No-Oven Peanut Butter Squares

These sweet treats are to die for.  They are easy to make and taste like peanut butter cups.  I waited until the chocolate was good and hard before I cut them into squares and the results were sloppy looking squares.  Next time I will try my electric knife to cut them.  I have also bought some of the foil lined cupcake and candy paper liners and am going to try to make them in those for individual portions to take to our Christmas celebration.  Try these, you won’t be disappointed.

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 cups  powdered sugar

1-1/2 cups NABISCO Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 cup  peanut butter

1-1/2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate (12 squares), melted

LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. MELT butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 45 sec. Add next 3 ingredients; mix well. Spread into prepared pan; cover with chocolate. CUT partially through dessert to mark 48 squares. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan; cut into squares.

How to Make Thicker Squares

Reduce chocolate to 1 pkg. (8 squares). Prepare recipe as directed, using 9-inch square pan. Cut into 24 squares to serve. Makes 24 servings, 1 square each.

Easy Microwave Melting of BAKER'S Chocolate Squares

Microwave 1 unwrapped square of BAKER'S Chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH (100%) for 1 min., stirring after 30 sec. or until chocolate is almost melted. (The square will retain its shape.) Stir 1 min. or until chocolate is completely melted. Add 10 sec. for each additional square of chocolate, stirring every 30 sec.

Red Velvet Brownies w/White Chocolate Buttercream Icing

These are to die for!  The icing would be wonderful in itself to frost a cake.  I used Ghirardelli white baking chocolate and my heavy cream congealed so I used just plain milk.  I can't wait for the rave reviews from my new team mates when I take them to work tomorrow!  If you make one thing for Christmas this year, make these!

Red Velvet Brownies w/White Chocolate Butter cream Icing

Brownies

3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

2oz red food coloring
2 t. pure vanilla extract, divided
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ t. salt

Icing

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2½ cups powdered sugar
1 t. pure vanilla extract
4oz good quality white chocolate, melted
1-2 T. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour an 8"x8" baking pan. In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring and 1 t. vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.  Beat together the batter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Then stir in the remaining 1t. of vanilla.  Add the cocoa mixture and beat on medium 2 mixtures together until they are one uniform color.  Slowly add in flour and salt, mix on medium just until combined.  DO NOT OVER MIX. 

Stir with rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all the flour has been incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl.. You want your batter to be one uniform color.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Allow brownies to completely cool in pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes.  Frost brownies in the pan, cut into 12 bars and serve.

 ICING

Cream butter until soft and fluffy, then beat in vanilla.  Mix on low slowly adding sugar ½ cup at a time.  Once all the sugar has been added, beat on med for 30 seconds and scrape down sides of bowl.  Ad in melted white chocolate and beat on medium until incorporated.  With mixer on low add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time.  Beat at medium speed until frosting has reached your desired consistency.

Country Oven Fried Chicken

I am definitely going to make this again.  I was thinking I could make a bigger batch of it and then divide it into packages for ease and quickness.  I also threw all of the chicken in a big bowl and let it steep in the buttermilk for an hour.  I also removed all the skin before throwing it in the buttermilk. Yummy, yum, yum!

Country Oven  Fried Chicken

¼ cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
½ cup dry breadcrumbs
½ tsp. rosemary
½ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. black pepper

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then dip chicken in buttermilk and roll in the dry mixture.  Bake in a 400° oven for 35-40 minutes.

Snicker Cookies

This recipe is from a cookbook I have "Amish Cooking" ©1995.  I love Snickerdoodles and when comparing it to the Snickerdoodle recipes it is exactly what I made.  These are wonderful cookies and don't spread a lot on the cookie sheet.  The recipe didn't call for a greased baking sheet, so I didn't grease it and the cookies came up fine with a pancake turner.  I ended up with 4 dozen cookies. I will definitely make these again.

Snickers

½ cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup shortening (I used the butter flavor, 'cause that is what I had on hand)

2 eggs

2¾ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cream of tarter

¼ tsp. salt

Mix well. Chill dough overnight, form into balls. Mix ½ cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.  Roll balls in the mixture and bake at 350° for 10-13 minutes.

Delicious Pumpkin Bread

This is a very flavorful, moist sweet bread.  I will definitely make it again! This recipe came from the same cook book as the Snicker cookies, "Amish Cooking" ©1995.

Delicious Pumpkin Bread

1 2/3 cups sifted regular flour

¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening

½ tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup mashed pumpkin

1/3 cup water

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Grease a regular loaf pan (9"x5"x3").

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.  Cream shortening, sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughtly after each addition.  Stir in pumpkin.  Stir in dry ingredients alternately with water, beating just until smooth.  Do not overbeat.  Fold in nuts.  Turn batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for about 45-55 minutes or until done.  Turn out on a wire rack and cool.  Store in tight container.  Slice and serve with butter.

Date and Nut Bread

I loved the Jiffy Date Nut muffins and they  are no longer available.  Don't you just hate when that happens?  So when I was cruising through the Good Housekeeping Cookbook ©1963 for a good Banana Bread recipe and I spied this recipe with my own little eyes aided by my red framed no line bifocal glasses.  I had the dates, don't know why I originally bought them but the rest of the ingredients are always in my kitchen. I also used whole wheat flour (which I bought at My HyVee yesterday), just for grins.  I also made a little mini loaf in addition to the big loaf for my dear and sweetest Mom who never reads my blog. The bread is delicious, not overly sweet, I warmed it up with some butter on top and it is yummy!  I also sprinkled the top with some of my sugar glitter and it gave the top a nice crunchy top. I love this and will definitely make it again.

Date and Nut Bread

¾ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup cut-up pitted dates
1½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3T shortening
¾ cup boiling water
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1½ cups sifted all purpose flour


With a fork, mix walnuts, dates, baking soda and salt.  Add shortening and boiling water, let stand 20 minutes.  Start heating oven at 350°. Grease a 9"x5"x3" loaf pan.  With a fork, beat the eggs and add vanilla, sugar and sifted flour.  Mix in date mixture until just blended, turn into the pan.  Bake 65 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes and then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.  Then wrap in foil.  Store overnight before slicing.

Crock Pot Taco Soup

This recipe was given to me by one of the managers at work.  I did not prepare it in the crock pot but on the stove top.  Shredding the chicken is the time consuming part.  Putting all the ingredients in the dutch oven was quick and easy.  I cooked it for about a hour on the stove.  I forgot to buy the green chili's but it was delicious, thick and wonderful.  I also did not get the right size can of tomatoes, it was smaller by half so I added a can of tomato sauce.  I was thinking it would be good served over rice too!  Will I make this again, oh heck yeah!  Even the Professor liked it!

Crock Pot Taco Soup

1-16 oz can pinto beans

1-16 oz can white/kidney beans

1-11 oz can niblet corn

1-11 oz can Rotel tomatoes & chili's

1-28 oz can diced tomatoes

1-4oz can chilies, green

1-1 oz envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1-1¼ oz taco seasoning mix

1 lb shredded chicken or hamburger, cooked

Cook meat and drain. Shred chicken, add all ingredients to the crock pot.  DO NOT DRAIN CANS!! Stir. Cook on high for 2 hours, on low 4 hours.  Keep hot until serving.

Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions and/or tortilla chips.  (I was also thinking sliced black olives.)