Spudnuts

For the Saturday night LDS General Priesthood session, my family's tradition is to get together after the session, make homemade spudnuts, and talk about what the boys learned. This is one of my favorite traditions and I look forward to it, twice a year. I love it partly cause we get to eat donuts (yum!) but I love the family together time. So I'm posting our family recipe for homemade spudnuts. Even Cory (who doesn't love donuts) thinks these are delicious.

It makes A LOT, which is why we usually only do half a batch.

Full Recipe ½ Recipe

1 cup shortening ½ cup

2 yeast cakes 1 yeast cake

5 eggs 3 small eggs

1 cup sugar ½ cup

2 cup mashed potatoes 1 cup

4 cup lukewarm milk 2 cups

1 T. salt 1 ½ t.

10 – 12 cups flour 5 – 6 cups

Scald milk with shortening, sugar and salt. Pour into big mixing bowl and let cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and let soften. Add beaten eggs and enough flour to make a thin batter. Add mashed potatoes and enough flour to make a soft dough. Let rise till double in size. Roll out and cut, then rise again before frying. Fry in hot grease and dip in glaze.

Glaze

Full Recipe ½ Recipe

1 (2#) package powdered sugar ½ (2# bag) powdered sugar

1 cube butter ½ cube butter

4 T. vanilla 2 T. vanilla

Enough hot water to make thin Enough water to make thin

Cherry Chip Cheesecake

I have the same cake for my birthday every year -- it's been Cherry Chip since I can remember, possibly since my first birthday. I love that stuff. It's so good.

But I hate frosting cake. For one, I always accidentally buy the vanilla frosting (ick!) instead of the cream cheese. And I never remember to make the cake the night before so it's cooled in time to frost, meaning I frost it too early and it gets all crumbly and gross looking. Plus, smearing a bunch of frosting on top always makes me feel inadequate 'cause I know everyone else is doing the whole fondant thing and making Cake Boss-worthy creations. Blech.

Well, this year was a milestone birthday so I decided to take advantage of the occasion and switch things up. I stole this recipe from the Betty Crocker Web site and made DELICIOUS Cherry Chip Cheesecake Bars. (That's not what the site calls 'em, but I'm too lazy to look up the real name.)


I couldn't believe how easy it was.

You need:

1 box Cherry Chip cake mix
1/2 cup butter softened (not melted)
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 container cherry frosting
3 eggs

Heat oven to 325 degrees. In large bowl, beat the cake mix and butter with an electric mixer on low until crumbly. (I thought for sure this part wasn't going to work, because it was still basically all cake mix powder when I was done. Trust me, though, it turns out. It's amazing.) Reserve 1 cup, and press the rest in an ungreased 13x9 pan.

In the SAME BOWL (so efficient!) beat cream cheese and frosting with the SAME ELECTRIC MIXER on medium until smooth. Add eggs and beat until blended. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with reserve crumbly mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes or until set. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

The end result was delicious. My husband has never raved so much. My 3-year-old helped make the whole thing, it was that easy. And in the end I just had to clean one bowl, one spoon and two beater thingies.

We're planning to experiment later with different kinds of cake and frosting, but this one will now be my official birthday celebration cake.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I know this blog is supposed to be for dinner ideas... but these are the best cookies in the entire world. Trust me, they're tasty. Unless you don't like peanut butter... then I guess these aren't for you...

You'll need:
Mini muffin tin
1 bag mini peanut butter cups

For the cookie dough:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. baking soda

Make the cookie dough. Put a spoonful into the mini muffin tin -- like so:

Spread out so you can put in the (unwrapped) Reeces cups.

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. They'll look a little doughy when you take them out, but they need a minute to cool before you can get them out of the pan, and they'll keep cooking while they're cooling. Trust me, they're divine. Enjoy!

Peach Custard Pie

This is a very yummy pie if you like fruit, and custard.(sorry this isn't the best picture. But I promise that it tastes really good.)


1 unbaked Pie crust

3/4 c. White sugar
2 T. flour
1/3 t. Salt
1 c. Sour cream
1 Egg
1 t. Vanilla
2 c. Sliced Peaches (I haven't tried it, but I'm sure that any fruit could work.)
-Topping-
1/3 c. Flour
1/3 c. Brown sugar
1 t. Cinnamon
1/4 c. Butter softened

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Prepare pie crust in pie dish, set aside.
-Whisk together sugar flour and salt. Beat in sour cream, eggs and vanilla
-Stir in peach/fruit mix together and pour into pie dish.
-Bake pie for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, continue baking until filling is set, approx. 30 minutes.
- Mix together ingredients for crumb topping until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over pie.
- Return oven temperate to 400 degrees. Place pie back in oven and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
-Remove and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Coconut Cupcakes

So I've really been a slacker on posting anything, but I got this recipe on the web from a friend and they are amazing cupcakes. I don't really like coconut, but I loved these moist cupcakes!! They are anything but fat free, but hope you enjoy. Jessica C.

Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 extra-large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Quick Apple Crisp

4 medium tart cooking apples, peeled and sliced (4 cups)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats (quick or old fashioned)
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened slightly
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, plus extra
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Ice Cream or Cream, if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of an 8 inch square pan with shortening. Spread apples in the pan. Sprinkle apples vanilla and extra cinnamon. In a medium bowl, cut butter into remaining ingredients (except ice cream) until well mixed; sprinkle over apples.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with ice cream.

I usually double the recipe for the topping and fill a 9x13 pan with apples to make a larger batch.

Neiman-Marcus Oatmeal Cookies

This the best cookie recipe. It is originally a chocolate chip recipe, but I substitute whatever I am feeling like and usually make the batch half of one mix in and half of another.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/4 cups blended oatmeal*
1 egg
5 oz Hershey chocolate bar, grated
6 oz chocolate chips
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

*Measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder.
Cream butter and both sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375. Yield is 2-3 dozen depending on how big you make the cookie.

I don't like chocolate, so I usually use white chocolate chips, coconut and pecans for a macadamia style cookie. The dough also freezes really well. I can fit a double batch in my Bosch bowl so I make all of it into dough balls and freeze half of them on a cookie sheet in the freezer, then put the balls into a freezer bag for quick cookies later on. They cook better if they can thaw a little first, or just don't cook them for quite as long without checking on them (they might need to be smashed down with a fork half-way through).

Peanut Butter Fingers

Remember back in elementary school, when the cafeteria people actually cooked? Not just warmed up pre-packaged meals, but actually made things from scratch? I always looked forward to tacos ... and peanut butter fingers. Apparently peanut butter fingers are a 'western' thing, because no one out here on the east coast has ever heard of them. And no, they're not a Mormon thing either, since no one in my ward had heard of them either. So, without further adue, here's the recipe, as received from someone who worked in a Davis County School District cafeteria (back when they actually cooked...)

Peanut Butter Fingers

Cream together:

¾ cup margarine (I use butter)

¾ cup white sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

Then mix in:

2 eggs

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup peanut butter

Mix then add:

2 cups flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Mix then add:

2 cups quick oatmeal

Spread on a greased cookie sheet (17x13)

Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes. Don’t over bake, they will look slightly underdone when you take them out. While they are still warm, spread a layer of peanut butter on top. Let cool then top with chocolate icing.

Chocolate Icing

½ cube butter

1/6 cup milk (half of a 1/3 measuring cup)

2 T. cocoa

Approximately ½ bag of powdered sugar

Melt butter and milk on stove, then remove from heat and beat in cocoa and powdered sugar (I use an electric mixer). Spread on peanut butter fingers.

*this icing recipe works really well for a chocolate sheet cake – just double it*

Two Cake Awesomeness

So I don't know what it's really called. But I love this cake.

You'll need:
White cake mix (and all the stuff required to make it -- eggs, oil, water, whatever)
8 oz Cool Whip
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
2 packages strawberry Danish Dessert (sold in the same aisle as the Jell-O products)

Prepare the cake batter as directed, and split the batter into two 9x13 pans. Bake for about half the time directed on the box. (I always check it a few minutes early because often I don't split it as evenly as I'd thought and one is done a lot sooner than the other.)

Let the cake cool. You can throw it in the fridge for about 30 minutes, or just leave out for a while. Depends on if you're in a hurry.

Mix the Cool Whip, cream cheese (softened, of course) and powdered sugar. Spread evenly over each cooled cake.

Stir both packages of Danish Dessert in 3 1/2 cups of water. Microwave on high for about 12 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Pour on top of the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate immediately.

(You can add a layer of bananas or strawberries or something between the cream cheese and the Danish Dessert, but I like it just plain.)

It won't take long to set up, but I like to make the cake the night before just so I'm not rushed. The cake will stay fresh in your fridge for more than a week, but I promise you'll eat it all long before then. This is PERFECT for a church function or something where you have to feed lots of people because it makes two cakes.

I DARE you to not love this cake.

Butterscotch Haystacks/ Chocolate Pretzels

Butterscotch Haystacks





1 bag of Hershey's Butterscotch Chips


1 can La Choy Chow Mein Noodles





In a microwaveable bowl, melt the butterscotch chips. Stir until smooth. Add chow mein noodles. Mix until well coated. Spoon on a cookie sheet. Let stand for 5 mins. Enjoy!











Chocolate Pretzels





1 bag of Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips


1 bag of Pretzels





In a microwaveable bowl, melt chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Dip pretzels with however much chocolate you want. Lay on cookie sheet. Let stand for 5 mins. Enjoy!

This is a really good treat for neighbor gifts. Plus my kids loved helping out.

PS...Sorry the picture is so blurry.

Texas Sheet cake brownies

So I stole this recipe from the Better Home's and Garden's cookbook, but I made it last night for a potluck, changed it a bit, and it turned out nicely. Hope you enjoy.

Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min

Cool time 1 hour

Combine these in a medium sized bowl until mixed:

2c. flour

2c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

1tsp ground cinnamon

In medium saucepan combine and bring to boil (stirring constantly)the following:

1c. butter

1/3c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1c. water

Add boiled mixture to the dry ingredients and mixon medium speed

until thoroughly mixed. Then add:
2 eggs

1/2 c milk

1/2 Tbsp Lemon juice OR vinegar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Pour in greased cookie sheet (15X10X1inch) and bake at 350 for 25 minutes

While baking make frosting by heating to a boil:

1/2c butter

6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

3 tbsp milk

after bringing to boil, mix in by electric hand mixer:

4 1/2 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Pour warm frosting over warm cake and spread and let cool 1 hour.

You can add almonds, walnuts, or pecans if desired.

Grandma's Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps baking powder
1 cup mashed bananas
1/3 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter or shortening and work in sugar. Add eggs. Add bananas and nuts. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add flour mixture to creamed ingredients by thirds and beat 125 strokes. Bake in oiled loaf pan in 350 degrees F for one hour.

Enjoy. And remember, it's always better the second day!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crumb Crust
1 cup(s)	graham-cracker crumbs
3 tablespoon(s)	margarine or butter, melted
2 tablespoon(s)	sugar

Pumpkin Filling
2 package(s)	(8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup(s)	sugar
1 can(s)	(15 ounces) pure pumpkin, (not pumpkin-pie mix)
3/4 cup(s)	sour cream
2 tablespoon(s)	bourbon, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon(s)	ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon(s)	ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon(s)	salt
4 large	eggs

Sour-Cream Topping
1 cup(s)	sour cream
3 tablespoon(s)	sugar
1 teaspoon(s)	vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In 9" by 3" springform pan, with fork, stir graham-cracker crumbs, melted margarine or butter, and sugar until moistened. With hand, press mixture onto bottom of pan. Tightly wrap outside of pan with heavy-duty foil to prevent leakage when baking in water bath later. Bake crust 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
2. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth; slowly beat in sugar until blended, about 1 minute, scraping bowl often with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, beat in pumpkin, sour cream, bourbon or vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
3. Pour pumpkin mixture into crust and place in large roasting pan. Place pan on oven rack. Carefully pour enough boiling water into pan to come 1 inch up side of springform pan. Bake cheesecake 1 hour 10 minutes or until center barely jiggles.
4. Meanwhile, prepare Sour-Cream Topping: In small bowl, with wire whisk, beat sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until blended. Remove cheesecake from water bath, leaving water bath in oven, and spread sour-cream mixture evenly over top. Return cake to water bath and bake 5 minutes longer.
5. Remove cheesecake from water bath to wire rack; discard foil. With small knife, loosen cheesecake from side of pan to help prevent cracking during cooling. Cool cheesecake completely. Cover and refrigerate cheesecake at least 6 hours or overnight, until well chilled. Remove side of pan to serve.
   

Quick Pumpkin Bread/Muffins

Ingredients:
1 3/4 C Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cloves

1 1/3 C Sugar
1/3 C Shortening or applesauce
2 eggs
1 C Pumpkin (big can=3 Cups)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/3 C Milk
1/3 bag Chocolate chips

Sift 6 dry ingredients together. Beat sugar, applesauce & eggs in separate bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin to this mixture. Then add the dry ingredients to wet mixture with milk and vanilla. Add chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 degrees:
1 hour for loaf
25 minutes for muffins or til toothpick comes out clean.

*I usually triple this recipe and put in a whole can of pumpkin and whole bag of chocolate chips, we go through these really fast and give some away. (I always make muffins instead of bread.)

Chocolate Banana Cookies

Looking for an alternative to banana bread when your bananas go ripe? These cookies are the best.

Mix:
2/3 cup & 2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup mashed bananas (2 or 3)

Add:
2 1/4 cup floor
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Drop dough on cookie sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Zucchini Bread Recipes by Keri Stewart

Moist Zucchini Bread

3 c. zucchini, grated
1½ c. oil
7 eggs
3 c. sugar
1½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. cinnamon
1½ tsp. nutmeg
1½ tsp. baking soda
3 to 3¼ c. flour
3 small boxes coconut cream pie filling (dry mix)

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into pans about ⅔-rds full. Bake at 350° for about 1 hour. Less time needed if using small loaf pans. Check doneness with a toothpick. (Makes 2 big loaves and 4 small loaves or can be made as a cake with cream cheese frosting.)



Orange Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 c. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ c. sugar
2 c. zucchini, grated
2 T. orange peel
¼ c. orange juice
3 c. flour
1¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 c. nuts (optional)

Combine wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.



Chocolate Zucchini Bread

3 c. zucchini, grated
1½ c. oil
7 eggs
3 c. sugar
1½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. cinnamon
1½ tsp. nutmeg
1½ tsp. baking soda
3 to 3¼ c. flour
3 small boxes chocolate pudding (dry mix)
1-2 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into pans about ⅔-rds full. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Less time needed if using small loaf pans. Check doneness with a toothpick. (Makes 2 big loaves and 4 small loaves.)

Sour cream pound cake

Okay so it's been a while since anyone posted anything ... and we're into a new month. So if you haven't posted anything for the month of July, get on it! :) Love you all; I'm so happy with the way this blog is turning out!! I've tried a lot of the recipes and they've been delicious and have definitely helped my boredom with making the same things over and over. Let's keep it up!

Now onto a very yummy cake that my cousin Allison made (and since you aren't posting it, Allison, I am going to). You guys who know me well know that I am not a "cake" person. But this one is yummy!

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites

3 cups all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 (8 oz.) container sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Butter and flour 10 inch tube pan. Cut out wax paper to fit bottom of pan and slide into place (I never do the waxed paper part, and it always turns out fine.)
2. In medium bowl, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until thoroughly blended, about 5 minutes. Beat in yolks.
3. In large bowl, combine sifted flour, salt and baking soda, sift 2 more times. Mix the extracts into sour cream. Alternately add flour and sour cream mixtures a little at a time, beginning and ending w/flour.
4. In large clean bowl w/clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry peaks. Stir 1/3 of whites into batter until well combined. Fold in remaining 2/3 of whites. Spoon into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 300 for 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Top with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Mmmmm!

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

I just made these today I have already eaten about 4! They are really yummy, but they do take time, but they are sooo worth it!

Combine the following:
½ C very warm water
1 ½ -2 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
Set aside and in a large bowl mix:
3 ½ oz package vanilla pudding (according to the directions on the box) and to that add:
2 eggs
1 t. salt
½ C. butter, melted
6 C. flour
As you add the flour, add the yeast mixture to it.
Knead until smooth.
Cover with a towel and let rise until double, punch down and let rise again. Then roll out dough to 34X21 size (I like to separate the dough into 2 balls and roll it out twice, I don’t have a ton of counter space and it works better for me.)
Take 1C. softened butter and spread over surface. In a small bowl mix 2 C. brown sugar and 4tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle over top. Roll up tightly and cut 2 inch sections. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Push down slightly with hand . Cover and let double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Ice when still warm with icing.

Cream cheese icing:
8 oz. softened cream cheese
½ C. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 C. powdered sugar
1 T. milk
Mix all ingredients.