Chocolate-Marble Sheet Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

3 tablespoons hot water

Mocha Frosting

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°.

Beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer 4 to 5 minutes or until creamy.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Beat in vanilla extract.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with half-and-half, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed.

Spoon 1 1/4 cups batter into a 2-qt. bowl, and stir in cocoa, 3 Tbsp. hot water, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until well blended.

Spread remaining vanilla batter into a greased and floured 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Spoon chocolate batter onto vanilla batter in pan; gently swirl with a knife or small spatula.

Bake at 325° for 23 to 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Spread top of cake with Mocha Frosting.

MOCHA FROSTING

Ingredients:

3 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

3 tablespoons hot brewed coffee

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 to 4 Tbsp. half-and-half

Preparation:

Whisk together sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl.

Combine coffee and vanilla.

Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar mixture alternately with coffee mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

Beat in half-and-half, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until smooth and mixture has reached desired consistency.

Louise's Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

1 pkg strawberry Jello

3 tblsp flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 c water

strawberries

graham cracker pie crust

whipped topping

Preparation:

Cook flour, sugar, and water over double boiler until thick. Add Jello.

Slice berries and add to Jello mix. Set in fridge.

Bake pie shell (as necessary), then fill with chilled berry mixture. Top with whipped topping.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough
1 cup milk
4 Tbs butter, cut into chunks3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)1/4 cup white sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1 egg

Filling1 cup brown sugar, packed1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon1/2 cup butter, softened

Icing
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
2 T melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbs milk


Preparation:

Dough: Place milk and 4 Tbs butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Butter should be at least partially melted. Stir and set aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 C flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt. When milk mixture has cooled to warm (not hot) add it to the flour mixture along with the egg while the beater (paddle attachment for those using a stand mixer) is running. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. (Switch to the dough hook now) Add remaining flour only until dough barely leaves the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. Continue to let the dough knead for 5 minutes. If you are not using a stand mixer, turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for 5 minutes by hand. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and let rest for about 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Filling: make sure butter is softened well. Mix with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Assembly: Roll dough into a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches. Spread brown sugar mixture (it will be slightly thick, you might have to "crumble" it) over the surface and use your fingers or the back of a spoon to gently spread around. Roll up from the longer side of the rectangle and pinch edges closed. Score the roll into 12 equal pieces and then cut into rolls. Place in a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover pan with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. In the mean time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When rolls have finished rising bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. If desired spread with icing while still warm. Makes 12 rolls.

Source: OurBestBites.com

Caramel Cake and Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

1 8-oz. container of sour cream

1 c. oil

3 eggs

1 tsp. butter flavoring

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

Frosting:

1 c. butter

2 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. whipping cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 3/4 c. powdered sugar

About 1 c. toasted, chopped pecans

Preparation:

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the cake ingredients and beat on medium-high for 3 minutes. Pour the batter into a 9x13" pan and bake according to the times on the cake mix box. When the cake is finished baking, remove from heat and allow to cool. While cooling, prepare the caramel frosting.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Carefully stir in the whipping cream and vanilla (be careful of splatters because they'll be HOT!) and then bring this mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 1/2 hour. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes or until creamy and fluffy. Spread the icing over the cake and sprinkle with toasted chopped pecans.

Sheila's Yeast Rolls

Ingredients:

1 cup crisco
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup boiling water
2 beaten eggs
2 packages of yeast
1 cup of lukewarm water
6 cups of sifted flour

Preparation:
Pour the cup of boiling water over the crisco, sugar and salt. Add 2 beaten eggs.

Add yeast to the 1 cup of lukewarm water.

Alternately add 2 cups flour and part of the yeast mixture, and blend in mixer using dough hook until all flour and yeast are incorporated.

Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Using very little flour, roll dough out 1/4 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter, butter centers and fold over.
Put in greased pan.

Let rise for about 3 hours (they will fall if left too long). I just cover them with a tea towel and leave them on the kitchen counter.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

Steph's Buttercream Icing

You need: butter, shortening, vanilla or almond flavoring, lots of powdered sugar (go to Sam's and buy the big bag), and milk. Plus the food coloring of your choice.

Bring all the ingredients (even the milk) to room temperature before you begin. But DO NOT let your butter get runny. It should still be firm-soft -- if you put your finger in it, you get a mild depression rather than having it slide all the way through the stick.

Use the same amount of butter (the real deal, not margarine - and NOT light butter. Salted or unsalted doesn't matter as long as it's real butter) as you do shortening. If you want stark white icing, use plain shortening. If you are coloring the icing, you can use butter shortening for a richer flavor. For one batch of cupcakes (24), use 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) and 1/2 cup shortening.

Put the butter and the shortening in your mixer and cream them together using the whisk attachment. Whisk until all lumps are out. If there are tiny lumps that won't seem to come out, stop your mixer and mash them out as best as you can with the back of a spoon. Add your flavoring and whisk until mixed thoroughly. Use clear vanilla if
you want white icing. Once the flavoring is completely incorporated, start adding the powdered sugar (after - "sugar"). Add about a cup at a time and keep whisking. Keep adding sugar until your icing gets to a "dry" consistency -- still smooth, but crunchy at the peaks. If it starts to clump or separate into balls, add milk (I like to use half and
half, but any variety will do -- even skim. But the richer the milk, the creamier the icing.) a little at a time until the lumps become smooth icing again.

Alternate sugar and milk until you get the desired sweetness of icing. If your flavoring isn't strong enough, you can add flavoring instead of milk to do your thinning. If you want dry icing (good for piping on cupcakes with a pastry bag), keep mixing in sugar until your icing peaks. If you want a "wet" and more spreadable icing, stop when you
can pick it up on a knife and spread it into a smooth pad on a plate.

Add your food coloring, and you're done!

Icing will keep in the fridge for several weeks. Just store it in something airtight, and let it come to room temperature before you try to use it.

If you want to make a chocolate icing instead of vanilla/almond, follow the steps for the butter and shortening, add a tablespoon of vanilla, then add a cup of cocoa powder (I like Hershey's Special Dark). Once that is all incorporated, start adding your powdered
sugar. If it gets where it's not chocolately enough or is too sweet, add more cocoa instead of sugar, using the cocoa to get the icing to its desired consistency instead of sugar. Follow remaining instructions for incorporation of milk, texture, etc.

Be sure to put any decorations (sprinkles, candy, etc.) on while your icing is freshly applied. The icing will dry and make adhesion of your toppings difficult after about 10 minutes.

White Cake/Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix (Duncan Hines super moist is best)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want a pure white cake)
1 tsp almond extract

Mix all dry ingredients with a whisk, then add wet ingredients. Beat for two minutes until fluffy.

For Cake: Pour into greased, floured pans (fills two 8 or 9" rounds) and bake according to cake package directions.

Tip: When cakes come out, cool for 5 minutes on wire rack, then cover with two sheets of plastic wrap (in a "+" sign), turn them out and wrap the plastic around them. Allow to cool all wrapped up (keeps the moisture from evaporating out) then pop in freezer on a cutting board to keep them flat. Once they are frozen, they are super easy to frost and defrost in about a half an hour.


For cupcakes: fill paper liners 3/4 full and bake according to box directions. Makes 36 cupcakes.

Source: OurBestBites.com

Hot Corn Dip

2 tablespoons butter
3 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 4 ears fresh white or yellow corn, or frozen fresh corn)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell peppers - I used roasted red bell peppers from a jar.
1/4 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise - 1/2 C was plenty for mine
4 ounces monterey jack or cheddar, shredded- I used monterey jack
4 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Tortilla chips, for dipping
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels turn deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Note that if you're using frozen corn it probably won't get golden brown. Just cook for about 5 minutes as the recipe states. Transfer to a bowl.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until the onions are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the green onions, jalapeno, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Transfer to the bowl with the corn.

Add 1/2 C mayo, cayenne pepper, half of the monterey jack and half of the cheddar and mix well. If you need more mayo to hold the mixture together then add it, but I found that 1/2 C was plenty, and I even added a little extra cheese.

Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish, or something equivilant and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot with tortilla chips or Fritos.

Jalapeno Party Poppers Dip

2 8-oz. packages cream cheese (light works great)
1 c. mayonnaise (light also works here, but DON'T use Miracle Whip!)
1 c. Parmesan cheese
1 4-oz. can fire roasted green chilies
1/2-1 4-oz. can diced jalapeno peppers*, drained
1-2 sourdough baguettes, sliced, and/or crackers
*1/2 can is mild with a little bite, a whole can is definitely on the spicy side, but if you've got taste buds of steel, you might prefer a 7-oz. can.

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients and spread into a 9" pie plate or a small baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until dip is bubbly and golden brown.

Source: Our Best Bites