Unleavened Bread

Sunday we woke up to snow and ice, so our worships services were canceled (In southwest Oklahoma, we're not used to much snow, so we don't have big machinery available at all times to clear the roads.)

Our family had worship together, which I love doing when we have the opportunity and need to do it.

I've made unleavened bread before, but decided to try a new one for our communion.  I found it at recipesforourdailybread.com.  This one was so good, the kids ate it later - just for a snack!

UNLEAVENED BREAD

3/4 cup scalded milk (Scalded milk is to heat it to an almost boil)
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
2 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt

Beat milk, honey, and butter together. Then add egg. Gradually add 2 cups of flour.  Roll the dough to 1/4" thickness. Flour the surface with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour.  It's best to roll it out on parchment paper, so that you can transfer the dough to the pan easier.  Price the dough with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Break or cut into pieces.

Snickers Fudge

I can't wait to try this recipe for Snickers Fudge! I saw it on Facebook yesterday, and it just sounds great!  I forgot to copy who it was by, but I'm not sure that would have been the creator of the recipe, anyway. So, to whomever made this up: Thank you!

SNICKERS FUDGE

First Layer:
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

Second Layer:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

Third Layer:
14 ounce package caramel cubes
1/4 cup heavy cream
Fourth Layer:
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

First Layer Prep:
Lightly spray 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
Over medium heat, melt milk chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butterscotch chips in small saucepan.
Stir together until completely melted and smooth, then pour into the baking pan. Spread the mixture evenly with a spatula, then refrigerate until set.

Second Layer Prep:
Melt butter over medium-high heat in saucepan.
Add sugar and evaporated milk and bring to boil.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and quickly mix in marshmallow creme, peanut butter, and vanilla.
Add peanuts to mixture and spread evenly over chocolate layer.
Refrigerate until set.

Third Layer Prep:
Melt caramels and heavy cream over low heat until smooth.
Pour over peanut mixture and refrigerate until set.

Fourth Layer Prep:
Repeat step one.
Melt chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter over low heat until smooth.

Pour over caramel layer and refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

(I've posted this before, but not with all of the steps all together.)

Cookie Crust:
2 cups chocolate chip cookie crumbs (use homemade, store-bought, or refrigerated cookie dough made into cookies).
 5 Tablespoons butter, melted
(Instead of this crust, you can also use the brownie crust on my blog (www.3cherrycokes.blospot.com) OR you can use cookie dough and just spread in the buttered springform pan and go up the sides a bit. Bake it for 10 min. if you go that route. All three ways are delicious! It's cheesecake, so it has to be!!) 

Directions for crust: Prepare the springform pan so that no water leaks into it while cooking. Place a large 18-inch by 18-inch square of aluminum foil on a flat surface. Place the springform pan in the middle of the foil. Gently fold up the sides of the foil around the pan. Make sure to do this gently so that you don't create any holes in the foil. If there are any holes, water will get into the pan and ruin the crust. Press the foil around the edges of the pan. Place a second large square of foil underneath the pan, and repeat, gently folding up the sides of the foil around the pan and pressing the foil against the pan. Gently crimp the top of the foil sheets around the top edge of the pan. Preheat oven to 350°F, with rack in lower third of oven. Crush the cookie crumbs in a food processor or blender until finely ground. In small bowl, mix together cookie crumbs and melted butter. With clean hands, pat into buttered springform pan and up the sides a little. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. 

For Cheesecake:
Four 8-ounce packages cream cheese (not low or reduced fat), at room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar (can used part brown sugar for a richer, cookie-like taste)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs (if you only have large, just use part of one more egg)
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup cookie dough

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter the bottom and sides of one 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides. Place one package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy for several minues, scraping down the bowl a couple of times. Blend in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, scraping down the bowl after each. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1 1/3 cups sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each. Beat in the cream just until blended. Be careful not to overmix. Spread half the cheesecake batter on top of the cookie crust. Using HALF of the 1 cup cookie dough, drop 1/2 teaspoonfuls on top of the filling. Cover with the rest of the batter and drop the REMAINING 1/2 cup cookie dough on top, again in 1/2 teaspoonfuls. Using a small spoon, gently push down the bits of dough, letting them peek through the batter a little. Place the pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. (I recommend using an old or disposable pan because the wet aluminum foil will discolor your pan.) Bake the cake at 350 degrees until the edges are light golden brown and the top of the cake is slightly golden tan, about 1 1/4 hours (don't worry if it seems a little too browned. Mine is sometimes and it's still fine.. The top will soften up with the added toppings.) Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack, and cool in the pan for 2 hours. (Just walk away. Don't move it.) Leave the cake in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate, preferably overnight or at least 4 hours. Transfer to freezer for 1 hour.

To remove cheesecake from bottom of spring form pan, set on stove burner and turn it on - just barely enough to melt the butter on the bottom. Use a large flat icing spatula or knife and turn around to loose from bottom. Slide it onto serving platter.

 Decorate with Whipped Cream Frosting
(or I have a Chocolate Ganache Frosting on my blog: www.3cherrycokes.blogspot.com)
This recipe makes 5 cups of whipped cream frosting. (You won't need it all.)

1 (8 ounce) package reduced-fat (I used regular fat) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (Since I was using it on this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, I didn't use the almond extract, only vanilla)
2 cups of heavy cream

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your mixer. Once all in the bowl, mix on medium speed until smooth. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a few times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak. Pipe as desired onto dessert. Refrigerate leftovers for another use.

Decorate with tiny chocolate chip cookies, cook crumbs, chopped cookies, and chocolate syrup.

Whipped Cream Frosting

I was really excited to find this recipe for homemade whipped cream topping. I knew it would be perfect for cheesecakes!! It won't melt at room temperature like regular whipped whipping cream does. It's very stable and tastes great, too!

This recipe makes 5 cups of whipped cream frosting.

1 (8 ounce) package reduced-fat (I used regular fat) cream cheese, softened 

1/2 cup white sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (Since I was using it on this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, I didn't use the almond extract, only vanilla)

2 cups of heavy cream 

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your mixer. Once all in the bowl, mix on medium speed until smooth. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a few times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak.  Pipe as desired onto dessert.  Refrigerate leftovers for another use.

Sweet Tea Concentrate

Our Life Skills teacher gave me this recipe. It sounds really good, and sounds like something that would be good to keep on hand or to serve when you were having company.

Sweet Tea Concentrate
Yeilds: 20 servings (5 cups concentrate)

2 medium lemons
4 cups sugar
4 cups water
1 - 1 1/2 cups Elnglish breakfast tea leaves or 20 black tea bags
1/3 cup lemon juice
EACH SERVING:
1 cup cold water
Ice cubes

Directions:
Remove peels from lemons; save fruite for another use.

In a large saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat; add tea leaves and lemon peels. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Strain tea, discarding tea leaves and lemon peels; stir in lemon juice. Cool to room temperature.

Transfer to a container with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To prepare tea: In a tall glass combine water with 1/4 cup concentrate; add ice.

Minion Cupcakes!!

Sorry I'm posting so many pictures, but they're just so cute, I can't help it!

I made 75 of these cupcakes last Friday for our elementary Red Ribbon Week party.

 The head is half of a Twinkie, the eyes are from Wilton, which was a HUGE timesaver, and I baked the cupcakes in natural colored liners, but set them in blue liners to make it all blue - like their suspenders.

 I forgot to get little chocolate jimmies for their hair, so had to use a tiny icing tip. That's why the hair isn't "great" looking.  But, it worked.

 In the pictures below, you can see a tiny red ribbon piped with icing.  I thought it would have been cute to have the Minions holding a sign that said....

 "Bleh, bleh, bo!" for Just Say No! :)

I used the homemade white cake mix for the cupcakes that I posted last week. It is a delicious homemade recipe.  So much better than the boxed white cake mix!!  

Homemade Waffles

A few of my children really like waffles. This morning, after a special request was made yesterday from one of the boys, I got up early to make waffles.  I doubled this recipe, letting the boys eat their breakfast, but then froze the rest to be quick breakfast meals for the next month or two.  I freeze them in the "Lock 'n Lock" storage containers, which are great. (If you haven't seen them, they are worth getting. Food lasts so much longer in these containers!)

Homemade Waffles

2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white sugar (I used 2)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

To reheat frozen waffles, heat oven to 250 degrees and bake for 5-8 minutes, then turn over and heat for another 5 minutes or until hot and crisp on top.