Butter Pecan Peach Cake

I made this dessert last week when our engaged couple was coming over for our Sponsor Couple meeting. They raved about it last week and asked for the recipe tonight. So I thought I would post it here as well. This recipe is taken again from my Country Quick and Easy cookbook put out by Gooseberry Patch. They call it a cake. I would call it a cobbler. It was mighty tasty with vanilla ice cream on top.

I did several things differently. I used two 15 oz. cans of peaches not in syrup. I use the ones packed in juice. I did use the butter pecan cake mix if you can find it. I used margarine, which is usually fine. I did not use nuts and coconut. We don't like either!


Butter Pecan Peach Cake

29 oz. can sliced peaches, undrained
18.25 oz. pkg. butter pecan or yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut

In the bottom of an ungreased 13" x 9" baking pan, pour in peaches and syrup. Cover with dry cake mix; drizzle butter over the top. Sprinkle with pecans and coconut. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 18 to 24 servings.


Celeste

Nibble Sticks

Like Celeste, I knew when I was planning our curriculum for the fall that I wanted to include special "tea times" at least once a week. (Maybe more!) However, knowing how much I love to bake, especially in the fall and winter months, I was a little worried that this might lead to an excessive amount of unhealthy snacks. Yesterday, though, I was paging through a cute little cookbook I bought used a few months ago (Alpha-Bakery Children's Cookbook) and came across a recipe for "Nibble Sticks", which sounded quite tasty and relatively simple to make. Since it was nearing lunchtime, I rounded up the kids and led them to the kitchen, where they helped me mix together a quick batch. The ingredients are ones that I usually have readily available, and required such little effort. They turned out delicious, too! We actually ended up eating only these for lunch (I had thought we'd include them with lunch), and even Meghan enjoyed munching on one. But the highest compliment came from Darren, who, devouring three in rapid succession after arriving home from work, asked me, "Um, honey? Do you think you could maybe have these on hand all the time?" :)

Here's the recipe:

Nibble Sticks

2 cups of Gold Medal all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of shortening

2/3 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped salami, bologna, or fully cooked ham (we used ham lunch meat)

About 3/4 cup of milk

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese and meat. Stir in just enough milk so a soft dough forms.

3. Sprinkle a surface lightly with flour. Turn the dough onto the floured surface. Knead gently 10 times. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Pat dough into an 8 inch square; cut square in half. Cut each half crosswise into 1-inch strips.

4. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool with ketchup, mustard, or cheese dip if you like.

Enjoy!

Melissa

Smoothie

Well, I am not sure that this is really a recipe. Rather, a yummy concoction. As many of you know I am a Weight Watchers member. I track my food. I count my points. I am always excited for tasty low point snacks that taste sweet. Today I threw this together and enjoyed the results.

2 Dairy 2 Point Smoothie

1 Weight Watchers 1 point yogurt, any flavor (I am addicted Amaretto Cheesecake)
one half cup skim milk

Shake in an airtight container.
Drink.

I wanted a smoothie. I did not want to drag out the blender. Easy. Very tasty.

(Just a note: On Weight Watchers, as a nursing mom, I need to get three dairy servings a day. I always have a yogurt at breakfast with my quarter cup of granola. This gets me my other 2 dairy servings in a really tasty way.)

Celeste

Fabulous Foolproof Pie Crust!

After I stated that I just could not make a decent pie crust, my husband's aunt passed this recipe along to me this weekend. She is right! This is indestructible! I made it last night, and for the first time ever I had a crust that was easy to work with, not tough, not crumbly! The egg and the vinegar are the keys! It even smells like a Pillsbury crust (but it doesn't cost nearly three dollars to make!).

Indestructible Pie Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 egg
4 Tbsp ice water

Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening. In another bowl, mix vinegar, egg, and 3 Tbsp ice water. Drizzle over flour and mix with fork. Add other Tbsp of water as necessary in order to make a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out and cook as recipe directs. Makes 1 double crust pie.


Michele

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake

OK! This one is really bad, if you know what I mean! It is so bad, you will want to share it with a lot of friends and family so that you will not eat the ENTIRE thing!

This little recipe comes from Country Quick and Easy, a cookbook from one of my favorite catalogs, Gooseberry Patch. I love their catalog. I love their cookbooks. I love their stuff!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I will be making another one tomorrow for our engaged couple that is coming for their first Sponsor Couple meeting Tuesday night.


Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake

3.5 oz. pkg. non-instant chocolate pudding mix
18.25 oz. pkg. chocolate cake mix
12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

Prepare pudding mix according to package directions. When done, remove from stove top and stir in dry cake mix until just blended. Spread mixture into a greased and floured 13"x9" baking dish. Sprinkle chocolate chips over all. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 14 to 16 servings.

Celeste

Tortilla Soup

Each year, Celeste's church puts on a wonderful Christmas bazaar where you can not only purchase some beautiful things, but you can also enjoy a fabulous lunch. The favorite menu item is tortilla soup and if you don't get there early enough, they will run out! But that is okay because several years ago I purchased their cookbook, Scents from Heaven, and it contains the recipe for this amazing soup. This soup has become a favorite in our house (with the exception of one tomato-disliking little boy). Perhaps it will become a favorite in your house as well!

Tortilla Soup

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. butter

2 tsp. Tony's Chachere's Creole seasoning

4 cans chicken broth

3 cans stewed tomato (chopped), do not drain

1 c. Pace picante sauce

1 bunch cilantro, chopped (discard stems)

1 lg. chicken (cooked and deboned) or 4 boneless chicken breasts

Prepared rice, amount as desired

Monterey Jack cheese (grated)

Tortilla chips (broken into pieces)

In a large pot combine butter and garlic and saute for 2 minutes; add Tony's seasoning and stir to mix. Add broth, tomatoes and picante sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken and rice. Stir in cilantro and let simmer for 5 minutes. When ready to serve, place tortilla chips and cheese in the bottom of bowl and pour soup over top. Yields 8 servings.

*note* For a reduced fat alternative, I have used baked tortilla chips and 2% cheese - still delicious!!!

Robin

Sunday Morning Cinnamon Rolls

When Darren and I were still dating, I sometimes liked to surprise him at the bookstore where he worked with a tray of hot, homemade cinnamon rolls to share with his co-workers on cold Sunday mornings. It made me happy to serve him this way, but the considerable amount of time spent in the kitchen on those crisp fall and winter days were quite enjoyable for me, too, warm and comforting, in a cozy, domestic sort of way. I realized a few weeks ago that it's been years now since I last made cinnamon rolls for him, and never, in fact, have my kids experienced the pleasure of pulling apart the sticky, fresh baked treats, warm from the oven and served by Mom. And so, when I came upon a recipe for cinnamon rolls on the back of a Jiffy baking mix box two weekends ago, I thought I'd give them a try. Not quite the same as the confections of the past, but still, we all agreed, rather tasty. Never satisfied to settle for less than the best, however, I decided this past Saturday night that I was going to redouble my efforts and really go all out for Sunday morning's breakfast. Cinnamon rolls were, again, on the menu, but this time, they'd be the real deal. Out came the cookbooks. Through the cupboards I rummaged. And wouldn't you know, I did, in fact, have everything I needed to try the recipe I loved most! (Thank goodness I finally found that last pesky package of yeast, which I just knew had to be hiding in there somewhere!)

Having reviewed the general instructions, I knew that this would not be a quick, mix together and stick in the oven affair. I was quite all right with that, though, because it was really the effort of "doing" that I actually desired most. I rose at six before the rest of my family was stirring to start the dough, which I knew would have to rise for at least an hour and a half. During that time, in the still, dark quiet, I unloaded the dishwasher and read in the silent living room, joined eventually by Dylan, who curled up beside me on the couch with a book of his own. As the rest of our family joined us one by sleepy one, there was much excitement and happy anticipation as the heady aroma of the rising dough filled the kitchen. When the time finally came to roll it out, all three of my kids were up at the counter, helping and tasting with wide smiles and twinkling eyes. I have to admit that we deviated just a bit from the printed recipe; in place of raisins, we opted instead to fill our rolls with chopped pecans and chocolate chips, a decision that was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from all of us! I'm convinced that these will become a regular Sunday breakfast in our home over the coming months, and I look forward to many happy, toasty mornings spent in my kitchen, serving my family with love.

Cinnamon Buns

1 recipe Sweet Yeast Dough (see recipe below)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup raisins (we used about a 1/4 cup each of chocolate chips and pecans
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare Sweet Yeast Dough; let rise as directed.

Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Cut dough in half. Roll one half of dough into 12x8 inch rectangle. Brush rectangle with half of melted butter, sprinkle with half of sugar mixture and half of raisins. Starting with 1 (12 inch) side, roll up jelly-roll style. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cut each roll into 12 (1-inch) slices. Place slices 1/2 inch apart in prepared pans. (Rolls will spread as they rise.) Cover with towel; let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 20-25 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes. Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in small bowl until smooth. Spread mixture over rolls. Serve warm.

Sweet Yeast Dough

4 to 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Set aside.

Combine milk and butter in 1-quart saucepan. Heat over low heat until mixture is 120 to 130 degrees. Gradually beat milk mixture into flour mixture with electric mixer at low speed. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and 1 cup flour. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Stir in enough additional flour, about 2 cups, to make soft dough.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; flatten slightly. Knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding remaining 1/4 cup flour to prevent sticking if necessary. Shape dough into a ball place in large greased bowl. Turn to coat with grease. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough, knead on lightly floured surface 1 minute. Cover with towel; let rest 10 minutes.

(Recipes from In the Kitchen with America's Favorite Brand Name Recipes.)

Melissa