Walk to School Cookies

My friend, Jo Carol shared this recipe recently, because I begged.....

Walk To School Cookies

3 sticks, plus 2 tablespoons of butter

3/4 cup of sugar

3 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon vailla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter. Add sugar and cream well. Add flour, vailla and pecans, and mix until well blended. Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheet. Press a thumbprint into the center of each cookie, and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake. They will be light in color. Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies.

Icing:

Cream together:

1/3 cup butter

3 cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 tablespoons of milk

food coloring, to tint icing

Try some today. They are amazing!

Fudge Cup Cakes

Fudge Cupcakes

2 sticks of butter

4 T. cocoa

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 flour

2 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter and cocoa over low heat. In mixing bowl beat eggs, add sugar and vanilla. Add flour and beat until smooth. Then beat in chocolate mixture. Line 2 muffin tins with 24 cupcake papers. Spoon batter into cupcake papers and bake for 25-30 minutes.

optional: Sprinkle chopped pecans on the top!

Toll House Pie

Toll House Pie .............................................Serves 10-12

1 cup butter

2 eggs

½ cup flour

½ cup sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup Nestle’s chocolate bits

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 9-inch pie shell

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter and cool to room temperature. Beat eggs until foamy.Add flour, sugar. And blend well. Blend in melted butter. Stir in chocolate bits and nuts. Pour intounbaked pie shell and bake 1 hour.

You can make this ahead of time and freeze. To thaw, place it in the oven, turned off after you havecooked dinner. Or, if you haven’t used the oven, set it to warm and put pie in until it warms. Servewith a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.

A deliciously, moist Pumpkin Bread that is simple to make! Thanks to Lyndsay, over at the Lickable Spoon , who recently posted. It's sure to be a fall time favorite!

Caramel Apples!

Ingredients

Makes 12

12 lady apples, washed and stemmed
2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, peeled, and chopped
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Insert a 5-inch dowel or ice pop stick into the top of each apple. Place hazelnuts in a small bowl.
Place sugar, corn syrup, cream, and butter in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until the temperature registers 245 degrees.on a candy thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Remove saucepan from heat, and briefly plunge it into ice water to stop the cooking. Dip one apple into the caramel, coat the top and sides using a spoon, and roll the bottom in the nuts. Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining apples.

Note:.... and Coachette's Variation

The above recipe is from a old friend, Martha Stewart, and I do not suggest that one can improve dear Martha's recipe. So, shall I say, that I have simply added a little local flavor!

Making caramel apples has become a favorite fall tradition. Easy when you get the hang of it! Just make it a couples of times and you'll see.

I just love the photo above and have been known to forage the backyard for twigs and sticks to use in the apples. I have never used Lady Apples. I did see them once while shopping an Asian market with friend, Jan Briles, in Houston and they were very small and cute!

My favorite apple to use, to date, is the Cameo variety. The crisp, tart-sweet ratio is just perfect with the caramel. I would also highly recommend dipping caramel apples into chopped walnuts, toasted or untoasted, and in lieu of the hazel nuts. Really, Martha! Where does one find, Lady apples and hazel nuts?

There is one more little suggestion I'd like to make and that makes a BIG difference. Add and stir well, 1/2 teaspoon of Mexican vanilla, at the very end, right before dipping the apples. It's over the top!!!

Canadian Soup - a delicious hearty chicken noodle soup! Delish!

This is a favorite of family and friends! Great for aftergame parties!Serves 12

1 whole fresh chicken, thawed

32 oz. chicken broth, canned or in carton

32 oz. Velveeta cheese

16 oz. pkg. extra wide egg noodles

salt

pepper

1 cup half and half

Rinse chicken, place in large stock pot and cover with cold water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring water to a boil. Lower heat , cover with a lid and simmer until chicken is tender (1 1/2 to 2 hours). Turn off heat and let cool. Remove chicken and place in a 13 x 9 pan. Debone and set aside chicken meat. In same stock pot strain chicken broth, add additional 32 oz. can of broth and bring to a boil. Add package of egg noodles and boil 10 minutes or until tender. Turn heat to low. Add Velveeta cheese and chicken meat, heat until cheese is melted. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 1 cup of half and half. Serve in soup bowls.

FUDGEY CHOCOLATE PIE

My grandmother's recipe. It's the best!

2 cups sugar

4 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons (rounded) cocoa

pinch of salt

2 cups whole milk

2 egg yolks

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Stir until well combined.Then add 1/2 of the milk and egg yolks and stir until mixture becomes a smooth thick paste...add remaining milk and mix well. Then over medium to medium low heat, stirconstantly until mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Continue cooking and stirring untilconsistency is a thick custard (1-3 min.). Remove from heat. Cool. Stir occassionally and pour into a baked pie crust (I use Betty Crocker's Pie Crust mix). Refrigerate until cool. Before serving, top the pie with whipped and sweetened heavy cream. Serve with a smile!

BEST BROWNIES

BROWNIES

2 sticks margarine

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 cocoa

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Melt margarine in a 13 x 9 inch pan in 350 oven. Beat eggs, add sugar, beat in melted margarine. Add flour, cocoa, salt and vanilla, beat well, add pecans. Pour into pan (where margarine was melted). Bake at 350 for about 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake. May serve them plain or with icing.

ICING:

2 tablespoons margarine2 squares chocolate3 tablespoons hot water2 cups powdered sugarchopped pecansMelt margarine and chocolate, add water, stir in powdered sugar (until icing spreads easily). Spread on brownies while they are warm. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired.

16 brownies

SUMMER SALAD

This is a simple salad that is beautiful, delicous and versatile! Basically it is made of baby spinach, fresh fruit slices, crumbled or grated cheese, toasted nuts, and seeds (opt. chopped green onions). Usually I make it w/sliced strawberries, grated mozerella and toasted almond slices. Another combination I like is, baby spinach, firm pear or apple slices, grated cheddar and toasted almonds. However, I recently tried a new combination! Here goes:

baby spinach

peach, fresh, cut into thin slices

blueberries,

freshgorgonzola cheese crumbles

almond slices,

toasted to a light brown

sesame seeds

poppy seeds

Layer all of the above in a pretty salad bowl. Before serving drizzle lightly with, Poppy Seed Dressing, toss and serve with addition dressing, on the side.

Poppy Seed Dressing

2/3 cup of vinegar

1 small red onion ( white onion, for white dressing)

3 tbsp. dry mustard

2 tsp. salt

1 cup of oil

1 cup of sugar............(can use splenda)

1 tbsp. of poppy seeds

Mix in the blender...just a minute or so. Refrigerate in a glass jar with lid. Good on salad or fresh fruit.

Football Wisdom...Learned in the Kitchen!

Last Sunday, while cooking breakfast, I learned first hand a little wisdom concerning the art of 'hitting' on the football field. Now many of you will not be surprised by this little discovery and in fact, only those of you that have never played the game of football should keep reading. Everyone else scat! Okay. Living with a coach I hear many conversations. most of which are interesting, but more often than not... they go "right over my head, too high to catch". So while cracking eggs, to scramble for breakfast, I had a little 'aahha' moment I wanted to share with you. Quickly, I must back up and say that somewhere along the way I heard Coach tell our son, that in the game of football it is better to "hit, than to be hit" or maybe he said, "it hurts less to hit. than to be hit''. Either way I never gave it too much thought but obviously stored it away to 'ponder' at a later date. So, there I was at the kitchen counter, with a mixing bowl, cracking a dozen eggs and here's what happened.In my right hand I held an egg. To keep it simple, I'll call that egg, 'Hank!".... Hank the Hitter'! In my left hand, I held another egg whom I'll call, "Sammy Sad Sack". The hitting revelation came unexpected without warning as Hank whacked Sammy and broke him into. Though I didn't notice immediately, this happened time after time after time. Wow, I thought! Hank is one tough egg! On the verge of a breakthrough, I tried it one more time with the same results. Amazing! Then to finalize my unofficial experiment I decided to try the unthinkable....I switched Hank from my right hand to my left and picked up a new 'hitter', Howie! I swiftly crashed Howie into dependable old Hank and much to my dismay Hank broke. Just like that...just like Coach said, it does hurt less to be a hitter.! After a moment of silence, Hank joined the 'sad sacks' and I promised his suffering would serve a purpose.Ten minutes later, while Coach and I were enjoying our bacon and eggs, I told him all about Hank. I wondered if he might like to use this when teaching players to hit? Reading the paper and not really listening, I suggested that I might come up on Tuesday to demonstrate my 'Crack or be cracked' theory. Hey, it's a good idea! ...and when that lesson is learned, I can whisk all those indiviual eggs into 'one united team' and shed new light on the "Band of Brother's" motto!:)