BANANA-WALNUT MUFFINS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin tin cups.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a small bowl, mix the milk, egg, water, oil, banana and walnuts together well. Pour the milk mixture into the well of the flour mixture. Mix the batter just until all the flour mixture is moistened. Do not over mix muffin batter! Spoon the batter (using an ice cream scoop makes muffins even in size) into the prepared muffin tin cups. Bake at 400 degrees about 15 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and muffins are golden.

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CREAM CHEESE BROWNIE PIE

1 9-inch pie crust
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tbsps sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 pkg (15 oz) Fudge Brownie Mix (with a fudge packet)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsps water
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and 1 of the eggs. Beat the mixture until smooth. Set aside. Reserve the fudge packet from the brownie mix.

In a large bowl, combine the brownie mix, canola oil, 1 tablespoon of the water, and the remaining two eggs. Beat the mixture 50 strokes with a large spoon. Spread 1/2 cup of this mixture over the pie crust. Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly and carefully over the brownie mixture. Top cream cheese mixture with the remaining brownie mixture. Spread evenly. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

Bake pie at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until the center is puffed and the crust is golden brown. Place the ingredients of the fudge packet in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the remaining water into the chocolate. Drizzle over the top of the pie. Cool at least 3 hours before cutting. Store this pie in the refrigerator.

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ORANGE CUPCAKES with WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING

6 tbsps butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp freshly grated orange peel
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 large egg
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar, orange peel, baking powder and baking soda together until fluffy. On low speed, beat in the egg, then sour cream, then orange juice. At this point the batter will look curdled. Beat in the flour to blend. Spoon into the paper lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Then frost with White Chocolate Frosting, recipe below.

White Chocolate Frosting:
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tbsps orange juice

Melt chips as directed on the package; cool slightly. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the melted chips into a large bowl. Add the butter to the chips and beat with electric mixer to combine. Add the powdered sugar and orange juice. Beat the mixture on low speed until all is blended. Increase the speed to high and beat for about 2 minutes until the mixture is fluffy. Add a few more drops of juice if needed to get the right consistency for spreading. Tint frosting yellow or a light orange, if desired.

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LEMON POPPY SEED BREAD II

2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
2 tbsp poppy seeds
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk

Glaze
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and lemon extract; mix well. Stir in poppy seeds.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture and milk to sugar mixture alternately, mixing well after each addition. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Loosen edges from sides of pans. Cool loaves in pans for about 10 minutes. Turn out on wire racks.

Make the glaze by blending the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle over the warm loaves.

NOTE: You can make a great spread to use on this bread by combining poppy seeds to softened cream cheese.

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CARAMEL NUT TART

1 1/4 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tbsps firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
35 caramels
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
3 cups toasted pecan pieces
1-oz (1 square-) baking chocolate

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix Graham cracker crumbs, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Press the mixture firmly onto the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Unwrap the caramels into a large microwaveable bowl. Add the whipping cream and coffee granules. Combine the ingredients and microwave on High for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute, until the caramels are completely melted. Stir in the pecans. Spread the mixture evenly over the crust. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm. Melt 1 square of baking chocolate and drizzle over the top before serving, if desired.

Yield: 12 servings

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STRAWBERRY-ALMOND CRUMBLE

5 cups fresh strawberries, halved*
1 large apple, peeled, cored, chopped**
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsps all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine strawberries, apple, sugar, vanilla, and flour in a large bowl; stir to mix well. Spread mixture into a shallow baking dish and set aside.

*You may substitute unsweetend frozen berries
**In my opinion, Macintosh apples work the best.

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsps butter

Combine flour, oats, almonds, nutmeg, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the fruit mixture. Bake until the topping is light brown, about 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes.

Serve topped with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

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ANGEL TRIFLE

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 cups plain fat-free yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract

Blend the above ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl; set aside.

1 Angel Food cake, cubed or torn into bite-size pieces

1 pkg (12-oz) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
2 tbsp sugar

Gently combine the raspberries and sugar; set aside. Do not drain the raspberries.

2 large fresh peaches, peeled and diced
2 fresh pears, peeled and diced
1 large firm banana, thinly sliced

Fresh raspberries for garnish, optional

To assemble the trifle: Pour a half cup of the yogurt mixture in the bottom of a glass bowl. Place a third of the angel food cubes on top of the yogurt mixture. Top with a third each of the diced peaches, diced pears, and raspberries. Drizzle a third of the raspberry juice over the fruit and cake. Top with a third of the sliced banana. Pour a third of the yogurt mixture over the cake and fruit. Repeat the process twice.

Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to allow the cake to absorb the fruit juices. 

Garnish with the fresh raspberries before serving, if desired.

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CARAMEL-APPLE BARS

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, chilled
1 can (21-oz) apple pie filling
20 caramels, unwrapped
1 can (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, oats, and brown sugar in a bowl; mix well. Stir in baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture. Press the remaining mixture over bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes; cool slightly. Spread pie filling over baked crust.

In a medium saucepan, combine the caramels with the sweetened condensed milk. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. This will take approximately 5 minutes. Pour over pie filling. Mix reserved oats mixture and the walnuts in a bowl. Sprinkle over the caramel layer. Bake about 20 minutes until set. Cool. Cut into bars.

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MINT CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

1/3 cup semisweet mint-chocolate chips

4-oz Neufchatel cheese, softened
16-oz pkg powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tbsps semisweet mint-chocolate chips

Place the 1/3 cup mint-chocolate chips in a microwave safe medium to large bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until the chips are almost melted. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

When chocolate is cooled, add the Neufchatel cheese and beat at medium speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar to the mixture and beat until well blended. Press the mixture into a 6-inch square on heavy-duty plastic wrap and cover with additional plastic wrap. Chill at least one hour. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap and cut truffle into 48 squares. Roll each square into a small ball and place on waxed paper. Roll half the balls in the unsweetened cocoa and the other half in the powdered sugar. Place the 2 tablespoons of the mint-chocolate chips into a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Microwave on high 1 minute or until the chips are softened. Knead the bag until the chips are smooth. Make a tiny snip in one bottom corner of the bag. Drizzle chocolate over the balls that have been rolled in cocoa. Serve at room temperature.

I got this recipe from Cooking Light in 1999.

MUD HENS

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 egg white, reserving 2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix butter, sugar,eggs, flour, baking powder, vanilla, and salt together. Spread very thinly in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Sprinkle with nuts. Beat remaining 2 egg whites until stiff and beat in the brown sugar. Spread over the nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Cut into 24 squares while still hot.

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