Candy with Pecans and Raisins

It is noted as “Best Recipe” and the index card is rightfully stained from its past use.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs Hershey Kisses

1 large can Pet milk

1 jar marshmallow cream

5 cups sugar

4 cups pecans (or raisins may be used)

1 stick oleo

Instructions

Mix milk, sugar, and margarine.  Bring to a boil.

Boil slowly for 5 minutes.

Stir in marshmallow cream, kisses and pecans or raisins.  (Mom usually added the kisses, then split into 2 bowls after this pecans were added to one bowl and raisins to the other).

Mix well and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper – work rapidly while the mixture is hot as it hardens quickly.

Mom notes “2 hands are better than one I was told.”

Allow candy to harden.

Enjoy – to keep candy wrap each piece individually with plastic wrap.

Rita’s Easy Brownies?? or is it cake?

I thought I had made this in my teenage years, when we had no brownie mix in the house and I wanted brownies.  My memory was that the recipe was not easy and it didn’t really taste like brownies.  But I thought, maybe my memory was wrong – so I decided to give it a try.  Well, my memory wasn’t wrong.  So if you are looking for an easy recipe this is not the one for you and if you want brownies, well . . . we have differing opinions on that one.  Our exchange student thinks it tastes like a brownie but looks like a cake.  The rest of the family would say cake all the way.  Now, that may be because I didn’t make it in a jellyroll pan, and I think we may have had more of the brownie look if I had, but still not convinced we would have had the brownie taste.  All that said, if you love chocolate it tastes great but the title may be misleading.

Ingredients

2 Cups Flour

2 Cups Sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 stick margarine

1 cup water

3 tbsp. cocoa

½ cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp. soda

½ cup sour milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

• Mix together flour, sugar and salt.
• Melt margarine, add cocoa and mix.
• To margarine and cocoa add water and oil and bring to a boil.
• Mix hot mixture into dry ingredients.
• Beat egg well.
• Add soda, milk and vanilla to eggs and add to main mixture.
• Mix together, pour into jellyroll pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Frosting

Combine the following:

• 1 stick margarine (melted)
• 3 tbsp. Cocoa
• 6 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 box powdered sugar
• Nuts if desired

Spread on top of brownies & serve.

Mississippi Mud

I love it when I find a recipe in my mom’s box that tells me where it came from.  At the bottom of this card it reads,  “Juanita E. Via Luverne R.  1978.  Which means my mother got it from my Grandmother Epler.  So, here is a classic from mom’s recipe box.  I haven’t made this one in the last few weeks, but I did make it for the first time a few months ago. As a chocolate lover, it is great!!

Cake Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

3 sticks margarine (at room temperature)

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/3 cups coconut

1 1/2 cups nuts

1 tsp. vanilla

Cake Directions

• Cream together sugar, cocoa and butter (Mixing very well)
• Add eggs, vanilla, flour, coconut and nuts.
• Pour batter into a greased 9x13x2 in pan.
• Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
• Remove from oven and while hot, spread with 7 oz marshmallow cream.
• Cool.
• Spread with icing. (see below)

Icing Ingredients

1 box (lb) of powdered sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1 stick margarine

Milk (as needed)

Icing Directions

• Melt margarine
• Add vanilla and cocoa
• Stir
• Add milk as needed to get the right consistency of icing for spreading

Panettone – Holiday Bread Recipe (continued)

Panettone rising for the final time.

The starter has sat for eight hours and how it is time for step two.  The original recipe I found calls for dried cranberries and walnuts, but I am still holding out hope that I can adapt the recipe for Chocottone (or Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Panettone).  So I have added 2 squares of chocolate melted and 1 cup chocolate chips.  For those who may be hesitant to add the candied orange peel, I was too, but the orange peel is necessary for the taste and moisture, otherwise this will be a very dry bread.  That said, due to a food allergy, one loaf will have the orange peel the other will not.

2 Cups Flour
1/4 tsp. Instant Dry Yeast
2 Whole Eggs
1/3 cup Sugar
6 tbs. Butter
2 Squares Chocolate
1 Cup Chocolate Chips (60%)
1/2 cup candied orange peel

Directions

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the fermented starter, the flour, eggs, sugar, salt, butter  and chocolate (melted) and instant yeast.
4. Turn the mixer on low speed and combine the ingredients, continuing to mix for approximately
5 minutes. Turn the mixer on medium-high speed and mix for 4 minutes more.
5. Stop the mixer and add the chocolate chips  and candied orange peel. Turn the mixer on low speed and combine for one minute or until the fruit is evenly distributed. Be sure not to over-mix and destroy the fruit.
6. Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a large bowl with plenty of room for expansion. Cover the dough with either plastic wrap or a
tightly woven cloth.
7. After 30 minutes, uncover the dough and gently fold the dough upon itself two or three times as if you were folding a bed sheet. Place the dough
back into the bowl and cover. Let ferment for one hour more.
8. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a very lightly flour-dusted work surface.
9. Using a dough scraper or a very sharp knife, divide the Panettone dough in two equal parts by eye.
10. Using cupped hands, form each piece of dough into two perfect round balls and place on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Cover the dough with cloth and allow to ferment, or “proof,” for approximately 1 hour. The properly proofed Panettone should give slightly to the touch as the pressure from a finger leaves an indentation that retracts only partially.
11. Beat one egg and brush the surface of each Panettone evenly with a smooth coating of egg wash.
12. With a sharp serrated knife, cut an “X” about 4” across the top of each loaf and immediately place into a 350ºF oven for about 25 minutes or
until a dark mahogany color is achieved.
13. Remove from the sheet pan immediately after baking and place on a cooling rack. Lightly dust with powdered sugar after the bread is
completely cooled (about one hour).

Panettone Holiday Bread – Starter

Starter after 8 hours

I can’t even think about Panettone without thinking of a wonderful Christmas trip to Brazil.  After all, that is where I was introduced to this special treat.  Over the years I have found places to purchase the standard Panettone, and on occasion a chocolate version, but I still will not give up hope that I will be able to recreate the full chocolate version in my own kitchen.

I recently found where Panera bread has published their Panettone recipe online – and have been wanting to give it a try, with some of my own adaptation.  As I glanced over the recipe to add it to this site, I saw the first simple step and decided to get started.

Ingredients

1 cup Bread Flour
1/3 Whole Milk
1/2 tsp Instant Dry Yeast

Directions

• Combine the three ingredients for the starter and briefly mix until a cohesive dough is achieved, about two minutes by hand or 30 seconds with a
  stand mixer.
• Allow the starter to ferment, covered in a bowl for 6-8 hours at room temperature.

Check back in 6-8 hours for more directions and memories from Brazil.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins on the Food Network

Enjoyed making this Chocolate-Chip Muffin recipe last night.  The problem I continue to have with any Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe I have tried, is that they are dry.  This one is also dry, so I’m thinking next time I will attempt one that calls for sour cream.  That said, there were enjoyable, especially right out of the oven.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins on the Food Network.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars (I think)

Peanut Butter Candy Bars (I think)

I found this recipe in my mom’s recipe box, but the name of the recipe is cut off.  I can see Butter & Bars clearly, but I know there is something before butter and something before bars, so I’m taking a stab at the name, since it contains a cup of peanut butter, I think it is safe to say eanut butter, but as to chocolate (well there is a good amount of that also) hum….

Ingredients

6 tbs. butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 ¼ cup sugar

3 Eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup flour

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

 Directions

• Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugar.
• Add eggs 1 at a time.
• Add vanilla.
• Sift together flour and salt and add to other ingredients.
• Mix
• Add 1-cup chips and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
• Remove from oven.
• Place remaining chips on tip and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Spread the melted chips, and cool.

Mini Cheese Cakes

I found this recipe wrapped in the same plastic sleeve as the hand written copy of the Peanut Blossoms.  It sound so not only tasty, but simple!

Ingredients

16 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese

3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

• Mix cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla and lemon juice together, until lumps are gone.
• Put 1 wafer in the bottom of cup baking cup.
• Add filling.
• I also found a chocolate variation to the recipe that sounds with trying.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Top with cherry or strawberry pie filling.

(Makes 18)

Million Dollar Fudge

What would Christmas be without fudge?  Christmas seems to be the only time of year I even think of making fudge, even though I can enjoy it any time of year.

Ingredients

5 cups sugar

1/2 lb butter

1 large can evaporated milk

1 pint marshmallow cream

12 oz chocolate bites or 1 large Hershey bar

2 tbs. vanilla

Directions

• Combine the first three ingredients.
• Bring to full rolling boil for seven minutes.
• Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.
• Stir until bits are melted.
• If you want to add nuts, do so at this point.
• Stir until ready to pour into greased pan.
• Makes 5lb and will keep for 3 weeks.

Peanutbutter Blossoms

I love peanut butter, but I’m not a big fan of peanut butter cookies.  That said, I don’t think it can be Christmas without making at least one batch of Peanut Butter Blossoms.  This was among the recipes that mother made each year.  I found a copy of the recipe in the recipe box and it was one of the few that my brother and I had taken time to type out on a card, sometime in our youth.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Hershey Kisses

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Cream together butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar.
• Add egg and vanilla and mix.
• Add dry ingredients and mix.
• Shape into balls.
• Roll in Sugar.
• Bake for 8 minutes.
• Remove from oven and press Hershey Kisses into the middle of each cookie.
• Return to oven for 2 to 5 minutes.