Frozen Peanut Butter Cups

Doesn’t this title sound delicious? Well they are delicious and the perfect simple summer dessert. They can be made ahead of time and popped out onto the plate whenever you are ready.

Frozen Peanut Butter Cups

1c. whipping cream
7 oz. jar marshmallow crème
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
½ c. chunky peanut butter
Chocolate syrup or chocolate shavings if desired

In a small bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. In a large bowl, beat marshmallow crème, cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. With a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into peanut butter mixture. This takes a bit of time but be patient so it all gets mixed in and stays fluffy.

Line 9 regular sized muffin cups or 24 min-muffin cups with paper liners. Spoon the mousse mixture into the cups. Set uncovered pans in freezer for 20-25 minutes until cups are firm. I place them in a plastic container and cover tightly with foil and then the lid. From there, I return them to the freezer. Remove from freezer a few minutes before serving. Top with chocolate syrup or shavings if desired.

I have been making these for years and they are always a hit. The mini ones are perfect for a ladies lunch with coffee.

An Upside Down Valentine Cake

Mike and I went to a small gathering last week and I brought dessert as my contribution. Since Valentine’s Day is so close, I thought I would use my heart shaped cake pans that I’ve had for many years.

I made a pineapple upside down cake, using both cake pans, so I really made two small cakes. Moist, delicious and fun to do!

Here is my recipe:

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

½ c. melted butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
One 20 ounce can pineapple slices in juice, drained, reserving juice
Maraschino cherries
½ c. chopped walnuts
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
Oil and eggs as called for on cake directions

This recipe will make a 13x9 cake or two 9” cakes. If you are making the two cake pan version, just divide all the ingredients between the two cakes – the butter, pineapple, sugar and nuts – then split the cake batter between each pan.

Grease and flour each pan or use a cooking spray to coat. Pour melted butter into the pan, then sprinkle the brown sugar and nuts on top of the butter. Lay the pineapple slices into this mixture, with a cherry in the center of each slice.

Add enough water to the reserved pineapple juice to make 1 ¼ c. Then make the cake batter using the juice, oil and eggs as the pkg. requires. Pour the batter over the prepared pan.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Immediately turn pan onto a serving dish or tray and leave pan on cake 1 minute. Serve warm or cooled with whipped topping.

This is my valentine to all of you this year!

I Love Pumpkin

I know pumpkin is so traditional a this time of year, and there are a few people out there who don’t care for it (Sue, are you kidding me?) but each year in the fall, I make a pumpkin dessert that isn’t pie just to try something new. Last year I made a pumpkin praline torte for company and it was so fabulous, I made it again last week.

We had the Raynor’s for a college game night recently and I made this for dessert. It came from a Sunset magazine, Nov. 2005.

Ingredients:

3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 c. butter
4 ¾ tbs. whipping cream
1 c. chopped pecans
4 large eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. pumpkin from a can
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9” cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. This step is very important or you will not be able to get the cake out of the pan.

In a heavy pan over low heat, stir brown sugar, butter and 3 tbs. of the whipping cream until sugar melted and blended about 5 minutes. Pour half the brown sugar mixture into each pan and sprinkle 3/4 c. pecans evenly into each pan.

In a bowl, beat eggs, sugar and oil until well blended. Stir in pumpkin and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Whisk dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture. Pour half the batter into each pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pans on rack for 5 minutes, then invert. Cool about 1 ½ hours.

Up to 5 hours before serving, beat remaining whipping cream on high speed until soft peaks form. On low, beat in powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Set one cake layer, praline side up on a dessert plate. Spread two-thirds of whipping cream on top, then top with other layer, praline side up. Cover with remaining cream and top with 1/4 c. pecans.

This is not only sensational looking but makes a delicious, fabulous cake that will serve 12. Store in refrigerator!!

Pumpkin Fun

I was recently reading an article in a small local newspaper (one of those you get free in your mailbox) and there was a funny (to me) piece on what to do with pumpkins. I figured I have had some experience with pumpkins and I would come up with my own list.

Pumpkin Problems and Possibilities

1. Never try to carve those tiny cute squash things to use as candle holders or place card holders for your table. A smallish pumpkin will work but those gourds and squash things need an electric saw to get through. I know this from experience and have the scar on my finger to prove it.

2. Don’t let anyone talk you into toasting fresh pumpkin seeds in the oven. First, you have to get through all nasty gook and then clean them and frankly you can buy them at the grocery for practically nothing.

3. Make yourself a pumpkin pie – surely the easiest pie to make in the world. I never have the urge to tinker with the recipe on the back of the Libby’s pumpkin can. It’s perfect as is.

4. If you have people coming over, make a pumpkin cheesecake. Very delicious and a lot of recipes available out there.

5. Make pumpkin soup – again from canned pumpkin. This time hollow out small real pumpkins or do what I did…buy cute pumpkin shaped bowls from a discount store.

6. Make yourself a nice buffet or foyer centerpiece using pumpkins in a couple of sizes, some gourds and corn and wheat. I really do love the fall colors and a centerpiece like this will last a long time in the house. The pumpkins don’t rot as they do outdoors if the sun gets them.

7. In the article, they said to make pumpkin butter. I tried this and it was awful, so don’t go there.

8. The article also suggested carving out an extra large pumpkin and posing your small child or pet inside and taking a photograph. WHAT? Stephanie, please do not place my first grandchild in a wet pumpkin for a photo – not that you would ever do that!

9. OK so other than baking, and there are a lot of great recipes for pumpkin desserts out there (mousse and cake and even bread), I cannot think of another good or bad idea. So, there is no number 10. Have a beautiful fall.

Pots de Creme

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought you might need a decadent dessert idea to for your sweetie. My sister Bonnie sent me this super easy and impressive dessert that she found on http://www.cooks.com/. You can make 6 small individual cups from this recipe –it’s so rich, that’s all you'll want!

2/3 cup semi sweet choc chips
1 c. Half and half
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. sugar
Dash of salt
Whipped cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat chips and half and half, stirring constantly until smooth. Cool slightly. Beat remaining ingredients; stir into chocolate mixture. Pour into 4 ungreased 6 ounce custard cups or pot de creme cups.

Place cups in baking pan on oven rack. Pour boiling water to within 1/2 inch of tops of cups. Bake 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours. Garnish with whipped cream.

Yum! Cherry Pie

When I was growing up my dad worked for a large furniture store in our hometown. Each year in celebration of George Washington’s birthday (this was LONG before President’s Day was a reality) the store would hire someone to dress up like President Washington complete with the axe that cut down the cherry tree.

My mom would dress all 5 of us in our church-best clothing and we would go to Reidy-Scanlen for a family photo. We knew if we behaved (almost an impossible task for 4 kids only a year apart) there would be a cherry pie waiting for us at home. Mom always made a cherry pie for George Washington’s birthday. So despite the antics of Billy and John, (Mike and I were totally good and sweet and Bonnie was an adorable baby), we always managed to get through the photo shoot and then home for the pie.

Here is Mom’s cherry pie recipe along with a photo. I would be showing you a photo of a whole pie, but before I could take the picture my husband got into it! So, I figured one slice was better than nothing!


Mom's Cheery Cherry Pie

2 cans pitted tart cherries, drained, but save the juice
1 c. sugar
2 tbs. quick-cooking tapioca
7 drops red food coloring (more if you want it really really red)
2 drops almond extract (optional, don’t go and buy a whole bottle if you don’t have it)
Butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together with ¾ c. cherry juice. Let stand in bowl for 20 minutes.

Line a pie plate with an uncooked pie crust - either homemade or those easy Pillsbury ones in the refrigerator section. You need dough for two crusts so you can make that pretty lattice weave on top that ALL cherry pies have.

Pour cherry mixture into crust. Dot with about 4 tablespoons butter. Cut the second crust or dough into long narrow strips and weave them in a lattice pattern on top of the pie. You can brush the strips with a beaten egg for a glossy look like on the Food Network, but I hardly ever do this.

Bake in center of oven for 55 minutes. Pie is done when bubbly even in center. Serve with vanilla ice cream. YUM!

*Becky Knows Everything: I always put a cookie sheet on the bottom oven rack because fruit pies can be very juicy and bubble over sometimes.

Cookie Magic

JBM writes: "Do you happen to have any crowd pleasing cookie recipes that package beautifully? I'm planning on having one of those cookie parties and want to knock the socks off the old chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin."

Well JBM….OF COURSE, I have a few recipes that are unusual – one from my sister (a wonderful baker) and one from me. Here you go:

Coconut Chews

¾ c. shortening (you can use Crisco or half butter and half Crisco)
¾ c. powdered sugar
1 ½ c. flour
2 eggs
2 tbs. flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1c. brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
½ c. chopped walnuts
½ c. coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream shortening (or shortening and butter mix) and powdered sugar. Blend in flour. Press into bottom of ungreased 9x13 pan and bake 12-15 minutes until lightly browned. Mix remaining ingredients and spread over hot baked crust. Bake 20 minutes longer.

For the icing you will need to mix 1 ½ c. powdered sugar, 2 tbs. butter (melted), 3 tsp. orange juice and 1 tsp. lemon juice until smooth. Spread on cookies while they are still warm. These can also be made without the icing but I think it adds a festive touch. Cool and cut in squares.

Cheesecake Cookies

My mom discovered this recipe years ago and it is a family/friend favorite. I actually have a friend that wants me to make him a whole recipe of these instead of gifting him with my cookie assortment each year. They are yummy but they do need to be refrigerated since it is a cheesecake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust mix together 1/3 c. brown sugar, 1 c. flour, and 1/3 c. butter, melted. Save 1 c. of the mixture for a crumb topping. Put the rest of the mixture into an 8x8 pan and pat down. Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes.

For the filling, mix together 8 oz. cream cheese, softened, ¼ c. sugar, 1 egg, 1 tbs. fresh lemon juice, 2 tbs. milk, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour mixture over baked crust and top with reserved crumbs. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into squares. These are very rich so you can cut small squares.

*Becky Knows Everything: Since an 8x8 pan pretty much makes as many as I can eat myself, go for doubling the recipe and use a 13x9 pan.

Mini Magic

I did my holiday baking a little early this year since we took a fun Thanksgiving trip to LA (land of sunshine and shopping and family too). The other night, as I was baking my sister Bonnie’s miniature pecan tarts, it occurred to me how many delicious recipes I have for all things miniature.

I make mini quiches, mini grilled reubens, mini cocktail wieners, mini meatballs and mini sausage stuffed wontons. The miniature pecan tart and mini reuben recipes follow below. Both are delicious and you should add them to your party recipes.

Bonnie's Miniature Pecan Tarts

This recipe makes 24 tarts, so I always double it since my husband and son can eat 24 tarts in about 2 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Blend together 3 oz. softened cream cheese, 1 stick of butter, and 1 cup flour. Shape the mixture into 24 balls about 1” each.

Spray your mini muffin tins with cooking spray. One by one, take each dough ball and flatten it in your hand and place in the muffin tin.

Now you are ready to make the filling. Combine 1 egg, 3/4 c. brown sugar, 1 tbs. soft butter, 1 tsp. vanilla and a dash of salt. Mix all together until smooth.

Finely chop about ½ c. pecans and place a small amount in each pastry. Top with about a tsp. of filling. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes until pastry begins to get golden brown. Only let cool a few minutes and then carefully remove from pans.

*Becky Knows Everything (or in this case Bonnie Knows Everything): Getting these out of the pan is a monumental task. Every Christmas, Bonnie and I call each other to brag about how many we got out without breaking. She always wins. Use a dinner knife around the edges to loosen and gently lift the tarts from the pan. Also, Bonnie lived in Breckenridge, CO for a few years (ski country) and she says these simply will not turn out properly in the high altitude.

Mini Grilled Reubens

If you love regular sized reubens, you will love these too. They are a hearty appetizer so I would not make them before a dinner party, just for a cocktail party. Here's what you need:

One loaf party rye bread
One can drained sauerkraut (do not rinse)
Thousand Island dressing (I use Kraft)
Swiss cheese, cut into small squares to fit bread
½ lb. thinly sliced deli corned beef or two packages Carl Buddig corned beef (but the real corned beef is better)
Butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter each bread slice. Use about ½ the loaf - you can always butter more if you need to. Place one slice of bread (buttered side down) on a cookie sheet. Place one slice of corned beef on the bread, folded to fit. Top with about 1 tbs. of sauerkraut, then 1 tsp. of dressing. Place a piece of Swiss cheese that has been cut to fit on top. Top with another buttered bread. Repeat until you fill your cookie sheet.

Bake until bottom bread is toasted - about 5 minutes. Flip each sandwich and toast the other side until cheese is melted and they are heated through.

This is one of my most popular hors d’oeuvres and it fills a large cookie sheet.

*Becky Knows Everything: You can make these early in the day - just run a paper towel under water and squeeze dry. Place towel over assembled sandwiches and cover with foil. Remove covering when ready to eat.

Mr. B is 53! Happy Birthday!!

Ok, my husband Mike (Mr. B) really turned 58 today, but 53 rhymed so I thought it sounded better!

To celebrate his birthday, we hosted a small birthday dinner. I used my fall decorations to make the table look pretty and had a lot of fun with it.

Here’s the menu – for appetizers, blue cheese toasts (such a simple recipe every one can make). Mix together 1/3 c. softened butter and 1/4 c. blue cheese. Spread it on baguettes you have already toasted on both sides and run under the broiler. Watch these – they cook soooo fast. Top with a pecan half. YUM! I don’t make too many appetizers if I am serving dinner - you want your guests to be able to enjoy the dinner too.

To throw some greens into the mix, I made an interesting romaine salad. Cut a romaine stalk in half, discard the outer dark green leaves (I know, I know they are good for you but this is about appearances too) then brush on a Caesar dressing and shaved parmesan cheese and run under the broiler exactly one minute and serve. FAB!

The main course was marinated flank steak, grilled asparagus and mashed potato casserole – a really good one with cream cheese you make the day before.

Our birthday dessert was a magnificent Pumpkin Praline Torte – a recipe from Bon Appetit magazine I found a few years ago. Just so you know, Mike likes this nasty strawberry pudding pie for his birthday but I talked him out of it since we had guests. So I don’t hear from all of you, I promised to make him that nasty pie soon.

A really fun, delicious party. Wish you had all been there!!

Bonnie's Luscious Lemon Bars

If you are in the mood for a sweet and tangy treat try my sister's recipe for "Bonnie's Luscious Lemon Bars". They are simply wonderful. A great summer treat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil, then spray PAM on the foil. (This sucker is NOT going to stick!)

Crust ingredients:
2 ½ c. flour
½ c. sugar
2 sticks cold butter

Mix ingredients either with a fork (or pulse in the food processor) until crumbly but sticks together. Pour into pan and pat down on bottom and up the edges a little. (The crust is my favorite part. Buttery and yummy!)

Bake for about 30 minutes, until crust is golden. While the crust is baking, mix together filling (I use the same processor bowl).

Filling ingredients:
4 eggs
1 ½ c. sugar
1 tbs. lemon zest
6 tbs. lemon juice (fresh is best, but bottled works too)
¼ c. flour
½ tsp. baking powder

When crust is done, take out of oven and pour the filling over hot crust. Return to oven for 20 minutes until set. When cool, you can just lift the foil out of the pan for easy cutting and serving. Cut into squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

*Becky Knows Everything: This is my sister's recipe. She is a fantastic baker, so these are sure to be delicious.

Mom's a Peach Cobbler

My Mom makes the best peach cobbler and it is sooo easy to make. The peaches are looking really good right now and last night I made a cobbler for Mike and me. In the winter, when I have a “cobbler craving” I use frozen blueberries and raspberries that I thaw first. A sprinkling of walnuts on top is delicious too!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel 5 large peaches, split in half and remove pit. Now, this is a slimy job and I have tried doing it a bunch of different ways, but the bottom line is the peach is slippery when the peel is removed and you still need to get out the pit!

Slice the peeled peaches thinly (another rather slimy job) and place in large bowl.

Add the following ingredients to the peaches:
2/3 c. sugar
2 tbs. flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg (the real nutmeg used with a zester is fab)
Mix all together. Spoon into a nice quiche or pie pan and dot with 3 tbs. of butter.

In separate bowl, mix together:
1 c. flour
2 tbs. sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt

Now add:
1/3 c. solid vegetable shortening like Crisco in the little blue can
1 egg
3 tbs. milk

When all is mixed, drop onto peach mixture in large tablespoons Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

I serve in bowls with a dollop of whipping cream, ice cream or even Cool Whip.

*Becky Knows Everything: Try really hard to let this cool at least 15 minutes or the inside of your mouth won’t be feeling too peachy or happy!