Coconut Washboard Cookies

I found this unique cookie recipe in one of my mother-in-law's old cookbooks. This particular cookbook definitely had some unusual recipes like boiled egg yolk cookies, cheese freeze cake, veal stroganoff in a bottle and breadcrumb cake.   I looked and looked, but couldn't find when it was published.  Towards the back of the cookbook there were some advertisements - one for Perx frozen pancake batter (along with a coupon that expired March 31, 1970) and for Manners Restaurant (with a picture of a rotary phone).  I'm guessing it's from 1969 or 1970.  I decided to "test" out the washboard cookie recipe because I had all of the ingredients and it sounded just a bit too interesting not to make!!!  The cookies are made to resemble a washboard:

Three words describe these cookies perfectly - super duper delicious!!  They would be awesome with a cup of hot cocoa, tea (hot or iced) or coffee.  A little "washboard" trivia - what is the only manufacturer still producing washboards in the United States?  Hint - take a real close look at the picture of the washboard :) According to their website, the Columbus Washboard Company has been making washboards since 1895!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup margarine, softened
2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut, shredded


Topping:

1 tablespoon white sugar

In large bowl, put shortening, margarine, light brown sugar and the eggs.  Mix well by hand or with electric mixer.  Stir in the water, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a large spoon.  Add the flour one cup at a time, mixing well after each cup. Gently stir in the coconut with a large spoon and combine well. Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into a log that is 13 inches long and 3 1/2 inches across. Wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Slice each log in half and cut each half into 12 equal slices.  Place 12 slices on an ungreased cookie sheet and then with your fingertips press each slice into 1 inch across and 4 inches long, so it is in a rectangular shape, like a washboard.  With the tines of a fork, first dip lightly in the white sugar and then go across each cookie in rows, left to right until the entire cookie has fork marks.  You want to go about halfway into each slice with the tines of the fork, so the marks remain after baking.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cookies are starting to turn brown. Remove immediately to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Makes 4 dozen.

Salty and Sweet Potato Chip Cookies

Are you hosting a lot of parties this holiday season?  Did you serve potato chips and had just a few scraps left in the bottom of the bag?  Here is a great way to use them up. Yep, these cookies have crushed potato chips in them.  I know it sounds unusual, but they are really, really good!  Since I'm on a low-salt diet because of various heart "issues," I have switched my family over to the Lay's Lightly Salted  plain potato chips (they have 50% less sodium). They are actually Lauren's favorite kind now!!  Those are the chips I used in these cookies.  Feel free to use whatever brand you have on hand, though you probably wouldn't want to use something like sour cream and onion or barbeque flavored!  It's probably better to stick with plain potato chips :)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup white flour
2/3 cup plain potato chips, finely crushed
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping:

White or colored sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, put the butter, white sugar, light brown sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  With electric mixer or large spoon, mix until smooth. Add the white flour and mix until well combined. Next add the potato chips and chocolate chips and combine thoroughly by hand with large spoon with the other ingredients. Roll into 24 balls with the palms of your hands a little smaller than a ping pong ball. Put 12 balls each on two ungreased cookie sheets.  Press with the bottom of a drinking glass or with your fingertips slightly. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies lightly with white or colored sugar.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the edges are starting to turn lightly golden.  Remove from oven and let them sit for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets.  Remove to wire rack to finish cooling.  Makes two dozen.

Milk Chocolate Fudge

Previous attempts at making homemade fudge have ended up looking and tasting like fudge "soup."  Yep, I am not kidding, that was about the consistency. Instead of using your fingers to eat it, you needed a bowl and a spoon instead!! As one not to give up, I decided to try again yesterday.  I am happy to report that this attempt was an overwhelming success!  Since my main goal here in Cathy's Kitchen is to make sure my regular "customers" are happy, I decided to try and please them all by putting their favorite toppings on the fudge. The hubby likes pecans, Lauren likes mini M&M's and Dominic likes sprinkles!

Ingredients:

3 cups milk chocolate chips, any brand
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, any brand

Cover the bottom of a 8 x 8 inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray foil with non-stick spray.  Set aside.  In medium saucepan on the stove, melt the chocolate chips and condensed milk slowly together on low to medium heat with large spoon, stirring constantly.  When smooth (and all the chips are melted), pour immediately into prepared pan and spread evenly.  Put in fridge for a minimum of two hours. Cut into squares.  Fudge will stay fresh covered in an airtight container at room temperature for one to two weeks or in the fridge for two to three weeks.  Fudge can also be frozen!! 

Pumpkin Smoothie

Are you all "pumpkined" (not sure if that's a word) out yet from all the pumpkin pies from Thanksgiving?? Do you have just a bit of pumpkin leftover or did you buy an extra can and didn't end up using it?  I have made pumpkin muffins, pancakes and scones, but making smoothies (of any kind) is something that is very new to me.  I guess you could call me a smoothie "rookie."  We are using a blender that the hubby has had longer than he's known me and it's still going strong (just like us)!! If you don't own a blender yet and your kids, significant other or husband are looking for a good holiday gift for you, a quick search on Amazon.com yielded a pretty nice one  for only about $25.00.  I whipped a few of these smoothies up yesterday in Cathy's Kitchen and one of my regular "customers" ranked them a 10 out of 10!  Love when that happens :)

Ingredients

2 cups ice cubes
1 cup milk
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put all ingredients in a blender in the order given and blend until smooth. Feel free to change up the proportions of the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  I personally find ginger and nutmeg to be pretty strong spices, so that's why I only used 1/4 teaspoon of each!  Makes three cups.

No-Bake Sweet Potato Cheesecake

 
This is the time of year when many grocery stores will put sweet potatoes on sale. The best way to cook them is in the oven, but you can also make them in the microwave. Earlier in the week, I had made two HUGE sweet potatoes for dinner and there was a half of one left.  I was racking my brain trying to think of a creative way to use it up.  Muffins? Pancakes? Waffles? Biscuits?  All good ideas, but how about using it in a cheesecake??  I took a little bit of help from the Keebler Elves and used their graham cracker crust.  Remember my whoopie pie recipe from earlier in November that used marshmallow creme? Well, I used a cup of it in this cheesecake!!  Now, I have just a dollop of the creme left in the jar.  I heard the other day about a "fluffernutter" sandwich.  It's peanut butter and marshmallow creme on white bread.  Since I have never had one of those in my life, I'm thinking that's for lunch tomorrow!!!!

Ingredients:

6-ounce graham cracker crust
1/2 cup cooked sweet potato
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 cup marshmallow creme

In large bowl, put the sweet potato, cream cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice and the marshmallow creme.  Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.  Spread evenly into the graham cracker crust, cover and put in fridge for a minimum of three hours. If you want to make this cheesecake extra special for the holidays, try putting some Reddi-Wip topping on it right before you serve a slice to your family and/or friends.  I promise you, they will be super impressed!!

No-Bake Trail Mix Bars

If you took a look in my purse right now, you would probably find a prepackaged granola or trail mix bar. I ALWAYS carry at least one in there for times when I'm out and about and need just a little snack, but don't want to go all the way back home to eat something or be enticed by fast food!!  I was pretty confident that I could make my own homemade version of a trail mix bar that didn't require baking or running out to the grocery store for additional ingredients.  I am happy to report that mission was accomplished! I woke up early this morning before the rest of my family.  Since Lauren was at a sleepover and Dominic and the hubby were "sleeping in," it was very quiet here in this household.  I enjoyed a few of these bars by myself with a steaming, hot cup of coffee. When the hubby finally woke up and was eating some waffles and a grapefruit, I slipped him one of these bars.  After he had a bite, he told me he thought they were a "dessert" bar!! Well, I guess they would be good later on with a small scoop of ice cream :)

Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 cups quick oats
2 cups crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (I used Craisins)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cover a jelly roll pan (11 x 17 inches) with aluminum foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.  You can also make these bars in a 9 x 13 inch pan (they will just be thicker). Set aside.  In large bowl, put the oats, rice cereal, cranberries, semi-sweet morsels and pecans. Set aside.  In large saucepan, put the brown sugar, butter, honey and the peanut butter.  Bring to boil slowly, then turn down to medium heat and stir constantly for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour over the ingredients in the large bowl.  Mix well with a large spoon and then press evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate for a minimum of two hours.  Cut in bars.  If you make them the size I did, you will have 28 bars.  Feel free to make them larger or smaller! Store covered at room temperature or in the fridge.

Spicy Vegetarian Chili

I have been using carrots in so many recipes lately, that it was only a matter of time before I made them the star ingredient in this vegetarian chili!!! Since there was a college football game on late yesterday afternoon that both the hubby and I wanted to watch, I dug out my trusty slow cooker and tossed all the ingredients in at noon.

By about halftime, the entire house smelled yummy and the chili was ready to eat! There are many different brands and varieties of canned tomatoes available at the grocery store.  I personally can't taste a difference between the "house" brand and the name brand and since my favorite store (Kroger) had a good sale on canned tomatoes, I stocked up on a bunch of different kinds!! I used the mexican style stewed tomatoes because I wanted to make it a little spicy.  It gave the chili a little bit of a "kick," but not so much that you needed to drink a gallon of water after you ate a spoonful :)  When I make chili (whether it's with meat or with veggies), I usually make up some elbow macaroni to use as a "base" at the bottom of the bowl and then put the chili on top.  This time I whipped up some white rice instead.  Try it sometime - it's pretty tasty together.  If you have a larger slow cooker, this recipe could easily be doubled or even tripled!

Ingredients:

2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 cup corn
1 1/2 cups water
15.25 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
14.5 ounce can mexican style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1.25 ounce package chili seasoning mix

In a 2 1/2 quart slow cooker/crock pot, put all ingredients in the order given.  Stir with spoon and cover.  Set to the high temperature and cook for five hours.  Makes four servings. Top with shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

Whoopie Pies

 

Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire and the City of Boston all claim the origin of the whoopie pie. There is actually quite a rivalry going on between Pennsylvania and Maine :)  Before I did a bit of research, I didn't even know exactly what that kind of "pie" was!  It is basically a chocolate cookie with cream in the middle. The "cream" in the middle of my version is marshmallow creme.   Did you know the largest whoopie pie ever made was back in 2011 and weighed over 1,000 pounds?!?!?! Yikes, I wonder how long that would take to eat?!?!?! Like a year????

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup honey

Topping:

1 tablespoon white sugar

Filling:

7-ounce jar Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme

Put all ingredients in a large bowl (except the topping and the filling) and mix with large spoon by hand until well combined and becomes a soft dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge at least two hours.  When ready to make, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a separate small bowl, put the one tablespoon of white sugar and set aside. Take the batter and roll into 36 equal sized balls with the palms of your hands. Put a dozen at a time on an ungreased cookie sheet.  With the bottom of a small cup/glass, first dip in the one tablespoon of white sugar and then press down gently on each cookie.  Bake for 13 minutes and then remove from oven.  Let cool five minutes and then remove to wire rack. When completely cool, take two cookies and put a tablespoon of marshmallow creme in between and press gently.  If you have any of the creme left over, the Kraft customer service guy I talked to said the jar can be stored in a cool, dry place (like a pantry) for three months. All I can say is, "whoopie!"

Candy Marshmallow Treats

Okay, I have found my new favorite food product, Wilton candy melts!!!!!!!!!! Whoever came up with the idea is a genius.  There is no candy thermometer required to make these candy marshmallow treats, which is good because I don't own one.  All you do is melt the candy pieces on the stove or in the microwave (which is what I did) and it's ready to go.  I came up with the idea of dipping marshmallows in the candy melts as I was walking around the grocery store yesterday and actually had a package of lollipop sticks in my cart.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, I had a bunch of craft sticks at home (from when I made my sugar cookies on a stick)!!  I decided to use them instead. If you get invited to a last minute Halloween party (or you forgot you have to bring a dessert to your child's classroom party), these were done from start to finish in about a 1/2 hour. The "dirt" in the bottom of the mug is actually crushed Oreo cookies. Pretty neat, huh??

Wilton candy melts are readily available, I found mine at my local Target.  They are pretty inexpensive - $2.99 for a 12 ounce package (which is approximately 2 cups).  To make a dozen of these treats, you only need 1 cup.  I called Wilton this afternoon and asked them how long the melts keep once they are opened. The customer service gal told me indefinitely! Cool, I think I'll hold on to these remaining orange melts until next October :)

Ingredients:

1 cup Wilton candy melts
12 marshmallows
12 wooden craft sticks

Melt the candy melts either on the stove or in the microwave according to the package instructions.  Push a craft stick into the middle of the marshmallow about 3/4 of the way.  Using a small spoon, cover the entire marshmallow.  Place on wax paper to harden up.  I couldn't believe how quickly the candy got hard - by the time I was done covering the 12th treat, the first treat I had done was ready to eat!!!  See, I told you they were quick to make!  Store in covered container at room temperature.

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins

I have been making tons of my pumpkin muffins since the beginning of October.  It seems like I can barely keep up with the demand!! They are very popular and everyone loves them here, but lately I've been thinking about taking my pumpkin muffin recipe and "tweaking" it a little by adding cream cheese and switching out some of the white flour with wheat flour.  This past weekend was very busy and Tuesday afternoon was the first chance I had to whip these up.  I decided to be my own taste tester!  These are a little more labor intensive than my "regular" pumpkin muffins, but boy, are they worth it.  I "sampled" two of them shortly after they came out of the oven yesterday and then had one for breakfast this morning!

I sent close to a dozen in with my husband when he went to work today.  He gets to work at 8 a.m. and he sent me an e-mail a little before 9 a.m., telling me they were almost gone!  Cool, glad his co-workers liked my muffins :)

Ingredients

Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Batter:

2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
4 large eggs
15 ounce can packed pumpkin

Topping:

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon white flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place paper liners into two 12-cup muffin tins.  Set aside.  In small bowl, put the filling ingredients.  Beat by hand or with electric mixer until smooth.  Set aside.  In large bowl, put all the ingredients for the batter in the order given and beat by hand or with electric mixer until smooth.  In small bowl, put the first three ingredients for the topping and mix well with small spoon, then "cut" in margarine with two knives until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Set aside.  Fill the 24 paper liners one-third of the way full with the batter.  In the middle of each muffin put 1 1/2 teaspoons of the filling.  Cover each muffin with another one-third of the remaining batter.  Sprinkle the topping evenly between the muffins.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes before transferring to wire rack to continue cooling. Makes 24 muffins.

Sugar Cookies on a Stick

There are many specialty stores out there that sell "gourmet" cookies on a stick, but they aren't cheap!  How about if you make them yourself at a fraction of the price??  The hubby and kids were all around this past Saturday afternoon, so I had three taste testers available.  Lauren gobbled hers down and proclaimed them to be the best cookies I ever made.  Dominic was kind of unsure about why there was a craft stick coming out of the bottom of the cookie, so he pulled it out.  The hubby who is never one to mince words said, "what the heck is the deal with the stick?" He's a real laugh riot, isn't he?!?!?! These cookies are easy and quick to make and you can leave the cookies as they are, put sprinkles on before you bake them or put sprinkles on after you have frosted them! I used vanilla frosting, but feel free to use your family's favorite frosting.   I bought the craft sticks a few years back at Wal-Mart, at the time they were $2.47 for 150.

Ingredients:

3 cups white flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup margarine, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2  teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:

1/4 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, put all the ingredients (except the 1/4 cup white sugar for the topping)  in the order given and with an electric mixer or with a large spoon beat until batter is smooth.  Roll batter into balls approximately the size of a golf ball.  Put six balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.  In small bowl, put the 1/4 cup white sugar.  With the bottom of a drinking glass, put first in the sugar and then press down on the ball to about 2-3" in diameter.  Take craft stick and push it into the bottom middle of each cookie about 1/2 the way up.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes.  Let cool for five minutes and then remove carefully to wire rack to continue cooling.  This recipe makes about 20 if you make them the size of a golf ball.

Broccoli-Cheese and Chicken Soup

If you have been following this blog for any length of time, you know that I have a tough time passing up a good deal.  Well, my favorite grocery store had fresh broccoli and shredded cheddar cheese on sale this week, so of course I had to buy both!!! Along with our meal Tuesday night, we had broccoli and there was exactly two cups left over. This afternoon, I thought about that broccoli and cheese and decided to make it into soup!  Many broccoli and cheese soup recipes out there require you to make your own cream sauce.  To me, that's a little too much work and a lot too rich and heavy (especially for lunch).  My soup was ready in about 20 minutes and I was able to use ingredients I had on hand in my pantry.  It was so tasty, I had two bowls for lunch on Wednesday. Hmm, do you think I'll be having this for lunch the rest of the week?? You bet!  I added canned chicken to this soup (because I happened to have some in my pantry), but if you wanted to go vegetarian, you could certainly skip it.

Ingredients:


2 cups broccoli
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons margarine
1 cup onion, chopped
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
12.5 ounce can white premium chunk chicken breast, drained

In blender, put the broccoli and milk. Puree until broccoli is in very small pieces.  Set aside.  In large stockpot, melt margarine slowly, then add the onion and saute until the onion becomes soft. Remove from heat and add the broccoli and milk mixture to the stockpot.  Next, add the water, pepper, salt and cheddar cheese. Stir with large spoon until well combined.  In small bowl, shred the chicken breast with a fork and then add to the soup.  Bring just to a boil and then cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes eight one-cup servings. 

Carrot Cupcakes

I know this is the second post in a row using carrots, but since my favorite grocery store had an amazing deal on them recently ($1.50 for three pounds), I knew I had to come up with some new recipes.  I forwarded a picture of the cupcakes to Dominic's teacher and told him I could make them for the classroom Halloween party.  His teacher's response back was, "the cupcakes look awesome and I love cream cheese frosting!" As a special surprise, I went over to the school at lunchtime on Friday and brought the classroom a dozen so they could "sample" them ahead of time.  These cupcakes can stand alone with no frosting, but they are super delicious with the cream cheese frosting!  A lot of cream cheese frosting recipes also have butter in them, this doesn't. It's plenty sweet just with the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar.  Enjoy!


Carrot Cupcakes:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup white flour
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and finely shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put paper liners into a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.  In large bowl, put all ingredients in the order given.  Mix with large spoon by hand until well combined and distribute evenly between the paper liners. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes. Remove to wire rack to continue cooling. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In small bowl, put all ingredients in the order given.  Using an electric mixer, whip frosting until smooth. This is enough frosting to cover 24 cupcakes.

Carrot and Lentil Soup

While at my dentist's office this morning waiting to get some oral surgery done, I got into a conversation with the hygienist about salt.  Since she was reviewing my medical records, she was asking me about my cardiomyopathy.  I told her my cardiologist put me on a low-salt diet back when I was diagnosed with the heart condition and that before that I would enjoy canned soups (especially clam chowder).  Those days are definitely behind me!  I told her that I make my own soups these days, so I can control the ingredients (particularly salt).  Lentils are my new favorite thing to experiment with.  This past Friday, since we were getting ready to go out of town for the weekend, I didn't have tons of time to figure out dinner.  This soup was ready in less than an hour, so that left me plenty of time to pack! I used Ro-Tel Original diced tomatoes with green chilies because they pack kind of a bit of a kick, but it isn't overpowering.  I usually use the "house" brand of diced tomatoes from my favorite grocery store because they are less expensive and they have a good variety of different flavors.  Once in a great while, I will buy a name brand (only when it's on sale and I have a good coupon) which is why I had some Ro-Tel in my pantry :)  I had the rest of the soup that was left from Friday for lunch today.  Since my mouth was still kind of sore, it really hit the spot!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons margarine
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups dry lentils
8 cups water
10 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper


In large stockpot, melt margarine slowly.  Add the chopped onion and saute with large spoon until the onion is just beginning to get soft.  Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients in the order given and then stir with a large spoon.  Return to the heat and bring to a boil.  Once the soup comes to a boil, cover and turn to a medium simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves six.

Chocolate Brownies

A few years ago, I asked the hubby to buy me a cookbook (it was either for my birthday or Christmas)  called, "The Sneaky Chef - Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals."  It has a bunch of recipes that helps you "sneak" veggies and fruits into your children's favorite foods.  The cookbook only has one recipe for homemade brownies, but it uses a "purple" puree of spinach/collard greens along with blueberries.  I decided instead to come up with my own brownie recipe using yellow squash since I had one in my fridge (I usually don't keep spinach or collard greens on hand).  I let the hubby be my taste tester yesterday.  He and I shared a piece around lunchtime and his comment was "it doesn't taste like it has squash in it."  Cool, that's the exact reaction I was going for since there is actually an entire CUP in these brownies!!

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup yellow squash, peeled and finely shredded
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.  In large bowl, put all ingredients in the order given above.  With large spoon mix until well combined.  Pour into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let pan cool on wire rack. You can eat this plain, sprinkled with powdered sugar or enjoy with ice cream.  Of course, a frosted brownie with "sprinkles" is always a big hit in this house!

Watermelon and Strawberry Chiller

If you are looking for a great way to use up leftover watermelon, then this chiller is for you! There are only three ingredients in this yummy drink.  Watermelon, frozen strawberries and lemon juice.  Yep, that's it!  While there are numerous chiller recipes out there, many of them contain sugar.  Why would you want to add sugar? Watermelon and strawberries are pretty sweet all on their own!!  For something a little different, I filled up an ice cube tray with some of the chiller mixture, tossed it into the freezer overnight and then put a few cubes into my glass of unsweetened tea instead of regular ice cubes. As the ice cubes melted, they lent a pretty neat taste to my tea!

I am definitely going to have one of these drinks today, the mercury around these parts is supposed to climb to over 90 degrees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Phew, that's HOT!!
  

Ingredients:

6 cups seedless watermelon, cubed
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup lemon juice

In large bowl, put the watermelon, strawberries and lemon juice.  With large spoon, mix well.   Put two cups of the mixture at a time into a blender and "puree" until you get a smooth texture.  It took my blender about 10-15 seconds to get the right consistency. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to serve.  Makes 5 one-cup servings.

Peanut Butter/Honey Crispy Rice Treats

   
Where I live, lately it has felt like fall when you wake up and by late afternoon it feels like summer! I guess the weather can't make up it's mind.  I kind of felt that way about making these rice treats.  I kept going back and forth about whether I should make the "classic" ones with marshmallows or bump it up a notch and also add peanut butter and honey.  I'm glad I decided to try something different because these are delicious! I may never go back to making the classic ones again.    

Ingredients:

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup honey
5 cups crispy rice cereal
1/4 cup margarine
10.5 ounce package mini marshmallows

In large pan, combine peanut butter and honey together with large spoon.  Turn on medium heat and stir occasionally for about 2-3 minutes until smooth.  Remove from heat and add the crispy rice cereal. Combine well and pour into large bowl. Set aside.  Reusing the same large pan, melt the margarine on medium heat and then add the marshmallows and simmer on low heat until all the marshmallows are melted.  Remove from heat and add to the mixture in the large bowl.  Mix well and then press into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Put in fridge for a minimum of one hour to firm up. Cut into 18 squares.  Cover with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature.

Chocolate Dipped No-Bake Desserts

My chocolate dipped "firecracker" pretzels were originally posted on the website below (where I am a parenting contributor) shortly before July 4th:

http://www.momseveryday.com/home/familyfun/headlines/cathyb-firecracker-pretzels-213518251.html 

Since Labor Day weekend is rapidly approaching, I was thinking that these pretzels would be awesome to make again since many people will be having picnics. They appeal to both kids and adults.  But, why stop at just chocolate dipped pretzels?  How about chocolate dipped potato chips?? I used a sturdy potato chip with the "ridges." In a small bowl, I melted a 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate morsels in the microwave.  I then dipped the potato chips in one at a time, put on a piece of waxed paper, added some sprinkles and popped them in the fridge for just a half hour.  I've always wanted to make chocolate dipped strawberries, so I decided to dip a few of those in the chocolate too! Who knew melted chocolate morsels could have so many uses?

Blueberry Shortcake

The above was on the dessert "menu" last night at Cathy's Kitchen.  One of my regular "customers" told me that he had never had blueberry shortcake before, only strawberry shortcake. How many of you have ever heard of the word "macerate?"  Sounds like a really fancy word, huh?  To macerate, is to take a food (usually a fruit) and soak it in a liquid. Since I like the combination of blueberries and lemons, I used lemon juice.  You are free to squeeze your own lemons or use bottled lemon juice (like I did).  Blueberry shortcakes aren't just for dessert, you can also have them for breakfast, like I did this morning with my cup of coffee!

Shortcake Recipe:

1 2/3 cup white flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon white sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In large bowl, put the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and shortening.  Combine with large spoon and then add the milk. Mix until a soft dough forms.  Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead about 25 times into the shape of a rectangle 10 inches long and 7 inches wide and about 1/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle the entire top of the dough evenly with the one teaspoon of white sugar.  Cut into nine equal squares and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 18 minutes or until the shortcakes start turning lightly brown both on the top and bottom.  Remove from oven and then transfer immediately to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Macerated Blueberries:

1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
Two tablespoons lemon juice

In a small bowl, put the blueberries and lemon juice.  Stir with small spoon until all the blueberries are coated.  Cover and put in fridge for a minimum of a half hour and a maximum of 24 hours.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Baked macaroni and cheese is one of Lauren's all time favorites.  She has requested that the kitchen "staff" put it on the "menu" multiple times.  Anytime I have tried in the past to make the homemade cheese sauce, the end result has not been pleasant. I can never seem to get the right consistency, it is always super thin :(  I found the best substitute, condensed cheddar cheese soup!! The Campbell Soup Company makes two different versions of condensed cheddar cheese soup, the regular and the "Healthy Request" version.  I chose the latter, because it was a little lower in sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol.  This macaroni and cheese is delicious and easy to make.  The hardest part is waiting for it to come out of the oven so you can eat it!

Ingredients:

16-ounce package elbow macaroni, any brand
2 - 10 3/4 ounce cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In large pot or saucepan, cook the entire package of elbow macaroni to "al dente" according to the package instructions.  Drain thoroughly and set aside.  In a 2 1/2 quart baking dish, put the cheddar cheese soup, milk and shredded cheddar cheese.  Using a large spoon, mix well and then add the cooked macaroni and combine.  In a small bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove, melt the butter.  Add the bread crumbs and with a small spoon,  mix and then sprinkle on top. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until cooked through and bubbly.  Serves six.

Blueberry and Lemon Muffins

Blueberries are still so incredibly inexpensive around where I live that we currently have several pints in our fridge at any one time.  Any kind of homemade bread item is always very popular with the regular "customers" here at Cathy's Kitchen.  This summer in particular, I have been tinkering around with several of my muffin recipes to make them just a little different than the ordinary.  I love the combination of blueberries and lemons, so I used some powdered lemonade in these muffins. It gives just the right amount of tartness, but not so much that you are puckering up your lips!

Batter:

2 cups white flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup yellow powdered lemonade
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, rinsed

Topping:

1 teaspoon white sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.  In a large bowl, put all ingredients except the blueberries in the order given and mix well with a large spoon. Set aside.  In small bowl or colander, rinse the blueberries with water, drain and then lightly pat them dry. Stir the blueberries in gently with the other ingredients until well combined.  Distribute the batter evenly between the paper liners. Sprinkle the one teaspoon of white sugar on all 12 muffins evenly and then bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.  Remove from oven, let cool five minutes and then remove to wire rack to continue cooling.

Chocolate Haystack Candy

While looking through an old candy cookbook of mine this week, I was thinking it would be kind of cool to make some homemade candy this holiday season (I know it's only August, but I like to think ahead)!  Most of the recipes in my cookbook had directions for candy that had to get to a "soft ball" or "hard ball" stage (which would mean I would have to use a candy thermometer, which I don't own).  After looking a little while, I found one that looked intriguing and more importantly, didn't require the candy thermometer!  It used chow mein noodles, butterscotch morsels, chocolate morsels and salted nuts.  Since the kids don't eat salted nuts and I didn't have any butterscotch morsels on hand, I just used the chow mein noodles and chocolate morsels. One word - AWESOME - just the right amount of salty and sweet!!!  There are many names for this candy:  haystacks, bird's nests, chocolate spiders and chocolate chow mein noodle candy. These were inexpensive to make - both the chow mein noodles and the chocolate morsels were the "house" brand from my favorite grocery store.  Guess how much the grand total was to make these? It was only $3.00!!  The hubby, Lauren and I were all "taste testers" for this candy and given that they are almost half gone, I think means we all liked them!! I'm pretty sure these "haystacks" will be making a repeat performance around the holiday season :)

Ingredients:

6-ounce package chow mein noodles, any brand
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels, any brand

Pour the chow mein noodles into a large bowl and set aside.  Melt chocolate morsels, either in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.  When the chocolate is completely melted, pour over all the chow mein noodles and with a large spoon stir until all the noodles are well covered.  Drop by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet or tray covered with waxed paper. If you make the "haystacks" the size below, you should be able to get a dozen.

Please feel free to make them smaller or larger! When you are done, put into your fridge for at least one hour to let them harden up.  I keep them covered and stored in the fridge.

Farmer's Market Gazpacho

Try and guess what the "mystery" ingredient is in this gazpacho.  It starts with the letter "w" and a lot of people eat it at summertime picnics.  Can you guess??  It's watermelon!  Do you have a bunch of it cut up in your fridge right now and you're wondering what to do with it?  Make it into this soup! I'm calling this "farmer's market" gazpacho, because most (if not all) of the ingredients can be found there.  This type of soup is traditionally served cold.  It is really refreshing on a hot day :)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups watermelon, cubed
2 cups tomatoes, chopped (seeds and membranes removed)
2 cups cucumbers, chopped (seeds and skin removed)
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup red pepper, chopped  (seeds and membranes removed)
1 cup yellow squash, chopped (seeds and skin removed)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

In large bowl, put the watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, red pepper, yellow squash and corn.  Sprinkle the salt, black pepper and garlic powder on top and with large spoon mix and combine thoroughly until the watermelon and all the veggies are coated.  Put the mixture, one cup at a time into a blender and keep blending until it gets to the consistency that you want.  Serve immediately or put into fridge for later. Serves four.

Frozen Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bites

All members of my household love peanut butter and chocolate mixed together.  Lately, I have been experimenting with different "no-bake" desserts.  In many parts of the country this summer, it has been pretty darn hot! The last thing you feel like doing is turning on the oven to cook or bake anything, right?? These "bites" firm up in the freezer in about two hours and they are delectable!!  This is a variation of my "buckeye candy" recipe, if the ingredients seem a bit familiar!  I came up with the idea of putting these into ice cube trays. That way they are all about the same size and your hands never have to touch the batter (an added bonus).

 

It doesn't matter if you get a little smidge of chocolate here and there on the ice cube trays (like I did).  Who says it has to be perfect? All that matters is how it tastes and they are heavenly!  A bit of a warning - these are pretty addictive, I keep catching the hubby going into the freezer and snitching a few!


Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

In large bowl, put the butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Mix until smooth with large spoon.  Distribute evenly between the two ice cube trays.  Melt the semi-sweet morsels, slowly either in the microwave or in a saucepan over the stove.  Pour the chocolate onto each peanut butter "bite" distributing evenly as best as you can between the 24 bites.  Place in the freezer for at least two hours. Note: these must be stored in the freezer!

Lemon Lime Soda Biscuits

Yes, you read the name of this recipe correctly.  If you can believe it, there is lemon lime soda in these biscuits! Since lemon lime soda typically doesn't have caffeine, you can serve them to your kids for breakfast and not feel guilty about giving them soda that early in the day. There is only 1/2 cup in the entire recipe :)  You can use 7up soda or do like I did and use the "house" brand of lemon lime soda from your favorite grocery store. These biscuits are fantastic warm with a touch of butter and a little honey. Strawberry jelly would be awesome too.  They are also yummy with dinner as we found out last night!  Did you know you can also use lemon lime soda to make a cake? I think I might have to try that next.  I'm always up for a good baking challenge!!!

Ingredients:

2 cups white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup lemon lime soda (any brand), room temperature

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9 1/2-inch round pan with non-stick cooking spray (if you don't have that size pan, use a 8 or 9-inch round pan).  In large bowl, put flour, baking powder, salt and shortening. Mix well with large spoon.  When combined thoroughly, gently fold in sour cream and lemon lime soda.  On a lightly floured surface, take the dough and knead about 20-25 times with the palms of your hands to about a 1/2 inch thick.  I used a 3-inch round biscuit cutter and was able to get eleven biscuits out of the dough.  If you use a smaller biscuit cutter, you will get more :)  Bake 15-20 minutes or until they start turning a little brown on the top and a toothpick comes out clean when you put it in the middle of one of the biscuits.  Remove from oven and let them cool about 5 minutes.  Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

I am always thinking of different kinds of muffins to make. Lately, I have been tossing around the idea of making a muffin that tasted like a snickerdoodle cookie, given how much of a cinnamon gal that I am. Earlier in the week, Lauren made some snickerdoodle cookies that are EXTREMELY popular with Dominic.  I had to actually hide the bag of cookies from him, because he was sneaking into the kitchen and grabbing them when I wasn't looking!!! This is all that's left of the cookies that she made :)

Don't the muffins and the cookies sort of look the same??  They definitely taste similar!   The muffins smelled amazing when they were baking - they truly make your house smell so good.  Lauren loves, loves, loves my muffins. Hmm, do you think the kids have inherited my love of cinnamon?!?!?!?!?!

Ingredients:

2 cups white flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2 large eggs

Topping:

1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place paper liners into a 12-cup muffin tin. Set aside.  In large bowl, put all the ingredients in the order given and mix well with large spoon.  Distribute batter evenly between paper liners.  In small bowl, mix the white sugar and cinnamon together with a small spoon and then sprinkle evenly over all 12 muffins.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.  Remove from oven, let cool five minutes and then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. 

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

In many parts of the country, it is super HOT right now!!  Even in the Midwest (where we live), it has been pretty darn toasty this week :)  If you are outside for any length of time, you will inevitably get thirsty. Don't the above drinks look good?  A certain fast food restaurant that starts with the letter "M" has this beverage on their menu.  Theirs is pretty good, but I like mine better.  An added bonus, you don't have to leave the comforts of your home to go get it!!! Shortly after I took this picture, Lauren drank one and I drank the other. Take it from the two of us,  it was refreshing and really hit the spot!


Ingredients:

2 cups frozen strawberries
1 1/2 cups pink lemonade
2 cups ice cubes

In a blender, put the frozen strawberries and the pink lemonade.  Add 1/2 cup ice cubes and blend.  Keep adding the ice cubes 1/2 cup at a time and blend until all the ice cubes have been incorporated.  I tried to add the ice cubes all at once and my blender let me know it wasn't too pleased!!  Blend until you get the consistency you want  - less blending for thicker, more for a thinner consistency. Serve immediately. 

Chocolate Chip Muffins

One of the regular "customers" at Cathy's Kitchen has been requesting that I make chocolate chip muffins for some time.  After two failed attempts, on the third try I finally got it right!!  How does that old saying go? Third time's the charm?!?!?! These are totally scrumptious, they get a little teeny crunchy on the top and the chocolate chips melt just a little. Your family will love them - our family sure did.  The dozen I made around 9 a.m. this morning, were almost half gone by 10 a.m. :)  Given the popularity of these muffins, I think they may need to become a permanent addition to the breakfast "menu!"

Ingredients:

2 cups white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a 12-cup muffin tin, put paper liners and set aside.  In large bowl, put all ingredients in the order given, except the morsels.  With large spoon, mix well (it's okay if the batter is slightly lumpy). Fold in the morsels and then distribute the batter evenly between the paper liners.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.  Remove from oven.  Let cool 15 minutes before removing to wire rack to continue cooling.

Fruity Marshmallow Treats

Most people have heard of Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats, but how about using Fruity Pebbles cereal instead of Rice Krispies cereal to make these fruity marshmallow treats?  Post Foods has a recipe for marshmallow crispy treats on their website, but they used about 8 1/2 cups of  Fruity Pebbles cereal. Yikes - that seemed like kind of a lot!  My taste tester for the day, Lauren, declared these to be "very good." I'm keeping her busy this summer, sampling all of my recipes :) I like these kinds of no-bake desserts, especially when it's really hot outside and you don't want to turn on the oven. 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons margarine
10.5 ounce package mini marshmallows (any brand)
6 cups Fruity Pebbles cereal

Spray a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.  In a medium pot, melt the margarine slowly on the stove.  Add the marshmallows and continue to cook over low heat until all the marshmallows are melted, stirring constantly with a large spoon.  Remove from heat and add the cereal.  Combine thoroughly until well coated.  Press evenly into pan and let completely cool before cutting.

Individual English Muffin Pizzas

Today was one of those days where I was kind of running around from here to there. Around lunchtime, I only had a small pocket of time in which to eat before heading back out again.  I decided to make myself an english muffin pizza!  It took about 20 minutes from beginning to end, which is just about the amount of time I had. One thing I love about making these "individual" is you can make them EXACTLY the way you want them.  I like pepperoni, but you could leave these plain, add sausage - the choice is completely up to you.  These are so easy to make, the kids can make their own.  If they are young, they would only need close supervision when using the oven.  This is a quick snack hungry teens could make themselves. 

Ingredients:

Six English Muffins (any brand)
14-ounce jar pizza sauce (any brand)
Eight ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (any brand)
Pepperoni or other toppings, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.  Slice each english muffin in half.  Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons of pizza sauce on each half and spread so it covers the top.  Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese evenly on next on each half.  Add pepperoni or other toppings if desired.  Bake in oven 10 minutes or until cheese is starting to melt. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Peach Ice

This has got to be the easiest way to make peach ice.  All you need are two cans of peaches, a blender and your freezer!!  If you don't already own a blender, they are relatively inexpensive (about $20.00).  It will more than pay for itself within a handful of times of using it.  Smoothies are just one of the things you can also use the blender for.  The blender we own is from before I met my husband (so that's over 22 years) and it is still going strong.  I used two 14.5 ounce cans of the Kroger brand "lite" yellow cling sliced peaches, packed in 100% fruit juice. When you are ready to make this, all you do is pour the two cans of peaches (don't drain out the juice),  into the blender and blend it until it is still a little thick, you don't want to totally liquefy it.  Put it into a freezer proof container and chill overnight (or about 8 hours).  Remove from freezer about 1/2 hour or so before you want to eat it.  This will yield at least eight servings, even more if you put in an ice cream cone like below. I gave the hubby a bite of some of this and he said, "it kind of tastes like sherbet!" Hmm, should I tell him the truth???  It's a great way to get the favorite kids (and adults) in your life to eat their fruit!!! 

  

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I know this is the second post in a row involving chocolate, but this recipe was too good to not pass on to you.  I love the "crinkled" effect these cookies have.  I was trying to figure out why they crinkle when they bake. Could it be because there is no baking powder in them?  I took a few moments and searched the Internet and couldn't find the answer.  Guess, it's one of those baking mysteries!  I had one of my "taste testers" around Sunday afternoon (Lauren) and she was so anxious to try one of these cookies that she took it right off the spatula as I was putting it onto the rack to cool! I asked her what she thought of the cookies and she said, "great!"  To make the cookies just a little extra special, try putting a little dab of vanilla frosting in between two of the cookies and press gently. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 3/4 cups white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

Topping:

1/2 cup white sugar

In large bowl, put all the ingredients in the order given.  Using a large spoon, combine together thoroughly.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge at least 3 hours.  When ready to make, preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.  Remove batter from fridge and roll into balls a little smaller than a ping pong ball. In small bowl, put the 1/2 cup white sugar (for the topping).  Roll each ball into sugar until well coated.  Place a dozen balls on each cookie sheet.  Bake for 14 minutes and then remove from oven.  Let them cool 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to finish cooling.  Makes 3 dozen.

Best Ever Devil's Food Cake

This recipe for devil's food cake came out of a Pillsbury cookbook that had 100 prize winning recipes in it.  I adapted the recipe slightly (adding 1/4 cup more cocoa and 1/2 teaspoon more vanilla) than originally called for. The hubby, Lauren and Dominic all had seconds of this cake after dinner this past Saturday night.  When I told Lauren the original recipe for this cake won a prize in a recipe and baking contest, she said, "I can see why!" I can't wait to try the remaining 99 recipes!!!!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 3/4 cups white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup warm water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan with non-stick spray and set aside.  In large bowl, put milk, vinegar, flour, salt, shortening, and sugar.  Mix for one minute with electric mixer or by hand until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, baking soda, cocoa and warm water and mix for an additional minute with mixer or by hand until well combined.  Pour into pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Let cool and frost with your favorite icing - add sprinkles if desired!

Pink Lemonade Cookies

Back last summer, I put a recipe for lemonade biscotti on my blog.  Friday afternoon, as I was thinking that I needed to make a pitcher of lemonade with my powdered lemonade mix, I thought how about if I tinkered with the biscotti recipe a little and make them into cookies?  It didn't take too long to whip up the batter and put a dozen into the oven.  Before I took Dominic to his weekly music therapy session in the evening, I gave him one to tide him over until dinner.  I asked him what he thought of the cookie and he said, "taste good!" I think Dominic is a big fan of these cookies because he had a few for breakfast Saturday morning too.  Maybe I need to hide these cookies from him so the rest of us in our house can have some!!!!

Ingredients:

3 cups white flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pink powdered lemonade
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Topping:

1/4 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, combine all ingredients together with large spoon until mixed well.  Roll into balls a little smaller than a ping pong ball and put on an ungreased cookie sheet.  In small bowl, put the 1/4 cup white sugar.  Using the bottom of a small drinking glass, dip first in the white sugar and then press gently on the top of each ball, flattening slightly.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes and then remove to wire rack.  Makes 26 cookies.