Banana Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2/3 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup mashed super ripe banana (about 2)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

To make cake (is easily mixed by hand):

1. Preheat the oven to 375F (see note below). 
2. Cream together sugar, sour cream, egg, and 2 tablespoons softened butter. 
3. Add mashed bananas and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. 
4. Add flour, salt, and baking soda; mix well. 
5. Pour into an 8x8-inch pan that has been sprayed with baking spray.
6. Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
7. Cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting:

1. Cream butter and confectioner's sugar together until smooth. 
2. Slowly add the heavy cream and vanilla bean paste; stir until smooth.  
3. Spread on cooled cake. 

Strawberry Jello Cake

Ingredients

1 box white cake, 
1 box strawberry Jello, 
Cool whip & fresh strawberries.

Directions

 Bake cake according to box, then cool. Poke holes in cake with fork. Mix Jello with 1 cup cold water & 1 cup hot water - pour over cake. Refrigerate for a couple hours. Spread Cool Whip over cake and top with fresh strawberries.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies

Ingredients 

1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate or 
semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease an 8"×8" baking pan. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from the heat, and add the peanut butter. Set aside to cool.
4. Next, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
5. Add the egg to the cooled butter and sugar mixture and mix well.
6. Add the vanilla extract and stir mixture to combine.
7. Pour the wet mixture into the prepared dry ingredients. Stir to create a thick, smooth batter.
8. Fold in half the chocolate chips, reserving the remainder for sprinkling on top.
9. Transfer the batter to the prepared square pan, spreading the batter evenly to the edges. Sprinkle with the reserved chocolate chips and lightly press them into the batter.
10. Bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden and the edges are slightly browned. Allow to cool in the pan.
11. Cut into squares and serve. 
12. Makes about 16 Blondies.

Carmel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars


Ingredients
2 cups all­purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3 (8­ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all­purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup caramel topping for drizzling after baked

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2
forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy­duty
aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed
until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

Birthday Cake & Icing

I made a yummy b-day cake for D's birthday yesterday. It was scrumptious!

CAKE


Ingredients

1 cup butter 2 cups white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 eggs

3 teaspoons baking powder 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup milk 1 pinch salt

Directions

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch pan or three 8 or 9 inch round layer cake pans.
2.	Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract.
3.	Separate the eggs and set the egg whites aside. Add the egg yolks one at a time to the creamed mixture, beating after each one.
4.	Measure the baking powder into the flour, sift a little of the flour into the creamed mixture. Continue adding the flour and the milk alternately, while continually beating the mixture. Beat the cake batter until a few air bubbles show.
5.	Beat the 4 egg whites with a dash of salt until stiff. Gently fold egg whites into the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
6.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until cake(s) test done, approximately 25 to 35 minutes.

ICING

Ingredients

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons milk 2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions

Cream sugar, butter and vanilla. Add a small amount of milk (1 to 2 tablespoons). Add cocoa if desired and beat until fluffy. If frosting is too sweet add a little more milk.

Fudgy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

1/2 C butter, melted
2 C graham cracker crumbs (32 squares)
1 8 oz. bag toffee bits
1 roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 12oz. bag chocolate chips
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 T butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Grease 13x9 baking dish and heat oven to 350.

Have the roll of cookie dough sitting out for around 10 minutes to soften up.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup of melted butter, 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs and 3/4 cup of toffee bits. Pour mixture into the greased pan and press evenly until mixture covers bottom of pan. Refrigerate for around 15 minutes.

In a 2 qt saucepan, heat the milk, chocolate chips and the tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Stir frequently until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Spread the mixture over the graham cracker crumb mixture.

In another medium mixing bowl, break up the cookie dough and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs until blended. Crumble the mixture evenly over the chocolate layer and the sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup toffee bits on top.

Bake for about 25-35 minutes or until it's golden brown. Cool completely before cutting, probably around 2 or more hours.

Ultimate Chocolate Pie

Super easy and yummy.

pre-made Oreo pie crust

2 small pkgs of chocolate pudding

3 bananas

Cool whip, if desired

1. Make pudding according to package directions.

2. slice bananas and cover pie crust with them.

3. Spoon in chocolate pudding, covering the bananas.

4. Chill in refrigerator until pudding is set!

Strawberries & Cream Pie

I made this for a friend tonight. I think it turned out pretty good.


Ingredients:
(Crust)
- 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (About 9 full/long crackers — just throw them in a gallon bag, zip, and crush with a rolling pin.)
- 5 tbsp butter, melted

(Filling)
** Crumbly Cookie’s original recipe called for only 1 block of cream cheese and 1 cup of cream, but that didn’t fill my pie dish all the way and I wanted a really thick/deep-dish pie, so I doubled the recipe.
- 2 8oz blocks of cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups heavy cream + 1 tbsp
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 carton strawberries, sliced into thirds or halves
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Steps:
(1) Preheat oven to 375.
(2) In a small bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until a crumbly, moist mixture forms.
(3) Gently but firmly press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom/sides of a pie dish.
(4) Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
** This is the only baking that you need to do for this recipe, so don’t forget to turn the oven off!
(5) In a medium bowl, use an electric mixture to beat your cream until it holds firm peaks. Set aside.
(6) In a separate, larger bowl, mix cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until smooth and creamy.
(7) Fold about 1/3 of the whipped cream into your cream cheese mixture to lighten it, then add the rest. Gently fold until evenly incorporated and smooth.
(8) Spoon filling into your cooled pie crust, and spread it out in an even layer.
(9) Layer sliced strawberries in an overlapping rows around the top of the cream.
(10) Melt chocolate + 1 tbsp cream, and stir until smooth and liquid. Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the strawberries.
(11) Stick the pie in the fridge for a few hours to allow the creamy filling to firm up.
(12) Slice and serve immediately. Enjoy!
** Strawberries go fast, so this won’t keep very long. Try to eat everything within 3-5 days.

Best Peanut Butter Cookies Ever

Ingredients

• 2 cups peanut butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a medium bowl, stir peanut butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Press a criss-cross into the top using the back of a fork.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Beth's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter flavored shortening
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. Use a measuring tablespoon to round dough into balls. Don't roll the balls, just make them rounded. Place onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until centers are set and very lightly browned. Don't overbake. Cool 2 to 3 minutes before removing from baking sheets. Make sure you have lots of ice cold milk!!!

Fast Peanut Butter Fudge

2 c. sugar
2/3 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. butter
12 large marshmallows
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. peanut butter chips
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar, milk, butter, marshmallows, and salt. Bring to boil over med. heat. (9 min) Stir constantly. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter chips to mixture, stir until melted. Stir in vanilla. Line 8 in pan w/ foil. Pour into pan, cool.

Triple Fruit Yogurt Smoothie

2 (6 oz.) containers Strawberry yogurt
1/2 c. fresh strawberries
1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 c banana, sliced

Blend ingredients in blender on high speed until smooth (approx 30 seconds).

Strawberry Sorbet

makes 6 cups
3/4 c. sugar
2 quarts strawberries, hulled (about 8 cups)
1/2 c. Sprite

In med. sized saucepan, stir together 3/4 c. water and sugar. Bring to boil over med-high heat. Boil 1 minute. Turn off heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.
In a food processor, puree the strawberries and soda. Add in the sugar syrup and process until combined. Pour into a 13x9x2 metal baking pan and freeze for 4 - 4 1/2 hours, until frozen solid.
Scrape into a food processor and process briefly until smooth but not melted. Spoon back into pan and freeze for an additional 1 -2 hours before serving.

Apple Crisp

 recipe from Derek's mom
MIX well: 
2/3 - 3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c. soft butter

Put over sliced apples. I also add some water over the top so it isn't so dry. Bake @ 350 until apples are soft (approx. 20 min)

Silver White Cake

recipe from Derek's Mom
MIX well:
2 1/4 c cake flour
1 1/2 c sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c soft shortening
2/3 c milk
1 tsp vanilla

ADD:
another 1/3 c. milk
4 egg whites unbeaten

MIX:
Pour into cake pans that are greased and floured. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.

Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping

recipe from Derek's mom
Melt together 2 cubes margarine & 4 heaping TBSP cocoa. Stir in 3 c. sugar & 1 can evaporated milk. Cook until sugar dissolves, approx 2 min. Don't overcook! Put hot on ice cream for hot fudge sundaes. Store extra in refrigerator.

Frozen Fruit Salad aka Double FS

recipe by Derek's Mom


Mix together, in large container (first drain the juices from the fruits; can use some liquid as the needed liquid for thickening):
6-8 ripe bananas, sliced
1 c crushed pineapple
1 c diced pears
1 can fruit cocktail

Thickening:
Boil 1 2/3 c of liquid (juice from fruit cocktail) in a saucepan on the stove.

Separately mix:
6 TBSP flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 c sugar

Add dry ingredients in after the liquid has come to a boil. Will burn easily; stir constantly to prevent burning. Cook until it thickens. Remove from stove. Cool in refrigerator; when cool, add it to the fruit then add 2 cups of whipped cream. Add red food coloring if desired. Put in pan to freeze. Cover w/ Saran wrap.