Whipping Cream Popcorn

Ingredients:
· 1/3 cup whipping cream
· 1 cube butter
· 1 cup sugar
· Pinch of salt

Instructions:Cook to softball stage and pour over 4-5 quarts of popcorn. It's YUMMO!

Bacon Water Chestnuts (Angels on Horseback)

I enjoyed these delicious appetizer bites at a wedding at a wedding recently, and fell in love. Give them a try, and I think that you will be head-over-heals too.

2 cans whole water chestnuts cut in half
1 lb. bacon cut in thirds
brown sugar
Round Toothpicks

Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup salad oil
2T Ketchup
1 T. Vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves diced

Combine ingredients for marinade and pour over water chestnuts that have been cut in half. Marinade over night (or longer).

Wrap 1/3 slice of bacon around each water chestnut half and secure with a toothpick. Place seam side down on cookie sheet that has been lined with heavy duty Reynolds wrap aluminum foil. After all your bacon has been wrapped and placed on the cookie sheet sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. (or you can roll each piece in the brown sugar to coat more thoroughly--this is recommended, if you aren't making 1200 at a time, like the lady I got the recipe from.)

Bake @ 375° for 25 minutes. Pour off excess bacon grease and turn up oven to 400° . Bake 10 minutes longer (or until they are as crispy as you like them.)

Thanks Marty for giving me this FABULOUS recipe!

Award Winning Apple Pie Recipe

36 Million Americans call apple pie their favorite pie flavor. And this award-winning recipe, with its flaky, buttery short-crust and chunky, caramelized apples, will make it your favorite, too.
Vanilla-Vanilla Bean Roasted Apple PieRecipe courtesy Dawn ViolaFirst Place, 2009 Crisco National Pie Championships, Professional Division

Ingredients:

For the crust:
2 1/2 cups Organic all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting/rolling
2 teaspoons Salt
1 tablespoon Vanilla powder
3 tablespoons Organic sugar
1 Vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
2 1/2 sticks unsalted Danish butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon White vinegar, chilled
6 - 8 tablespoons Ice water (plus more if needed)

For the filling:
4 tablespoons Danish butter
12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced in large chunks
1 Vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
1 cup Organic sugar
4 tablespoons Organic all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Apple cider
1 tablespoon heavy cream

For the egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon of cream
Coarse sugar

Directions:

Measure out all ingredients and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Place the food processor blade and bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Make the dough:Place the food processor bowl back on the motor with the blade, as directed by the manufacturer. Combine flour, salt, vanilla powder, sugar and vanilla bean seeds in the food processor; pulse to mix.

Add butter cubes and pulse 10 times, or until the mixture begins to resemble coarse meal with pea-sized pieces.

Add the vinegar and pulse to mix.

Add one tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing to incorporate, until the mixture begins to clump together. Pinch some of the dough in your hand. If it sticks together, the dough is ready. If the dough does not stick to itself, add another tablespoon of water, pulse, and pinch the dough together again. Repeat until the dough holds together without being overly wet. Dough should be slightly crumbly, but hold together when pinched.

Remove dough from the food processor and transfer to a work surface. Divide the dough into two equal parts and gently shape into two flat round discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Prepare the apples:

Preheat the broiler.

Add apples, vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the sugar to a roasting pan; toss apples to coat. Broil until the tops of the apples begin to brown. Apples can burn easily under the broiler, so don’t walk too far away. Toss apples as soon as you notice browning. Once apples are caramelized (but not cooked through), remove from heat and add the remaining sugar, the flour, vanilla extract and salt.

Add the apple cider and cream, stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning – add additional salt, sugar, vanilla or cinnamon to taste.

Finish the pie:Place a 9” pie plate into the freezer. Remove one dough disc from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 - 10 minutes, or just long enough for it to become easy to roll, but still chilled. Lightly flour your work surface and roll dough out to a 12" circle, between 1/8 - 1/4" thick. Place in the bottom of the chilled 9” pie plate. Return to the refrigerator to chill. Remove after 5 minutes and add apples. Dot the top of the apples with remaining butter.
Remove second dough disc and roll out to a 12” circle on a lightly floured surface. Place on top of the apples and pinch the top and bottom dough edges together to enclose the apples. Add decorative edge if desired, and slice 1” air vents around the top of the pie.

Make the egg wash:Beat the egg in a small dish and mix in cream. Lightly brush the egg wash over the top of the pie and along the edges. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake:Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Cover edges with aluminum foil if browning too quickly. Turn the pie in the oven, and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Continue to cook in 7 minute intervals, as needed, until the crust is golden brown and flakey.

Cool:Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least two hours before cutting and serving.

Never Fail Vinegar Pie Crust

(makes about five 9" shells)

4 1/2 cups flour
1TBSP sugar
2 tsp salt1
1/2 cups vegetable oil
1T vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup water

Mix first 4 ingredients.
Mix next 3 ingredients.
Combine both, and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour.

Thanks Keiko for your fabulous pies, and for sharing this recipe!!!

National Pie Championship--Winning Pie Recipe

There is nothing better than a fresh berry pie during the summertime. I don’t have just any old pie recipe for you, I have the winning Professional Best of Show pie recipe from the Pie Championship. Pie just doesn’t get any better than that! And it’s just in time for prime summer berry season.

Best of Show Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie
TOM’S CHEERY CHERRY CHERRY BERRY PIE
Crust:
1 ½ cups of flour
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ cup Crisco shortening
Mix all ingredients in a stand mixer on medium speed swiftly until crust appears “pea like.” Carefully sprinkle ice cold water in crust mix until it just starts to be fully moistened and gathers together. Pat into disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least one half hour. Roll out on floured surface and make and crimp pie crust. Freeze until ready to use.
Filling:
4 ½ cups Montmorency tart cherries –frozen
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp real almond extract
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp orange zest
½ cup dried Michigan cherries
1 ½ cups of frozen blueberries
Combine frozen cherries, dried cherries, sugar, cornstarch. Stir constantly on med-hi heat until boiling. Add blueberries. Boil for one minute or until thickened. Add almond extract, lemon juice and zest. Pour blueberries in bottom of pie shell and pour cherry mixture over them.
Crumb Topping:
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 stick butter softened
Mix together all crumb topping ingredients by hand or a pastry blender until crumbly.
Cover filling with crumb topping. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour or until filling is bubbling over crust.
The award winning pie was baked by Linda Hundt of Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe in DeWitt, Michigan.
Where does Linda get the inspiration for her wonderful pies? The American Pie Council (APC) has the scoop…
The owner of the Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe, a vintage-style bakery in downtown DeWitt, Hundt is known for her 50s-style dresses and aprons, her pearl necklaces and her pearls of “pie wisdom” including her mantra, “Eat Pie and Love Life.” After leaving her career in politics, Hundt started her pie business in 2002, selling pies to high-end restaurants and at farmer’s markets. Coming from a long line of pie bakers, Hundt names her award-winning pies in honor of the family members who have inspired her over the years.
In her bakery and on her website, she tells the heartfelt and sometimes humorous stories behind each of her pies. Her brother-in-law Tom earned his pie, the Best of Show-winning “Tom’s Cheery Cherry Cherry Berry Pie,” by being a great supporter of Hundt’s dreams and a friend to everyone he met. Her “Mommy’s Pumpkin Pie” earned its name after a fire swept through Hundt’s mother’s home just before the holidays. Having to cook Christmas dinner at her daughter’s house in an unfamiliar oven, the normally wonderful cook burned the entire meal, except for the pumpkin pie. That fool-proof recipe earned the name “Mommy’s Pumpkin Pie.”

Blueberry French Toast Bake

You could use frozen raspberries in this super simple brunch recipe too.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
6 eggs
10 slices french bread, cut into 1" cubes
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preparation:
Generously grease 13x9" glass baking dish. Beat flour, milk, 2 Tbsp. sugar, vanilla and eggs in large bowl until smooth. Stir in bread cubes until well coated, then pour bread mixture into prepared pan.
Top evenly with cream cheese cubes and blueberries. In small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. sugar, cinnamon, and nuts and toss to mix. Sprinkle over blueberries and cream cheese. Cover casserole tightly and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake casserole, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serves 8

Gotta try a recipe from this site!

http://www.scharffenberger.com/

Tennessee Stack Cake

Recipe by Andrea Hall
Puyallup, Wash.

This eight-layer cake, an Appalachian specialty, is known by various names, including apple stack cake, pioneer stack cake, and washday stack cake. The last name refers to how the cookie-like layers were often baked on washday and then layered with apple butter and left to sit for a day or two before being served. As the cake sits, the cookie-like layers soak up moisture from the apple butter and soften, becoming tender and cake-like in the process.

Andrea's recipe certainly won us over, but so did the story that accompanied her entry. "I remember my grandmother — 'Mom-Mom'—saying that there was always stack cake on the dining room table when she was growing up. She was born in 1917 into a family of ten in Lone Mountain, Tennessee, a very beautiful rural area south of Cumberland Gap. Baking day was Saturday, and dried apple rings were brought down from the attic, where they were hung every fall, reserved mainly for use in this special cake. Once baked, everything was placed on the dining room table to cool, then covered with a clean tablecloth to keep the flies off until items were put away Sunday morning. Mom-Mom remembers how they loved to go downstairs in the morning and see the large hump under the cloth where the stack cake lay! The anticipation was heightened by the fact that the cake could not be eaten until after Sunday dinner, and all day the scent of spiced apples and baked sugar cookies lingered throughout the house."

Serves 10 to 12

Filling

3 (6-ounce) bags dried apples

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Layers

6 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

Confectioners' sugar for dusting

1. For the filling: Bring the apples and water to cover to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer until the apples are completely softened, about 10 minutes. Drain the apples and let cool until just warm, about 15 minutes. Puree the apples in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. (The filling can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

2. For the layers: Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla in a large measuring cup.

3. With an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in two batches, beating after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed until combined. (The dough will be thick.)

4. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Working with 2 portions at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll each out into a 10-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Using a 9-inch cake pan as a template, trim away the excess dough to form 2 perfectly round 9-inch disks. Transfer the disks to the prepared baking sheets and bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Transfer the disks to a rack and cool completely, at least 1 hour. Repeat with the remaining dough. (The layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

5. To assemble the cake: Place one layer on a serving plate and spread with 1 cup filling. Repeat 6 times. Top with the final layer, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until the layers soften, at least 24 hours or up to 2 days. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve. (The fully assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

Notes from the Test Kitchen

Be sure to let the cake sit at least 24 hours, as the moisture from the filling transforms the texture of the cookie-like layers into a tender apple-flavored cake. This cake takes a while to create but each step is simple and the dough rounds that form each layer are sturdy and easy to handle. Using a cake pan as a template will make this part of the process foolproof and give you an evenly shaped cake.

During both world wars, butter, sugar, milk, and eggs were often in short supply, leading American women to devise a variety of "make-do" cakes. We found several sources suggesting that wacky cake was invented during the 1940s, but we couldn't understand how it earned its name until we found a recipe in The Time Reader's Book of Recipes, a collection of reader recipes compiled by the editors of Time magazine in 1949.

Mrs. Donald Adam of Detroit, submitted this strange recipe, which called for mixing the dry ingredients — flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda — right in the baking pan. If that wasn't strange enough, three holes — two small and one large — were made in the dry mix. Into the large hole went melted vegetable shortening, while vanilla and vinegar were destined for the smaller holes. Cold water was poured over everything, then the whole mess was stirred and popped into the oven. How does this strange recipe work?

Without eggs, this cake depends on the last-minute reaction of vinegar and baking soda to lift the thick batter. The three holes ensure that the dry ingredients (including the baking soda) remain dry until the last possible second. The lift provided by the baking soda and vinegar reaction is fleeting, and the recipe's odd mixing method ensures that the batter gets into the oven quickly.

Serves 6 to 8

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup natural cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup water

Confectioners' sugar

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in the prepared pan. Make 1 large and 2 small craters in the dry ingredients. Add the oil to the large crater and vinegar and vanilla separately to the remaining small craters. Pour the water into the pan and mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. Immediately put the pan in the oven.

3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan, then dust with confectioners' sugar. (The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Notes from the Test Kitchen

To simplify things, we replaced the melted shortening with vegetable oil, and to boost the chocolate flavor we added another tablespoon of cocoa powder. The cake was a bit sweet, so we cut back on the sugar, and, because several tasters complained about a slight "soapy" flavor, we also decreased the baking soda. On a whim, we decided to try this cake with more "timely" ingredients. We replaced the oil with melted butter and used milk instead of water. This cake was less chocolaty and more crumbly — the original was better. Be sure to use natural cocoa powder rather than Dutch-processed cocoa for this recipe. The two types of cocoa powder react differently in recipes with baking powder and baking soda and don't always produce similar results.

A Wacky Mixing Method

1. Using a spoon, make 1 large and 2 small craters in the dry mix.

2. Pour the vegetable oil into the large crater, then the vinegar and vanilla into the smaller craters. Pour the water over all the ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix the batter, taking care not to overmix; the batter should still contain a few streaks of flour.

Spiced Crullers

Recipe by Shirley Sieradzki
Mishawaka, Ind.

Although the exact origins of crullers is unclear, recipes similar to Shirley's can be found in late 19th-century cookbooks, when the advent of chemical leaveners meant that many doughnut recipes could be made with baking powder or baking soda rather than the traditional yeast. This recipe comes from Shirley's grandmother and Shirley speculates that her grandmother's German ancestry might have had something to do with her decision to add mashed potatoes to the dough. The dough is rolled like pie crust, cut into strips, and each strip is slashed in the middle. Each strip is then twisted to look like crossed legs.

Makes 24

1 russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out dough

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 quarts vegetable or peanut oil

1. Bring the potato and water to cover to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potato, then mash until smooth. Let cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

2. Transfer 1/2 cup mashed potato to a medium bowl (discard the remaining potato) and beat in the egg, milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and vanilla until combined. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the potato mixture. Stir to form a moist and sticky dough.

3. On a heavily floured work surface, roll the dough into an 18 by 14-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch wide strips, make a slit in each strip, and twist to shape the dough to resemble crossed legs. Transfer the crullers to a floured baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to fry. (The crullers may be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

4. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until the temperature reaches 350 degrees. Carefully lower 6 crullers into the hot oil and fry, maintaining a temperature between 325 and 350 degrees, until crisp and deep brown on both sides, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the crullers to a plate lined with paper towels and drain for 3 minutes. Toss the crullers in a bowl with the remaining sugar and transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining crullers, regulating the oil temperature as necessary. Serve.

Shaping the Ladies

1. Cut the 18- by 14-inch rectangle of dough in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into 1 1/2-inch wide strips.

2. Cut each strip lengthwise three-quarters of the way to the top to make a pair of legs.

3. Twist the legs around each other twice to cross.

Notes from the Test Kitchen

Tasters commented on the crisp crust and soft, chewy interior of these crullers. That chew and flavor comes from just a little mashed potato. But don't be tempted to use leftover mashed potatoes you may have on hand. We did and soon discovered that the butter and dairy we had added to them made the crullers too sticky.

Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake

Recipe by Tracey Duble
Ardmore, Pa.

Popular as an April Fool's Day recipe in the 1960s, Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake actually makes a lot of sense since vinegar was often added to early chocolate cakes to make them moist and tender. Sauerkraut has the same effect, plus it adds a coconut-like texture that is very appealing. This cake didn't seem at all unusual to Tracey, who came from a German/Polish background.

"My mother used to make sauerkraut cake for us when we were kids," she says. "My brother and I loved it. It is a rich chocolate layer cake with sauerkraut as one of the main ingredients. The taste of the sauerkraut really adds to the depth of flavor. I didn't realize how strange it was until I took this cake into school one day when I was in sixth grade. Everyone loved it until I said that it had sauerkraut in it. People had thought it was coconut. To this day if I want to surprise someone, I will make sauerkraut cake. People adore it, and then give you a look of amazement when you tell them the secret ingredient!"

Serves 12

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Frosting and Filling

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2/3 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

2/3 cup pecans, chopped

1. For the cake: Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the water, eggs, and vanilla in a large measuring cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture and the water mixture alternately in two batches, beating after each addition until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the sauerkraut and pecans. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating and switching the pan positions halfway through baking. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes then, turn out onto a rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

3. For the frosting and filling: Whisk the melted chocolate chips and mayonnaise in a medium bowl and reserve 2 cups. To the frosting remaining in the bowl, add 1/3 cup of the coconut and 1/3 cup of the chopped pecans (this is the filling).

4. Spread half the filling on one cake layer. Repeat with the second layer and the remaining filling. Top with the final layer and spread the top and sides of the cake with the reserved frosting. Press the remaining coconuts and pecans into the sides of the cake. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (The cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Notes from the Test Kitchen

Both the cake and the frosting in this dessert have unusual components—the sauerkraut in the cake, and the mayonnaise in the frosting. The sauerkraut adds moisture and brightness to the cake (much like carrots in a carrot cake). Mayonnaise, made from eggs and oil, replaces the butter in the frosting. We served this cake to the test kitchen and waited for a reaction. No one could identify the sauerkraut at all (most thought it was chopped coconut), and as for the frosting, tasters thought it was tangy and chocolaty at the same time.

Irish Potato Cake

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup sweet milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of cooked, creamed Irish potatoes
1 package of chopped dates
1 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts)


Mix all ingredients and bake in greased and floured pan. Bake in a slow oven at 300 degrees until toothpick comes out clean. Makes one bundt cake or 5 small loaves.

ENJOY!

Peach Puzzle

America's Test Kitchen NPR.org, March 19, 2007 · Recipe by Lois Schlademan Stow, Ohio

This recipe (which won the grand prize in the Cook's Country lost recipe contest) has all the abracadabra of a magic trick as well as beautiful presentation and great taste. Lois says the name refers to the "puzzling" cooking method. Her recipe begins by placing a custard cup upside down in the center of a pie plate. Seven peaches (peeled but still whole) are arranged around the cup and then drizzled with a mixture of brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. A buttery biscuit dough is then domed over the peaches and the custard cup. As the peaches bake under the crust, a vacuum forms inside the custard cup and the juices in the pie plate are pulled up inside the cup. Once cooled, the pie plate is flipped over to reveal the peaches nestled into the flaky biscuit. So where's the butterscotch-like syrup? It's all in the cup!

As you might imagine, Lois's recipe is unique—in our research, we failed to come across a single recipe like it. Lois says that her mother made peach puzzle back in the 1940s or 1950s and that it has been a family favorite ever since.

How good does this recipe taste? Lois' description answers that question better than we could: "When you pour a spoonful of syrup over the warm peach and it soaks into the biscuit crust, you will think you've died and gone to heaven—where, when meeting my mom, she would be pleased that it was her recipe that made you come visit!"

(Serves 7)

Peaches and Syrup

7 medium peaches, peeled (see note)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

6 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Dough

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled

6 tablespoons milk

1. For the peaches and syrup: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 6-ounce custard cup or ramekin upside down in the center of a 9-inch pie plate and arrange the peaches around the custard cup. Combine the brown sugar, water, butter, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts, about 5 minutes. Pour the syrup over the peaches.

2. For the dough: Pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the flour mixture is pale yellow and resembles course cornmeal. Put the mixture into a medium bowl. (To make the dough by hand: Use the large holes on a box grater to grate frozen butter into the bowl with the flour mixture, then rub flour-coated pieces between your fingers until the flour mixture turns pale yellow and coarse.)

3. Using a rubber spatula, fold the milk into the flour mixture, pressing the mixture against the sides of the bowl to form the dough. Squeeze the dough together and flatten into a disk. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a 9-inch circle. Lay the dough directly over the peaches and press and fit the dough so that it fits snuggly around peaches. (The dough will stretch as you fit it around the peaches, but do not attach the dough to the pie plate.) Bake until the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes.

4. Place a large rimmed serving plate over the top of the pie plate and quickly invert the puzzle onto a plate. Cut into wedges around each peach and serve, pouring syrup over each portion.

Notes from the Test Kitchen

Since this dish is all about the peaches, save it for when fresh local peaches are in season. And it is important to choose peaches that are neither very ripe nor rock-hard — they should give a little when squeezed. Be sure to invert the pie plate quickly to avoid losing any of the syrup. Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Assembling Peach Puzzle

1. Place a custard cup or ramekin upside down in the center of a 9-inch pie plate. Arrange the peeled peaches around the cup.

2. Fit the dough snugly around the peaches without attaching the dough to the pie plate. Bake as directed. Once cooled, quickly invert the puzzle onto a rimmed serving plate.

Lemonade for a Crowd (Chick-fli-a recipe)

2 quarts Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
8 quarts Water
7 cups sugar

If you are in a hurry, you can just mix together the ingredients and serve cold.

The disadvantage to this is that ultimately the sugar will fall to the bottom of the drink and need re-stirring, depending on how quickly you plan on drinking it.

If you want to avoid this problem, you can boil some of the water with the sugar for 5 minutes, stirring constantly --you will need to wait for this mixture to cool completely before mixing the ingredients together.

NOTE: if you are using ice, you may want to add it to the individual glasses, so as not to water down your pitcher/punch bowl as the ice melts.

You can also make lemonade for a smaller crowd, by decreasing the recipe. Remember 1 quart=4 cups. Here is an example of a reduced recipe, for those of you who are mathematically challenged, like I am.

2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
8 cups water
1 3/4 cups sugar

ENJOY!

Peanut Butter Oreo Biscotti

[Posted by Chris]

Someday when I go commercial, I'll figure out a better name for this cookie. I combined several different recipes here and rounded some of the figures for convenience. (I mean, come on -- do I really need to measure out 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder? How much difference does that extra quarter teaspoon really make???) I also added several ingredients just because I like them, and it seemed to turn out okay. Feel free to substitute any ingredients for others of your choosing, but then you'll have to come up with your own cool name for the cookie.

Ingredients:
* 6 tablespoons butter (that's 3/4 of a stick)
* 2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 large eggs (although I suppose any size will do)
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 1/3 cup peanut butter (you could try more; but I only had 1/3 cup left when I made this last)
* 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, blended to tiny pieces in a food processor
* 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 10 Oreos

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it boils. Let it boil for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then set it aside as you continue with the next few instructions.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In an electric mixer, beat the eggs. While they are being savagely beaten, slowly add the sugar, butter, vanilla, and peanut butter, in that order.
5. Add the blend of dry ingredients and continue mixing until blended.
6. Now you get to add the fun stuff: with the mixer on low, add the rest of the ingredients. (I've found that I don't need to do any pre-breaking of the Oreos; my mixer will take care of this quite handily for me.) Mix only until everything seems pretty well distributed; be careful not to mix the batter too much, or your Oreos might disappear completely.
7. Divide the batter into halves and place them side-by-side on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. With your hands, which you should have properly washed long before this step in the process, shape the halves into oblong loaves lengthwise across the cookie sheet. Make sure you leave several inches between the two loaves, as they will expand upon baking.
9. Bake for about 24 minutes. Upon removing the loaves from the oven, lower the temperature to 325 degrees.
10. Allow the loaves to cool, while sitting on the cookie sheets, for about 10 minutes.
11. Move the loaves to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the loaves into thin slices (about 1/2-inch thick), in a diagonal pattern. Then place each of the slides back on the cookie sheet, cut side down.
12. Bake for 8 minutes. Then flip the cookies over and bake for another 8 minutes. Allow them to cool on a wire rack.
13. Don't forget to turn off the oven.

These biscotti will not be as dry as traditional biscotti, but they should still be dry enough to last a while without getting stale and gross. (I've actually never seen them last longer than a day, but staleness has nothing to do with that.) And don't forget to have a cold glass of milk nearby as you enjoy. Chunk 'n' dunk to your heart's content!

World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

[Posted by Chris]

THE STORY:
In church last week, I decided to spend a few minutes teaching my class that just because a recipe is called "World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies", this doesn't necessarily mean what you are eating are the world's best chocolate chip cookies. Particularly if the recipe was not followed or ingredients were left out. (I'll let you decide what sort of analogy I was trying to make.) So after showing everyone the recipe and leading them to believe I followed it, I shared with them some other "cookies", which I shall call "World's fastest measure-free toaster-oven-baked spongy cookie-like product." They had some ingredients in the recipe, and other ingredients that I'm sure can be found other recipes. Needless to say, most of my class never got past the first bite. (Although one guy who showed up late and missed the analogy ate several.) I then passed out cookies that had been made following the recipe, and these actually were eaten in their entirety.

Are they really the world's best? Perhaps. My class seemed to think so, but who wouldn't after being forced to eat the baked nastiness I passed out? They are certainly good, which is why I am sharing them here. (This recipe is supposed to make 6 dozen cookies. I managed to get 7 dozen out of it, but mine were smaller than most.)

THE INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups chocolate chips (I used both milk and semi-sweet)
1 cup chopped walnuts

THE STEPS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cream together butter and sugars
3. Add vanilla and eggs and beat together
4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt
5. Stir dry ingredients gradually into wet ingredients
6. Add chocolate chips and walnuts and mix
7. Roll dough into balls and place on non-stick cookie sheet
8. Bake for 12 minutes (may vary depending on oven and altitude)

Please enjoy with a tall glass or two of cool milk.