Living 2 Eat |

One of my favorite cookies in the entire world is a snickerdoodle… let me know what you think of this recipe.    Be sure and save a few for me!  Special thanks to Cinnabon for this incredible recipe.

Grandmother’s Snickerdoodles

2 T. Makara Cinnamon
2 T. sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix Makara Cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl and reserve for topping.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine butter, margarine and sugar; cream well. Add the eggs and beat again until light and fluffy.

Sift dry ingredients together; add them to the egg/butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Chill dough one hour.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Form the chilled dough into 1″ balls and roll them in reserved Makara Cinnamon and sugar. Place them on greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes. Cookies will puff during baking, then fall, leaving a crackly sugar top.

Makes 6 dozen cookies.

Made from two bundt cakes, this jack-o’-lantern will light up any party. Because of its delicious homemade pumpkin flavor, this cake is sure to be carved up in a hurry. If you’re pressed for time, substitute three boxes of spice-cake mix for the ingredients we’ve listed here. Serves 24.

CAKE:

5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, at room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

FROSTING:

2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Approximately 9 cups powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 350º and butter two 10-inch bundt cake pans.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, stir together the milk, pumpkin, and vanilla extract until smooth.

In another large bowl, beat the butter or margarine and oil together with an electric mixer until combined. Next, beat in the sugar. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Alternately beat in the milk/pumpkin mixture and the flour mixture until just combined.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Directions for Frosting:

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract. Then beat in the powdered sugar gradually until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. Color about 1 cup of the frosting green and the rest orange.

Assemble the Cake:

Trim the bottoms of the cakes so they lie flat against each other. Frost the flat surface of the bottom cake and place the other cake on top. Frost the entire cake orange. When the frosting dries, add green frosting leaves and top with the ice cream cone to create a stem.

Decorate the Cake:

Sprinkle sugar over your work surface and use a rolling pin to flatten 12 large yellow and white gumdrops together into a pancake about 1/4 inch thick. Adults only: use a knife to cut out the eyes, nose and mouth. Microwave 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips for about 60 seconds. Dip the left side and bottom of the facial features in the melted chocolate. Dab a small amount of water onto the top surface of each feature, sprinkle the edible glitter on top, then press the facial features onto the cake.

Special thanks to Disney’s Family Fun for this recipe.

Ben,

Dougie bars are the special treat Doug and I would share along the way!

One day, I went to Doug’s office with my mom when he opened a drawer, and there was a whole container full of them!  On the evening of my Homecoming Gala in Pratt, Kansas, Doug presented me with a silver platter of Dougie bars in front of 1500 people.  I was so excited, but they were all eaten by the time the show was over.  I didn’t even get one!

Shortly after giving up the Miss America crown, I went to Pratt to do a few events, including a concert at Pratt Bible Church.  At that time, I was engaged to be married, and as a thank you gift, the church compiled their favorite recipes and put them into a recipe book for me to have as we started our marriage.  On page one was the recipe card for Dougie Bars.  Under “Number of Servings,” it says “one.”

Tara Holland Christensen

Miss America 1997

DOUGIE BARS

1 cup sugar

1 cup Karo light syrup

1 cup creamy peanut butter

6 cups Special K cereal

½ bag chocolate chips

½ bag butterscotch chips

Microwave 1 cup sugar and 1 cup Karo light syrup on high for 2 minutes.

Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter.  Mix together well.

Add 6 cups Special K cereal.  Mix together well and press into 9×13 pan.

Melt ½ - ¾ bag of chocolate chips and ½ - ¾ bag butterscotch chips together. Spread over top. 

Cool and enjoy!

This cake became an instant favorite when it arrived on the scene in the late 1970s. The first recipe for this cake has long been attributed to Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greesnboro, North Carolina, who submitted it to the February, 1978 issue of Southern Living magazine. But Helen Moore, a former food editor at The Charlotte Observer, says that hummingbird cake actually hails from Jamaica, where it is called Doctor Bird cake. She says that recipes for basically the same cake by that name were distributed by the Jamaican Tourism Board in the late 1960s.

There are two major schools of thought as to where the name came from. The first is that the cake is so sweet it could attract hummingbirds; the second is that the cake is so good, people spontaneously begin to hum while eating it. No matter which story is true, this is one of the most delicious of all Southern cakes. The recipe is adapted from Mrs. Wiggins’ original.

Special thanks to Chef Rick’s Southern Cooking for this award winning recipe.

Hummingbird Cake

For the cake:

• 3 cups all-pupose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon soda
• 11/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, Drained (reserve 1/4 cup juice)
• 2 cups chopped pecans, divided
• 2 cups mashed bananas

Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans; preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together flour, sugar, salt, soda and cinnamon; place into a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add eggs and vegetable oil, stirring with a rubber spatula until dry ingredients are moistened (do not use an electric mixer). Stir in vanilla, pineapple, pineapple juice, 1 cup of the pecans and bananas. Spoon batter into pans.

Bake until cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool in pans for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 (16 ounce) boxes powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a 2-quart mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and butter; using an electric hand mixer, cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy; stir in vanilla. Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with 1 cup chopped pecans.

Yield: one 9-inch layer cake

From the kitchen of Mrs. Valerie A. Smithhart — Vicksburg, Mississippi

Bodacious Buttermilk Pie

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 T. all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Cream butter on high speed of mixer.

 Gradually add sugar, beating well.

Add flour and beat until smooth.

Add eggs and beat until well blended.

Add buttermilk and vanilla; beat well.

Pour filling into pie shell.

Bake 5 minutes at 400 degrees.

 Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45 minutes, or until set.

Cool to room temperature; chill.

From’Our Favorites,’ Unobee Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution

7-Up Pound Cake

3 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine
1/2 cup shortening
5 eggs
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup 7-Up
3 cups sifted flour

Cream sugar, margarine and shortening.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Add extracts, lemon juice and salt.

Add flour and 7-Up alternately, beginning and ending with flour.

Pour batter into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees (do not preheat oven) for about 1 hour. Test for doneness.

Cool in pan 10 minutes.

From ‘Divine Tastes’,  Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church

Alice’s Lemon Nut Cake

1 lb. margarine
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 lb. (2 1/2 cups) white raisins
1 lb. (3 1/4 cups) chopped pecans
4 T. (2-oz. bottle) lemon extract

Cream margarine and sugar; add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Sift flour and measure. Sift flour again with salt and baking powder. Coat raisins and nuts with small amount of flour mixture and set aside.

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Add raisins and nuts; mix well. Stir in lemon extract.

Bake in 10-inch tube pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Alternative: Bake in 4 loaf pans for about an hour.

When Ms. Lazenby married in 1967, her former seventh grade math teacher, Mrs. W. A. Carlton, gave her this recipe. According to Ms. Lazenby, this quick and simple one-pan brownie always gets raves.

 Mrs. Carlton’s Caramel Brownies

1 stick butter
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped Georgia pecans
Powdered sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Melt butter and brown sugar in medium saucepan, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining ingredients. Beat well. Pour into a greased 8×8-inch baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until firm and lightly brown around the edges. Cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Yield: 9 squares.

Robin Lazenby
Mansfield, Georgia

Mama Darsey’s Family Favorite Chocolate Pudding with Meringue

3 egg yolks
1 ½ cups sugar
4 cups milk (reserve ¼ cups)
16 vanilla wafers, crushed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat egg yolks and 1 ½ cups sugar in top of a large double boiler, Slowly mix in milk.  Stir in crushed vanilla wafers. Place over boiling water. (If you do not have a large double boiler, use a heavy bottom pan and watch it carefully to prevent burning.)

Combine reserved ¼ cup milk with flour and cocoa. Stir to make a paste. Add to egg mixture, stirring to combine. Cook mixture, stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat and pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Set aside.

Beat egg whites in a medium bowl. Add remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over pudding.

Bake 15 minutes or until meringue is brown.

Yield:  8 servings.

Mrs. Alice Johnson
Elko, Georgia

Many similar recipes also include 1 cup heavy cream. If the mixture is extremely dry and difficult to mix, add as much cream as needed to be able to combine ingredients and form the mixture into logs.

Mrs. Alice Wilcox
Hazlehurst, Georgia

Nut Roll

1 stick butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) package marshmallows
1 (13.5-ounce) package Graham cracker crumbs
1 (10-ounce) jar Maraschino cherries, chopped
4 cups chopped Georgia pecans

Combine butter and marshmallows in large Dutch oven. Stir over low heat until melted.

Add cracker crumbs, cherries, and pecans and mix well. Pour mixture onto wax paper and roll into logs. Wrap in foil and freeze. Slice to serve.