The cake

• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup butter
• 4 eggs (separate eggs)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of salt

1. Beat egg whites stiff
2. Then cream butter and sugar and egg yolks and vanilla .. 5minutes, add dry ingredients and milk alternately, coconut, and then add egg whites last
3. Fold in ½ cup of shredded coconut
4. Heat in 2 9inch pans for  350 35-45 minutes

The icing

• 2 tsps butter
• 2 cups flaked coconut
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1. To Make Frosting: Melt the butter or margarine in a skillet. Add the 2 cups flaked coconut and stir constantly over low heat until golden brown. Spread coconut on absorbent paper to cool.
2. Cream the remaining 2 tablespoons butter or margarine with the cream cheese. Add the milk and confectioners’ sugar alternately, beating well. Add the vanilla and stir in 1 3/4 cups of the toasted coconut.
3. To Assemble Cake: Spread tops of cooled cake layers with some of the frosting. Stack them and then frost the sides of the cake. Sprinkle Cake with the remaining toasted coconut.

So what do you do when you are totally stir crazy and about to be trapped in your house for the duration of what promises to be a very snowy super bowl weekend? Bake some freakin chocolate cake man!! This recipe was pilfered from a well worn article torn from a “Healthy Living” magazine of an  indeterminable age that the object of my eye completely and utterly swears by. So here goes:

Ingredients

For the Cake

• Vegie oil cooking spray
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup light olive oil (orig recipe is sunflower oil)
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp distilled white vinegar

For the Glaze

• 2 oz dark chocolate (preferably 70% cacao), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp water

Directions

1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 375°. Coat an 8 inch round cake pan with spray.
2. Whisk water and cocoa in a small bowl until smooth. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add cocoa mixture, oil, vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in vinegar. Pour into a pan.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. About 30-35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of cake, invert it onto rack, and turn the cake right side up. Let cool completely. Transfer cake to a serving plate or cake stand.
4. For the glaze: Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Let cool slightly.
5. Whisk together sugar and water until smooth. Add melted chocolate in a slow, steady stream, whisking until thickened, about 1 minute. Immediately pour glaze onto center of cooled cake. Using an off set spatula, gently spread glaze over top and sides. Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Haha! As if it would last that long!

Made this from a recipe found at allrecipes.com. Best apple pie ever. The method of pouring the “goo” through the lattice really makes the top crust crispy and sweet. Nutmeg and cinnamon were added and weren’t on Ople’s original recipe. Perhaps they were out at the general store when she sent Opie to fecth’in her some greedients.

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 8 Macintosh apples – peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
3. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 55 minutes, ensuring apples are soft and crust is crispy.

Combine:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs

Add:

• 4 cups diced apples

Sift together:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tsp. soda

Add to Apple mixture.  Pour into 9″ x 13″ greased cake pan and bake for one hour in preheated oven at 350F.
Serve it hot warm or cold.  Try it plain, frosted or with whipped cream. Big ole scoop of quality vanilla ice cream, right on top of a steaming piece out of the oven is not to shabby either.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. pecans, chopped
• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 3 c. frezen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
• 1 c. confectioners’ sugar
• 1 (5.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 2 c. milk
• 1 Hershey’s kiss or small piece of chocolate

Directions:

1. Mix together pecans, melted butter, and flour. Pat into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ pie plate. Bake at 350° until lightly browned. Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool.
2. In a mixing bowl, blend 1 cup whipped topping, cream cheese, and confectioners sugar until creamy. Spread into cooled crust.
3. Whisk together pudding mix and milk. Spread evenly over cheese layer.
4. Spread the remaining 2 cups of whipped topping on top.
5. Grate the Hershey’s kiss over the top and chill for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Ingredients:

• 1 (9″) prepared graham cracker pie crust
• 2 large bananas, sliced
• 2 c. cold milk
• 2 (3.2 oz) packages of instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground
• 1 (16 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping

Directions:

Place half of the banana slices in the bm of thcrst.

1. In a large bowl, combine milk, vanilla pudding mixes and cinnamon. beat with a wire whisk or electric beater for 1 minute.
2. Gently stir in half of whipped topping to pudding, then spoon mixture into pie crust.
3. Place remaining banana slices over the top of the pie.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours until pie is set up. When pie is ready, top with additional whipped topping.
5. Drizzle caramel over the top and serve!

Ingredients

• 2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Cup of unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 Cups white sugar
• 1/3 Cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• About 2 Cups of leftover Halloween candy (M&Ms, Snickers, Milkyway, Reeses Peices, Peanut butter Cups, etc.)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 360° F
2. Mix together your flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl mix butter and sugar until it is creamy, once it’s creamy stir in the peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla.
4. Add your the mix from the small bowl. Mix well.
5. Mix in the chocolate chips and Halloween candy.( If you have candy bars, break into small pieces) Mix Well.
6. Form small cookie dough balls and place them on the cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 min. Let the cookies cool before you take them off.

Great way to get rid of all the Halloween candy that no one ever eats! (haha yeah right)

Ingredients:

• 2 1//2 cups of flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 10 oz. bag Andes mint chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. Combine the first 3 ingredients, mix and set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine 1 cup of sugar and oil, mix well. Beat in eggs, vanilla. Gradually add flour. Stir in chips, chill 30 minutes.
4. I use an Ice cream scoop to make my patties. I put 15 on one cookie sheet and about 13 on a second sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Makes about 28.

• 1 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
• 1/2 cup peppermint candy canes, crushed
• 1/2 cup white sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, white sugar and confectioners’ sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Cover or wrap dough and chill for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Grease cookie sheets. Divide dough into halves. Color one half red by mixing in the food color. Roll a small amount of each dough into a 2 inch long worm. Roll them together in a twisted rope and curve the end like a cane. Place onto prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. In a small bowl, mix together the crushed candy cane and remaining white sugar. Roll hot cookies in the sugar mixture.