Happy Mardis Gras

To celebrate Mardis Gras, I decided to share a recipe for king cake that was given to me. I have altered this recipe to have a Cream Cheese Filling, but it is also possible to have the standard cinnoman and butter filling. Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

Dough:

1/4 cup Butter
1 16 oz. carton Sour cream
1/3 cup Sugar

1 teasp Salt
2 pkg Yeast
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 cup Warm water
2 Eggs
6: 1/2 cups Plain flour

Traditional Filling:
1 cup Granulated sugar
4 teasp Cinnamon
2 teasp Flour
1/2 cup Butter

Cream Cheese Filling:

2 - 8oz. cream cheese

2 C. Powdered Sugar

4 T. Flour

2 t. Vanilla Extract

Few drops of milk

2 Token plastic babies

Frosting:

3 cups Powdered sugar
3 tbsp Butter, melted
3 to 5 tbsp Milk
Colored suger for garnish

Instructions:

• Mix first 4 ingredients in a saucepan. Heat until butter melts. Let mixture cool.
• Dissolve yeast and 1 T. sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Add butter mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour; beat 2 minutes.
• Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
• Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour.
• Traditional Filling: combine sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Set aside with butter.
  
• Cream Cheese Filling: combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, flour, vanilla extract and milk, set aside.
• When dough has risen one hour, punch dough down, and divide in half.
• Turn one portion of dough out onto a floured surface, and roll out to a 28 by 10 inch rectangle. Repeat with remaining dough portion.
• Spread filling over each rectangle.
• Roll up each rectangle jellyroll fashion, starting at short side.
• Place a token plastic baby inside each roll.
• Gently place each roll of dough seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet.
• Bring ends of each roll together to form an oval ring of each roll.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until double in bulk.
• Bake at 375 F 15 to 20 minutes.
• To prepare frosting, mix powdered sugar, butter and milk.
• Decorate each cake with frosting; sprinkle with colored sugars.

(Makes 2 King Cakes) *Do not eat plastic baby!

Mamie's Apple Sauce

The Story:

Last year, a friend and I decided to make a really big deal of teaching "Apples" in the fall. We decided to have Apple Week. We had an Apple Tasting where the kids tasted a red, yellow, & green apple and then marked on a graph which apple was their favorite. Each class made an "Apple" dish to share with the other classes. My class made .... Apple Sauce. I googled recipes, but really couldn't decide just how to do it. I wanted to do it from scratch. Well, I decided to start playing in the kitchen with Apples and this recipe is the final product that I use as a language project with my students. It takes 2 afternoons, but works great for recalling skills!!! We made it for the second time this year and even made it a 3rd time for our Thanksgiving Feast!!! Even the staff now requests it! 

Ingredients:

3 to 4 Lbs. Fuji or Gala Apples

1/2 C. melted butter

Ground Cinnamon

Sugar

Apple Juice 

Instructions:

Core, Peel and Slice Apples. Spread the apples on a large bar pan (needs to have sides to catch the syrup that forms when baking). Pour butter over and sprinkle ground cinnamon & sugar to coat the tops of the apples. I usually go overboard!

Bake the apples at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes. (until golden and a thick syrup forms)

In a food processor, add the baked apples & syrup. Pulse while slowly adding Apple Juice until it is to your desired consistency (I use about a 1/2  to 1 C.)

Refrigerate overnight or eat hot with some Ice Cream!

Bon Appetit!

Mom's Easy Peach Cobbler

This is one of my EASY favorites! My mom use to make this for "Sunday Dinner" dessert.  It's a great "winter" dessert to indulge yourself in! 

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

1 lg. can sliced peaches, drained

1/2 stick of melted butter

1 C. flour

1 C. milk

1 C. sugar, divided 1/2

First Mixture: Mix peaches, butter, and 1/2 C. sugar. Pour into glass or stoneware 9X9 dish.    

Second Mixture: Mix flour, milk, and 1/2 C. sugar. Mix until creamy. 

Pour second mixture over the first mixture in dish. 

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.