Rhubarb Bars

I am LoViNg this beautiful weather!  The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I've finally been able to get my little pond in and plant some shrubs and pretty flowers.  It's just been so relaxing and therapeutic to be enjoying the summer, finally.... nearing the END of June!  But after doing yardwork, I wanted something sweet!  And, thanks to my friend, I have some rhubarb in my freezer!  So I googled rhubarb desserts.  Don't you just love technology? I DO!  I found this recipe on midwestliving.com and changed it just a bit to suit my likings. Oh these are so yummy! I enjoyed them warm right out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.... But then, after they cooled and were cut into bars, they were absolutely delightful! { Please let it be our little secret that I ate two in one sitting!  I can't complain about the image looking back at me in the mirror, and expect anyone to have sympthy if I continue doing this! so.... shhhhhhh! :)} So, not only are they YUMMY, they are a versatile summer dessert!  Enjoy!

Rhubarb Bars
original recipe from midwestliving.com
adapted by From Cupboard to Cupboard
printable recipe

3 cups fresh or frozen, unsweetened, sliced rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla


1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened (could use shortening)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan; set aside.  For filling; In a medium saucepan, combine rhubarb, 1 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes.  Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp flour.  Stir into rhubarb mixture.  Cook and stir about 1 minute more until thick.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl (I used my KA), combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and baking soda.  Using a pastry blender or two knives (I used my KA), cut in butter til the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in chopped nuts.  Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture.
Press remaining crumb mixture into bottom of prepared pan.  Evenly spread rhubarb mixture on top.  Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.  Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden. Let cool completely on wire rack before cutting into bars.... {at least if you're serving them as cookies :)}


Happy Cooking!
Teauna

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Pumpkin Pie Dip

When fall rolls around every year, I think it's just natural to start craving Pumpkin goodies.  Of course, there is pumpkin sheetcake {one of my favorites}, pumpkin pie {oh yummy!},pumpkin shortbread dessert {a yearly Thanksgiving request} pumpkin bread {on the to-do list},pumpkin cupcakes {my favorite!} pumpkin scones {amazing!}, pumpkin cookies {with chocolate chips}, & one of the quickest and most crowd-pleasing  recipes is this one... Pumpkin Pie Dip.  It is a real quick fix and you can serve it will Nilla Wafers and Gingersnaps from the grocery store.  Of course, if you have more time, you can always whip up a batch of homemade Sparkling Ginger Snaps to serve with this amazing dessert dip! 

Pumpkin Pie Dip
Recipe adapted by From Cupboard to Cupboard
printable recipe

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.  Gradually add pumpkin, sour cream, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and ginger; beat until smooth.  Serve with gingersnaps or vanilla wafers.  Refrigerate leftovers!  Yield: 4 cups

Halloween Mini Cheesecakes

I have been on a baking craze lately and have had the best day ever today just baking and relaxing... and taste testing.  I have to admit to all of you, I am not a big fan of Halloween.  The creepy, crawly, scarey, bloody, icky stuff just doesn't excite me AT ALL! However, I love baking treats for Halloween.  They're so bright and colorful! And you can really think outside the box and people don't judge:) So, I was thinking this morning (after getting the chicken in the pot for some yummy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup) about what I could make for a fun "Halloween type" dessert for tonight.  Of course, I have this one favorite food of mine... OREOS! { I swear OREO's should be a food group of their own.} Who can turn down all the colorful new seasonal OREO's?  Obviously not me!  They're just so enticing, aren't they?  Oh and then of course, there's this wonderful ingredient designed just for my taste buds... CREAM CHEESE!!! Seriously, what's better than a combination of these two amazing things?  Not much, really. These Mini Cheesecakes are sooooo good.  They aren't too time consuming and don't call for any crazy (not a staple in my kitchen) kind of ingredients. 
So, I have this notebook filled with recipes that I've found here and there and just copied it down. This recipe is one that I found in my infamous notebook of "who knows where these came from, but I gotta try 'em" recipes.  So... to whomever you are out there that developed this recipe.... Oh How I Love Thee!  Let me count the ways...... one one thousand, two.... {whoa Tea, snap out of it!}.. Once again, it's the OREO's talking!
So take a plunge and make yourself (and your favorite people) some Halloween Mini Cheesecakes!  You won't be sorry! 

Halloween Mini Cheesecakes
adapted by From Cupboard to Cupboard
Printable Recipe

30 whole HALLOWEEN OREO cookies, divided
2 8 oz pkgs Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c sour cream
orange food coloring

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners (24).  Place 6 whole OREO cookies in a food processor and grind them up (or smash them in plastic bag).  Put 1 whole OREO in bottom of each liner.  Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add in the sugar and mix until combined.  Mix in vanilla.  Slowly add in eggs and continue mixing.  Add sour cream and mix to combine.  Use a spatula to scrape bowl.  Add in food coloring. Then add in oreo crumbs and stir just until combined.  Fill each liner about 3/4 full.  Bake for 22 minutes.  Allow to cool on wire rack.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hrs.  Remove liners and garnish with whipped cream and a cute little sugar pumpkin :)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Cooking!
Teauna

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I think I'm safe in saying that FALL has arrived!  What comes to mind when you think of fall?  Is it the gorgeous changing colors of the trees on the mountains?  Or perhaps the feel of the cool crisp air at night and the frosty windows in the mornings?  Of course, there's always the fall flavors like apple, pumpkin, peaches, cinnamon and spices!  Mmmmmm.... the warm comfort foods.  Well, this recipe is WONDERFUL!  It is the ideal recipe to share with others for fall.  Or better yet, just keep them to yourself! :)

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
original recipe from Joy of Baking
adapted by From Cupboard to Cupboard
printable recipe

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 lg eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla

frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 T butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners.  In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.  In another large bowl, whisk eggs until lightly beaten.  Add sugar and melted. Blend well. Stir in pumpkin, water and vanilla.  Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir just until ingredients combine.  Divide batter among prepared cups.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Immediately place on wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For frosting... beat cream cheese and butter until light and creamy.  Add vanilla and powdered sugar.  I added cinnamon for that extra bit of spice.  It was just the right touch...:)

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

**CHOCOLATE LOVERS DESSERT**

Alright.... I have to say this is one of my FAVORITE desserts... not only because it's so good and chock full of chocolate fudgey and gooey goodness, but because it is sooooooo easy! This is one of my go-to recipes in the summer when I cook in the Dutch Ovens! But it works just fine in your oven. If you have a 12-inch Dutch Oven.... use it!! If not, use a 4-5 qt. pot with a lid. You can use a Dutch Oven in your oven and it works just great. And for some reason, when ANYTHING is cooked in a Dutch Oven, it simply tastes better! I have an awesome 5 qt. enamilized Dutch Oven that I like to use.... my Mom gave it to me and I have LOVED it, so if you ever have an opportunity to purchase one, DO IT!!! You will not regret it!

If you are choosing to use a Dutch Oven... line it with aluminum foil. If you are using a pot, you can also line it with aluminum foil or you can just well-grease it! The aluminum foil just helps in the whole clean-up process. And with a Dutch Oven, that's always a plus right???

Now for the fun!

CHOCOLATE LOVERS DESSERT

printable version

Mix together:

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup cocoa

1 cup brown sugar

Pour in the prepared pot or Dutch Oven...

Now sprinkle 2/3 bag of Mini Marshmallows over top of chocolate mixture...

Mix a cake mix ( I like Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Mix) as directed on box. Pour over top of marshmallows.

Finally sprinkle with 1/2 cup + mini chocolate chips.

Bake at 375 covered for 30 minutes, then take off lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes. This will look kinda gooey because the marshmallows and the first mixture actually turn into a hot fudge. It can jiggle just a little bit, and be careful not to overbake it! Serve with vanilla ice cream while it's still warm! yummy!!!

This recipe will be requested by everyone again and again! ENJOY IT!!!

We will be revisiting this recipe when the warm weather comes and I will give you all the info on how to cook with charcoal! So FUN!!!!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

**PHILADELPHIA NEW YORK CHEESECAKE**

As I was sitting in the house in Wyoming with NOTHING to do (I like that I can do nothing there!), all I could think about was what I could cook or bake when I got home. Seriously, sometimes I drive myself NUTS!!!! But I had taken some magazines and cookbooks that I haven't had a chance to look at for the last couple of months so I tagged and marked recipes and pages that I wanted to try when we got home. Well, it's been a very crazy week but I finally got a recipe made! This recipe came out of the December & January 2010 edition Taste of Home Magazine...

This recipe calls for Cherry pie filling, but as you probably noticed, mine was covered in caramel and crushed oreos instead. We're not much for fruit topped cheesecake around here but do as you please. Let your taste buds guide you :-)

20 OREO cookies, finely crushed ( I used my pastry blender and chopped away! :-))

3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

5 (8 oz) pkgs Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

Heat oven to 325. Line 13x9x2 pan with foil. Mix crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of pan. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low after each just until blended. Pour over crust. Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool Completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Top with pie filling. I topped mine with caramel and crushed oreos...

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking

Teauna

Cake Balls

So, I first want to tell you that if I didn't know that I had neighbor plates to make, these would be so GONE already. They are amazingly yummy and you can make them so cute and festive. I am not finished with them and haven't yet got a pic, so it will come later however I wanted to post this recipe so that you may try it and add them to your neighbor plates...

First:
Bake a cake--
** use your favorite flavor of cake mix and mix it as instructed on the box..
My favorite is DARK CHOCOLATE!
Then:
Take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Then take your frustations out on it with a fork!!!! Crumble it into itty bitty crumbs!
Then let it cool completely!
Next:
Add 1 can of prepared frosting--
**I like cream cheese frosting!
STIR REALLY WELL UNTIL IT'S ALL COMBINED! REFRIGERATE UNTIL IT'S SET UP! THEN USE A COOKIE SCOOP OR TABLESPOON AND MAKE BALLS AND PLACE THEM ON A COOKIE SHEET COVERED WITH WAX PAPER. PUT THEM BACK IN THE FRIDGE TO SOLID UP AGAIN AND MAKE IT EASIER TO DIP. THEN DIP IN TEMPERED CHOCOLATE AND DECORATE WITH CHRISTMAS SPRINKLES OR MELTED COLORED CANDY COATING!

Make several different varieties for a fun plate...

Enjoy!!!!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

**Oatmeal Nut Pie**

Thank you for stopping by! Please visit my new blog HERE!  The recipe for Oatmeal Nut Pie is there and it's printable!  
I can't wait to have you follow me there.

Cream Cheese Fudgy Brownies

This is one of our very favorite brownie recipes! They certainly don't last long at our house!

For the brownies:

Preheat oven to 350... grease 9x13 pan and set aside...

4 oz Unsweetened Chocolate

3/4 cup butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir sugar into melted chocolate mixture. Mix in eggs and milk and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the flour. Spread in prepared greased pan.

In a bowl, whip 2 8 oz packages cream cheese, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 eggs, and 4 tablespoons milk together until well blended. Pour over brownies and swirl into brownies with a knife.

Bake 35-45 minutes. The cream cheese will start to brown and the brownies will begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. Don't panic when the cream cheese layer seems to 'fall' after you have taken them out of the oven:-) Let cool completely... cut into squares and serve! YUMMY!!!!!

*OATMEAL CAKE*

I have been baking my little heart out for the past few days... I now am finally getting some time to post a recipe. This is my dad's FAVORITE kind of cake. So, as a family we always got it this time of year for his birthday. Maybe that's why I was craving it :-) His birthday is on the 15th... so maybe we'll be having one then too. This is a very easy recipe and it's great for potlucks too! Not just your average cake, and I love everyone's response when you tell them it's "Oatmeal Cake"...

1 1/2 c boiling water
1 c quick cooking oats
1/2 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Pour boiling water over oats-mix well. Cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs. Stir in soaked oatmeal. Sift dry ingredients. Add to oatmeal mixture. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan and spread with topping.

Combine:
6 T butter
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 c coconut
1 c chopped walnuts
1/4 c evaporated milk

Heat in saucepan until bubbly. Stir in 1/4 tsp vanilla. Spread on cake. Put in oven under broiler until bubbly.

Happy Cooking

*Teauna*

**APPLE PIE TART**

After visiting with my mom on the phone this morning, we both decided we had a major case of "need to spend a day together"... so I loaded my tote full of cookbooks and goodies and loaded my car with kids and off we drove, over the river and thru the woods (to Grandmother's house we go!) Of course, I brought my SKOOKIES!!!! Mom and I put our heads together and created this recipe for the skookies... Can I tell you that the heavens are singing loudly!!!! First we got the kids together and had them use the apple peeler/corer/slicer to peel/core/slice the apples. That's a good activity for the little kidlets.

First:

6 small apples, cored/peeled/sliced

dash of lemon juice

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon flour for thickening

Mix this together in a bowl and set aside...

When I make any sort of dessert I like to grease the pan well to assure that it'll come off the pan without sticking.

Now either make your own pie crust or buy some pre-made crusts, whatever you prefer.

The pie crust recipe I use is:

2 cups flour

1/2tsp salt

2/3 cup butter flavored crisco

Mix well with pastry blender or cut with two knives. Sometimes I improvise and use a wire whisk and just mix it until it's all crumbly.

Then add about 8 Tablespoons of cold water and mix with your hands. It should be just a little sticky but not wet. If it is wet, just add a little flour. Don't overmix or your pie crust will be tough.

Now this was more than I needed so you could probably cut the recipe in half, but I had a better idea which I'll share later...:-)

Now roll two 8" circles about 1/8-1/4 inch thick and put in your well-greased skookie. It should hang over the edges about 2 inches all the way around. If it's not perfect, no worries, mine wasn't either :-)

Now put half of your filling in each skookie on the pie crust. Now just fold the crust up over the filling about 2 inches around and just fold and pinch it together...(refer to pic)

Put a tablespoon of butter in the center.

Place in oven at 425 for 30 minutes...

Take out and ENJOY!

With the remaining crust, I rolled it out into (2) 6-inch circles, placed them on the greased skookie pans and sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar and put it in the oven at 425 for about 10 minutes or so until it was golden brown and all puffy... soooooo good!!! This is a spectacular treat for the kids!

*****DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENT FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A FREE SET OF SKOOKIE PANS*****

Happy Cooking!

*Teauna*

CHOCOLATE DESSERT CUPS

So, I have been canning and life has been totally crazy!!! But last night, in the rush while making dinner and trying to figure out what I should make for dessert, a light bulb went off in my head! Hey! CHOCOLATE! So, I looked thru my freezer and came up with an idea! Imagine that! :-)

Here it is!

First, get a box of Puff Pastry Shells... I get the Pepperidge Farms brand and you can find them at any grocery store.

Follow the directions on the back to bake the Puff Pastry Shells...

* Preheat oven to 400

* Remove all wrapping. Place pastry shells on ungreased baking sheet with "top" up.

* Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and puffed

* Cool on wire rack 5 minutes

* Use table knife to remove "top" and soft pastry underneath.

While the pastry shells are in the oven, mix together a box (I used the large box) of your choice of flavor of pudding. I mixed together chocolate pudding! Yummy!

When your pastry shells are cooled and cleaned out, fill with pudding and top with whipping cream. Or use cool whip. Then garnish with the lid.

These are wonderful and so refreshing. My kids liked eating the pudding out of the center and using it as a bowl and refilling it. Then they ate the pastry.

I also thought they would be good with chopped up fresh fruit and whipping cream...

Happy Cooking!

*Teauna*