Next Best Thing to... or Better Than...dessert

This creamy layered pudding dessert has been a crowd pleaser  since the 1970's when it was called "The Next Best thing to Robert Redford", later versions of the recipe were called "Better Than Robert Redford". I've never heard what  Robert Redford thinks of this dish named after him, but in our community it is a popular dessert for pot lucks and group dinners. This week our UMW served it, in lemon and chocolate flavors, for the high school honors dinner. Since this was a group of teens, perhaps we should have called it "Next Best Thing to Justin Bieber".

THE NEXT BEST THING TO ROBERT REDFORD

Recipe from UMW cookbook (adjusted for more crust)

1 ½ cup flour

¾ cup butter or margarine, melted

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 (8-oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 (12-oz) whipped topping

1 (3-oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding

1 (3-oz) pkg instant chocolate (or lemon) pudding

3 cup cold milk

For crust, combine flour, butter or margarine and pecans. Press into the bottom of a 18x12-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool completely. Blend cream cheese with sugar; spread over cooled crust. Spread half of the whipped topping (6 oz) over the cream cheese layer and refrigerate. In mixing bowl, combine both pudding mixes with milk. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Set aside until thickened. Spread thickened pudding over whipped topping layer, then top with remaining topping. Garnish if desired with chocolate, nuts, or both. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Church Ladies handle this dessert well. 

Six pans of RR dessert served around 100. 

Cookies for Any Weather

What do you do on a cool, rainy, spring afternoon? I bake! Last weekend I wanted to be outside in the flower beds and enjoying spring weather but the temperatures were cooler than many days we had in February. So baking made the day seem warmer and more friendly, and my family certainly appreciated it! And then, when Sunday brought the most beautiful weather, we enjoyed cookies and milk on the deck.
It's forecast to be rainy again this weekend, so here are two of my favorite cookie recipes for you. I've used this Chocolate Chip recipe for several years and it is the best I've found! The addition of an instant pudding mix seems to keep the cookies soft and adds a nice flavor. And the oatmeal even makes them seem a little healthy. I often vary the flavor of pudding mix with the season - lemon pudding mix and white baking bits for spring; chocolate pudding mix and white baking bits; or in the fall, pumpkin pudding mix and cinnamon baking bits. I recently saw a new pudding mix flavor, Red Velvet, in the grocery store that I'm anxious to try in these cookies.
The bar cookie recipe is a new one this year. I've searched for the 'perfect' Blond Brownie recipe for a while, and this may be it. As an Extension Educator, I was once asked the question "How do you keep cookies from going stale?". I was stumped! Cookies never have the chance to get stale at my house and it's hard to imagine that happening. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do.

CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES

 1 cup butter, softened  (I use 1 stick butter, 1 stick margarine)

¾ cup white sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 ¾ cups flour

1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (1/2 bag) chocolate chips

Combine the oats, flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream fats and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool.

Chippy Blond Brownies

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.

Spread into a greased 11p-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.

Hot Cross Buns

     Today, on Easter Sunday, we've heard many traditions explained and celebrated. Symbols of Easter that remind us of our Christian faith include the Holy Cross, decorated eggs, Easter lilies, lambs, and Hot Cross Buns. Our family usually enjoys an Easter dinner of ham, cheesy potatoes, asparagus, and deviled eggs. Today our pre-church snack was Hot Cross Buns.
     Traditionally, Hot Cross Buns are made with currents or raisins and marked with a cross slit into the top and piped icing forming a cross on top. The buns were eaten during Lent and especially on Good Friday. This recipe for Hot Cross Buns would also work anytime for a sweet, spicy and fruity bread. Thanks to Fleischmann's Breadworld for the great recipe for any brunch celebration.

HOT CROSS BUNS    

 Ingredients: 

3 ¼ - 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 envelope RapidRise yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup milk

¼ cup water

¼ cup butter or margarine

2 eggs

½ cup dried currants or raisins

1 egg white. lightly beaten

Glaze:

Your favorite icing/glaze or –

¾ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2-3 teaspoons milk

To make dough: Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, salt, lemon peel and nutmeg in a large mixer bowl. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120-130 degrees); stir into flour mixture. Stir in eggs, currents, and enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; form each into a ball. Place (2 inches apart) on greased large baking sheet. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 35-50 minutes. With sharp knife, cut a shallow cross in the top of each bun. Brush egg white over tops. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack. Drizzle with icing in shape of cross.

 

The dough kneaded well even though
it was soft......

and a bit sticky for my helper's hands!

The balls of dough rose to a larger bun than I thought they would!
Here you can see the crosses cut into the dough. 

Baked, ready for icing. 

My notes:

I used a dough whisk to mix the dough before kneading.

We like craisins instead of raisins or currents.

Next time, I’ll make more than 12 balls, the buns were large!

fun tools to have - a dough whisk and a lame (dough knife for
slashing dough - basically a razor with a handle)

If Variety is the Spice of life....

The quote is "Variety is the very spice of life, That gives it all it's flavor". So does that mean a variety of spices (and herbs) are the flavor of our cooking? Of course! And I was delighted when a good friend gifted to me two packages of Penzeys spice samplers. New flavors! New variety!

So far our favorite is Berbere. It is described as awesomely hot and spicy North African-style hot pepper blend. No salt, no mild paprika, just a lot of Cayenne Red Pepper with the rich flavors of fenugreek and cardamon. Garlic, ginger, cumin, black pepper, allspice, turmeric, cloves, ceylon cinnamon and coriander are also mixed into the ingredients. It is suggested to use as a dry rub or mixed with ground beef. It is now taking the place of the steak seasoning we usually use. It can also be mixed with tomato sauce to make a spicy barbecue sauce.

Vegetables can be enhanced with different seasonings also. The sweet potatoes served with the steaks were seasoned with Tsardust Memories seasoning. It gives a sweet-spicy taste to hearty soups, quick cooked meats and vegetables. It is a mixture of salt, garlic, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg and marjoram. 

Another seasoning I tried and liked was Krakow Nights, a Polish style seasoning that adds depth to quick cooked meats. It is especially good with pork and we used it with sausages. It's mixture of ingredients is salt, black and white pepper, sugar, coriander, garlic, mustard, marjoram, mace and savory. Here's the recipe for a Wiener-Kraut we liked with Krakow Nights seasoning. (sorry, no photo) This makes a good comfort food on a cool day, I'll make it again this fall. 

Wiener-Kraut

Ingredients:

1 T. butter of vegetable oil

4 Polish or german-style sausages (about 2 pounds), sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 onion, cut in half and sliced

2 T. white wine vinegar

2 cups chopped apples (a tart apple like Granny Smith works well)

1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 T. Krakow Nights

1/2 cup apple juice

Directions:

In a large deep skillet, melt the butter or heat the oil over medium-high heat Add sausage slices and brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Add onion and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Add vinegar to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Add apples, bell peppers, cabbage, Krakow nights and apple juice. Reduce heat and cook about 10 minutes until the cabbage is tender but too mushy. Good served with noodles or mashed potatoes. 

Seasonings, such as these mixtures of herbs and spices, are best stored in a cool, dark place. Not over the stove! When adding them, measure into a small prep bowl and bring to the skillet or pan so the entire jar is not exposed to heat and moisture from the range. 

Herbs and spices have been used as food seasonings for centuries. Much of the early trade between Europe and the Middle East was for spices, the beginning of international trade for many goods. Today herbs and spices are readily available and affordable. Using these seasonings can also help us cook in a healthier way by reducing fat, sugar, and salt. 

So, my challenge to you, and my resolution to myself - try new flavors of seasonings! Variety is the spice of life and spice is a good variety for flavor.