Chocolate Pudding Cake

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
4 eggs
1 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips
Optional: ice cream or whipped cream

In a mixing bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a 5 qt. slow cooker that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm with ice cream.

Oatmeal Nutella Bars

Oatmeal Nutella Bars
Crust:
2 sticks butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3 c. oats (I used quick oats but regular would do to)
1 c. white chocolate chips
Filling:
2 c. nutella hazelnut spread (or 12 oz. milk chocolate chips)
1 can sweetened and condensed milk
2 t. melted butter
1/2 t. salt

For the oat crust, cream butter, sugar and eggs together. Then add the flour, baking soda, salt and oats. Add in the white chocolate chips (optional). Put 1/2 of the dough flat on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan and spread evenly to all sides. For filling, add together in a bowl the Nutella, sweetened condensed milk, butter and salt and mix until smooth. (If using chocolate chips instead of Nutella, add ingredients together in a sauce pan and cook on low heat until chips are melted). Pour filling on top of the bottom layer of the oat crust. Flattened out pieces of the remaining oat dough on top of the fudge filling. There will not be enough dough to cover the entire top of the filling layer, and that is okay. As the crust bakes it will spread throughout the bars. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until the top of the bars is a light golden brown color. Let bars cool and then cut into pieces and serve. These bars are delicious warm out of the oven with vanilla ice cream!

Rice Pudding

Creamy R2-3 c. cooked rice (brown or white will do--whatever day old rice you have around will work)
1 1/2 t. nutmeg
3/4-1 c. sugar (depending how sweet you like it)
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 c. raisins (optional)
2 eggs
4 c. water
1 c. dry non instant powdered milk
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and powdered milk together until combined. Add the 4 c. of hot water (from the tap) to the pan and bring mixture to a low boil on medium heat. Do not boil on a high temperature or you could burn the mixture. Simmer on low for 5-10 minutes or until mixture begins to chicken. Once the mixture is combined, add the cooked rice to the pan and stir. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and then slowly temper the eggs with some of the hot rice mixture. Once the eggs have been warmed through,a dd them to the rice pudding and mix continually for another 3-5 minutes. The eggs will thicken the pudding as you continue to simmer. Once the pudding is to your desired thickness, you can serve warm or cold with whipped cream. Garnish with a dash of nutmeg.

Fluffy Banana Bread

In small bowl mash 3 over ripe bananas until runny.

In large bowl combine:
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs unbeaten

Beat with mixer until light and fluffy. Blend together with bananas.

Sift together:
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Blend sifted dry ingredients and nuts into wet mixture. Slowly beat in enough milk to this mixture until it looks like the consistency of a boxed cake mix. Pour into greased and floured bread pans and bake at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick in the middle shows the bread is done. If you double the recipe do not double the bananas. Four-five are enough.

Mrs. Fields Cookies

2 cup brown sugar
2 cup white sugar
2 cup butter
Beat top ingredients then add
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Mix together
Add
4-5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 cup chocolate chips
5 cups oatmeal
Mix together and place cookies on sheet
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes
Makes about 6-7 dozen

Perfect Cinnamon Rolls (From Deals to Meals)

1 c. warm milk
1/3 c. melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. salt
4 c. flour
1 T. yeast

Put warm milk, sugar and yeast into your mixer and mix for a minute until combined. Let the yeast grow until foamy and bubbly (about 5-10 minutes). Then add the eggs, butter, flour, and salt and combine until smooth and mixted together. Let dough sit in the bowl until it has doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours). When it has doubled, put a small amount of flour on the counter and pour the dough onto the counter. Roll dough out until it measures 16 inches x 21 inches.

Filling:
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 T. cinnamon
1/3 c. melted butter
Melt butter and spread on dough rectangle. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle all over buttered dough. Roll up and cut into 16 equal rolls.

Place rolls on greased cookie sheet 4 across and 4 down. Cover w/ greased plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour). Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Frosting:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. cream cheese
1/2 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt

Amish Friendship Bread

Important Note: Don't use metal spoons or equipment. Do not refrigerate. Use only glazed ceramic or plastic bowls or containers.


Required Main Ingredient


1 cup live yeast starter (see above)


day 1:
Do nothing with the starter.
days 2-5:
Stir with a wooden spoon.
day 6:
Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Stir with a wooden spoon.
days 7-9:
Stir with a wooden spoon.
Day 10:
Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir. Take out 3 cups and place 1 cup each into three separate plastic containers. Give one cup and a copy of this recipe to two friends (make sure you save a cup for yourself). To the balance (a little over one cup) of the batter, add the following ingredients and mix well.
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla


In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:


2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts (optional)


Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

Combine 1 cup sugar with 2 tbsp cinnamon. Spread 1/4 cup of the mixture in the bottom of each bread pan before pouring mix in. Then spread 1/4 cup of the mixture on top each mix before baking.

Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided 3 cups white sugar, divided 3 cups milk

Directions
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon. Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 thru 9; stir only.
Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).
Footnotes

Editor's Note
Once you have made the starter, you will consider it Day One, and thus ignore step 1 in this recipe and proceed with step 2. You can also freeze this starter in 1 cup measures for later use. Frozen starter will take at least 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before using.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

4 cups coarsely grated zucchini
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs beaten
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups oil
4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp cocoa
chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease bottoms of 2-9x5x3 loaf pans or one 9x13 cake pan. Blend all ingredients on low speed one minute, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium one minute. Pour into pans and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove from loaf pans. Cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and foil to keep fresh for a longer time. Bake about 40 minutes for cake pan size.

Hint: Drain most of the water off your zucchini before adding it. Too much water takes it longer to bake which can burn it. Also, when using the cake pan don't fill it more than 2/3 full. I filled it too high once and it expanded creating a HUGE mess in my oven. It also takes longer to bake which can dry it out.

Almond Glaze (for the Gingerbread Cookies)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp hot water

1 tsp almond extract



Whisk all ingredients together until smooth:

Brush onto the cooled cookies with a pastry brush or just drizzle back and forth with a spoon:

Let the glaze dry before stacking. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Cookies (from Ruth Adamson)

3 cups gingerbread mix

1/4 cup flour

1/3 cup molasses

1 egg, slightly beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make a well in mix, add other ingredients:
Using a fork, preferably the one you used to beat the egg, mix everything together as much as you can:

time to use your hands again. Knead the dough together until it forms a nice smooth & soft dough:

Now it's time to roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough out to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes:
Bake for 8 minutes on parchment covered cookie sheets. This was the perfect amount of time to achieve a beautiful and soft cookie. If you want a crunch, cook for a minute or two more. Really, these cookies are good either way. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Gingerbread Mix:

2 cups sugar

8 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp salt (if you use kosher, make it slightly heaping)

1 heaping tsp ground cloves

1 heaping tbsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

2 cups shortening



In a very large bowl, whisk together the first eight ingredients:
Once combined add shortening:
Using your hands (or you could use a pastry blender, I guess. But where's the fun in that?) work the shortening in. It should look a bit like cornmeal:
This makes about 13 cups of mix. Store in an airtight container (or several, if you don't have anything large enough to hold it all). It will stay good for about 3 months, perfect for the holidays.

Mom's Pie Crust

3 Cups flour
1 1/4 Cups Shortening
1 Teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon Vinegar

*sugar to taste for sweet pies only

Cut together first three ingredients in mixer until crumbly. Add egg, water, and vinegar. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut ball into two equal pieces. Roll each ball out on a sheet of wax paper with a rolling pin. Roll until large enough to fit into a pie tin. Pick up wax paper and dough and place it dough side down onto the pie tin. Slowly remove wax paper. Gently push dough into pie tin and trim around the edge with a knife. Shape the crust around the edges of the pie and bake at 375 until golden brown.