Grandma's Punkin

My Grandma spent many hours baking with me all growing up. In fact, to this day the family doesn't get together without some kind of cooking being started or finished. These are my grandma's favorite cookies. She likes them so much that they are made any time of the year not just for a special fall holiday. Yeah for patient people in our lives who take the time to watch us become the people we are meant to be. They are those who helped to nurture us through the dry spells, without obligation to do so. Enjoy her recipe.
Pumpkin spice cookies with glaze
2 ½ c flour
1t baking soda
1t baking powder
½ t salt
1t cinnamon
½ t ground cloves
½ t ginger
½ t nutmeg
½ c butter
1 c white sugar
½ c brown sugar
1 egg
3 T molasses
1 ½ c canned pumpkin
1 t vanilla extract
2T lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grab 2 or more cookie sheets and line or grease according to personal preference. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl and mix to distribute through.
Place butter and sugars in stand mixer and cream. Stop mixer ad molasses, egg and turn on for 1 min. add lemon juice and flour mixture and mix 30 seconds, then add pumpkin and mix until all is just incorporated. Scoop onto sheets leaving 2 inches in between. Cooke 10-12 min cool on wire rack. Glaze with 2 cups powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 t cinnamon and enough water to make spreadable, or your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe. You can add nuts, or baking chips to this recipe. Grandma did unless it was for the kids. If you like and glaze is optional. Savor and smile with someone special.
Ms. Brownie.

I do like Spiders and Snakes

I am not crazy about things crawling on or around me. Nonetheless, I am not one of those people who can't handle disposing of an arachnid when called for. My favorite Halloween treat is certainly from a eclectic childhood, where crafts were done on a bare oak kitchen table. This heirloom had scars across the top, and the embedded wood grain was a picture of every wonderful Sunday family dinner, and crazy craft birthday party. Each Halloween my mother would comb the grocery stores to find string black licorice. With a short list of other ingredients Oreo spiders climbed from the woodwork of as we labored over frosting and red hots. The only caution is try not to eat all the goodies you may want to decorate the spiders with.
Creepy Crawlys
1 bag plain oreos
1 bag pull and peel licorice( I love black licorice)
1 small box red hots
1 tub frosting ( any flavor that sounds good)
Optional to bring some color to the spiders, fruit roll-ups, candy corn, m&m's etc. may be pasted on each spider with more frosting.
Twist open as many oreos as you desire spiders. Cut desired length of licorice plus 1/2 inch and place 6-8 around perimeter of cookie. Replace top of oreo, and decorate to hearts desire with eyes, stripes, and spots. Enjoy the time with the little ones, making a great mess. This is not meant to be an clean activity.
Smile bewore you end the life of each spider, or display on a great holiday plate
Ms. Brownie

Inside out

My Mother-in-law makes the best caramel brownies. They are thick, gooey, and to die for. This, is not that recipe. Brian, my dear hubby at times enjoys non-chocolate sweets. So in ode to both him and his fabulous mother, I inside-outed the recipe to create a blondie with a rich peanut butter chocolate filling. I know, it might be a little trendy to inside out, but when the result is this good, no cares if it happens to be trendy or not. Recipe note: warming the peanut butter mixture may help in reaching the desired pourable consistency. For those with a peanut allergy nuts can be omitted and caramels melts with evaporated milk may be substituted for peanut butter mixture.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
For the Crust:
2 cups Pillsbury Best All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/4 cups margarine or butter, softened

For the Filling:
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
One (6 oz.) pkg. (approximately 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13x9 inch pan. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix at low speed until crumbly. Reserve half of crumb mixture (about 3 cups) for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine peanut butter and honey; blend well to thick. pourable consistency add milk if needed.
Remove partially baked crust from oven. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Drizzle evenly with peanut butter mixture. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture, and lightly press in with fingers.
Return to oven; bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until filling is set. Cut into bars.
Smile and savor to the last bite!
Ms. Brownie

Perishable

Perishable
The Problem with cooking is that all food has a shelf life. No product no matter how expensive or fine will keep forever. The freshness of a product can work for or against the cook at hand. Spoiled can only be thrown out, yet ingredients at their peak are unforgettable and need little to accentuate their natural beauty. For that matter, each dish made is gone in an instant whether it be the trash, the floor or someone's satisfied belly. This fact becomes problematic as at the end of the best cooking day all that is left is a sweet memory, a smell that will forever evoke the happenings of that instant of time. Well, that's life. The good must be savored and cherished, the bad thrown out with the knowledge of how to prevent waste in the future. Have a wonderful weekend, don't hesitate to take a taste of life and hold it for a moment longer than usual. Maybe it will come back in some far off year when a delicious memory will hold you over until reinforcements come along.
Spice of Life Gingerbread
Grease and flour 9 or 10 in. square baking pan
Combine in medium bowl and whisk together
2 cup baking mix,
½ t baking soda
½ t cinnamon
½ t Chinese five spice.
Make well in center and add below.
3 lg eggs beaten
2/3 c brown sugar
2 T canola oil
3 T molasses ( not black strap)
2/3 c. Buttermilk or soured milk
Then combine with a thorough but light hand.
Preheat 400 turn down oven to 350 just as closing oven door on cake. Bake 23-28 min frost if desired with cream cheese frosting or maple glaze.

Something Simple

There are times in life when you just don't feel fabulous. Its a fact. Neither good or bad, because how would you know when things are better than ever if there was nothing on the other side of the scale. So this evening with a draining nose, warn limbs and cloudy head I bring you the quick cheer bars. Yes, I know they are rice crispie goodies, yes I know that this is a microwave recipes, but if you are like me there are days when NO ONE CARES. We all just need something to give away to make another smile, in hopes that is pressing the start button on the microwave we will forget about the long week and enjoy a simple act of service. My friend Danielle was the inspiration for these treats. So thank you for reminding me that serivce is in the thought, not the technique.
Peanut butter Crispies
4 1/2 c crisp rice cereal
place in large bowl
1 10 oz bag marshmallows
4 T butter
3 T cocoa powder
place in medium microwave bowl and cook for 2 min stirring after one minute. If the marshmallows are somewhat melted, add 2/3 c commercial peanut butter and stir. Return bowl to microwave for remaining minute stirring halfway through. Dump peanut butter mixture over cereal and mix to coat. Place in greased 13x9 pan and let cool.
If you are more ambitious than this recipe add anything that sounds good. dried banana chips, or butterscotch chips might be excellent.
Have a great evening and keep smiling.
Ms. Brownie

Sawa Cornbread

I know this is the oddest title for a sweet, moist, decadent cornbread, but it is well deserved. Upon serving this to the missionaries ( we had them over for a simple bbq dinner) I certainly had to name it after the missionary who couldn't get enough so I sent the pan home with him. This is a cheater recipe inspired b how my mother makes cornbread muffins to knock your socks off. There is no oil or butter int he recipe, so that is not a typo. Hope you enjoy this one just like Elder Sawa.
Cornbread
Preheat oven to 400 F. Oil a 9 in square pan or a 11x7 cake pan whichever you have on hand.
1 18.5 oz yellow cake mix minus 1 cup mix- save for another use. You can use the reduced sugar type if you prefer.
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/8 t white pepper (optional)
Whisk the above together in a medium bowl until all ingredients and well distributed.
3 eggs
6 oz non-fat plain yogurt
1 c buttermilk, or milk soured with lemon juice
Beat together the above until well combined
If you want more texture add 1 small can cream or canned corn according to preference (optional)
Stir wet into dry ingredients until just barely combined, scrape into pan and place in hot oven for 22-27 min depending on the pan material and how hot your oven runs.
Enjoy every last crumb. and remember its okay to modify these recipes according to your preferences.
Keep Smiling
Ms. Brownie

Versatile Meatballs

Once upon a time, in a far away place, there lived well.. me. Okay, so joking aside, growing up my mother had one of the best friends in the world. This sweet lady was my step in mother when my own happened to be out of town, sick, or just trying to deal with four overly-active children. Carol, at the time didn't have any young kids at home, and was simply an angel in the community. She had the mildest manner and was a great seamstress. This recipe was inspired by a simple act of kindness she performed for my family when my mom had just come home from having surgery.
Carol, came to the house about dinner time (remember, this would be before any of the kids were old enough to be self-sufficient in a kitchen) with a big tray full of meatballs. To my surprise there was not a bit of pasta or marinara sauce in sight. Carol dished up a plate for each of the kids before leaving us with a hug each. each plate contained a few meatballs, and brown gravy, mashed potatoes, and green peas. Trusting that Carol was a good cook we each took a courageous bite of the unknown combo, and smiled. The meatballs were lite and tasty, savory like hamburger steak for little kids' appetites. It was a delicious meal sent by someone who knew how to push the envelope, by using great flavors in a new preparation.
Now, that I am married I often have kept a bag of homemade frozen meatballs ready to go for any preparation from pizza to, mashed potatoes. The key to keeping these versatile is using simple seasonings that will go with any sauce that happens to be on the menu.
Simple Meatballs
Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F. Line bottom of a broiler pan, or baking sheet with foil. Spray top portion of broiler pan or cooling rack with cooking spray and place on top of other pan. This is a trick from Cook's Country, that keeps the meatballs from getting greasy and cooking in their own liquid.
1 lb ground beef, chicken or turkey
2 eggs
1/2 c instant or quick cooking oats mixed with 3/4 c warm milk
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t salt, or to taste
1/2 t. group thyme
1/2 t. granulated onion
Optional mix in's. 1/2 cup of thawed chopped spinach, 1/2 c complimentary cheese, 1/4 c. finely chopped cooked veggies or fresh herbs.
Mix all above together in a medium bowl with clean hands until mixture is well combined and uniform. The mixture should be soft and loose, not heavy and laden. Shape with a light hand into walnut sized balls, and place on prepared rack. The less you compress the meat the lighter and juicier the final product. Place in hot oven for 12-15 min. Cool and use in whatever you want. Freeze leftovers for a quick fix meal, on a busy evening.
Variation: This mixture can be formed around cubes of cheese, or bread stuffing ( use your imagination, just make sure item in the center of meat is not raw) for a meatball surprise that readily gets high acclaim.
Keep Smiling
Ms. Brownie

Lightened Sacher Cake

You may have heard of the elegant Sacher Torte, with its' dense chocolatey texture and intense flavor. This creation was born recently from an idea from my gorgeous little sister who lived in Italy for months at a time. This version is a little lighter much quicker, and a little more American. Nonetheless, it got some rave reviews.
So here goes.
Sacher Cake Rachel Style. (Quick)
Preheat oven 350 and spray 2 9 in cake pans with butter or cooking spray
2 1/2 cup baking mix
1 box chocolate pudding mix
1t baking powder
1/2 c baking cocoa
Combine the above into a medium bowl and stir with whisk to ensure there are no lumps
1 1/2 c white sugar
3 eggs beaten
1/3 c oil
1 t vanilla
3/4 c evaporated milk
1/2 c orange juice.
2 T molasses
Beat together with electric mixer, or whisk until well combined
Then add to dry mixture with whisk or electric mixer and beat until the batter is smooth and uniform.
Pour into prepared pans. Put in hot oven for 25-32 min depending on the finish of your bakeware.
Check with toothpick, the should not be wet, and top should spring back when touched. Remove from oven and cool ten min thaen remove from pans.
Mix together 1/4 c apricot jelly and 1/4 c orange juice heat in microwave for 1-2 min stirring every 30 seconds until mixture is melted together. Prick both cakes all over with skewer or sharp knife. brush apricot mixture over both cakes until it has seeped in.
To assemble combine 1/4 c apricot jelly with store bought or homemade cream cheese frosting for a 2 layer cake. Beat together, then fill and frost cake turning bottom layer upside down. Use as much or as little as you prefer for a typical cake frostin in your home. 2 cans of mixed store bought frosting or recipe using 8 oz cream cheese should provide enough to fill and frost cake. For garnish try shaving chocolate bars with a veggie peeler or simply dust with a little cocoa powder.

Okay, so it is a pretty involved recipe, but if you like hearing oohs' and ahh's as you walk in the room, this cake will get you there. Plus, it has a less caloric punch than the original while maintaining the wow factor.
Keep Smiling
Ms Brownie.

Enhanced Chocolate

Anyone who enjoys chocolate, is probably considering this title to be a misleading one. Rest assured, I am just going to go into some of the complimentary flavors, and little hip tricks that help to allow you to enjoy the full spectrum of tastes that chocolate can reveal.
First, anytime chocolate is warmed, cooked, heated or frozen it brings out the chocolatiness in full force. The heating is due mostly to carmelization, but as in the case of cocoa based desserts it is termed blooming the cocoa. This is done by simply heating up one of the liquids going into the recipe and pouring it over the cocoa prior to adding it to the whole recipe. Trust me it works, although i haven't figured out why. Doing this to processed chocolate is a little more tricky because burnt chocolate is simply offensive and is typically unsalvageable for much of anything. Third chocolate was not meant to be mixed initially with water, so if you are try to cut the calories from the cream, butter or other medium stated in the recipe DON'T. If you're going to enjoy a dessert you might as well have fun with it.
Flavors known for bring out the best in chocolate include;
Orange, coffee, lemon, berries, almond, peanuts, okay all nuts, vanilla, molasses, cinnamon, apricot, grapes, maple and mint.. I am sure the list exceeds this but these ar eth ones I am familiar with. Add some extract, essences, or the food/ fruit itself, can bring out dark to floral notes in the confection that were previously unimaginable. So next time you are cooking up a batch of brownies try adding one ingredient that may make that batch of baked goodness infamous in the mind of your tasting crew.
My favorite combo is Dark chocolate with orange extract, served with fresh berries. The sweet sour, bitter, combo is sublime. Have fun experimenting, after all cooking is just a bunch of written home chemistry projects, that go to for grading to an entirely subjective audience. So hope you have a great weekend.
Ms. Brownie

Joy in Every Season

In past years, during my mother-in-training phase, I had the happy privilege of having a mom who appreciated the signs of the season. She grew up in a time and place where here family helped to gather and distribute fruit for farmers in her home town. Her education in the glories of the field resulted in her keen sense for ripe, succulent pieces of heaven in each season. I have never known a woman who would make friends with every grocery produce manager within a 2 mile radius of her home, so she could ask for cases of the best fruit available. In turn, I have learned to appreciate the feel, smell, texture, and taste of nature's decadence on many occasions. There is nothing ordinary in a day when you have had juice dripping down your chin, from eating the glories of the harvest.
I go into this because I have loved apple season this year, and am anxious for the cranberries to finally signal that fall hit in full force. This morning I had the happy time to simmer the last bag of frozen cranberries into a version of Cranberry Chutney. As the summer has passed, other types of berries no longer compliment these tart delights; but the sweet candy goodness of pears seemed to fit the bill just right for this morning's adventure.
Cranberry Chutney.
Beware when served to company with sandwiches or poultry YOU WILL RUN OUT
1 bag 12oz Cranberries fresh or frozen
1-2 cups cored chopped fruit ( leave berries whole but well washed)
1/3 cup orange or apple juice which every will compliment your other fruit selection better
1/4 up to 2/3 c sugar or splenda
1/2 t total cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg or allspice, just for a little fun
Place all ingredients in medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat until cranberries have popped, sugar is dissolved, and the other fruit has reached its desired texture, ie. if you don't want it mushy then take it off the heat. Let cool, place in air tight container and enjoy on toast, sandwiched meat. or in place of applesauce for a fabulous afternoon snack.
It may be difficult but attempt to share this with others, even many who don't like cranberries love this fresh version.
Keep Smiling
Ms. Brownie

The Danger in Cookies

I love that everyone I have ever met has a very particular favorite cookie. I have a husband who hates the cake-like side of this confection, but would gobble down a plate full of any of chewy varieties that his mother made for them growing up. ( Note my mother-in=law is a FABULOUS cook and is very generous with her recipes). The other danger besides personal preference for texture of the cookie is simply that not everyone enjoys the different "add-ins" many recipes call for. At home no bones (nuts) or ants (small dried fruit pieces) are to be found in cookies made for home eating. The greatest risk I take in posting a cookie recipe is due to relative humidity. Everyone says baking is a science with very precise measures, to that fact I can't argue, but I don't know any home that can control the water content of the flour on every day of the year. Sooo, I am trusting you with this recipe, understanding that today these were awesome cookies, next week more or less flour, a little more creaming of the butter and sugars, or a little less baking time would be needed to achieve the same result.
Having said all that, these and chewy cookies with definite gorgability.
Peanut butter Oat Cookie (please use commercial brand Peanut butter, it does make a difference)
1/2 c. trans fat free margarine or shortening
1/2 c. Peanut Butter- creamy or crunchy according to preference
1c Brown sugar
1/2 c White sugar
2 lg eggs lightly beaten
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t salt
1 t Baking powder
1 t Baking soda
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c oatmeal not instant
Cream butter and sugars, add in eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients pour over creamed mixture and let the mixer do the work until all ingredients are incorporated. Bake on greased or lined sheets ( I LOVE SILPATS) at 350 for 10-12 min turning pan around in oven for last minute or so to ensure even browning.
Let these cookies make you smile, but please don't burn your tongue.
Ms Brownie

Bake on greased, or lin

Italian Gravy

Forgive the title but this is my version for Italian Gravy, or red sauce. I love the term gravy though cause I enjoy putting this sauce on veggies, pizza, bread, and, of course, pasta dishes. The term gravy is not my own, I stumbled upon the term during my perusal of " Last Bite" earlier in the year. Now every time my red pot comes out- yes I do have a designated enameled iron pot for just this dish- I can't help but imagine all the dishes it will contribute to until its' ultimate demise. Note that the recipe and amount change every time I cook, due to changes in my mood, my allergies, the weather, or the initial dish that it is being composed for. Just know, that to me cooking is a personal thing, and I think that if you like cocoa, honey, molasses, star anise, anchovy paste, fennel, or nutmeg in your gravy add it in. Bytheway, the above list has all ended up in the red pot at some point. If it sounds good try adding it, make every recipe yours by letting those bits of individual inspiration show through. Furthermore, don't hesitate to open up the spice cabinet, it is a great thing to use those miniature bottles of treasured leaf and root. Many of the most common of spices used in modern cooking have bee shown to have nutritional benefit beyond that of fruits and veggies. So never fear the unknown, just keep a tasting spoon nearby, while you concoct your own brew to entice, amaze and endure all those who enjoy the fruits of your labor. Sometimes, it is good to cast a spell.
Basic Italian gravy
Olive oil to coat heavy pot
1-2 cloves garlic
1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste.
1/2 t onion powder
1 t dried basil- can use fresh finely chopped
1 t dried oregano- can use fresh
1 t honey
2 T tomato paste
1 24oz can Hunts or canned pasta sauce or equal amount of plain tomato sauce.
( fresh herbs roughly chopped should be at least 3x's the original dried herb amount to approximate flavor.)
Optional additions: 1 T cocoa powder, 2 T balsamic vinegar, fennel-seed or ground, nutmeg, thyme, paprika; white pepper ground, anchovy paste-use less salt, lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, grated carrot, star anise (remove), bay leaf (remove), dash of sugar, 1 T molasses; Just some ideas of what I alternate putting in according to what I have on hand and feel like doing. Taste as you go, and figure out what you like. (This is not a sweet sauce to make it so add sugar, ketchup, honey, or brown sugar until you have reached desired sweetness.)
Heat olive oil in pan when hot add garlic minced into pan and stir for 30 seconds, add can of diced tomatoes, and basic spices. Reduce liquid for 3-5 min stirring occasionally. Once reduced, add the rest of the basic ingredients, and those optional ingredients that suite your palate. simmer over low heat, stirring every once in a while until desires small, taste and consistency are achieved. This has ben anywhere from 5 min to 1.5 hours for me due to the need to get dinner on the table at times. Note the longer this simmers the more the flavors meld and congeal into pan of goodness. It it gets tooo thick thin with stock, veggie juice, or tomato sauce. One way or another this is an easy versatile , work horse to have in your repertoire. Trust me this is a recipe to Savor.
Ms. Brownie

Golden Sunshine Cake

Today the sun came out, and thank goodness. I still haven't gotten used to the fact that around here clouds can be dark for days without raining, or stormy from a blue sky. Being that today is Sunday, the perfect day to cook, it was time to bake something to make someone smile. (One never knows where or when, in an unpredictable day, a bit of oven goodness will be appreciated.) SO off I went, needing to use a few eggs, and some leftover orange juice a new recipe was born.
Sunny Citrus Cake
1 boxed yellow cake mix 18 oz.
3 eggs well beaten
1 t. vanilla
1 carton lemon yogurt 6 oz
1 1/4 c orange juice
1/2 t nutmeg ( I grated it on my micro-plane)
and if you have it on hand add some fresh citrus zest. If not, the cake still receives a 4 smile rating at the potluck we ended up attending in between church meetings.

1.Preheat the oven to 350 F and coat a 10 in bundt pan with cooking spray and flour.
2. Dump the cake mix in a medium bowl and whisk until most of the clumps are very small or non-existent. ( This allows minimal beating once you incorporate the wet ingredients, adn allows the quick bread method of mixing without hazard from the cake mix.)
3. Quickly beat all wet ingredients in a separate bowl and add nutmeg.
4. Pour wet ingredients into well in dry and mix with whisk or spatula just until there are no patches of dry mix. Don't beat, this was meant to be a quick easy recipe to turn heads not a show stopping centerpiece for your next dinner party.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and place in oven for 45-50 min or until top springs back and toothpick comes out clean when pushed into the center.

PS. One crazy note from a mistake I made in the past. Don't try to put a bundt pan on a cookie sheet to facilitate removal from the oven. It negates the effect of the center surface and makes cooking time much longer with a over browned surface.

Remove from oven, cool for 10 min, then glaze ligthly with 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1T lemon juice, and enough water to give you a drizzling consistency.

This glaze gives just the right touch. For those watching your cholesterol I am sure eggs substitue would work great, and you don't have to worry about coming home with leftovers with this cake, even a crowd of full bellies ask for a slice for later to savor at home.
Keep Smiling,
Ms. Brownie