Peanut Butter Fudge

While shopping at the grocery store the other day, my sister, Wilma, met an elderly woman who was so excited about a recipe she had discovered that she couldn't wait to tell everyone.

That's one thing about being a senior citizen--it's okay to talk to total strangers in the middle of the baking isle at the grocery store. So I would like to thank the creative chemist who thought up this recipe with only two ingredients! Yes, you read that right--just two.

Ingredients:

2 cups peanut butter
1 can vanilla or white icing (or chocolate if you prefer)

But wait, there is a caveat. Make sure you buy the cheap peanut butter, not the all natural with just peanuts and peanut oil ( The fudge will turn out too soft.) If you prefer to use natural, try peanut butter with coconut oil or something that makes it homogenized--in other words, it should have a spreading consistency without having to stir it.

1. Pour the can of frosting into a medium-sized microwave safe bowl.

2. Heat in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Add peanut butter and mix until smooth.

4. Pour into a buttered 8x8 baking dish.

5. Place in refrigerator until set.

6. Cut into cubes and serve only when you are having guests. Otherwise you're likely to eat the entire dish yourself--not good for you, unless you are a senior who is of a mind that you should have dessert first because life is short.

I used Chocolate icing for this batch:
 

This is great to make with children, but be sure only adults handle the icing while it is hot. Making goodies with your kids is great fun. Make enough to give some to their favorite people, like Grandma, Grandpa, and their teachers.
Wrap it in a gift bag and see if they can keep a secret until the holidays!

Baby Elephant Ears

Baby Elephant Ears


Chef Princess and I, Nanny Granny, took time for another cooking project. First we sang the hand washing song while we washed our hands. Even though this was serious business and the princess was wearing her lavender princess gown, she did put on her monkey apron. We might as well make it a zoo project--elephants and monkeys, what can I say. This easy, child's recipe makes four regular elephant ears, but we decided to make baby ones. Then we could make eight small ones instead of four large ones. Great idea, now we’ll have enough for the whole family and leftovers for the royal playgroup.

The princess moved the step stool to the counter while I preheated the oven to 425 degrees. First we got all the items we needed: A greased cookie sheet, pastry brush, large mixing bowl, wooden spoon, a glass measuring cup, dry measuring cups, and measuring spoons.

Then we got all the ingredients together:

¼ cup melted butter
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
½ teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Sugar


Next I melted the butter and measured the ingredients while the princess mixed. She stirred together the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, the salt, and then she added the milk and 3 tablespoons melted butter to make the dough form. She sprinkled a little flour on the dough and kneaded it 10 times. Then she placed it on a floured board. A little more flour was added and the princess lightly flattened the dough to 9x5 inches rectangle—just a little dough on the nose. My turn—I brushed the rest of the butter on the dough and sprinkled on the remaining sugar and cinnamon. I rolled the dough tightly starting on the narrow edge and cut it into 8 equal slices. The princess spaced the elephant ears evenly onto the cookie sheet and patted them each into a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Next we placed them in the oven and let them bake until they were golden brown—about 8 to 10 minutes. Finally we removed them to a wire rack to cool. The princess could hardly contain herself and had to have one, with a glass of milk, while it was still warm. Yumm!

Aunt Lucy's Pumpkin Bread

Lucy gave this recipe to me so long ago that she lost her copy and I had to give her another one. Though I have sampled many pumpkin breads in my life, I have never had a more moist and tasty one. It's so easy to make that you can bake this with your children or grandchildren. It's also a good way to get vegetables in your child’s diet without them knowing it. A little here, a little there—sometimes you just have to be sneaky.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 4-small round metal coffee cans or 3 loaf pans.

3 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 cup cooking oil
2/3 cup water
4 beaten eggs
2 cups pureed pumpkin




Mix the first 6 dry ingredients together. In another large bowl blend the eggs, add the oil and water. Then blend in pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients gradually and blend until completely mixed in. Distribute evenly between cans or pans. Bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean when tested in center. Remove to rack and cool for about ten minutes. Next run a table knife around the sides of the bread and carefully remove to rack. Completely cool your tasty bread before storing it in plastic zip-lock bags. Great served with cream cheese or lemon curd.

Fruit Cobbler

Fruit Cobbler

This fruit cobbler is easier to make than a cake mix in a box. Traditionally cobbler had a pie crust placed on top of the fruit, but this one has a batter that is poured in the pan first and then the fruit mixture is poured on top. When it’s baked the crust forms on top and the wonderful filling is on the bottom—no rolling out pastry or feeling guilty about the saturated fat you consumed.

I got this recipe from a church cookbook that long ago fell apart and disappeared. But I never forgot how easy the cobbler was to make, how great the taste was, or how versatile the recipe. Pick out your favorite fruit or what ever is in season—fresh or frozen and start. It’ll be ready by dinner time. Do you have some ice cream or whip cream to scoop on the top? Yum!

Fruit Cobbler

Ingredients:
First mixture
1 cup sugar
1½ cup flour
¼ cup butter
1 cup milk
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Mix dry ingredients and use a fork to incorporate the butter. Pour in milk and mix until dry ingredients are absorbed. Pour into a large oblong greased cake pan.

Second mixture

3 ½ to 4 cups fruit (fresh or frozen)
1 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons butter
1 to 1 ½ cups sugar depending on acidity of fruit

Mix fruit, water, butter, and sugar and pour it over the first mixture. Put the pan into preheated oven 400 degrees and bake 30 to 40 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Serve warm or cold with or without whipped cream, or ice cream. Delicious made with peaches or berries. This is a great way to use the fruits you froze last summer, or the ones that ripened before you could use them. If you don’t have enough peaches, throw in that half pint of blueberries before they go bad. Let the kids help with this. They would love to invent a new recipe. Name it after them!