Fudge Four O'Clocks

Ever since the beginning of September, I have been wanting to make this recipe. The problem was finding the "time." Get it?!?!?!?!?  Anyways, this past Sunday night, with the hubby and Dominic otherwise occupied, I finally got around to it!! Wow, all I can say is, if you love chocolate, then this recipe is for you.  I made a few variations here and there, a major one being that I didn't put walnuts into the batter before I baked them, because Lauren and Dominic don't eat walnuts. The hubby and I do like walnuts, so feel free to put some on top if you so desire, like I did! Lauren is coming home today from college to spend the Thanksgiving break with us and I can't wait for her to try a piece of this. Maybe we'll have some at four o'clock this afternoon with a cup of hot cocoa! 

Ingredients

1 cup white flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons baking cocoa

2 tablespoons shortening

1/2 cup water

1 cup white sugar

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover a jelly roll pan (11 inches x 17 inches) with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. In large bowl, put all the ingredients in the order given and mix well by hand with large spoon. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. When completely cool, eat as is or top with your favorite frosting! I used Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting, because can you EVER have enough chocolate?!?!

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Once again, we have too many bananas around here. Since Dominic and I just made cinnamon muffins yesterday, I went searching for a different way to use the bananas, other than making banana bread or muffins. I fished out my banana cookbook that an office mate from a LONG time ago gave me and started looking through it. Hmm, there are 56 banana recipes in the cookbook, such as banana scallops, banana cabbage salad, banana chicken salad, banana grape marlow, and banana caramel ice cream.  All those sound, ahem, interesting, but when I found a recipe for banana oatmeal cookies,  I knew I was on to something.  A bit of banana "trivia" - what is a group of bananas called? A hand! A single banana is a "finger." Today, both the hubby and Dominic each ate a "finger." The hubby had one in his lunch I made him and Dominic ate a "finger" with his cinnamon muffin for breakfast. LOL.  I was more than a bit concerned about how mashed bananas would turn out in a cookie - I had visions of the cookies spreading out across the cookie sheet as it baked and dripping onto the bottom of my oven!! Luckily, that didn't happen.  I made these around 11 this morning and had a few for a snack with the rest of my coffee before I went outside to shovel the snow!!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 cup ripe bananas, mashed
  (about two large)
1 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In large bowl, put the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, shortening, sugar and egg. Mix well with large spoon. In small bowl, mash the banana with a fork and then add to the ingredients in the large bowl. Add the oats, walnuts and chocolate chips and mix thoroughly by hand.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for about 18 minutes or until the cookies turn dark brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet about 2-3 minutes. Remove to wire rack to continue cooling. Makes 28 cookies.

Turkey Pot Pie

For months, okay, probably years, Lauren has asked me to make a chicken pot pie. Previous attempts did not end well, so I kept telling her, "I'm on the lookout for a good recipe!"  Well, I should have just asked my best friend. She gave me an awesome recipe, a handful of months back, which I made a few small changes here and there to. Chicken pot pie is great, but you can also use leftover turkey to make a turkey pot pie. Since the hubby had bought an eight pound turkey breast recently, I had TONS of that leftover!!  I watched my husband last night at dinner go back and forth to get more after he finished his first plate full. I finally said, "isn't that your FOURTH piece?!?!?!?!"

He looked at me and said, "who's counting?!?!?!?!" I guess I must have been! I have to admit, it was pretty tasty (I had seconds). I love making a homemade crust with shortening - it makes it so flaky! Remember, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and its a great way to use up some of that leftover turkey. I'm thinking as much as my husband and Lauren love turkey pot pie, I may need to make two!

Ingredients

Pastry:

2 cups white flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus two tablespoons shortening
5 tablespoons cold water

Filling:

1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup white flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
14 ounce can chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
16-ounce package peas and carrots, frozen

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In medium bowl, put the flour and salt. With two knives, "cut" in the shortening until it resembles small peas. Add the water and mix with a large spoon until a dough begins to form. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured board, roll each half into a 9 1/2 inch circle. Put half into a 9-inch ungreased pie pan and set the other half aside while you prepare the filling. In large stockpot, put the butter, flour, onion, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with large spoon, until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the broth and milk. Heat mixture to boiling, stirring constantly and then boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat and add the chopped turkey and the frozen peas and carrots. Mix well and then pour into the pie pan. Place the reserved pastry on top and tuck the edges in. Cut a slit in the top to allow the steam to escape while it's baking. Cook uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is just beginning to brown. Let cool about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Confederate Coffee Cake

I am always on the lookout for different and unique quick breads. In my vast collection of over 100 cookbooks, I found a recipe for "Confederate Coffee Cake." I am not quite the history "buff" that Lauren and my hubby are, but anything to do with the Civil War, I find fascinating.  Growing up in Maryland, I have visited the Antietam National Battlefield and crossed over the Mason-Dixon Line many a time. Want to hear an interesting bit of history? On April 2, 1863, in Richmond, Virginia, a very large and angry mob of mostly women started protesting the high prices and shortages of food. It was called, "The Richmond Bread Riots." Evidently, it was the South's largest civil disturbance of the Civil War. A good thing that came out of the "Riots," was that within the week, the City Council approved a plan for a "relief program." As much as I love to bake and take care of my family, I can just picture myself if I lived in Richmond back then. I would have been at the front of those "Riots" leading the way!

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine, melted
1 cup white sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping

1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons margarine, cold
  (cut into small cubes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. In large bowl, cream the margarine and white sugar together. Then, add the eggs, flour, baking powder, milk and cinnamon. Mix well with large spoon or with electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared loaf pan and set aside. In small bowl, put the topping ingredients. Mix well with small spoon and then sprinkle evenly over the top of the coffee cake batter. Bake for one hour and then test to see if it is done by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it's done, if not keeping adding time in five minute intervals. When coffee cake is baked through, remove to wire rack and let cool for at least one hour before trying to remove it from the pan. Place on wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy!