Almond-Saffron Cake-Cottage Living , January/February 2008

We love that this recipe uses only 1 cup of powdered sugar for 2 cakes. Look for saffron in the spice aisle. Warning: Saffron is an expensive spice but a nice addition to this recipe! Mom happened to have some in her spices because one of us kids did a recipe with it when we were in high-school. It was fun to get it out and use it again.

Makes: 2(8-inch) cakes Prep: 20 min Bake: 25 min.

1/3 cup milk
1 (.o1-ounce) jar saffron threads (a generous 1/2 teaspoon)
Grated zest of 1 orange (about 2 teaspoons)
2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 teas. baking powder
1/2 teas. baking soda
1/8 teas. salt
1 cup butter
1 (8-ounce) can or 1 (7-ounce) tube almond paste (about 1 cup)**
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for topping, if desired
5 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
Juice of 1 orange (about 1/3 cup, optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour 2 (8 inch) round cake pans. Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add saffron and zest. Bring just to a simmer; remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in salt.
3. Beat together butter and almond paste at medium speed about 3 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, and beat until fluffy, scraping down sides. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating at medium speed just until blended after each addition. Add reserved milk mixture; beat just until blended. Do not overmix.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rackes 5 minutes. Remove form pans, and serve warm, dusted with more powdered sugar or drizzled with orange juice combined with 2 to 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, if desired.

*Stir flour before measuring
**Do not use marzipan, which contains added sugar.

Blitzen Cake

Seperate 5 eggs.
Mix the following ingredients together.
5 egg yolks 3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cup butter 1 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar 1 cup flour
Spread into 2 round layer pans; greased and floured.
Take the 5 egg whites and beat them with 1 cup powdered sugar. Beat till fluffy. Spread evenly over each layer of cake batter. Bake 300 for 25-30 minutes.
After cake is baked and cooled; place the following filling between layers.
1 egg 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk 3 Tablespoon flour
Cook in saucepan till thickened. Then add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix. Let cool; then add to cake.

Source My Mother-n-law

Lowell Inn Crescent Rolls

3/4 c. Warm water
1/2 c. Sugar
2 Eggs
4 c. Sifted flour
2 pk. Active dry yeast
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 c. Soft shortening/butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in sugar, salt, eggs and shortening and 2 cups of flour. Add rest of flour, mix until smooth. Scrape dough from sides of bowl; cover with damp cloth. Let rise until double (1 1/2 hours). Shape as crescents by dividing dough into 3 equal parts. Roll each part into a 12" circle (1/4" thick). Spread with soft butter. Cut into 12 pie-shaped pieces. Beginning at rounded edge roll up. Place on pan, point underneath. Cover. Let rise until double (1 hour). Brush with butter. Bake at 400 for 12 - 15 minutes, until golden brown.

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Or, shape any way you like!

Chocolate Caramel Bars-2000 Taste of Home Cookbook

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teas. soda
1/2 teas. salt
1 1/2 cups cold butter or marg.
2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional!)
1 jar (12 ounces) caramel ice cream topping

In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Set half aside for topping. Press the remaining crumb mixture into greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 15 min. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and pecans. Whisk the caramel topping and remaining flour until smooth; drizzle over top. Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours before cutting. Enjoy!

Get out the collection of cutters.......

Soft Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
3 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat the sugar, butter, vanilla and egg for two minutes. Add sour cream and beat thoroughly. Add flour, soda and salt. Refrigerate dough for 3 hours. Roll out with a light flour dusting and cut to desired shape and size. Bake 425 degrees for 6 minutes.
DO NOT BROWN!
(photo lift)
Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Food coloring (optional)

Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar and vanilla. Add food coloring, if desired. Beat until well blended. Refrigerate the frosting for an hour or two to make it stiffer and easier to work with. (optional)

I No longer buy sugar cookies. These are so much like the Yummy ones!

Source My sister-n-law

Apple Coconut Crisp

Something a little different... and very good! LaRon loves coconut and I never fix it for him but I even liked this one. We had neighbors over for games tonight and served this dessert along with the sparkling cider they brought. Mmmm...

6 cups sliced pared apples
1 cup sifted flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut
1 egg
1/3 cup shortening melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Place apples in buttered square baking dish. Mix flour with sugar, baking powder, salt, coconut and egg until crumbly then sprinkle over apples. Pour cooled shortening over flour mixture then sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

I doubled it and made it in a 9x13, then baked it about 1 hour. Delish! Sorry, the only photo I have is of the tiny bit of leftovers...



I promise my next recipe will not be dessert :)!

Our favorite cinnamon rolls......

Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnabon Style
1/2 cup warm water
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 - 3 1/2 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups all-purpose flour

~middle of cinnamon rolls~
1/2 cup butter, melted
1+ cup sugar
1/4+ cup good quality cinnamon
In a small bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside.
In large bowl, make pudding mix according to package directions. Add butter, eggs, and salt; mix well. Add the yeast mixture; blend. Gradually add flour and knead until smooth and elastic.
Place in very large greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour). Punch down and let rise again (45 minutes).
On a lightly floured surface, roll out to a 1/4 inch thick rectangle, 21 inches in its smaller dimension. Note: you may wish to divide the dough in halves and roll out two rectangles. You may have to partially roll it out, then cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest before finishing. Spread 1/2 cup melted butter over surface. Mix cinnamon and sugar together, and spread evenly over surface, leaving a 1-inch margin along one of the long edges. Roll up tightly, starting from a long side. Press together along the edge not covered with cinnamon sugar.
Slice at ~1 1/4 inch intervals. Place on greased baking pan, ~2 inches apart. Cover and let rise until double again.
Bake at 350*F for 15-20 minutes. Remove as soon as they turn golden. Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting, if you'd like.

I don't like to make a mess of my kitchen, but it is worth it to me to make these!!! We love them with spicy chili especially when it is cold outside! Just a note. Some of us like ours with the sweet sticky bottoms, the recipe for that would be, 1/2c. brown sugar, 1tsp. flour, 3/4c. milk. chopped pecans to taste, in the bottom of your baking pan before placing rolls into pan.

HAPPY BAKING & IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE HAVE A BIG BITE FOR ME!!

Source unknown

Cave Oatmeal Cookies

Here is a recipe that Kyla, Maya and Myself did together today. We did this recipe the Pioneer Woman Style and decided it would be fun to start a recipe blog and post it. I will add recipes now and then but will not promise to do it this way everytime! :) This is a recipe that my Mom often made when I was growing up and it is a favorite. We gave it the "Cave" name because of the caves inside of it when you bite into it. Here we go.....

You will need Oil, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Egg, Vanilla, Baking Soda, Salt, Flour and Quick Oats....


Set oven on 375 degrees....


Kyla is measuring 1 Cup oil, pour into mixing bowl....


Maya is adding 1 Cup packed brown sugar....


Kyla is adding 1 Cup Sugar....


Cream oil and sugar....


Add one egg....


I think this is what makes these cookies SO good....Kyla is adding 1 1/2 Tbsp of Vanilla....


Beat together and scrape edges with a spatula....


Kyla is measuring and adding 1 teas. baking soda....


Maya adds 1 teas. Salt....


Add 1 1/2 cups flour and Mix...


Kyla adds 2 cups of Quick Oats....


Stir in oats....


Kyla makes small balls of dough and places on cookie sheet....


Bake 8 to 10 minutes.....


...and Enjoy, like this cookie happy family!