Pumpkin Cake Roll

This year for Thanksgiving, we spent the day with my husband's family. And since everyone lives close together, the meal components are split up so no one person is stuck in the kitchen all by themselves slaving over dinner. When they asked me what I'd like to make, I knew I'd have to make these pumpkin cake rolls. I remember my mom making them for us on Thanksgiving growing up, and they were quite possibly my favorite dessert to eat after the turkey spread. No matter the time of year, this pumkin cake roll with cream cheese frosting on the inside is sure to hit the spot. And my favorite way to eat it? Right out of the fridge!

Pumpkin Cake Roll

For Cake:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan with wax paper and grease paper. Set aside. Beat eggs till lemon colored. Gradually add sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt; add to egg-pumpkin mixture. Pour batter into pan; sprinkle with chopped nuts (if using.) Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar on kitchen towel. Turn cake onto towel, and remove wax paper. Roll up cake and towel lengthwise and allow to cool. While the cake is cooling, prepare the filling.

For Filling:
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whip butter and cream cheese together. Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. Add vanilla. Unroll cake and spread with filling. Roll up again. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Crazy Chocolate Brownies

Sorry for no picture. But really, these look like every other chocolate brownie out there. So use your imagination!



I know what you're thinking. "Crazy?" The Essential Food Storage Cookbook by Tami Girsberger and Carol Peterson, the cookbook this recipe comes from, said that they are called "crazy" because they don't need any butter, milk, or eggs because it is made with everyday ingredients you can find in your FOOD STORAGE! I found that these brownies tasted better the next day. I also added a basic chocolate buttercream frosting on top once the brownies cooled, and I think it was a smart move. The brownies are pretty dense and more cake-like, and I feel like the frosting helped add moisture back into the brownies. I also found that 30 minutes was not long enough to get my brownies cooked all the way, so keep checking them (you know, use a toothpick in the middle). I ended up baking mine for 50 minutes, but I will try 45 minutes next time because I think they were slightly overcooked.

Crazy Chocolate Brownies

1/2 cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup oil

1 cup water

1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips



Preheat oven to 350* F. In a large bowl, stir first 5 ingredients. Add vanilla, oil and water. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased 9x13" pan (make sure it is greased really well). Bake for 30 minutes, or until done. (Mine took about 45-50 minutes to completely bake)

Pistachio Fruit Salad

After I had my second baby, a good friend brought me dinner and as dessert, she made this. It is quite possibly the most delicious fruit salad I have ever had! My absolute favorite part was the tiny pistachios from the pudding mix that are crunchy and almost remind me of toffee bits. I am so glad that I asked her for the recipe because it is something I'll be making again and again. Plus, it is very versatile as you can use whatever fruit you want. I chose to use grapes and oranges, but you could use anything you want. I wanted to put bananas in it, but I knew we would have leftovers and I didn't want them to go brown. I listed the ingredients below, but besides the pudding and whipped topping, it is more of a guideline. So use as much or as little of the fruit and marshmallows that you want.

Pistachio Fruit Salad

1 box of pistachio pudding mix (the 4 serving one)
1 large container of frozen whipped topping, thawed
mini marshmallows, either fruit flavored or regular, as many as desired
around 2 cups chopped fruit, either fresh or canned

Combine pudding mix with whipped topping. Fold in marshmallows and fruit. Chill until ready to serve.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

I've had my eye on this dessert for quite some time and when I was craving something chocolate and gooey, I immediately thought of this beauty from Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe. Instead of icecream, I paired it with fresh raspberries and freshly whipped whipping cream. And I didn't have any chocolate chips on hand, so those were sadly left out, but it was delicious! Even my chocolate disliking husband (I know! I don't know what he's thinking!) ate a big serving! However you serve it, though, you will need a tall glass of milk to wash it down as it is very rich. But, I ask you, what is better than a warm, gooey, chocolatey delight and a glass of ice cold milk?

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

1 cup sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (I left these out with good results)
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Whisk ½ cup sugar with ¼ cup cocoa powder and set aside.

Whisk the flour, remaining ½ cup sugar, remaining ¼ cup cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk milk, butter, egg yolk, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips (the batter will be stiff).

Using a rubber spatula, scrape batter into prepared pan and spread into corners. Sprinkle reserved cocoa and sugar mixture evenly over the top. Gently pour boiling water over cocoa. Do not stir.

Bake until the top of the cake is cracked, sauce is bubbling and a toothpick inserted into cakey area comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 22-24 minutes. Cool on rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Streusel Coffee Cake

I made this for a book club meeting, and it was delicious. It reminded me of the coffee cakes I ate when I was a kid and visiting my dad. (While the visitations weren't always memorable, I definitely remember that cake and have craved it for a long time!) If you're not big on coffee... don't worry, neither am I! This cake is meant to be baked and eaten along with coffee and is not made with coffee. But I think it tastes great on it's own! The streusel topping sinks a little bit into the cake batter creating a marbelized effect with the result being delicious! This is great served as a breakfast or as a dessert.

Streusel Coffee Cake

adapted from About.com: Southern Food

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To prepare topping: In amall mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients. Blend with fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For cake: Combine 1-1/2 cups flour with baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a medium bowl, beat together egg, sugar and oil. Add milk and vanilla. Sitr in flour mixture and mix well.

Pour batter into a greased and flour 8-inch square or 9-inch layer cake pan. Sprinkle topping crumb mixture evenly over batter. Bake at 375*F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Partially cook in pan on wire reack. Cut coffee cake into square with still warm.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies came from an old ward cookbook with the recipe submitted by Sara Cook. The original title is Mrs. Field's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip Cookies and had an oatmeal variation, which I used, and is what I've posted below. We loved these cookies! In fact, I had to freeze half of them so I wouldn't spoil my diet! And the good news is they freeze well. I just pull a couple out, throw them in a ziploc baggie and then toss the bag into my husband's lunch and they're perfectly thawed by the time he eats! We will definitely make these again! I did change the full cup of butter to 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening, and I changed the oven temperature as well to keep the cookies soft. And they turned out a lot better that way than the previous time I made these. But I have adapted the recipe to include how I made the delectable cookies.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Then add:

1-3/4 cups flour
2-1/4 cups oatmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (if you used salted butter, only use 1/2 tsp salt)
3 cups chocolate chips (if you use an electric mixer, I'd suggest stirring these in by hand so the chips stay intact)

Bake at 375*F for 8 to 10 minutes. (my oven took 8.5 minutes)

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

I found these while looking for a cheat-day treat. And they didn't disappoint! In fact, they are easily my favorite peanut butter cookie. They are really soft and chewy and stay that way for a couple of days at least. And the only reason we had these cookies for a couple of days is because it made around 5 dozen cookies. Which is a lot for a household where only 3 of its occupants are capable of eating solid food. And I gave many away, but we still had a ton of cookies! I'm thinking they'll freeze well, but I'll try that next time and report back. **Edited 2-18-10: They do freeze ok, however they are slightly harder than when fresh.** I like that you can taste just a little bit of the honey and the peanut butter is present, but isn't dominant. I think they'd also taste yummy drizzled with some chocolate- although that would also increase there already high sugar content. While these are definitely a once in a while treat, they will be my go-to peanut butter cookie from now on!

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
from Annie's Eats

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup vegetable shortening
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used all shortening, so 1/2 cup total)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 large eggs
Sugar, for rolling the cookies (I used at least 1/4 cup)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the shortening, butter, peanut butter and honey. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Roll the dough into 1½-inch balls, and roll each dough ball in sugar. Place the dough balls on an ungreased baking sheet, a couple inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container.

Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know there are a billion recipes for chocolate chip cookies out there, and mine isn't that earth shattering. However, everytime they have been made and taken to a get together or taken to a friend, they always get great reviews. And trust me, I've been making these puppies since I was in grade school and have had the recipe memorized since. For example, my husband had me make some of these cookies for one of his classes he was presenting in yesterday and he came home with none left! (Good thing I didn't give him all of them to take says I!) Anyways, this recipe is really similar to the recipes on the back of chocolate chip packages, but we tweak it a little. I have also included the instructions on how to make them chocolate chocolate chip cookies below.

Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt (if you use salted butter, you can decrease this amount to 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp baking soda
2-1/4 cups flour**
chocolate chips (I usually use a whole bag per full cookie recipe and our favorite is milk chocolate; you could also add nuts or even toffee pieces to the dough but I rarely do)

Combine wet ingredients in one bowl, and dry ingredients in a separate bowl leaving out the chocolate chips. Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring until well combined. Add chocolate chips and stir until distributed evenly through out dough. Chill the dough for 20 minutes (I never had to do this growing up, but with my oven now, if I don't, the butter melts too fast leaving an odd textured, but still delicious cookie. So I say better safe than sorry!) In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375* F. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until they are starting to turn golden brown (it may take a little longer than 10 minutes for some ovens, I just know my oven takes about 8-1/2 minutes).

**If you would like to make chocolate chocolate chip cookies just substitute 1/2 cup of the flour for 1/2 cup of powdered baking cocoa (so you'll use 1-3/4 cup flour + 1/2 cup cocoa powder).

Oreo Cookies

These are my husband's favorite cookies, and I don't make them that often. And to be honest, I don't know where this recipe originally came from, but the recipe isn't new- it's been around for awhile. However, they are really easy and they taste great! The recipe's yield depends on how big or small you roll the dough balls before baking the cookies. I used a standard cookie scoop and I got around 16 cookie sandwiches. You can also make these even easier by just substituting a can of store bought cream cheese frosting for the filling recipe below. They'll still taste good, I just prefer to make my frosting from scratch. Try these next time you need a quick treat and maybe they'll become one of your favorites, too!

Oreo Cookies

Cookies:
1 box Devil's Food cake mix
2 eggs
3/4 cup shortening

Filling:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbl butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix cake mix, eggs, and shortening together. Roll dough into evenly sized balls and bake at 350*F for about 8 minutes. Cookies will still be soft or undercooked slightly, but they continue to bake while they are cooling so don't leave them in longer unless they are severely doughy.

While cookies are cooling, make the filling by combining the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla (I use a hand mixer when I make my frostings). Add powdered sugar until mixture is spreadable (sometimes I need a little more or less than 2 cups of the powdered sugar). If you add too much sugar and the frosting becomes thick, add milk 1 tsp at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

Once cookies are completely cooled, layer filling in between two cookies to make your oreo sandwich cookies. Enjoy!

Easy Microwave Toffee

I know I've been posting a lot of recipes for desserts, but desserts are the easiest thing for me to want to try new recipes for! I'll do my best to start trying new main courses, breads, and side dishes! However, this toffee is really good! It's butter and crunchy, and the best part is you don't need a candy thermometer and it's all done in the microwave. You just have to make sure you keep a good eye on it so you don't burn the toffee. But even then, it's pretty easy to make this yummy treat! I did find the amount of chocolate called for was a little much, so next time I think I'll cut it in half. This recipe came from my parents' ward cookbook.

Easy Microwave Toffee
Courtesy of Yvonne Harman

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (if you use salted butter, leave this out!)
1/4 cup water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (I left these out)

Line and 8"x8" baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside. Put the butter, sugar, salt, and water in a 2 quart microwave safe casserole dish. Do not stir. Put the dish in the microwave for 7 minutes. Check to see if the mixture has changed from yellow to a light tan color. If not, continue cooking a minute at a time (I think I had to do a total of 7 extra minutes, so be patient if it seems like it's taking forever). You need to watch it here to keep it from scorching and remember, don't stir. Once mixture has reached the light tan stage, pour into prepared baking dish. Let sit for one minute. Sprinkle semi-sweet morsels on top and let sit for one more minute, or until morsels have softened. Using a spatula, spread the morsels over the toffee. Top with chopped pecans. Place the baking dish into the refrigerator until the toffee has cooled completely. Lift out the aluminum foil and break the toffee into bite-sized pieces (I just used my hands).

Caramel Apples

I'm sorry there haven't been very many posts lately. I've been dealing with a sick husband and a sick 16-month old, and when one gets better, the other gets sick! However, I have decided that I'm going to try to post 1-2 times a week via the scheduled post feature. So hopefully, there will be a more consistent selection of new recipes started.

I thought to start my new conviction to blogging, I would share a recipe that definitely makes me think of fall. These caramel apples are so yummy! I remember making them as a young women group and we gobbled them up. It does make quite a large batch (at least a large batch for just 2 people who can eat caramel apples), so if you don't want 12-15 apples, cut your recipe in half, or even better, make the whole thing and share with your neighbors. It's also a great time for these recipes because apples are in season, and you can get them at a great price! I thought I'd be creative and go back to when I made them in YW's and drizzle chocolate on them. But I learned a great lesson- if you want to do this, fine, but wait for the caramel to cool a little bit first. Otherwise you end up with a large pile of chocolate and caramel at the base of your apples. Mine didn't look very pretty, but they still tasted good!

Caramel Apples
Courtesy of Juilana Lookhart

1 cup butter (I used salted butter, and omitted the salt)
2-1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup white corn syrup
1 cup sweetened condensed milk (this is a little less than a can, so measure it out!)
1 tsp. vanilla
12 to 15 Granny Smith apples, washed with stems and stickers removed (I used 15 small granny's and could have still done more. You could also use different apples. Granny Smith's are just tart and go well with the sweet caramel.)

Melt butter in large heavy pan. Add brown sugar and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until well mixed. Add corn syrup. Mix well. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook and stir to 115* C (or the soft ball stage). Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Sprinkle powdered sugar on a cookie sheet. Put sticks into apples and dip apples in caramel. Place apple on the cookie sheet. After dipping apples you can dip them in cookie crumbs, cinnamon, or any topping.

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

Ok, I know you can get this recipe just as easy by looking on the label of your canned pumpkin. However, I did make some substitutions to use powdered milk and I made my own pumpkin puree (I know it sounds crazy, but it was really easy, and it didn't have extra preservatives AND it was CHEAPER than buying a can of pumpkin). This was really good and it's nice to know I can make a yummy dessert using what I have in my pantry.

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

• 1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust (if you are making your own crust, you can use a regular pie dish, just crimp your crust edges so that they are high and can hold the filling inside the pie)
  
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin (or 1-3/4 cup pumpkin puree)
  
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk (or 1-1/2 cups water + 1 cup powdered milk)
  

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.
3. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean (don't judge its doneness by if it wiggles or not- my pie was still a little jiggly, but it firmed up as it cools. Check it by the knife method). Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

4 Ingredient Easy Cobbler

I made this after a foiled dessert recipe attempt (my ingredients were moldy- yuck!) This recipe came from Tasty Kitchen, the recipe search engine started by the Pioneer Woman. This is very versatile. Although it calls for sliced fruit, you could also use pie filling or frozen fruit (thawed of course), or you could even just use canned fruit, just drain the syrup/juice from the fruit. The left overs held up pretty well in the refrigerator, but I wouldn't suggest keeping leftovers (if you have any) for more than a day or two. The topping will just get soggy if you keep it longer. This is also really good served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

4 Ingredient Easy Cobbler

6 whole Peaches Or Any Fruit- Peeled And Sliced
1 cup Flour
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 stick Butter

Peel and slice 6 to 8 peaches, apples or any other fruit, enough to cover the bottom of a 2 quart shallow baking dish. Combine the flour, brown sugar and stick of butter using a fork or pastry blender until it is well blended and crumbly. Cover the fruit with the mixture and bake at 375 deg. for 30 minutes.

Best Ever Pie Crust

I've only tried a couple of pie crust recipe in the past, but when I found this one on my mom's blog last year, I've never gone searching again! It is soooo easy and soooo forgiving that it's fool proof. When it's baked, the crust is flaky and delicious! Plus it can be used for any sweet or savory dish! Score!

Flakiest Pie Crust

Yield: 2 pie crusts (or 1 double crust)

Ingredients:
2c flour
1c shortening (I use all vegetable)
1 tsp salt
1Tbsp sugar

for the slurry:
1/3c flour
1/2c water

Directions:
In a large bowl, cut shortening into flour and salt with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (about the size of small peas). Combine the 1/3c water and 1/2c flour to make a slurry. Pour over crumbled shortening mixture and mix till just combined. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and flatten into a small disc.

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to set. This will make rolling it out much easier. If you don't need a double crust, you can freeze one half of the dough and use it later (or just half the recipe!).
When ready to use the crust, roll out each half on a heavily floured surface with a floured rolling pin. If it doesn't go well the first time, it's okay. Just crumple it back into a ball and try again. It's VERY forgiving.

Strawberry Sorbet

Sorry, no picture on this one but it was delicious! I bought a flat of strawberries from a local farm and had strawberries coming out of my ears so I decided to give this recipe a twirl. Thanks to Mallory for letting me borrow her ice cream maker and Our Best Bites for the recipe! I especially liked the deep red color that fresh, ripe strawberries added to this frozen treat!

Strawberry Sorbet

1 lb. strawberries, washed, hulled, and chopped

3/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Combine sugar with chopped strawberries and stir until sugar begins to dissolve. Allow to stand for about an hour, stirring frequently. Add lemon juice and salt. Blend strawberries in your blender and then freeze according to your ice cream manufacturer's instructions. Place in a freezer-safe container and freeze 1-2 additonal hours. Scoop it up and enjoy!

Cinnamon Stack Biscuits

These wannabe cinnamon rolls are so easy to throw together. So easy in fact that they made a perfect stress-free birthday breakfast at my house last month. I got the recipe from my mom at Anissa's Kitchen. I promise they won't disappoint your tastebuds- although they could be disappointing for your waistline! :)

Cinnamon Stack Biscuits

2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs. sugar
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

Combine all of the dry ingredients, then cut in shortening with a pastry cutter until mixed well and slightly crumbly.
Then, slowly stir in:

2/3 cup milk

When dough begins to clump, knead with hands for about 30 seconds, or until dough forms a ball. Flour your surface to prevent sticking, and roll out your dough in a rectangle. Cut off edges to make perfectly straight sides of your rectangle.
Next, apply the filling:

3/4 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 HEAPING Tbs. cinnamon

Spread filling evenly to each edge of the rectangle. Cut rectangle from left to right (long-ways) into 5 strips and stack directly on top of one another, so you have a 5-layer single stack.
Cut into 12 equal pieces and flip each individual piece into a cupcake tin. Bake for 12-14 minutes at 400. While they are in the oven, make icing:

1 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbs. water

Mix together. It should be fairly thick.
Drizzle each biscuit with icing while still warm to enable it to melt. Serve and enjoy!

Oh-So-Peachy Cake

This recipe comes from the "Gooseberry Patch Cake Mixes" cookbook. I've eyed it ever since I got the book from my mom, and so I made it to take with me to a church meeting a couple of weeks ago. It was yummy! It does puff up quite a bit in the pan, but then sinks as it cools (or at least that's what mine did). So just make sure you leave plenty of room for the cake to rise. Also, the cream cheese topping was hard to spread on top of the peaches so I might actually heat it up in the microwave until it's runny and then just drizzle it on top. Enjoy!

Oh-So-Peachy Cake

18-1/4 oz. pkg. yellow cake mix (I had a butter cake mix on hand that I used)
3-1/2 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1 c. water
1 c. oil
29-oz. can sliced peaches, drained and juices reserved
1 c. sugar
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

Combine first 5 ingredients; mix well. Spread in a lightly greased 13" x 9" baking pan; arrange peach slices on top. Set aside. Blend sugar, cream cheese and 5 Tbl. reserved peach juice together until smooth and creamy; pour over peach slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Makes 12 to 15 servings.

Great-Grammie Boone's Date Squares

My mum's family has always been known for being great cooks - especially bakers - and this recipe proves it! Baking wise, it really doesn't use a lot of anything, so it's not too pricey, although it's also not too healthy. (At least not physically. I think it's very emotionally and mentally healthy!)

CRUST & TOPPING
1 c. brown sugar
1 3/4 c. quick oats
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. melted butter

1. Mix all together really well and press half into a lightly greased 9 by 13 pan. (You may need to use a little more than half. The crust is the best part, so if you taste the uncooked thing and decide you want LOTS of topping, just add another 1/2 of everything.)

FILLING
1 1/2 c. chopped dates (this is done easiest by just snipping the dates with scissors if you haven't bought them chopped already, but DO buy them pitted! It's so much easier!)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. hot water from the tap

1. Put all ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until nice and thick, stirring occasionally. This will take a few minutes, and it may still look a little watery, but it'll be good.
2. Pour over crust. Crumble the rest of the crust mixture on top of it.
3. Sprinkly with a bit of water. (This isn't really necessary. I forgot to do it last night. My mum and I can't figure out why Grammie did it.)
4. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool some before cutting.

My husband and I think they would taste great with vanilla ice cream while they're still a little warm!

Fast Food Storage Fudge

I got this recipe from a church blog my mom has put together. Not only is it really fast (it only takes 2 minutes to cook without the use of a candy thermometer) but I had everything in my pantry that I needed to whip up a little chocolate craving cure. I also want to apologize for another treat recipe post. However, while making desserts less frequently is one way to master your budget, I think it's still important to indulge every now and then. Besides, this is pretty cheap, but yummy!

Fast Food Storage Fudge

1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup butter (one stick, unmelted)
1/4 cup milk (reconstituted powdered milk is fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift powdered sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Add butter and milk. Do not stir. Microwave 2 minutes on high. Stir. Add vanilla, stir. Pour into 8" square baking dish (I lined mine with foil and sprayed it with cooking spray). Refrigerate 1 hour before cutting and serving. Serves 16.

I also added chopped almonds to my fudge (It sounded good and I had some I needed to use up!). You could add any other nut as well- just add it into the fudge when you stir in the vanilla.

Creamy Cheescake

Ok, so this isn't a make every single day budget-friendly recipe. However, my mom did mention that it would be a budget friendly recipe as far as entertaining for special occassions go. While this dessert could set you back around 7 or 8 dollars, that's nothing when compared to cheesecake that you can buy already made at the grocery store, bakery, or your favorite restaurant. But even if you don't have a get together to host/go to or an anniversary you are celebrating, this cheesecake can be a great addition to your celebration of daily life... with moderation :) This recipe comes from My Kitchen Cafe and is so delicious! I served it with sliced fresh strawberries and blackberries (sprinkle the berries with sugar and let them sit in the fridge for 10-15 minutes so they can create a "juice").

Creamy Cheesecake

Crust:
3 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 40 squares)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:
2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1 pint sour cream

To prepare crumb crust: In a mixing bowl, combine the crust ingredients together with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (I use a 10-inch springform pan b/c it is all I have and it works great) with non-stick cooking spray. Firmly press the mixture over the bottom and 1-inch up the sides on the pan, use your fingers or the smooth bottom of a glass. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.

To prepare filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute just until smooth and free of any lumps. Gradually add the sugar and beat until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to slowly beat until combined. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest. Blend in the sour cream. The batter should be well mixed but not overbeaten. Overbeating incorporates too much air and will cause the cake to puff when baking, then fall and crack when cooling. Pour filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 50-55 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle slightly, it will firm up after chilling. Be careful not to overcook! Do not do a toothpick test in the cake's center, this will make a crack. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours to set up. Demold and transfer to a cake plate. Slice the cheesecake with a thin, nonserrated knife that has been dipped in hot water and wiped dry after each cut.

***I've never made cheesecake before this weekend, and it turned out great! Just follow the recipe and make sure you don't over beat the filling!***