Pistachio Dessert

1/4 cups plain flour              

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup finely chopped natural pistachios

8-oz carton whipped topping

1 1/2 oz pkg. pistachio instant instant pudding

3 cups milk

    Preheat oven to 350F. Grease (not oil) 13x 9 inch pan. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In small bowl, combine flour and butter until crumbly. Stir in pistachios; pat into prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until light golden brown, cool, In small bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Fold in 1/2 carton of whipped topping; spread over cooled crust. In medium bowl, combine pudding mix and milk, beat thoroughly. Pour carefully over cheese layer. Frost with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. 

Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Topping

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/4 cups boiling water

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 t vanilla

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder 

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 t cinnamon*

1/2 t nutmeg**

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 T half-and-half or milk

1 cup coconut

    Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 13x9-inch pan. In small bowl, combine rolled oats and boiling water; let stand 20 minutes. In a large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, and butter until well combined. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Spoon flour into measuring cup. Add oatmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix until combined well. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

    In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, buter and half-and-half; beat at highest speed until smooth. Stir in coconut and nuts. Spoon onto warm cake; spread to cover. Broil about 5 inches from heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbly and light golden brown. Cool completely.

Fruit Tart

This recipe can be made in a flash if you use prepared ingredients. BUT it is delicious if it is all homemade.

2 pie crust

5 cups fresh fruit(berries, cut up peaches)

16 oz strawberry glaze*

1/2 cup whipped topping**

    Heat oven to 450F. With a round fluted cookie cutter, cut ten 4-inch rounds from pie crust. Place rounds on the backside of a muffin tin. Pinch 5 equally spaced pleats on the side of each crust. Prick each pastry with a fork, generously.

    Bake for 9 to 13 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool about 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Remove from tins.

    While they cool, combine fruit and glaze in a large bowl. Refrigerate until completely cool, about 30 minutes.

    Just before serving spoon in 1/2 cup fruit mixture into each tart shell. Then top with topping.

*Glaze

    1 1/2 cups sugar 

    3 T cornstarch

    1 pkg strawberry jello

    3 pints strawberries, hulled and halved

    Put 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, cornstarch and jello in a saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook until it starts to thicken, then remove from heat.

    **whipping cream

Nut Torte-Ukraine

6 eggs, separated into yolks and whites 

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla or other flavoring
1 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups finely ground nuts (ex. walnuts, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds)

Add salt to egg whites; beat until soft peaks form then gradually add half the sugar, continuing beating until stiff peaks form. Beat yolks with remaining sugar until thick; add flavoring. Mix flour, baking powder, and nuts in bowl; add yolk mixture and mix well. Gently fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake in two 9-inch greased layer pans at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes or until tests done. Remove from pans to cool. 

Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar for plain torte or fill with favorite filling and frost with favorite icing; serve with stiffly beaten whipped cream, if desired. Suggested combinations; apricot or cherry filling with chocolate glaze; apple, prune, or date filling with creamy vanilla frosting; whipped cream between and on top and served with fresh fruit, for example berries, or drained, canned fruit, such as peach slices. 

Bake a torte in a pan with a removable rim, either a springform or a tube with a removable bottom. Never grease the sides of the pan.

As you may have noticed, from the pic, I didn’t use springform pans(I don’t have 2 9”spring forms) but to do as I did it is imperative to line the pans, bottom and sides with parchment or wax paper.

    “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

2 Corinthians 12:9

   

Vera's Easy Cookie

1/2 pound butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/4 cups plain flour

Powdered sugar

    Cream butter and sugar. Then add flour and mix in completely. Form into a roll. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate over night. Slice into 1/4" rounds and bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 min. Watch carefully. Bake to light golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar when cool. These will keep for several weeks stored in a tin.

    This is truly an easy cookie. It is great with a cup of coffee or tea! ☕️

Elegant Lemon Cake Roll

4 eggs, separated        

1/4 cup sugar

1 T vegetable oil

1 t lemon extract

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 sifted cake flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1 to 2 t powdered sugar

Creamy Lemon Filling

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 t water

1 or 2 drops yellow food coloring

sprigs of fresh mint

    Grease bottom and sides of a 15x10x1-inch jellyroll pan with vegetable oil; line with wax paper, and grease and flour wax paper. Set aside.

    Beat egg yolk in a large bowl at high speed of mixer until thick and lemon colored; gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, beating constantly. Stir in vegetable oil and lemon extract; set aside.

    Beat egg whites until foamy; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold beaten egg whites into yolks. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually fold into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes.

    Sift powdered sugar in a 15x10-inch rectangle on a towel. When cake is done, immediately loosen from sides of pan, and turn out on sugared towel. Carefully peel off wax paper. Starting at narrow end, roll up cake and towel together; let cake cool completely on a wire rack, seam side down.

    Unroll cake. Spread cake with half of Creamy Lemon Filling, and carefully reroll cake, without towel. Place cake on serving plate, seam side down; spread remaining filling on all sides.

    Combine coconut, water, and food coloring in a plastic bag; close securely, and shake well. Sprinkle colored coconut over cake roll. Refrigerate cake roll 1 to 2 hours before serving. Garnish cake platter with sprigs of fresh mint.

Creamy Lemon Filling

1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 to 2 t grated lemon rind

1/3 cup lemon juice

5 drops yellow food coloring

1 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

    Combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon rind, lemon juice, and food coloring; stir well. Fold in whipped topping.

Easy Fruit Cobbler

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

4-5 cups fresh peaches

    Preheat the oven to 350F.

    Mix self-rising flour, sugar, and milk together in a bowl until well combined and no lumps remain.

    Pour melted butter into a 9 or 10" cast iron skillet or baking dish. Pour milk mixture over top.

Carefully pour peaches into the skillet. Use a spatula to spread peaches evenly around the pan.

    Bake until the crust is golden brown, roughly 45 minutes.

    Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Easy Fruit Tart

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter , cut into 1 inch pieces

1 egg

1 Tablespoon milk , more as needed

For the Custard: 

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups whole milk , do not substitute 

1 T  vanilla

4 T butter , cut into tablespoon sized pieces

Fresh fruit of your choice

• In a blender or food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt and butter until the butter pieces are no bigger than pea size. Add the egg and pulse until the dough starts to clump together. Add milk as needed to help the dough come together. Shape into a disc and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 10 inch tart pan. Allow the dough to sit for a few minutes to soften slightly and then roll the dough out on a floured surface. The size should be slightly bigger than the tart pan and is about 1/4 inch thick. 
• Then press dough onto bottom of pan and form up the sides. Pierce the dough several times with a fork. 
• Bake crust for 18 to 22 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely.
  In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, corn starch and salt until well combined and no lumps remain. Then whisk in the milk until well combined. Heat the mixture over medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the custard has thickened. Make sure to keep stirring the entire time. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. 

• Next add in each piece of butter separately, whisking until completely melted before adding the next piece. Pour the hot mixture on top of your cooled tart crust and place a layer of plastic wrap directly on top. Refrigerate for two hours, or until custard is chilled through.
  

• Top with fresh fruit like strawberries, kiwi, raspberries and blueberries. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Easy Ice Cream

1 quart heavy cream

1 quart half-and-half

1/2-1 cup sugar

1 T vanilla 

Puréed fruit (optional)

   Mix ingredients and churn.

Lemon Pie

 3  eggs

1 cup sugar

Juice of 2 or 3 lemons

1 T cornmeal

1/2 stick butter

1  9” unbaked pie shell

    Beat eggs and sugar together. Add other ingredients and pour into unbaked pie shell.

Bake at 350°F until the center is set and crust is golden brown.

Chocolate Oat Chip Cookies

 1 cup butter

1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar             

2 eggs                       

2 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 3/4 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups quick oats amor old fashion uncooked     oats

12 ounces semi sweet chocolate morsels

One cup chopped nuts, optional

    Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt mix well. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts, mix well. Place rounded tablespoons of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies 12 to 13 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheet then remove two wire rack and cool completely.

Queen of Hearts

1 cup butter, soft                           

1 cup powdered sugar (divided)

2 teaspoons almond extract

2 1/4 cups plain flour

3/4 cup ground almonds

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

    Cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Add vanilla. Separately mix flour, ground almond and salt. Add milk and then the flour mixture to creamed butter in three batches. Mix well after each batch-kneed. Cover with plastic and chill for three hours.

    Put half of the dough in the refrigerator.  Roll out to 1/8 inch. Dust with powdered sugar and cut in to smallish heart shapes. Place on and ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350°F until lightly golden brown(The recipe says 18 to 20 minutes but I think that’s too much). Spread jam on one half of the cookies while still hot and let cool. Put the tops on the cookies and dust with powdered sugar.

Pecan Tassies /Basic Tart Dough

 2 T butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla 

1 1/2 cups pecans

    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine all the ingredients and fill the tart shells(uncooked).Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Basic Tart Dough:

1/2 cup butter

3 ounces cream cheese

1 cup plain flour

    Eat the butter and cheese until smooth. Mix in flour. Chill one hour or overnight.

    Form into 1 inch balls and line tart pan.

For precooked shells:

    Prick shells with a fork and bake at 450°F. for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove, cool and fill.

Katie’s Peanut Butter Cookies

 3/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup shortening 

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 T vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cups plain flour

3/4 t salt  

3/4 t baking soda

3 T milk

    Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add egg. Beat until just blended.  Combine flour baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until just blended. I drop by heaping teaspoons to inches apart. Press fork in a crisscross pattern with the tines of the fork. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until set and just turning brown. Cool two minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen.

Fudge Brownies

 1/2 cup butter

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup all purpose flour  

1/2 t vanilla  

    Melt the chocolate and butter, stir in the sugar. Add the eggs, flour and vanilla. Pour into an 8 in.² baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F. 

Brownie icing:

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups Powdered sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups miniature marshmallows 

    Melt the chocolate and butter, beat in the powdered sugar and then the egg. Add the vanilla. Fold in the marshmallows and pour over partially cooled brownies. Cool completely before cutting.

    

 

Amaretto Crème

12 almond macaroons(lightly toasted and       crumbled)

5 tablespoons amaretto liquor

1/2 gallon good quality vanilla ice cream, softened

1 pint whipping cream, whipped

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

    Stir macaroon crumbs and liqueur into softened ice cream. Fold whipped cream into ice cream. Poor into a tube or Bundt cake pan; cover and freeze. 

    Before serving, dip pan in warm water and unmold on cold platter. Top with almonds. To serve pour hot Barry sauce over each slice. Yield: 12 servings.

Berry Sauce:

1 quart fresh strawberries or raspberries for 30 ounces of frozen berries

1/2 cup sugar

5 tablespoons amaretto liqueur

    Prepare sauce just before serving by simmering berries with sugar until soft. Remove from heat and stir in liqueur

Lemon Meringue Pie

 4 eggs

1 cup sugar

Three lemons juice and zested

1 large tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoons flour 

Mix flour and sugar, add boiling water and cook until it is as thick as thick cream. Beat the egg yolks well and add. Then add juice, lemon zest and butter. Pour into baked pie crust. When cool cover with meringue to the edges. Used 1 tablespoon sugar per egg white used in meringue.   

Chocolate Pie

 3 1/2 T Cocoa

4 T flour

1/4 t salt

1 cup sugar

1 pint milk

3 egg yolks

1 t vanilla 

    Mix flour, chocolate, sugar and salt well. Add milk and stir constantly over medium heat until thickened. Whisk in egg yolks and add to chocolate mixture off of the heat. Add vanilla mix and pour into baked pie shell. Beat egg whites stiff and spread them over the chocolate mixture. Bake until meringue is light golden brown.

Penuche Frosting

 1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

31/2 cups powdered sugar 

In a sauce pan melt butter then stir in the brown sugar. Cook and stir until bubbly. Removed from the heat. Add the milk; beat vigorously until smooth. Add powdered sugar; bake by hand until spreading consistency. Immediately frost the tops of two 8 or 9 inch cakes or one 9 x 13” pan.

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7            

Yellow Cake

 3 cups plain flour 

2 cups sugar

1T baking powder 

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup butter, softened 

1 1/2 t vanilla

2 eggs

    In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add milk, butter, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and beat two minutes more. Pour into two greased and floured 9 inch round baking pans or 9 x 13 sheet pan. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes. Sheet pan should bake 35 to 40 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes then remove from pans. Cool thoroughly on racks.

Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love. Psalm 109:26