Mom's Butterscotch Bars

2 c brown sugar
2 c unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 c flour


Preheat oven to 350°F
You'll need a 15x11 jelly roll pan (a half sheet pan can be used but bars will be thin.)


Melt butter in a double boiler (I put the mixer bowl on top of a pot of boiling water to make this simple.) Add brown sugar and mix until sugar a fully combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
(I put the bowl on the mixer, 7ndtalled the paddle and let it mix in low for 10-15 minutes to cool down.)
Add eggs one at a time mixing thoroughly.
Whisk dry ingredients separately then add to butter & brown sugar mixture. Mix well.
Spread evenly into pan.
Bake 20-30 minutes, rotating pan 1/2 way through.
Cut while warm.

Spicy Groundhogs

Ingredients 

½ c. butter/margarine

1 c. sugar

½ c. molasses

1 egg yolk

2 c. flour

½ t. salt

½ t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1 t. ground ginger

1 t. ground cloves

1½ t. cinnamon

currants or raisins

Directions 

Cream butter and sugar together.

Blend in molasses and egg yolk.

Stir in flour and all other dry ingredients. Cover and chill for one hour or longer.

Roll out a small amount at a time on sugar sprinkled board. Roll 1/8-inch thick.

Cut out cookies with a lightly floured cutter (preferably, a ground hog shape!). Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet. Use pieces of currants or raisins for eyes.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350°F.

Spicy Honey Roasted Peanuts

16 ounces (453.59 g) peanuts, dry roasted (lightly salted)
⅓ cup (113 g) honey
½ cup (100 g) turbinado sugar, divided
½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt (optional)
Spice options:
½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
OR
½ teaspoon chili powder + ½ teaspoon smoked paprika + ½ teaspoon cinnamon (I use this combo)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the peanuts in a large bowl.

Microwave the honey in a medium bowl for 30 seconds (it will begin to bubble). Remove from the microwave and stir in ¼ cup of the sugar, the salt and cayenne pepper. Immediately pour the mixture over the peanuts and stir with a wooden spoon (I use a rubber spatula) until they are all coated with the honey mixture.

Transfer the peanuts to the prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, check and if they aren't browning, bake another 10 minutes until they begin to turn a golden brown.

Remove from the oven and stir the peanuts. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the sugar over the peanut and stir to coat evenly. Spread the peanuts out into a single layer and allow to cool completely. Once cool, break apart any peanuts that have stuck together and toss with any loose sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.

Yield: 1 pound

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Sausage & Cheese Filled Mini Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

Pepper cheese filling:

1 lb sweet italian sausage

2 - 8oz pkgs cream cheese

1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

24 small sweet peppers

Instructions 

Fry sausage well chopping to a fine mince.

Add hot straight into both pkgs cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Blend well. 

Mix in 1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Kraft can is fine) until the filling tightens up to be spreadable. Mix well. 

Cut peppers peppers in half lengthwise leaving the stems attached. Clean out seeds and membrane. Rinse well. Pack in cheese mixture smoothing the top. 

Place filled peppers on a baking sheet. 

Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until well browned. 

Homemade Sub (Hoagie) Rolls

(Photo shows a 4x batch with optional toppings. Foreground left to right, dried parsley, caraway seed, poppy seed, everything bagel spice x2. Row above foreground left to right, garlic salt x3, dried parsley, caraway seed, poppy seed, second row above foreground left to right, plain x4, garlic salt)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water, warm

2 Tablespoons active dry or Instant yeast

3 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 tsp fine salt

3 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil

4 cups all-purpose flour spooned and levelled (500g)

Directions

Add lukewarm water to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the kneading hook. Add the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar. Let stand 5 minutes, then add the remaining sugar, salt and vegetable oil. Mix briefly to combine.

Note: if using instant yeast, you can mix it dry into a few cups of flour and skip the blooming process above. Just mix the salt, sugar, and oil in with the water and proceed as below.

Add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing between additions. When all the flour has been added, continue mixing for a 3-4 minutes, to develop the dough. The dough may be quite wet and sticky. That's fine. It will tighten up as it rests and you can add additional flour later, if needed. If using a mixer, remove the kneading hook and cover the top of the bowl with a clean tea towel. Let stand 15 minutes.

Remove dough to a floured work surface. Knead dough a couple of minutes, adding additional flour as needed, only if the dough is sticking to your hands or the work surface. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. *I like to weigh the entire piece of dough, then divide that amount by 4, to weigh out identically sized pieces.

Form each piece of dough into a ball, cover with a clean tea towel and let rest 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F (regular bake/not fan-assisted).

Roll each piece of dough into an 8x8-inch square. Starting with the edge closest to you, tightly roll the dough up, jelly-roll style and pinch the seam together. Using your palms, roll the dough log on a work surface, gently and evenly stretching it out longer, until it is 11 to 12-inch long. Be sure that the dough is even thickness along the length of the dough. Remove dough to a large, un-greased baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Brush the dough with water, cover and let rise 20-30 minutes, until puffy.

Brush the dough with water again and sprinkle with any toppings at this point (seeds, cheese, dried herbs etc.)

Bake 18-22 minutes, or until deep golden. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Wrap and store at room temperature or in the fridge, to extend the freshness time. For longer storage, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.

Prep Time: 25 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins

Yield: 4 sub rolls

Bread Bowls

Bread Bowls

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tbsp instant yeast

1 tablespoon of oil

1 cup lukewarm water

1 1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 egg for brushing the breads

cold water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Add and mix all ingredients in mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix & knead by machine until dough comes off the bowl cleanly. Form dough by hand into a we'll formed ball. Oil the sides of the mixing bowl and place the dough back in to rise covered with a cloth or plastic wrap for one hour.

3. Transfer the dough to the kitchen counter, kneading the dough by hand several times.

Divide it into 3 equal pieces (I use a scale to ensure even size loaves). Tear off a small piece of dough from each part and shape it into a ball. Next, form each part of the dough into a large ball and put a small ball on top of it. Place the bread on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet, cover it with a cloth and leave it to rise for 20 minutes.

4. Blend egg with 1 tablespoon of cold water to make egg wash. Brush egg wash on each loaf of risen bread.

5. Bake the bread bowls in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes (4")

Makes 16 pancakes

1 c Flour, All Purpose

1/4 c Sugar, Granulated

1/4 c Oatmeal

1 lg Egg

1 Tbsp Baking Powder 1 Tablespoon

1 c Skim Milk

1/2-2/3 Granny Smith Apple, 1/4" dice

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients & apple in a medium mixing bowl. 

Add egg and milk 

Whisk until well mixed.

Let sit while griddle or skillet heats on medium heat.

Oil pan to form a light film. 

Pour enough batter to form a 4" circle.

Cook until bubbles rise and start to burst.

With a spatula, gently slide under and flip each pancake. Allow to cook through watching the edges.flip again briefly to ensure they are fully cooked the move to a plate in warm oven to hold for serving.

Serve with butter and syrup. I use apple cider syrup to enhance the apple flavor.