Coconut Crispies

Time to take a treat to work tomorrow. I had coconut left over from the carrot cake, so this seemed a good recipe to put that to use.

COCONUT CRISPIES

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flaked coconut
Additional sugar for sprinkling

Cream butter lightly and then add sugar, cream again, add egg and vanilla and cream again. Add flour, soda, and salt. Add coconut and mix well. Use a cookie scoop or roll into balls about walnut size. Roll in sugar and flatten down with your fingertips, or you can use the bottom of a glass. Bake for 15 minutes at 325 until light brown. Remove to a rack to cool completely. Makes 3 dozen.

Chicken and Dumplings

Dumplings are usually a cold weather food, but I am seriously wondering if we will ever see cool weather again. I have a friend whose husband likes these very much so I made up a batch this weekend to take over for them to enjoy.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
1 whole chicken cut into pieces or 4 large chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can chicken broth
1 carrot shredded (I do not use carrots)
1 medium onion chopped
2 ribs celery chopped fine

Place chicken in a large pot, add vegetables if using, season to taste. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken. Cool enough to handle. Remove fat and bones from chicken and cut into pieces. Add back to broth and add one can of chicken broth. Simmer while making the dumplings.

DUMPLINGS:
3 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 egg

Mix milk, egg, and cooled melted butter. Stir dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients to dry. Stir until dough forms a ball. Chill 15 minutes. Roll out dumplings onto a well-floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut into squares. Toss dumplings together with flour from cutting surface. Drop dumplings one by one into broth that is at a rolling boil. Cook for about 15-20 minutes on low heat until dumplings are tender.

Tropical Carrot Cake

Another birthday at the office today. Little did I know when I was looking through recipes and found this Tropical Carrot Cake that the tropical would be so appropriate. While I was preparing this cake there were weather announcements talking about Tropical Storm Humberto threatening the Texas coast. I went to bed and woke up to stories of HURRICANE Humberto stirring up a mess more east of us. We were spared this time, but we still have 6 more weeks of hurricane season to worry through. Kind of scary to think this can come up during the night while one is asleep.

TROPICAL CARROT CAKE
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups finely shredded carrots
1 cup raisins (optional - I did not use)
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut

Frosting:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter softened
4 to 4-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, beat ggs, oil, and buttermilk. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in vanilla, carrots, raisins, pineapple, pecans, and coconut. Mix well. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool. Combine frosting ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Frost cake layers and entire cake. Sprinkle some pecans on top.

Rooty-Tooty -- Fresh and Fruity

I took a vacation last week and went to Canada. I have friends who live in New Westminster, B.C. which is near Vancouver. My friends took me to an area called the Okanagan which is apparently notable for its abundance of fruit. There are lots and lots of fruit stands along the way. We stopped at this one and it was decorated so nice. If you look in the trees behind the cars you can see some orange gourds in the trees. My friend's husband pointed them out to me and said 'see how they grow them in the trees?' I have to admit to being gullible for just a minute until I realized they are just hanging in the trees for decoration. The drive was absolutely beautiful. I loved seeing the lakes and mountains and feeling some COOL temperatures.

Another birthday at work today and so I decided to make a fruit salad. I took an angel food cake also with some Cool Whip.

FRUIT SALAD

Fruit glaze:

3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice (drained from an 8 ounce can of pineapple tidbits)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch

Mix all ingredients and bring to a boil until thickened. Cool and pour over fruit of your choice and chill. For this bowl I used grapes, nectarines, strawberries, pineapple tidbits, apple. and banana.

Tuna Does Vegas

For my birthday I went to the Grand Opera House in Galveston to see 'Tuna Does Vegas'. This is the fourth in a series of plays that Joe Sears and Jaston Williams play a variety of characters - both male and female. It is based in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas. The characters in these plays are so darn funny. I believe they are taking this play to the Golden Nugget in Vegas next. Very enjoyable. So, in keeping with the theme -- here is my recipe for tuna salad.

TUNA SALAD

2 small packages water packed Star-Kist tuna (I like the pouches as you don't have to mess with draining them).

3 hard boiled eggs chopped

3 green onions chopped with tops

About 10 green Spanish olives chopped

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Enough mayonnaise to bind together.

Mix all ingredients together. Chill for about half an hour. Serve on nice bread with chips and cold iced tea.

Little Debbie Who?

I started making these little pies as they reminded me of the Little Debbie individual pies you can buy. I started making them as a Thanksgiving or Christmas treat because each person could have their own pie without having to mess with cutting individual slices. It's the only way I do pecan pie now. I just use the Classic Karo Syrup Pecan Pie recipe. Easy as pie......:o)

PECAN PIE
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans chopped
2 packages Dutch Ann tart shells

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Beat eggs slightly with fork in a bowl. Add sugar, Karo syrup, butter and vanilla; stir until blended. Place tarts on a cookie sheet. Fill each tart with about 1 heaping tablespoon of pecans. Pour batter into each one until just to the top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Mushroom Fettuccine

I was hungry for Fettuccine Alfredo, but since that is usually like 'heart attack on a plate' I looked in my files for a lighter recipe and found this in my to-try file.

MUSHROOM FETTUCCINE

10 ounces uncooked fettuccine noodles
4 tablespoons butter (could use light)
1/3 cup flour
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup shallots or green onions, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups milk (I used skim - you could use anything from skim to heavy cream here)
1/2 cup white wine (I used fat-free chicken broth)
2 tablespoons parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare fettuccine according to package directions. Drain and rinse with warm water and keep warm. In a fry pan, melt butter over medium heat, stir in flour until crumbly. Add shallots, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until mixture is browned, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Gradually add milk and broth (or wine). Stir continuously until mixture is smooth and comes to a boil. Stir for one minute. Add parsley. Toss with fettuccine. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Nanaimo Bars

I'm going to be visiting friends in New Westminster British Columbia at the end of this month. In looking around at recipes I came across a recipe for Nanaimo Bars, named after a city on Vancouver Island. Evidently about 35 years ago a Nanaimo housewife entered a cooking contest with this recipe and instead of naming the bars after herself or some other catchy name, she named them Nanaimo Bars.

I've never been to Nanaimo, but I can attest to the fact that I think British Columbia is a beautiful place. Coming from a small town in South Texas I was in awe of the surroundings and have been fortunate to visit there several times. My friends have been very patient with me over the years when I ask them dumb questions such as 'Do you have American television?' What can I say -- at the time it was ANOTHER COUNTRY to me, so I thought it a valid question -- LOL. Anyway, these bars are really easy to put together. They are very rich. I don't know what makes them 'Canadian' other than a Canadian woman created the recipe and they are named after a place in Canada, but no matter what -- they are good.

NANAIMO BARS

For the crust:

1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
1 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used almonds)
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix ingredients together and pat in a greased 7 x 11 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Cool completely before adding filling.

For the filling:

1 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

Cream the butter by hand in a medium bowl and add in 1 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla. In a separate small bowl, stir the milk and pudding mix together, then add to the butter mixture. Add in the remaining powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust and refrigerate until cold.

For the icing:

6 ounces chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter

Melt the chocolate and butter in microwave until smooth. Spread over cold filling. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares.

Blondes Have More Fun........

Well, I really wouldn't know that as I have never been blonde. Most blonde brownies are made with chocolate chips. I don't care for chocolate (I know -- freaky huh?). These are not for me, but I had no chocolate chips in the pantry so just added extra pecans.

BLONDE BROWNIES

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients together. Add oil, add eggs, add vanilla. Stir until blended well. Add chocolate chips and pecans. Bake in a 7 x 11 pan at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Joyfully Almond Brownies

It's been a while since I baked something to take to the office. I took a basic one-bowl brownie recipe and added some coconut and almonds to come up with this. These were so easy.

JOYFULLY ALMOND BROWNIES

1 cup butter
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 pan. In a microwave or in a saucepan melt the butter and chocolate. Add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and stir well. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well mixed. Add almonds and coconut. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. When cooled cut into squares.

Fruit Smoothie

Too hot to cook. Not worth heating up the kitchen for one person and no special occasions, so this is my addition for this week. This is kind of a thrown together recipe. I usually use whatever fruit and yogurt I have on hand and put my blender to use.

FRUIT SMOOTHIE
1 6 oz. Yoplait Light Thick and Creamy Yogurt (can use any kind of yogurt you prefer -- I used Strawberry Banana Orange Sunrise for this one).
1/2 banana
1 cup frozen fruit for smoothies (I find this in the frozen section). This particular mix had pineapple, strawberries, and mango.
1/2 cup canned peaches

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

If I don't have frozen fruit, I throw in a few ice cubes. On this one I just added a few tablespoons of milk to thin it out. This was the consistency of a milk shake. It was pretty good.

Chocolate Cake

I made a birthday cake for someone in the office today. This cake is usually made as a layer cake, but I decided to try my Nordicware Heart pan that my son and daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas. It lost some of the form with the icing on the cake. This pan makes a beautiful cake that can just be dusted with powdered sugar to get the true design of the pan.

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

1-3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and dust with cocoa two 9" layer cake pans (I've used a 9 x 13 before or a bundt pan). Set aside.

In large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until blended.

Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat well until combined, about 2 minutes. While beating, heat water to boiling. Stir boiling water into cake batter.

Pour the thin batter into the prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan, top springs back when lightly touched, and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup cocoa
4-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/3-1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan, melt together butter and cocoa. Stir until smooth. Using mixer, alternately beat in powdered sugar and milk until frosting is smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla. Frost cake as desired.

Butter Pecan Quick Bread

BUTTER PECAN QUICK BREAD


2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup pecans, chopped


Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Mix together dry ingredients. Add egg and buttermilk and vanilla. Stir until just blended together. Add pecans. Pour into a 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Drizzle with icing.

Roasted Garlic Pasta Salad

ROASTED GARLIC PASTA SALAD

8 ounces farfalle pasta (bowtie) cooked and drained
1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
1 small can sliced black olives
3 green onions sliced
Garnish with 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Dressing:
1/2 cup Italian dressing (I used Ken's Light Caesar)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I used light)
2 heads garlic roasted with 1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool. Add onions, tomatoes, olives. To roast garlic, slice ends off two heads of garlic. Drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. When done scrape garlic out of cloves and whisk into dressing ingredients. Add dressing to pasta and toss. Sprinkle cheese on top.

Bacon and Cheddar Scones

These scones are pretty good. I think the onion is somewhat overpowering, I might would cut down on that. I think some chopped green chilies might be good too. Not a bad treat for breakfast though.

BACON AND CHEDDAR SCONES

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold butter cut into pieces
6-8 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped into pieces
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 to 4 green onions chopped
1-1/2 cups buttermilk

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Cut in butter until flour resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese, bacon, and onions. Add buttermilk. Turn onto a floured board and shape into a circle. Place circle on baking sheet (I covered mine with parchment paper). Score circle into 8 pieces. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.