Peanut Butter Frosting

1 container white frosting
1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter

Mix 1/2 Cup of Creamy Peanut Butter with 1 container of white frosting. Spread over chocolate cupcakes (or other select desserts such as cake). I personally like this recipe, because the peanut butter reduces some of the "sugary" taste in the frosting and I don't like really sweet frostings.

Fruit Dip

1 tub cool whip
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
1 package cream cheese

Mix confectioner's sugar and cream cheese. Fold in cool whip, and refrigerate.

Guacamole

2 avocados
1 plum tomato
1 medium garlic bulb
1 tsp. minced jalapeno
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp lime juice

Peel and mash avocados in a bowl (should have small lumps). Stir in cumin, kosher salt and lime juice. Dice tomato and finely chop tomato, jalapeno, garlic and cilantro (the latter three are pretty strong if you get a big bite of one of them...so I try to cut them as small as possible). Stir tomato, jalapeno, garlic and cilantro into avocado mixture and serve with tortilla chips or pita bread.

*I usually use a food processor in order to get the garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro chopped up into real fine pieces.
*Also, you can play around with the ingredients a bit if you want, but the lime juice is a key ingredient, because it helps slow down oxidation in the guacamole. Airtight containers are also an essential, if you aren't going to eat it right away. When the guacamole is exposed to the air, it turns brown faster. You can still eat it when it is brown, but it doesn't look as pretty as the bright green.

Red Velvet Cake

This is my other favorite cake recipe of my two most favorites.

2 cups sugar
1/2 pound butter, room temp
2 eggs
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 oz red food coloring
2 1/2 c cake flour
1 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vinegar
1 package cream cheese
1 stick butter, softened
1 c marshmallow cream
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
also: Coconut flakes or I like to use fresh coconut and grind in a food processor

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Mix cocoa and food coloring together and then add to sugar mixture; mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour batter into 3 (8-inch) round greased and floured pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.

Blend cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl. Add marshmallows and sugar and blend. Fold in coconut and nuts(optional.) Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.

Blueberry Muffins

I think this is my favorite muffin recipe. I found it on a bread and breakfast website for Admiral's Quarters Inn in Maine.

2 1/2 cups blueberries (frozen or fresh)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons and 1 teaspoon cinnamon for tops

Cream Butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and blend. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk and vanilla. Add blueberries and stir by hand. Grease muffin tins well, pile mixture high in muffin tin, and sprinkle tops with sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool.

Vanilla Sugar Cookies with Glaze

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
additional sugar for rolling

Beat butter in bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; beat until well blended. Next beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually stir in flour until well mixed. Refrigerate dough 2 hours (or till firm). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar (sometimes I omit that part), and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Sugar Cookie Glaze
3-4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup confectioners' sugar
food coloring

Mix milk and vanilla in bowl. Stir in sugar. Stir in 3-4 drops of food coloring. Allow glaze to dry before storing cookies in an airtight container.

Baked Apples with Cranberries

I wish I had a picture of this to put on here, because it looks so pretty when it is finished. Maybe I will take one the next time I make this.

Ingredients for 4 people:
4 large apples (good apples to use are golden delicious, rome beauty, and jonagolds; whatever you use, do not use red delicious, mcintosh or granny smith as those are the worst varieties for baking whole)
500 ml fresh cranberries
65 ml packed brown sugar
The juice of 2 oranges
The zest of 1 orange
4 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons sweet butter
Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

1.) Divide the orange zest in two parts and finely chop half of it;blanch the grated zest for 10 minutes in 500 ml boiling water; drainand set aside.
2.) Cut off the top of each apple; remove the stem from the top,leaving a hole wide enough to accommodate a cinnamon stick; set aside.
3.) Remove the core and a little of the flesh from each apple usinga small melon baller so that you create a cavity in each apple.
4.)Place the hollowed apples in a baking dish; evenly divide 250 mlof the cranberries, the chopped zest, the juice of one orange, 2 tbsp.brown sugar and 1 tbsp butter amongst the apples; replace the tops onthe apples, sticking a cinnamon stick through each hole and into the stuffing. 5.) Divide the remaining ingredients in the baking dish around the apples.
6.) Place in a preheated 200° C (400° F) oven and bake for 30-40minutes or until the apples are cooked. Remove from the oven and letcool for 10 minutes. Place each apple in the middle of a nice large round plate;arrange some of the sauce around it (the mixture from the bottom ofthe baking dish). Garnish, if you wish, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on the side.

Tarragon Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 tsp. paprika

*Mix ingredients well. Works well with 1 lb. spinach and 1 quart strawberries.

Making Tarragon Vinegar:

Bring 2.5 cups of white wine or cider vinegar (or combination of both) to boiling point in a pan. Put two fresh stems of tarragon and 1 clove of garlic (peeled and halved) into a clean bottle or jar. Pour vinegar over it, and screw lid down tightly. Leave in a sunny place 2-3 weeks. Strain, discarding herbs, seal and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Extra tarragon stems may be added at the end for garnish, if desired.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 Cup white sugar
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Whisk together all ingredients, and refrigerate until chilled.

Tips: This dressing works well with spinach and strawberries.

Italian Meatloaf

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon ketchup
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 egg
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs*
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. By hand, mix all ingredients until well blended. Shape meatloaf into desired shape ( I usually place it in a bread loaf pan.) Bake in oven for 1 hour. Raise the temperature to 375 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes in order for a hard crust to form.

*I usually make my own bread crumbs by placing pieces of bread in my food processor and pulsing till chopped in tiny pieces. This is a great way to get rid of the end pieces that I don't like as much.

Baked Green Bean Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. soy sauce
dash ground pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French Fried Onions

Mix soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper and beans and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions in 1.5 qt. casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, stir and sprinkle with remaining French Fried Onions. Bake for 5 more minutes. (I usually just mix all of the French Fried Onions into the beans in the beginning, regardless of the instrucitons.)

Tips:
*1 16 oz. bag of frozen grean beans, 2 9 oz. packages of frozen grean beans, 2 16 oz. cans of grean beans, or 1.5 pounds of fresh green beans will yield the amount needed for this recipe.
*For a creative twist stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese with the soup and omit the soy sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup additional cheddar cheese when adding remaining Fr. Fried Onions.

Cheesy Broccoli

I can't do this recipe so easily anymore now that we don't have a microwave, but back in the day it was one of my favorites when I needed a quick but nice vegetable for guests.

1 can Campbell's Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
1/4 cup milk (optional)
1 bag of frozen broccoli cuts

Mix soup and milk in 2-qt. microwave-safe casserole dish, add broccoli, and cover. Microwave on high for 8 minutes or until broccoli is tender-crisp, stirring once about half way through.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

*It might seem like this recipe has a lot of spices, but it is important to add all of them in order to avoid a bland taste. If you don't have all of the spices called for, try increasing the cinnamon and/or amount of pumpkin.

3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1.)Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.
2.)Mix sugar, oil and eggs together. Add pumpkin and flour. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
3.)Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 Cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

1.)In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Cobine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2.) Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat (I like to use butter instead of oil). Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

*tip: You should be able to just use pumpkin pie spice instead of all the separate spices, but I usually use the individual ones, and I haven't tried to look up the measurement for that.

Pumpkin Chocolate Dessert Cake

I am not a huge cake person, but even I am forced to admit that this cake is simply delicious, especially the frosting. This cake (not including ice cream cake) is one of my two top favorites of cakes.

cake:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (or 1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree)

frosting:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a 9-in Bundt pan.
2.) In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, puumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat together 3/4 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, applesauce and eggs. Mix in 1/2 cup heavy cream and the pumpkin. Stir into the flour mixture just until blended. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
3.) Bake 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool and invert onto a serving plate.
4.) Place the brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/3 cup heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring to blend until smooth. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar, and drizzle over the cake immediately.