Chocolate Caramel Candy Cake

Ingredients
Cake:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
6 TBLS cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 cups vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBLS vinegar
2 cups water
Topping:
1 small container cool whip
1 Butterfinger candy bar
1 small jar (half a larger jar) of caramel/butterscotch ice cream topping

Mix together dry ingredients for cake. Add oil, vanilla, vinegar and water, mixing until blended. Pour into 13x9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Cool. Once cake is cool, poke a few holes in it. Pour caramel sauce over cake. Frost the cake with Cool Whip. Sprinkle crushed candy bar over Cool Whip. Best served same day. Refrigerate leftover cake.

As you can tell I didn't take this pic but it looked a lot better than mine. I loved this cake when I couldn't eat dairy because there is no milk or eggs in it. It is moist and was a big hit tonight at dinner.

http://www.betterrecipes.com/

Tiger Butter Bake Sale Bars

3/4 c. oil

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. cocoa powder

2 c. flour

11 oz. butterscotch chips

1 c. milk chocolate chips

Set aside 1/2 c. of butterscotch chips for frosting. In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, eggs, salt, baking powder, cocoa and flour until well mixed. Add chips & stir until incorporated. Spread dough evenly across a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees fpr 18-22 minutes (or just until center has set). Remove from heat & allow to cool until warm to the touch. Cut into squares, then remove individual squares, placing each bar onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool. Glaze with ButterBaby glaze.

ButterBaby Glaze
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Over medium-low heat, melt until all ingredients are well mixed and a smooth but slightly runny glaze has formed. (Add more or less milk, or more or less powdered sugar, as needed). Transfer to a plastic bag, seal. Cut one bottom corner off plastic bag and pipe onto cooled bars. Allow frosting to set before serving or sealing in plastic.

These are yummy. I made them for a fundraiser a friend of mine is doing. They are fairly easy but kind of messy when you put the glaze on.

This is one of my favorite blogs for desserts
http://conversationswithacupcake.blogspot.com/

She has stories to go along with everything she makes, and she takes great pics. I am always hungry after reading her blog

Banana Bread

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom only of loaf pan. In large bowl, combine sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beat well. Add bananas, milk, and vanilla; blend well.
In small bowl, combine flour, nuts, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add to banana mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into greased pan.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 min; remove from pan. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator.


Everybody has a favorite banana recipe, this is mine. I have never added nuts because Bryan doesn't like them. One trick I have learned is if the outside is down and the top middle is still a little mushy after about 55 min I turn the oven off and let the bread sit in there a few more min and that usually bakes it all the way through

Bryan Texas Sheet Cake Brownies

Cake
1 cup water
4 Tbsp cocoa
3 cubes margarine
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
½ cup buttermilk
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs slightly beaten

Frosting
1 cube margarine
3 Tbsp cocoa
6 Tbsp evaporated milk
½ tsp vanilla
1 1-lb box powdered sugar

Cake:
In a saucepan combine water, coca and margarine and bring to a boil. In mixer combine sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Pour saucepan mixture over sugar and flour mixture and mix well. In small bowl combine buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla. Add to mixture. Beat well. Add eggs last and beat well. Pour into greased and floured jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes.

Frosting:
Start about 3 min before cake is finished baking. In saucepan melt carefully margarine, cocoa, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Bring to just about boiling, stirring constantly and add 1 box powdered sugar. Beat with mixer immediately until smooth. Remove cake from oven and spread frosting while cake is hot.


We love these at our house, it is bad when we make them because I end up eating most of them. It does make a lot.

English Muffin Pizzas

This is another easy one! It's relatively healthy (depending on which toppings you choose!) and low in calories, yet filling. I love it as a snack or as a meal.

Ingredients:
English muffins (one muffin makes two mini pizzas) Tomato sauce/pizza sauce/spaghetti sauce
Shredded cheese
Toppings, as desired:
pepperoni
ham
mushrooms
green peppers
black olives
onions
tomatoes
pineapple
garlic powder
etc.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice English muffins in half and toast in the toaster. Place slices open-faced on a baking sheet. Put one tablespoon of sauce on each slice and spread with back of spoon. Add desired toppings. Top with cheese. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden brown. Yum!

Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 chopped onion
2 cups ketchup
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
4 boneless/skinless chicken breast
1 doz large soft rolls

Add all ingredients in crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours. When it gets closer to being done stir chicken with a fork to shred. Serve on fresh rolls. *we half this recipe for our family and still have enough for 2 sandwiches the next day for lunch**suggestions* set your oven on broil and add your favorite cheese to your roll. Broil open faced to toast bread and melt cheese. You can also do this with a beef or pork roast

Blueberries and Strawberries

My mom found this recipe and it was yummy.

Take the big blueberry muffins from Costco and cut into eighths and put around a bowl top with strawberries and cool whip. We added ice cream in the middle. It is supposed to be a 4th of July dessert with the red white and blue and put the muffins in a star shape. But it would be yummy anytime.

Banana Split Cupcakes

I found this recipe in a cookbook I have, called "Kids' Party Food." I've been excited to try it and just made them this past week for an Activity Days activity.

Ingredients:

1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup water

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

3 eggs

1/2 cup chopped drained maraschino cherries

1 1/2 cups miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups prepared vanilla frosting

1 cup marshmallow creme

1 teaspoon shortening

Colored sprinkles

30 whole maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake/muffin pans with paper baking cups (you'll need about 30).

Reserve 2 tablespoons dry cake mix in a separate small bowl. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining cake mix, water, bananas and eggs. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Combine chopped cherries and reserved cake mix. Stir chopped cherry mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips (I used regular instead of mini-sized chips and it worked fine) into batter.

Spoon batter into baking cups. Bake 15-20 minutes (test with toothpick). Cool pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes to wire racks and cool completely.

Combine frosting and marshmallow creme in a medium bowl until well blended. Frost each cupcake. Combine remaining chocolate chips and shortening in small microwavable bowl. Microwave 30-45 seconds, stirring until smooth. Drizzle chocolate mixture over cupcakes (I used Hershey's chocolate syrup instead of melting the chocolate chips and it worked well, though it was a little messy!). Add colored sprinkles. Place one whole cherry on each cupcake.