Saturday, May 18, 2013

DESSERT LOVERS: Send me your recipe for a chance to win 500 5-Ingredient Desserts Cookbook



Send me your recipe for a chance to win this cookbook
Love dessert? How about making desserts? Bob Hildebrand and Carol Hildebrand bring you 500 5-ingredient recipes and a whole lot more in this cookbook.
Simple yet elegant, from beginners to seasoned and serious homemakers – this book offers it all.

Chapter one will take you through Pantry Basics and techniques and will lead you through 12 chapters of cakes, brownies, pies and tarts and many other delectable chapters.
This cookbook can by yours by simply sharing one of your favorite recipes. All you need to do is submit your recipe before my June 4 cookbook drawing and your name will be entered.

Here’s how to enter:
Email one of your favorite recipes to me at Vicki.Arsenault@oakpress.com or if you prefer, you can send by mail: Vicki Arsenault, The Oakland Press, 48 W. Huron St., Pontiac, MI 48342. If sending by mail, please include a contact number for questions or notifying the winner.
If you have a photo, please send that along with your recipe.
The drawing for my next cookbook, 500  5-Ingredient Desserts will be held on June 4.
Winners will be announced here and in The Oakland Press.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

We have a winner of the 2500 Recipes: Ordinary to Extraordinary cookbook giveaway

Barbara Peckham of Burton was the winner of this cookbook.
Congratulations to Barbara Peckham of Burton. She’s the lucky winner of my 2500 Recipes: Everyday to Extraordinary cookbook drawing.
Barbara’s name was entered in the drawing after submitting her recipe – Cream Cheese Broccoli Casserole. She said she received this recipe from a friend around 30 years ago but never thought she would enjoy eating broccoli and was sure her children wouldn’t. Much to her surprise, it’s now a favorite and she serves it at all her family gatherings.
She altered the recipe slightly from the original, opting for topping off with Durkee onions in place of crackers and leaving out the option of rice.
Cream Cheese Broccoli Casserole
1 30 oz. pkg. frozen chopped broccoli or broccoli florets
1 can Campbells® cream of mushroom soup
1 8-oz. pkg. Philadelphia® cream cheese (softened)
1 stick butter
1 medium onion, chopped
Durkee® fried onions
Cook broccoli according to package directions. Drain and put into 3-quart casserole dish. Sauté onion in butter. Pour over cooked broccoli and mix well. Soften cream cheese and mix well with mushroom soup. Stir into the broccoli/onion mixture.
Top with Durkee® onions.
Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes until bubbly. Serve immediately.


Thanks for sharing your recipe Barbara Peckham and if you have another favorite, be sure to send it in to enter in my next cookbook giveaway drawing – 500 5-Ingredient Desserts.


This recipe, once a contest winner in The Oakland Press, was submitted by Lynn White of Clarkston. Prepare it for yourself and you’ll see why it’s a winner.
Almost Mounds Bars
Ingredients
1 box chocolate cake mix
2 sticks of butter, divided
24 large marshmallows
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk
12-oz pkg. of coconut
12-oz pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Prepare chocolate cake mix according to directions on package, adding 1 stick of butter if the mix doesn’t already call for butter.
Pour batter into a prepared 11x15 jelly roll pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. In medium saucepan, stir marshmallows, sugar and milk over medium heat until the marshmallows melt.
Add coconut and stir. Spread over cooked cake. In another pan, melt chocolate chips and remaining stick of butter over low heat. Spread over coconut layer and place in refrigerator.
Thanks to Lynn White of Clarkston for her recipe.

Bonnie’s Michigan Corn Chowder
Ingredients
6 cups of corn, cut off the cob or frozen
2 cans evaporated milk
1 cup chopped onion
2 tbl dried parsley
4 cups cubed potatoes
1 quart cold water
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup chopped red & green sweet pepper
½ cup unsalted butter
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 cup chopped smoked ham
2 tsp corn starch
Directions
Peel and wash potatoes. Cover with water in large pot and boil for 20 minutes. Add onions and sweet peppers, black pepper, corn and sea salt. Bring back to a boil. Turn to low and simmer 30 minutes more. Add evaporated milk, butter and parsley. Put corn starch into ½ cup cold water, beat with fork to get out all the lumps. Stir into the soup pot. Simmer 20 minutes longer and serve.

Jam Dandy Date Bars
Bonnie notes that you need to make the Date Jam first:
Ingredients for Jam
1-1/2 cups chopped pitted dates
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup water
1 tbl Brandy (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer five minutes. Mixture should resemble a thick paste. Cool.
Ingredients (Bars)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup chopped pecans
1-1/2 sticks butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees
Combine flour, oats, sugar, nuts and salt in large mixing bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Reserve 2 cups for topping and press remainder into bottom of greased 9x13 pan. Spread with cooled date jam and sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake 25-33 minutes, until golden. Cook completely, cut into bars.



Thanks to Bonnie Keding of Waterford for both the Michigan Corn Chowder and Jam Dandy Date Bars. Bonnie is already entered in my next cookbook giveaway drawing with more recipes I’ll be sharing soon.


Easy Bake ‘N’ Making Cookies
Makes 6 dozen
Bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees
1 cup butter or oleo
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup pancake syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Dash salt
1-1/3 cup quick rolled oats
1 cup coconut
Directions
Cream butter, sugars and peanut butter. Add egg, syrup, vanilla and mix. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into cream mixture. Stir in oats and coconut. Bake on greased cookie sheet and enjoy!


Thanks to Janette White of Highland for her recipe. Janette is also entered in my next cookbook giveaway drawing with her recipe I’ll be sharing soon.




Sharon Reinhardt of West Bloomfield submitted this recipe and she says even the men in her family love this, so she usually doubles the recipe.


Hidden Pear Gelatin Salad
1 16-oz. can pear halves
1 3-oz. box Jello. (Sharon uses orange)
1 cup or 1/2 of an 8 oz. tub of Cool Whip
2 tbl milk
1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese
Directions
Drain pears reserving juice.
Place juice in a small saucepan, bring to a boil. Remove from heat and dissolve dry box of Jello into juice. Stir until dissolved.
Cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, mash pears with a potato masher. Mix in cream cheese and milk. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add Jello and juice mixture into pear mixture and mix again with beaters.
Fold in cool whip and refrigerate.
Thanks to Sharon Reinhardt of West Bloomfield for her recipe.

Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad
2 cups wheat berries
7 cups water
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 medium apples (or more), unpeeled, cored and chopped
1 cup raisins
1 cup finely chopped parsley
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup apple juice
1 tbl salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
Directions
Soak the wheat berries at least 6 to 8 hours or overnight covered with a couple inches of water. Drain the water and set aside the wheat berries.
In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the wheat berries to the boiling water and simmer, uncovered for about 50 minutes, or until they are totally cooked through.
Wheat berries retain a firm, chewy texture when cooked. Drain the water and set aside the wheat berries to cool.
After cooled, transfer the wheat berries to a large mixing bowl. Add the walnuts, apples, raisins, parsley, apple cider vinegar, apple juice, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, olive oil and lemon juice. Mix everything thoroughly. Add more salt if necessary and serve.
Martha likes to prepare this at least a couple of hours before serving.
Serves 4
Thanks to Martha Hach of Royal Oak for her recipe.

Onion Cheese Puffs
1 cup water
1/3 cup margarine or butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
4 eggs
¾ cup shredded Swiss cheese (3-oz.)
1 small onion chopped (1/4 cup)
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees
Lightly grease cookie sheet
Heat water and margarine or butter to rolling boil in 2-quart saucepan.
Stir in flour, salt and garlic powder. Stir vigorously over low heat about one minute or until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, beat in eggs all at once until smooth. Stir in cheese and onion.
Drop dough by scant teaspoonful’s about one inch apart onto cookie sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Serve warm.
Thanks to Peggy Macek of Clarkston for her recipe.

Apple Delight
1-1/2 cup chopped apples
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp soda
Dash of salt
3 tbl vegetable oil
1 egg
½-1 cup walnuts
Mix all ingredients as listed.
Spread into 8x8 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
Optional: Top with ice cream or whipped cream.
Thanks to Robie Radford of White Lake for her recipe.

Roberta Blanchard of Auburn Hills says this is a delicious dessert and excellent for large gatherings.
Pineapple Coconut Pecan Cake
Ingredients
Cake
½ cup shortening
2 sticks butter
2-1/4 cups sugar
3 cups flour
¾ cup undrained crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 7-oz bag flaked coconut
6 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup milk
1 cup candied cherries (red or green) or mixed
Glaze
Melt over heat. ½ stick butter, 1-1/2 cup confectioner sugar, and 1 cup crushed pineapple with juice. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.
Directions
In large mixing bowl add shortening, butter and sugar. Cream until light in color and very fluffy (about 10 minutes).
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, then measure. Sift flour again with baking powder and add to creamed mixture. Add milk. Stir in pineapple with juice and vanilla. Fold in coconut, nuts and fruit.
Pour into greased 10-inch angel food cake pan. Place in cold oven and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Test for doneness.
Pour glaze over cake while cake is hot.
Thanks to Roberta Blanchard of Auburn Hills for her recipe. Roberta is also entered in my next drawing with another submitted recipe to be shared soon.

Special thanks to everyone for submitting a favorite recipe and entering my cookbook giveaway drawing.

Want to be entered in my next Cookbook Giveaway drawing? It's simple. Here's how:
To Enter:
Email one of your favorite recipes to me at Vicki.Arsenault@oakpress.com or if you prefer, you can send by mail: Vicki Arsenault, The Oakland Press, 48 W. Huron St., Pontiac, MI 48342. If sending by mail, please include a contact number for questions or notifying the winner.
If you have a photo, please send that along with your recipe.
The drawing for my next cookbook, 500 – 5 Ingredient Desserts will be held on June 4.
Winners will be announced here and in The Oakland Press.