Cranberry Orange Cake

Cranberries. They were a round firm berry that we would string on the Christmas tree and that was ALL that I knew what to do with them. In Alaska I made very tart muffins with them. I didn't really like them but I used them because that is what we had.  I never really appreciated this tart berry and the potential that it could have. ..... That is till we moved to Maine where Cranberries are home grown in the bogs and beds around. You wouldn't even know you are driving by them unless you know what you are looking at. Back in college, when I was living with my Meema, we always talked about road tripping it up to New England to see how they grew cranberries. Visiting a Cranberry bog, It was like a thought out of a Hallmark movie. Fast forward to present day, where we live near and are friends with Cranberry farm owners. I have learned TONS about these cool berries, but since this is a recipe blog I will not give you all the information that I now know and just share recipes I have tried

Unlike the small, delicate berries we had in Alaska, Maine's berries are big and usually pretty firm and since living here, I have looked for and tried many new recipes for these berries. Besides scones, this one is one of my favorite ways to use them. I am not sure why I always make this at Christmas time, but it turns out to be such a flavorful cake and you can really decorate it pretty. It sets a mood for a Christmas cake. It might take a little more effort but the result is so worth it! Here is the recipe for the cake, the frosting, and the sugared berries. The sugared berries were so delicious that I made extra just so we could snack on them. They are the perfect combination of sweet and tart! Trust me, Make extra!

This recipe fills a 8 cup bundt pan, which is a small bundt pan, but I doubled the recipe and filled two 8 in round pans to make the round cake. So if you want to make it just like my picture double it and spray two round 8 inch pans. Or is you want to fill a big bundt pan, double the recipe. If you make this in a bundt cake, you may want to make a orange glaze instead of a cream cheese icing.

Cranberry Cake(I double this recipe for 2 round pans)
1 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 TBSP orange zest
Juice of 1 orange ( I use the one i got the zest from)
1/2 cup butter
2 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 cup chopped cranberries

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Spray bundt pan or 8 inch round pan and then coat with a dusting of flour.
Cream together butter and sugar. 4-5 minutes till light and fluffy. add eggs one ate a time. Mix well. add orange juice and zest and sour cream. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and stir well. add to cream mixture. add chopped cranberries and stir in. Pour into pan. Bake 50-55 minutes. Rest 5 minutes then invert out of pan. Let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter
2 block cream cheese(softened)
3-4 cups powder sugar
1 Tbsp Orange Zest
 Cream together butter and Cream cheese. Add powder sugar and Zest. Whip till spreading consistency.  Spread on cake.

Sugared Cranberries
2 cups sugar (divided 1 cup each)
1 cup water
12 oz Cranberries(I actually doubled the amount of berries because there was plenty of syrup to cover them)
In a sauce pan over medium high heat. Heat water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to boil and boil 10-15 minutes till it thickens. Cool 15 minutes. Line a cookie sheet (with edges) with parchment paper, Place cookie rack over the pan. toss the cranberries in batches in the syrup. Place on rack to dry 45 minutes. Then toss in 1 cup of Sugar. let dry a little longer. decorate cake with berries.
 

Pumpkin Torte

Have you ever had a recipe in your collection that you have never tried and it just sits there because you are not brave enough to attempt it? I have! This recipe has been in my collection since I was in college. Even though I would love to say that was "last year" I will be honest and say it was more then 5 years ago..... maybe even more but I can't be THAT honest with you! hahaha. But I have had this recipe for a while with out making it. Not because it sounded gross but I was a bit intimidated by it's beauty. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, you scan the magazines and recipe books and see those pretty cakes and their beauty makes it seem impossible to recreate. Well I guess this one has been one of those. I think cream and fluffiness is what made me not make this cake. I made it this last weekend for a party and now I regret not making it for so long. It was DELICIOUS! AND it was actually very easy to make! Even Keith has asked me with each bite "why have you not made this before?" It really is good!

I normally don't post recipes that are not from scratch and this one does use a cake mix. I'm sorry I don't have a tested recipe for just the cake mix. I am sure I can find one for you if you need it, just send me a message. But if you do have a vanilla cake mix on hand this is a wonderful recipe! Perfect for the Autumn Season... I have posted before that pumpkin is one of my favorite things to cook with and this one is going in the list of FAVORITES right their beside Pumpkin Rolls!

Pumpkin Torte
1 vanilla Cake mix( I used French Vanilla)
1 Can solid pack pumpkin divided
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice (divided)
1 package Cream Cheese softened
1 cup powder sugar
1 carton frozen whipped topping( I just whipped cream with a bit of sugar into a Cool whip consistancy)
Carmel Ice cream topping
Toasted pecans

Mix cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, eggs, oil and 1 tsp pumpkin spice together. Beat on low for 30 seconds and then on Medium for 2 minutes. Pour into 2 greased 9-in round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes then remove from pans. Cool completely. 

In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese till light and fluffy. Add powder sugar, remaining pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Mix well till smooth. Fold in whipped topping.

Cut each cake horizontally in two layers. Place one layer on plate. Layer 1/4 of the whipped topping and spread over the layer. Then repeat with remaining layers. Sprinkle toasted pecans and then drizzle Carmel sauce over top of cake. Store in the refrigerator.

I make a lot of cakes for birthdays and I have an amazing chocolate cake recipe that I usually use, mostly because it is firm enough to stack and create fun cakes with, but sometimes I get tired of chocolate cake for everything. I have not found a white cake that is anything but blaaaa, so I have been on the hunt for another kind of cake that is firm but still delicious in a different flavor than chocolate. I think I found it! This cake is amazing! Flavor and texture and healthiness. OK I am not sure on exactly how healthy this cake is but it makes me feel better eating it with all the vegetables and fruit in it. I used this for a baby shower cake that I stacked and decorated and it turned out great! I did a test run BEFORE the shower and had a few people tell me if they liked it or not. So I took their thoughts and applied them to my cakes and it worked.  My husband was even bummed that he was not invited to the baby shower. It tasted great and so this cake recipe is going into my recipe book of Favorites.

Pineapple Zucchini Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• ½ cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (I used White Flour)
• 1-¼ cup Granulated Sugar
• ½ cups Sweetened, Flaked Coconut
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Or More To To Taste (optional)
• 1 pinch Ginger (optional)
• 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 cups Grated (unpeeled) Zucchini (Or you can use shredded Carrots instead or you can use 1 cup zucchini and 1 cup carrots)
• 1 can (20 Oz. Size) Crushed Pineapple In Juice, Drained (Reserve Juice In Case You Need It For The Cake Batter Or The Frosting)

 Preheat oven to 350°F.

To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
 Combine flours, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
 Combine oil, eggs, and vanilla; stir well. Stir egg mixture, grated zucchini, and pineapple into the flour mixture. Batter will be stiff and dry but keep folding it and it will all come together. If it still seems too dry, just add a little splash of the pineapple juice.
 Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for about 33–35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs and cake is pulling away from sides of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes : If your zucchini are huge, scrape the seeds out of the center before you shred it so it’s not too watery. Also, I spread it all out on layers of paper towel to drain it and dry it off a bit. I squeezed most of the juice out of mine by hand. Then I measure out 2 cups.  Nuts can also be added to the cake batter if desired.

• FOR THE FROSTING:
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
• 1 package (8 Oz. Size) Low-fat Cream Cheese, Softened (You Can Use Full-fat Cream Cheese)
• 2 cups Powdered Sugar, More Or Less As Needed
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• Splash Of Milk Or Pineapple Juice, If Necessary
• Chopped Walnuts Or Pecans (optional)

 To prepare frosting, combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla just until smooth. Add a splash of milk or pineapple juice if necessary. Spread frosting over top of cake. You can garnish with chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired. This recipe makes a very generous amount of frosting.


 

Nutella Cupcakes

Here is a fun and yummy recipe. I mean cupcakes and Nutella, how can you go wrong? Plus you don't need to icing these, unless you really want to. I love Nutella and this is one great way to enjoy it!
 

Nutella Cupcakes
1/4 cup butter at room temperature.
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Nutella at room temp.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a bowl beat butter, oil, and sugar with mixer till light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat till smooth.

In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat on low till all combined. Batter will be thick. It needs to be so you can swirl the nutella.

Divide Batter in 12 paper lined muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of Nutella on top and swirl through batter with a Knife or bamboo skewer. Bake 25-30 minutes. Let them cool.... then hide them because they will be gone soon!=)

Blueberry Pie

Happy Pi Day!!!! 3.14 deserves to have it's own holiday.... at least in my house it does! So when March 14th comes around on the calender our family gets to eat pie in honor of that weird never ending number. I mean do we really need any excuse to eat pie? Nope. I am NOT an expert on baking pies. I wish it was an easy thing to make pie crust, but they are a bit tricky. I have already blogged the amazing Tomato Pie which my family LOVES. You can find the recipe in the Main meals category. But today we are having Blueberry Pie. The first thing you need is a pie crust. Here is a recipe for my favorite pie crust recipe.

Pie Crust
1 1/2 cup Crisco
3 cups flour
1 egg
 5 TBSP cold water
1 TBSP vinegar
1 tsp salt

Mix Flour and salt. Cut in Crisco till crumbly like corn meal. Beat egg and add to flour mix, Add water and vinegar. Stir till all incorporated. Separate in to 3 parts.( You can put the ones you don't need in a zip lock and roll slightly and freeze them for when you need them.)  Let the dough chill 15 minutes before you use it. It will make it easier to handle.  Flour a surface and roll out to use for  a pie.

For the Pie

Blueberry Pie
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP water
4 cups blueberry
Mix sugar, corn starch, and cinnamon. Add the Vanilla and water. It is a bit clumpy but I mixed it really good. Mix in the blueberries. Put in pie crust. Make a lattice or top crust for top. Brush with a little water and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Cranberry/ Blueberry Nut Bars

I made these the other night for the first time. They were super easy to make and quite delicious. However they were NOT the type of bar I was thinking they would be. They were more like a cake. A delicious cake! I think if I want more of a bar, then I would pour it into a bigger pan to make it more thin, but if you like a berry kind of a coffee cake this is a good one. I used Blueberries instead of the cranberries that the recipe called for and it was so yummy. It would be a good for a breakfast or a dessert. For a dessert it would be good with some Cool Whip.

Cranberry Nut Bars
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
1/2 cup pecans

Grease a 8 in pan. Beat eggs in mixture bowl till thick. Gradually add sugar beat till blended. Stir in flour and melted butter. Blend. Add in Cranberries and nuts. Hand mix softly to avoid smashing the berries. Spread in pan. Bake 40-45 minutes till golden brown. Cool and cut into bars.

Indian/ Eskimo/Puerto Rican/ African........Worldly Fry bread! =)

This meal has become a favorite for our family. I don't know where the recipe is officially from and it changes depending on who you ask. Fry bread is a  flat tortilla like bread that you fry and it gets a bit puff and makes wonderful tacos. I first had Fry bread in New Mexico and they used it for a dessert with cinnamon and sugar on top. Then when we moved here, fry bread tacos were sold at many community events. The Athabaskan people(who mostly live in our village) say they were the ones to invent fry bread. Their people group are distantly related to the Indian people groups of the Lower 48. So I could see how fry bread would have spread to New Mexico as well as interior Alaska. The Eskimos on the coast also claim to have invented Fry Bread. So who know where it REALLY came from but I am glad all the different people groups and tribes eat it, that way we can see different ways to eat it. I was amazed to see how easy they were to make at home! So now a Puerto Rican and a Zambian have adopted it into our house and declared this World bread. No I did not invent it but I have experimented with different ways to use it. Fry Bread can be adapted to what you like. I love it as a taco but also love it as a dessert! Here is the recipe and a few ways we like to eat it!

Indian/ Eskimo/Puerto Rican/ African........Worldly Fry bread!  =)
3 cups Flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 cup milk
1/4-1/2 cup water.(enough to make dough come together)
Oil or Crisco for Frying

Stir Flour, Baking Powder, Salt together. Stir in Milk till it comes together as much as possible. Then add water to get it to come together well to form a ball. Cover in a bowl and rest 30-40 minutes. Heat 1-2 inches of oil in skillet over medium high heat. Grab a plumb size ball of dough and press flat with fingers. (what I have found is you press it down and let it rest while you do the other balls and then when you come back to it it will spread better.) Press into about a 8 inch circle. It doesn't have to be perfect. Heat oil in a skillet or pan or even deep fryer.  Then fry it on each side till they are golden brown on both sides. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel. These do not reheat to well. You can but they don't taste as great. So if you are making these, fresh is best!

For Tacos top bread with:
Meat
Beans
sour cream
cheese,
lettuce
tomatoes
salsa
guacamole
ANYTHING you like in a taco!

For Dessert:
~Dust it with Powder sugar
~Drizzle Honey and Cinnamon
~ Or Dust it with Cinnamon, Sugar, Honey and Powder sugar =)
~ Make a Fruit Taco
~ serve with Jam or Nutella!! OH YEAH!!

Buttermilk pie

Today I am thankful for some great memories of Rose and Dudley Johnson and her Buttermilk Pecan Pie! I don't know anyone who can make a buttermilk pecan pie like Rose! I was blessed to live with the Johnson's while I was in college in Lake Jackson Texas. And boy could she cook! She was well known for her sausage balls, bread & butter pickles and pies. I have the EXACT recipes that she used, except for the pickles which are a family secret, and my pies NEVER turn out like hers. I think it was the LOVE she put into it that made it so good. And she loved a lot. There are many fond memories of living with Rose and Dudley! Game nights, watching football with Dudley, dinners, and lots of laughs. I don't know many people that would let a college girl come sleep in their room during a hurricane.  Rose just said I was keeping them young.  She was famous for her Buttermilk Pecan pie and ooohhhhhh is it sooooo good!! It is one of Keith and my favorite. When Keith and I were dating, Rose would make these pies and Keith loved them. One day Keith came over to watch football with Dudley, and Dudley asked Keith if he wanted to have some Buttermilk to drink? Keith thinking that if buttermilk can make a pie soooooo good how could it be bad..... so Dudley poured him a cup and Keith drank it.... and about choked! while Rose and I were laughing so hard in the kitchen. "How can something so bad as buttermilk be made into a pie and taste so good?" I have wondered that myself but whatever magic it is, it works!  I am so thankful for the time and memories I had with Rose and Dudley Johnson! What a sweet couple that loved a missionary college student, that they barely knew enough to let her live with them. Dudley was also the man who led my husband to the Lord.  This couple will always have a sweet spot in my heart. I miss Rose a lot! She died a few years ago unexpectedly but  I am sure she is up in Heaven helping fill the banquet table with pies and all kinds of goodies. I got to see Dudley last month in Texas and we had a good time talking. Love that man and his jokes. He is a GREAT joke teller! I enjoyed living with them so much. So with lots of love and memories I am sharing Rose's recipe for her pie. If you want it to taste like hers make sure you put lots of love into it. This is a delicious pie!

Rose's Buttermilk Pecan Pie
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups sugar( but I use only a 1 1/2 cups cause Keith likes it a little less sweet)
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
3 eggs
3 TBSP flour
1 pie crust

Preheat oven to 300 degree. Bake pie crust about 10 minutes.
Cream butter and sugar together. Add salt and eggs one at a time. Mix well. Add buttermilk, vanilla and flour. Sprinkle pecans in pie crust shell. Gently pour batter over pecans. Bake about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The pecans will float to the top. Bake till golden on top and firm in the middle.  Let cool before cutting.

Date Balls

In my mind, one of my favorite Christmas treats in my mom's Date Balls. These are ALWAYS at my house for Christmas. They are habit forming and addicting and usually didn't last long at our house.  Mom would send these to school with us but RARELY ever made it off the plane. They would be devoured! They are great for parties and for treats to give friends. Try these yummy Date Balls. You will LOVE THEM!

Date Balls
In a sauce pan, bring to a boil:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or Margrine
1 box of chopped dates
Boil for 3 minutes stirring continuously
Remove from heat and add:
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecans
2 cups rice crispies
Mix well and then scoop out by spoonful. Roll into balls( I use one of those small Ice cream scooper, The little tiny ones that are about 1 TBSP works great and you don't have to use your hands.) Drop into coconut and roll and coat with coconut. Place on wax paper to cool. Enjoy! They really are delicious!

Buck-eyes

These are one of my FAVORITE treats at Christmas. How can you go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate? In my opinion you can't! These are a little time consuming but fun to make.

Buck-eyes
1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter (soften)
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powder sugar
Mix together well. Make into balls and lay on a pan covered in wax paper. Refrigerate for a few hours. In a double boiler melt 2 1/2  cup semi sweet chocolate. Dip balls in chocolate. Place on wax paper and let sit till chocolate hardens.

I learned a new way to melt chocolate to dip that is really easy. If you have a crockpot or slow cooker fill it with some water. In some mason jars pour the chocolate you are using. Place the jars carefully in the water. You don't want it to be to full of water that it gets in the chocolate. But heat slow cooker. When the chocolate starts to melt stir so it it melt fully. When melted you can dip whatever you need to dip. The chocolate stays melted and easy to use.

Velveeta Fudge

OK I know you might be saying eeewwww right now, but trust me this is not ew!  The first time I tried this, the lady who made it tried to have me guess what what the main ingredient. I was not even close. I loved it so much that I made a batch and took it to my husbands work. I asked everyone the same question, What do you think the main ingredient is in this fudge?  Chocolate, Nutella were all the answers. When I told them the main ingredient was Velvetta cheese, people were amazed!! It makes the fudge so creamy and smooth. I love it! You need to try it!

Velveeta Fudge
1/2 lb Velveeta
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts
2 (16 oz) box powder sugar(8 cups)
1/2 cup cocoa powder

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt cheese and butter together. Stir continuously till smooth. Remove from heat add nuts and Vanilla. In a large bowl sift together powder sugar and Cocoa. Pour cheese into sugar and stir well. Will be stiff. Press evenly into greased 9x13 pan.
~ I added Marshmallow and made it a Rocky road flavor... Place in Refrigerator to firm up. Store in an air tight container in refrigerator. Enjoy!

Tamy's Cranberry Jello Salad.

 This is one of my favorite dishes to have for Christmas! This Jello salad is super easy but delicious! We were introduced to this from our friend Tamy in Florida! I love Jello and making it into a delicious dish means I am all in! I love cranberry sauce too but put in Jello makes it very tasty! it adds great flavor to a turkey dinner for Christmas.

Tamy's Cranberry Jello Salad.
1 cup boiling water
1 cherry flavored Jello
Stir together till jello is dissolved
Add:
1 Can Whole berry cranberry sauce
1 small can crushed pineapple

Mix well and chill till jelled. DELICIOUS!!

Chai Spice Cookie

Well the Christmas season is here! Time to start making the cookies and treats that we all love to eat. I don't know why we wait ALL year to make them and then try to pack them into the month of December but we all do it! We all have those favorite cookies mom used to make or the delicious fudge, cranberry bars, pumpkin pies and all those delicious treats! So this month I will try to blog all of my favorite treats that I like to make during the holidays!  I hope you stay tuned as we go through this month that is my FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR!! Have a wonderful season and don't stress over it. Don't get so busy that you forget to just enjoy it! Enjoy the time with friends and family! I know I will. this will be the first year in 4 that my family will all be together for Christmas. My parents returned from Zambia, My brother is close to them and Keith and the boys and I are going to spend Christmas with all of my crazy family. I can't wait!  I will be posting recipes as we travel too so keep checking back! It will be a delicious holiday season! Yummy!

When I visit my Meema, she always has a pile of new cooking magazines that I always love to browse through. I love getting new recipes to try and these cookies I got from Better Homes & Gardens a few years ago. I thought they sounded interesting but didn't try them for a while. I was a little hesitant to make them with tea leaves, but I am glad I kept the recipe and tried them. These are a very tasty and fun to make with kids. You can cut them in cool shapes and they like to decorate them.

Chai Spice Cookie
2 spiced chai flavored tea bags
3 cups flour
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 egg yokes (egg replacer works well in this recipe)
2 Tbsp Molasses

Remove tea bag contents (about 3 teaspoons of tea) discard bags. In a medium bowl combine tea, flour and pumpkin spice. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat till fluffy and light. Beat in egg yokes and molasses. Beat in as much flour as you can, and stir in the remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
 On lightly floured surface roll half the dough to 1/4 in thick. Cut with  whatever shape cookie cutters you want. Place on cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes till edges are lightly brown. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes  Transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely and decorate with powdered sugar icing.

Powder Sugar Icing
1 1/2 cup powder sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla or I like Almond flavoring
4 tsp milk
Mix all together. Stir in more milk if needed till icing is piping consistency.

Layer cookies between wax paper in covered airtight container. Store for 3 days at room temp or freeze up to 3 months.   Here is a picture from the Better Homes and Garden Magazine. Try these!

Meema's Jello Salad

 Today I am busy cooking for our Thanksgiving feast with our neighbors and on the menu is Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, rolls, pie, Cheese Flan and Jello Salad and that is only coming out of my kitchen. Karin is cooking up some wonderful things too! I am looking forward to my Jello salad. I have just enough cool whip to make it this year. This is usually a dish that I have to wait to visit Texas to get. My Meema does make it best! And when I come to her house she ALWAYS has it waiting in the fridge! It is MY FAVORITE JELLO! I can never seem to make it quite the same but I think Meema puts in more LOVE into it. My cousins and I usually fight over it, but I always win! =) hahahaha. Meema has even sent it in a To-Go box for me if I have to travel. Seriously it is delicious! I am counting down the days till I can have some, which is 13 by the way! Can't wait to have a Christmas with my family this year! But I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow! What a wonderful time of year to gather together with good food, great friends and be thankful for what we have. After the flood we had this spring, I realize there are many many things that I have not thought of to be thankful for this year.

Meema's Jello Salad
1 (15oz) can crushed Pineapple with juice
1  (6oz) box lime jello
2 cups buttermilk (use milk with a little vinegar)
1 cup coconut
1 cup Chopped Pecans
1( 8 oz) Cool-whip( or dream-whip)
Place the pineapple and juice in a pan on stove. Stir and Heat to boil. Remove from stove and add jello. Stir till jello is dissolved. Cool and add buttermilk, coconut and pecans. Cool completely and add cool-whip. Chill for 4 hours. Get a big spoon and enjoy!
( I know Meema sometimes puts in marshmallows but I think it takes away from the yummyness of this dish. SO I Omit them.)

Scones

This is a wonderful recipe for light fluffy scones. I love having teatime and these are wonderful to add to your afternoon tea. They are delicious and are usually gone very fast! This is one of my most asked for recipe. There are many variations that you can do to these. I will give you some of my favorites!


Scones
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 TBSP butter
1/2 raisins(I use craisins)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla ( i usually use Almond flavoring)
1 egg
Preheat oven 375 degrees.
Mix Flour, sugar,Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt. Cut in butter till it is mixed well till crumbly. Stir in Craisins, In a separate bowl mix sour cream , vanilla, egg till smooth. Mix into flour mixture. Mix well. divide into 2 portions. Place on a floured surface and roll into circles. Sprinkle with brown sugar on top. Cut into triangles. Bake 12-17 minutes.

Variations:
Cranberry Orange- Add 1 tsp orange zest and cranberries
Cherry Almond- Add Almond flavoring and Dried Cherries.
Chocolate chips

Cranberry Orange Butter.
1 1/2 Cup butter (no substitutes)
1/2 cup frozen cranberries
2 TBSP powder sugar
1/2 tsp Orange zest
Cream butter, add berries, sugar, orange mix well. refrigerate 1 hour

Soft Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies

These are quickly becoming one of my favorite cookies of all time! I have said before that I love Pumpkin and when you top it with a cream cheese frosting, well who can beat that? Seriously! Frosted Pumpkin Spice cookies.... YUM I make these for any party that I have or go to and there are usually never any left. If I just want a few for our family I will divide the recipe and then just make a small batch. The frosting is a big batch and I actually can frost 2 batches with one batch of frosting. but the frosting freezes well so You can store it till you need it! Which is what I do. I personally don't like these cookies after about 2 days so I try to make the batch only as big as will be eaten right away. They kind of get crumbly after 2 days. And I usually never frost them until right before the party, just so they are creamy and delicious!  These cookies really make you feel like you are biting into the fall season with the spices and pumpkin! They are one of my favorites!

Soft Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven 350. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt. Set aside. In medium bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Beat till creamy. Add dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet and flatten slightly(this is important so the icing spreads nicely). Bake 15-20 minutes. cool completely before frosting.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
2-3 cups powder sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon.
Cream butter and cream cheese together. Slowly add powder sugar with mixer till creamy and thick. add vanilla and cinnamon. frost the cookies.

THESE ARE SCRUMPTIOUS!! and work great with egg replacer! DELICIOUS!!!!!

Pumpkin Roll~ Ryan Maier's Recipe

These Pumpkin Rolls are from my friend Ryan Maier. He was a co-worker of Keith's in Florida and would make these in the Fall and bring them to work. I would try to time my visits to the office for when he had these! When we moved to Alaska he gave me the recipe so that I could make them too. They are so delicious!  I am making these today for a Ladies Night Out that we are having tomorrow. They are a special treat and after the "eventful" Summer we had this year we needed a night out with special treats! (You can read about it all in my family blog http://ramostribeadventures.blogspot.com/ in the months of May, June, and July of 2013) So for tomorrow I am cooking up these and a few other Fall treats to have. I love pumpkin rolls! Thanks Ryan for the recipe!

Pumpkin Roll~ Ryan Maier's Recipe
Mix:
3 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin pie mix(if I don't have the mix I use pumpkin with cinnamon and all spice.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup flour

Spray a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with a edge pan with pam. Line pan with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with pam. Pour pumpkin mixture in pan. Spread evenly around pan. It will be a thin layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and  Immediately roll into a log. then let it cool completely. I refrigerate it for a while. When cool mix up filling.

Filling:
2 Tablespoons soft margarine
1 8oz pk cream cheese
1 cup powder sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together. Carefully unroll log and remove Parchment paper. spread filling on cake and re-roll. Wrap in foil or saran wrap. I use saran wrap. Chill or freeze. Freezing makes it more solid and easier to cut in slices. ENJOY!

Blueberry Pound Cake

I first got this recipe when we lived in Florida and would go to a Pick-your-own Blueberry farm. We would buy them but the tub that you would pick. DELICIOUS! I love blueberries! And pound cakes! I would make this cake a lot for any get together that we had. It was a hit, if I could get it out the door without my husband and I taking some bites!  I have not made this in a while because this is one recipe that CAN NOT be used with Egg-replacer, that I have to use for Kaden. With out eggs this cake is left flat and dense. But since we had a great year for Alaskan blueberries this year, I made one for when we had dinner a few weeks ago. I made a different dessert for Kaden but this cake turned out terrific! If you like pound cake and Blueberries you better try it!

Blueberry Pound Cake
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 cup flour to dredge berries in
2 cups blueberries(fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time till light and fluffy. add vanilla.
Sift 2 cups flour, salt, baking powder together then add them to creamed ingredients. Beat well. Drege Blueberries in about 1/2 cup flour.  This helps them not smash when you are folding them in. I have found that frozen berries work better because they don't get smashed when stirring them into the batter. Fold the berries in to mixture. Grease bundt pan and pour batter in Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. Use a tooth pick to check if the middle is done. Let cool in pan about 10 minutes. Flip onto plate let cool. Sprinkle with powder sugar or make a glaze for the top.