Sugar Cookie Surprise

               My all time favorite cookie is shortbread.  I also really like sugar cookies.  At odds with these two favorite cookies is the fact that I like moist cake-like cookies.  So, I have attempted to capture the essence of the shortbread cookie in a softer form. 

               My first attempt was close but left a sugary after taste that I didn’t care for.  I have for years added a little pepper to my sugar cookies to give them another layer of flavor.  I tried it here and it changed the after taste to a hint of spice that most people will never guess to be pepper.

               In my quest for cake-like I actually achieved a little bit of chewiness that I really like with this cookie.  I hope you enjoy them.  Let me know at tom.aka.santa@gmail.com

Sugar Cookie Surprise

Ingredients:

         3½-3¾ Cups Flour

         ¾ Cup Sugar

         1¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda

         1 Teaspoon White (or Black) Pepper

         ¼ Teaspoon Salt

         1 Tablespoon Vanilla

         ½ Cup Butter

         ¾ Cup White Corn Syrup

         1 Beaten Egg

Directions:

         Combine dry ingredients

         Warm syrup and butter in sauce pan over medium low heat until butter melts (alternately, warm in microwave for about 90 seconds and stir until butter melts reheating if needed)

         Cool syrup mixture to about room temperature and add beaten egg

         Combine all ingredients and mix well.

         Cover and chill at least 2 hours

         Form into golf ball sized balls, roll balls in sugar and flatten to 1/4 inch on a cookie sheet lined with non stick aluminum foil.

         Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes

         Cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet

Yield:

         3 dozen 

Open Crust Apple Cheddar Pie

Open Crust Apple Cheddar Pie

               This pie is in honor of my mother who always baked slices of cheddar cheese into her apple pies.  Don't turn your nose up at the cheese in a pie.  How often have you served wedges of apple and cheese?  They go great together.

Ingredients:
               Pie crust to fit a 9-10" pie can (or oven proof skillet like I used) or store bought crust
               1 21 ounce can of apple pie filling
               1 Tablespoon Apple Pie Spice
               1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
               1/4 Cup Sugar
               1/4 Cup Pancake mix
               2 Tablespoons butter
               Carmel Ice Cream Syrup

Directions:
              pour pie filling into crust
              sprinkle with pie spice
              top with cheese
              mix pancake mix and sugar and then sprinkle over pie
              cut butter into 6 to 8 pieces and place on top of pie
              fold edge of crust over the top edge of the pie
              Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 25-35 minutes until topping is golden brown.
              drizzle with carmel syrup

Twice Baked Cake

Twice Baked Cake

               This isn’t so much a recipe as a story documenting the salvaging of an error.

               I believe that, because I grew up financially challenged (poor) that I developed a habit of being thrifty (cheap).  I don’t like to throw something away just because it is broken or even unfit for its purpose.  Often a thing has hidden value that you just need to see from a different perspective.  An empty pill bottle is a perfect receptacle for small screws, bolts and other pieces of hardware.  An empty can may become the perfect size biscuit cutter by simply removing both the top and bottom lids.  A sweat sock with a hole in the toe makes a great dust rag or polishing cloth.

               The reason that I’m telling you this is because; last Thursday Ella made a batch of Almond Blondies that did not turn out well.  She left half of the butter out and baked them a little longer than needed.  The results were some very hard almond flavored blocks akin to cinder blocks.  Being the naturally thrifty person that I am, last night a soaked a couple of the Blondies in water and then mashed them into a paste.  I then added some pancake batter and made pancakes out of them.  They were delicious. 

               Because of my success at redeeming the Blondies as pancakes, I decided to make a cake out of the other chunks.  As with the pancakes, I began by soaking the crumbled Blondies in water.  After they were sufficiently softened I mashed them.  I then added additional oil (the missing ingredient in the original baking) and some additional sugar and a little vanilla extract.  Once that was mixed together, I added pancake mix enough to make a batter of the normal consistency of cake batter.   I then poured the batter into a greased and floured 13x9x2 inch baking pan and baked it for thirty minutes in a three hundred and seventy-five degree oven.

               After removing the cake from the oven, I turned it out onto a baking sheet and let it cool to room temperature.  Frosted with a canned cream cheese frosting it looked pretty enough to eat.  Cutting into the cake revealed the same dark blonde color of the original Blondies due to the use of brown sugar.  The texture was moist and a little heavy.  But best of all … they tasted great!

Beef Pot Pie - Simple

For two pot pie crusts use 1/2 of this recipe for the Never Fail Pie Crust

Pie – Never Fail Pie Crust

Ingredients:

        1 Cup Lard

        3 Cups Flour

        1 Egg

        1 Teaspoon White Vinegar or Vodka

        5 Tablespoons Water

        1 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:

        Cut lard into 2 cups of flour until it resembles corn meal.

        Break egg into a small mixing bowl and beat with a fork.

        Add water, vinegar (or vodka) and salt to egg and mix.

        Combine egg mixture with remaining 1 cup of flour

        Gently combine the egg/flour mix with the lard/flour mix – do not over mix

Makes 2 double pie crusts

         I decided to make pot pies for lunch.  The only problem was that I didn't have any pie tins small enough and my muffin tins are too small.  After a little thought, I realized that I had some cans of Beef and Gravy.  The cans are just the perfect size for a pot pie.  I opened both and put them in Glad containers.

I rolled out the dough and used the cans to cut 4 circles or it.  I then rolled the can along the dough, pushing down just firmly enough to mark the dough.

I then used a dough knife to cut along the marks and used the resulting strips to line the inside edges of the cans.  One circle of dough in each can bottom and one circle each for the top of the pie.


I added enough frozen mixed veggies to fill half of each pie.

I then split one can of the Beef and Gravy between the pies. 

Using a fork, puncture the top pie crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Turn out into a soup bowl and enjoy.

If this isn't the best pot pie you've eaten, call me and I'll finish up your left overs. Grin!

.

Pie - Never Fail Pie Crust

Pie – Never Fail Pie Crust

Ingredients:

        1 Cup Lard

        3 Cups Flour

        1 Egg

        1 Teaspoon White Vinegar or Vodka

        5 Tablespoons Water

        1 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:

        Cut lard into 2 cups of flour until it resembles corn meal.

        Break egg into a small mixing bowl and beat with a fork.

        Add water, vinegar (or vodka) and salt to egg and mix.

        Combine egg mixture with remaining 1 cup of flour

        Gently combine the egg/flour mix with the lard/flour mix – do not over mix

Makes 2 double pie crusts.

1-2-3 Cake

Recipe 1-2-3 Cake*

          Start with two packaged cake mixes.  One of them HAS to be Angel Food but the other can be any flavor you like.  Mix the packages of dry ingredients together.  We placed ours in a gallon size zipper locked bag.  Store the mix until you are ready to use it.

          When you have the craving for cake, add 3 Tablespoons of mix and 2 Tablespoons of water in a coffee cup.  Microwave on high for 1 minute.  You may have to adjust time according to YOUR microwave.

          Top with frosting, fruit, or nothing at all.  Be creative.  We used Pillsbury Easy Frost.  It seemed like the perfect compliment to a one minute cupcake.

*I’d like to credit the person who came up with the recipe.  However, it is something that I’ve seen being passed around on Facebook so I don’t know where it originated.

One Pan Cake (not a pancake)

Cake – One Pan Cake (not a pancake)

Ingredients:

               3 Cups Flour

               2 Cups Sugar

               ½ Cup Cocoa

               2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

               1 Teaspoon Salt

               ¾ Cup Vegetable Oil

               2 Tablespoons White Vinegar

               1 Teaspoon Vanilla

               2 Cups Warm Water

Directions:

               Sift all the dry ingredients into a cake pan.

               Make 3 holes in the dry ingredients.

               In one hole pour the vegetable oil

               In one hole pour the vinegar

               In one hole pour the vanilla

               Pour warm water over the top and stir with a fork

               Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes