Brownies

This brownie recipe is almost as simple as a box brownie mix to make but its taste so much better!  I love the texture and most of all the flavor.  Everyone in the my family loves them! 

Brownies

recipe by Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

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Delicious, easy biscuits

I have been trying to find the perfect biscuit recipe for a while now.  I have tried dozens of recipes and concluded this simple recipe is the best.  Although, I thought butter would be the better fat, I have learned it creates a crunchier biscuit then I prefer.  The crisco makes the biscuit light and fluffy.  Gracie (age 6) actually made this biscuit with a little assistance.  Its amazing how much she can do in the kitchen.

Biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup crisco
2/3 cup buttermilk or milk

Preheat oven to 450°.

Cut solid vegetable shortening into flour. Add enough milk to make a dough. Don't over-knead the dough, because it makes it tough.

Roll out dough and gently knead (fold over, roll out, fold over, roll out, and fold over). This makes your layers in the biscuits. Cut out your biscuits and place on cookie sheet.

Bake your biscuits 7 to 10 minutes until they are lightly brown on top and bottom.

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Chip Chocolate Bundt Cake

My sweet scrapbooking friend baked this delicious cake.  The girls raved about it.  You have to try this cake.  You won’t be sorry.

 

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Recipe by Melinda Reeves

1 package (18 1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Semi sweet chocolate, grated

Powdered Sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just to moisten. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.

2. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan.

3. Bake 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack. Cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and grate semi sweet chocolate over the cake.

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Teresa’s Pasta Salad

This is a simple pasta salad recipe that is a favorite at our scrapbook weekends.  Thank you to my good friend Teresa for sharing the recipe.

Teresa’s Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pkg Tri color pasta

1 can of olives, drained

1 bag of mini pepperonis

1 8 oz bag of co jack cheese cubes

Zesty Italian dressing

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions on the package.  Drain and rinse pasta.  Add olives, pepperonis and cheese cubes.  Pour Italian dressing over the pasta salad to desired consistency/moistness.  Chill several hours before serving.

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Royal Icing

Ok let’s be honest.  Royal icing is a necessary evil.  You need it for its consistency but most people do not like the taste.  For me taste is what it is all about so I doctor mine up to make it more flavorful. 

 

Royal Icing

recipe by Wilton

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons Meringue Powder

• 4 cups (about 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar

• 6 tablespoons warm water

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring

Makes:

About 3 cups of icing.

Step 1

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer).

Step 2

NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.

* For stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.

**When using large countertop mixer or for stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.

Thinned Royal Icing: To thin for pouring, add 1 teaspoon water per cup of royal icing. Use grease-free spoon or spatula to stir slowly. Add 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until you reach proper consistency.

Decorator’s Icing

When I was a kid, my mother used to decorate cakes for others.  I loved her cakes.  This is her icing recipe that I grew up licking off the beater.  I use this icing on cakes and cookies. 

Mom’s Icing (aka Decorator’s Icing)

2 lb bag powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup shortening
1 teaspoon clear vanilla
1/8 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 cup water or more

Cream shortening with mixer until smooth.  Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time while the mixer is on lowest setting.  Add water as the mixture stiffens.  Add vanilla and butter flavorings.  Once all the powdered sugar is incorporated add water to reach desired consistency.  Ideally the icing should be smooth and creamy but maintain its shape.