Peanut Butter Delight Bars

This Peanut Butter Delight Bars Recipe is simple decadence. 

Blending of rich cocoa flavor with a crunchy peanut filling and the final topping from the honey-bear makes this dessert an absolute treat. It is an adaptation from what most southern folk call the Preacher Cookie. Although the recipe contains a bit of sugar it is also fairly healthy if you take in the quantity of peanut butter and oatmeal.

Most importantly, my kids say,

"It's Good!"

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 2 quart Yields: 7 x 11 inch or 2 quart (recipe can be doubled if not being served individually)

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Cocoa

1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk(regular whole milk can also be used)

2 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine

1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Crunchy Peanut Butter plus 1 or 2 cups to spread as filling

2 Cup Quick Cooking Oatmeal

Honey for drizzling over top

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, cocoa, and evaporated milk in a saucepan. 

2. Bring to boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes then remove from heat.

3. Stir in peanut butter, vanilla, and butter until smooth.

4. Fold in oatmeal until well blended.

5. Spread into pan or casserole dish.

6. Cool until well set.

Bars can be served as the are but doubling with peanut butter in the middle is what really adds the extra to this dessert. Don't forget to drizzle the honey on top.

Helpful Hints-Beverages

• You won't need sugar with your Jasmine, Formosa Oolong, or any of the lighter-bodied tea varieties; these varieties have their own natural sweetness. They are a great choice for sugarless iced tea, as well.
• Calorie-free club soda adds sparkle to iced fruit juices making them go further and offers calorie reduction.
• Dissolving old-fashioned lemon drops or hard mint candy in your tea is a  quick way to brisk flavored tea.
• Always chill juices or sodas before adding to beverage recipes.
• Create a fresh mint chocolate cup of cocoa by placing fresh or dried mint in the bottom of your mug before filling with hot chocolate.
• One lemon yields about 1/2 cup juice; one orange yields about 1/3 cup juice.
• Storing ground coffee in the refrigerator or freezer to keep the flavor for a longer time.
• Always use cold water when beginning to make coffee.

Happy Day Cake with Coffee Icing

If I knew you were coming I'd a' baked a cake...baked a cake..

There's no special occasion or birthday today. 

We just like cake!

I'm glad to share my version of Grandma Hylton's Happy Day Cake.

Happy Day Cake with Coffee Icing

Preheat oven: 375 degrees

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45-60 minutes (approximately)

Ingredients:

2 Cups Self-Rising flour(sifted)

3 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 1/3 Cup Shortening(I use Crisco Butter Flavored)

1 Cup Milk

2 Teaspoon Vanilla flavoring

2 Eggs

Directions:

1. Sift all dry ingredients into mixer bowel.

2. Add shortening and 2/3 of milk, then add vanilla.

3. Beat 1 minute on low speed.(I use speed 2 with Kitchen Aid)

4. Add remaining milk and eggs, beat 30 seconds. Stop & scrape bowl.

5. Beat 1 minute  on high(I use speed 6 with Kitchen Aid)

6. Pour batter into prepared pan.

7. Bake 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until cake pulls away from pan.

Coffee Icing

Ingredients:

2 Cups Confectioner's Sugar

1/4 Cup Margarine(softened)

1 teaspoon Vanilla flavoring

3 Tablespoons of Strong Coffee

Directions:

1. Cream  sugar into margarine.

 2. Add vanilla and coffee creaming until smooth.

Turkey Dumpling Casserole

This Turkey Dumpling Casserole Recipe is a delicious remedy for leftover turkey.

Turkey can be so under appreciated but it's as delicious as you choose and many times it is the forgotten meat. After the holiday's, many grocers  will have deep markdowns on the excess turkey they have in stock, making it the frugal cook's  choice.

Turkey Dumpling Casserole

Prep Time:1 hour and 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
* Prep Time is to indicate approximately and hour to stew the turkey off the bone and 30 minutes to prepare your dumpling's.
*Cook Time indicates the time casserole is baked in the oven.

Preheat oven at 400 degrees

Ingredients:

Leftover Turkey on the Bone(you could substitute chicken or boneless turkey)

1 Can Chicken broth

16 ounce bag of frozen Peas & Carrots (2 cans of Peas & Carrots)

2 Cups Self-Rising Flour

1/3 Cup Shortening

1 Cup Milk

2 Teaspoons Pepper plus a dash for the top

1 Teaspoon Salt

4. Directions:

1. Remove meat from bone.

2. Cover bone and meat with water in a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil for approximately 1 hour or until all the meat has fell off the bone. 

                  

While turkey is boiling prepare your dumplings.

3. Place 2 cups of flour in a large mixing bowl.

4. Cut-in shortening.

5. Make a well in flour.

6. Slowly add milk until flour will follow fork around bowl. You might not need the entire cup of milk. If you have left over milk save it to add to your dumpling mixture later.

7. Roll out dumplings and cut into small rectangles.

8. Remove turkey pot from heat and let cool. Remove bone and any skin or unappealing gristle from pot.

9. Return pot to heat bring back to a rolling boil.

10. Add broth, salt, pepper, peas and carrots. Also add any remaining milk but let milk come to room temperature and pour in slowly while stirring.

11. Add dumplings to pot a little at a time. I add about a row that I've cut out then gently push them down into mixture so they cook a little. When they float back to the top, I add another row until all my dumplings are in the pot.

12. Simmer at low to medium-low for 2 -3 minutes.

13. Pour into 9 x 13" casserole dish. Move dumplings around evenly in dish. Pepper top of casserole.

14. Bake 45 minutes.

    

Delicious!

A Pawn of Southern Cornbread

Southern Cornbread

In the south, some foods just call for a golden pawn of cornbread

&

this is how I do it!

Nothing much beats bread out of a wood cookstove. If you are going to use your woodstove get your fire going good & hot before mixing up your cornbread. 

In my opinion, it takes a hot oven to bake a good pawn of bread.

If you will be cooking this in your regular electric stove go ahead;

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

After, I have gathered my ingredients

Ingredients:

2 Cup Corn Meal Mix

1/2 Cup Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Egg

1 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup Oil(for cornmeal mixture)

3 Tablespoons oil for skillet

 I heat a stove eye a little past medium while I mix my ingredients together and pour enough oil in my pan to well cover the bottom of your skillet letting it get hot on the eye before pouring your batter into your pan.

We like the bottom golden and crusty!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 or until bread is a golden brown color

Direction:

1. Combine all dry ingredients.

2. Stir with wisk.

3. Stir in egg.

4. Add milk. If mixture is too thick add a little tap water until batter is thin enough to pour.

5. Pour batter into oiled skillet. Cut heat to skillet off and let batter set on eye 1-2 minutes.

6. Bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.

If you begin smelling your bread check it may be done.

Smellin' Good!

Many times I leave my cornbread in the pan and serve it from there.

If you want to turn it out onto a serving plate take a serrated knife and trim the top even

 so as to set on the plate nicely.

Oh yum! Cornbread's Callin!