Blue Ribbon Recipes Revealed

 

 You know when you're recipe box looks like this,

you have one of two choices:

1. Weed it out and

STOP printing up new recipes to try.

 

 2. Request a larger recipe box for your birthday.

 Thank you, Mom.

This is WONDERFUL!

I can only imagine if this is after 12 years of marriage,

I'll need a file cabinet after 25.

Here are the recipes everybody requested:

By far, the most requested was the Chocolate Peanut Butter Fluff Cake,

but I am putting all three here

because I didn't want to turn anybody down who requested one.

Sue asked for the Apple Pie recipe

and she's such a wonderful blog friend

I thought I'd oblige.

Her blog always puts a smile on my face.

Apple Blueberry Pie
courtesy of 2011 Harrisburg Farm Show Apple Pie first place winner Helena Dueck
printed in the "Lancaster Farming Paper", January 15, 2011

9 inch double pie crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
6 Tablespoons cold water

Pie Filling:
1/2 cup blueberries
6 cups sliced apples (she used half Stayman/ half Macintosh)

Mix together the blueberries and apples.
Then mix together:
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons flour

 Put into the unbaked pie shell.  Dot with 2 tablespoons butter.  Cover with top crust and criomp edges.  Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.

 I have to admit, this one looks the most do-able to me.

It is simple and sounds delicious.

 Next is this one:

(Oh

BOY,

it sounds 

AMAZING!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fluff Cake

By Harrisburg Farm Show First Place Winner of the Hershey's Cocoa Classic Cake Contest, 2011:
Bethany Hoffman
(courtesy of the "Lancaster Farming Paper" January 15, 2011 edition)

Chocolate Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate bar
1 cup crushed peanuts
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup hot coffee
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Line two 9 inch round cake pans with parchment paper.  Spray pans and paper with nonstick cooking spray.
  With an electric mixer, mix flour, sugar, both Hershey’s cocoas, baking powder, baking soda, and salt at low speed.
  In a separate bowl, whisk butter milk with vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs.  Beat the buttermilk mixture into the dry mixture until just incorporated.  Next add the hot coffee and beat until fully incorporated.  Pour the batter evenly into prepared pans.  Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

Peanut butter fluff icing:
3 eggs whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter

In a glass bowl, combine cream of tartar, salt ,sugar, and egg whites.  Place glass bowl over a double boiler for five minutes.
  Remove from heat.  With an electric mixer, mix on high until mixture is cool and stiff peaks have formed.  Continue mixing.  Add butter 1 tablespoon at a time.  Add vanilla and peanut butter.  Mix until silky smooth.
  After cake is cool, invert cake on flat surface, peel off parchment paper and icing layers.  Garnish with Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate and peanuts.
  This recipe makes one 9-inch layer cake and can be double for more than two layers.  Refrigerate cake until serving.

YUM!

If you make this,

please,

send me a piece.

I decided to also put the Brownie recipe in here as well.

It just sounded so amazing,

but first,

look what my Farmer got me...

 He got these at the Cracker Barrel when we went to eat for my birthday.

I loved them.

I'm not one who "LOVES" something

and REALLY wants it.

But I did these.

 Maybe I'm longing for spring in this bitter of bitterest weather we've been having.

SO COLD!

 

I love how they go with my everyday dishes.

I've never tired of these dishes.

  It's strange because they don't look old, which is what I usually like.

But I can't stick to one style of decorating.

Why is this?

I get like a kid in a candy shop.

I like a little bit of everything,

please.

Except the black licorice.

I think that's the only candy I don't like.

My mom loves black licorice.

How does that happen?

Does anybody in my family want to claim me as the one I inherited my tastes in household goods,

apparel,

jewelry,

candy?

Anybody?

That's okay.  I love you anyhow.

Here is the brownie recipe that sounds
EXQUISITE.

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Brownies
created by tenth grader Jon Kershner: first place winner
of the Hershey's Cocoa Classic Cookie-Brownie-Bar children's contest
at the Harrisburg Farm Show, 2011
courtesy of the "Lancaster Farming Paper", January 15 edition

Brownie:
1 1/4 cups Hershey’s semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup instant coffee crystals dissolved in 2 Tablespoons water
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup flour
Melt chocolate chips and butter in the top of  a double boiler.  Cool slightly.  Beat eggs and sugar.  Add chocolate mixture and coffe dissolved in water to egg mixture and mix well.  Mix in vanilla extract.  Stir in baking powder andf our until just combined.  Spread in 9 x 9 inch pan and bake 30 - 35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool on wire rack.

Truffle filling:
1 cup Hershey’s semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon Hershey’s cocoa
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam


Melt chocolaet chips in the top of a double boiler.  Set aside.  Beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Add confectioner’s sugar and raspberry jam, beating until fluffy.  Beat in vanilla extract.  Beat in melted chocolate and cocoa until well-blended.

Spread over top of brownies:
Glaze:
1/4 cup Hershey’s semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon Hershey’s cocoa
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon heavy cream

Melt chocolate chips in top of a double boiler.  Stir in heavy cream and cocoa.  Drizzle over top of truffle mixture.
Chill 2 hours.  Cut into squares.  Serves 16.

 WOW!

That's some kid!

On a final note,

because I just don't like for birthdays to end,

even my own,

even if it does mean I'm a year closer to 40,

here is my fancy dish set.

I have a thing for blue when it comes to dishes.

I don't have much blue anywhere else in the house.

Just my dishes.

 But they are lovely, aren't they?

 And of course,

when you have kids,

you have to expect that there will be their touches to the table

like Violet's individualized napkin rings

complete with party hat on my head

because,

after all

birthday moms deserve special treatment from their kids.

(If you want any of these recipes in just writing,

I will follow up blogs with each of these recipes individually).

Linking up with:

Smiling Sally: Blue-monday
Tools are for Women too: Link-party-time
Martha's Favorites: Teacup Tuesday
A Stroll Thru Life: Table-Top-Tuesday
Between Naps on the Porch: TablescapeThursday