Ms. Judy's famous chocolate cake

2 c. flour
1 3/4 c. sugar
2/3 c. oil
2/3 c. cocoa
1/3 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. water
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients together.  Add wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well.  Pour into 2 9-inch round pans that have been greased well.  Bake at 350 F until done and toothpick comes out clean - about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

PS - we like frosting with Ms. Becky's buttercream frosting

Fudge Brownie Pie

Fudge Brownie Pie

3/4 cup flour 
1 cup of regular sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 ounces butter, melted
2 large free range eggs, beaten 
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans 
2 handfuls of mini marshmallows

For the frosting:

2 ounces butter, melted (1/4 cup)
1 ounce cocoa powder, sifted (1/4 cup)
2 ounces evaporated milk (1/4 cup)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (8 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch spring form pan set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat together the butter, eggs and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in the toasted nuts. Pour into the prepared pan. 

Bake on a middle shelf of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately sprinkle the marshmallows on top and return to the oven for a few minutes to melt the marshmallows. Remove from the oven and carefully spread the chocolate frosting over top.

To make the chocolate frosting mix all ingredients together in a bowl, beating with an electric whisk until smooth and thick. Spread on the hot marshmallows. Let cool completely. Cut into wedges to serve.

Jolynn's Pressed Eggplant and Pepper Sandwich

Original recipe posted here

Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 45 mins | Makes: 6 servings

Trying to keep picnic grub from being crushed is always the trickiest part of packing the basket. Luckily, the more this sandwich is pressed, the better it tastes. So go ahead and pile everything on top—the weight from the soda and the brownies will help the vinaigrette soak through the layers of grilled vegetables and cheese, and the crunchy toasted bread will keep the outside from getting soggy.

Game plan: If you have a large grill, you can cook all the vegetables at once to cut down on time. Or make things even simpler by using store-bought roasted peppers.

This recipe was featured as part of both our Summer Ingredients and our Picnic Recipes photo galleries.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling the grill
• 5 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons packed, finely grated orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 medium bell peppers, ends trimmed, seeds and stems removed, and quartered
• 2 medium globe eggplants, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
• 4 ounces chèvre (goat cheese), crumbled
• 1 loaf ciabatta, sliced in half horizontally and lightly toasted
• 3 cups baby spinach

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the orange juice, measured oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, orange zest, and red pepper flakes in a large, nonreactive bowl and whisk to combine. Add the bell peppers and eggplant and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature while the grill heats, at least 5 minutes.
2. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium (about 350°F to 450°F) or a grill pan over high heat and rub the grill or grill pan with a towel dipped in olive oil. Remove the eggplant from the marinade and place on the grill; cook until soft and lightly charred on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until charred and soft on the other side, about 5 minutes more. Remove to a plate and set aside. Place the peppers on the grill and cook until soft and lightly charred on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until charred and soft on the other side, about 5 minutes more. Remove to the plate with the eggplant and set aside.
3. Place the crumbled cheese on the bottom piece of bread, then evenly distribute the spinach over the cheese. Drizzle the marinade over the spinach, then layer the grilled vegetables over the spinach. Close the sandwich and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on a flat surface, cover with a baking sheet, and place heavy cans or a cast iron skillet on top of the baking sheet to press the sandwich down. Flip the sandwich after 10 minutes and press it down for another 10 minutes. Then unwrap, slice, and serve.

Easy Apple Mousse

This easy recipe for apple mousse is a wonderful way to use cooking apples or sharp-flavored eating apples. It is a light yet delicious dessert and also useful for lunchboxes or picnics.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sized cooking apples or Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered and cored
• 3 ½ fl oz/100ml water
• ½ oz/15g white sugar
• Dash of lemon juice
• 10 fl oz/300ml scrumpy (farmhouse cider) or dry cider
• 3 gelatine leaves softened in a little cold water, or 1 ½tsp powdered gelatin
• ½ pt/300 ml whipping cream

Preparation:

• Place the apples in a saucepan, add the water, sugar and lemon juice. Simmer for 10 minutes until the apples are tender and just starting to break up.tender. Liquidize and then push through a fine sieve to create a fine sauce.
• Place the cider into another saucepan, boil until reduced to about 5tbsp. Remove from the heat then add the softened gelatin leaves or sprinkle over the powdered gelatin, stir until dissolved and leave to cool.
• Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and fold in the apple purée and cider. Divide between 4, 3 ½ "/9 cm ramekins, smooth the surface and leave to set in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Serve immediately garnished with a sprig of fresh mint.

Make Your Own Brownie Mix

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder

Before baking add:
2 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix first 5 ingredients together and store in plastic bags or in mason jars.

When you are ready to make the brownies, add eggs, oil and vanilla to the mix.

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes in an 8X8 or 9X9 pan.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) European-style unsalted butter, room temperature 
1 3/4 cups sugar 
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
2 cups dark chocolate chunks 

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined. 

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between additions and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and mix. On low speed or by hand, stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, mixing until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. Scrape down the bowl as needed. 

Using a cookie scoop, ice cream scoop, or two spoons, form dough balls and place on prepared cookie sheets with a few inches of room in between. Refrigerate overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 375 F with rack in the center. Line cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. 

Bake for 10-13 minutes (depending on the size of your dough balls), until they are golden brown around the edges and puffy in the center. Let cookies cool a few minutes on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Chrissy's Cheesecake

3 8-oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
3 drops lemon oil (from do-Terra)
2 c. cream (whipping cream)
3-4 Tbps. powdered sugar
3/4 c. boiling hot water
1 lemon jello (packet)
crackers, for crust

Break crackers into pieces and layer on the bottom of a springform pan.

Beat 3 blocks of cream cheese with maybe 3/4 cups of sugar and 3 drops of lemon oil.  

Beat 2 containers of the whipped cream with 3 or 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.  Scooped out a little for the topping and place in the fridge.  

Then fold the rest of the whipped cream into the cream cheese.  

Boil water and pour into the lemon jello until dissolved.  While the beaters were running, we drizzled (key word drizzle as you cannot pour it all in at once, just bit by bit) that into the cream cheese mixture until all was well blended and put it in the pan on top of crackers.  Set in fridge overnight.