Recipe: Peach Dessert

This recipe comes from my husband's Aunt Lanita who passed just before she would have turned 41. From what I hear, she was an excellent cook and baker, and until this post, I'm not sure this recipe ever existed on the internet. It's about time, because y'all have been missing out! This is a real crowd pleaser.

This is my hubby's favorite dessert (besides pecan pie). It is a no-bake layered dessert that requires a minimum of 2 hours of refrigeration and a decent amount of self-control.

Aunt Lanita's Peach Dessert

Crust

1/2 c. salted butter, melted

3 pkgs. graham crackers, crushed

Instructions:

1. Crush graham crackers in food processor; slowly add melted butter. Optional: reserve 1/4 c. to sprinkle on top of finished dessert. 

2. Press crust into 13x9 casserole dish. Set aside.

Creamy Whip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 pkgs. Dream Whip, no substitutes

1 cup milk

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 c. powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Beat cream cheese until smooth; set aside.

2. Beat Dream Whip, milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar until it has a whipped consistency. Fold in cream cheese; mix until thick and smooth.

3. Spread 1/2 of mixture onto crust; reserve remaining half.

Fruity Jello Layer

2 c. water

3/4 c. sugar

2 T. cornstarch, heaping

1 small pkg. (3 oz.) orange Jello

4 c. sliced peaches, with skin removed (fresh is best)

 

Instructions:

1. Combine water, sugar, cornstarch, and jello; cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Cool (in refrigerator or ice bath).

2. To prepare fresh peaches, blanch in boiling water, place in ice water, and remove skin. Slice thinly.

3. Once mixture is cooled, but not fully set-up, stir in 4 c. of sliced peaches until mixed. 

4. Spoon fruity jello mixture on top of creamy whip layer and smooth out.

5. Spoon remaining half of creamy whip onto fruity jello layer and smooth out. (It is a little easier to spread if the fruity jello layer has set up some, but either way works and tastes delicious.)

6. Optional: Sprinkle reserved portion of crust onto top layer of creamy whip.

7. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

 

Cook's Note: This recipe is time consuming, but is worth the toil. You can also switch out the fruit and jello flavors, for example, with fresh raspberries and raspberry jello. I've tried peach jello, and trust me, orange works best.

Shown with optional graham topping

Recipe: Lemon-Berry Syrup

Lemon-Berry Syrup (for those days you can't have lemon-filled donuts)

Ingredients:
2 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. Real Lemon juice
splash lime juice
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. water
2 T. strawberry jelly*

Mix cornstarch with lemon juice, lime juice, sugar and water until smooth. Warm using medium heat. Bring to a boil. Stir in jelly and remove from heat. Serve warm. Serves 5-6.

Cook's Note: This goes great on puffy pancakes. Here's a puffy pancake recipe similar to the one I use, although I don't use vanilla or cinnamon in the batter, and I add more melted butter. I'm sure you could fill doughnuts with this syrup as well--you may need to add 1-2 T. more of cornstarch. *I used Smucker's Natural Strawberry jam without High Fructose Corn Syrup so it isn't overly sweet.

What else might this be tasty with?

Crispy Crunchy Caramel Corn

Kids will love this fun combo of caramel corn and rice crispy treats.

Ingredients:
2 bags microwave popcorn, popped
1 stick butter
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. karo syrup
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. baking soda
2 c. rice krispies
2 c. miniature marshmallows

Instructions:
1. Put popcorn in very large bowl, and removed unpopped kernels.
2. Melt butter, sugars, and corn syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute and remove from heat. Add vanilla and baking soda. Stir well.
3. Pour caramel sauce over popcorn and stir to coat. Add rice krispies and stir to coat. Add marshmallows and mix one last time.
4. Devour with reckless abandon.

Cook's Note: I'm going to try adding a few cups of small pretzels next time.

Recipe: Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip

16 oz. cooked chicken (shredded) or canned chicken
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 - 1/2 c. ranch dressing (I prefer the lesser amount)
1/3 c. "Frank's Original Hot Sauce"--no substitutions
Bag of your favorite tortilla chips

Crockpot directions:
Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and heat on low, stirring every 10-15 minutes until dip is warm (may take 45 minutes depending on your crockpot). Set temp on "warm" when serving at parties.
 
Microwave directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, preferably glass. Heat in microwave on high for 3 minutes or until mixture is heated evenly. Stir halfway through heating time.


Serve with tortilla chips.

Better-Than-Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 t. vanilla
2 large eggs
2-3/4 to 3 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
Chocolate chips

Mix butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly. Add soda, salt and 2 cups flour and mix. Add remaining flour 1/4 c. at a time until desired consistency is reached (dough should be slightly tacky when you touch it, and little or no dough should remain on your finger if you touch it). Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees.

I like to use milk chocolate chips and Heath toffee bits. So yummy.

Seductive Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1 c. butter-flavored Crisco
1 c. granulated sugar
1-1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. pure vanilla
2 eggs
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. soda
2 t. salt
1 pkg chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter, Crisco, both sugars, vanilla and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, soda, baking powder and salt until well blended. Add chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon and bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden.

Strawberry Cucumber Limonade

This stuff is the best lemonade I've ever sipped--seriously. I've been a fan of cucumber lemonade for over a year. And then I decided to mix two of my favorite flavors. The thought of adding cucumber and strawberry together was pure genius, if I may say so. It is totally worth the effort!!

Strawberry Cucumber Limonade (Lime-uh-nade)

by Alana Lee

Ingredients

3/4 c. sugar

2 T. lime juice

3/4 c. less 2 T lemon juice

3-3/4 c. cold water

few dashes salt (optional)

2 T. cucumber juice

1/2 c. strawberry puree.

a handful or two of ice cubes

Directions

1. Pour sugar and water into pitcher.

2. Pour 2 T of lime juice into a glass measuring cup. Now add lemon juice until lime-lemon mixture equals 3/4 c. Add to sugar water.

3. Add a dash or two of salt if desired. (Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't.)

4. Whisk well until sugar is dissolved.

5. Peel and slice half a cucumber and puree it in a mixer. Strain the pulp out using cloth or mesh fabric. Stir in cucumber juice

6. Cut of the stems of fresh, juicy strawberries and puree in mixer. Add 1/2 c. strawberry puree.

7. Whisk in ice cubes and serve.

Hint: Puree and drain pulp of one cucumber and store in fridge in a mason jar for easy mixing next time.

Recipe: Lala's Limonade #2

This is the easier version--no boiling water to dissolve the sugar.

LaLa's Limonade #2

Ingredients

3/4 c. sugar

2 T. lime juice

3/4 c. less 2 T. lemon juice (*see Step 2 under Directions)

3-3/4 c. cold water

few dashes salt

Directions

1. Pour sugar and water into pitcher. 
2. Pour 2 T. of lime juice into a glass measuring cup. Now add lemon juice until lime-lemon mixture equals 3/4 cup. Add to sugar water.
3. Add a dash or two of salt.
4. Whisk well until sugar is dissolved. 

Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Soup #1

Our good friends make the best chicken enchilada soup. I didn't have their recipe, so I created this one. My husband LOVED it, and so did the kids!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

by Mrs. Lee

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken breast, whole, sprinkled with Lawry's Garlic Salt

1 T. olive oil (optional)

1 c. water

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 T. minced onion

1/4-1/2 t. cumin

1 can red enchilada sauce, mild

1 small call green chilis, diced

~~~~

1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 c. sour cream

~~~~

Toppings:

1 can olives, sliced

sour cream

extra shredded cheese

tortilla chips

Directions

1. Cook chicken in a frying pan (in olive oil, if desired). Remove chicken and set on cutting board. Deglaze frying pan by adding 1 c. water; pour into large sauce pan. Dice chicken and add to sauce pan.

2. Add cream of chicken, minced onion, cumin and enchilada sauce to chicken. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

3. About 5 minutes before you plan to eat the soup, add sour cream and cheddar cheese to soup. Mix well until cheese is completely melted. (Do not bring to a boil or cook longer than 5 minutes once you add the cheese or sour cream since we don't want these ingredients to turn grainy or become curdled.)

4. Serve soup topped with olives, sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Cook's Note: Many other recipes call for masa harina, a special corn dough that is dried and made into flour (NOT corn meal). This one is easy and you can make it without the masa harina. Also, other recipes call for green enchilada sauce. Use whatever your preference is.

Recipe: Grandma's Tomato Soup

This isn't MY grandma's recipe, someone else's grandma. You won't ever buy the canned stuff again! Not only is this cheaper than Tomato soup from a can, it is much tastier!

Grandma's Tomato Soup

Ingredients

2 T. butter

1 T. flour

-----

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1-1/4 c. water

1/8 t. salt

1 T. sugar

Directions:

Melt butter and flour together in a medium saucepan. Once melted, add rest of ingredients and whisk well. Bring to a boil and let simmer one minute.  Makes 2-3 servings.

Cook's Note: you can add 1 c. egg noodles if you wish.

Recipe: LaLa's Limonade#1

You are going to be so happy sipping your homemade limonade this summer--actually, this lemonade you can enjoy in any weather. It's costs less than half as much as buying frozen lemonade concentrate (which is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, a bad thing for your body), and it is much healthier for you. I've tested and tweaked this recipe a half dozen times to find the right balance of tart and sweet, and here it is....

Lala's Limonade (pronounced "lime-oh-nade")

Ingredients

2/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

Boil these ingredients together for one minute and then cool completely.

Then add:

3/4 c. lemon juice

1 T. lime juice

3-3/4 c. water

a few dashes salt (helps take away bitterness)

Mix together and serve chilled.

 

Cook's Note: Do NOT be tempted to add the lemon and lime juice until the sugar water is cold! You can mix a bulk batch of sugar water ahead of time and store it in the fridge to make it more convenient to make. 

Bulk Batch Sugar Water (for 5 batches)

4 c. sugar

3 c. water

Bring to boil; boil one minute. Place pan dish of ice water to cool it down faster. Makes about 5-1/4 c. sugar water, or 5 batches. Store in fridge in a container that holds 3 pints (or even a left over 2-liter bottle or something). 

Recipe: Vita-Mix Bread Doubled in a KitchenAid

My dad was the Director of Marketing for Vita-Mix after years of making countless loaves of bread as a pitchman at fairs and other conventions. He's baked more bread than I can count. I love the taste of Vita-Mix bread, so I set out to create a recipe with a similar taste and texture that can be made in a KitchenAid or other stand mixer.

I love this bread recipe, especially if I just want white bread. I usually substitute about 2/3 of the bread flour with whole wheat for a healthy version. (See Cook's Note.)

Vita-Mix Bread Doubled in a KitchenAid

by Alana Lee


Ingredients: 

2 T. active dry yeast (1 pkg.)  

2-1/2 c. warm water

2 T. oil

1/4 c. gluten flour (can be omitted)

5-6 c. bread flour (or all-purpose flour)

2-3 T. sugar

2 t. salt

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch bread pans; set aside.

2. Place yeast and water in kitchen aid bowl. Proof 2-5 minutes. Once yeast mixture gets bubbly, add oil.

3. Add 4 c. flour, the salt, and the sugar. Mix using dough hook. Add more flour 1/2 c. at a time, as needed until dough reaches desired consistency. Knead just until dough forms a ball around dough hook and cleans the sides of the mixing bowl (the very bottom of the dough should still stick to bottom of bowl).

4. Shape dough into two equal loaves and place in greased bread pans. Cover with greased plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise in a warm place (like on a heating pad or warm oven) until the sides of the dough come to the top of the pan, about 20-30 minutes. The dough should nearly double in size.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes. The top of the loaf should be a medium golden brown. If you knock on the top of the loaf once removed from the pan, it should sound more hollow than dense.

Cook's Note: The gluten flour makes your bread stay spongy for many days longer, like store-bought bread. It doesn't change the taste, it just keeps it from getting hard as fast. It also increases the protein content of your bread. For whole wheat, I use about 4 cups of whole wheat flour and 1-2 cups of bread flour. The ratio can be adapted according to your preferences. 

  

 

Loaves in pan and ready for 2nd rise.

Tiny Clarification

Here is the original recipe, which is owned by Vita-Mix and appeared in the 1993 cookbook The Versatile Vita-Mix. 

As you can see, my recipe is my own and is therefore not owned by Vita-Mix or their historical owners. Vita-Mix bread dough includes egg and is much more moist so that it can be easily flattened and pressed into a bread pan using a spatula, which gives it a slightly different texture than my recipe. This "doubled for a KitchenAid" recipe kneads well with a dough hook and has a better moisture content to knead by hand to form loaves for bread pans.

Recipe: Farmer's Whole Wheat Bread

Whole Wheat Farm Bread--I use this recipe most of the time to make my bread.
by Alana Lee

For 80% Whole Wheat
3-1/2 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. honey
1-1/2 T. salt
1/3 c. gluten flour
1-1/2 c. bread flour
3-1/2 c. whole wheat flour

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine water and yeast and wheat flour. Let sit five minutes (whole wheat flour absorbs more water.) Add oil, honey, salt, gluten flour and bread flour.
2. Add whole wheat flour. Stir as much as you can and then begin kneading in bowl. Once most of flour is incorporated, transfer dough to counter and knead until fairly smooth. Clean the bowl, spray it with Pam, and return dough to bowl. Turn once to coat dough. Cover and let rise until doubled*.
3. Punch down and divide dough into thirds. Knead each and form into loaves; place in greased bread pans. Let raise until doubled. Bake for 24-27 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes three loaves.

Cook’s Note: I got this 80% recipe from the farmer’s wife from whom we buy our hard red wheat. Can be doubled. Also, if your whole wheat flour is warm from being freshly ground, the water you start with should be cold.

*I like to raise my dough on a heating pad. I place the bowl or pans directly on the heating pad, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a medium setting.

Variations
For 65% Whole Wheat
3-1/2 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. honey
1-1/2 T. salt
1/3 c. gluten flour
3-1/4 c. bread flour
1-3/4 c. whole wheat flour

For 50% Whole Wheat
3-1/2 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
3 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. honey
1-1/2 T. salt
1/3 c. gluten flour
4-1/2 c. bread flour
1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour

*The Farmer's wife usually made 80% whole wheat. She noticed that her son's asthma would worsen if she increased the percentage of whole wheat in her bread. Some people's tolerance for wheat is altered because of medical conditions. I suggest starting with 50% and then working your way up gradually. That's what I had to do after my appendix surgery. I actually had to start with white bread and then work my way up.

Recipe: Caramel Apple Dip

If you love the caramel apple dip you buy in the produce section of the grocery store, but can't justify spending the money--here is a recipe to make it for around $1.50--depending where you buy your cream cheese.

Caramel Apple Dip

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese, softened in microwave

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. real vanilla extract

 - - - - -

1/8 c. water

16 unwrapped caramels or about 1/2 c. kraft caramel bits (what an awesome invention!)

Directions:

Mix softened cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla in medium size bowl. Mix water and caramels in a small sauce pan and put on med-low heat until the caramels are all melted, stirring frequently. Pour caramel sauce into cream cheese mixture and stir well.

Note: You can omit the caramel and water and it is still a creamy and delicious apple dip!

Recipe: Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This delectable pound cake makes a fabulous strawberry shortcake. This is now my cake of choice for my birthday. (None of my pictures turned out, sorry!)

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients
1-1/2 c. butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3 c. white sugar
1 t. vanilla extract + 1 t. almond extract (or 2 t. vanilla)
6 eggs, room temperature
3 c. cake flour (1 c. cake flour = 1 c. all-purpose flour less 2 T.)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease one 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan.
2. Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light. Stir in the vanilla and the almond extracts. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition, scraping down the sides. Add flour slowly just until mixed well. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Cook’s Note: By creaming the butter and sugar and eggs, air becomes trapped in the batter, eliminating the need for modern leaving agents (baking soda or powder). This is not for the faint-hearted, but it is WELL worth the effort. The texture is so fine and tasty that you won't mind the extra work. If you are going to be eating this pound cake with frosting, ice cream, strawberry glaze, or whipped cream, you may want to only use 2-1/2 cups sugar. A traditional American pound cake would contain one pound each of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar.

Strawberry Glaze
by Alana Lee

Ingredients
1 c. water
3 T. lemon juice
1 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1 c. strawberries, smashed
2-4 c. strawberries

Combine the cold water, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch in a saucepan. Add smashed strawberries. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool. Add a few cups strawberries to the cooled glaze, as desired. Divine on pound cake with or without whipped cream!

Recipe: Country Pumpkin Muffins

These are so good, they're like little pumpkin cupcakes.

Country Pumpkin Muffins
by Alana Lee

Ingredients
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 c. canned pumpkin
3 c. all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. ground cloves
3/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1 t. salt
1-1/2 c. raisins (optional)

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, spices and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture; blend well. Fold in raisins. Spoon into greased muffin tins, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

2. Frost with cream cheese frosting recipe (toward end of Cinnamon Roll post).

Cook's Note: I substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. It still tastes amazing.

Recipe: Helen's Caramel Corn

Helen Wride's Caramel Corn
(Crispy, Crunchy caramel corn)

Ingredients:
Large bowl of popcorn
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup corn syrup (recipe also works with maple syrup)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions:
Pop popcorn, remove old maids and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt margarine. Add brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in salt, soda and vanilla. Quickly pour over popcorn and stir to coat. Bake for 1 hour in a 250° oven, stirring every 15 minutes (set the timer).

Number of Servings: The whole darn family and then some!

Cook's Note: If you prefer stickier, less crunchy caramel corn, omit the oven time.

Recipe: Hecka Good Cinnamon Rolls

When a family friend (bless her heart) refused to share her recipe for her mouth-watering cinnamon pull-apart bread, I set out on a quest for the perfect sweet roll recipe, blending a cinnamon roll taste with gooey caramel. This final recipe is the result of pure genius (completely original recipe) and rivals the one still being hoarded.

Hecka Good Cinnamon Rolls

by Alana Lee

Ingredients:

1 Recipe Rose’s Rolls

1 c. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon
Dash allspice or nutmeg (optional)

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 Recipe Caramel Glaze (below)

1 Recipe Cream Cheese Frosting (below)

Optional Caramel Glaze
2 T. water
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
3/4 c. butter
1 t. vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting (see this post)
8 oz. cream cheese, cold
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
2-3 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Directions:

1. Make 1 recipe Rose’s Rolls, knead lightly 1-2 minutes, and let rise until doubled in bulk.

2. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice or nutmeg (optional) in bowl. Set aside.

3. Caramel Glaze: (When dough is nearly doubled, begin making Caramel Glaze.) Cook all ingredients but butter and vanilla over low heat until it starts to bubble. Add butter and return to boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

4. Grease bottom of casserole dish or baking pans with cooking spray.

5. Drizzle caramel glaze* on bottom of greased casserole dish (I use two 9 x 13s with glaze drizzle covering about half of the bottom--one glaze recipe is good for 4-5 baking pans).

6. Back to the Rolls: Punch down dough and roll into long strip about 8-10” wide.

7. Spread softened butter over rolled out dough. Evenly sprinkle brown sugar-cinnamon mixture onto buttered dough. Smooth out mixture with hands.

8. Roll up prepared dough starting with long edge (should be skinny and long roll). Cut into 1" to 2" rolls using quilting thread (slide a length of hand-quilting thread under the roll and cross over ends, pulling tightly; this keeps the rolls round). I cut the long roll in half, and then in half again to make sure I get the right number of rolls for my desired pan.

9. Dip each roll in melted butter and place buttered-side up in the baking dish, on top of optional caramel glaze. If you cut rolls at 1", rolls can touch in the pan; if you cut rolls at 2", leave 1" between rolls. Drizzle any remaining melted butter over rolls.
   

10. Let rise until nearly doubled and bake at 375-380 degrees until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

11. Optional: Invert pan. Top with warmed, leftover caramel glaze or cream cheese frosting.

Makes 24 small or 18 medium cinnamon rolls. 

Cook's Note: *Only make caramel glaze if you plan on eating the rolls warm. If you don't plan on eating the cinnamon rolls within a few hours, do NOT to put caramel glaze in the bottom of the pan as it tends to make the bottom of the rolls chewy. I usually store any leftover caramel glaze in a canning jar in the fridge for my next batch.

Two scrumptious rolls stuck together.

Dough ready to roll out.

A nice layer of butter.

Cinnamon-sugar mixture spread over butter.

The quilting-thread cutting method.

Cut into equal sections, and then into equal-sized rolls.

Use a butter knife or thread to mark cutting guides.

Pan of rolls before second rise.

Close up: rolls before second rise.

Pan of rolls after second rise; ready for oven.

Close up: rolls after second rise; ready for oven.

Pan of baked rolls, slightly golden.

Close up: baked rolls, slightly golden.

Process pictured below with optional caramel glaze.