Blueberry Pizza

Thanks Kirk - this is GREAT

Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup melted butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Topping:
1 package (8 ounces) reduced fat cream cheese
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk – or non fat sweetened condensed
milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
4 cups blueberries
whipped topping and fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries for garnish, optional

Preparation:
Combine flour and confectioners' sugar in mixing bowl. Add melted butter and mix to
blend well. Pat dough out in a 14-inch pizza pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, or until
lightly browned.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and
vanilla. Spread over the cooled pizza crust.
In a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in water. Add a few crushed
blueberries for a nice “blueberry color.” Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat
until thickened. Add blueberries (Don’t cook!) and cool completely. Spread cooled
blueberry mixture over cream cheese layer. Chill thoroughly. Cut in wedges to serve,
with dollops of whipped topping and fresh blueberries or strawberry slices, if desired.

Cinnamon Rolls

Trust me, once you make these homemade you will never buy pre-made ones again! There are a lot of steps, but it is worth it!!!

Dough

1 package dry yeast (its about .25 of an oz.)
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour

Filling

1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, softened

Icing

8 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375

For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.
(warm up the bowl up first by pouring hot water in for a few minutes - milk be warm, not hot)

Add sugar, margarine salt, eggs, and flour, mix well.

Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.

Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. I usually just set the bowl on top of the oven while it is preheating

Mix together the filling and set aside

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide - it will be super sticky!! Have patients ;)
It should be approx 1/4 thick.

Spread softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.

Carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge like a sleeping bag

Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.
Don't smash you rolls while trying to slice them with a knife - "cut" them with string or dental floss

Don't put them in the oven just yet, set them on top on the oven and let them rise again - about 20 minutes or so

Now put them in the oven. Check in 10 minutes, they will need about 15 total.

While they are baking mix up the icing - spread generously with icing once out of the oven.

ENJOY!

If you want to make these ahead of time you can put the dough (after you roll it like a sleeping bag) tightly in saran wrap in the refrigerator over night or even 2 days. When you are ready to use the dough make sure you let it rise again in the pan before baking.

Lemon Glazed Tea Cake

1 cups sugar
1 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 water
2 Tbsp canola oil
4 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 egg whites + yokes separated
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F; spray a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick spray.
Combine 3/4 cup of the sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk in the water, oil, egg yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla until smoothly blended.

In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites until thick. While mixing, gradually add 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.

With a rubber spatula, fold about 1/3 of the meringue into the flour mixture. Stir well, then fold in the remainder of the meringue. Pour into the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack 10 minutes, then un-mold the cake onto the rack.

The glaze
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the lemon juice and the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves completely, about 2 minutes. Pour over the cake and allow to cool completely before serving.

I made this for girls night, it was so quick and easy. Everyone loved it!

*This was a combination of my recipe and a recipe from weightwatchers

No-Bake Peanutbutter Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (or chunky)
3-3 1/2 cups dry quick-cooking oats
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Add the first four ingredients into a 4-quart sauce pan.
Bring to a rolling boil and hold for 1 minute - (very important 1 minute only)
Remove from heat.
Stir in the next 3 ingredients and drop by tablespoons onto wax paper.
Let cool and enjoy!

Apple pecan cranberry crisp

5 cups sliced unpeeled Jonagold apples
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 plus 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
juice from 1/2 a lemon
3/4 cup flour
1/4 old fashioned oats
1/2 cup pecans
6 table spoons butter

Preheat oven to 375

Place apples and cranberries in a 9 inch pie dish. Add 3 tbs brown sugar, ginger, and the lemon juice. Toss together to combine then pat everything down evenly.

In a separate bowl combine flour, oats, remaining brown sugar and nuts. Cut in butter with a fork. Sprinkle topping over the fruit.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Eat with vanilla bean ice cream!

Brownies (unforgetable)

You will never go back to box brownies after you make these, and somehow even if you double the recipe they will vanish far too quickly.

5 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate
1/2cup cold butter, diced
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbs vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts - optional
pinch of salt

Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler... almost all the way. Make sure there are just a few little pieces of chocolate left un-melted.

Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla together. Add chocolate mixture then flour and nuts.

Line 9 inch round cake pan or 8 x 8 dish with wax paper. Bake these at 350 for 30 minutes, but the time is always slightly different. Must do fork test, and fork must have a little bit of wet batter left on it so they are cake like when they cool.

*The wax paper is a must, they will not turn out without it.
*Oddly enough these brownies are 100x better when they are cool rather than warm out of the oven.

Be sure to call me so I can come over and eat them with you, and thank my daddy-o for this recipe.

Banana Bread

I try new recipes for banana bread frequently, this one has proven to be the best yet!

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tbs baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs lemon zest
1/4 cup chopped nuts - optional.
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
4 mashed, brown bananas

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, allspice, nutmeg, lemon zest and nuts in small bowl and set aside.
Beat butter until fluffy then add sugar. Once mixed add eggs then slowly pour in flour. Finally add bananas (already mashed up)

Bake for 60 - 65 minutes @ at 350 degrees in a 6 x 8 baking dis ... be sure to do the fork test.