Alyson’s Peach Blueberry Cobbler

Alyson’s Peach Blueberry Cobbler

3 C peaches (peeled and sliced)
2 C blueberries

Mix and add 2 T sugar. Place in baking dish (9x13 needs a little more fruit to fill it).

Topping:
1C flour              
½ t salt
¾ C sugar              
½ t ground cinnamon
1 t baking powder          
1 egg lightly beaten
1/4 C melted butter

Mix until coarse crumbs and spread over fruit.  Drizzle ¼ C melted butter on top of topping.  Bake at 375* for 35-45 minutes. 


**We love this cobbler topping and use it with any fruit.  Above are individual apple cobblers with vanilla whipped cream.

Holly's Midnight Cake

Holly's Midnight Cake

1 C shortening
2 C sugar
5 eggs (room temperature)
1 C cocoa
2 C flour
1 3/4 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 C water

Cream together shortening, sugar and eggs until fluffy and then beat for 5 minutes more on high.  In a separate bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking soda and the salt.  In another small bowl, mix the vanilla and water.  Alternately add a small amount of the flour mixture and then a small amount of the water mixture to the creamed egg mixture.  Beat constantly until all the ingredients are added and it is well mixed.  Pour batter into 3 greased and floured round cake pans.  (I just use parchment instead of flour.)  Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 or until tester comes out clean.  Cool completely and frost with Midnight Frosting.  (I often freeze the cake a day or so in advance and then frost while frozen.) Top with the Chocolate Crazies if desired.

Midnight Frosting

12 T butter (room temp)
1 1/2 C cocoa
5 1/2 C powdered sugar
2/3 C milk
2 t vanilla
Cream butter, then add sugar and cocoa alternately with the milk and vanilla, whipping constantly until everything is well mixed.

Chocolate Crazies

1 C Chocolate chips (semi sweet works best)
Wax paper

Melt chocolate chips and spread thinly on  the wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Cool until slightly firm.  Score with a knife in a diamond pattern and roll up, width ways.  Place cookie sheet in freezer.  When chocolate is solid, slowly unroll and chip off diamond pieces.  Place on cake in whatever pattern looks fun! If cake is in a warm room, the chocolate will droop.

Heather's "Retro" Spaghetti Pie

Heather's "Retro" Spaghetti Pie

8 oz. spaghetti, broken in 2 in. pieces
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg, well beaten
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 16oz jar spaghetti sauce or 2 cups homemade
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. leaf oregano, crumbled
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
8 oz. cottage cheese
4 oz. shredded mozzarella

1. Cook spaghetti in boiling water, following label directions; drain. Place in 9x13 pan, or a 9 inch deep pie plate. Stir in butter, parmesan, salt, pepper, and egg until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture evenly in pan.
2. Sauté ground beef in oil in large skillet until meat is brown; drain excess fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce, sugar, oregano, and garlic salt.
3. Spread cottage cheese over spaghetti layer, top with meat mixture, then mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 min. Serves 8.

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispy Treats

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispy Treats
*adapted from smitten kitchen*

1 stick butter, plus extra for the pan
1 16-ounce bag marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
8 cups Rice Krispies cereal  (Kellogg's brand really is superior!)

Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 9-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. I liked to use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I’ve sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.

Let cool, cut into desired sized squares.  Makes 16 2-inch squares or 32 1- x 2-inch small bars.

** I know, just rice krispy treats? You'll never be the same!
**Adapted from a Stephanie Niccoli recipe

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms

2 - 3 pork tenderloins (come in 4 pack at Costco - 2 per package)

Marinade:
1 1/4 C vegetable oil
3/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C Worcestershire sauce
2 T dry mustard
1 T pepper
1/2 C red wine vinegar
1 1/2 T parsley
1/3 C lemon juice
2 cloves garlic

8 oz (or more) sliced fresh mushrooms

Blend the above marinade ingredients in blender.  Pour half of marinade over tenderloins and marinate for 3 to 4 hours.  Grill pork on the barbecue at medium heat for about 20 minutes, turning and basting occasionally.  Add mushrooms to remaining marinade and heat in saucepan or skillet.  Slice tenderloins and pour mushroom and marinade over top to serve.

**Another fab recipe out of the Favorites recipes.  Our kids hate the mushroom, but love the meat, this works out perfectly since Hans and I can't get enough of the mushrooms!  Delicious served over steamed spinach.
** I usually make all 4 because our kids love it so much, but I'm always wishing there was more sauce, so next time I will 1 1/2 times the marinade recipe!

Kristi's Layered Sandwich

Kristi's Layered Sandwich

1 loaf of French bread
4 T butter softened
1 1lb sliced black forest ham (with edges removed)
½ lb sliced swiss cheese           
1 bag spinach
8 oz cream cheese           
¼ C chopped pecans
¼ C green onion chopped           
¼ t garlic powder

Mix cream cheese, pecans, green onion and garlic powder, set aside.

Cut the top 1/3 of the French bread off, keep for lid of sandwich.  On the bottom portion, remove inside of bread, leaving at least ½ inch on all sides.  Butter the bottom of the lid and the inside of the bottom portion.   Take 2/3 of the ham and layer it in the bottom portion of bread with ham hanging out over the edge of the bread.  Take ½ of spinach and layer it on top of ham, take ½ of swiss cheese and layer on top of spinach.  Spread cream cheese mixture on top of swiss cheese (I have never used all of the cream cheese mixture).  Put the rest of the swiss cheese on top of the cream cheese, then spinach and remaining 1/3 of ham.  Wrap the ham that is hanging over the edge, on top to hold all ingredients in and together.  Place on bread lid.  Wrap in foil and refrigerate for 4-24 hours.  Slice in 2-3 inch slices.

**So great to have prepared the day before to lessen the work for a lunch!  We cut them even thinner, which was great for the crowd, but they didn't stay together as well.

Praline French Toast

Praline French Toast  (Serves 8)
8 eggs

1-1/2 cups half and half

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

10 to 12 slices soft bread, 1 inch thick

Topping:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups chopped pecans

Generously butter a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Mix the eggs, half and half, maple syrup, and sugar in a large bowl. Place the bread slices in the prepared casserole dish and cover with the egg mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let soak overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350º degrees F. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator.
Make the topping: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the sugar and maple syrup and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the pecans. Pour the mixture over the bread and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with whipped cream and fruit.  Bananas are awesome, but so are strawberries!

**The only way we can figure to fit that many pieces of bread into the 9x13 is to make it a double layer.  Hans likes it with the crust on, but when I made it, I cut off the crusts and it was a little prettier when the pieces were cut. But Hans said he missed the crusts....personal taste.
**My choice for Mother's Day breakfast....it's like pecan pie for breakfast, I love it!