Salsa

Step one
Skin 8 quarts tomatoes
2 cups of chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 cup canning salt

Mix above with hands---Don't handle too much-leave tomatoes whole. Let marinate over night. Drain juices.

Step Two
chop 2 to 4 jalepeno peppers.... 1 1/2 cups or to your taste. Leave seeds in to make it hot!
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
2 Tbl. mustard seed 1 teas. corn starch
Mix in blender.

Step 3
Mix step one and two and bring to a boil. Break tomatoes up as cooling. Fill jars, place lids on and process in water bath for 1/2 hour.
Makes about 36 pints.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup corn starch

¼ teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups cold water

½ cup fresh lemon juice

5 egg yolks

2 Tablespoons butter

Mix sugar, corn starch, salt and water in 2 quart kettle.  Add egg yolks and mix well with a whisk.

Bring to boil, stirring often with the whisk, until the mixture is bubbling and thickened.

Add the lemon juice and butter and whisk until blended.

Pour into a 10-inch baked crust.

Top with meringue and bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees or until meringue is nicely browned.

THE BEST MERINGUE

5 egg whites

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ cup sugar

1 Tablespoon corn starch

1/3 cup water

½ teaspoon white vanilla

Beat egg whites on high speed of mixer until foamy.

Add the cream of tartar and beat 30 seconds on high speed.  Add sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a
time, with mixer on low-medium.  Beat until mixture is glossy and stands in peaks. 
Sugar should be dissolved.

Mix the corn starch with the water and vanilla.  With the mixer running on low-medium, add
this to the meringue, one Tablespoon at a time. Beat well and put on the pie. Make sure the meringue touches the crust all the way around.

Monster cookie dough dip

Monster Cookie Dough Dip

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Oats (regular or quick)
1 Cup  Miniature Plain M&Ms
1 Cup Miniature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla and peanut butter until smooth.  Stir in brown sugar and powdered sugar, mixing well. Next fold in oats, m&ms and chocolate chips.

Serve with pretzels, graham cracker sticks, or vanilla wafers. Mmmmmmm

Rhubarb Torte

Rhubarb Torte (recipe can be cut in half and use an 8 x 8 pan.

1 cup butter melted

2 cups flour

2 TB sugar

Mix crust and pat in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350º.

FILLING

6 egg yolks slightly beaten

2 cups sugar

4 T flour

1 cup half and half

5 to 6 cups of cut up rhubarb

Mix well and pour over baked crust.. Bake for 45 minutes at 350º

MERINGUE TOPPING

Beat 6  room temperature egg whites and 1/2 teas. cream of tarter until soft peaks. Gradually add 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 TB at a time and 2 tea. vanilla until stiff peaks. Spread on hot base. Bake for 15 minutes at 375º or until browned.

**I hope you are better at making meringue then I am. :)

Banana bars with Brown Sugar Frosting

Blue Ribbon Banana bars brown sugar frosting.

1/2 cup  butter, softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup nonfat plain  yogurt or sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 egg

2 ripe, mashed bananas

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Instructions for the bars:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan. Or a 9 x 13.

In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar.

Add yogurt/sour cream, egg and vanilla and mix until well blended.

Add mashed banana and mix.

Add dry ingredients and mix to incorporate.

Pour batter into baking dish and spread with a spatula to smooth.

Bake for 25 minutes in the jelly roll pan or 40 to 45 minutes in  a 9 x 13 inch cake pan,  until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup (4 Tbsp)  butter

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup walnuts (optional)

Instructions For the frosting:

In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and milk and heat over medium heat to bring to a boil stirring constantly.

Boil for 30 seconds, then remove from heat and quickly stir in vanilla and powdered sugar until combined.

Immediately pour frosting over bars and sprinkle walnuts over the top (optional).

Allow frosting to cool before cutting and serving.

***This recipe can be cut in half and baked in an 8 x 8 pan.

Honey bunches cookies

The Honey Bunches of Oats box of cereal was just too big for just me. So I decided to make some oatmeal cookies and add some of the HBO to the mix. This is the perfect combination of chewy and crunchy.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1.5 cups flour

pinch salt

1 cup all-purpose oats

1 cup Honey Bunches of Oats cereal.

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until mixed through. Add the flour in small amounts until all of it is mixed in. Turn off the mixer and add the oats and cereal by hand and stir with a spatula.

Drop dough by the spoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer to a wire rack.

Mamma's Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/4  cups Sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2   teaspoons baking soda

1/2   teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

1 cup Raisins

1 large Apple (peeled and grated)

1 cup crushed pineapple (drained, about 8 oz)

2 cups grated  Carrots

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

3 large eggs

1 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350º. Sift or whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add the coconut, raisins, apple, pineapple, carrots and nuts, and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and blend well.

Spoon the batter into muffin tins lined with muffin cups, filling each to the brim. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.