Caramel Walnut Bars

Base:
1 package yellow cake mix (with pudding in mix)
1 egg
1/3 cup margarine (softened)

Filling:
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Heath bits (chips)
1 egg
1 cup chopped walnuts (use pecans if desired)

Mix base ingredients until crumbly. Press into greased 13 x 9 pan. Mix filling ingredients by hand until well blended. Pour over base. Bake at 350 for 25 a 30 minutes (I baked for 30 minutes) or until golden brown. Center may appear loose. It will set upon cooling. Cool completely before cutting. Sprinkle top with confectionary sugar for a decorative touch. Can be served alone, with whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

Note: might be fun to mix a few chocolate chips in with the Heath bits.

Recipe from Patty Ayers

Apple Crisp

I decided to make dessert to bring over to Josh and Jessica's one night and think I may have stumbled upon William's favorite treat. I suspected it was a success when I left with an empty dish but knew I'd hit the jackpot when I got back to Patty and Steve's and their dish was empty as well. Thank you Betty Crocker for, once again, making me look good :)


Apple Crisp

4 cups apples - use a variety - peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3 margarine or butter
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375. Grease an 8 x 8 glass dish and set aside.

Prepare apples, mixing the slices together. Spread bottom of the baking dish with the apples. Mix all remaining ingredients (except whipped cream/ice cream) in a bowl, cutting the butter into the mixture until crumbly. Use hands to mix if necessary. Sprinkle mixture on top of apple slices, covering completely. Bake for 30 minutes or until topping is golden and apples are tender. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Amazing Raisin Cake

Years ago, a recipe came out in all the magazines for this cake. I'm sure it was put out by Hellman's Mayonnaise and Sun-Maid Raisins as I still have a magazine page torn out with the recipe and pictures ... It's one of those cakes that takes a little more effort than making up a mix from a box but it is SOOO worth it. It seems to me that I used to grate up some carrots if I had them and toss them into the batter probably because it reminded me so much of a rich, delightful carrot cake so keep that in mind ... 

Amazing Raisin Cake

3 cups unsifted Flour
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Milk
2 Eggs
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
3 cups chopped, peeled Apples
1 cup Sun-Maid Seedless Raisins
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Walnuts

Grease and flour 2 (9") round baking pans. In large bowl with mixer at low speed, beat first 10 ingredients for 2 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in apples, raisins, and nuts. Pour into pans. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to rack and cool. Fill and frost with 2 cups whipped cream.

Congo Bars

This is one of Dave's all time favorite treats. His mom (Glennys) shared it many years ago and I passed it around to my friends as well. That was good thinking because somehow along the way I lost it. Recently Jill Wirth got in touch to see if I still had a copy because she couldn't find hers. I had to resort to the internet to find what I hoped was the same recipe, but luckily, Jill found her copy and sent it to me. All is right with the world now and I'm posting this so it doesn't go missing again! 

Congo Bars

2 3/4 cup Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Margarine
2 cups packed Light Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
1 cup Chopped Walnuts
1 6 oz package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt margarine. Add in brown sugar, stirring until well-blended. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add eggs,  one at a time, beating well after each one.

Add dry ingredients and mix until fully blended. Add in nuts and chips.

Pour into greased 13" x 9" pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

Apple Cake

Teri Peterson gave me this recipe years ago. I used to make it all the time but I think I kind of "overdid" it. Thinking I might try it again. I remember it was wonderful with ice cream on top.

Apple Cake

2 Eggs
2 cups Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup Oil
3 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup chopped Walnuts
3 cups Apples, peeled and diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with non-stick spray.

Mix together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. Gradually add dry ingredients (flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda).  Gently fold in walnuts and apples. Batter will be lumpy. Do not overmix.

Place batter in pan and bake for about 50 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Rhubarb Crisp

Another Grandma (Glennys) recipe that is just incredible. I could seriously just stand there and eat the entire crisp in one sitting. Just thinking about it now ... well, I wish I had some rhubarb! 

Rhubarb Crisp

4 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened Rhubarb
1 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Flour
2/3 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Rolled Oats
3 Tbsp Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Put rhubarb in greased 8" x 8" baking dish. Mix granulated sugar with 1/4 cup flour and stir into the rhubarb. Combine brown sugar, oatmeal, remaining flour and butter. Sprinkle over the top of the rhubarb. Bake for about 40 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Note:  You could substitute blueberries or a combination of fruits such as strawberries/rhubarb or strawberries/raspberries/blueberries for the rhubarb to make a nice crisp!

Mint Brownies

This is a recipe shared by Marla Dudley. I met Marla while taking carving lessons from John Adams and one of our scheduled classes happened to fall on my birthday. Marla made these brownies for the group and had candles and a birthday message written on the top ... is was such a nice treat and a wonderful surprise. These brownies are one of my absolute favorite treats. I bring them to lots of gatherings when I want to keep it simple with something like brownies from a box, but also want to dress it up a bit. These are perfect.

Mint Brownies

1 Brownie Mix (family size - for a 13 x 9 pan. I usually buy the Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mix)
2 cups Confectionery Sugar
1 tsp Peppermint extract
4 drops Green Food Coloring
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted Butter
1 cup Chocolate Chips
6 Tbsp Butter

Prepare brownie mix as directed on box in a 13" x 9" pan. Set aside and let cool.

Use a mixer to blend together the confectionery sugar, peppermint extract, food coloring and melted butter until creamy. Spread frosting mixture on top of the cooled brownies.

Melt the chocolate chips with 6 tablespoons of butter and stir to blend. Spread over the frosting layer. You can pour it on and move the pan around to help coat the frosting layer evenly.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 1" - 1 1/2" squares. These are very rich and smaller portions are perfect.

Note: I have decorated on the top of the chocolate layer with frosting in a decorative tube to dress this up for a special occasion.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Dave got this recipe from someone at Kodak because he knows I'm not a big fan of pies -- but I love pumpkin. It's my favorite Fall dessert and a nice Thanksgiving or Christmas treat. It's especially nice to bring to a holiday gathering!

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Step 1 - Crust:

1 box Yellow Cake Mix (set aside one (1) cup of mix for topping)
1 stick Margarine (melted)
1 Egg, beaten

In mixing bowl, mix all ingredients with fork until all cake mix is absorbed. Press into the bottom of a lightly greased and floured (or use non-stick spray) 13" x 9" pan.

Step 2 - Filling:

1 can (29 oz.) Pumpkin
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Brown Sugar (packed)
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
2/3 cup Milk
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

In mixing bowl, beat with mixer and then carefully spread over the crust layer.

Step 3 - Topping:

1 cup of dry Yellow Cake mix
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped Walnuts
1/2 stick cold Margarine

Mix cake mix, sugar, and walnuts together and then cut in cold margarine until mixture is crumbly. Work with hands only if necessary to get a crumb-like consistency. Sprinkle over top of pumpkin layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 65 - 70 minutes or until pumpkin mixture is set.

Cut into squares and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Low Fat Angel Food Dessert

My friend Wendy at RIT used to make this whenever we had an occasion in our office. I had to restrain myself from eating the entire bowl of it myself. It's easy, quick to make up, and yummy -- even if you're not on a diet.

Low Fat Angel Food Dessert

1 Prepared Angel Food Cake Ring (like from Wegmans bakery department)

1 Container Low Fat Raspberry Yogurt (6 - 8 oz. size)

1 Medium Size Container of Whipped Topping

1 Container of Raspberries

Break up the angel food cake into bite size pieces and put in a large bowl. Add the container of yogurt and a large scoop of the whipped topping to the cake. Gently mix just to moisten the cake. Place cake in a nice serving dish. Cover with the rest of the whipped topping. Garnish with the raspberries on top.

Note: You can substitute strawberries with strawberry yogurt or blueberries with blueberry yogurt. If doubling the recipe, you can just use one of the large tubs of whipped topping instead of two medium size. 

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

This is probably one of my favorite desserts that Grandma (Glennys) makes. It just has it all -- sweet, tart, creaminess. texture ... 

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Jiffy Yellow Cake mix (for an 8 x 8 pan)

3 Tbsp. Margarine

2/3 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar

2 cups Rhubarb, finely chopped

Prepare cake mix as directed on package and set aside. Melt the margarine and pour into an 8” x 8” cake pan. Spread the brown sugar and rhubarb over the melted margarine and then pour the cake batter into the pan on top of the rhubarb and sugar.

Bake for 45 – 50 minutes at 350°. Cool 2 – 3 minutes and then invert onto cooling rack.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Note:  For a larger crowd you can use a regular yellow cake mix, double the rest of the ingredients, and make in a 13" x 9" pan. 

FANTASTIC!!!!

Walnut Squares

This is probably one of my favorite dessert recipes and I know it's a family favorite as well. Grandma (Glennys) made this and gave me the recipe back when Dad and I were first married. She said it's one her family up in Vermont always made, so I guess it goes way back. Dad says the first time he remembers having Walnut Squares was when Grandma made them to serve at the Lily Open House his father hosted for the neighborhood when he was just a little boy.

Walnut Squares

2 cups light brown sugar
2/3 cups margarine
3 eggs
1 cup flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup finely crushed/chopped walnuts

Cream the brown sugar and margarine. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in each one slightly before adding the next. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture. Add the vanilla and cup of walnuts. Blend all ingredients until creamy.

Spread batter into greased 13” x 9” pan. Bake at 350˚ for 30 – 40 minutes or until golden brown. Do not overbake.

Sprinkle with confectioners sugar when cooled.

Banana Split Cake

This is my favorite spring and summer cake recipe. I love to have an excuse to make it because it's just not something you make for "everyday" ...

Banana Split Cake

Bottom layer:
2 cups of crushed graham cracker crumbs (about 1 sleeve)
1 stick melted margarine

Mix together in a medium size bowl and then press into the bottom of a
13 x 9 pan. Put pan in refrigerator to help firm it up while you make the filling.

Filling:
2 eggs
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 sticks of margarine (softened)
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Beat eggs, sugar, margarine and vanilla for 10 minutes (yep! 10 minutes) scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Spoon filling on top of the crumb layer and spread carefully so you don’t break the crust.

Fruit layer:
On top of filling put a layer of banana slices (about 3 medium size bananas). Next evenly spread crushed pineapple (use a 20 oz. can that has been very well drained) over the top of the bananas. Finally, top with a layer of sliced strawberries.

Frosting:
Top with a medium size container of Cool Whip (I use Cool Whip Lite). Sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts.

Chill in refrigerator for several hours or preferably overnight before serving.