Pumpkin Cobbler

Jennifer Lail brought this to our class's first pot luck ( March 1997 ).

The dessert is ALWAYS a hit -- the crust mixture rises to the top during baking to form a rich topping.

Serves 8-10.

		Preheat oven to 350
2 eggs, beaten 1 c evaporated milk 3 c cooked mashed pumpkin		Filling: Combine eggs, milk and pumpkin (or butternut squash) in a large bowl.
1/2 c honey 1/2 c brown sugar 1 Tbl flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp salt		Add the rest of the filling ingredients to the bowl, mix well and set aside.
1/4 c butter 1 c flour 3/4 c white sugar 4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 c milk 1 tsp vanilla		Crust: Melt the butter in a 9x11 baking pan. In another bowl, mix the remaining crust ingredients until just combined. Pour into the baking pan on top of the melted butter. Spoon or slowly pour the filling evenly over the crust batter in the pan. Do not stir.
1 Tbl butter 2 Tbl white sugar		Topping: Dot the top of the filling with butter and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake one hour.

Originally from the book: Recipes from a Kitchen Garden by Renee Shepherd and Fran Raboff. The recipe is also available online at Renee's Garden.

The recipe has been adapted by reducing the sugar and butter, and replacing some sugar with honey.

Nicole Luce

Jamaica Bananas

Bananas		Place unpeeled bananas in a medium heat oven and bake until black (7-10 minutes.) Remove and carefully cut the bananas skin longwise and coax open. Leave the banana in the skin.
rum brown sugar cream or yoghurt		Douse in rum, add brown sugar and yoghurt or cream. Enjoy whilst hot.

Derek Pritchard

Strawberry Cream Pie

This has become my annual birthday dessert. The recipe comes from Ginny's mother Adelaide Sickles.

pie shell		Bake a 9" pie shell.
4 c strawberries 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup conf sugar		Clean and slice strawberries. Add 1/2 sugar (or more depending on flavor of strawberries), and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar. Let stand 1 hour
3 oz cream cheese 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp almond extract		Combine one 3 oz pkg cream cheese (softened) with vanilla and almond extracts and beat until fluffy.
1 cup heavy cream		Whip 1 cup heavy cream, and fold into cream cheese mixture. Spread mixture on bottom of baked 9" pie shell.
		Drain berries, saving liquid. Arrange well-drained berries on top of cream cheese mixture in pie shell.
strawberry liquid 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp corn starch 2-3 drops of red food coloring.		Add enough water to strawberry liquid to make one cup and add to a saucepan, along with the lemon juice, corn starch, and red food coloring. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir 2-3 min. until thickened and remove from heat. Cool (long enough so it won't melt the cream cheese mixture, when poured over the berries in the shell) Pour over berries in shell. Chill the pie ...............and enjoy! hmmmmmm

Finn Gatewood

Pavlova

This is an economical version of a great dessert.

		Preheat oven to 350.
2 egg whites 1 tsp vinegar   (regular vinegar) 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 and 1/2 cups fine sugar   (Baker's sugar works)      1 tsp cornstarch 4 Tbl boiling water		Place all ingredients in a small bowl and beat until of meringue consistency. Pile in center of sheet of tinfoil, then shape somewhat like a bowl. Bake in moderate oven (350 deg) for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 deg for another 30 minutes. Allow to cool in oven (and store in oven prior to adding topping).
whipping cream fresh fruit (grated chocolate)		Cover the pavlova with lots of freshly whipped cream. Add sliced fresh fruit ( strawberries, or kiwis, or blueberries, or raspberries ...) Add grated chocolate too if you wish. YUM!

Jill Hein

Creme d'Menthe Pie

chocolate cookies soft butter		Crumble enough chocolate cookies and mix with enough soft butter to line a pie pan (today you may be able to buy "bags" of pre-crumbled cookies!)
1 c milk 28 marshmallows		Melt together 1 cup milk and 28 marshmallows (normal size, not the mini).
1 cup heavy cream 3 T creme d'menthe liqueur		Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add whipped cream and creme d'menthe to marshmallow mixture and pour into pie crust. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Peg Urstad

Balsamic Strawberries

I avoided making this for many years, though it is in several of my favorite cookbooks. Finally tried it in 2008 - and it is wonderful !!

1 quart strawberries 1/4 c sugar		Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries. Add in sugar, and let sit for 10 minutes.
1 Tbl balsamic vinegar		Sprinkle berries with the balsamic vinegar. Taste and add more sugar or vinegar as necessary.
black pepper		Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper (~ 1/8 tsp) over the berries.

Connie Clark

Carrot Cake

Easy and delicious without being too sweet.

		Preheat oven to 325, Grease a 13x9 baking pan.
3/4 c sugar 1 cup grated carrot 1 cup currants 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp grated nutmeg** 1 tsp ground cloves 1 1/2 cups water 3 Tbl margarine		Combine in small sauce pan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Pour into mixing bowl and cool to lukewarm.
2 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt		Mix together, then add to cooled raisin/carrot mixture. Mix well.
1 c chopped walnuts		Stir in. Batter will be quite stiff. Transfer batter to greased 13x9 pan. Bake for 1 hour at 325, or until tooth pick comes out clean.

** freshly grated nutmeg is best, but can be replaced by purchased ground nutmeg.

Connie Clark

Butterscotch Brownies

Yield: 9-18 bars

		Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8x8x2 pan.
1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup light brown sugar 1 egg		Mix together.
3/4 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder		Mix together and add to above; mix well.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup nuts, chopped		Add to above Bake in greased 8"x8"x2" at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Linda Ade Ridder

Blueberry Lemon Bread

		Preheat oven to 325. Butter a loaf pan.
1 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt		Combine all purpose flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl.
6 Tbl butter,     room temperature 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 2 tsp grated lemon peel		Cream butter and one cup sugar in large bowl until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon peel.
1/2 cup milk		Mix in dry ingredients alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
1 1/2 cups blueberries		Fold in blueberries (use fresh, or frozen, thawed and drained) Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
3 Tbl fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup sugar		Meanwhile, bring 1/3 cup sugar and 3 TBS. lemon juice to a boil in small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pierce top of hot loaf several times with toothpick. Pour hot lemon mixture over loaf in pan. Cool 30 minutes in pan on rack. Turn bread out of pan and cool completely on rack.

Lee Chavez

Cake by Mistake Cake

This recipe started out from a book, but I ended up purchasing all the wrong ingredients, so had to improvise and it came out great !

		Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray and dust a tube-pan with flour (a 13" x 9" pan might work also)
1 pkg carrot cake mix 1 cup half and half 3/4 cup oil 3 large eggs 2 T liquor		Add cake mix and 1 cup half and half cream to mixer. Add 3/4 cup of oil (vegetable or canola or safflower) and 3 large eggs. Add 2 tablespoons of Courvoisier or some other kind of liquor (original recipe called for Jack Daniel's) Mix slowly for one minute. Scrape down the bowl sides. Then mix for 2 more minutes medium speed, scraping occasionally, until batter looks thick and well-blended.
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apples 1 cup chopped pecans		Fold in the apples and pecans. and pour batter into prepared pan. Bake approximately 40-45 minutes at 350 until cake is golden brown and the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool at least 20 minutes before removing from pan.
(optional glaze) 1/2 stick melted butter 2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted 3 tablespoons liquor 1 tsp vanilla extract		Place all glaze ingredients in a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved and glaze is smooth. Spoon glaze over warm cake and let it run down the sides.
		Eat warm - yum, yum! Can be stored for up to a week at room temperature, covered in plastic wrap. Can also be frozen (wrapped in aluminum foil) for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.

Sandy Dubpernell

Graham Bars

		Preheat oven to 350
1 c. evaporated milk 1 c. sugar 1/4 c butter flavored crisco,    or butter or margarine 1 tsp vanilla		Mix together in bowl.
3 c finely crumbled       graham crackers 6 oz chocolate chips 1/4 c. walnuts, chopped		Stir into above. Generously grease bottom and sides of 9x9x2 pan. (Double this recipe to fit a 13x9x2 pan) Bake at 350 F. for 35 minutes or until it pulls from the sides of the pan. Cut when the Graham Bars are cool.

Jeannene (Kini)Wisniewski

Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes.

		Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
24 oz cream cheese 5 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla		Cream three 8 oz packages of cream cheese, the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Fill cupcakes pans 2/3 full. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, then remove from oven.
1 pint sour cream 1 tsp vanilla 4 Tbl sugar		Mix together sour cream, vanilla, and sugar. When the cupcakes sink (about five minutes after being taken from oven), fill them with the sour cream mixture. Return the cupcakes to the oven for another 5 minutes. (Top with cherry if desired )

Jeannene Wisniewski