Tyler's Favorite Cookies

 Today is our youngest son's 24th birthday.  Where has the time gone?  I really don't know.  He came into our life as a very big surprise, but he has been a joy and a blessing to us.  We had two daughters aged 15 and 13, and a son aged 10 when Tyler was born.  He always thought he was grown up because he spent so much of his time with his siblings and their friends.  He was only one year old the summer of our hometown's first all city summer musical, Music Man.  Dress rehearsal week, he sat in my lap ever so still.  Watching, listening, learning. The next summer when he was 2,  he could sing tidbits of the songs from Hello Dolly by the end of that first week.  He was totally absorbed in all the acting, dancing and music that he was surrounded by.  He was in his first show at age 3 as a child in a burning house in The Outsiders.  That same year, he danced with the villagers from Anatevka in Fiddler on the Roof.  He looked like a cricket up on the stage, dancing in a circle with everyone, but he knew the choreography!  He was hooked.  

Tyler played basketball, baseball and football.  His grandpa took him to play golf and saw that he had lessons.  He is blessed with natural athletic ability, but when it came time to decide which sport to play in high school, he chose acting, singing and dancing.  What a surprise!  He also is blessed with a beautiful voice and participated in the school choir.  His athletic abilities give him a natural grace on stage.  

Now, he is all grown up, working in Nashville, writing songs, singing when the opportunity arises, others are singing his songs.  We went to lunch today, taking Tyler and his girlfriend to a terrific barbecue restaurant of his choosing.  I watched his easy smile, listened to his wicked sense of humor and admired his good looks.  How could it have possibly been 24 years ago.  Where is that sweet little boy with the curly hair, standing on the hearth of the fireplace singing into the poker from the fireplace tools?  

He is all grown up and his mother could not love him any more.

Because we were always on a limited budget, I did not buy many prepared foods - especially snack foods . Everything was baked from scratch.  Not only was it cheaper, it was healthier if that is possible when it comes to sweets.  At least there were no preservatives or corn syrup in what they ate.  I did sometimes cheat on frosting because of time constraints.  Tyler's favorite cookies are a from a recipe I found many, many years ago in a magazine.  Could not tell you what magazine any more.  The recipe is written in my book I started 41 years ago when we were first married.  It is tattered, stuffed full of cut out magazine recipes, and pieces of paper.  There are no empty pages to write on any more and haven't been for years.  I keep a rubber band around it to keep it from exploding. Whenever it was Tyler's turn to choose what I was going to bake, he always chose these cookies.  

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 pkg large marshmallows, cut in half with kitchen scissors, approximately 18 whole marshmallows for 36 1/2 marshmallows.

1 can fudge frosting mix.

To make:

Sift dry ingredients together.  Beat well by hand vegetable oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, milk and add to dry ingredients. Do not use a mixer.  Add nuts.  Drop by spoonsful onto greased cookie sheet.  After baking 8 minutes at 350, remove from oven and press 1/2 marshmallow into each cookie.  Return to oven 2 minutes longer.  Cool and frost.  This recipe makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

You can frost with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting, which I have done.  I  often use Duncan Hines fudge frosting.  It's quicker and easier.   This recipe doubles easily.   These cookies were always requested by our friends at get togethers.  They are really, really good!   The cookie has a brownie like texture and there is the hidden surprise of the marshmallow when you bite into them.  

Thanks for letting me walk down memory lane today.  I hope you will give Tyler's favorite cookies a try, especially if you have a birthday celebration anytime soon.   I know you will love them!!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

There is nothing better than cookies and milk, unless it's cookies and a cup of hot coffee!  Yum!!  And, they will always make you think of someone you love.  

How About a Holiday Weekend Breakfast Treat?

Well, it's the first of the summer holiday weekends.  Are we excited?  Yes!  After the long, cold winter everyone is ready for warm sunny days, cook-outs, swimming, boating, fishing, camping, sand volleyball, baseball, basking in the sun, flip-flops and fireflies.  Back in our younger days, we looked forward to an evening at the drive in movies.  Unfortunately, there aren't many of those left, but it sure was fun to load up the car with friends or family, fill brown paper grocery bags with popcorn, put a cooler in the trunk with your favorite soda and go to see a double feature.   Remember those intermission cartoons with dancing hot dogs and hamburgers counting down until time for the next movie.  Ah, those were the good old days.

Summer is a time when many of us will have house guests.  The Memorial Day weekend can be the first road trip for many people. School is out and maybe your grandchildren will be spending weekends with you.   If you have visitors coming this weekend, or if you just have a few extra days at home and would like a special breakfast treat, give these delicious cinnamon rolls a try.  They are great for breakfast with a cup of coffee or a big glass of milk.  Oh my, they are so good.  There is no yeast so you don't have to wait for the dough to rise making this a very easy recipe.  You could make them the night before and pop them in the oven for  breakfast or brunch.  We are having them for an evening treat.  They are good anytime!

Dough

2 cups all purpose flour
2 TBSP Sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 TBSP butter, softened
3/4 cup milk

Filling

4 TBSP butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk

Make the filling first by combining 4 TBSP softened butter, 1 cup brown sugar and 3 tsp cinnamon.  Blend until crumbly.  (I use my hands to get the consistency I want which will be like a struesel)

Sprinkle 1/2 filling mixture in bottom of 9 inch round non-stick baking pan.

To make dough, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Cut in 3 TBSP of softened butter.  (again, I used my hands).  Stir in milk to make soft dough which will form a ball.  Roll dough out on floured counter using a floured rolling pin.  Roll to a 9x13 rectangle.  Will be about 1/4 inch thick.  Spread rest of filling mixture on dough, leaving 1/2 inch border around dough.  Roll up rectangle using long (13 inch) side.  Will look like a long cigar.  Dampen fingers and press seam to seal.  Using a sharp serrated knife, cut in 1 inch circles.  (remember, tip of thumb to knuckle is 1 inch).  Put each roll in baking pan, leaving small space between each roll.  This makes 12 rolls.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven.  Let cool slightly.  Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze.  I made my glaze in a measuring cup, so all you have to do is pour it over the rolls.   Remove the rolls from the pan with a spatula.  Eat and enjoy!

Here's to a glorious holiday weekend and an even better summer.  These cinnamon rolls will make your family and summer guests feel extra special.  Enjoy!

Everyday Donna

Things to remember:

There is no greater power in heaven or on earth than pure, unconditional love.” - Wayne Dyer

I Need CHOCOLATE

That sudden overwhelming urge comes over me.  I need chocolate and soon.  Ever have that feeling?  So, I asked Dan if he would eat something chocolate if I made it and without hesitation he replied "Yes!"
You know what that means?  Get out the baking stuff.

To me there is something so comforting about baking.  Measuring and mixing.  It makes me happy.  I baked my first cake from scratch when I was 10.  Yes, it was lopsided but good.  No one refused to eat it.  Well, it's Friday night and we need a treat so I am going to share the easiest cake recipe in the world with you.  Really.  It's so easy.

I always keep a few cake mixes in the pantry for emergencies and this is an emergency.  We need chocolate.....soon.  Here is the recipe and I bake it in a bundt pan.  You can bake it in a 9x13 if you want.  I just like the way it looks from a bundt pan.  Remember the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding about the "boont" cake?  Still makes me laugh.  Anyway, here it is

1 chocolate cake mix
2 large eggs
1 21 oz. can of cherry pie filling

Yup, that's it.  Now mix them all together until there is no shiny egg showing or dry cake mix.  At this point, I spray my non-stick bundt pan with cooking spray just so the cake doesn't stick. Now, you can put the cake mix in the pan and spread evenly.  This is where you and I may part ways.  I  like to doctor my cake up a bit.  I add:

1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, whichever I have on hand.

As Emeril says, we just took it up a notch...or two.

Mix any or all of the above ingredients into the cake mix and NOW pour it in the pan.  You may not like coconut, or nuts, or chocolate chips, or like us you may like all three.  It's your choice.   Bake at 350
until a toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes.  Let the cake cool and turn it onto a plate.  I put mine on my cake stand because it looks pretty.  Now, you can dust it with confectioner's sugar OR you can make a chocolate glaze first......which I do.  This is how you do it:

2 TBSP butter in small saucepan
approx. 1/2  cup confectioner's sugar
2 heaping TBSPs unsweetened cocoa
1 TBSP of milk at a time

Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring with wooden spoon so it doesn't burn.  Add confectioner's sugar, cocoa and 1 TBSP of milk.  Stir to combine all ingredients until it is chocolate in appearance and all lumps have disappeared.  Add just a little milk if necessary, like a tsp at a time.  The glaze needs to be pourable, not too thick.  When it is the desired consistency, remove pan from stove.

Pour chocolate glaze over the cake.  Dust with confectioner's sugar.  I use my tea strainer and put a couple teaspoons full of confectioner's sugar in it, rub the edge of the spoon back and forth over the sugar moving the strainer around the cake.  It looks like snow falling on your cake.  There is more control this way than if you use a sifter.  Or, you may have a shaker container that you fill with sugar and shake it on the cake.  Any of these ways will work.

Now, it's time to dig in.  This dense chocolaty cake is wonderful with a hot cup of coffee, a glass of cold milk, with ice cream or without.  However you like to eat it.  Any way will do and any way is delicious!

This is a good "go to" recipe when you need a cake in an emergency.  I have also made it with yellow cake mix which is delicious too.  It's your decision.  I just know it is quick and easy and especially great for a chocolate emergency.

This is also a great picnic cake which you could take to a Memorial Day gathering next weekend. You could even make cupcakes to take.  Everyone loves cupcakes.   I may make this and some good homemade vanilla ice cream to take to a gathering we are going to attend.  Or maybe a strawberry dream cake, or strawberry shortcake, or whatever strikes my fancy next weekend.  Anyway, give this recipe a try and I hope you will enjoy it.

Everyday Donna

Things to remember:

Love is all there is.