Delicious Cookie

Delicious Cookies

 Preheat oven to 350º

1 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

 2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup coconut or bits o brickle or half and half ***

2 cups dry cereal (wheaties, corn flakes or rice krispies) I prefer the texture of the rice krispies.

Mix shortening and sugar, then add eggs one egg at a time. Add sifted dry ingredients  then, cereal, nuts and coconut. Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet and pat down to flatten.

Bake at 35oº for 15 minutes. Less time if using a convection oven.

***There are times that I don't have either coconut or Bits o Brickle so I just add an extra teaspoon of vanilla to give the cookies a boost in flavor.

Easy rice pudding.

Too much cooked rice to throw away? Not to worry, let's make rice pudding.

Measure out the leftover rice into a kettle. Add the same amount of milk, add raisins if you like, some cinnamon and sugar to taste. You can always add later, but you can't take it away. Add a pinch or so of salt to bring out the sweetness. Stir altogether.

Heat on med. high until boiling, stirring occasionally, then lower to med and simmer until it is thick, and most of the milk has been soaked into the rice, about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn't stick or burn to the bottom of the pan. Now see if you want to add more sugar or cinnamon. Remember you can't take it out if you put too much in it. 😉 I like it sweet so I add about 4 tablespoons or so of sugar and about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon all total.

That's all there is to it. No more standing over the stove or watching the pot for hours.

Cool or eat warm and enjoy.
It's great for breakfast warm or room temperature. That's the way I like it. 😋

Decorating frosting for cakes

1 cup softened butter
3  cups powdered sugar
2 T heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla

Whip butter, add cream, and flavoring. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix until creamy and no lumps. That's all there is to it. It works great in all types of piping units and it does freeze well too.

To make chocolate frosting, mix 3/4 cup cocoa powder to powdered sugar.

Apple fritter cake

For Filling:

2 cups diced apples

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons water

 Layering

1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For Cake:

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup applesauce (I use my homemade chunky)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup sour cream (you could use plain yogurt)

 For Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 tablespoons milk

For filling: 

Make your filling by combining apples, sugar, water, cinnamon and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened and the apples are a bit soft. Set aside to cool. 

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together until well combined and set aside.

For Cake: 

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add applesauce and vanilla and mix till combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.

Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients to the batter in three parts alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until just combined.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon the cooled apple mixture over the batter carefully and spread as evenly as possible. Sprinkle 2/3 of brown sugar cinnamon mixture over apples and cover with the rest of the batter. Sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar cinnamon mixture over the top.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

For Glaze: While the cake is baking, make the glaze. In a bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until the glaze is desired consistency. When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately but carefully pour onto hot cake. Try to pour as evenly as possible. You might have to pick up the cake and tilt it to spread the glaze evenly, I use an inverted/offset spatula.Let the cake sit for the glaze to set. Serve and enjoy. Store well covered, if there is any left. 

Texas Roadhouse butter

Never have I had such a delicious spread for a dinner roll. The unique flavor takes butter to the highest level. It's a spread, not something you would want to slather on your potatoes, but wonderful on bread or dinner rolls. It makes a large batch so for just the two of us I only make half the recipe. It keeps a long time in the fridge and can be frozen as well. Soften on the counter to room temperature, do NOT thaw in microwave or you will have soup, not a spread.

Texas Roadhouse butter

2 sticks of softened butter 

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup honey

2 tsp cinnamon

Mix together to the desired consistency. Serve.

Crockpot hash brown casserole

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion chopped
3 to 4 cups O Brian hash browns
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
3/4 can of milk
2 cups cheddar cheese

Brown beef and onion, place in bottom of greased crock pot. Top the beef with the hash browns.
Mix soup, milk and cheese and pour over the hash browns. Place cover on crock pot.

Cook for 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 on high.