a rectangle, roughly 10 by 12 inches, cut in half across the longest side, and then cut the other sides into 8th’s.  You should have 16 individual pieces now.  Place pieces onto a lightly greased baking sheet, and bake for approximately 15 minutes.

While the sticks are baking, make the icing by combining the powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and 1 tbsp. of butter.  You may need to add additional milk to thin down the icing.  Set icing aside.

Combine the 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon in a bowl, mix well.  Melt the 1/4 cup butter and when the pizza dough is done brush with butter.  Sprinkle over the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the freshly buttered sticks.  Enjoy.

Tip: For extra deliciousness, try adding a light coating of butter BEFORE the pizza dough goes in the oven!

Strawberry Mania

From Good Housekeeping
A double dose of strawberries makes this pink smoothie doubly delicious!

Yields: 1 3/4 cups
Total Time: 5 min
Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients:

1/4 cup(s) cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
1 container(s) (8-ounce) low-fat strawberry yogurt
1 cup(s) frozen strawberries

Directions:

In blender, combine cranberry juice, yogurt, and strawberries and blend until mixture is smooth and frothy. Pour into 1 tall glass.

—————————————————————————————-

Chocolate-Banana Smoothie

From Good Housekeeping

Kids love the combo of chocolate and bananas, and it’s so easy to make, they can do it themselves.

Yields: 2 cups
Total Time: 5 min
Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana, sliced
3/4 cup(s) milk
3 tablespoon(s) (or to taste) chocolate syrup
3 (or 4) ice cubes

Directions:

In blender, combine banana, milk, chocolate syrup, and ice and blend until mixture is smooth and frothy. Pour into 1 tall glass.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of Nutella
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and Nutella and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each. Add the vanilla and mix for 10 seconds.

3 Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda (do not skip this step as sifting eliminates clumps of cocoa). Mix into the butter mixture on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides at least once to ensure even mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate the dough for ten minutes.

4 Spoon tablespoon-sized drops of dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 dozen.

Now these brownies are just dangerous. It made a huge 9×13 pan (and this was halving the recipe) and I ended up freezing most of them. And now for the past couple of months I’ve been slowly nibbling away at my stash. I love eating them frozen – they’re so fudgey, rich and chocolatey. Yum yum dangerous. Of course they’re delicious at room temperature too.

Outrageous Oreo Crunch Brownies Recipe!
Ina Garten found on La cuisine d’Hélène

I’m posting my halved version. An 11.5×17.25 tray of brownies is truly outrageous… My halved version makes one 9×13 pan.

2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate chips
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 tablespoons vanilla
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped Oreo cookies (25 cookies)

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9″x13″ baking pan.

In a heatproof medium bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, heat butter, chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate until melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, coffee, vanilla and sugar. Blend chocolate mixture into egg mixture; cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture. In a small bowl, stir Oreos and remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Add Oreo mixture to chocolate mixture. Pour batter into baking pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula.

Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 3 inches from center comes out clean; do not overbake. Allow to cool. Refrigerate, tightly wrapped, until cold; cut into squares.

1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

2. Use a meat baster to “squeeze” your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and you’ll get perfectly shaped pancakes every time.

3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

4. To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of
salt to the water before hard-boiling.

5. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a
pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh, but if it
rises to the surface, throw it away.

6. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to
help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.

7. Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice
Krispies treats in the pan and the marshmallow won’t
stick to your fingers.

8. To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them
to room temperature and roll them under your palm
against the kitchen counter before squeezing.

9. To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet,
simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough
water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on
stove-top.

10. Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray
before pouring in tomato-based sauces and there
won’t be any stains.

11. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan,
use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won’t
be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

12. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it’s still
cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the
excess salt for an instant “fix me up.”

13. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the
refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

14. Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before
baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

15. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to
soften it.

16. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub
it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

17. If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex
dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that
makes opening jars easy.

18. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just
slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with
water.

19. To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying
soap on the area and you will experience instant
relief.

20. Ants, ants, ants everywhere … Well, they are said to
never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and
draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to
march. See for yourself.

21. Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job
and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

22. When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape
before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put
the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off.
Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and
easily.

23. Don’t throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice
cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

24. Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer!

Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush, and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.

Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets.
Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.