Snickerdoodle Turtle Dessert

Whenever I ask my guys what dessert they think I should make for a particular occasion, this is always what they say they want.  The most recent time was for my youngest son's birthday.  They can't seem to get enough of this one!  This dessert will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth for sure!

My sister got this recipe from her mother-in-law, Sina Gage, and quickly shared it with me close to 30 years ago.  It has to sit for 24 hours before serving, so I don't ever make it on a whim.  If my guys ever gave out 10's for anything I make, this for sure would get that score, but it definitely gets high 9's from all of them.

To begin, I preheat the oven to 350°F.  Then, in a large bowl, I place the German chocolate cake mix and 1/2 cup of the evaporated milk.  It's important that you use evaporated milk as opposed to sweetened condensed milk.  I begin to stir these ingredients together . . .

. . . before adding the melted butter so that the milk doesn't react in any way to the hot, melted butter. 

I continue to mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated.

I then spread and press half of the cake mixture into a 9- x 13-inch baking dish and place it in the oven to bake at 350°F for 7 minutes.  I set the remaining cake mixture aside to use later.

When done, it should not resemble a baked cake, but it will have puffed up during the baking time.  I leave this to cool a bit while starting the caramel layer.

After unwrapping the caramels, I place them in a medium saucepan and combine them with 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk.  I melt these together over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

As the caramels melt, at first it looks as though they are just coloring the milk, but after a couple of minutes, you'll see that they are actually melting into the milk.  At this point, I start to stir more frequently.

The result should be a completely smooth caramel mixture.

I pour the caramel mixture directly on top of the cake mixture.  

I usually have to spread it a little bit to get it to the edges of the pan.  I learned the hard way not to start melting the caramels before the cake comes out of the oven.  It was too soft to spread the caramel to the edges and started lifting and making a mess when I tried.  That's why I always wait until the cake comes out of the oven before melting the caramels to allow it to cool enough before adding the carmel mixture.

I sprinkle 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips directly on top of the caramel layer, trying to add them as evenly as possible.

Then, I add the chopped pecans in the same manner.

The reserved cake mix becomes a bit stiffer as it sits, which makes it easier to handle for this next step.  Taking a small amount of the dough, I roll it into about a 1-inch ball, using my hands.

I then flatten it out on my hand.

I remove it from my hand and place it on top of the pecan layer.

I repeat this until the top of the dish is covered with the flattened dough balls.  Back into the oven the dish goes for an additional 10 minutes at 350°F.

As with the first layer of the cake mix, this layer puffs up during baking.  The dish needs to sit out on the counter for at least 24 hours before serving.  This allows time for the caramel layer to set, otherwise it will ooze when the dessert is cut into pieces.  After it cools completely, I cover it with plastic wrap until I serve it.  This dessert is pretty rich, so I don't cut the pieces very big.  I figure people can always take a second serving, if they can't live without it!  That is the case with most people!  Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Turtle Dessert

1 German chocolate cake mix

1 (12 oz.) can Carnation evaporated milk, divided

¾ stick (6 tablespoons) butter, melted

14 oz. package Kraft caramels

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a medium bowl, mix the cake mix, ½ of the evaporated milk, and melted butter together.  Spread half of this mixture in a 9- x 13-inch baking dish, setting the other half aside.  Bake at 350°F  for 7 minutes.

Unwrap caramels and combine them in a medium saucepan with 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk over medium-low heat.  Stir often until all caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.  Spread over cake layer.

Sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips evenly over caramel layer.  Form remaining cake mixture into 1-inch balls and flatten them out.  Place on top of pecans and chocolate chips.  Bake an additional 10 minutes at 350°F.  Cool completely and let stand for 24 hours before serving to let caramel set.

German Apple Cake

There are a few recipes that I always go to when I need to make a good dessert that travels well.  This is one of those recipes.  Because I use my Pampered Chef Apple Peeler Corer Slicer machine, this cake is easy to assemble.  It's not pretty to look at, but the flavor more than makes up for it.

I made this cake to send to a reception following a funeral and forgot to take a picture once I had it frosted.  I also didn't get a photo of it once it was cut, sorry.  More than 20 years ago, the little church I was attending was putting on their first ladies' luncheon and we decided to share our favorite recipes with those in attendance.  This recipe was shared by Cheri Walters, our pastor's wife and my friend.  It has been a hit every time I've made it over the years.

This cake is unusual in that it doesn't begin by creaming butter and sugar together.  After I preheat the oven to 350°F, I begin by combining the oil and eggs in a large bowl.

Using a hand mixer, I beat the eggs and oil until foamy.

Then I add the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cinnamon.

These ingredients need to be mixed in my hand, as the batter will be thick, almost like a cookie dough in consistency.  I like to use my Pampered Chef Mix 'N Scraper (I call it a spoontula!) because it works like a spoon while acting like a rubber spatula to keep the sides of the bowl scraped.  It's one of my favorite utensils!

After peeling, coring and slicing my apples using my Pampered Chef tool, I add them to the batter.  I've found that 1 regular medium size Granny Smith apple equals 1 cup of sliced apple for this recipe.

Using my spoontula, I fold the apples into the batter, trying not to break too many of the apples.

I transfer this mixture to a greased 9- x 13-inch baking dish (in this case an aluminum pan so nobody had to worry about returning my pan) and place it in the oven to bake at 350°F for 55 minutes.  After that, I check the middle for doneness by sticking a cake tester in it, before removing it from the oven.  Sometimes it needs an additional 5 minutes baking time.

I place the cake on a cooling rack to cool completely before adding the cream cheese frosting.

To make the frosting, I combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl using a hand mixer.

To that, I add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition.

The last thing I add is the vanilla, beating until smooth.  I then spread the frosting evenly on top of the cooled cake.  It's ready to take to a pot luck meal or any other event.  Depending on how big the pieces are cut, it serves a minimum of 15 people.  This cake is a great way to end any meal!  Enjoy!

German Apple Cake

1 cup vegetable oil

3 small or 2 large eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups thinly sliced green apples (Granny Smith or Pippin)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In  large bowl, beat oil and eggs with a mixer until foamy.  Add sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and vanilla; stir by hand.  Batter will be thick, almost like cookie dough in consistency.  Fold in apples carefully.  Transfer to a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  Bake at 350°F for 55 minutes, or until done in the middle.  Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients until smooth.  Spread on cooled cake.

Skillet Pizza

This has got to be one of the quickest and easiest pizzas I've ever put together, and any of the toppings can probably be substituted with your favorites! 

I found this recipe in one of my recent Reiman Publications, probably Simple & Delicious.  I couldn't put my hands on the exact one before adding this to my blog, so I can't give full credit where it is due, and I can't tell you exact amounts of ingredients.  It's so easy anyone can figure it out!  This dish gets almost all 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.  My husband doesn't care for thin crust, so he gave it an 8!

In a small skillet, heat about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil.  Add some thinly sliced yellow bell pepper and red onion.  Begin to saute vegetables over medium-low heat.

In the meantime, very thinly slice about 3 fresh mushrooms.  When the onion and pepper are beginning to soften, add the mushrooms and cook until vegetables are tender and the mushrooms are reduced.  Remove vegetables to a plate.

In the same skillet, add another 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil.  Add one medium (soft taco size) tortilla and warm about 30 seconds or so, or until it feels slightly hot to the touch.  Do not let it get really crispy.

Flip the tortilla over (you can see that it got a little crispy on the first side).  It will be on this side longer as the toppings are added and the cheese needs time to melt.

 

As soon as you flip it, spread some prepared pizza sauce on top.

Then add the pepperoni slices.  When first making this, I thought it was odd to have the pepperoni under the cheese, so I experimented putting on top.  But, it's better closer to the source of heat to get the  pepperoni hot.

Sprinkle some Mexican cheese blend (cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses) on top of the pepperoni.

Add the sautéed vegetables on top of the cheese.

Sprinkle a some diced tomato on top of that, cover the skillet and let it cook until the cheese is melted (about 1 - 2 minutes).

How simple is that?  In my house, I have two young men, who are hungry often.  This pizza can be on a plate in front of them in about 15 minutes!  And it's oh so tasty!  Enjoy!

Clean the Freezer Soup

It seems kind of silly to post a recipe for soup in late April, but I was ready to type this up when we experienced major computer problems for about 3 weeks.  Some days it seems like Spring and others it feels chilly enough to still be Winter, so I decided to go ahead and post this soup recipe.  This is a hearty soup made primarily of vegetables, so it's perfect if you need to make something to share with vegetarians.  There is cheese in it, so make sure their diet includes dairy.

I cut this recipe out of a magazine years ago and make it at lease once each Winter.  My guys give this soup all 8's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by melting the butter in a Dutch oven.

To the melted butter I add the chopped onions and celery.  I cook these vegetables over medium heat until the vegetables are tender and the onions are translucent.

Once cooked, I add the flour to the vegetables and stir to combine.  I cook this for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly until the flour is no longer raw.

As I stir and it cooks, the flour adheres to the vegetables.

I slowly add the chicken stock, stirring the entire time.  Adding the stock a bit at a time at first helps prevent lumps of flour in the soup.

Next, I add the frozen mixed vegetables, corn, and hash browns, stirring to combine.  I do not defrost these vegetables before adding them.  Also, I couldn't find the mixed vegetables with the carrots cut in cubes, which is what I prefer to use.  It was a little weird to find a "baby carrot" when eating the soup.

After defrosting the chopped spinach and squeezing it dry, I add it to the soup.

Then, I add the seasonings - fresh parsley, dried thyme, black pepper, and salt.

I turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil.  Because I've added frozen vegetables, I let the soup boil for about 3 minutes, then I reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

The last step is to add the cheese, stirring until it is completely melted.  I like to use the extra-sharp cheddar cheese and it adds the most flavor.

This soup is pretty simple to make and it freezes well!  It's also a great way to get kids to eat spinach as it's hidden in the middle of vegetables they are most likely used to.  Enjoy!

Clean the Freezer Vegetable Soup

¼ cup butter

1 onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 (32-oz.) boxes chicken broth

1 (32-oz.) pkg. frozen hash-brown potatoes, thawed

1 (16-oz.) pkg. frozen niblet corn, thawed

1 (16-oz.) pkg. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion and celery; cook 7 minutes, stirring frequently or until tender.  Add flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Sitr in broth, hash-brown potatoes, corn, mixed vegetables, spinach, parsley, thyme, pepper, and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  Add cheese, stirring until smooth.

Yield:  10 – 12 servings

Note:  I defrost only the spinach so that I can drain it and squeeze it dry.  Otherwise, I put in the hash-browns, corn, and vegetables while still frozen and let the soup boil a few minutes before reducing the heat to simmer.  I also use extra-sharp cheddar cheese for more flavor.