Hot Fudge - Makes Everything Yummy!

This recipe came from an old friend of my parents in Albany, Don Holsinger. He used to make it for people around Christmas, which is what we did a little of this year.

6 oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (half a bag)

1/2 c. Butter

2 c. Powdered Sugar

1 can Evaporated Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

Melt your chocolate chips and butter on LOW.

When melted, add Vanilla, then Milk and Powdered Sugar and blend it well.

Bring to a boil and stir CONSISTANTLY. Let it boil for about 4-5 min while boiling. If the fudge seems grainy OR does not thicken up while it's cooling, boil it again for a couple minutes and it will thicken up as it cools.

I put them in half pint jars to give to clients and friends. Who doesn't like having Homemade Hot Fudge ready to heat up and pour on ice cream, brownies, cheesecake (or if you're like me, eat it with a spoon!) etc!! Yummy!

Oreo Cheesecakes

42 Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped

2 pounds cream cheese, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275°. Line standard muffin pans with liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each liner.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed using an electric mixer. Gradually sugar, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla.Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies.

Divide batter among pans. Bake for about 22 minutes or until filling is set.

Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Remove from pans just before serving.

The recipe says it makes about 30 cheesecakes, but I easily got 36 this time!

Sour Cream Pancakes

Sometimes on Sunday mornings my family indulges me and by waiting longer for their breakfast, so I can make something new and fun. I enjoy this. If it turns out yummy, so do they. Today I tried a recipe from my Pioneer Woman cookbook, Sour Cream Pancakes. I liked them!! I may make them again! And next time I'll double the recipe because it is small.

Sour Cream Pancakes

1 c. Sour Cream

7 T. Flour (I like wheat!)

1 T. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 Large Eggs

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Stir these by hand, and DON'T over stir. Mix the sour cream, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together until BARELY mixed. Then added the beated eggs and vanilla. Like I said, don't over mix, it's ok to see flour and lumpys and yellow from the eggs.

Use a little butter in the bottom of your fying pan and cook these puppies up! Don't flatten em and push on em, just let em cook and they will look prettier!

They are of course better with some Buttermilk Syrup on top. Well, everything is.

Tempura Vegetables

When I was teenager, my brother's group of friends had a Friday night tradition called, Baker's Night. I didn't always attend, but the invitation was open to a little sister of the group that often needed the company. This evening was set aside to cook and of course socialize as friends. Girlfriends came and went, then some stayed around and became family, friends showed up as they they could and contributed to the meal. The grocery store trip would start at dinner time, the cooking would start past dessert time and the eating would happen past bedtime. It was a night that my parents looked past curfew because I was with my brothers. It was a good time and you could count on it every Friday night.

Aaron, Josh, and Kirk served their missions in Japan, so when one of them was feeling inspired we would often do something Japanese. One of those things was Tempura. I remember making this with Josh quite a few times and have loved it ever since. It always brings me great memories of Baker's Night.

Sometimes Tempura mix can be hard to find. Target doesn't ever carry it anymore. Smiths and Alberton's often do but then they don't have the Tempura dipping sauce sometimes. Many Land's down in Provo always has both. However, the store is a little creepy, and there's that strange guy that sits in the little back room doing who knows what until you have to check out... I buy a few and keep some in my storage just in case. Here are your ingredient:

Tempura Batter Mix

Tempura Dipping Sauce

Vegetable Oil

Rice

Vegetables of your choice (Shrimp can also be used

This is super easy to make. That doesn't mean it's fast and clean, it's just not hard. First of all, you need to cut your Vegetables. This time around I had, potates, onions, peppers, asparagus, sweet potatoes, carrots, and I tried a few pieces of broccoli (not my fav). Your vegetables need to be sliced thinly so they will cook quickly.

Next, start heating up your oil. You can use a deep fryer, an electric skillet, or just a pot. My All Clad pot works well for this. While it's heating, make your Tempura Batter. You want your batter to be thick and lumpy. I often do less water than it says on the box. And a happy healthy note, the tempura mixture is made with Wheat Flour! So even though we're going to fry the heck out of this food, at least it is vegetables and wheat flour!! LOL. Whatever makes us feel better right?

So grab your tongs! Coat your piece of vegetable in thick batter and drop in your very hot oil. I do a bunch real quick and let them cook for a few minutes, remove them for the oil onto a paper towels, then do another batch.

Fried yumminess! Dip your tempura and rice in the Dipping Sauce, which is 1 part sauce, 3 parts hot water. It helps to have little dishes to put it in.

It also helps to have family live right down the street who are happy to come eat when you feel like cooking far too much food for your small family! It's Tuesday, but it can still be Baker's Night!

Pretzel Hugs

I needed a quick and satisfying baking activity yesterday. Luckily these are both easy and delicious! I often just bake to bake. I love the activity, creativity, and the pretty end result. These however, I want to EAT. And I did, a lot of them. The treadmill is calling my name!

All you need for these are:

One bag Kisses, Hugs, or Rolos

One bag Waffle or Circle pretzels

One bag holiday M&Ms

Spread pretzels out on wax or parchment paper and place one chocolate piece on each pretzel. (The kisses take the longest to melt...)

Heat in oven at 200 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. The kisses don't melt all the way down. I used a little sucker stick to swirl the melted chocolate around in a pile on top of the pretzel. Then push your M&M's into them. I've also seen people put a pecan or something on top. We have too many nut allergies in my family, so I never bake with nuts!

These take a very long time to set up at room temp, it's easier to stick them in the freezer for about 7 minutes, and they will be perfect. However, with Hershey's chocolate, you have to keep them cool or they can melt a little and stick together. So the fridge is the safest place for them, in an air tight container! Careful, they're yummy!

Mom's Buttermilk Pancakes

These are the pancakes I grew up on. They always turn out better when my mom makes them for some reason! I can't remember the recipe book she got it from, but I do remember the book is falling apart and the pages are covered in flour. Now she just whips them up by memory and barely measures. They're always perfect.
2 ½ c sifted Wheat Flour (this is key. they really are so much better with wheat flour!!)
1 t soda
4 t baking powder
2 T sugar
1 t salt
2 eggs
2 c buttermilk
½ - 1 c milk

In large bowl, stir ingredients together with a big spoon. You don't want it TOO stirred, a little lumpy is OK! For best results, top with Buttermilk syrup! (But don't weigh yourself afterward!) :)

Breakfast Casserole

Every family has their version of breakfast casserole. This is mine, the way I like it. (With a really bad iphone picture!:)

About 24 ozs Frozen Hashbrowns

1/2 c. Butter

1 lb Sausage (or ham or bacon)

8-10 Eggs

1 1/2 c. Milk (or half and half)

1 1/2 c. Cheddar Cheese
1 1/2 c. Swiss Cheese

Salt

Pepper
Optional-Add Mushrooms, green peppers, and green onions. It depends on who I'm making it for!

Melt butter in bottom of 9X13 pan and sprinkle hashbrowns on top of butter making the crust. Bake the hashbrowns at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or so... While baking, cook the sausage. Mix eggs, milk, salk, and pepper together. Sprinkle cheese over hashbrowns, then the sausage, then pour egg mixture over the top. (Sprinkle a little more cheese over the top before cooking.) Put in fridge until ready to cook. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, then remove foil and cook for 10-15 more minutes until cooked through. Yummy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Crust
■2 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
■10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
■1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325°.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.
Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

Cookie Dough

■10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
■2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
■6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
■1/4 teaspoon salt
■2 teaspoon vanilla extract
■1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
■1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Using an electric mixer , mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.
Filling
■20 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
■1/2 cup granulated sugar
■2 large egg, at room temperature
■2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended.
Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling.
Bake about 30 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.

For chocolate topping, I used dipping chocolate because I had it and needed to use it, but I think it would be better with melted semi sweet chocolate chips.

Cake Pops

I've looked at these adorable and trendy Cake Pops on many different sites and have wanted to make some but haven't had time. They were actually very easy and didn't take long at all. I love Bakerella's Version, but here is mine.

~Bake your box cake as directed. I did Devil's Food.

~Let your cake cool completely, then crumble up in a bowl.

~Mix in with about 3/4 a can of prepared Cream Cheese frosting. I used Betty Crocker.
~Roll them in little balls on parchment or wax paper.

~Dip the end of your sucker stick into your melted chocolate and push halfway into the ball.

~Chill until firm.

~Melt your A'peels Chocolates and prepare decorations.

~Dip Pops into chocolate and decorate as wanted!

~Stick into Foam square to set up!

~Wrap in Sucker Baggies! So Cute!

~Give it to someone your like!