Fabulous Pie Crust Demonstration

We had two very lovely pie crust demonstrations in our August 2014 Relief Society Additional Meeting.  

This is Connie Lee's press in crust(as demonstrated by Kathy Perry):

Pie Crust (Makes 2 Single Crust Pies)

2 1/2 cups flour

1 T sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup oil

5 T cold water

Stir dry ingredients together.  Wisk oil and water together with a fork.  Add oil and water to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Pat into two 9" pie pans.  Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  

Pie Crust with Crumb Topping (Makes 2 pies)

3 1/3 cup flour

4 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup oil

7 T cold water

Reserve 1 cup of dough.  Pat rest of dough into two pie pans.

To the reserved dough, add:

2 T sugar

3/8 to 1/2 cup oatmeal

Mix together and crumble over the top of pie filling.

Flakey Butter Crust (Roll out)
by Lindsay Hahn

1 c. Butter

2 1/2 c. Flour
1 tsp salt (if unsalted butter is used - about 1/4 tsp if using salted butter)
1/4-1/2 c. Ice water

Combine butter and flour by your desired method. You want the result to be a mixture that resembles course sand.

Add ice water until the mixture holds together nicely when you press it between your fingers. You don't want it too dry or too wet - either will make it harder when you begin rolling.

Divide the dough in half and shape into flattened disks. Wrap in Saran Wrap and chill the disks while you prepare your filling.

Roll the disks out on a floured surface to fit your pie plate. You can fold them in half for transferring - or roll them up on your rolling pin.

For a single crust pie, trim and shape the edges. Score the crust on the sides and bottom with a fork to help minimize bubbles. Bake at 375 until golden brown.

For a double crusted pie - trim, seal and shape the edges. Vent your top crust with fork holes in your favorite pattern. This will help prevent boiling over. Bake at 375 until top crust is golden brown.

For both pies, shield the edges of your crust until the last 5-10 minutes of baking.

Family Memories: Dessert

For our Preserving Family Memories Activity, some sisters brought some yummy family favorites.   They were sweet enough to share the recipes:

Buttermilk Brownies -Patti Jeppson

Brownie Ingredients                                      Frosting Ingredients
2 c all-purpose flour                                      3 T unsweetened cocoa
2 c sugar                                                      3 T buttermilk
1 t baking soda                                              ¼ c butter
¼ t salt                                                         2 ¼ c sifted powdered sugar
1 c butter                                                      ½ t vanilla
1 c water                                                      ¾ coarsely chopped pecans
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
½ c buttermilk
1 ½ t vanilla

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour jelly roll pan (15 x 10).
Combine flour, sugar, soda and salt. Set aside. Put butter, water and 1/3 c cocoa powder in pan and bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add mixture to dry ingredients, beating with electric mixture on medium to high speed until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, ½ c buttermilk and vanilla. Beat 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, combine remaining butter, cocoa powder and buttermilk in small saucepan. Bring to boil, remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in nuts and pour warm frosting over warm brownies, spreading evenly. Cool and then cut into bars.


OATMEAL CAKE -Francine Coons
Mix:
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Boil:
1 1/3 cup water
2 sticks butter

Add to dry ingredients and mix

Add and mix:
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Bake in greased 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Cool and sift powdered sugar on top

Cinnamon Rolls - Jennifer Daily
In a medium saucepan heat until medium warm:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups milk
2 tsp Kosher salt
3 eggs beaten (add last)

Meanwhile in large mixing bowl combine:
4 1/2 tsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
2/3 cup hot water (I use the hottest water that comes out of my tap)
Mix together and let brew until bubbly.

Pour liquid mixture from saucepan into mixing bowl and mix in:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
6 cups white flour

Knead for 10 minutes and cover with towel and let rise about 1 hour or until double in size. Divide dough in half and roll into a rectangle. Spread butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on top. Roll up starting at long end. Cut with serrated knife into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Put on jelly roll pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
Let rise about half an hour then preheat oven to 350.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Top with your favorite icing or cream cheese frosting.

RAISIN BARS - Connie Lee
1 cup raisins - boil 5 min. in 1 1/2 cups water
(strain and save liquid) add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon soda to liquid.

Mix by hand in bowl:
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup oil
1 egg

Add alternately:
2 cups flour
Raisin liquid
Stir well
Add raisins. Mix well

Spread on greased sheet cake pan.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (don't over bake)

When cool frost with butter cream frosting.

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING
4 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons hot milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Stir butter until very soft. Add a small amount of sugar, then milk and vanilla. Beat in remaining sugar until of soft, spreading consistency. Tint if desired. This frosting may be put through a decorator tube.


Grandma's Awle Dumplings - with a Modern Twist - Lezlie Zollinger

My Grandma always said:
"If a little sugar is good then a lot is a lot better"

(Heritage Version)
Sift together: 3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking soda

Mix In: 3/4 cup shortening (lard is best)
1 cup or more of cream or milk
Apples dash of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Sugar
Chunk of butter

Make a dough similar to pie crust. Roll out and cut into squares about the size of a small hankie.
Onto each square put peeled and sliced apples, sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon and sugar and a chunk of butter.

Roll into a bundle.

Make a simple syrup with sugar and water and pour over dumplings until about 1/2 inch or more deep.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Makes 18 small

(Modern Twist)
Instead of making the dough, use Pillsbury Pop and Fresh Crescent Rolls
2 pkgs of Crescent rolls and 2 - 3 small to medium apples
Cover with:
1 cup melted butter, 1 V2 cup sugar, I tsp. vanilla, Stir gently over low heat until sugar
and butter are melted and mixed together - don't over stir. Pour over apple bundles
and then gently pour around the edges 12 ounces of Sprite
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
Serve warm with Ice Cream

Enjoy once every Decade!! For Good Health!!

Crock Pot Cooking-

Thanks so muck to Kathy Perry for sharing your experience and wisdom in the ways of crock pot cooking.  I  for one am dying to try some of these tips and recipes out.  This is my first ever blog post so feedback would be very helpful.
Here is the hand out Kathy presented for us:



Guidelines for cooking with a crock pot:

• Vegetables take longer to cook that most meats. Slice or chop the vegetables and put them near the bottom and sides of the crock pot.
• Trim fats from meats.
• Liquids don't evaporate much, so you may want to use less liquid than in conventional cooking.
• Frozen foods such as vegetables and shrimp may be used. However, do not thaw or cook large frozen foods unless you first add at least 1 cup of warm liquid. Cook recipes containing frozen meats an additional 4 to 6 hours on Low or 2 hours on High.
• Use whole leaf herbs and spices for best flavor. If ground herbs and spices are used, stir in during the last hour.
• Fill crock pot at least half full to conform to recommend cooking times. Small quantities may be prepared, but cooking time will be affected.
• Cook dried beans before adding to recipe.
• Dairy products tend to break down during extended cooking. When possible, add during the last hour of cooking.
  Condensed soups may be substituted for milk, etc., and can cook for extended times.
• When making soup, add only enough water to cover the other ingredients. If thinner soup is desired, add more liquid at serving time.
• Combine equal parts of water and corn starch and add to liquids in the pot the last 15·30 minutes of cooking time to make gravy.
• Experiment and keep notes on what you did.

There are good discussions on cooking with crock pots at:

http://busycooks.about.com/od/slowcookerrecipes/a/crockpotlO1.htm

Converting recipes to the slow cooker- http://busycooks.about.com/od/slowcookerrecipes/a/crockpot102.htm

Crock pots have gotten hotter- http://busycooks.about.com/od/crockpots/a/adjustcrockpotcooking.htm

RECIPES:

Crockpot Morning Casserole 

Beth Thomas's recipe with Kathy's notes

1 lb. bacon diced, cooked and drained or l lb. cooked ham, cubed (I used a lot less.)

1 medium diced onion

1 green bell pepper diced

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1 dozen eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

Layer first four ingredients in the cooker three to four times, ending with a layer of cheese. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Pour over the crockpot mixture and cover. Cook on low 10-12 hours. (1/2 recipe cooked in 5 hours.)

Spaghetti Sauce

1 6-oz can tomato paste

2 15-oz. cans tomato sauce

1 large carrot grated

1 onion chopped

l lb. ground beef, browned and drained

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Combine ingredients in Crock Pot. Simmer on high for 2-3 hours.

This sauce can also be used for lasagna and pizza.

Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled. Cut them into 3/4 inch slices and cut the slices in half (half moon shaped).

Dip the slices in about 1 cup of orange juice so that they are completely coated and put in crock pot. Pour the rest of the juice over the potatoes. Cook on High for 3 1/2 hours. Mash the potatoes when they are very soft. Add salt and a pinch of cinnamon if desired.

Slow cooker Fajitashttp://livermoretestkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/03/slow-cooker-fajitas.html

Magic Meat Loaf

2 Ibs. ground beef

2 eggs

2/3 cup quick cooking oats

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

1/2 cup ketchup-divided

Reserve 2 tablespoons ketchup. Combine ground beef, eggs, oats, soup mix and remaining ketchup. Shape into a loaf. Put in Crock Pot. Top with remaining ketchup. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours or on High 3-4 hours.

Painless Italian Chicken

Painless Italian Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 dry packet Italian Seasons Dressing

8-oz. cream cheese

1 can Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken soup

Combine in crock pot and cook on High 3-4 hours. Serve over rice or noodles

Texas Black Bean Soup

-Sandy Clark

20 oz. ground turkey

2 l5-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes

6 cups chicken broth

1 11 oz. can Mexicorn or regular corn drained

2 oz. cans chopped green chilies

4 green onions thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. dried minced garlic.

Cook the ground turkey in a skillet breaking up lumps as it cooks. Drain. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for four hours until heated through.

Pot Roast

2-3 pound beef roast

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1 can condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

Place roast in slow cooker. Sprinkle with dry soup mix. Top with mushroom soup.

Cover. Cook on High 3 hours or Low 6 hours.

Variations:

Add chopped onions instead of soup mix.

Add 1/4 c. chopped green pepper.

Place the roast on top of cubed potatoes and sliced carrots. Proceed with above directions.

Stir 1/2 cup sour cream into the gravy before serving.

Hot Fudge Cake

Hot Fudge Cake

1 cup packed brown sugar, divided

1 cup flour

3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups boiling water

Spray sides of crock pot with Pam.

Mix first 5 ingredients together. Stir in milk, butter and vanilla. Spread over the bottom of slow cooker.

Mix together 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Sprinkle over mixture in slow cooker. Pour in boiling water. Do NOT stir. Cover and cook on High 2-3 hours. Or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (It was cooked in just over an hour in my crock pot.)

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Classic Goulash from Allrecipes.com

Classic Goulash

2 pounds ground beef or turkey browned and drained

2 large yellow onions chopped and cooked with the ground beef or turkey

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups water

2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons dried Italian herb seasoning

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon seasoned salt, or to taste (This was TOO salty.)

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni.

Combine all ingredients except for macaroni in crock pot and cook on High for 1 hour or until the sauce is boiling. Stir in macaroni and continue to cook for about 45 more minutes.

Here is what everyone else brought to share:

Hawaiian Meatballs, Mary Beth Cheney

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/04/slow-cooker-hawaiian-meatballs-recipe.html

Brown Rice Pudding, Kara Blair

Rice Pudding

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-caramel-rice-pudding/7dff925e-9ea1-495e-9417-1f3bcd1a18f8

Meatball Soup, Amy Rossi

Lentil Soup, Kaye Sivori

From the Green Smoothie Girl's cook book

Pulled Pork, Lezlie Zollinger

Pulled Pork

med. sized Pork Butt 
add about 4Tbl. of Liquid Smoke and about 3 Tbl. of coarse salt. 
Cook in Crock Pot for about 8-10 hours on high.
As it cooks if you don't smell the smoke add a bit more.  Can always add more of both the salt and smoke at the end.
You will have to drain some of the grease and pull the fat off and shred the meat!

Shred and enjoy.

Add BBQ sauce for yummy sandwiches or fill enchiladas or tacos.  Use in just about anything.

Artichoke Dip, Lezlie Zollinger

Artichoke Dip

8 oz. marinated artichoke hearts - drained

7 oz. chopped green chillies

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup mayo

Mix together and either bake in oven @ 350 for 30 min. or until bubbly or heat in croak pot on high until bubbly and then turn down to low.

Slow-Cooker Pound Cake

Submitted by Mary Beth Cheney


Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. cream of tartar
1/4 t. salt
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 t. ground nutmeg
6 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients.
2. Mix with a hand or stand mixer until ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Grease inside of your crockpot, or a loaf pan. (If using a pan, place inside the crockpot and do not add any water.)
4. Prop lid open with a chopstick or toothpick. Cook on high until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. (About 4 hours.)

Cream Fondant for Dipping Chocolates

Submitted by Deloris Gehmlich from Candymaking by Ruth. A. Kendrick and pauline H. Atkinson


Ingredients:
1 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. light corn syrup
4 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. Mazetta (or marshmallow cream)
Flavoring and/or nuts

Directions:
1. Set aside a 9-by-13 in. ungreased baking pan. In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, combine cream, milk, corn syrup, sugar, and salt. Place over medium-high heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil. If any sugar crystals are present, wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush.

2. Clip on candy thermometer. Cook syrup to 234 degrees F. or soft-ball stage. Remove from heat and, without stirring or scraping, pout into baking pan. Without excess movement, place in refrigerator or other cool area.

3. When bottom of pan no longer feels warm, begin stirring fondant with a wooden spoon. You don't have to stir rapidly, just keep the mass moving. If desired, after 15 minutes of stirring add 1/2 c. mazetta or marshmallow cream. If you intend to flavor the entire batch one flavor, you can add it any time after the mazetta is added. Stir until fondant becomes very thick and loses its gloss. At this point it has set up.

4. If it is too stiff to handle, break off small pieces and work them in your hands like modeling clay. This should cause it to soften. You could also wrap fondant in plastic wrap and cover it with a warm damp tea towel for 15 minutes. If it doesn't soften, it may be overcooked. Follow directions for recooking.

5. If you have stirred the fondant for more than 1 hour and it hasn't set up, try letting it rest for a few minutes without stirring. This will sometimes cause the fondant to begin the desired crystallization process. If resting doesn't work, it may be undercooked. Follow directions for recooking.

Cream Fondant Flavor Variations
Each is enough to flavor an entire batch. If you are flavoring one batch many flavors, reduce accordingly.
Vanilla or vanilla nut: 1 T. vanilla and 1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts.
Black walnut: 1 T. vanilla, 1/4 t. black walnut extract, and 1 c. walnuts.
Cherry creams: 2 t. almond extract and 1 t. rum extract.
Cherry nut: 2 t. almond extract, 1 t. run extract, 1/2 c. chopped candied cherries, and 1 c. chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds.
Mint creams: 1/2 t. oil of peppermint or 2 t. peppermint extract.
Lemon creams: 1 T. lemon extract, small amount yellow coloring, and 1/4 t. citric acid.
Orange creams: 1 T. orange extract, small amount of orang coloring, and 1/4 t. citric acid.
Raspberry or Strawberry creams: 2 T. raspberry or strawberry extract, 1/4 t. lemon extract, small amount pink or red coloring, and 1/4 t. citric acid.

Making Hand-Dipped Chocolates

Notes for best results submitted by Deloris Gehmlich


1. Buy a good European chocolate with the melting point of 236, 230, or 232 degrees F. (The 1 lb. Belgium milk or dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe's work well.) Break the bars into smaller pieces and place in a 9-by-13 inch pan or larger. About 10-12 hours before dipping chocolates, preheat the oven to 130 degrees and immediately turn off. Place pan of chocolate pieces in the oven with no heat. The oven light will be enough to melt the chocolate. If not melted gradually, the chocolate can turn cloudy and grey after dipping.

2. Make fondants (centers) from recipes and directions found in an HP Book named Candymaking by Ruth A. Kendrick and Pauline H. Atkinson. Deter Gehmlich suggests making fondants a few days in advance in case you need to re-make them. To mix and cook the fondant, you'll use the following kitchen supplies:
- heavy pan (the bottom half of a pressure cooker works great!)
- high-quality digital candy thermometer (since the exact temp. is crucial to whether or not the fondant sets up or is runny)
- pastry brush (to brush down any sugar crystals that form)
- 9-by-13 inch glass pan to pour cooked fondant in and stir it until it's the correct consistency--pliable, thick, and not glossy.
- wooden spoon

Plan on the fondant-making process taking at least 90 minutes since the fondant will need to be stirred 30-45 minutes by hand. Many fondant recipes often call for Mazetta as an ingredient that will help add a light fluffy texture. Another option is to use marshmallow creme.

**If the fondant is undercooked, it won't solidify. Try to fix it by adding a couple degrees to the temperature the original recipe calls for and boil the mixture until it reaches that point.

**If the fondant is overcooked, it will turn into  sugar instead of being smooth and pliable. If that happens,  follow the instructions on page 17 of Candymaking to try and recook the batch.

**Once fondant is solidified, put it in a well-buttered pie tin, cover it, and refrigerate until the day you'll use it (or dip immediately). When you dip, put cornstarch on your hand and take 1/2 t. of the fondant and roll into a ball and set on waxed paper.

3. Before dipping the fondant, temper the chocolate (you can find instructions for this online or on page 150-151 of Candymaking.) Dip the balls of fondant into warmed chocolate, using your hands to roll it around until covered. (If chocolate starts to set up, the frying pan can be turned on and then off again immediately.)

4. Cool dipped chocolates as soon as possible by placing them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and placing them in a cool room (like a garage, etc.)

5. After chocolates are thoroughly cooled, place them in chocolates in paper candy holders and then into a container.

Dark Chocolate Heart-Shaped Whoopie Pies

Submitted by Mallory Watkins


For the cake

Ingredients:
1 stick butter at room temp.
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 eggs, room temp.
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/8 t. baking soda
1/4 c. Hersey's Special Dark Cocoa
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. sour cream

Directions:
1. Position rake in lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lay parchment paper over a cookie sheet.

2. Cream butter in a mixer on medium speed, then gradually add sugars, beating well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until blended.

3. In a separate bowl, dry whisk the flour, baking soda, cocoa, and baking powder together. Add 1/3 the cocoa mixture and 1/3 the sour cream alternately, beating well after each addition. Repeat until all the flour mixture and sour cream have been blended in. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir up the batter at the bottom, then beat again.

4. Using a cookie scoop, place large dollops of batter onto the cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the cakes spring back when touched. Let cool slightly on cookie sheet. Using a heart-shaped cutter, cut out the centers of the cakes and let cool entirely on a wire rack.

For the buttercream
Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter, softened
3 to 4 T. milk
2 c. powdered sugar
2 t. vanilla

Directions:
1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, mix butter, milk, and sugar together until smooth and creamy. You may have to add slightly more sugar OR milk to get the consistency you want. Add vanilla and blend until mixed.
2. Frost the bottom of one cake, gently place a second cake on top to create a sandwich. 

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Submitted by Florence Madsen


Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. cream
1 c. skim milk
8 egg yolks
1 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. whipping cream
4 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt

Directions:
1. Heat 1 1/2 c. cream and skim milk over medium heat.
2. Whip egg yolks and sugar together until blended and slightly thickened.
3. Gradually add hot milk/cream mixture to egg mixture. Stir to blend. Return to pan and cook over medium heat until steamy with small bubble around edge stirring constantly. DO NOT LET BOIL.
4. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients and chill at least 8 hours. Transfer to ice cream freezer and churn.

Variations: Add all extra ingredients in the last 2 to 3 minutes of churning.
-mini chocolate chips
-toasted almonds
-caramel ribbons
-strawberries, chopped
-raspberries
-ripe peaches, mashed
-crushed Oreo cookies

Pineapple Slush

Submitted by Lezlie Zollinger


Ingredients:
1 full pineapple
2-3 dates
1/2 t. fresh lemon juice
optionals: chunks of banana or berries

Directions:
1. Peel and cube pineapple. Beat in blender. Add date and lemon juice and any optional ingredients.
2. Freeze in ice cream freezer until thick. 

Liz Hatch's Buster Bars

Submitted by Lezlie Zollinger


Ingredients:
16 oz. pkg. Oreos (crushed)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 gallon ice cream (softened)
1 jar hot fudge (thick, but spreadable)
chopped peanuts
8 oz. Cool Whip

Directions:
1. Mix Oreos and butter. Press into 9-by-13" pan. (You can save some to sprinkle on top.) Let freeze for about 5 min.
2. Layer ice cream on top. Freeze again about 10 min or until slightly firm.
3. Pour hot fudge over ice cream. Sprinkle peanuts on top. Freeze again 5 min.
4. Spread Cool Whip on top. Sprinkle left-over Oreo crumbs on top. Freeze until firm enough to cut.

Frozen Butter Brickle

Submitted by Kathy Perry


Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. white sugar

1 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. quick-cooking oats
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
3/4 c. chopped pecans

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (12 oz.) jar caramel topping

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350* F.
2. In medium bowl, combine first set of ingredients (graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar). Mix well. Press into bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan. Bake 6 minutes. Cool completely.
3. Preheat oven to 400* F.
4. In a large bowl, combine next set of ingredients. Lightly press onto a baking sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until light brown. Crumble while still hot. Cool completely.
5. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in condensed milk until well blended. Fold in whipped topping.
6. Spread half the cream cheese mixture over the crust in the spring-form pan. Sprinkle half the oat crumbles over the cheese mixture and spread half the caramel sauce over that. Repeat layers. Freeze until firm. Remove pan sides and serve cold.

Notes on Hobo Dinners

Submitted by Lezlie Zollinger and Mallory Watkins

Hobo dinners, or tinfoil dinners, or packet dinners--whatever you want to call them--are classics in the camping community. They're easy to make and customize for picky eaters and easy to transport. Here are some tips:

Preparation:

It helps a lot to cook the meat and potatoes, carrots, or other root vegetables before hand. Then you simply pack it in the tinfoil and warm it up on the campfire. This cuts the time on the fire down to fifteen or twenty minutes rather than 45 minutes to an hour. Cooking beforehand also lessens your need for a nonstick spray.

Using a heavy-duty tinfoil. Place the shiny side inward and spray with a nonstick spray. (If you are using a meat such as ground beef, the nonstick spray isn't necessary.)

Use foil three times the width of the food. Fold sides up creasing foil at edge of food. Keeping edges together, make a 1/2-inch to 1-inch fold and crease. Fold 2-3 times leaving enough room for expansion and steaming during cooking. Smooth ends flat, make four small triangle folds on each end from edge of food to the edge of foil. Fold ends of foil in using 1/2-inch folds.

If cooking chicken, pound as thin as possible to reduce cooking time and ensure thorough cooking.

Recipes:

1. Oriental Chicken: Place 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast sliced in strips and 1 cup frozen vegetables in center of foil. Combine 2 T. soy sauce, some garlic, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and 1 T. brown sugar. Drizzle over chicken and vegetables. Wrap and cook well.

2. Ranch Chicken: Dip one boneless, skinless chicken breast in melted butter then in 1 packet Ranch dressing mixed with 3/4 c. corn flake crumbs and 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese. Place on foil. Add sliced strips summer squash and bell peppers. Wrap and cook well. Sprinkle with grated cheese just before serving. (Note: One packet of dressing mixed as above will coat 4-6 chicken breasts.)

3. Traditional Foil Dinner: Place thin hamburger patty in center of foil. Add thinly sliced carrots, potato cubes, and rings of onion, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap and cook well. Sprinkle with grated cheese just before serving.

4. Breakfast Nest: Prepare one thin sausage patty made from lean country sausage; place on foil. Add 3/4 to 1 cup frozen hash browns creating a nest in the center. Add one egg to the nest. Wrap and cook well. 

5. Orange Cupcakes or Muffins: Slice top off orange and scoop out the pulp, leaving the rind intact. (Eat pulp. Yum!) Prepare cake of muffin mix. Fill orange hollow 3/4 full with mix. Wrap in foil. Cook until muffin mix has risen and "baked" through.

6. Baked Apple: Slice apple in half and remove core. (You can also remove core with a corer and leave the apple round.) Place 1 T. brown sugar in hollow, sprinkle with cinnamon and dot with butter. Wrap and "bake" until apple is soft and filling has melted.

Campfire Tips:

Ideally, we would cook on coals, not exactly on campfires. With kids, sometimes we don't get to wait that long, but this is how to get perfect cooking coals: 

Build a medium to large campfire (depending on how many hobo dinners you plan on cooking at once). Try to only build it once and avoid feeding it for very long. Allow the fire to burn down naturally until the logs are no more than coals. Depending on the size of the fire, and how long you keep feeding it, this can more than an hour, so plan on starting your fire a while before you plan on cooking your meals. (This is why I cook mine at home and heat them up in the fire.) While the coals are still white hot, gently use a poker to move them around; you want them laying mostly flat and even. Lay the packets among the coals and use a set of tongs to place hot coals on the tops to cook evenly. 

Summer Fruit Dessert Salad

Submitted by Vicki Morris


Ingredients:
1 lg. can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve juice)
1 can fruit cocktail, drained (reserve juice)
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
miniature marshmallows (optional)
1 pkg. instant lemon or vanilla pudding

Directions:
1. Mix pudding with one cup of reserved juices from fruit (NO MILK NEEDED). Stir mixture into fruit and then refrigerate.
Note: You can really add any fruit you wish--bananas, chopped apples, strawberries, or any canned fruit. The canned fruits keep much better than the fresh ones.


Vickie says: "It's great for camping. It's easy to take along the cans of fruit--even if you don't have room in the cooler. After a day or two when the cooler is no longer so full, you can put the cans in to chill. Or you can get a bucket of cold water from a stream and chill the cans that way. Then mix."

Orange or Anise Brownie Bites

Submitted by Nancy Preston
Just use your favorite brownie recipe that fills a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Divide batter in two. Flavor using following instructions, then bake in two greased 8-inch square pans. (I used Duncan Heinz Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix.)

FOR ORANGE BROWNIES
Ingredients:
zest from 1 medium orange
zest from 1/2 large lemon
1 c. toasted walnuts

4 oz. cream cheese

3 T. butter

1 1/2 boxes (about 1 1/2 lbs.) powdered sugar

finely grated zest of 1 large orange

pinch of salt

1-2 T. frozen orange juice concentrate

Directions:
1. Add first three ingredients to brownie batter and mix until incorporated. Bake as usual; allow to cool.
2. To make frosting, simply cream together cream cheese and butter. Beat in remaining ingredients until frosting is desired consistency.

FOR ANISE BROWNIES
Ingredients:
6 to 7 T. butter
1 1/2 boxes (about 1 1/2 lbs.) powdered sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
5 t. anise extract
pinch of salt
2 to 3 T. half and half

Directions:
1. Bake brownies as usual; allow to cool.
2. To make frosting, beat together all ingredients except the half and half. Slowly add half and half until frosting is desired spreading consistency.

Baklava

Submitted by Mallory Watkins
Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, melted (maybe a little more)
1 1/2 c. almonds, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. walnuts, finely chopped
1 t. cinnamon
11 to 16 sheets of phyllo
honey syrup (below)

Directions:
1. Grease 9-by-9 pan with some of the butter.
2. Combine nuts and cinnamon. Lay out one sheet of phyllo dough on clean surface. Brush with butter, fold in long edges (about 1/2 inch to an inch). Sprinkle with nut mixture.
3. Repeat step (2) until all the sheets of phyllo are used--or until you've lost your mind working with them--whichever comes first. After last sheet is used, fold all the layers in half, so your baklava is now doubled in thickness. Trim off excess on the three edges. Lay entirety in the pan. Cut into desired shape/sizes. (I do diamonds that are about 1 inch.) Brush top with butter.

Honey Syrup:
Ingredients:
1 c. water
1 scant c. sugar
2 t. lemon juice
4 cinnamon sticks
2/3 c. honey (maybe a little more)

Directions:
1. Pour honey and water into medium-sized saucepan. Stir well over high heat until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add lemon and cinnamon sticks. Cook on high until mixture thickens slightly. Turn off, add honey, stir well. Cool. (Syrup is not particularly thick, FYI.)
3. Pour over the baklava. Cover baklava with a clean cloth and leave to sit at least four hours to soak in the honey syrup. Bake at 325* F. until golden brown--about 45 minutes to an hour. Let cool before serving.

Tip: Phyllo dough is very, very thin and thus difficult to work with. It helps to keep the dough you are not currently working with covered with a cloth; it keeps the moisture in and makes it much more friendly. Still, be careful pulling the sheets apart from one another as they will stick at random spots and tear. Tightly wrap any left over dough and keep in the freezer.

Spicy Frozen Pumpkin Treat

Submitted by Florence Madsen


Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 1/2 c. gingersnap crumbs
1/2 c. melted butter

For the filling:
1/2 gal. softened vanilla or butter pecan ice cream
2 lbs. pumpkin (1 large can)
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1 t. cloves

caramel and fudge toppings
chopped and toasted pecans

Directions:
1. Mix together crust ingredients. Press onto bottom and sides of a springform pan or a 9-by-13 pan.
2. Mix together all filling ingredients. Pour 1/3 mixture into crust. Drizzle with caramel sauce and fudge sauce. Sprinkle with toasted pecans. Repeat twice more.
3. Cover and freeze at least 8 hours or up to 1 week. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Serves 12-15

Pumpkin Cake

Submitted by Mary Beth Cheney


Ingredients:
1 large can pumpkin
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cloves
4 large eggs
2 cans (maybe a little less) evaporated milk or 3 c. half and half.

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together and pour into 9-by-13 pan.
2. Sprinkle with crumb topping (below).
3. Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes or until set. Serve with whipped cream when cooled.

Crumb Topping:
1 yellow cake mix
1 stick melted butter
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or almonds

Mix until it is a crumb-like consistency.