Pecan Pie Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Butter Cake:

• 1 cup butter, softened $
• 1 1/2 cups sugar $
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose soft-wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk $
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Paperbaking cups
• Vegetable cooking spray $

Pecan Pie Frosting:

• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar $
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoon butter $
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toppings:

• 1 cup toasted pecans

Piecrust Leaves:

• 1/2 (14.1-oz) package refrigerated piecrusts

Instructions:

1.     To prepare Butter Cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
2.     Place paper baking cups in 2 (12-cup) muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.
3.     To prepare Pecan Pie Frosting, whisk together first 6 ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute or until thickened. Remove pan from heat; stir in butter and vanilla, whisking until butter melts. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on surface of mixture (to prevent a film from forming); chill about 3 hours or until thick. Makes 4 cups. Frost each cupcake.
4.     To prepare Piecrust Leaves, unroll piecrust on a flat surface. Using a 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out leaves. Bake according to package directions. Makes about 48 leaves.
5.     Top each cupcake with toasted pecans and 1 piecrust leaf.

Neapolitan Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix
• Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped chocolate frosting
• 1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
• 1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped strawberry mist frosting
• Assorted Betty Crocker® Decorating Decors candy sprinkles
• Additional miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place white paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2. Make cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and egg whites and adding almond extract and vanilla. Pour half of batter into small bowl; stir in cocoa and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Divide chocolate batter evenly among muffin cups. Carefully spoon white batter evenly over chocolate batter.
3. Bake as directed on box. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. Frost cupcakes with a layer of chocolate frosting, white frosting and strawberry frosting. Decorate with candy sprinkles and additional chocolate chips.

Princess Pie

crust:

• 2 Tbs sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans - optional

Mix and pat in an 8x8 inch pan, bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until just beginning to turn golden.  Do not over bake.

Layer two:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup whipped topping
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

Beat together sugar and cream cheese.  Fold in whipped topping.  Spread on cooled crust.

Layer three:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk (any milk will do, but whole milk makes pudding so much tastier)
• 1 small package coconut cream instant pudding

Mix until thickened.  Spread over cream cheese mixture.

Top with remaining tub of whipped topping.

Toast 1 cup coconut.  Sprinkle evenly on dessert.  Refrigerate.

Grandma & Katie's Frozen Dessert

Ingredients:

• 1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal
• Garnish: chocolate syrup
• 2 cups chocolate-flavored crispy rice cereal
• 1/2 to 1 cup Spanish peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Blend together peanut butter and corn syrup in a large bowl. Add cereals; stir until coated.

Press into the bottom of an ungreased 13"x9" baking pan. Spread ice cream over cereal mixture; sprinkle with peanuts. Swirl chocolate syrup over top; if desired.

Cover with aluminum foil; freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Cut into squares to serve.

American Goulash II

American Goulash II

For the sauce:

• 1 - 35 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/2 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• olive oil

1. In a sauce pot over medium heat add the olive oil - just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
2. Add in the onions and garlic and reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the onions soften.
3. Add some salt and black pepper to taste. Add in the tomato sauce and give a good stir.
4. Next, add in half of the can of tomato paste and stir until blended. Scoop out the rest of the paste and put in a small freezer bag and it freezes well to use at a later time.
5. Add in the rest of the dried spices and simmer for about an hour or longer if you have the time, stirring occasionally.

For the goulash:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 box of cellantani pasta (or any hearty pasta you like with ridges)
• onion powder to taste

1. Cook the pasta according to the box directions and set aside.
2. Let your deep skillet come up to heat over medium high heat. Add in the ground beef by breaking the meat apart with your hands.
3. Sear the meat and turn as necessary to brown. Season the beef with salt and black pepper to taste and use a little onion powder as well.
4. When the beef is browned if there is too much fat drain some of it out. Add in the sauce, stir and add in the pasta and stir. Warm over a low heat for a few minutes before serving.

Chocolate Lasagna Cupcakes  

INGREDIENTS
 1 package regular Oreo Cookies, about 36 cookies. *You will use the WHOLE cookie, cream and all! 6 tablespoons butter, melted 1-8 ounce package cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1- 12 ounce tub Cool Whip, divided (*See note about Cool Whip above) 1- 3.9 ounce package Chocolate Instant Pudding made according to package directions (You will need 2 cups of milk) 1 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
 Crush 36 Oreo’s, cream and all. Use a food processor for the best result. You can also place them in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. When the Oreos have turned into fine crumbs, you are done. Prepare cupcake tins with paper liners. You will make 24 cupcakes with this recipe. Prepare the pudding according to package directions and set aside. Transfer the Oreo crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons of melted butter and use a fork to incorporate the butter into the cookie crumbs.  Place a heaping tablespoon of Oreo mixture in each cupcake liner. I used a 1 tablespoon cookie dough scoop (found on Amazon) to simplify this process. Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of each cup. Next comes the cream cheese layer. Mix an 8 ounce package of cream cheese with a mixer until it is light and fluffy. Add in 2 tablespoons of milk, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and mix well. Stir in 1 heaping cup full of Cool Whip *see note above if you don’t know what Cool Whip is, or it’s not available where you live. Place a heaping tablespoon of mixture on top of the Oreo layer. Use a spoon to spread the mixture evenly. *Optional – skip the cream cheese layer and use ice cream instead! If you choose to use ice cream, allow it to soften a bit before scooping a heaping tablespoon in place of the cream cheese mixture. Pudding Layer – scoop 1 tablespoon of pudding on top of the cream cheese/or ice cream layer. You will have just enough pudding if you use 1 tablespoon for each cupcake. Use a spoon to spread the pudding evenly. Place 1 tablespoon Cool Whip on top of each cupcake and use a spoon to spread it out. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top. Place traditional cupcakes in the freezer for at least an hour before serving. If you are making them with ice cream in place of the cream cheese layer, allow them to firm up in the freezer for 3-4 hours. 

Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting



Ingredients:

1/2 C quick cooking oatmeal
3/4 C boiling water
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
2/3 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/4 C of shortening

Directions:

Mix the oatmeal with the boiling water, stir and cover. Mix the remaining ingredients then stir in the oatmeal mixture. Grease and flour a 9×9 pan. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 for 23-25 minutes.

Coconut Pecan Frosting:

3 TBS melted butter
1/3 C brown sugar
1/2 C sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 C chopped nuts
2 TBS milk
1/2 tsp vanilla


Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Carefully spread frosting over the top of the cake. Broil until coconut is just brown. Watch very closely – it doesn’t take long. Cool, slice and serve.