Canned Biscuit Dough Donuts and Holes

Posted by Lori:
This is a Paula Deen recipe, although I've made them for our children a few times without an actual recipe. My husband actually had fried donuts quite a bit growing up. When we first married, he decided to fry some donuts for us as a late night snack. My mom used to make fried biscuits when we went camping, but I didn't remember ever having them made into donuts. He was so proud of himself. I was excited to eat them, too, actually - that is, until he brought them to me on a plate. He had made the icing BLUE! Can you imagine?? Blue??

I suppose now - 20 years later - there are lots of blue-colored foods, but there weren't any then. It made me nauseated just to look at them. I felt bad, but I just couldn't eat them! Years later I became friends with a lady whose mother had been a home economics teacher and had retired many years before. She always told her that "blue" was the least-appealing color for food. Yep! It sure is to me!

Canned Biscuit Dough Donuts and Holes

Peanut oil, for frying (My own idea: Any vegetable oil would do)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
5 tablespoon milk, divided
2 cup confectioners’ sugar, divided
Chocolate sprinkles
Colored sprinkles
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
2 cans large buttermilk biscuits

Directions
Heat 2-inches peanut oil in a large pot or dutch oven to 350 degrees F.

In a shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and ground cinnamon, set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, set aside. This is the vanilla icing. In another bowl, whisk together 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of milk, set aside. This is the chocolate icing.

Lay out the biscuits on a cutting board and with a 1-1/2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out a hole from the middle of each biscuit. Fry them in the oil until golden and then flip with tongs to fry the other side. You can even fry the donut holes. Drain on paper towels and then toss in the cinnamon-sugar or glaze and sprinkle as desired.
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Barbequed Pork Chops

Posted by Lori:

My family has a favorite barbeque sauce. It's a "Made in Oklahoma" product called "Head Country". In our opinion, it can't be beat. But tonight I didn't have any "Head Country" in the pantry and it's not sold in our small town...so I tried a new recipe.

BARBEQUED PORK CHOPS
12 pork chops (I used the bone-in variety)
1 1/2 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pork chops in baking dish (I used 2 casserole dishes). Mix remaining ingredients together. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 minutes more.

All six of us liked these "Barbequed Pork Chops". That's always a great thing when everyone in the family likes something, isn't it? However, we would also still agree that "Head Country" can't be beat!


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Sugar Cookie Fundraiser

Posted by Lori:

Last week our local 4-H club had a sugar cookie fundraiser.  Since I'm the leader, I volunteered to make the sugar cookies. 

Monday I baked and baked.  Tuesday I baked and baked.  Wednesday I should have baked and baked! All of the cookies were frozen until ready to decorate on Thursday.

Early Thursday morning I began decorating the cookies, and even though I had some orders turned in, most of them I didn't get until after school Thursday.  I pre-made 18 eight inch round cookies that were to be personalized and had approximately 150 Easter shaped smaller cookies ready, as well.  However, after tallying the orders, I needed 47 big round cookies and only half or less of the smaller ones!

So that night after softball and baseball games, I baked and baked and baked some more!  And decorated and decorated and decorated some more!

Sleep?  Who needs it?  Well, I did by 10:30 the next morning!  Thankfully an hour nap boosted me for the rest of the day.  The cookies were delivered on time.

The fundraiser was very successful and everyone seems to have enjoyed their Easter cookies.

Another 4-H mom helped me package the cookies.  And yet another 4-H mom and the elementary school secretary helped me distribute the cookies to the students.

Many people ask about the icing recipe.  It's just powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Color as desired with paste or gel food coloring.  Make it thick and then pipe around the cookies to outline. Allow to set. Thin icing with more milk and fill in the area.  On the larger round cookies, the decorated border is buttercream frosting (cake decorating-type).  The extra decorated sugar cookies made decorating the big ones extra easy and cute, too!

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Pecan Fingers

Posted by Donna:



These are great to make for wedding showers. I've also heard them called Wedding Cookies or Sand Tarts as well as Pecan Fingers. Regardless, they're very good and easy to make.



1 cup softened butter

6 T. powdered sugar

2 cups flour

1-1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 tsp. vanilla





Cream the butter and powdered sugar together. Add the flour, vanilla, and nuts. Roll into finger shapes or balls and bake about 15 -20 minutes at 350 degrees. While hot, roll the cookies in powdered sugar.





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Blonde Brownies

Posted by Lori:
These Blonde Brownies are great.  They're full of flavor and easy to cut into small squares, big squares, or diagonally for a fancier look.  The best part about them (besides the obvious reason of eating them!) is how quick they are to make.

Blonde Brownies
2/3 cup butter
2  cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans, optional
 1 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in microwave.  In large mixing bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar.  Mix well.  Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well with electric mixer. Add pecans and chocolate chips. Spread into 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

This recipe can be made into cookies, as well.
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Bunny Pear Salad

Photo via the web @  http://www.theepochtimes.com

Posted by Lori:
This salad brings back memories of my childhood.  We had it from time to time at home, but I remember making it for a 4-H demonstration contest during that time, as well.

Bunny Pear Salad

4 pears
Lemon juice
Raisins, almonds, red candy to decorate faces
Lettuce leaves
1/2 to 1 cup cottage cheese
4 carrots and parsley sprigs (optional)

For each pear, cut a slice lengthwise that is slightly thicker than 1/4 inch. This will make a flat base for the bunny body. Reserve the slice to make the ears.

Peel the pears and rub exposed areas with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Cut the sliced piece from each pear to make V-shaped ears approximately 1/4 inch thick.

Cut a wedge from the base of each head and insert the V-shaped ears into place. Decorate the face by inserting raisin eyes, almond whiskers, and a piece of red candy for the nose.

Place each bunny pear on lettuce leaves and put a small scoop of cottage cheese where the tail would be. If desired, cut the tip off each carrot and peel. Place a parsley sprig in the back and lay the carrot beside each bunny pear.

Makes 4 bunny pear salads
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Pepper Steak

Posted by Donna:

I bet I haven't made this in 30 years; but, I'm still going to share the recipe with you. This is another recipe of my mothers that she made on a regular basis---probably once a month. It was always one of my favorites.

Pepper Steak

1 lb. round steak (cut in small pieces)
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper (chopped)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 beef bouillon cube
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. water
2 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups cooked egg noodles
1 can cheddar cheese soup

Cook the meat, margarine, and garlic powder together until the has browned. Add the onions, green pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Next add the tomatoes and bouillon cube. Cook slowly. Mix the cornstarch, sugar, water, salt, and soy sauce together and add to the meat mixture. Stir until thick. Simmer until the meat is tender. Cook the egg noodles and drain. Add the cheese soup to the noodles. Pour the meat mixture on top of the noodles and serve.

All you need to serve with this is a green salad---simple, but filling and satisfying.



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