Cream of Celery and Cauliflower Soup

I have been using my treadmill again and have been looking through cookbooks with working out. The cookbook is called: A Taste of Appleby. It came in a box lot of cookbooks bought at an auction.
The soup was great. I will be making it again for sure.

Cream of Celery and Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups cauliflower florets
1/3 cup unbleached flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup cream
salt and pepper
chopped scallion for garnish/or parsley

Directions:

In large pot, melt butter. Add onion, celery and cauliflower; when this is softened cover pot and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Take the vegetables and put in blender or food processor and puree. ( I left it a bit chunky) Return to pot and stir in flour, mix thoroughly and cook until flour is cooked.
Slowly stir in chicken stock and bring to boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in cream.
Soup can be heated but do not boil.
Season to taste and add garnish.
Serves 6

Coffee Crunch Cookies

I was looking for a cookie that has coffee in it. This one sounded interesting. It is a nice light cookie with a nice crunch to it. It is on Southernfood blog. I will make them again.

Coffee Crunch Cookies Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup butter
2 tablespoon instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons hot water
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
Directions:

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugars and butter.
Dissolve coffee granules or powder in hot water; blend coffee into creamed mixture
Add egg, mix until combined.
Stir in coconut and sifted dry ingredients, until just mixed.
Drop dough but rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen coffee cookies.

Oatmeal Apple Pie Bars

In surfing around I came across these bars at Cookie Pie's blog. They are well worth making.

Oatmeal Apple Pie Bars

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 large apples, Mac's, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans, or halves
pinch of salt

Crust:

1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup large flake oats
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven 350º.
Prepare a 9 X 9" baking pan. Line with parchment on bottom and butter the pan well.

Filling:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add pecans and toast until golden.
Add apples, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt cook, stirring often.
When the apples are golden and tender and caramelize, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Put in a small bowl and let cool.

Crust:

In mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar and oats.
Stir in melted butter.
Take 1 1/2 cups of oat mixture and press evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
Spoon filling over crust, spreading evenly.
Crumble remaining oat mixture over filling.

Bake bars for 30 to 35 minutes, until topping is golden brown.
Let cool on a wire rack to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Remove bars from baking pan, and cut into bars.
Keep bars in an airtight container in the fridge.

Peanut Butter Cake

If you have been following my son Dan's blog Urban Veggie Garden you will know he is making hard cider. He found Hergott's Cider Mill in Waterloo that does not pasteurize the cider. They are selling the cider part of the business and keeping the honey which they will be selling at their new location. They have a store as well and I bought this cookbook. In browsing through the book I saw this cake and it sounded like it would be very good. It is really good, moist, tender the frosting is not to sweet.

Peanut Butter Cake

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soft butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup thick sour milk (add 2 tbsp. vinegar, let stand a couple minutes to thicken)
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.

In small bowl combine flour salt and baking soda with whisk. In mixer bowl combine butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add brown sugar and mix until smooth, add eggs, one at at time. Add warm water and sour milk and mix until smooth and silky. Add flour a little at a time. Combine until just mixed.

Pour mixture into prepared baking pans. Either 2 9" baking pans or a 9 X 13" pan. Grease and flour pans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for the 9" pans and 30 to 40 minutes for the 9 X 13" pan.

Frosting:

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 to 5 tbsp. milk

Melt the chocolate in microwave.
In mixer bowl combine chocolate butter and peanut butter and mix until smooth.
alternate icing sugar and milk until you have the desired consistency is reached.
Spread on cooled cake.

Good Morning To All

Double Oatmeal and Peanut Butter Cookies

When I saw this recipe for Double Oatmeal and Peanut Butter Cookies, I was intrigued with the addition of Cherrios. The recipe came from Culinary in the Country. These cookies are so good, moist, chewy, crispy. I took them to work and everyone really enjoyed them.

Double Oatmeal and Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (large flake)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter ( use all natural)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup water
3 cups Cheerios cereal
1/2 cup golden raisins (I used dark raisins)
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º.

Whisk together flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

In your mixer, beat together butter and peanut butter until smooth.
Add white sugar and brown sugar, beating until creamy.
Mix in egg, vanilla and water.
Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
Fold in Cheerios, raisins and peanut butter chips.

Scoop dough using a 1/4 cup measure (or a large spoon) and drop onto parchment lined baking sheets, spacing them about 3" apart. flatten the dough slightly.

Bake for about 10 minutes ( I found this was perfect time). Remove from the oven and let cookies cool for 5 minutes before placing them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 24 large cookies.

Fudge Pudding Cake

Last Saturday I got up and went to a Thrift store I have been wanting to go see. I found a cookbook called Better Homes and Gardens Chocolate. In going through the book I came across Fudge Pudding Cake. It is the best pudding cake I have ever had for sure. Creamy Fudge layer on bottom and the cake is so moist.

Fudge Pudding Cake

Preheat oven to 350º.

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I added white chocolate chips)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water
whipped cream or sifted powdered sugar

Directions:

In large mixing bowl stir flour, the 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp. cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl combine milk, oil and vanilla: add to flour mixture and stir till smooth. Stir in nuts.

Add this mixture to a 8 x 8 x 2" baking pan un-greased.

Combine the 3/4 cup sugar and the 1/4 cup cocoa powder: gradually stir in boiling water. Pour the liquid mixture evenly over the batter already in the pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Serve warm or chilled in individual dessert dishes. Serve with whipped cream or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 8 servings.