Nanaimo Squares

These are probably our most favorite cookies. I usually only make them at Christmas time.
NANAIMO SQUARES

BOTTOM LAYER:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
5 Tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 cup coconut
1 egg (beaten)
1 3/4 cup graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Melt butter in saucepan. Mix in cocoa and sugar. Add egg and stir until egg is cooked and mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Press firmly into ungreased 9x9 pan. I usually like the pan with foil wrap to make them easier to remove from the pan. Set in refrigerator to cool.

MIDDLE LAYER:
1/2 cup butter
3 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp vanilla custard powder
2 cups icing sugar

Mix and beat until light. Spread over cooled bottom layer.

TOP LAYER:
4 semisweet chocolate squares
2 Tbsp butter

Melt and let cool slightly. Spoon over middle layer. Chill

The best way to cut these squares with cracking the chocolate layer is to first run a knife around the edges of the pan. Turn out unto cutting board. Heat a big knife with hot water, then cut into squares. The heat from the knife should slice the chocolate nicely.

Ginger Sparkles

GINGER SPARKLES

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 TBSP ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and beat well. Add molasses. Sift together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Fold into the creamed mixture. You may have to use your hands to blend this.

Roll cookies dough into 1-inch balls, then roll into additional white sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 deg for 10-12 minutes.

NOTE: they will look like they're not cooked, but they're done! They'll finish cooking on the pan when you take them out.

Enjoy alone or with a nice cup of tea :-)

Cherry Cake

Cherry Cake

1/2 lb butter (1 cup)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup warm milk
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 bottle cherries

Cut cherries into quarters (keep the liquid syrup!) Cream together the butter, sugar and eggs. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Saute the cherries in 1/2 cup of additional flour. Add the juice from the cherries and make up 1 cup with the milk.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk mixture to the creamed mixture. Add the cherries and stir in by hand.

Bake in greased and floured tube pan -- 1 1/2 hours at 275 degrees. Remove from oven and set on wire rack for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

This cake freezes well and makes a great gift :-)

cake I did today

Never heard of these characters before, but they're from "In The Night Garden" -- Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy :-)

three cakes this weekend

Shrek's Dessert

My kids call this Skrek's Earwax (gross, I know) but what can I say :-) It's a messy looking dessert but so YUMMY!

Here's what you need to make a BIG bowl of this. You can half it if necessary, but my kids always wish I would double it!

1 chocolate cake (mixed according to directions on box)

2 packages of pistachio pudding (mixed according to box directions)

4 Crispy Crunch bars, crumbled

1 box carton Nutriwhip, beaten (or 1 packet of Dream Whip, mixed)

Prepare cake ahead of time. When cooled, break into smallish pieces. Mix pistachio pudding and let set. Whip Nutriwhip. Crumble the chocolate bars.

Into a big bowl, put a layer of the crumble cake, then add some of the pudding, some of the whip and some of the chocolate bar. Continue layering until you've used all the ingredients. I try to leave enough Nutriwhip to cover the top of the dessert, along with a handful of chocolate bar crumbs.

Let me know if you try it!

Cakes!!

Lots more :-)

Pea Soup and Doughboys

I'm making a pot of Pea Soup and thought I might as well pot it on my blog -- since it's been QUITE a while since I posted a recipe, I think :-)

PEA SOUP

1 cup salt beef (diced) OR ham
2 cups yellow, split peas
1 onion
turnip
carrot
celery
2-3 potatoes
salt/pepper

Soak the peas overnight in cold water. Drain and rinse peas. Add to large pot with diced meat, onion and 8 cups cold water.

Bring to a boil and then simmer about 2 hours. You can add more water if needed.

Add about 2 cups diced turnip, 2 cups diced carrots and 1 cup chopped celery. Chop 2-3 potatoes and add those as well. Cook until veggies are tender.

I always add a couple of bay leaves to my pot of soup. Adds a nice tastes, I think :-)

DOUGH BOYS

I will add the recipe for dough boys, though I have to say -- I have never been able to cook these as well as my grandmothers have ever done! They make the best!

1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water or milk

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add enough water (or milk) to form a soft dough.

Drop by tablespoons into hot soup. Cover pot tightly and simmer, without removing the lid, for 15 minutes.

I think my problem is I open the lid to check :-)

ENJOY!

more cakes

I have been extrememly busy with cakes this summer. It's all good, though :-) The weather has been crappy, so I don't mind being in the kitchen.

It's been a long time :-)

I've just been so busy. Family is visiting, and it's summer, ...finally....

I've had lots of orders for cakes. Summer must be a good time for parties :-) I did four last weekend and another four this weekend. Didn't get photos of them all.

Castle cake

I had an order for this big castle cake, which I wasn't sure if I could do. The main part I was worried about was the towers. I didn't want them falling over before the customer came to pick it up. But,..... I got that problem worked out and I was pleased with the cake. So was the 16 yo girl who ordered it :-)

Snowballs in summer!!!

I got this recipe from my Aunt Millie. They are delicious :-) Nice and chocolatey and soft!

SNOWBALLS

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
5 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 cups rolled oats
coconut to roll the balls in

Melt butter in medium sized saucepan. Add sugar, milk and cocoa. Bring to boil and then remove from heat. Add rolled oats. Let cool completely. Form into balls and roll in coconut.

cakes again....

I've also done 2 more Hannah Montana cakes. That's a popular one with the pre-teen girls!

still more cakes!

More decorated cakes...

Little Mermaid cake

Did this one last night :-)

Hashbrown Casserole

I got this recipe from my friend, Carolyn. She moved away a few years ago and I really miss her! We'd often make this when our families got together for barbeques.

Hashbrown Casserole

1 pkg frozen hashbrowns
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 can of milk

Mix all ingredients and put in casserole dish. Bake at 350 deg for 45 minutes.

YUM!

My kids don't like onion, so we never add that to our casserole. Tastes just as good!

couple more cakes....

Lassie Buns

For anyone who is from Newfoundland, you will know what I mean when I say "lassie buns" :-) They are yummy! Every time my youngest sister comes for a visit, I make her some molasses buns. She always says she gains 5 lbs when she comes here :-) Oh well!

Molasses Buns

1 cup molasses
1 cup melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
4 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Add melted butter to molasses and stir. Add milk and egg. Stir. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl, then add to molasses mixture. Roll out on a floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutter (I use a 2-inch round) and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes at 300 deg.

We love them with butter though I know some people who eat them with a slice of cheddar cheese.

more decorated cakes...

only I don't have photos of all of them! LOL! Forgot to take them. Oops

I also did a Hannah Montana cake, two baby shower cakes and a regular chocolate cake with a barn on it.

Granola

For the past 4 weeks, I've been making this yummy granola. It makes a big container that lasts us about a week. I found the recipe HERE. We've changed things up a bit in our recipe. You can start with the basic recipe, then add in your favorite dried fruits. We like it as a cereal (with milk), or as a topping for ice-cream, or just as a handy snack as is.

If you think your child won't eat it, try getting them to help make it -- that always seemed to work for me :-)

GRANOLA

In large bowl, mix 5 cups rolled oats (not quick oats, we prefer steel cut oats), 2 cups sliced almonds (we used sunflower seeds as we didn't have almonds), 3/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup milled flax seed and 1 tsp salt.

Melt 1/2 cup butter and mix together with 1 cup honey. Add this to the dry ingredients. Stir well. Spread in large baking dish. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 250 deg. Stir every 15-20 minutes.

While this is baking, prepare your dried fruit.

1/2 cup dates (chopped)
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried apples

While your dry ingredients are still warm, add the dried fruit and mix it up. If you wait it will harden and the fruit won't mix well. Store in airtight container.

Trying some new soups

I'm kinda getting bored of the same old soups. I usually make Turkey Vegetable or Chicken Vegetable. I am determined to try some new ones. Hopefully my family will survive my attempts! LOL!

I made up a recipe yesterday for potato soup. It actually turned out quite well! Everyone loved it. I had some leftover today for lunch and it tastes even better today. Strange how that always seems to be the case.

Anyway, I'll post the recipe, but be aware that most of my measurements are approximate.

POTATO SOUP

6-7 medium potatoes
water to cover potatoes
1/2 can evaporated milk
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
bacon pieces (I used real bacon bits)
green onion
salt/pepper to taste

Peel, wash and cut potatoes. In large pot, add enough water to cover potatoes. Boil until soft. Remove potatoes (reserve water) and mash well. Put back in the pot with the water. If you think it will be too watery, you can take out some of the water. Also, I used my mini hand blender and just blended the potatoes right in the pot.

Add the milk, cheese, bacon bits, green onion and salt/pepper.

Simmer, but be careful it doesn't burn on.

We served it with garlic bread and a salad. Delicious!

Next time I will try it with cheddar cheese.

Microwave popcorn

With all the concerns lately of trans fats and hydrogenated oils, we've stopped eating microwave popcorn pouches. Instead, we make our own :-) It's so easy and we get to control the amout of butter and salt. Yaah!

This recipe I got from the Saving Dinner website. They have some super ideas there for snacks!

HOME-MADE MICROWAVE POPCORN

1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1 lunch-size brown paper bag
salt (to taste)
1 Tbsp butter (or to taste)

Put popcorn in the bag. Fold the top over twice and secure with tape. Microwave for 2-5 minutes on high, until you hear the kernels finish popping. In our microwave, it takes about 2 1/2 minutes and makes enough for one teenager :-)

Add melted butter and salt, and shake in the bag. Transfer to a large bowl. ENJOY!

easy squares

This recipe is handed down from my late mother-in-law, though I didn't get it directly from her. Devin and I were talking about his mom's cooking one day, and he said he remembered these lemony squares that she used to make. Well, a few months later, his Aunt Barb and Uncle Gerald came to visit us all the way from Ontario :-) Aunt Barb and MIL were very close. I metioned the lemony squares to her and she knew the recipe!! So, I had her write it out for me. We made them that day and surprised dh with them. YUM! He loved them -- actually we all love them!!

They are so easy to make and don't use very many ingredients.

LONNA'S LEMON SQUARES

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
Graham Wafer biscuits
icing sugar/water

Mix together condensed milk and lemon juice. Layer graham biscuits on a cookie tray (with raised edges). Make sure the whole pan is filled in. You may need to cut some biscuits to make them fit.

 Spread the milk mixture over the biscuits.

Top with another layer of biscuits -- make sure they are arranged in the same pattern as the bottom layer. Mix about 1 cup icing sugar with a small about of water. Drizzle over the biscuits and chill for a few hours before cutting.

You can use more/less icing -- as desired.

a dreamy dessert

This recipe is one from my mom. We used to make it quite a bit in the past, but haven't recently. It's yummy!

PINEAPPLE DREAM SQUARES

Crumb Layer:
2 cups graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix together and press into a 9x9-inch baking dish. Reserve 1/8 cup for topping. Bake at 300 deg for 10 minutes. Cool.

Creamy layer:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups icing sugar
2 well-beaten eggs

Cream together butter and icing sugar. Add eggs. Spread over cooled crumb layer.

Topping:
1 pk dream whip or cool whip (prepared)
1 cup well-drained, crushed pineapple

Prepare cool whip and fold in pineapple. Spread over top of dessert. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs.

Chill 24 hours

Cooked Playdoh

This was one recipe that I used a LOT when my kids were younger. Today, my daughter was bored (!) and said she wished she had some playdoh. I said "well, let's make some!" She thought it was a great idea :-)

This has got to be the easiest recipe for playdoh -- but only because I tweaked it a bit. LOL! It originally called for mixing everything in a pot on the stove. I didn't like that idea as it seemed more work. I remember, at the daycare where I worked, we'd make 4-5 batches of this at a time; and a batch can be made in 5 minutes!


COOKED PLAYDOH

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup salt
1 Tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 cup flour
food coloring

While the water is boiling in your kettle, mix the salt, oil and cream of tartar in a big bowl. Stir. Add in the boiling water and stir for about a minute to dissolve the salt. It won't dissolve completely! Add your food coloring at this point.

Next, add in the flour and stir to combine the ingredients. Turn out onto floured table and knead by hand. You're done!

Here's an interesting alternative -- add a package of Kool-Aid when you pour in the boiling water. It makes a nice scented playdoh! You don't need food coloring if you use Kool-Aid. Another option is use the food coloring and add in some extract, like peppermint or coconut. Also makes a nice scent to the playdoh.

Store your playdoh at room temperature in a sealed Ziploc bag or in a covered plastic container. Keeps for a LONG time :-)

some kids' recipes

Here's a good recipe for some easy granola. My kids enjoy this :-) and I do too!

Granola

Mix:
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup powdered milk
1 tsp cinnamon

Add:
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla

Mix well. Spread on cookies sheet and bake at 375 deg for 8-10 minutes. Watch carefully, as it can burn quickly! Cool on paper towels. Eat for a snack or with some milk for breakfast.

a meat dish

I thought I'd post my recipe for meatballs. My kids say I make the best meatballs ever :-) That's probably because I don't have onion in them!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

meatballs:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 rolled oats
salt/pepper
onion powder

Mix all ingredients and then roll into 1" balls. Place on wire rack, on a cookie sheet and place in 350 deg. oven. Cook for 20 minutes or until browned.

Remove from oven and place meatballs in casserole dish or small roaster.

sauce:

1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup vinegar
juice from can of pineapple chunks (reserve the chunks)

Mix all ingredients in saucepan and heat until boiled and thickened.

Pour over meatballs. Add in pineapple chunks, some chopped onion and chopped peppers.

Cover and bake at 325 deg for 1 hour. Serve with rice and side of veggies.

A quick and easy salad....

Here's a salad that I make quite a bit, especially during bbq season :-)

Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup Miracle Whip (mayonnaise)
4 Tbsp vinegar
1/2 lb bacon (fried and chopped)
1/2 cup each of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses

Cut broccoli and cauliflower into small pieces. Mix above ingredients and stir into the veggies.

Note: I sometimes just buy the real bacon bits instead of frying bacon. Much quicker :-) Also, I often use Marble cheese as that is what I usually have on hand. Still tastes just as good. I have seen other additions, such as raisins, green apple and onion -- they all taste good, but I wouldn't get away with adding them in my salad!

Two more cakes....

Chocolate chip cookies

I found this recipe in a "Top Secret Recipes" book. Apparently it's the recipe for Keebler Soft Batch chocolate chip cookies. Whatever it is, they are lovely! Nice and chewy -- just the way we like them.

This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies. I will often make a full batch of dough and freeze half of it. Then, whenever you feel like some home-made cookies, but have little time to make them, pull out the dough and you can have cookies in a few minutes! They don't taste quite the same after the dough is frozen, but are still good :-) You can also half this recipe.

Keebler Soft-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 lb butter (2 cups)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour
1 1/2 packages semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, eggs, molasses, vanilla, water and sugars. In separate bowl, mix the remainder of dry ingredients (except chocolate chips). Add gradually to creamed mixture.

Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Set aside in refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Shape and roll dough into 1" balls. Place about 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. You can also drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet, but the cookies don't look as nice as when you roll them.

Bake for 8 minutes at 375 deg. They may look like they're too soft and not completely cooked, but they will finish cooking on the sheet as they cool.

WARNING: These cookies are very addictive and won't last long!

BOILED RAISIN CAKE

Okay, now I know the name of this cake may turn some of you off -- you either have a love or hate relationship with raisins -- but this cake is delicious! Great at Christmastime when you have company drop by for tea/coffee.

This is my grandmother's recipe. She just turned 89 this past Christmas. She would often make this cake for me on my birthday. Sometimes, she iced it, but I'd much rather without icing.

GRAM'S BOILED RAISIN CAKE

Boil the following ingredients for 5 minutes:

2 cups water
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups raisins
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cloves
2 tsp allspice

Let cool. Mix in separate bowl:

2 1/2-3 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Add cooled mixture to dry ingredients. Stir by hand. Pour into a greased/floured tube pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 300 deg.

I usually cut my cake in half and freeze part of it. It freezes well.

Enjoy :-)

an apple dessert

Everyone who tastes my apple crisp, LOVES it! LOL! It's true :-)

Anyway, I got this recipe a long time ago in some magazine. I tweaked the ingredients a bit until I thought it was just right. In our home, we argue about the topping for apple crisp; some of us love ice-cream on top, others (dh) love just plain cream. Whatever you like, this is best served warm. You can cook supper and prepare the apple crisp. Pop it into the oven while you're eating, and it'll be ready when you finished supper. It's also a great dessert to bring to potluck meals.


APPLE CRISP

Bottom layer:

Peel, core and slice a bag of apples. Put them in a lightly greased baking dish (mine is 10x15" I think - a Pyrex glass dish). In a small cup, mix 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 cup water. Pour this over the layer of apple slices.

Crumb layer:

2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/s tsp salt
2/3 cup butter (softened)

Mix this -- it may need to be mixed by hand. Add to the top of the apples. Bake at 375 deg for 30 minutes. Serve while warm and top with ice-cream. Delicious!

ENJOY!

Peanut Butter Cookies

These are my favorite peanut butter cookies ever! They are nice and chewy :-)

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugars. Add egg. Mix remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to creamed mixture.

If dough is too soft to roll, leave covered in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Roll in 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. They will flatten, so leave space between cookies. Bake at 350 deg for 8 minutes.

NOTE: You might think they are NOT baked enough, but they will finish baking on the cookie sheet when you take them out! Just place the sheet on a wire rack to cool before removing the cookies.

ENJOY!

Chocolate Brownies

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

1/2 cup butter
6 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 eggs (well-beaten)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour

Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 8" square pan. Bake at 350 deg. for 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake! Let cool and top with icing.

I think I may get one of my children to make these today. They don't last long around my house! LOL!

Chocolate Icing

This is the most delicious chocolate icing ever! It's tastes fabulous on brownies (I'll post that recipe tomorrow). I got this recipe from my aunt Bonnie (Dad's sister) way back when I boarded at her house while in college. She made the best desserts!

CHOCOLATE ICING

Cream 1/2 cup butter. Blend in 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 2 Tbsp hot water and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Add 2-3 cups of icing sugar and just a touch of milk. Beat until creamy. YUM!

My Recipe Collection

Appetizers
Tasty Pinwheels
Bruchetta

Breakfast
Pancakes
Breakfast Sausage
Bagels

Buns/Muffins/Breads
Molasses Buns
Partridgeberry Muffins
Banana Bread
Lonna's Biscuits

Cakes
Cherry Cake
Boiled Raisin Cake
Carrot Cake


Casseroles
Hashbrown Casserole


Cookies
Keebler Soft-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ginger Sparkles
Snowballs
Peanut Butter Cookies

Crafts
Cooked Playdoh

Desserts
Easy Cherry Cheesecake
Shrek's Dessert
Apple Crisp
Drumstick Dessert
Pineapple Dream Squares
Peanut Butter Pie

Frosting
Buttercream Icing
Chocolate Icing
Butter Icing

Kid Friendly
Microwave Popcorn
Tasty Pinwheels
Granola

Pasta
Chicken Fettuccine

Meat
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Fettuccine

Salads
Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad
Pasta Salad

Snacks
Granola
Microwave Popcorn
Apple Dip

Soups
Split Pea Soup
Potato Soup

Squares
Nanaimo Squares
Lonna's Lemon Squares

First cake for this year.....

was a Shrek cake.

Yesterday, I did this butterfly cake:

And today, a cake for a little girl's sleepover party:

Why create another blog???

I have so many recipes scribbled on scraps of paper and stuff in a drawer in my kitchen, I figured it's time to get those written down somewhere! If I have to type them on my computer, might as well share them with others. I will try to post at least one recipe per day.

I also wanted a place to keep track of all the cakes I decorate this year.

I hope you'll enjoy my recipes -- most of them are "tried and true" and loved by my family. Some have been handed down from friends and family.