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!