Divinity

Not my photo. I "borrowed" it from on-line

Ingredients

2 cups Sugar

2 Egg Whites

1/2 cup White Corn Syrup

1/2 cup Water

1 tsp Vanilla
2/3 cup nuts (optional)

Directions

Mix sugar, syrup, and water then DO NOT stir it again. Bring to soft ball (235-245 degrees F). Pour 1/4 of it slowly over beaten egg whites (beaten to HARD peaks). Beat that back to peaks. Cook rest of mixture until almost brittle (also know as soft crack stage 300-310 degrees F). Pour slowly over whites, beating constantly. Continue to beat until creamy (this takes a while and the candy starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl when done). Add vanilla and nuts. Spoon onto wax paper.

Super Moist White Cake

I found this recipe at the taste of home website here and tweaked it to my needs. I have always wanted to find a moist from scratch white cake mix and this worked great for my daughters cupcakes for her birthday. Hope that you enjoy. It is moist soft and just what you want a white cake to be.

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (or cake flour)
1 1/2 cups + 2Tablespoons superfine sugar (make your own with a blender)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup butter, softened (no sub.)
4 large egg whites + 1 large egg
1 cup + 2 Tbs milk
3Tbs Vanilla

Directions:
Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, using a mixer to aerate.
Add softened butter and mix to a "paste".
Add egg whites, one at a time, then mix in whole egg. Beat to build volume after each.
Mix milk and extract, add to cake, 1/3 at a time, beating and keeping the mixture fluffy.

Bake at 325º-350º.
Grease and flour pans of choice:

2-8" or 9" round or square cake pans

1-9"x13" pan, or cupcake tins (using papers).

Check at 5 minute intervals after 18-20 minutes for cupcakes or layer pans, 30 minutes for 9"x13"

Quick and easy Peanut Butter Blossoms

Some of you may recognize the cookie part to be the same as these peanut butter cookies. However this recipe was sent to me from my Aunt and has a little twist from the other cookie. I made mine a little bigger so only got 27 cookies. Easy and so fun. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup granulated sugar.
1 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky
1 bag Hershey Kisses

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350
(Unwrap enough kisses for expected number of cookies.)

Mix the sugar into the beaten egg. Mix well to dissolve sugar. Fold in
peanut butter.
Egg mixture consistency is moist and sticky but will dry in folding process.

Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator and pull off small pieces of dough and roll into
marble size balls.
Place the peanut butter balls on dry cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately add kisses by pushing a kiss gently into
center of cookie.
See below!

Different Alterations
If using dark chocolate kisses, gently push into cookie and let stand if you
want them to hold their shape.
If you want them to puddle, and have just the tip, put into oven for 10
seconds.
Dark Chocolate melts quickly and will not stand up in oven heat.

If using milk chocolate kisses, place a Kiss on top of each cookie.
Push them in slightly.  Place back in oven for 15 to 20 seconds so kiss
adheres to the cookie.
Remove from oven and let cool completely on wire rack, or after cooling
slightly, place on plate and place in refrigerator to cool and harden
chocolate.  Milk chocolate Hershey kisses will keep their shape.

(OR for plain PB cookies, Flatten unbaked dough with criss cross pattern
with fork dipped repeatedly into small cup of granulated sugar While on
cookie sheet and before baking)
Makes 45 small cookies 

Banana Cake

This has been a favorite cake of mine to make since whenever I have old bananas I feel resourceful by putting them into the cake. It also was a favorite of my college roommates. In fact I had a few roommates that would have their bananas go bad just so that I would make this. Then it would be gone quickly. The recipe calls for buttermilk for this since I never have it on hand I simply fill my measuring cup with the listed amount and then add 1 tsp lemon juice, lime juice or vinegar. And let it sit for a minute or two. Which creates what I need to replace the buttermilk. You can eat it plain, sift powdered sugar, or frost with cream cheese frosting. So enjoy!

Sift together:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (opt)

Add:
2/3 cup oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup mashed bananas (approximately 3 bananas)
Mix for 2 minutes

Add:
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 large unbeaten eggs

Fold In: OPTIONAL
2/3 chopped walnuts

Pour in a greased and floured 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 degree for 30-35 minutes.

Snowflakes

OK so if you look at this you may say I have never heard it called a snowflake before. Well me either till I thought of it today actually. A funnel cake usually found at your local fair during warmer months. However for our Family Home Evening treat I thought since it was Christmas lets give this a Christmas name. It couldn't be a more perfect way to describe it since like a snowflake there seldom ever is 2 the exact same. You will need a having a funnel with a 1/2" hole or anything with a spout like a tea pot. I got this recipe from my mom's collection of recipes handed down from her Aunt. They are yummy the only difference is I added vanilla. Here is the recipe and I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
1 egg, beaten
1 cup of milk
1 1/4 cup flour
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt (opt)
oil for deep frying

Directions
Beat milk with egg. Blend dry ingredients and gradually add milk mixture(add more milk if batter is not a pourable consistency), beating consistently till smooth(I did this in the blender, make sure to scrape sides). Holding finger over the bottom of funnel having a 1/2" hole fill funnel with batter. Holding funnel over the oil as close as you safely can, remove finger from the bottom of funnel and drop batter into oil, using a circular motion then a criss cross motion. Well you have pour enough cover funnel with finger again if you still have some in funnel. Fry until cakes are puffy and golden brown, turning once. Remove cakes with tongs or slotted spoon to plate with paper towels to drain. Sift powdered sugar over top and serve. Makes 4 large cakes or up to 2 1/2 dozen cakes.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

I have decided to start making a lot of my own things from scratch. The bottom line is that there is so much added to foods that you buy from the grocery stores nowadays, and I don't want that poison in my body!

This recipe is 100% Whole Wheat, with no added wheat germ or gluten. Totally healthy, totally good! Give it a try!

Ingredients:

1 packet yeast

3 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1  1/2 tsp salt

1  1/2 TBSP White Sugar

1  1/2 TBSP Nonfat Dry Milk Powder

1  1/2 TBSP Margarine

1  1/4 cups Warm Water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add warm water and margarine and mix well. Knead on a floured surface for at least 5 minutes. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Knead 5 more minutes, shape dough and place in non-greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise until double in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Of course, if you have a bread machine, just toss all the ingredients in the machine, press the whole wheat setting, and walk away.

Totally easy, and totally good for you!

Enjoy! :)

Chocolate chip cookie dough and fudge!

So my dear friend Coree posted this on facebook and it looks so good I wanted to make sure that I could find it and make it for Christmas. Hopefully she doesn't mind that I have posted this. If she does I will remove it but I am hoping that she doesn't because seriously look at it, that looks GOOD. So here is what she posted regarding it below.

Put them together and what do you get? Umm...Didn't I just tell you? Chocolate chip cookie dough fudge! DUH!!! It's REALLY yummy!!

P.S. The cookie "dough" is not the traditional cookie dough, it is altered to not have any raw ingredients. :P

Cookie dough:

1/3 cup butter, melted
...1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Mix the brown sugar with the butter until smooth. Add flour and salt and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Place batter in a small quart size ziploc, seal, and press the dough so it is flat in the ziploc. Place flat in the freezer for 10 minutes, or until firm. (It took mine about 20 minutes to be firm enough to cut into chunks and not have them mix like dough with the fudge.)

After dough is firm, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Fudge:

1 lbs. powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened or whipped cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cream together powdered sugar, cream cheese and vanilla. In a heavy saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate chips, stirring constantly. Add melted chocolate to cream cheese mixture, beat until blended. Stir in chilled cookie dough pieces. Spread evenly in pan. Refrigerate until firm. Remove from pan and cut into squares.

Enjoy!!