FRUIT PIZZA

My husband and I had planned to join our Tasty Bunch friends when they gathered earlier this month. BUT that was the weekend of my big Family - Surprised - Birthday Weekend. We hated to miss as we so enjoy this group but everyone shared my excitement and understood. 

I told Friend Janice that she would have to take some pictures so I could share Friend Carol's recipe on my blog. 

It looks really, really good. 

FRUIT PIZZA

Group A

1       cup orange juice (ready to drink)
3      tablespoons cornstarch
1/2   cup sugar (Carol used 1/2 cup stevia)
Dash salt
3/4   cup water

Group B

Roll Sugar Cookie Dough

Group C

8     ounces cream cheese (Carol used 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1/4  cup sugar or stevia
1      teaspoon vanilla
Fruit - Kiwi, Pineapple, Strawberries, Blueberries, or any desired fruit

Combine Group A in saucepan, bring to a boil and cool.

Roll out cookie dough and place in pizza pan or 10 x 15 - inch pan.

Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Let cool.

Whip Group C ingredients except the fruit and spread on cookie crust.

Scatter fruit over the pizza.

Pour or dabble Group A over the pizza and fruit. 

Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

HOME BAKED BEANS

Have you ever made "real baked beans"? I made my first ones this past weekend. I admit years ago I found a recipe for Stove-Top Baked Beans that was so easy and my family really liked them. So why make the "real thing" when everyone is happy with this easier recipe (I thought). 

All I can say is I am sorry to my family that I didn't see this recipe for Home Baked Beans back then. Besides being the "real thing" they are so easy. More time consuming, but if you have the time, these are absolutely the best.

Our talented director for the handbell choir at our church, The Miracle Ringers, is moving to Atlanta. We will really miss Sara and her leadership. I have learned so much under her direction. But her husband has a permanent job in Atlanta and after being separated for over a year because of his job in D.C., it is time for them to be together. She has already found a church that has a handbell choir near the house they are buying there ... so she is all set.

Saturday night we had a farewell party for her. It was so much fun. I have so many great recipes to share with you but I have to wait for them to be sent to me. It was suggested that I bring baked beans so I went hunting for a recipe. You see, I decided I should do more than just my Stove-Top Baked Beans. 

The first cookbook I picked up was my from Amish and Mennonite kitchens cookbook. I have found so many "blue ribbon" recipes in it. And not to be disappointed I found a recipe for baked beans in it. I was especially interested in trying it when I saw it called for dried navy beans. I even decided to add the onion (which I usually leave out of recipes). 

Well, they were so good. Everyone raved. Even Krystle, who doesn't eat onions either, ate some. Since we were going to have some fun time in the pool before we ate and I wanted them to be warm when we ate them, I revised the recipe slightly so that I could take them in a roaster/oven pan I have. I will give you the original cooking directions also.

HOME BAKED BEANS

1          lb. dried navy beans 
1          teaspoon salt
1/2      teaspoon baking soda
1          small onion (I ended up with about 2/3 cup diced onion)
2         tablespoons molasses
1/2      cup brown sugar
1/2      cup catsup
1/2      lb. bacon (I cooked about 9 slices that equaled about 3/4 cup)

Rinse and sort beans. Cover with 3 inches of water and allow to soak over night. (I actually measured since it was so specific in the recipe.)

In the morning, add salt and soda and bring beans to a boil. (Don't empty the water the beans soaked in.)

Cook for 1/2 hour or until tender. (I did continue to cook mine longer while I cooked the bacon and diced the onion. I didn't need to add any more water, but do if the water boils out.)

Fry the bacon until crisp so you can crumble it.

Finely mince the onion.

Combine the onions, molasses, brown sugar, catsup, and bacon in a bowl and add them to the beans.






At this point I had 5 hours at the earliest before we would be eating. So instead of combining everything in a 2 quart casserole and baking them for 1-1/2 to 2 hours at 325 degrees F which are the directions with the recipe, 

I dipped the beans out and placed them in my roaster/oven saving the water. 

I combined the onions, molasses, brown sugar, catsup, and bacon in a bowl and stirred them into the beans.

Then I poured enough of the water to cover the beans in the pot and 

cooked the beans at 250 degrees F for 2 hours.







At the end of 2 hours, I added some of the water that I had saved to cover the beans again. I also lowered the temperature to about 175 degrees F since I still had about 2 hours before the party started.

Before we left, I added the last of the water and placed the cooker in a big box to transport it to Judy's house for the party. As soon as we arrived, I plugged the cooker back in and lowered the temperature to the lowest setting 150 degrees F.

They were perfect when we were ready to eat. I was concerned because I didn't have a setting "Keep Warm" like on my slow cooker, but they were perfect!




I obviously went to more trouble than the recipe called for. Now that I know I ended up using all of the water I had from cooking the beans, the next time I would go on and add all of it initially and set a slow cooker on High for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. If I still had time before ready to eat, I would just move the temperature setting to Keep Warm. If I were going to bake them in the oven as the recipe directed, I'm not sure if I would have room for all of the water or not. I would say without actually doing it, cover as much as you can so that the beans don't dry out. Check on the beans while they are baking and add more water if you need to. They looked ready to eat after 2 hours in my roaster at 250 degrees F.


  

CREATE YOUR OWN SMOOTHIE

With all the fresh fruit available I have been enjoying a smoothie almost everyday. I eat a serving of Activia Greek yogurt everyday so by adding a few ingredients and whipping it all up in my blender, I have a "meal" that stays with me longer than just eating the yogurt alone.

Creating your own smoothie is so easy. You can enjoy a different one everyday by just using whatever ingredients you have available. The other great thing is if you are in a hurry, you can make - it - and - take - it with you. I actually do this often.

I have listed suggestions for each group, but don't be restricted by them. You are creating your own smoothie. I have been throwing in 3 nice size strawberries, 5 or 6 fresh cherries that I have cut out the pit, and the frozen fruit varies from fresh blueberries that I have frozen to fresh peaches that I sliced and froze to frozen mixed fruit that I have bought. I always stick in half a banana at the end. While I don't really measure anything, I have given you general amounts. A little less will not make as generous of a serving.

SMOOTHIES

1         single-serving size yogurt or 1/2 cup (Any flavor)

1/2     cup liquid (milk, orange juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice....)

1/2     cup fresh fruit ( strawberries, cherries, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries....)

1/2     cup frozen fruit (can use ice cubes, but I prefer the frozen fruit)

1/2     banana

1         heaping tablespoon of peanut butter (optional)

1         scoop of protein powder (optional)

Add ingredients in blender in order given. Process until thick and smooth. May need to use a spoon to scrape off any yogurt, etc that might get on the sides of the container and aren't being blended.

You will have a generous smoothie when you finish that you will truly enjoy.

CHOCOLATE-BANANA BREAD

Chocolate Banana Bread. Doesn't that just sound so yummy? Two favorite ingredients -- chocolate and bananas. It not only has baking cocoa. It also has chocolate chips and even chocolate Cheerios. 

I received the recipe through an email from Betty Crocker and it sounded good enough to try. We have eaten all of the mini loaves I had frozen and I also had some bananas I have been saving to bake something with. I did try to find the banana nut Cheerios that the recipe called for but couldn't find them in several grocery stores. I had read a review where a lady said she used just regular Cheerios and the results tasted good, so when I saw the chocolate Cheerios, I decided to give them a try.

I did make two mini loaves instead of one larger loaf so I could freeze one while we enjoyed one. Even though I have many metal mini loaf pans, I prefer to use my blue Pyrex mini loaf pans. They are slightly bigger than the metal ones, measuring approximately 6-1/4 x 3-3/4 - inches. I also substituted stevia for the sugar.

CHOCOLATE - BANANA BREAD

2        cups Cheerios cereal ( I used Chocolate Cheerios)
3/4    cup sugar (I used stevia)
1/4     cup canola oil
3/4    cup buttermilk (I used low fat buttermilk)
2        teaspoons vanilla
1         egg
1         cup mashed very ripe bananas
2        cups all-purpose flour
1/4     cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1         teaspoon baking soda
1/4     teaspoon salt
1/3     cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom only of a 9 x 5 - inch loaf pan with cooking spray. (I made two mini loaves using my mini pyrex loaf pans)

Place cereal in a resealable food-storage bag and crush with a rolling pin.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil with electric mixer on low speed until well mixed. Beat in buttermilk, vanilla, and egg just until blended.

Beat in bananas.

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and add to mixture, stirring until well mixed.

Stir in 3/4 cup of the crushed cereal and chocolate chips.

Pour the batter in the loaf pan(s).

Sprinkle the remaining crushed cereal on top of the batter and press lightly.

Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes for the large loaf or 50 minutes for the two smaller loaves.

Cool 10 minutes on wire rack before removing to finish cooling.

SLOW COOKER CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE

I never have much luck when I try to have a garage sale. Our neighborhood garage sales were the weekend we left to go on our vacation to Massachusetts. Friend Janice and her husband Leon always participate in their neighborhood garage sales. I had a couple of things I asked her if I could bring over and try to sell when they had their sale the end of May. 

She sold the high chair Saturday morning that I had taken over, but I still went over to sit with her on that afternoon. It was coolish and we were more than ready to come in and warm up when Leon got back from his walk in the neighborhood. Inside Janice remembered that she had told me she had some "cooking/recipe" magazines she would loan me to check out. While we were sitting there she flipped through one and found this recipe for Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake. (She was having a hard time trying to decide what she was going to serve at our canasta meeting she was having in a few days.) We discussed that she could reduce calories by using a sugar-free cake mix and even sugar-free instant pudding mix. The recipe in the magazine said to use a 4 - quart slow cooker, but she checked it out online and decided she needed to use the larger oval slow cooker. Since she didn't have one, I loaned her mine. I think it is a 6 - quart cooker.

The results were fabulous and enjoyed by all. 

Note: Janice had some leftover and so the next day she served out some with a cherry jello she had made and added some fresh cherries. She said it was even better than it had been with the ice cream. Hmmmmm.

SLOW COOKER CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE

1          pkg devil's food cake mix (she did use a sugar free one)
1-2/3  cups water
3         eggs 
1/3      cup canola oil
2         cups cold milk
1          pkg (4 serving size) instant chocolate pudding mix (she used a sugar free mix)
2         cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, eggs, and oil; beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Transfer to a greased 6 - quart slow cooker.

In another bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.

Spoon over cake batter; sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Cover and cook on high for about 3 hours. 

It will swell to the top of the slow cooker and settle as it cools.

Serve warm.

HAWAIIAN WEDDING CAKE

I guess I'm the only person who had never heard of Hawaiian Wedding Cake until I made it and took it to share with the volunteers at Hillcrest Thrift Shop. Several were very familiar with it. 

Monday afternoon I was desperately looking for something that sounded good to bake when I saw Sally Foley's recipe from Rockland, Maine in the Yankee Magazine's Church Suppers & Potluck Dinners Cookbook. Her comment with the recipe said, "We're delighted that this pineapple cake made its way to New England. It's quick, easy, and absolutely delicious -- great for a party. The cake itself is so moist and full of flavor that it would be almost as good with the frosting."

I have to agree with what she said, but I did really enjoy the frosting with it. I generally followed Sally's recipe except I reduce the sugar by half a cup. (I got brave after Friend Sue shared her recipe for Blueberry - Lemon Bundt Cake with me and completely omitted the granulated sugar that was called for in the recipe. I would never have guessed it. The cake was delicious!) I also used fat free cream cheese for the frosting. It just meant my frosting was thinner, but it still tasted great!

HAWAIIAN WEDDING CAKE

CAKE

2         cups all-purpose flour
1          cup white sugar
1          cup unsweetened coconut
2         teaspoons baking soda
1          can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, in its own juice (do not drain)
2         large eggs, beaten
1          cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

FROSTING

1/2      cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, at room temperature
1          package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature (I used fat free cream cheese)
1-1/2   cups confectioners' sugar
2         teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 - inch baking pan.

To make the cake, sift the flour and soda into a large mixing bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix by hand.

Pour into the baking pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth.

Smooth over the completely cooled cake.

Cut into squares to serve.

GRANDMA'S BROWNIES

When my family surprised me for my birthday last week by all of us being together (the older son and his family live in Colorado Springs and we hadn't seen them since before Christmas), I knew I had to have some "sweets" for the "sweets". I asked Hallie, my oldest granddaughter who is 9 what she liked, she said, "Brownies."

I searched through a few cookbooks looking for a new recipe to try and found that most brownie recipes call for 2 cups of sugar. I just really hate to use that much sugar in any recipe. Then I picked up my Wakefield Community Cooks cookbook and found a couple of recipes that called for 2 cups of sugar. Then I saw this recipe submitted by Virginia Faulkner called Grandma's Brownies. It only called for 1/2 cup of sugar. I almost couldn't believe it. The interesting thing I discovered was on the next page Judy Carpenter had almost the identical recipe (she used butter instead of shortening and 1/2 cup cocoa instead of 5 tablespoons...close enough) but the main difference was Judy baked her brownies for 6 minutes on High in the microwave. Now, I didn't try that, but you might want to and see how they turn out. Certainly won't heat up the kitchen on a hot summer's day. I may have to try them myself that way.

Anyway, Hallie loved them and so did the rest of the family. Grandma certainly knew how to make brownies.

GRANDMA'S BROWNIES

3/4    cup sifted flour (sift flour and then measure it)
1         cup sugar
5        tablespoons cocoa
1/2     teaspoon salt
1/2     cup soft shortening (I measured the shortening and then heated in microwave for 30 second)
2        eggs (unbeaten)
1         teaspoon vanilla
1/2     cup chopped nuts (I omitted because 3 of my grandchildren have peanut allergies)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 - inch square pan. (I used my homemade Pan Grease.)

Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl in the order given.

Beat with mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed.

Spread in pan (batter will be thick so drop by spoonfuls and then spread them together to cover the bottom of the pan) and 

bake for 28 - 30 minutes. Do not overbake. (I took mine out after about 28 minutes. They had started to pull away from the sides of the pan.)

Cool in pan before cutting in 9 squares.

Eat alone or with a scoop of ice cream and a quirt of chocolate syrup.

LEMON SPONGE PIE

Last week on my birthday, my husband walked into the kitchen and asked me what I was making this time. I told him since it was my birthday and I didn't figure he was going to make me anything, I was making my a birthday pie. He enjoyed the joke. 

I really wanted to make a chocolate pie, but when I saw this recipe for Lemon Sponge Pie in my from Amish and Mennonite kitchens cookbook and knowing lemon pie is my husband's favorite, I changed my mind and decided to give it a try.

Normally I would have liked to reduce the sugar but decided I would make it by the recipe this first time. Next time I will use my sugar/stevia blend and only use 1/2 cup. That will reduce the sugar content some.

The results were delicious! My family surprised me that night for my birthday and so we didn't get to eat any of it until the next day. My oldest grandson, Colby, wanted a small piece so the first piece I cut was small and it came out perfectly. You can see the two layers of cake and below it a "soft pudding-like layer". It is certainly a good pie to make if you want to impress someone.

LEMON SPONGE PIE

1       cup sugar
2      tablespoons butter
3      eggs, separated
3      tablespoons flour
1/2   teaspoon salt
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon - I used 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon McCormick's California Lemon Peel
1-1/2 cups hot water or milk (I did use milk - I heated it for 1 minute in the microwave on High)

1       9" unbaked pie shell 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare pie plate with pie crust. (My pie plate says it is in 8-1/2 inches and I use Wal-mart's Great Value Pie Crust)

Cream sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl.

Add egg yolks and beat well.

Add flour, salt, lemon juice, and rind.

Add milk.

Transfer mixture to a new bowl and wash mixing bowl to beat the egg whites til stiff.

Fold into the mixture til smooth. (Not quite smooth enough yet in my picture.)

Pour into pie crust

and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. (I took mine out after 45 minutes.)

We didn't eat any until the next day. I covered the pie with foil and stored it in the frig. Here is the small piece I cut for Colby. "Pretty as a picture" , don't you think?




I did get some chocolate later that afternoon when our Mexican Train group met at Friend Pat's house. She had cupcakes she had bought at Sam's Club that were so good. I chose a chocolate chocolate chip one that was to die for. She was going to put a candle in mine but she couldn't fine one. I told her to just stick a match in it. I had to blow it out quickly while my friends sang happy birthday to me. Thanks, Pat, for my "chocolate fix".