Everybody loves a good fruit crumble dessert. I saw this recipe for Gloria Yoder's Crumble Dessert on Kevin Williams' Amish365.com. There were two things I especially liked about it. One: you can use any flavor fruit pie filling and two: the recipe makes enough crumble for two different desserts. You can make one and store the rest of the crumble mix and have it ready to go when you are in a hurry. It only cooks for 30 minutes so it is really one of those things you can bake for drop-in guests.
For my first one I chose to use two cans of peach pie filling I had.
Not sure what flavor I will use for the next one. If you have some homemade filling, that would taste good also.
I decided to use my whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour. I also decided to reduce the brown sugar since I was using pie filling that contained enough sugar. (I often buy the no-sugar-added pie filling but the peach pie filling I used wasn't.) We didn't feel the sweetness of the dessert was hurt by making these changes.
Crumble mix:
3 cups quick oats
1 cup flour (I did use whole wheat pastry flour)
1-1/2 cups brown sugar (I used only 1 cup brown sugar)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
Mix completely and store in an airtight container/bag. (This picture is actually of the half I didn't use for the recipe. I wrote the instructions on the bag so that when I get ready to make another one, I won't have to look up the recipe.)
CRUMBLE DESSERT
2 to 2-1/4 cups crumble mix
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cans pie filling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine 2 to 2-1/4 cups of the above crumble mix with the butter. Mix with a fork until all mix is wet.
Spread the pie fillings in the bottom of a 9 x 9 - inch baking dish. (I used my 8 x 10-1/2 - inch rectangular dish.)
Sprinkle crumble mixture evenly over the pie filling.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes.
Serve warm or cold.
After living here for eight years, we are finally unpacking the last few boxes we had stored in our garage. Many had photos that are going to take quite a while to sort through. Some are earlier pictures of my parents....some in good condition....others faded. It is such a shame.
Some of the boxes contained fabric - really nice fabric - that I bought back when I sewed some of my clothes. Hard as it is to part with it, I have been bagging a lot of it and donating it to Hillcrest Thrift Shop.
Wednesday while I was trying to make room for a container of stuff to go through later when I have the time to really consider what to do with it, I found a 1989 Annual Recipes from Southern Living. I decided it was a good time to take a break, and sat down and flipped through it. There was an index card in the front of it where I had already filled both sides of it with recipes that had caught my attention before. I checked some of them out and couldn't help but notice this recipe for Baked Chicken Nuggets on the page with a recipe I had noted.
I haven't cooked chicken in a week or so and thought it sounded like a good recipe to try for dinner that night. I thought I would cut the breast into strips, but when I actually got to preparing the dish, I decided to go on and make the nuggets as the recipe instructed.
The first thing my husband said when he came to the dinner table was, "Well, they sure smell good." They did and they tasted even better. After dinner he started suggesting where I could make them to share. (I think he really did like them.)
I made a couple of changes because I didn't have the ingredients in the form they were called for in the recipe. I am sharing my recipe with you. I used one of the chicken breasts that I bought fresh and froze. They are so huge. The one chicken breast would have served 4. The recipe called for 4 chicken breasts. That would have been a LOT of CHICKEN!
BAKED CHICKEN NUGGETS
1/2 cup fine, dry breadcumbs (I make my own.)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I use the one in the container.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
chicken breasts, skinned and boned
1/4 cup butter, melted (1/2 stick)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a baking sheet.
Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, basil, and thyme. Place in a shallow dish.
Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch chunks.
Have melted butter in a dish that will hold several pieces of the chicken. (I just used the dish I melted the butter in in the microwave.)
Dip chicken pieces into the butter,
then into the bread crumb mixture.
Place prepared pieces on baking sheet.
Bake 20 minutes or until tender.
(20 minutes was perfect with mine.)
Once again I found a definite winner to bake and take to Hillcrest Thrift Shop Tuesday! It was not just an awesome blend of chocolate and peanut butter, it was so easy. I whipped it up and put it in the oven while I was cooking dinner. I had time to make the frosting and ice them before I went to bed. (My husband even enjoyed a piece that night.) The volunteers really enjoyed them, too.
I repeatedly find myself going back to Lia Wilson's Quick Fixes with Mixes cookbook when I want to find something fast and easy and delicious. She didn't disappoint me either. Fortunately I had a German chocolate cake mix on hand, too.
PEANUT BUTTER BARS
1 German chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 - inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, sugar, egg, and milk. (I did use my electric mixer.)
Melt butter with peanut butter on low stirring constantly once the butter starts melting.
Add the butter/peanut butter mixture to cake mix ingredients. Beat on low speed just enough to blend the mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
Press the thick mixture in bottom of the pan. (Drop spoonfuls around bottom and then spread them together to cover the bottom. If you leave a little in the bowl, you can add it at the end where you need it.)
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. (I had to cook mine the full 30 minutes.)
Cool complete on wire rack.
Then frost with Peanut Butter Frosting.
Cut into 24 squares when ready to serve.
PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup powdered sugar (I did sift mine.)
Heat butter, peanut butter, corn syrup, and vanilla in a small saucepan over low heat stirring frequently until mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips.
Beat with spoon until chocolate is melted and
mixture is smooth.
Add powdered sugar and blend well.
I am always ready to try an unusual sounding recipe for a dessert. Since my cookie jar only had a couple of cookies still in it, I checked out some of the cookie recipes I had marked to possibly try at some point.
These chocolate cookies used a cake mix for the base and then only 4 more ingredients. To me, it is a "miracle" you get such a delightful chocolate rich cookie. You could save some calories by using a sugar-free chocolate cake mix and light salad dressing.
MIRACLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES
1 box chocolate cake mix (I used a devil's food cake mix)
2 eggs
1 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
1 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two cookie sheets.
Combine the cake mix, eggs, and salad dressing in a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until thoroughly blended.
Add the chips and nuts.
Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, drop batter about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
Stir dough before dipping out for new cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. (I baked mine the full time in my new oven.)
Remove from cookie sheet and cool completely on wire racks.
Store cookies in cookie jar with wax paper or plastic wrap between layers.
Carrot Cake is one of those desserts you will almost always find on menus and buffets. I don't know too many people who do not enjoy eating it. I know people who rationalize that it is healthy for you since it includes carrots. Do you have any friends like that?
Last Thursday we met at Friend Dorothy's house for canasta and guess what she served for dessert? If you guessed - Carrot Cake, you can advance to GO and get $200.
It was so, so good. She cut the recipe down, but I decided to just give you the full recipe. She didn't want to have so much left to tempt her after we left. It was the perfect break for my group because we got beat so badly. (We did come back and won the revenge game though.)
CARROT CAKE
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups oil
4 eggs
2-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups coarsely-grated raw carrots
1-1/2 cups coarsely-chopped nuts (Dorothy used pecans)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 - inch baking pan.
Combine sugar, oil, and eggs; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
Sift dry ingredients together; add to mixture and beat at low speed for 1 minute.
Add grated carrots and nuts.
Spread batter in prepared pan.
Bake about 1 hour, until cake tests done with a toothpick.
When cool, spread with Cream Cheese Frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1 package (8 - ounces) cream cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 package (1 pound) confectioners sugar (sift if lumpy)
Let cream cheese and butter warm to room temperature.
Beat together til smooth and add the vanilla.
Gradually add the powdered sugar.
Add more sugar to thicken or milk to thin frosting if needed for good spreading consistency.
Thank you, Dorothy, for treating us so deliciously and for sharing the recipe with me to share with my readers.
Earlier this week I was sitting on my bed completely surrounded by my Amish cookbook looking for any recipe using pumpkin or apples. It didn't take long for me to settle on this one simply named Pumpkin Yummy Dessert. No specific credit was given to any of the recipes in the book from the community of Conewango Valley in New York. The cookbook is called Tasteful Treasures from the Horse and Buggy Country.
Yesterday at canasta, Friend Darlene asked me if I had a recipe on my blog using a can of pumpkin and had half a cake mix sprinkled on top. I laughed and told her I would be having one posted Friday but it used a whole cake mix and 3-1/2 cups of pumpkin. So you may find other recipes out there similar to this one but not quite the same. I think I have heard it called Pumpkin Pie Cake. That would be an appropriate name for it.
I made the dessert and took it to Hillcrest Thrift Shop on Tuesday. Volunteer Ellie told me it was one of the best desserts I had ever made and brought them. I have to agree. I left several pieces when I went home, but I also kept a few so we could enjoy it some more at home.
PUMPKIN YUMMY DESSERT
3-1/2 cups mashed pumpkin (I used canned pumpkin)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 can evaporated milk (12-ounces)
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, melted (I used butter)
1-2 cups nuts (I used 1 cup chopped pecans)
whipped topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 - inch baking pan.
Combine pumpkin, salt, spices, brown sugar and eggs with a whisk until
completely blended.
Add the milk.
Again whisk until completely blended.
Pour into pan.
Whisk the cake mix in a large bowl to make sure lumps are broken up.
Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture.
Pour the melted butter over the cake mix.
Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top and bake another 20 minutes.
I actually sprinkled the nuts on top before baking it and simply baked it for 50 minutes.
(Worked fine.)
Allow to cool and cover.
Cut into squares when ready to serve. (I made mine on Monday evening and served mine the next day.)
Top with whipped topping or
enjoy plain.
