Iced Caramel Toffee Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 2 cups quick cook oatmeal
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Heath Toffee bits

For the icing:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping

• Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. In a food processor, add oatmeal and pulse until partly ground. I pulsed mine 6 times for about 1 second each time. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter with sugars. Add eggs and beat until fully blended. Mix in the oatmeal, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Mix just until combined. Fold in toffee bits.
  4. Drop by 2 Tbsp scoop onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. Bake for 14--16 minutes and cool completely on wire rack.
  5. For the icing, whisk together the sugar and caramel sauce. Add more or less caramel for desired consistency (each brand has it's own consistency, so you may need to use more or less). Frost each cookie and allow to set (about 30 minutes). Store in airtight container for up to 5 days for best flavor. ENJOY.  
  6. Thanks to shugarysweets.com for recipe and photo.

Shakshuka

Shakshuka  [Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce]

Adapted from Saveur

Serves 4 to 6

1/4 cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (I was nervous and only used 2 Anaheims; I would go for 3 or 4 next time for a more moderate but still gentle kick)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.

picture and recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Pecan Praline Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 box box Butter Pecan Cake Mix
• 1 tub Coconut Pecan Frosting
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional to toast)

For the sauce:

• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

• Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
  • Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a medium bowl (or your stand mixer bowl), combine all the cake ingredients except for the chopped pecans.
  • Don't forget to add the tub of coconut pecan frosting.
  • That goes into the cake batter too! Mix well then stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
  • Pour batter into greased baking dish.
  • Bake for about 40 minutes.
  • Oven times vary but cake should spring back to the touch and be golden brown.
  • Or insert a toothpick into the middle it should come out clean.
  • For the sauce: In a small pot over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. Butter.
  • Pour in can of sweetened condensed milk with the melted butter and stir.
  • Continue to stir until heated thoroughly, then add 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
  • Stir again then take off heat.
  • Then spoon this deliciously yummy sauce over individual slices of cake
  • Recipe and picture from thecountrycook.net

Dutch Oven Crusty Bread

3 c. bread flour
1 package yeast
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. warm water

Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in a 3-4 quart bowl with a tight-fitting lid. I like to use my trusty Tupperware. If you don't have a bowl w/lid use plastic wrap on a bowl.
Add the water and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is mixed well.The dough will be quite sticky and shaggy looking.
Cover the bowl and set aside for 12-18 hours (up to 24 hours). 
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a cast-iron Dutch oven with the lid into the oven while preheating and heat the pot/lid for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, scrape the risen dough from the bowl onto a heavily floured surface. (Dough will still be very sticky.)  With floured hands, gently shape the dough into a round loaf, make sure there's enough flour on the surface so the dough doesn't stick. Let the dough sit there until pot is preheated. Take the hot pot from the oven and gently place the dough into the pot. Cover with the lid and return to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid at that time and return the pot to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Gently shake the loaf onto a cooling rack and enjoy the beautiful aroma. Give it a chance to cool before cutting into the loaf.

1. 
   

White Fruitcake

3 c. white sugar
1 lb. butter
1 t. cinnamon
2 fresh coconuts (peeled and shredded)
11 large eggs
5 c. AP flour
2 t. vanilla
1 lb. candied pineapple, diced
1 lb. candied red cherries
1 lb. candied green cherries
3 c. chopped black walnuts (or 4 c. mixed nuts)
2 lbs. white raisins

Cream sugar, butter and eggs, beating well. 
Roll nuts, raisins, and fruit in flour.  Fold into cake batter. Add coconut and mix well. Bake 2 1/2 hours at 250 in 2 tube pans. This makes 2 LARGE cakes.

Mom received this recipe from our neighbor, Callie White, many, many years ago.

Sweet Potato Yeast Rolls

Ingredients

·         3/4 cup (6 ounces) warm water

·         1 scant tablespoon (1 package) active-dry yeast

·         1 cup (9 ounces) mashed sweet potatoes (see note below)

·         1 cup (8.5 ounces) milk - whole or 2% preferably

·         1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter - melted

·         2 Tablespoons brown sugar

·         2 teaspoons kosher salt

·         4 cups (20 ounces) all-purpose flour

Instructions

Combine the water and yeast in a large mixing bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved. Add the mashed sweet potatoes, the milk, the melted butter, the brown sugar, and the salt. Stir until all ingredients are evenly combined. Add the flour, stirring until a shaggy dough is formed and no more dry flour is visible. This dough will be very sticky.

Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let stand until doubled in bulk, at least 2 hours or as long as 5 hours. The dough can be used immediately, but it's easier to work with if you can refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. The dough can also be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

When ready to shape the rolls, sprinkle your work surface with a little flour and turn the dough out on top. Sprinkle a little more flour on top and press the dough into a thick disk. Use a bench scraper or knife to divide the dough into 24 pieces. Shape into balls and place about 5 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise until the rolls are roughly doubled in size, about 45 minutes in a warm kitchen.

About 20 minutes before the rolls are finished rising, preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.

Remove the cover and bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, until they are puffed and toasted brown. Serve warm or room temperature. Rolls are best the first day, but will stay fresh for several days after if stored in an airtight container.

Notes:

·         To make the mashed sweet potatoes, roast a medium-sized (roughly 9 ounce) sweet potato in a 400° oven until completely soft. Strip off the skin and mash.

·         For extra richness, brush the tops with melted butter or egg yolk before baking. So good!

·         These rolls can also be frozen if you're making them ahead of time. Allow the baked rolls to cool completely, wrap them in aluminum foil, and freeze them. To re-heat, let them thaw on the counter and then warm them in a 300° oven for 15 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter
1 t. vanilla
1 pound (3 3/4 c.) confectioner's sugar

Let cream cheese and butter warm to room temperature, cream together thoroughly and add vanilla. Gradually beat in sugar. For good spreading consistency, frosting can be thickened by adding additional sugar or thinned by adding milk.