Zucchini Brownies

I got this recipe from Vicki and they are delicious!!

1/2 cup oil, 1 and 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup walnuts-chopped, 2 tsp. vanilla, 2 cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour) 1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda and 2 cups shredded zucchini.  Mix everything together except zucchini and nuts.  Fold in zucchini and nuts.  Bake at 350 degrees unitl done.  Approximately 30 min.  9 X 9 pan makes thick brownies  9 X 13 pan makes thinner.

No mistake-this recipe DOES NOT contain eggs.

 

 

Honeybun Cake

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1 box yellow cake mix, 4 eggs, 3/4 cup oil, 8 oz. sour cream.  Mix ingredients, spread 1/2 of cake mixture in a greased 9 x13 cake pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the following mixture on top:

1 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tbsp. cinnamon

spread remaining cake mixture on top sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture on top and swirl with butter knife.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 min or until done.    Glaze cake when cooled.

Glaze for cake:  2 cups powdered sugar, 5-6 tbsp evaporated milk, and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
 
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
 
1 cup mashed cooked fresh pumpkin (I used store bought canned pumpkin)
 
1/2 cup oil (I used 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup applesauce)
 
1/2 cup water
 
3 eggs
 
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
 

HEAT oven to 350°F.

BEAT first 7 ingredients with mixer until well blended. Pour into 13×9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 32 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

SPREAD with  Cream Cheese Frosting;  Keep refrigerated.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

 
How to Cook Fresh Pumpkin
Cut a 4- to 5-lb. pumpkin in half with a large knife. Scoop out seeds and stringy fiber. Save seeds for roasting, if desired. Cut pumpkin into 1-1/2-inch cubes. Place pumpkin in large saucepan. Add water to 1-inch depth. Bring to boil; cover. Reduce heat and simmer 25 to 30 min. or until pumpkin is fork-tender. Drain well; cool just until pumpkin is easy to handle. Remove peel. Mash with potato masher for a chunky mixture. For a smoother consistency, process pumpkin in a food processor. Drain mashed pumpkin in sieve for about 20 min. to remove excess liquid. Store in refrigerator up to 5 days. Cooked pumpkin can also be frozen up to 6 months in resealable freezer-weight plastic bags.
Cooking Know-How
Mashed, cooked fresh pumpkin might have a higher moisture content than canned pumpkin purée. For best results, do not substitute canned pumpkin purée in recipes calling for homemade mashed cooked pumpkin.  (I used canned pumkin and it worked just fine)
 

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

 

 

 

2 cups flour (I use whole wheat)

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 300ºF (this is a slow bake chocolate cake recipe)

2. Grease and flour a 9 in x 13 inch baking dish

3. Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix at medium speed until all the ingredients are blended and smooth.

4. Pour into the greased and floured pan and bake for 1 hour, or until done.

5. Frost as desired with your favorite frosting.

 

Recipe for homemade buttercream frosting

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter softened, 1 tsp vanilla, 3 tbsp evaporated milk.  Combine all ingredients and enjoy.  I got this recipe from a blog friend https://holcombfamilyrecipes.wordpress.com  I am not a big fan of chocolate but this cake is really good.

Apple Muffins

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Here is a picture of the apple muffins I made this morning.  They were very good.  I definitely will be making them again.  Thanks for sharing the recipe, Cheryl.  Here is the recipe: 

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat), 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 cup apple juice, 1/3 cup oil, 1 egg and 1 cup diced apples.  Combine all ingredients and put into muffin pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min.  Next time I make it I will add nuts but I didn’t this time.  Anyway they were really good.

Today has been rain, rain, and then some more rain.  Extremely dreary.  Hubby is having trouble with the van  but has been unable to work on it because of the rain.  We did manage to sneak in a picnic lunch over at the park.  They have a shed there and we were fortunate enough to get to use the shed, otherwise we would have had to come home.  We had hamburgers on the grill, pasta salad and yogurt.  We got some more good pictures to share. 

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I hope you all enjoy your day and God bless.

Blackberries

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Our blackberries are doing much better than I thought they would.  Today makes 3 gal. I’ve picked. YUM!

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Yesterday we finished the pears.  Later, we went up to the garden and SURPRISE!  Lots of beans were ready.  We canned 15 quarts and had enough for dinner and lunch today.  

Tomorrow we will be going down to Jessica’s.  Sam has a doctors appointment so the girls and I will be playing with Daniel.  Jess is going to make supper for us before we come back home.  Last night’s menu was fried chicken, green beans, and rice.  We had cantalope and watermelon for dessert.  It certainly has been hot here for the last few days.  Hotter than usual I think.  Oh well, fall will be here soon and everyone knows what follows fall.  I think we better enjoy these hot, summer days.  Cold winter days will be here before we know it.

I think the girls and I will make pizza sauce to can today from the tomatoes we picked yesterday.  The recipe I use is:

1/2 cup oil, 4 med. onions chopped, 4 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup dried parsley, 1 gal. tomato juice, 2-12 oz cans tomato paste, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp. oregano, salt, and basil, 2 bay leaves, 3/4 tsp. black pepper.  mix all ingredients, simmer about 2 hours.  Process pints 30 min on 10 lb pressure.  Yields about 12 pts.  I will be adding banana peppers and some hot peppers to mine today as I have quite a few of these in the garden.

I guess I better get busy with these projects.  Enjoy your day and God bless.

Cherry Pie

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Today has been kinda a resting day.  So much has been going on here lately, I thought the girls and I needed a day to rest.  Of course, as all you know there is no such thing as a completely resting day.  Especially during the week.  Anyway, I decided as I was resting to make a cherry pie.  I used the cherries we picked over the weekend.  I put about 3 cups of pitted cherries and about 1/2 cup sugar.  I brought this to a boil and let it boil down some.  Then I thickened it with 2 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp. water.

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Then I made my pie crust.  The recipe I use is:  1/4 tsp. salt, 1/3 cup milk, 1/2 cup oil.  Mix all this together, then add 2 1/3 cups sifted all purpose flour.

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Then I divide the dough into 2 parts for the bottom crust and the top.   I must warn you though this next picture is not too pretty.  I have never been good at rolling out pie crust.  I want to be, so I keep trying.  Maybe someday.

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The finished product.  I know it doesn’t look too good but I believe it will taste great.  Especially with that homemade vanilla ice cream I’m making.  We are also having pork tenderloin, pinto beans and mashed potatoes. I think I will have  cornbread with this.  Today for lunch I had my first batch of wilted lettuce and green onions, so I had to bake cornbread to go with it.  Now, where I from they would have said a “mess” of lettuce and onions but I didn’t want to confuse those of you who do not understand mountain talk.  For you all who don’t know what this is, I’ll explain. First pick the lettuce and onion, fry some bacon.  Then you wilt down the lettuce and onion with the hot bacon grease.  Add a little salt and enjoy with cornbread.  Hubby likes pinto beans with his. Anyway you fix it, it is good!  My ice cream maker is finished, so I must go.  Take care and God bless.

More Snow

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Yes, we have more snow.  It is snowing hard and we have gotten about 1 1/2″ already.  All our shoveled out places are covered again.  I think it is supposed to snow until about 8:00 tonight.  I just pray it doesn’t snow too much.  We plan on going to Jessica’s this weekend.   The last picture shows how hard it is snowing,  if you look really close, you can see the barn in the distance.  100_2938

Changing the subject, here is a picture of a peach pie I made today.  Instead of using a pie pan, I put it in one of my cast iron skillets.  The peaches were home canned.  I just thickened up the juice.  The pie crust is really simple.  1/2 cup oil, 1/3 cup milk, 1/4 tsp. salt.  Stir this together, then add 2 1/3 cup sifted all purpose flour.  Mix together.  This will make top and bottom crust.  I used the entire dough for a bottom crust as this skillet is fairly large,  then I put a crumb topping on the top.  I think this need vanilla ice cream on the side.  What do you all think?  Well, enjoy your day and God bless.

Honey Bun Cake Recipe

This is my honey bun cake recipe.  It is really easy but oh so delicious.   1 box yellow cake mix, 4 eggs, 3/4 cup oil, 8 oz.sour cream (or sour cream substitute).  Mix ingredients, spread 1/2 mixture in a greased 9X13 cake pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the following mixture on top–1 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon.  Spread remainder of cake batter on top sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture on top of this.  Swirl batter with a butter knife.  Bake at 350 degrees 35 minutes or until done.  For the glaze I use 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla and 5-6 tbsp evaporated milk.    Drizzle glaze on while cake is still warm and enjoy.  I would like to take a minute to thank my friend Marie for this recipe.  She is one of the best cooks I have ever known.  Unfortunately, Alzheimers has robbed her memory of many great recipes but every time I make this cake I think of her.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do.  God Bless.

Cake

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My accomplishment for the day.  This cake goes by several different names.  Some call it a stack cake.  Some call it a lassie (molasses) cake.  No matter what name you call it, it is just plain GOOD.  When I was growing up in the mountains of southwest va, this cake was very popular among my mom’s family.  You very seldom had any type of family get together that someone didn’t make this cake.  Of course, as a young girl I took this for granted.  Ate the cake and never thought about learning to make it myself.  Then we moved away from family and of course I wanted me some stack cake.  I called my aunt and got the recipe.  It has taken much trial and error but I think I’ve just about got it right.  This is a recipe I want to pass down to my girls.  Old mountain recipes will be lost if we don’t teach the next generation how to make them (even if they don’t want to learn).  If anyone is interested in the recipe, here it is:  1/2 cup oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs,   1 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1/2 cup hot water, 1/2 cup molasses, 3 cups self-rising flour.  Mix all ingredients together.  Turn mixture onto floured surface.  Knead until slightly stiff.  Divide into 6 parts.  Put wax paper into round cake pans. ( I do three at a time)  Take each section of dough, spread out thinly in cake pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Romove from oven.  Place on cooling rack.  Repeat process for the other 3 sections.  Spread apple butter between the sections.  Let set overnight to allow the apple butter to moisten the cake layers.  Then serve.  Many enjoy this cake with buttermilk.  Any questions, just leave a comment or e-mail me.  Enjoy and God Bless.

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