Strawberry Brownies

Although the flavor is not overtly strawberry, these brownies are moist and delicious.

1/2 c. flour

3/8 c. (6 T.) cocoa powder

1/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. butter

3/4 c. sugar

2 large eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

3/8 c. strawberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 8"-square pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. In a 1 1/2 qt. saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in sugar with a wire whisk. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in preserves and vanilla, whisking until thoroughly combined. With a flat spoon, stir in flour mixture just until blended.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge comes out almost clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack; cut into bars.

Simple Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whew! The name takes longer to type than the cookies take to eat! =)

1 c. peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

1 large egg

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 pinch baking powder

1 c. miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325° F. Mix all ingredients until blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen

Note: these cookies crumble easily.

Edited:

A few notes after baking these for the second time:

*I had to bake the cookies for about 16-18 minutes instead of 8-10. They were small, but I had made balls of dough. Perhaps they should be flattened before baking.

*A splash of vanilla increases the yumminess value of these cookies.

*Do not substitute honey for sugar. I tried this to see if the cookies held together better than usual. The result was far too soft, and I had to add flour--which defeats the purpose of flourless cookies. On the other hand, part honey and part sugar might be perfect.

P.S. It was not an accident that left the flour out of the ingredients list. These cookies are basically peanut butter and sugar, held together by egg! Delicious!

Mouthwatering Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had these for the first time this semester, courtesy of one of my professors. They are now my favorite cookie! It's been a long time since I've posted (fortunately H has been keeping up quite well), and I thought this would be an excellent way to get back to the blog.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening (softened)
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp (at least) grated orange rind
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips (or 1 cup choc. chips, 3/4 cup English walnuts)

Directions: Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and grated orange rind; beat until smooth. Mix soda into sour cream and add. Add flour w/baking powder and salt. Stir until mixed. Fold in chocolate chips and drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes until bottom edge begins to brown.

Glaze:
1 1/2 tsp. (at least) grated orange rind
1/3 cup orange juice
1 cup granulated sugar
Mix all ingredients to a thin paste.

Remove cookies from baking sheet while still hot and immediately drizzle glaze over top so it drips down and all over the cookies (cookies must be hot for this!).

Note: More orange is better. 2-3 large oranges should produce enough zest and possibly enough juice as well if you don't have orange juice around.

Enjoy!
K

Chocolate Chip Coconut Bars

Athough I have not made them in a long time, these used to be my favorite bar cookies--even more than brownies! They are very soft, and they are way better without nuts.

1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 T. water
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 c. coconut
6 oz. chocolate chips

Melt butter in a saucepan and remove from heat. Add sugars and blend. Add water, egg, and vanilla. Beat well. Stir in flour and baking powder. When well-blended, add remaining ingredients. Stir lightly to combine. Pour into greased 9" pan and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Cool into pan and cut into bars. Or, eat warm--they're really yummy that way. =)

Grape Salad

2 lb. grapes
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1 c. white sugar
1 t. vanilla
brown sugar
pecans

Beat cream cheese and sour cream; blend in white sugar and vanilla. Fold in grapes. Place in a serving bowl. Sprinkle brown sugar and pecans on top.

Serve chilled.

This recipe was given me by my boss.

Easy Lasagna

8 oz. lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 lb. ground beef
4 c. spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. water
1 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. sugar
2 c. small curd cottage cheese
3 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef and drain excess fat. Add spaghetti sauce, water, seasoning, and sugar. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. In a 9x13" casserole dish, layer 1/3 of the sauce, 1/2 of the uncooked lasagna noodles, 1 c. cottage cheese, and 1/3 of the Mozzarella. Repeat layers, ending with sauce and remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes. Remove foil and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with hot garlic bread. This is also good served with a salad.

Delicious Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Thanks to my cousin, M, and her mother, Aunt S, for this recipe.

1 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. oil
1 t. vanilla
2 beaten eggs
1 c. buttermilk*
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
4 T. sugar
2 t. cinnamon

*If you have no buttermilk, place 1 T. vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup. Add sweet milk to the 1 c. line. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the milk to sour.

Preheat oven to 325°. Mix 1 1/4 c. sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk. Sift and add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix 4 T. sugar and 2 t. cinnamon. Set aside. Spread half of batter in a greased and floured 9"x13" pan. Sprinkle half of cinnamon mixture over batter. Spread with remaining batter and then the rest of the cinnamon mixture. Bake for 20-30 minutes. (Do not overbake.)
When cake is done, if desired, use a fork to poke holes at intervals. Pour icing over the top.

Icing:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
hot water

Add hot water to make a thin icing. Pour over the cake while hot.

Note: icing makes this coffee cake very sweet. With icing it would make a better dessert than breakfast!