October Cooking Club

So the winner for the fall cooking club is....

Cooking with Fall Ingredients

(don't worry though, we'll come beck to crock-pot cooking this winter)

Here's what we need:

2 appetizers

2 main dishes

4 sides

1 soup or salad

1 bread

2 desserts

beverages

ice

(Please plan to feed 8-10 people)

To sign up to bring a dish please use the comment section on this post. Post what you want to bring and which ingredient from the list below you will include in your dish. For example, you may want to bring and appetizer with chestnuts in it so here is what you post...your name, appetizer, and chestnuts.

Please use one of the following ingredients in your dish

Apples

Gourds

Pumpkin

Chestnuts

Mushrooms

Pecans

Squash

Pomegranates

Pears

Dates

Corn

There will be an evite sent out for cooking club. Please be sure to respond.

Praline Pecan Cake

Praline Pecan Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix (I mixed in flaxseeds for some omega-3)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (chopped however you'd like, as fine as sand, or coarse, or a mix. I find finer chopped pecans give a prettier presentation, but I usually just use the bag of chopped pecans "as is")
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan. When done, allow cake to cool and leave in pan.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

3. In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, flour, butter and egg. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in pecans and vanilla. Spread over cake. Place in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Symphony Brownies

Symphony Brownies

Ingredients:

*hint: These brownies work just as well with your favorite boxed
brownie mix with the Symphony Bars in the middle!

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
3 large Hershey's Symphony Bars

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl at HIGH for 2 minutes or until butter is melted.

Stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir in milk and flour.

Spread half of mixture in greased 13 x 9 inch pan.

Place 3 Symphony bars on top and cover with remaining brownie batter.

Bake for 35 minutes (do not over bake- Toothpick trick doesn't work well with these because of the melted chocolate bars in the middle. Look for the edges to start coming away from the sides of the pan, but don't let
them get too dry.)

Four Layer Delight

Four Layer Delight

1st Layer:

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup flour

mix and press into 9X13 pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Let cool.

(I like to double this so the crust is thicker)

2nd layer:

1-8oz cream cheese

1 cup cool whip

1 cup powdered sugar

mix and spread over cooked crust.

3rd layer:

2-3oz pudding packages

prepare according to instructions

spread over 2nd layer

4th layer:

Spread cool whip over 3rd layer.

Sprinkle with pecans.

Texas Sheet Cake

Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup water

4 Tablespoons cocoa

2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Bring to Boil:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup water

4 Tablespoons cocoa

Once it comes to a boil, remove from stove top and let cool at room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine:

2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk*

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine chocolate mixture (once cooled), to the egg mixture and mix well.

Pour into oblong pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 Tablespoons cocoa

1-16oz box powdered sugar

6 Tablespoons milk

Mix well. (frosting will be very thick).

Spread over cake as soon as it come out of the oven.

Let cool completely before serving

*If you do not have buttermilk, pour 1/2 cup regular milk into a cup and add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice. Let set for 5 minutes. Stir and add to recipe.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

recipe from Hannaford Fresh

Ingredients (Cupcakes):

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Directions (cupcakes):

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup muffin pan or insert and spray paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and molasses. Us an electric mixer on high to mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Add egg and buttermilk and mix until blended, about 1 minute.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Add to butter mixture and mix on low speed until all the flour is incorporated. Do not over mix.

4. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop batter into prepared muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes, until the surface springs back when you touch it lightly. Cool for 5 minutes in pan then 15 minutes on wire rack. When cool frost and decorate.

Ingredients (frosting):

1/4 cup salted butter, room temperature

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Directions (frosting):

In a large bowl, combine butter and cream cheese, Use an electric mixer on medium high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Sift powdered sugar into mixture and mix on medium until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container.

Oreo Balls

Oreo Balls

Ingredients:

1 pkg oreo cookies, crushed

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1 pkg chocolate chips

Directions:

Using a blender or mixer, mix oreos and cream cheese together

Roll into walnut size balls

Chill for 1 hour

Melt package of chocolate chips

Stick a toothpick in an oreo ball and dip it into the melted chocolate

Allow to harden on wax paper

Takes about 15 minutes