Entered Martha's Cookie Contest

I entered Martha Cookie Contest yesterday. In doing so I am linking the photos to the recipes on the blog.

Potato Chip Cookie with Chocolate drizzle

Chocolate Marble Chunk Cookies

Peanut Butter Icecream Pie

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie

This Peanut Butter Ice cream Pie is sooo good. I have had this recipe for a number of years. Usually made it for family dinners and summer get togethers. One of my co-workers had a get together so I decided to make this to take there. Everyone said they really like it.

2 cups of crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix in small bowl graham crackers and sugar. Then add melted butter and blend until just holds together.


Take mixture and press into 9 X 13" pan.


Once pressed into pan place in freezer to set while making the ice cream mixture.


Use your favorite ice cream and let is soften so you can fold easily.


1 container of vanilla ice cream, softened
1 large container cool whip, unthawed
4 crispy crunch bars
1 cup peanut butter


Take 3 of the chocolate bars and chop them into small pieces. Measure out 1 cup peanut butter and set aside.
When ice cream is softened enough, place in large bowl and fold in peanut butter. Do not over mix you want little pockets of peanut butter to be present. Then fold in cool whip again gently. Then add the crispy crunch bars.

I decided to add another element to this dessert and made a fudge chocolate layer on the graham cracker mixture.
1 package of semi-sweet chocolate pieces
2 tsp. butter
1/4 cup cream

Heat milk and butter on low heat until just about to boil. Remove from heat add chocolate pieces and mix until melted. Return to very low heat and mix until reduces a bit. Take this mixture and pour onto chilled graham cracker crust. And return to freezer.

Keep 1/4 cup of chocolate for the top of the pie. You may need to add a bit more cream to make it thinner to drizzle over the top of the pie.


This only takes maybe 15 minutes to set. Take out and pour ice cream layer on top of this chocolate layer. Take the last crispy crunch bar and chop it up in small pieces and add to top of Ice cream and then drizzle chocolate over this. You may have to add a bit more cream to thin the chocolate and heat it up a bit as well.

New On Line Dessert Magazine

I do not know if you have all found the new Dessert Magazine that is on line. It is really cool.
Here is the website: Dessert Magazine
Go check it out!!!! You will love it I am sure...

"Desserts Magazine™ is the first and only digital magazine about desserts. We are a consumer publication and website that focus on testing, creating, and reviewing the best dessert recipes, in every category. It is where the beginner and the advance baker will find all the necessary tools to make fabulous desserts every time. The magazine also covers tabletop items, kitchen tools, confections, new products and other areas of interest to people who not only love desserts, but love to make it and talk about it!"

Choco-Toffee Dream Bars

I decided to make these bars last weekend. It has been a few years since I have made them. They are a nice bar we enjoyed them. However, if I were to make them again I would only use 3/4 cup of brown sugar in the topping as they were a bit sweet. When looking for the Rhubarb Dessert I found this one, remembering they were good, decided to make them as well. In looking at the file draw I have of recipes, I realized there are a lot of recipes to put up....when you have been cooking for hmmmm to many years to say..one does accumulate a lot of recipes.

Choco-Toffee Dream Bars

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 13X9X2 inch baking pan.

Pastry

Combine:
2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup lightly, packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cups soft butter

Blend this until crumbly
Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake in preheated 350F. oven for 10 minutes.

Topping

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Blend together and set aside.

2 eggs
Beat until foamy

Stir in
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
Blend in dry ingredients and then stir in:

1 cup raisins, plumped*
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, (I used milk chocolate chips)

Spread over baked pastry. Return to oven and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Makes 4 dozen bars

*To plump raisins-cover with boiling water. Let stand for 5 minutes and then drain them.

I have been tagged

I was tagged by Rosanne and Rosemary , so here goes. It is hard to think of seven things..but I will do my best.

The rules

1. Post the name and URL of the person who tagged you

2. Post the rules

3. Write seven things about yourself

4. Put the links in to your 7 favourite blogs

5. Name 7 people you are going to tag

6. Post a comment on their blog to say they've been tagged.


Now on to the seven things,

1/ I have been living on my own for 10 years now. My X said I would never make it. So far I am doing OK>>>>> :)

2/ I really love taking photos of nature. By fall I hope to have a new camera.


3/ I have been reading alot about investing. Ever since I saw Derek Foster on the news. He retired at 34...

4/ I miss painting and my crafts since I work so much of the time. Hopefully when I retire I can do more. I would really like to sew cloth dolls or bears.

5/ I really like riding my bike. I have been out once since the weather has gotten warmer.

6/ I really enjoy blogging. There are so many great ones to visit everyday.

7/ I really like watching Nature Documentaries.

Seven favourite blogs??

Only seven:

1. Cookie Madness

2. Bake or Break

3. Bumpkin Bears

4. Culinary Concoctions By Peabody

5. How To Eat A Cupcake

6. Clumbsy Cookie

7. Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats

Now 7 people I am going to tag.

1. Gigi

2. Clumbsy Cookie

3. Bumpkin Bears

4. Coconut & Lime

5. My Little Kitchen

6. Fresh from the Oven

7. Alpineberry

Chicken Fajita's

Last night Dan made Chicken Fajitas with guacamole. He marinaded the chicken early in the day. Half of the chicken we used for this dish last night and the other half we made a stir fry tonight. It was a great dinner.

Chicken Fajitas

One package fajita Mix
2 to 3 chicken breasts
1 red pepper
1 small onion
1 jalapeño
2 scallions
1 avocado
1 small plum tomato
Jared salsa (your choice)


Marinade for Chicken

One package of Fajita mix
pour this over the chicken, cover and let marinade in the fridge a couple hours or overnight.

Cut up onions and peppers in strips, set aside.

Guacamole

1 small plum tomato
1 avocado
2 scallions
1 jalapeño

Put an X on bottom of the plum tomato, and blanch until skin starts to come off. Then under cold water take skin off tomato. Quarter tomato, remove seeds and hull then dice into small cubes. In a bowl, dice avocado and immediately add juice of 1/2 lime so it does not turn brown. Mash avocado but leave some small pieces like lumpy potatoes. Add diced plum tomato, scallions and jalapeño. Salt to taste. Make this just before you start the chicken, it can turn brown if made ahead.

Fajitas

Take chicken and fry in a cast iron skillet. Brown chicken well and add juice of 1/2 lime over chicken to de-glaze pan. Take chicken out of pan and put in to serving bowl. Add strips of onion and peppers in pan frying until tender. Place these in a serving bowl.

In warm taco shells, layer chicken, veg mix, guacamole, salsa and serve wrapped up.

Rhubarb Dessert

I made this Sunday for dinner. The recipe was given to me by a lady I worked for; a number of years ago. Rhubarb is one of my favorite fruits.

Rhubarb Dessert

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
5 Tbsp. icing sugar
1/2 cup butter

Blend this together and press into bottom of 9 X 9 Pan. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

Topping:

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups rhubarb

Beat eggs in mixer until lightened. Add sugar and continue to beat until fluffy. Add flour and salt , beat until doubled in volume.

When crust is cooled a bit add rhubarb on top; pour egg mixture over the top. Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Malted Espresso Cupcakes

From our library here I brought home 125 best Cupcake recipes. So far it seems to have some yummy recipes. Over the next while I will be making a few of them. The Malted Espresso Cupcakes are really good, nice and moist. The frosting really adds to them. Definitely one to try.

Malted Espresso Cupcakes


Preheat oven to 350F
Line muffin tin with paper liners

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup malted milk powder
1/4 cup freshly brewed espresso or dark roasted coffee
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together with a whisk, flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In another small bowl, whisk together malted milk powder and espresso until smooth.

3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, butter and eggs, until smooth. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and espresso mixture, making three additions of flour mixture and two of espresso mixture, beating until smooth.

4. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.


Malted Milk Espresso Frosting

2 Tbsp. strong brewed coffee
2 Tbsp. malted milk powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla

1. In a small cup, mix together 2 Tbsp. coffee and 2 Tbsp. malted milk powder until powder is dissolved.
2. In a bowl, add butter beat until smooth, add pinch of salt and vanilla. Add icing sugar a bit at a time and add coffee mixture until consistency is smooth and spreadable.
3. Spread on cooled cupcakes.

Started a New Blog of Photography

I decided to start another blog besides the baking one for our photography. Here is the link to the blog sight.

Butter Tarts

We found this recipe on the becel website. We have made them a few times and they have turned out good each time. You could also use the pastry we have used The perfect Pie Crust.

Pastry

1 1/3cups all-purpose flour
1/4tsp salt
1/2cups Becel margarine
3tbsp ice water
1tsp white vinegar

Filling

1/2cups corn syrup
1/4cups brown sugar
1 egg
2tbsp Becel margarine, melted
1tsp each vanilla and white vinegar
1/2cups raisins, preferably sultanas

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190C). Spray using non-stick cooking spray, 10 preferably non-stick, muffin tin cups. In a medium bowl, stir flour with salt. Using your finger tips or pastry cutter, mix in Becel just until large crumbs begin to form. Whisk water with vinegar. While stirring flour mixture with a fork, gradually add just enough water mixture for dough to come together. Gather into a ball and place on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold plastic wrap overtop, then use plastic to flatten dough into a disc. Seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk corn syrup with brown sugar, egg, vanilla, Becel, vanilla and vinegar. Roll out dough about ¼-inch (0.5 cm) thick. Then cut out 10 (4 to 4 1/2-inch/10 to 11-cm) circles, using a lightly flour glass or circle cutter. Press circles into muffin cups. Divide raisins among tart shells. Then fill with corn syrup mixture.

3. Bake until a deep golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Let stand a couple of minutes. Then remove to a rack to cool.

Happy April Fools Day

Caramel Puddle Cupcakes

I found this recipe in the Hamilton paper last week. In showing it to my son, he wanted to make them. He came up with an idea of making a well in the middle and adding caramel sauce which has been made thicker than normal. The cupcake is almost like angelfood cake. We really enjoyed them.

Caramel Buttercream Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup regular or low fat sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In large bowl using electric beaters, beat butter for 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugar, beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Using wooden spoon, alternately stir flour mixture and sour scream into butter mixture, making three additions of flour and two of sour cream.

Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling about three quarters full.
Bake in centre of oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until cake tops spring back when lightly pressed.
Transfer to rack for 5 minutes.
Remove cupcakes to rack; let cool completely.

Icing:

Makes 2 cups

2/3 cups unsalted butter, very soft
2 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
3 tbsp milk

In large bowl, using electric mixer, beat icing sugar and butter on low speed, adding enough milk in between additions to achieve spreading consistency.

Caramel Sauce

1 cup of sugar

5 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1. First, before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first - make sure there are no children under foot and you may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.

2. Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir slowly with a whisk or wooden spoon.

3. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-quarts (preferably 3-quarts) big.

5. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.