Mom's Favorite Candy (Martha Washington Balls)

 

 

 

2 boxes of powdered sugar

1 can Eagle Brand Milk

7 oz angel flake coconut

1 stick of butter melted

2 cups chopped pecans

1 tbsp vanilla

Mix together and chill for a couple of hours. This makes it easier to form into balls. In double boiler-melt approximate 12 oz Semi Sweet chocolate chips (I use Nestle’) and 1 bar of gulf wax (you find this in the canning section at the supermarket).

Make mixture into balls and place on wax paper. Dip in chocolate using the toothpicks and tap off slightly. You can swirl the leftover chocolate on top to make a design. This makes approximately 125 balls.

Chocolate Covered Pecans

Chocolate Covered Pecans

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 bag of Chocolate Almond Bark

1 bag of pecans (Halves or pieces)

Wax paper

Mix chocolate in a bowl in 30 second increments, and stir until smooth. Add half the bag of pecans and coat them in chocolate. Continue to add the pecans until they are all covered in chocolate. Lay the wax paper on the counter, and drop the candy by spoonfuls onto the wax paper. I make them all different sizes of nut clusters. Continue to make batches of this until you run out of chocolate or pecans, whichever comes first!

The candy will cool and store in an air tight container.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I love chocolate covered pretzels since I am not a big fan of nuts.

1 bag of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

1/2 bag of pretzels

1 box of Powdered Sugar

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Melt chocolate and vegetable oil in microwave. Stir every thirty seconds, until melted. Add 2 cups of pretzels, and stir unto chocolate until well coated. Add pretzels until you get a small amount of chocolate covering the pretzels. Place powdered sugar in a large zip lock bag. Add small amounts of chocolate covered pretzels and shake until covered with the powdered sugar. Let your pretzels cool and then put in an air tight container if not serving immediately. These go fast at parties!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

It has a secret ingredient!

Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 small box of instant white chocolate pudding mix
1/2 to 3/4 bag of chocolate chips

Combine sugars with shortening, add eggs and vanilla. Mix with the flour mixture (flour, baking soda, salt, pudding mix). Fold in the chocolate chips. I use my small Pampered Chef scoop to get semi round cookies. Bake at 350 degrees.

Years ago in college I went to visit my friend, Angela, at her parents house. Her mom made the best chocolate chip cookies that I have ever had in my life. I quickly got the recipe and it is one of my most treasured recipes I have in my collection. I did tweak it because instead of vanilla pudding, I use white chocolate pudding mix. They are the best!

Banana Bread

 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3-4 crushed bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, and dry ingredients. Pour in greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. I use my Pampered Chef Mini Loaf Stoneware pan and it makes four loafs. You can also make one big loaf if you use one loaf pan. I prefer the mini loafs because they are easier to share. Enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake

 

(I used too much powdered sugar, so the icing is a little thick, yours will be lots smoother, I promise!)

Make the icing 5 minutes before taking the cake out of the oven, and spread it on the hot cake.

Southern Living JANUARY 2003

Yield: Makes 12 to 15 servings

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup shortening

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Sift together sugar and flour in a large bowl; set aside. Combine butter and next 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until butter and shortening melt. Remove from heat, and pour over sugar mixture, stirring until dissolved. Cool slightly. Stir in buttermilk and next 3 ingredients. Pour into a greased and lightly floured 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. (Cake will have a fudgelike texture.) Spread warm cake with Chocolate Icing.

Chocolate Icing
1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/3 cup milk

1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preparation

Combine butter, cocoa, and milk in medium saucepan. Cook over low heat 5 minutes or until margarine melts. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, vanilla, and pecans. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth and sugar dissolves.

Milky Way Ice Cream

When I was growing up, one of the few things my mom could make was homeade ice cream. Her two favorites to make was Milky Way and Tutti Fruity. HA! Well this was a definite summertime favorite and still is to this day. I have changed my recipe just a little bit, and in the actual recipe, I used lowfat eagle brand milk if it makes you feel better.

Ingredients needed:

Milky Way (a bag of fun size ones work great)

Chocolate syrup

Can of Eagle brand milk

Milk

Ice

Rock Salt or Ice Cream Salt

Directions:

Open up all the milky way candy bars and pour your eagle brand milk over it. Micowave in thirty second increments and stir it up, add chocolate syrup until it is the color of the bottom picture. Pour milk in your freezer about a third of the way in, and then add the milky way mixture, and finish pouring milk until your fill line. Put it in your freezer and freeze until it stops turning. Unplug and cover with a towel and extra ice until ready to serve. I would suggest making it outside becuase the ice is messy melting and it is loud. If not outside, make it in your sink. When we got married, we got a counter ice cream maker, and had people over for dinner. In my head I pictured making ice cream while eating dinner, and then it would be done at the same time. That thing was loud, and needless to say it hasn't been used as much as the $30 Ice Cream maker from Walmart. I hope you all enjoy as much as we do!

 Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the finished product!

Pina Colada Upside Down Cake

The Pampered Chef ®
Piña Colada Upside-Down Cake
Recipe

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 
1 cup packed dark brown sugar 
1 medium pineapple 
1/2 cup maraschino cherries (15-20 cherries) 
1 pkg (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix 
3 eggs 
1 can (13.25 oz) unsweetened coconut milk 
1 tsp rum extract 
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in Executive (12-in.) Skillet over low heat (do not use stainless cookware). Brush sides of Skillet with butter using Chef's Silicone Basting Brush. Remove from heat; sprinkle brown sugar over butter and set aside.


2. Cut off top and bottom of pineapple, creating a flat base; slice off rind from top to bottom. Cut pineapple into 12 slices; remove core using The Corer™. Cut slices in half. Arrange 22 of the pineapple slices around outer edge of Skillet; place two pineapple slices in center, forming a ring. Place one cherry in center of pineapple ring and additional cherries around outside of ring.


3. Combine cake mix, eggs, coconut milk and rum extract in Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl; whisk with Stainless Whisk until well blended. Carefully pour batter over pineapple in Skillet.


4. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Meanwhile, place coconut into Small Micro-Cooker®; microwave on HIGH 2-3 minutes or until toasted, stirring after each 10-second interval. Remove cake from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack; cool 5 minutes. Invert cake onto Simple Additions® Large Round Platter; gently press coconut around top edge and sides of cake.


Yield: 16 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 310, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 45 mg, Carbohydrate 49 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 250 mg, Fiber less than 1 g

Cook's Tip: If desired, 14 canned pineapple slices (one 20-oz can and one 8-oz can) can be substituted. Cut slices in half; proceed as recipe directs.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

I always make this at Christmas time... and I haven't yet, so I guess I will be cooking these real soon!





 48 Hershey Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Oreo Truffle Balls

Oreo Truffle Balls

I made some similar to this but thought I would post this recipe so I can have it for next year.
Chocolate or Vanilla Almond Bark1 pkg (8 oz) Creme Cheese, softened1 pkg of Oreo Cookies
Melt chocolate in double boiler, add solid vegetable shortening, 1/2 tsp at a time as needed to make the mixture smooth. Chop the entire pkg of Oreo cookies with the food chopper. Mix with creme cheese. Scoop out balls of mixture using the small stainless steel scoop. Place balls in freezer until firm (30 min to 1 hr). Dip in melted chocolate, one at a time and place on parchament paper or wax paper until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Tips: White chocolate ones are the best, plus you can drizzle dark chocolate over them to make some designs!

Cranberry, Almond Crunch

Cranberry, Almond Crunch

1 pkg of vanilla flavored almond bark

3/4 c chopped almonds

1/2 c cranberries

2 c crisp rice cereal

Melt the almond bark for one minute, stir, thirty seconds a time until totally melted, add remaining ingredients and stir---spread onto a frozen rectangle stone covered with parchment paper to cool quickly--once cooled, pick up and drop (just the parchment paper and candy) to break into pieces