ROOT BEER FREEZE (WHIRL)

ROOT BEER FREEZE (WHIRL)
http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/root-beer-freeze-whirl/

We had this for FHE.  Yum! Yum!  This is how I did it:

Makes 4 (split the batch for vitamix but I think it would probably work not to split)

1.5 quart vanilla ice cream (we did vanilla bean)
2 cans root beer
1 tsp root beer extract


Here is the original recipe to make 2.
3 cup vanilla ice cream
1 cup root beer 
1/2 tsp root beer extract

PAN FRIED CAULIFLOWER

PAN FRIED CAULIFLOWER

Got this from a Bountiful Basket email.  We all really liked it.  I kept the flourets pretty big.

Cauliflower
1 to 2 Beaten Eggs
Salt & Pepper
parmesean cheese
Olive Oil

Steam cauliflower florets to crisp-tender. Dip one side in egg with salt and pepper, dip in parmesean cheese, and pan-fry in olive oil until golden. Serve hot or room temperature. A Sally family secret recipe... now not-so-secret!

MAPLE BARS

Maple Bars

http://djsfavoriterecipes.blogspot.com.br/2010/11/maple-bars.html

These were easy to make and so so yummy!  Pretty sweet maybe try cutting back on the sugars next time.  1/2 a batch was just right for 6 big bars.  Perfect FHE refreshment.  Would be fun to try a chocolate frosting as well.

I am re-posting this recipe as I have tweaked it just a bit. I decided adding the cinnamon to the milk isn't the best thing to do, it clumps. Instead, whisk into the flour and then add to the yeast mixture. Also I'm increasing the flour to 5 cups... seems I always have to add more. And I'm adding 1/8 teaspoon salt to the frosting.... Salt enhances flavors and takes that "too sweet" out of the frosting just a bit. I made these for work yesterday and added diced cooked bacon to the top! Delicious!

I was snowed in yesterday morning and couldn't go to work!! So I thought 'why not bake?' And one of my favorite things when I worked at the Bakery was Maple Bars! MMMMMM... I ran across this recipe on http://www.recipezaar.com/. So I thought I would give it a try!! It was yummo !  I think next time I make them I will cut the dough into 3 strips and then in six pieces for a little smaller bar but they were good, and not too heavy. I also like the fact that these are baked, not fried! I suggest eating with hot chocolate or a tall glass of milk. mmmmmmmmmmmm!!

Maple Bars
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)
4 Tablespoons  granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2  (1/4 ounce) envelopes yeast
2 large eggs, beaten
5 cups flour (might need a bit more)
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Maple Icing
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons mapleine (found by the flavor extracts and seasonings) or maple extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the dough:
In a medium saucepan scald milk; add shortening, 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside to cool to lukewarm.

In a large mixer bowl, add the lukewarm water and the yeast (remember the water should be just lukewarm, too hot and it will kill the yeast) Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of sugar to the yeast and water and whisk to combine. Let sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to bubble and become foamy.

After the yeast is foamy and the milk mixture is luke warm. Add the eggs to the yeast and stir to combine, then add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Whisk the cinnamon into the flour and gradually add to the yeast mixture. You may need to add more, you want the dough slightly sticky but not too sticky.  Knead for 3 to 5 minutes. I let my kitchen aid do the kneading for about 5 minutes.
Spray another large bowl with non-stick spray, place dough in the bowl and let raise for an hour or until double in size. 

Punch down and roll out into a large rectangle about 1 inch thick.

Cut into rectangles, I cut the rectangle in half, and then each half into 6 pieces to make 12 bars, then place on a greased baking sheet. Let raise for about 30 minutes.

While bars are raising,  preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bake the bars for 7 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown, Watch carefully. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before icing.

Make the icing while the bars are raising:

In a small saucepan mix butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to boil for medium heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Add the mapleine, salt and powdered sugar and blend well with a hand mixer. Add a little more powdered sugar if needed (I added about 1/4 cup more).  I didn't add more sugar (see note above) but I did need to add more milk.

Spread on maple bars and enjoy!  Sarah and I did!!! Yummo!

S'MORES CUPCAKES

I am not a huge fan of cupcakes, but these are so, so good.  I couldn't get enough of them and have made them again.  Found recipe in LDS Living Magazine.

Scott made them to take to his parents and put the chocolate on top of the marshmallow.  They still tasted good but didn't look as nice (my opinion).  But we love, love the frosting.  It is so good.  

I am going to use this recipe for Jackson's birthday cake (10th).  Going to make 2 8x8 then do the frosting in between the layers.  Then going to top with a genache.  I think it will taste a lot like the almost too much chocolate cake.  Then put roasted marshmallows around the edge.  Maybe a 10 out of M&M's?  Not sure.  UPDATE: made the cake.  It is yummy and very rich!  Liked it better the 2nd time I had it (maybe because it was a day old or maybe because I knew how sweet it would be???).  I didn't use the whole amount of frosting.  Next time I could probably 1/2 it.  I didn't put all the chocolate genache on it either.  Abagail had the suggestion to do a 10 out of marshmallows.  That is what we did.

UPDATE: These are Kambria's favorite.

http://www.ldsliving.com/7-Decadent-Desserts-You-Won-t-Believe-Were-Made-with-a-Cake-Mix/s/76289?page=1%3Fpage%3D1

S'MORES CUPCAKE

Chocolate Cake: 

1 box devil’s food cake mix

3 eggs

½ cup melted butter, cooled

½ cup sour cream

1 cup buttermilk or milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips

Graham Cracker Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1–3 tablespoons milk, as needed

½ cup graham crackers, finely crushed

3–5 cups powdered sugar

Decoration

Large marshmallows for decoration

Melted chocolate for decoration

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.

2.   Sift cake mix into a small bowl; set aside.

3.   In a large bowl, combine eggs, melted butter, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until smooth.

4.   Stir in cake mix and chocolate chips.

5.   Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 17–22 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

6.   Graham Cracker Frosting: Beat butter for 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract, cinnamon, 1 T. milk, and graham cracker crumbs (Note: I crush and then put my graham cracker crumbs through a strainer to make sure they are crushed enough and none is too large. It helps to give the frosting a smooth texture.) Add powdered sugar until the frosting reaches the desired consistency; add more milk if needed.

7.   Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and place large marshmallows on the foil. Broil in the oven but watch them carefully! They should be slightly brown, which takes only 2–3 minutes; watch them like a hawk or they will burn. Let cool before using.

8.   Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Top with melted chocolate and toasted marshmallows.

PEACH PECAN CRISP

Peach Pecan Crisp

yield: SERVES 8-12

 

prep time: 10 MINUTES

 

total time: 55 MINUTES, PLUS COOLING

PRINT RECIPE

This is super yummy!  Very good with ice cream.  We had it with our home teacher (Bro. DeLeon) he liked it too. Kids had fun helping me make it.  Smelled so good while baking.

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2015/07/18/peach-pecan-crisp/

Juicy peaches and toasted streusel come together to make one simple summery fruit crisp!

Ingredients:

FILLING

• 5 cups thinly sliced peaches (about 5-6 medium peaches)1
• 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING

• 3/4 cup (150g) light or dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup (85g) all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup (65g) old-fashioned rolled oats (or quick oats)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (95g) unsalted pecans, such as Diamond of California (chopped or halved)
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• optional but encouraged: vanilla ice cream for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease an 8 or 9-inch baking dish (circle or square). Set aside.
2. Make the filling: Combine peaches with the flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl. Toss gently until combine. Spoon into prepared baking dish.
3. Make the topping: Whisk the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, and pecans together. Make sure to get out all those brown sugar lumps. Add the butter and stir with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon to break up the butter until the mixture is crumbly. (A fork works for this too!) Evenly sprinkle topping over peaches.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the peach juice is bubbling on the edges. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
5. Make ahead tip: Baked crisp freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm in a 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes or until heated through. I do not suggest preparing the crisp and storing it, unbaked, in the refrigerator. The topping will get soggy. You can, however, prepare the crisp through step 3 and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then continue with step 4.

LOADED M&M OREO COOKIE BARS

This is a fun cookie bar loaded with Oreo cookies and M&M candies!

These cookie bars are an especially fun treat for kids! My kids love the bright colors of the M&M’s and can’t resist these candy- and cookie-filled bars. Of course, plenty of adults can’t resist them either.

I liked these more than I thought I would. If I remember right we made them for Scott's birthday.

Take your favorite blondies recipe and add whatever cookies and candies you have around the house for a fun treat! I tried a few different recipes and decided that this particular blondies recipe has a great flavor and texture.

Instead of Oreo cookies and M&M’s, you can try adding chopped nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, pretzels, chopped candy bars, or whatever other sweets you love and have hanging out in the cupboards.

If you have a large microwave-safe bowl, you can melt the butter in the microwave while it is already in the mixing bowl. Save yourself a dirty dish when you can, right?

I use a gallon-size resealable bag and a rolling pin to coarsely crush the Oreo cookies. I like keeping most of the Oreo cookies in big chunks for some extra texture and variance in the blondies batter. Use a rubber spatula to fold the additions into the batter and avoid over-mixing.

Spread the batter into a foil-lined and sprayed pan, then sprinkle the candies evenly all over the top. When making cookie bars and more, a foil-lined pan is awesome because the foil sling allows for easy removal from the pan. Once removed, it is super easy to cut the cookies into bars.

I actually happen to have a 14″ rocker-style pizza cutter that makes cutting cookie bars even easier and faster. Who knew it would be so handy!

Print

Loaded M&M Oreo Cookie Bars

Rating: 5

Yield: 9x13 pan, about 24 cookie bars

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups (10.5 ounces) brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups (7.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 30 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (or 2 cups other mix-in)
• 1 cup M&M's (or small pieces of other candy)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 baking dish or pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter in the microwave until melted. Remove from microwave and whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Then add the eggs and mix until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined; don't overmix. With a rubber spatula, fold in the crushed Oreo cookies (or about 2 cups of other crushed cookies or candy).
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Sprinkle the M&M's (or other small pieces of candy) over the top evenly and lightly press them down into the surface of the batter.
5. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the top is firm, cracked, and golden. Baking times may vary depending on the mix-ins and the type of pan. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or have moist crumbs attached, but not gooey batter. Transfer pan to a cooling rack and allow bars to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Then remove the bars from the pan (by lifting the foil out), cut them into bars, and serve.

Notes

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for a few months.