Turtles

Last year I delicious some amazing enrichment meetings. I mean it was uber yummy! We learned how to make delicious homemade chocolates. I know chocolate is good, but I don't like store bought chocolate any more. I LOVE homemade chocolates. A big thanks go to Laverne Vold for teaching me how to make these. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, it's a girls day of making chocolates. We'll see if any chocolates last long enough to get photographed. :P


Turtles
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup rogers syrup
1 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
 pecans.
Cook until soft ball stage (250 degrees), stir only at first to dissolve the sugar then stop stirring. Pour onto buttered pan. Cool wrap in pecans. Dip

*If you don't like nuts, then leave them out and make chocolate covered caramels. 

Buttery Corn Bread

I knew my Mum really liked corn bread. I couldn't understand the desire for it until I found this wonderful delicious corn bread. My mouth is watering just thinking about it, and I just had dinner. Maybe I should have made that dinner instead. This melt-in your mouth corn bread is.... perfect. It's moist and not to sweet. It's hard to leave any for left overs. My friends' daughter doesn't like bread or such (she even turned down my cinnamon rolls) asked for more corn bread.

Buttery Corn Bread

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 2/3 cups milk
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine the eggs and milk. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg mixture.
• Pour into a greased 13x9x2" baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut in squares; serve warm.

Banana Banana Bread

Everyone should experience tasting Banana Bread sometime. It's nice not wasting the bananas that no one dares to eat.

Banana Banana Bread

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Indoor Smores

This is one of my new favorites! I liked rice crispy treas, but this beats them.

Indoor Smores
Butter a 9x13 pan, set aside.

5 c. miniature marshmallows
1/2 c. corn syrup
6 Tbsp margarine
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Melt over low heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add in this order stirring after each:

1 tsp. vanilla
8 c. Golden Grahams
1 cup. mini marshmallows

Press into pan. Cool.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Bars

This is a recipe from one of my best friends LOVES. It's great sharing recipes with friends. Thanks Andrea for sharing this with me. I love testing recipes on Andrea & Charles. I have to reward them somehow for all the times my kids climb and beat them up.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Bars


1 cup Chipits Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Topping:
1 pkg. Chipits Reese Peanut Butter Chips
3/4 cup milk
8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). 
• Butter a 9x9 inch (23x23 cm); set aside
• In a microwave or in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt Chipits semi-sweet chocolate chips and butter. 
• Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in milk. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract until smooth; set aside.
• In another bowl, sift together sugar, flour and cocoa powder. Pour chocolate mixture over dray ingredients and stir together. Measure out 1/4 of the batter; set aside. Spread remaining batter into prepared pan.
• To make topping, in a microwave or in the top of a double boiler over simmering water melt Chipits Reese peanut Butter Chips; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour, egg and milk. Pour in melted peanut butter chips and beat until smooth.
• To assemble, spoon cheesecake batter over the brownie batter, covering well. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining browning batter over top and swirl with a knife to create a marble effect. 
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set. 
• Cool completely before cutting.

Bruschetta

Here's another recipe from the bake swap. I know it wasn't baked, but it was too yummy not to share.

Bruschetta

• Prepare 1/3 cup of oil: add 1 tbsp of oregano and Mrs. Dash garlic & herb blend (no MSG) add a pinch of garlic salt.
• Chop or food process 5-6 tomatoes, 3 cloves of garlic and 1 small onion.
• Put chopped mix in bowl & pour oil mixture over; then add feta cheese to taste (I add A LOT!!)
• Serve on rice crackers, tortilla chips or cut up a ciabatta baguette into thin slices. 

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

A couple of weeks ago I participated in a bake swap. It was a lot of fun. A group of gals gathered and shared some of their favorite goodies and recipes. I'm going to make a batch of these Soft Gingerbread Cookies today. There's more recipes to come. Enjoy!

Soft Gingerbread Cookies (for a large batch)

1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup lard (or shortening)
1 cup fancy molasses or eating molasses
1/2 boiling water
3 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water
about 6 cups flour (enough to shape dough in a soft ball)

• Mix ginger and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
• Add sugar, lard and molasses and blend well.
• Add plain water and blend.
• Add half of the flour and mix.
• Add baking soda water mixture and blend well.
• Add flour until dough can be shaped into a softball.
• Roll out on floured board and cut out shapes.
• Place on greased cookie sheets and bake until centre is done. About 8 minutes.

Royal Icing

3 egg whites, at room temerature

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 cups icing sugar

few drops of flavoring

• Beat everything together until Icing stands in stiff peaks. DO NOT UNDERBEAT! 
• Keep icing covered with damp cloth.
• Keep leftovers in fridge, covered with damp cloth and in a airtight container.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Pecan Pie

This is absolutely the best Pecan Pie recipe. I hated pecan pie before I found this recipe. I dreaded making one of Ben's favorite pies because I don't like pecan pie and didn't like it one bit.

Pecan Pie
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans*

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; mix well. Last add milk, vanilla and nuts.
• Pour into a unbaked 9-in. pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until done.

* I don't like biting into big pieces of nuts, so I finely chop the nuts. It melts in my mouth. To adopt this recipe into Pecan Tarts then just fill the tart shells with about 1 Tbsp of mixture. If there's too much in the tart/pie it will be fine. It shrinks down. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Beat together margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts; mix well.
3. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-10 minutes. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

A friend sent this to me and I had to share it with you.

 Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

WHEN YOU STOP LAUGHING -- SEND IT ON TO OTHER MOTHERS, GRANDMOTHERS, AND AUNTS.... and anyone else who has anything to do with kids or just needs a good laugh!!!