Orange cupcakes

Orange cupcakes
1 stick butter
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice

Mix egg whites until soft peaks form.
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg yolks and rum extract. Add egg whites. Mix well.
Combine dry ingredients.
Combine egg mixture and orange juice. Add to flour mixture. Mix well.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Milk Dud Cookie Bars

Milk Dud Cookie Bars
1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups Milk Duds (measured before chopping)

Cream butter and sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Mix until light.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt in one bowl.
Chop Milk Duds.
Combine egg mixture, flour mixture and Milk Duds.
Mix carefully so that all flour is absorbed.

Put mixture into greased 8-inch square pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. Keep a very careful eye on the cookies; there is a narrow window between undercooked and scorched.
Remove from oven. Loosen edges, but let cool awhile in pan before inverting onto cooling rack.

Next Year's Tomato

The all-important decision has been made!
I'll be buying this variety of seed.
Catalog blurb: 
"Indeterminate. Heirloom. Look for the flush of red on the blossom end of these orange fruits. They range in size from 1"-2" and offer juicy, exceptional sweetness on a vigorous plant."

Confectioner's Sugar Cookies

Confectioner's Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

DIRECTIONS:

Cream butter. Add sugar. Beat until light. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Add dry ingredients. Stir just until mixed. Refrigerate. Roll, cut and bake for 6 minutes at 350 degrees F (ungreased cookie sheet). Cool, frost and decorate.

Variations: Spread unbaked shapes with egg white and decorate with sprinkles-then bake. Add 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans here in Texas). Roll in 1" balls. Bake, cool and toss in a paper lunch sack with confectioner's sugar to coat.

Roll dough in 1" balls. Bake, cool and toss in paper bag with sugar/cinnamon mixture to coat.

Add 1 cup of candied fruits to dough. Roll in 1" balls. Bake and cool.

Divide dough in half. Color dough and use dough as basis of pinwheel cookies or checkerboard cookies.

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/32/Confectioners_Sugar_Cookies21398.shtml

Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread Cake
2 cups applesauce
1 cup molasses
2 t baking soda
3 cups flour
1/2 t salt
2 t ginger
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cloves
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
 In saucepan bring the applesauce to a boil. Stir in molasses, and soda. Set aside to cool. Mix flour with salt and spices.
Beat eggs until light in color. Gradually beat in sugar and continue beating until thick, then gradually beat in oil. Fold together flour mixture, applesauce mixture and egg mixture. Pour into greased tube pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes then remove to a rack to continue cooling.
Source: San Francisco A La Carte, San Francisco Junior League (c) 1979.
Well my applesauce did not reach boiling, I wasn't gradual about combining stuff and I used two smaller pans. The cakes are baking as I write this. Both the ginger and the cinnamon jars were brand new, so I used slightly less than the amount called for.

Bar cookies to use up Halloween candy 1.0

Bar cookies to use up Halloween candy
1 cup butter melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Reese's Peanut Butter cups I used 7 because that's all I had. Original recipe called for 8. Chill the candy in the freezer and then chop finely.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees
Brush 8-inch square baking pan with butter.
Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on sides.
Butter the paper
Mix together butter and sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla
Add flour and salt; stir just until combined.
Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth the top.
Arrange chopped peanut butter cups evening on top of dough.
Bake until top of cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 45 minutes.
Set pan on a wire rack and let cool completely.
Using parchment overhang, life cake from pan and transfer to cutting board.
Cut into squares.

Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chips or 2 cups bittersweet chocolate
3 tablespoons butter

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper large enough to extend up the sides of the pan.

In a stainless steel bowl, combine all the ingredients. Put the bowl in a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Peel off parchment, cut the fudge into small pieces.

Pear Bread

From Cooks.com

I used one can of pears. I added a half-teaspoon of cardamom.

 

2 eggs
1/4 c. oil
1 c. brown sugar
2-3 pears, finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. milk
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

 

Beat eggs with oil until thick and lemon colored. Mix in sugar, pears, vanilla, and milk. Combine dry ingredients and stir into mixture. Use 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. (Bake at 375 degrees for 9 x 5 x 3 pan for 50 to 60 minutes.) Wrap well and store. Freeze 1 loaf. Freezes well.

Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes

I did not have cake flour; I used all-purpose flour. I used 1 teaspoon lemon extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. I put the extracts in when I mixed in the eggs. I used larger-than-standard cups. The yield was 21 cupcakes.

Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes, recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes
Needed: 3 cups cake flour, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 cup and 2 tablespoons softened butter, 2 1/4 cups sugar, 5 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, 2 cups buttermilk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
In a bowl combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. In another bowl cream together the sugar and softened butter. Stir in the eggs, until just combined. Then stir in the egg yolks too, until just combined.
Combine the flour mixture, butter mixture, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir until almost no lumps are left in the batter. But do not over mix. Fill a lined cupcake pan, fill each cup 2/3 full of batter. Bake at 350 F for 18-20 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
4. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

Pumpkin Muffins for tomorrow

Pumpkin Muffins

2 C flour

1 ½ t baking powder

½ t baking soda

15 oz unsweetened pumpkin puree

1 t salt

1 ½ t cinnamon

¼ t nutmeg

1/8 t cloves

1 C granulated sugar

1 C brown sugar

1/3 C minced crystallized ginger

½ C oil

4 oz cream cheese

4 eggs

¼ C buttermilk

1 C walnuts, toasted and chopped fine

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda together in one bowl.

Combine pumpkin, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in saucepan.

Cook, stirring constantly for 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir cream cheese, sugars, and oil into pumpkin mixture.

Mix well, being sure that cream cheese melts.

Add ginger to pumpkin mixture.

Combine flour mixture and pumpkin mixture.

Add nuts.

Distribute into cupcake cups.

I filled 22 large cups about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.

I did today’s batch for 25 minutes

Tomorrow's Baked Good -- Pina Colada Cupcakes

Pina Colada Cupcakes
1 stick (1/2 C) butter melted and cooled
1/3 C pineapple juice
1 T brandy
2 t rum extract
1/2 t vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/2 C self-rising flour
1 C sugar
1/3 C crushed pineapple, drained
1/3 C shredded coconut

Mix butter, pineapple juice, brandy, rum extract, vanilla extract. Add eggs one at a time. Mix until light and frothy. Combine flour and sugar. Combine egg mixture with flour mixture. Add pineapple and coconut. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Yield: 12 cupcakes

I would have used rum instead of brandy, but none was available.

The piña colada has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico since 1978.

More Peppers

Carrot Applesauce Cupcakes

Carrot Applesauce Cupcakes
2 3/4 C flour
3 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cardamom
4 eggs
3/4 C oil
2 C Splenda sugar blend
1 t vanilla
1 3/4 C applesauce
3 C shredded carrots
1/2 C walnuts

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix applesauce and carrots in second bowl. Mix eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla in third bowl. Combine all three bowls mixing just until blended. Add nuts. Fill muffin cups Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

More Peppers

Patience with Peppers

Peach Walnut Quick Bread

½ C butter

½ C sugar

1/3 C brown sugar

2 eggs

2 T honey

1 t vanilla

1 ¾ C flour

1 t baking powder

1 t cinnamon

½ t baking soda

1/8 t salt

½ C milk

1 can peach chunks, drained

½ C walnuts

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in honey and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Mix wet and dry ingredients. Fold in peaches and walnuts. Spoon into three mini loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool.

Basil-Pepper-Cheddar Biscuits

1 ½ C flour

1 T baking powder

¼ t salt

½ t dry mustard

¾ C cheddar cheese, shredded

¼ C corn oil

1 egg

1/3 C soy milk

1/3 C water

bacon bits

basil

hot pepper

I had about a quarter of a package of bacon bits which I noticed when I tidied up and reorganized the fridge yesterday. I put those in the oil, along with a very small hot pepper (minced) from my garden, and about two tablespoons of chopped basil (another garden goodie). Then I put the bowl of oil in the oven briefly while I mixed the dry ingredients and added the wet ingredients, and then combined it all. I almost forgot the cheddar cheese, so by the time I remember to mix that in I had already mixed the batter enough. The resulting batter was slightly over mixed. .

Butterscotch Cupcakes

2 1/3 C flour

2 ½ t baking powder

½ t salt

1 C butter

1 C Splenda

3 eggs

1 t vanilla

2/3 C mixture of soy milk and 2% cow’s milk

¾ C butterscotch chips

I followed the instructions about beating the butter for 30 seconds, then beating in the sugar gradually, then each egg one one at a time and mixing well after each addition. After combining the wet and the dry ingredients I was attentive to not mix the batter too much. They turned out very good.

Peppers and Basil

Progress in Garden

Pineapple Coconut Cookies

1 C shortening
1 1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
3/4 t lemon extract
2 3/4 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 C crushed pineapple, drained
1 C coconut

Pineapple Spice Cookies

Pineapple Spice Cookies

2 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 C shortening
1/2 C sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t cloves
1 egg
2/3 C drained crushed pineapple

12 minutes at 350 degreess (six minutes on one side, six minutes on the other side)

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, oil and egg; blend well. Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.)
3. Fill cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops of muffins before baking with a combination of 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoon brown sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan. Serve warm

ADJUSTMENTS: Used minimuffin tin with liners. Yield: 33 minimuffins. Baked at 350 for 15 minutes.

Peppers!

Sweet and Neat

Sage and Squash

Rebirth of Sage

Squash Blossom

Daily Dose of Oranges

Flowering Maple

 

 Sweet and Neat

 

 Mr. Majestic Marigold

Sweet and Neat

The 2012 Harvest of Yellow Tumbling Toms

Basil and Snaps

Baby Belle and Basil

Tomatoes and Zucchini Blossom

The Orchid Blooms

Tumbling Tom

Mini-Belle Pepper

Black Forest Oatmeal Crisps

Black Forest Oatmeal Crisps
1 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped red candied cherries
3/4 cup slivered almonds

Oatmeal Bars

Aspen Oatmeal Bars
Maida Heatter Book of Great Cookies
"These are the height of ease and simplicity. Mixed in a saucepan with no flour, they are chewy and crunchy with a butterscotch flavor and very sweet."
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups oatmeal

Peach muffins

Peach muffins
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup almonds
1 can peaches, chopped and drained

Snaps

Oatmeal Gingersnaps

Oatmeal Gingersnaps
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Date Wafers

Date wafers
8 oz dates, soaked in brandy for an hour
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 sticks butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Pepper Plant

Snaps in the Sun

Mari's Marigolds

Cardamom-Clove Cookies

Cardamom-Clove Cookies
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Roll into spheres. Do not flatten. Bake 350 degrees ten minutes.

Slip of Sage

Tomato Blossoms Galore

Courting the squash

Snaps, Squash, and Balsam

Tomato Babies Galore

The Backyard Garden will be crowded

I have another dozen pepper plants to transplant. Last year was my first success with peppers (sweet). I got these 2.7 gallon pots from Growers Supply.

Thumbs Be Green