Glazed Applesauce Pecan Snack Cake (no eggs)

Being blessed with several containers of applesauce,

I went in search of an easy applesauce cake or bread recipe.

I'm all about easy and quick recipes.

I like to know there's something yummy

baking in the oven

while I'm surfing the web or working

on my ever-growing

 pile of laundry,

but I don't want to spend a lot of time

on a recipe with tons of ingredients

that I probably

don't have anyway.

...

Yesterday the girls and my hubby went sledding (again!)

and so I decided to use

up some of

the applesauce I'd been blessed with.

I thought it'd be nice to

come home to a warm house

smelling like sugar and cinnamon. 

I found an easy  recipe here

and  tweaked it

according to my preferences.

The result was wonderful!

(That's right - no eggs!)

...

Quick. Simple. Easy.

Here's my tweaked version.  Make it soon!

Glazed Applesauce Pecan Snack Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

pecan pieces, optional

.

Preheat oven to 350º.   Grease and flour a 9 inch square baking dish.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Dissolve baking soda into applesauce and mix into creamed butter.  Add flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Pour batter into prepared dish.  Sprinkle pecan pieces over cake batter.  Bake at 350º for 30 -40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 T milk

2 T melted butter

.

Mix together and drizzle over slightly cooled cake.

.

CLICK  FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE

National Pie Day - January 23rd

In honor of National Pie Day...check out these easy,

yet delicious pie recipes.

...

 

Chocolate Fudge Pie

 Printable Recipe

.

Aunt Mary's Chess Pie

Printable Recipe

.

 

Southern Pecan Pie

Printable Recipe

Pecan Pie Bars

My mother-in-love's country yard is filled

with flowers and trees.

 

Once upon a time, these flowers

gave her much pleasure, but gone are the

days of working in the flower beds 'til dark.  At 74 and not in

the best of health,

she doesn't have as much energy

to work like she once did. 

 

Among the Crepe Myrtles and Peonies stands a big Pecan tree.

Its branches spread across the grassy lawn and provide

wonderful shade on a hot summer day. 

My girls have many fond memories of playing

on the swing set there in the shade of the

big pecan tree on a sunny day and picking up pecans

with Grandma on a

chilly, windy late Fall day.

 

Every year many pounds of pecans are picked up, carried inside and the

process of shelling and cleaning begins.

At 82, Papa's eyesight is failing him and he sits in his easy chair

and shells the  pecans by feeling them, then

passes them to Grandma or one

of the grandkids to do the cleaning. 

Once they're throughly cleaned, most likely

with a toothbrush, they're put  in bags and into the freezer. 

Sometimes she'll grab out a few and stick them in the oven to roast.

Once placed on the table, the bowl is emptied

in record time.

 

~{o}~

 

This year, she sent home a large bag of shelled, chopped pecans

for my daughter to use in Pecan Pies

for Thanksgiving.

I used what was left in making these tasty bars which I

shared with friends and coworkers.

If you like Pecan Pie, you'll love this yummy bar version.

I've been making it for many years and

it's definitely a "tried and true" recipe.  

Hope you enjoy!

 

 Pecan Pie Bars

Crust:

1 (18.25-ounce) package butter-flavor cake mix
1/3 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 egg

Filling:

1 cup  sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan.

Combine the cake mix, softened butter and 1 egg.  Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan and a little up the sides to hold the filling.  Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven.

In the meantime, using a large bowl or your Kitchenaid mixer, combine  sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and 3 eggs at low speed until well mixed.   Beat 1 minute at medium speed or until well-blended.

Stir in pecan pieces.

Pour filling mixture over warm base. Bake an additional 30 to 35 minutes or until filling is set.  Cool completely. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

--->>>---oOo---<<<---

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1098" align="aligncenter" width="257" caption="Papa & Grandma Golden"][/caption]

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Vanilla Yogurt Dressing

A few nights ago, my girls wanted to to make an easy treat for our dessert.  

We were out of a few ingredients, but managed to put together this tasty fruit salad bowl.   This fruit salad is a great choice for dessert or even breakfast. (oops, pic is before the dressing)

---

 

By Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.



 

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Vanilla Yogurt Dressing

2 cups plain yogurt

2 tablespoons good honey

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean, optional

1/2 orange, juiced

1 banana, sliced

1/2 pint fresh blueberries

1/2 pint fresh raspberries

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half

1 bunch seedless green grapes, halved

Combine the yogurt, honey, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds in a bowl and set aside. Combine the orange juice and banana slices in a separate bowl. Add the berries and grapes and gently mix the fruit mixture together. Spoon the fruit into serving bowls and top with the yogurt.

~~~

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

So simple yet so delicious!

~

What to to with 2 nice bunches of very ripe bananas, but bake?!  This cake is made with a recipe I've been using since the early 90's.   It is very simple, with few ingredients, but it is so delicious and moist!

.

I usually top it with a Brown Sugar Glaze, but since I had cream cheese, this time I decided to make a traditional Cream Cheese Frosting for the cake.



.

BANANA CAKE

1/2 cup shortening or butter (I used softened butter)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup (2 med) bananas, mashed

1 1/4 cups self rising flour

.

Cream shortening (or butter) and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.   Add flour to mashed bananas and mix well.  Next, add the banana and flour mixture to the cake batter.  Stir well.  Pour into greased pan.  Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until cake is browned on top and springs back to the touch.

.

***NOTE- I used a 7 x 11 glass baking dish and the cake rose to the top of the dish and was fairly thick.  The layer could be sliced and a filling added to make a 2 layer cake.

.

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup butter
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese
½ teaspoon of vanilla

 3 ½ cups of powdered sugar

.

In a medium sized mixing bowl cream the butter and cream cheese together.  Add the vanilla.  Slowly add the powdered sugar.  When you are adding the powdered sugar, use a low speed on the mixer.   After you have it all in, put up on a medium to high speed.   Mix the frosting until it is fluffy.

Make sure your cake is completely cooled and spread the cream cheese frosting on it. 

.
 

 

The Holidays and your favorite recipes

The holiday season will soon be here. 

Thanksgiving is a very special holiday for our family and usually centers around our family dinner.  

Mom's Southern cornbread Turkey and Dressing is the usual star of the main meal.  There are other favorites that complete our meal.  My brother has to have Chunky Potato Salad, made the same way my grandmother made it.  I usually enjoy the Sweet Potatoes and baked Ham.  

One daughter loves the Green Bean Casserole and Yeast Rolls while daughter #2 loves the Ham and Cream Style Corn.

And of course, the dessert choice wouldn't be complete without mom's Angel Salad on the menu.  (Pictures and recipe forthcoming)

 

 I'm a dessert eater.  Below are some of my favorites.

 



Peanut Butter Balls

 



Southern Pecan Pie

 



Chess Pie

 



Sour Cream Pound Cake

 

And if you're watching your sugar intake...



Low Carb Mini-Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

~~~

What special dish are you looking forward to? 

Apple Dumplings: The Ultimate Fall Dessert

What other recipe speaks Harvest Time than an apple recipe flavored with sugar, butter, and cinnamon?

Pioneer Woman's Apple Dumplings with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Go here for this easy yet decadant recipe and enjoy the season's bounty of  delicious apples.

Brownies and Ice Cream

This is my daughter B's creation and attempt at food photography.   She's always photographing different dishes for my blog, so I thought I'd honor her with this post.  Great job, B - Thanks, Mom

Old Fashioned Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Ok, so not a very good photo.  It was melting fast!  I really needed to give the ice cream time to "ripen" in the metal container nestled in the salty ice.  But as it goes around my house when it comes to homemade ice cream - we just can't wait! 



Here's the "recipe" I use.  It's my mom's.  That's what I always strive to do, make it like Mom's.  The only thing different I do from Mom is to heat the milk and temper the egg mixture.  Then I call the custard cooked just in case I'm serving finicky people who don't prefer to eat "raw" eggs.

Old-Fashioned Homemade Ice Cream

• 6 eggs


• 2 1/2 cups sugar


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 3 tablespoon vanilla extract


• 2 each 13-ounce cans evaporated milk 


• 1 can condensed milk


• 1 pint heavy whipping cream


• whole milk , as needed to fill line


• chipped ice


• rock salt

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add sugar gradually, stirring constantly. Add salt, vanilla, condensed milk, and cream.  Heat the 2 cans of evaporated milk in the microwave until boiling.  Add the milk a little at a time to the egg mixture to prevent currdling.  Pour the ice cream mixture into the metal freezer can.  Add enough whole sweet milk until the mixture reaches the container's fill line.  Stir.

Assemble the ice cream freezer. Add alternating layers of chipped ice and rock salt to barrel around freezer can. If electric, plug the freezer in and let it do it's thing, adding more ice and salt, as needed.  When freezer stops, unplug.  Remove top and dasher.  Ice cream may be soft on top (see pic above :D) but will be firmer near the bottom of the can.   Replace top. Cover can with more ice and salt. Cover ice with a towel, allowing ice cream to "ripen" for at least 1 hour, if you can wait!  :) Makes about 5 quarts of ice cream.

Enjoy!

Here's to the happy days of summer!

Sour Cream Pound Cake

You can always count on a good friend to give you a good recipe.

My friend, Karen, comes from a long line of good cooks.  Her grandmother was a great cook and her mom is "The Pie Lady".  She can whip up a Caramel Pie or a Coconut Cream Pie in the blink of an eye.  She always has the ingredients on hand.

Karen has turned out like her mom in that respect.  She's a great cook.  This is a recipe that she shared with me recently.  It's so easy, yet so delicious!

I've made this cake twice this week.  I polished off most of the first one myself, but took the second one to my inlaws' family get together.  I had to get that evil thing out of the house!  My hips have gotten wider just this week.  I'm trying to low carb, I really am.  I try to save my treat for that one-hour span, like the Carb Addict plan suggests, but it sure is hard with this treat around!

Karen prefers the cake 'nekkid', but I made an Orange Glaze to pour over the warm cake.  Most of it pooled up in the middle, but I just spooned that right out of the middle and onto my slice.  Mmm-mmm, good.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

1 butter recipe yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 half cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup sour cream

Mix well pour into bundt pan and bake at 325 until golden brown, 45-60 minutes.

Orange Glaze (optional)

1/4 cup orange juice
2 T butter, melted
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Mix together and pour over cooled cake.

Sugar-free Oreo Blast (low carb)

Want a quick and easy treat or a simple after-dinner dessert?  What about a Sugar-free Oreo Blast?

Sugar-free Oreo Blast (low carb)
 
1 serving Breyer's CarbSmart vanilla ice cream
1 serving Sugar Free Oreos, broken into pieces
 
Place ice cream and cookie pieces into food processor. 
Pulse until blended.  Serve in a cute ice cream dish or
small glass.  Top with 1/2 a SF Oreo. 

Now, find a nice quiet spot outside in the swing on a warm sunny day and eat slowly.

Tomorrow...an easy 3 ingredient recipe for a quick supper.

Another Brownie Recipe

Honest, that's the title of this recipe.  I considered calling it Easy One Bowl Brownies, but decided to go with what I wrote down on the card.  This is another from my vintage recipe collection.

This recipe is very forgiving and I have made substitutions in the past with great results.

Another Brownie Recipe
 
1 stick butter, melted ( I have used 1/2 cup oil or 1/2 cup applesauce)
5 T cocoa ( I used 2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate)
2 eggs
3/4 c flour
1 cup sugar (I added 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1/2 cup pecan pieces, optional

Mix all together.  Pour into 7 x11 dish for thicker brownies. 

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Peanut Butter Balls

I’ve been making this recipe for 27 years now.  I first made it as a teenager while living at home back in the 1980's.  It was a favorite of my brother and he still requests them today.   This recipe is great for the Christmas holiday or even Easter! 


Peanut Butter Balls

One 18 oz jar of peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
2 sticks butter, softened
1 & ½ boxes of powdered sugar (I usually buy the 2 lb bag and guesstimate according to the mixture’s consistency)
Chocolate Bark (1 lb or as needed to dip the balls)
(My recipe actually calls for chocolate chips and parrafin melted over a double boiler, but chocolate bark melted in the micorwave is easier)

 Cream the peanut butter and the butter in a heavy duty mixer. I burnt up a couple of handheld mixer motors before my Handyman got me a Kitchenaid stand mixer.  Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until mixed thoroughly. The mixture will be VERY thick.

Roll into 1” or smaller balls. I then chill mine for a few hours. Melt the bark in a small deep bowl in the microwave until creamy smooth. Proceed to dip balls and place on a parchment covered sheet pan until the chocolate hardens.  This recipe makes several dozen.

Store in the fridge for several days or on the counter ‘cause they won’t last long!

Special Cake with Fudge Sauce

The strawberries were gone too soon.

But, there was still plenty of Aunt Mary's Special Cake to be eaten.  I recalled my Mom's  famous Skillet Cake and Fudge Sauce that I always requested for my birthday.  This recipe is not like hers, but it was quite yummy and was gone very soon.  I even had to make another batch to finish off the Special Cake.  My oldest daughter couldn't get enough of it.  I think she had it for supper one night along with another piece (or two) for dessert!

I just kinda threw this together and here's my sketchy instructions.

Microwave Fudge Sauce

1 square of semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/3 stick butter
1/4 cup cream or sweet milk
powdered/confectioner sugar (as much as needed for taste and consistency - I think I used a cup or more)

Place chocolate, butter, and milk in a microwave dish.
Cook on high for 2-3 minutes.  Stir until chocolate is melted and sauce is smooth. Begin to add confectioner sugar, stirring after each addition until desired sauce consistency is achieved.

Butter Pecan Creme Brulee (Low Carb)

When my sister-in-law blessed me with two dozen farm-fresh country eggs yesterday,

I started digging through my old low carb recipes.  I had a breakfast custard recipe in mind, but ran across this creme brulee recipe.  I would love to find out the recipe creator, so I can give them thanks and proper credit. *Updated - I found out the recipe's creator is named Roni.  Thanks that for info, Linda Sue.

I found this particular recipe several years ago on one of my favorite low carb sites.  Some of the absolute best cooks congregate on the recipe board at Low Carb Friends!

I used my Pampered Chef Prep Cups (with storage lids) to bake the creme brulees.  Not fancy, but servicable.



I sprinkled a little nutmeg on the creme brulee before baking, like the breakfast custard recipe calls for.  Not sure why, since I planned on topping them with praline pecans. Don't you just love the sound of praline pecans?!



Butter-Pecan Creme Brulee

2 cups cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt
2 tablespoons Splenda (I used 1/2 cup granulated Splenda)

Heat cream over medium heat, just until bubbles start to form.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vanilla, salt and Splenda.
Gradually whisk in cream. Strain mixture.
Divide into four custard cups.
Bake in a water bath for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  (I baked mine for 50 minutes in a toaster oven.)
Custards should be set, but still jiggly.  Chill for one hour.
Make butter-pecan topping and divide between between cups.
Refrigerate for four more hours or overnight.

Butter-Pecan Topping:
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 cup pecans - finely chopped
1 teaspoon Splenda

Melt butter.
Stir in pecans and Splenda.
Heat just until nuts begin to color, being careful not to burn.

This is definitely a keeper! The butter pecan topping is delcious!  I think I will double or triple the topping recipe next time, so it will completely cover the top of each creme brulee dish.

See another low carb dessert.

Aunt Mary's Special Cake with Strawberries

Several years ago I had a chance

to go through Aunt Mary's little recipe box.  I copied down the recipes that I thought I might like to make and read through those that I remembered her making.  There was Date Nut Cake, Chess Pie, Pecan Crisp Cookies and even a recipe on stationery sent from a friend along with a greeting and personal  note.  One that stood out to me was hid near the back of the box, with no name other than Cake.  Not wanting it to get lost in my files I renamed it "Special Cake". 



Over the years, I've made Special Cake several times, usually during the summer to go with strawberries and fresh whipped cream.  My oldest daughter happens to love Strawberry Shortcake. 



I made it again this weekend and decided to use my new bundt pan (can you call it a pan if it's ceramic?) from Williams-Sonoma that was a gift from my dear youngest brother.



My cake wanted to stick a little and didn't brown as well as the one on the cake pan lable, even after baking for 45 minutes.  I took a slice of it and cubed it up for Strawberry Shortcake Trifle. 



Don't you just love spring?  Spring brings us those delicious little red bits of delectable fruit we call strawberries.  Aunt Mary brought me a Special Cake recipe to use with that delicious fruit,  along with many wonderful memories.



Happy Spring and happy Strawberry Shortcake Season!

Read more about Aunt Mary's life and recipes

Southern Pecan Pie

I have a young daughter that is an aspiring chef. 

She is only 11 but loves Martha Stewart and is always ready to help out in the kitchen.  She loves to peel, chop, flip, scrape, mix... and lick the bowl.  Whether it be making cucumber salad or baking a pie, my youngest is always ready.

A few weekends ago, my oldest daughter was visiting friends so B (also for Bossy) decided she wanted to bake a pie with a homemade crust.  We had all the ingredients, so I loaded Martha on the laptop and took her to the kitchen with us.  The pecan crop has been abundant in our area this year so we decided the pie would be Southern Pecan Pie.  I discovered my glass pie dish was left at Mom's house at Thanksgiving, so we ran to the store and picked up some foil pie plates and some more sugar. 

Back home we got all of our ingredients out and I did the measuring while B started putting the crust ingredients into the food processor.  As the crust chilled, we put together our pie ingredients.

We couldn't wait until it cooled to cut it, so that's why it's falling apart in our first picture.  ( I think it even steamed up my camera lens.)  The Southern Pecan Pie was divine!  The filling was light and and the crust flakey.  Well done, my Valentine!



Southern Pecan Pie

3/4 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pecan halves
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine corn syrup, sugar, beaten eggs, melted butter, vanilla and salt in a large bowl; mix well. Stir in pecan halves. Pour into prepared pie crust and bake for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 35 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of pie.  Cool on wire rack before slicing, if you can.

Pate Brisee (the French version of classic pie or tart pastry, courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies.

· 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon sugar
· 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
· 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Chocolate Fudge Pie

 

With work slowing down, we've found ourselves home more during the week.  What better to do than bake?!

I found an easy recipe for My Handyman to make while I was doing other fun stuff, like folding laundry and helping the girls with their lessons.  I thought he did a great job and by that evening most of this delicious pie had vanished.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE PIE

1 c. sugar 4 tbsp. flour 4 tbsp. cocoa 1/2 c. milk 2 whole eggs 3 tbsp. butter, melted 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring chopped pecans (optional)   Dump all ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat well. Pour into an unbaked pastry shell. We sprinkled a few pecans in the bottom before pouring in the batter. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool before slicing.  Top with freshly whipped cream.