Holiday Babka

This bread is made using a hot roll mix,
an easy shortcut way to bake up a
good tasting eggy bread that resembles
a polish babka in a cake like texture.

Ingredients:
1 box Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix
1 egg plus one egg yolk
3/4 cup hot water or more
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark raisins
cornmeal for dusting sheet pan
1 tablespoon milk

Directions:
Place hot roll mix flour in a bowl,
add in the yeast from the packet and
stir to combine then add in the water,
eggs, sugar, salt and raisins.
Add in more hot water if needed.
Turn dough out on a floured work surface,
knead dough with floured hands for five minutes.
Turning dough into a smooth ball.
Cover dough ball with the mixing bowl and
let rest and relax for about 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Dust sheet pan with cornmeal and place dough ball
on the baking sheet covered with a towel.
Let dough rise until oven is preheated.
Use your fingers or a pastry brush to baste the
top of the dough ball and place in oven to bake for
30 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.
Remove bread to cool for an hour before slicing.

Triple Chocolate Ovaltine Cookies

These cookies are a chocoholics dream come true.
With three types of chocolaty goodness in them,
some crunchy oatmeal thrown in for good measure.
Adding some semi-sweet chocolate chips puts these
cookies over the top in good chocolate flavors.
The cookie dough is easy to roll in your hands.
These triple chocolate cookies look and taste great
and adding in chocolate extract is simply awesome!

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Ovaltine powder
1/8 cup baking cocoa powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl combine the flour with
the baking powder, baking soda, salt,
oatmeal, ovaltine, and powdered cocoa,
In another bowl cream the vegetable shortening
with the sugars then add in the egg, milk and extract.
Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl.
Turn the mixer off and add in the flour mixture.
Slowly beat until incorperated and then
turn speed up to make a workable cookie dough,
add in the chocolate chips.
Roll dough into walnut size balls
and place them 1" apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes
or until bottom is slightly browned.
Remove cookies and try to not eat one
until they are cool enough.

Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust

I came up with this pie crust while I was remembering
how my Grandmother used her excess pie crust.
You know what I mean, after you cut the pie crust
from the bottom crust after you place it in the dish.
My Grandmother would roll it out then spinkle some
cinnamon sugar on the dough rolling it up and baking
them into little sweet cinnamon swirled treats.
Anyway, back to the cinnamon flavored pie crust.
This crust makes for a killer pumpkin pie.
It's sweeter than plain old pie crust,
a little darker in color which makes
it looks like it was over baked but trust me
this flavored pie crust is very good tasting.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup really cold water

Directions
In a mixing bowl combine ingredients just
enough to make a workable pie crust dough.

White Toast Cereal

This is a comfort food at it's best.
Browned and toasted bread cut up into
squares and then drenched in milk.
Add as much sugar in this as you desire.
I even add a dash of cinnamon someimes.

Ingredients:
2 slices white bread
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup milk, about

Directions:
Put bread slices in a toaster,
toast until golden brown.
Cut bread up into 1/2" squares
Place toasted and cut up bread
in cereal bowl and pour milk on it.
Add in sugar to taste, enjoy!

Bacon Dipped in Chocolate

Bacon and Chocolate are a match made in heaven.
This chocolate sauce also tastes great on warm
from the oven baked baking powder biscuits.

Ingredients:
Cooked and cooled bacon
3 cups whole milk
1/4 cup baking cocoa powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1salt to taste
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: Cook and cool slices of smoked bacon.
In a saucepan melt butter, add in milk,
stir in cocoa powder until smooth.
In a bowl mix flour and sugar together
then stir into chocolate mixture.
Bring to a boil and stir until thick.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Let sauce cool some and dip bacon in sauce.
Place bacon on a plate covered with wax paper.
Refrigerate slices of chocolate dipped bacon.
This chocolate sauce is also a great sauce
to drizzle on warm baked from the oven biscuits.

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

These drop cookies are pillows of goodness.
Easy to make and bake up nice and soft.
This recipe makes about 24 cookies.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl cream together
the butter, shortening and sugar.
Add in the egg and beat until creamed.
Add in the vanilla and sour cream.
In a seperate bowl combine the flour
with the baking powder, soda and salt.
Mix the flour with the wet ingredients.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop cookie dough 2" apart by teaspoonfuls
onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for about 12 minutes or until done.

Skillet Fried Potatoes

Use your cast iron skillet to make
some great tasting home fried potatoes.
They brown up while remain tender inside.

Ingredients:
2 strips of smoked bacon
2 Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup cold water
tomato ketchup

Directions:
Place bacon in cold skillet on medium heat.
While bacon cooks, peel and slice potatoes.
Remove bacon from skillet and add in sliced
potatoes in one layer and place bacon on top.
Let skillet heat up and then pour in 1/2 cup
of the water, cover skillet and cook potatoes
for about 5 minutes until the water evaporates.
Turn over sliced potatoes to brown other side.
Pour in another 1/2 cup of cold water, cover
and turn off heat to cook for another 5 minutes
or until potatoes are cooked to your liking.
serve warm with tomato ketchup on the side.

Cream Puffs

Making cream puffs is so easy to do.
You can fill them with plain whipped cream
vanilla or chocolate pudding or a rich
Ricotta cheese type of a cannoli filling.

Ingredients:
1 cup cold water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
3 large eggs, beaten

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat,
place in the water and butter bring.
Stir in flour all at once until blended.
Remove mixture from saucepan to a mixing bowl.
With the paddle attachment, mix at low speed
until the dough has cooled slightly.
Add in the eggs one at a time making a dough.
Scoop up about 2 tablespoons of the batter and
place 2" apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes or until browned and puffed up.
Remove, cool and fill with what ever you desire.

Chocolate Cayenne Pepper Cookies

These cookies have just a hint of heat
that people wonder what that taste is.
A not to sweet to eat chocolate cookie.
This recipe makes about 32 cookies.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup bakers cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons milk

Directions:
Place flour in a mixing bowl,
add in the baking powder,soda,
cocoa and salt, mix well.
In another mixing bowl cream together
the butter and sugar then add egg, milk
and vanilla combine and mix well.
Add in the flour mixture and mix to
make a cookie dough that you can
turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap.
Use your hands to wrap up dough into
a long log about two inches in diameter.
Refrigerate 30 minutes the remove and
cut log into 1/2 inch cookie dough pieces.
Place cookie dough 2 inches apart on a
parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake
in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 12 minutes.

Apple Slauce

Apple slauce are slices of apples
that are seasoned and then microwaved.
The apple slices stay well, slices.
And are crunchy not mushy like sauce.
You can use this in cereal, oatmeal, or as
a filling in desserts, cookies and cakes.
To make apple tarts, crisps or crumbles.

Ingredients:
1 Granny Smith Apple
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt

Directions:
Wash, cut off both ends and peel the apple.
Use a mandoline or a knife to slice the
apple into really paper thin slices.
Place in a glass measuring cup and season
with salt, cinnamon and sugar to taste.
Cover measuring cup and microwave on high
power for 45 seconds, remove, stir to cool.
One apple makes about 1/2 cup of apple slauce.