Common Cuisine |

Somehow my children fell in love with blueberries. If anything has blueberries associated with it, they will eat it until their lips and fingers are purple-stained for two days.

I think it may have something to do with the sweet love Grammy whispers whenever she serves them up: You know, your eyes are so blue because of all the blueberries you eat!

There is just something special about the love Grammy adds to whatever she bakes.

• 1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 3/4 C Sugar
• 3/4 C Brown Sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 C Sour Cream
• 1/4 C Milk
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed
• 3 C flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 C frozen blueberries
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 325.

In large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add sour cream, milk, and bananas, and make sure batter is well mixed.

In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture carefully to banana mixture, mixing just enough to moisten all the flour. Carefully stir in blueberries just before pouring into pans, overmixing will turn the entire batter grey.

Pour into 2 greased 9″ loaf pans. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp brown sugar on top of loaves.

Bake 70-80 minutes, checking carefully beginning after 60 minutes. When ready, a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack for one hour or until completely cooled. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator.

This kind of bread loaf freezes really well. Wrap first in plastic wrap, then in foil, then put the wrapped loaf in a Ziploc freezer bag. Thaw on the counter for about an hour before slicing and serving with butter.

• 2 cups quick or old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt (necessary)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to temperature 375°F. Combine all ingredients, except applesauce and nuts, in a bowl. Mix until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup mixture. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of greased 13×9 inch baking pan. Bake 13-15 minutes. Cool. Spread applesauce over partially baked base and sprinkle with nuts. Sprinkle reserved 1 cup oatmeal mixture over filling. Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut into 2 inch squares.

Source: Chefs.com

I grew up calling these Texas Sheet Cake. Last year I moved to Texas and discovered they just call them brownies here. Doesn’t matter what they are called, frosted bars of chocolate cake are divine.

• 2 C flour
• 2 C sugar
• 1 stick (½ C) butter or margarine
• 1 C water
• ¼ C cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup buttermilk or sour cream
• 1-2 tsp vanilla, to taste

Frosting:

• 1 stick (½ C) butter or margarine
• 6 Tbsp milk
• ¼ C cocoa powder
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease and flour a 12″ x 18″ (jelly roll) pan, or line with foil and grease foil. Sift together flour and sugar.

In small saucepan, heat ½ cup butter, water and ¼ cup cocoa powder to a boil; add to flour and sugar.

Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk; add to flour mixture. Stir in eggs and vanilla.

Bake 20-30 minutes until done.

Meanwhile, mix frosting: In small saucepan, combine ½ C butter, milk, and ¼ C cocoa powder and bring to a boil. Stir in powdered sugar. Frost cake while still hot.

Makes about 2 dozen 3″ squares.

• 3 cups peanut butter crunch cereal, crushed to 1 ½ cups
• 1 ½ C quick cooking oats
• ¾ C packed brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ C (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/3 C corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 C peanut butter
• 2 T powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13″ x 9″ baking dish. In large bowl, combine cereal, oats, sugar, salt and margarine. Add corn syrup and vanilla; stir until mixed. Press mixture into prepared dish. Bake 13 to 15 minutes until bubbly. Cook in pan on wire rack.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and powdered sugar in small saucepan, stirring until smooth. Spread over cereal layer. Chill 30 minutes or until set. Cut into bars and store in airtight container. Makes 48 little squares, or 24 generous ones.

Our final MOPS craft project of the semester was to make a gift jar of this mix. Make a label including Bars and Directions info, and include with the jar of yummy stuff. Here is the formula:

Into a 1 quart mason jar, layer the following in order:

• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 1 ½ cups graham cracker mix, in a closed sandwich bag

Five Layer Bars:

• 1 jar mix
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 350.

Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press into bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish.

Sprinkle remaining ingredients over graham cracker crumbs. Drizzle with sweetened condensed milk.

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 12 oz. white chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. peppermint oil
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy (about 5 large candy canes)

Line a jellyroll pan or cookie sheet with foil. Have a wooden spoon and a rubber spatula on hand.

In a double boiler, melt semisweet chocolate chips over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. As soon as it is fully melted, remove from heat and stir in peppermint oil. Pour mixture onto lined pan and use spatula to spread to about 1/4″ thickness. Place in refrigerator or freezer to harden.

Wash double boiler pot and utensils, and dry carefully. A drop of water can spoil a batch.

Melt white chocolate chips over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove pan from freezer and pour white chocolate on top. Spread quickly. Sprinkle crushed candy over top. Return to freezer.

When hard, break bark into 1″ x 2″ pieces. Makes 1-1/2 pounds bark.

from the kitchen of Valerie Mace

• ½ C flour
• ½ C butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp cocoa
• ½ C powdered sugar
• ½ C pecans, chopped
• ½ jar fudge topping
• 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 1 C cool whip
• 2 C milk
• 2 pkgs instant pudding (any chocolate flavor)
• 1 C. cool whip
• Chocolate shavings

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix flour, butter, cocoa, ½ C powdered sugar and pecans in medium bowl. Spread evenly in 9 x 13 dish. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Mix pudding powder and milk, and set aside.

Spread fudge topping over crust. Combine cream cheese, 1 C powdered sugar, pudding mixture and cool whip, and gently mix. Spread evenly over fudge topping.

Top with final 1 C cool whip and chocolate shavings.