Category — Dessert

Here’s an easy Halloween recipe that kids love and actually involves real, live fruit!  To make five Caramel Covered Apples you will need:

• 40 caramel cubes
• 5 apples
• 1 tablespoon water
• 5 wooden sticks
• wax paper

Wash and dry the apples.  Remove the stems and insert the wooden sticks in the stem holes until about half the stick is in the apple.  In a small double boiler over medium low, heat the caramel and water until thoroughly smooth, stirring continuously.  Dip the apples into the hot caramel sauce, coating them completely.  Set aside on greased wax paper.  You can store the apples in the frig but allow them to set at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

The most typical excess in any summer garden is zucchini. At this time of year, you should be able to get your hands on some fresh, home grown zucchini for very little or even for free if you have nice neighbors. Here’s a recipe for how to use up that extra goodness in a delicious, unusual way. You can make this as a cake in a 9 x 13 inch pan if you prefer. You will need:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups grated zucchini - takes about three medium-sized zucchinis
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup currants

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease and flour muffin tins or cake pan. Wash the zucchini, cut off the stems and grate in a food processor.

In a medium size bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Mix thoroughly.

In another bowl beat eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla together. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix well. Stir in the shredded zucchini, walnuts and currants. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. If fork comes out clean when poked in the center, take out to cool. If not, keep baking. Could take up to an hour to bake thoroughly if made in a 9 x 13 pan.

Feel free to experiment with this recipe. You could add coconut, cranberries or raisins or even try it with fresh fruit like blueberries. You also may try a topping like coffee cake crumble or icing. I tried it with a lightly sweetened cream cheese frosting which was good but my husband prefered it without saying it was “like taking a beautiful country road and putting a McDonald’s on it.” Simple sometimes is better and I plan to have my next muffin with a cup of Earl Grey and maybe the slightest bit of butter.

There are tons of ways you can cool off during the summer, but there’s nothing better than relaxing in the shade with a bowl of healthy homemade ice cream. It’s very easy once you know the steps and if done right, you would never notice the difference. One of my favorite ice cream flavors is strawberry, so here is an easy recipe.
First, you will need:

• A quart of fresh strawberries (hulled)
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• ½ cup of half & half
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla paste
• ¾ cup of white sugar
• 3 egg yolks

After you have these items, you begin by placing 1/3 of the strawberries into a blender (or a food processor), and blend them until the contents are completely smooth. You then add the remaining strawberries to the mix and turn on the blender for just a little while. Then pour the strawberry mix into a large bowl.

Next you will need to mix the heavy cream with the half & half you bought. Take a saucepan and pour in only 1 ¼ cup of the cream you mixed and heat it on medium; stop when it begins to bubble around the edges of the saucepan. Now, take a large bowl and put in the egg yolks, sugar, corn syrup and the remaining contents of the cream mixture. Stir it up as you slowly pour in the heated cream from the saucepan. Add the vanilla, then pour everything into the saucepan and heat until the sauce becomes thick (you will know this when the mixture is able to coat the back of your metal mixing spoon), which usually takes about five minutes. The mixture shouldn’t come to a boil this time around.

You can then squeeze strained (use a sieve) custard into the berry mix in your blender, mix it up and then place in the fridge until it has chilled. Use an ice cream maker to place the cream mixture in and freeze it (follow the instructions of the manufacturer).

Once frozen, you can pour on the strawberry toppings and enjoy!

I love this soft serve ice cream maker! It’s so cool looking and there’s meaning behind the reason for the pink. It’s part of Cuisinart’s line to help breast cancer research. It’s easy to use and comes with recipes for sorbet and frozen yoghart as well. What a fun choice for an ice cream social this summer!

If you’re planning to bust out that ice cream maker this summer, which I highly recommend you should, I have one tip to make the experience top!

EAT IT IMMEDIATELY!

Homemade ice cream does not keep well. It gets ice crystals in the freezer, so if you’re planning to have people over for sundaes, this is one job you shouldn’t do in advance. If for some reason you don’t finish it all and want to store it, the less you open the freezer door the better. Or you could take some of my overnight cookies (which do stay fresh longer) and make ice cream sandwiches. Yum!

This has been the favorite cookie of our family for generations. Besides tasting delicious to young and old alike, they also stay fresh for a week. And since you put the dough in the freezer, you can bake them anytime you want. You will need.

4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup Crisco
1/2 cup margarine
4 large eggs
1 T vanilla
3/4 t salt
1 T baking soda
1 T cream of tarter
5 cups flour

Cream the sugar, Crisco and margarine together. Mix the eggs, vanilla, salt, soda and tarter together in another bowl then add to the creamed sugar mixture. Fold the flour in. The dough should be stiff. If it’s too sticky add more flour. Put 1/3 of the dough onto plastic wrap. Work it into a long roll about 1 1/2 inch thick. Do the same with the other thirds and put the plastic covered dough in the freezer overnight. Slice 1/2 inch pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes and cool on a rack.