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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

PEANUT BUTTER BARS

This recipe came to me from my daughter, Heather, who got it from her friend, Keri.

Combine:
  
     1 cup butter
     1 cup brown sugar
     2 cups oats
     2 cups flour
     1/2 tsp. salt
     1/2 tsp. vanilla
     1 cup peanut butter (chunky or regular - 
           I like chunky)
     3 eggs

Spread in greased 9x13 pan (pan spray is okay.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min.
Remove from oven and spread 1 cup creamy peanut butter over top, then let cool thoroughly.

Frost and enjoy!
FROSTING

      1/2 cup butter
     3 Tbsp. milk
     3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
     1 lb. powdered sugar (more or less)

Combine on low then whip on high.  If too stiff, add a little more milk; if too soft, add a little more powdered sugar.)

NOTE:  I found this recipe to be very rich and think it would be fine to omit the layer of creamy peanut butter, if desired.



     

Thursday, July 21, 2011

BEAN BAKE

Just made this today.  Forgot how yummy it is!




Yield: 6-10 servings
Mix together:
     1 can original B&M Baked Beans or Bush Boston Style Beans 
       (about 28 oz.)   
    1/2 lb. crumbled bacon (or about 9 slices precooked bacon)   
     1 green bell pepper, chopped
     1/2 cup brown sugar
     2/3 cup ketchup
     2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
     1 tsp. dry mustard (or 1 Tbsp. prepared mustard)
     1 medium onion, chopped

Pour into greased 1 1/2 quart casserole,9x13 pan or CROCKPOT.
Cover with foil, make a few slits in the foil and bake at 325o for 
3 hours.

For CROCKPOT, cook covered about 3 hours, then partially uncovered for about 3 hours (see picture below.)



MAKE AHEAD HINTS:
  1. Combine sauce ingredients (sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire and mustard.)
  2. Chop onions and put in airtight container such as Glad or Ziploc containers to prevent smell in your refrigerator.
  3. Chop bell peppers and put in zip bag.
  4. Cook bacon, drain and store in bag.  (I like to use the pre-cooked bacon: put it on a paper towel on a plate, then another towel on top, then microwave 1/2-1 minute.)
  5. Store all but the unopened beans in the refrigerator.
When you are ready to cook, dump everything into your pan or crockpot, crumbling the bacon, stir, cover and cook as directed.



Saturday, July 16, 2011

NIKKI'S SMOOTH ORANGE DRINK

My daughter got this from her friend, Nikki.  It is similar in flavor to an Orange Julius. 



Combine in blender and blend on high:

      6 oz. frozen orange juice
      6 oz. cold water
      1 cup milk
      1/3-1/2 cup sugar
      1 tsp. Vanilla
      10-12 ice cubes

Options: add one banana.
             Substitute crushed strawberries for the orange juice. 
             Add more ice to make the drink thicker.
             Substitute sweetened tart cherry juice for orange juice, water and sugar. 
             For thicker drink, add more ice.

If you want to make a batch to save for later, you can blend all the ingredients except the ice cubes and store in the refrigerator.  When you are ready to serve, whisk the mix (it will separate), then place some of the mix plus the ice cubes into the blender to crush the ice, then add the rest of the mix as needed. For every cup of mix, add 4 ice cubes. If you are using bananas, put them in before adding the last of the mix.  Blend on high.



My daughter-in-law and I dried some cherries from her tree today.  The recipe said to add sugar, boil, then drain before putting the fruit onto a drying rack.  This left some delicious cherry juice.  I tried using it in place of the orange juice (12 oz. juice and don't add any additional water or sugar) and it was delicious! 

NOTE:  If your blender doesn't crush ice well, there are options. Put the ice in the blender first along with the banana, or a little orange juice, if you aren't using the banana.  Blend until the ice is crushed, then add the rest of the ingredients and proceed with the recipe.  If this still doesn't work, place the ice cubes in a heavy plastic zipper bag and smash with a hammer flat side or meat cleaver smooth side, then place in blender and proceed with directions in this paragraph.