Coconut Candy

These are good for the holidays and very simple to make. You can skip toasting the coconut if you are really short on time.

Ingredients:
1/4 C butter
2 1/4 C powdered sugar
4 T evaporated milk
3 C shredded coconut
1 package semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Lightly toast coconut in oven.
Lightly brown butter over low heat on stove in medium sauce pan.
Stir in powdered sugar, coconut, and milk.
Form into 1 inch balls and place on wax paper.
Melt chocolate. Spoon a small amount on top of each candy.

Variation:
Drop a teaspoon of melted chocolate on wax paper to make a base. While the chocolate is still warm, place a coconut ball on top of it and press down gently.

Grandma's Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. beef for stewing
1 or 2 soup bones
8 C water
2 T salt
1/4 t pepper
2 T minced fresh parsley
1/2 C barley
1 1/2 C cubed carrots
1 1/2 C cubed potatoes
1/4 C chopped onions
1/2 C chopped celery
2 C canned diced tomatoes
1 1/2 C frozen peas.

Cut meat into cubes and brown. Place meat, bones, water, seasonings and parsley in heavy pan. Cover and cook slowly for 1 hour. Add barley and cook 1 hour longer. Cool and skim off fat. Remove soup bones. Add carrots, potatoes, onion, celery and tomatoes. Cook 45 minutes. Add peas and cook 15 minutes longer.
Serves 8. Freezes well.
(Note: I don't bother to brown the meat."

Melissa's Thanksgiving Cake

It all began on December the 30^th; my good friend’s birthday. Under most circumstances, I would make a cake flavored with chocolate or vanilla, but I hesitated on one point. My friend did not happen to like cake to the same degree that you find in most people.  I took it upon myself to make a cake that was not, well, a cake.  It was clear to me that something must be done for him, because certainly no one should go without a cake on their most special of days.  The challenge had begun!  My solution: a Thanksgiving cake.

             I pondered about how to bring this cake into being and planned exactly what it should include.  Thanksgiving dinner was the main theme I chose, which meant that my design must encompass all aspects of the meal.  When I saw a Betty Crocker Bake-and-Fill™ in my cabinet, I thought of how the cake could be made.  Betty Crocker™ clearly, it seemed, had made a cake mold just for my purposes; she added a convenient space in the middle of the cake to put the turkey.   Stuffing would then completely envelope the turkey center. Mashed potato “frosting,” gravy “icing,” and masterfully carved cranberry sauce hearts would be the decorations. 

            Early the next morning I began the construction of the Thanksgiving cake.  I had decided that everything should be made from scratch, so thus I began with the turkey breast After seasoning, injecting, and stuffing the turkey until I saw fit, I placed it in the oven to cook while I began preparations for the rest of the cake.  For the next several hours, the aroma of roasting turkey filled my house.  As the turkey cooked, I primed the rest of the ingredients.  I added freshly sautéed mushrooms, celery, onions and all of the other necessities required to flavor the stuffing.  When the turkey was done, I transformed it into bite-sized pieces and mixed it with a small amount of gravy. Searing hot, I molded the stuffing into the base pan and the pan that surrounds the center cavity; then I filled the center cavity with the turkey.  With the finished cake still hot, I “frosted” it with fresh homemade mashed potatoes. Next I piped hearty gravy “icing” to spell out his name. On the top I placed two red hearts that I cut from jellied cranberry sauce. At last, the stuffing cake was finished.

            The cake was received in the most glorious of fashions, and I was showered with praise upon praise for the masterpiece.  Satisfaction filled me with happiness while cake filled my stomach.  All of my effort was worth it; it was so pleasing to see how much my friend enjoyed the Thanksgiving cake. If you have a Betty Croker Bake-and Fill, you can use your Thanksgiving meal recipes to make a cake too.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 C butter
1/2 C margarine like Shedd Spread
3/4 C packed light brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
2 t. Vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 C flour
1/2 t kosher salt
2 C semi sweet chocolate chips
1 t baking soda
Parchment paper

Preheat baking pan to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, add together flour and baking soda. Sift twice and then whisk in salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add vanilla and egg. Beat well. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix well. Add chocolate chips.
Roll in hands into 1.5 inch balls and place on parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Slide cookies with parchment paper onto cooling racks. Makes about 45 cookies.