Category: Recipes

When I was in the 5th grade, I remember sitting by a pretty Asian girl named Cheri Lee. She brought her lunch to school in a slightly shiny, pink paper sack—mine was the regular brown kind. So already she had ten “cool points” on me.

Then, she reached into the bag and took out a slice of Sara Lee pound cake with a little yellow strip of paper on three of the edges. I’d never seen or heard of pound cake before– and it smelled wonderful. She held it up just like the lady in the commercial and sang, “Everybody doesn’t like something…but nobody doesn’t like Cheri Lee.”

Her silly song has stuck in my head all these years–but what stuck even better was the taste of the piece she gave to me. Oh. My.

Ten more points for her.

So, honestly, when I saw this Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe on Pinterest–originally from Elizabeth’s Edible blog, I didn’t waste a second but strolled right into the kitchen and made it. Just like that. Yeah, add cream cheese to anything and it wins. Sorry Cheri. Sorry Sara. This one beats by a hundred miles.

At last, at last, fifty cool points…

for me.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1- 1/2 cups butter

8-oz. cream cheese

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

3 cups flour

1/8 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vanilla

Directions:

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Slowly add sugar, beating well.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Add vanilla. Pour batter into two greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

 

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Ingredients

• 1- ½ cups butter
• 8-oz. cream cheese
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
2. Slowly add sugar, beating well.
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
4. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Pour batter into two greased and floured loaf pans.
7. Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

2.1.7

When I was a teenager, trying to impress a handsome young man, I made these lovely cookies. While the butter and peanut butter were blending on medium speed I was…umm…distracted, by aforementioned handsome young man.

Ahhh, youth.

ANYway, when I turned my attention back to the cookies at hand, the mixture looked all whipped and pretty–like it had had the living daylights beat out of it. I went on with the recipe like I’d meant to do it and it worked without a hitch. The cookies were incredible. Not heavy and crumbly–like SOME peanut butter cookies I know– but soft and fluffy and positively perfect.

So perfect, in fact, that I hesitate to call them just…cookies. It seems more appropriate to call them something exotic, like…Peanut Butter Meltaways or something. Alas–that name has already been taken by a famous truffle company.

At any rate–we make them this way on purpose now…

with or without the distraction.

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2-1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Heat oven to 360 degrees–not 350, and not 375, but 360. It works.

Beat butter and peanut butter together until they are light and fluffy–about 3 or 4 minutes, then add the eggs, mix well. Add the sugars, half of the flour, the soda, b. powder and vanilla. Now add the remaining flour and blend slowly until well mixed.

Roll into tablespoon sized balls and then roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten–just a bit with the bottom of a glass and bake for 7 minutes. Leave on pan for a minute or two before removing to a cooling rack.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

 

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Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 360 degrees.
2. Beat butter and peanut butter together until they are light and fluffy--about 3 or 4 minutes, then add the eggs, mix well.
3. Add the sugars, half of the flour, the soda, b. powder and vanilla.
4. Now add the remaining flour and blend slowly until well mixed.
5. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and then roll in sugar.
6. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
7. Gently flatten--just a bit with the bottom of a glass and bake for 7 minutes.
8. Leave on pan for a minute or two before removing to a cooling rack.

2.1.7

When the kids were little–which was not so very long ago–every now and then we’d buy a special brand of Blueberry Streusel Muffin Mix…a very expensive brand. But oh…it was worth it–for just the perfect crunchy, cinnamony crumbles on top of the most glorious blueberry muffing.

The mix made just enough for each of us to have two. Most of the time we could only afford the darn things for special events, like Christmas morning.

Well, it was a sad day–I’ll tell you–when we found out that they no longer made that particular amazing brand. I’m certain that tears were shed over it, in fact. But guess what?

We don’t have to look for a silly old box mix anymore–because here it is in real homemade life!!

Calloo! Callay! Huzzah, even!

Feel free to go crazy with this one.  Resistance is futile.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1-1/2 cups white sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cups vegetable oil

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin cups with muffin papers. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add oil, eggs and milk and mix into flour mixture. Gently stir in blueberries. Fill muffin cups nearly up to the top and sprinkle 1 Tbsp streusel mixture on top.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes.

Streusel Topping

With a pastry blender mix together 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup butter, and 3 tsp. cinnamon until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Take the day off.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Blueberry Streusel Muffin Madness

 

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Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1-1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• ⅔ cups vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• ⅔ cup milk
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin cups with muffin papers.
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
3. Add oil, eggs and milk and mix into flour mixture.
4. Gently stir in blueberries.
5. Fill muffin cups nearly up to the top and sprinkle 1 Tbsp streusel mixture on top.
6. Bake for about 18-20 minutes.

Notes

Streusel Topping With a pastry blender mix together 1 cup sugar, ⅔ cup flour, ½ cup butter, and 3 tsp. cinnamon until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins before baking.

1.2.4

It’s a wonderful thing that these cute little bars are so full of energy–because you may just need some…to make more. They fit perfectly into snack-sized ziploc bags to tuck nicely into your purse or pocket. Oh, and one more thing—they taste fabulous.

The honest to goodness, gospel truth is that it was all I could do to get a photo of the last couple of bars before they got snatched up too.

Forgive the blurry shots–I was in a hurry.

Chewy Energy Bars

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups crisp rice cereal

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the cereal, oats and wheat germ. In a small saucepan, combine the corn syrup, peanut butter and brown sugar.
Cook over medium heat until peanut butter is melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture; mix well.
Transfer to a greased 9-in. square pan. Gently press cereal mixture evenly into pan. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

Nutrition Facts: 1 bar equals 212 calories, 8 g fat, 0 cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 6 g protein. 

543

Chewy Energy Bars

 

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Ingredients

• Chewy Energy Bars
• Ingredients:
• 2-1/2 cups crisp rice cereal
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• ¼ cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 1 cup peanut butter
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the cereal, oats and wheat germ. In a small saucepan, combine the corn syrup, peanut butter and brown sugar.
2. Cook over medium heat until peanut butter is melted, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture; mix well.
4. Transfer to a greased 9-in. square pan.
5. Gently press cereal mixture evenly into pan.
6. Cool completely.
7. Cut into bars.

1.2.4

you’ll ever need.

Let me just tell you how soft and yummy this pretty pita bread is. Why, it’s so soft and yummy that we were willing to heat up the oven in the middle of August just to have a stash of them on hand…or…in hand…as the case may be.

Make them my friends and see for yourself.

Fabuloso…maximoso…to the tenth power.

Pita Bread

3- 1/4 cups flour
2 t. salt
2 t. instant yeast
2 T. olive oil
1- 1/4 cups luke warm water

Combine all the ingredients in a mixer bowl and mix on low speed just until all the flour is moistened, about 20 seconds. Attach dough hook, and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be very soft and smooth and just a little sticky to the touch.

Allow dough to rise in a lightly greased bowl with plastic wrap over the top–for about 4 hours. Press it down when it starts to double in size.

Place a baking sheet in the oven on the lowest rack and preheat the oven to 475°F one hour before baking.

Cut the dough into 10 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and then flatten it into a disk. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Now roll each disk out into a thin circle. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

Quickly place 1 piece of dough directly on the baking sheet, and bake for 3 minutes. The pita should puff up and be just about ready to brown. If your pitas don’t puff–spritz the remaining disks with a little water before baking. Bake all pitas and remove from baking sheet to a warm towel so they will stay soft and warm.

Serve with butter, salsa, ranch dip, bean dip, melted cheese, honey butter, hummus or anything else that strikes your fancy. Don’t worry if all your pitas disappear in 20 minutes—chances are, you’ll be making more tomorrow anyway.

Heh, heh, heh.

Pita Bread...

 

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Ingredients

• 3- ¼ cups flour
• 2 t. salt
• 2 t. instant yeast
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1- ¼ cups lukewarm water

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixer bowl and mix on low speed just until all the flour is moistened, about 20 seconds.
2. Attach dough hook, and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes.
3. The dough should be very soft and smooth and just a little sticky to the touch.
4. Allow dough to rise in a lightly greased bowl with plastic wrap over the top--for about 4 hours.
5. Press it down when it starts to double in size.
6. Place a baking sheet in the oven on the lowest rack and preheat the oven to 475°F one hour before baking.
7. Cut the dough into 10 pieces.
8. Shape each piece into a ball and then flatten it into a disk.
9. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20 minutes.
10. Now roll each disk out into a thin circle.
11. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.
12. Quickly place 1 piece of dough directly on the baking sheet, and bake for 3 minutes.
13. The pita should puff up and be just about ready to brown.
14. If your pitas don't puff--spritz the remaining disks with a little water before baking.
15. Bake all pitas and remove from baking sheet to a warm towel so they will stay soft and warm.

1.2.4