Mint Brownies

MAKES ONE 9-BY-13 PAN OF BROWNIES.
PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.

1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)

MINT ICING

5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

(Like BYUs)

Banana Bread

This is from Better Homes and Garden, the New Dieter's Cookbook:

Prep time: 20 min   Baking time: 45 minutes    Cooling time: 1 Hour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 slightly beaten egg whites (I've used 1 whole egg before)
1 cup mashed banana
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cooking oil
nonstick cooking spray


The recipe has you do dry and wet ingredients seperately then combine until just moistened.  I used to do that, now I just throw it all in my kitchen aid mixer and I don't even mash up the banana...I just break up about 3 bananas and throw it in (they should be fully ripe or over ripe)

Spray an 8x8x2 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.  spread batter in pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

cool bread in the pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan; cool completely on rack.  Wrap in foil or plastic wrap; store overnight.  Makes 1 loaf (15 servings)  I also just cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes remove it and then sometime soon, the family attacks it and it never makes it to the foil or plastic wrap...

Special Potato Salad

Boil:
6 - 8 medium red or new potatoes (cut in wedges not too small)

Fry and crumble:
4 - 8 slices bacon (or use real bacon bits)

Mix together and pour over warm potatoes:
¼ C. salad oil (½ C.)*
2 T. lemon juice (fresh is best) (¼ C.)*
1 ½ t. salt (or less)
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
1/8 t. pepper (¼ t.)*
*(amount in original recipe)

Stir in:
¼ C. grated Parmesan cheese
½ C. onion chopped (can use green)
¼ C. fresh parsley (or less) (can use dry)

On the top add:
2 hard cooked eggs (cut in wedges)
crumbled bacon
sliced radishes, green onion, and/or tomato wedges for garnish

Serve immediately.

Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls:
1¼ oz. pckg. Yeast
1 c. warm milk
½ c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. melted butter (do not subsititue margarine- blech!)
1 t. salt
2 eggs
4 c. all-purpose flour

Filling:
1 c. packed brown sugar (I just sprinkle as much as I can and like, never measuring)
2½ TBS. cinnamon
1/3 c. butter

Icing:
7 TBS. butter, softened
1½ c. confectioners sugar
¼ c. (2 oz.) cream cheese
½ t. real vanilla extract (or almond extract, which I prefer and use)
1/8 t. salt (I don't always use the salt, and in fact, like the taste better without it)

Rolls: Oven to 400° F.
(1) Disolve yeast in milk.
(2) Mix in sugar, butter, salt, eggs, flour. Mix well.
(3) Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead into a large ball. Cover; let rise 1 hour.
(4) Roll dough into a 21" x 16" wide rectangle. With the butter softened, I just use my fingers to spread it generously over the dough. Load 'er up with the filling (see below).
(5) Roll from long-side to short-side. Pinch the ends.
(6) Using very sharp knife (I prefer a serated one) cut into 1 inch wide rolls, making sixteen. If want fewer, bigger rolls, cut them wider.
(6) Grease (butter) your preferred baking pan (I like mine to be all squished up next to the other)- I generally use an 11"x 15" pan. Then place rolls in pan and into oven. Let the rolls rise for 30 minutes.
(8) Bake until the rolls are slightly browned and not doughy. This will vary according to your oven. Just don't overbake.
(9) When done, take 'em out and cover them in the delicious icing.
(10) Do I have to admonish you to "enjoy?" Surely not. Then go eat!

Filling:
While dough is rising, prepare the filling and the icing. Clean-up a little and then go read a chapter or two in your book.
(1)Soften butter, so that it is spreadable.
(2) After dough has been rolled out to the gigantic rectangle, spread the softened butter all over.
(3) Sprinkle brown sugar over entire buttered rectangle. Use more if you like more.
(4) Now sprinkle the cinnamon over the now sugary, buttery, doughy, rectangle.

Icing:

Cream it all together with an electric mixer (or by hand if you just want to exhaust yourself for some reason). Spread on hot rolls.


(Like Cinnabon). A few hints though.  If you want it really close to the real thing roll out the dough super super thin.  Ours probably had enough brown sugar and cinnamon but I think it needed more butter to make it extra gooey.  The centers seemed to be a little over sugary so you might want to experiment with putting less sugar and cinnamon on one side so when you roll it up the center doesn't get quite so much.  Also in a dark pan they cook really fast so watch them closely (I'm talking around 10 minutes in our oven).  And last which this is pretty important.  Sprinkle some flour in with your center mixture so that it thickens and doesn't all run out while it cooks.  I made the dough the night before and rolled out the rolls the next day and it seemed to work pretty good.   Makes about 12-16 rolls.  Enjoy!  They really were tasty. 

Cheesy Chicken (crock pot)

2-3 chicken breasts 
1 1/2 cups cubed pepper jack cheese (or colby, cheddar, whatever you want)
2 cans great nothern beans, drained
16 oz salsa (I only do about 8 oz)
1/4 c water. 

Cook chicken in crockpot with water, then shred- Add cheese and beans and salsa long enough to melt through (about 30 min. Serve over rice.

Chocolate Cheesecake Pudding Torte

Filling
1          handful chopped chocolate chips
8          ounces  cream cheese
1          cup  powdered sugar
8          ounces  cool whip
1          large  package chocolate pudding
2 1/2    cups  milk
8          ounces  cool whip

Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and 8 oz cool whip and spread over
cooled crust
Beat pudding and milk and pour over cheese mixture. Allow pudding to set
up.
Spread 8 oz cool whip over top of pudding
Garnish with chopped nuts and/or ground chocolate chips

Crust (We buy 2 Oreo crusts from the store)

1          cup chopped nuts (optional)

1          cup  flour
1/2       cup  butter

Mix together flour, butter and 1 cup chopped nuts and press into 9" X 13"
pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

Pancakes and Syrup

Pancakes:

1 egg
1 cup + (or milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend egg, milk and oil.  Blend dry ingredients together.  Add to liquids and beat until moist but slightly lumpy and thin enough you can pour it.  Cook.

Syrup:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring
pinch cream of tartar

Combine sugar, water and salt.  Stir until crystals dissolve.  Boil two minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in maple flavoring.  Add cream of tartar.