Plum perfect

Posted by Farmgirl on August 17, 2010  |  No Comments

Plum Perfect Kuchen

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 2 1/2 cups sliced ripe plums
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 egg yolks (or 1 whole egg)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butter into cake mix and add coconut.
2. Pat mixture into an ungreased 13×9x2″ pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
3. Arrange fruit on warm crust.
4. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Sprinkle over and cover fruit.
5. Blend sour cream and egg. Drizzle over fruit.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until light brown. Do not overbake.
7. Serve warm. Makes 12-15 servings.

Sweeten the deal

Posted by Farmgirl on April 12, 2010  |  1 Comment

Photo from designspongeonline.com

It’s Monday.

I thought you’d enjoy a little boost for your spirits (and possibly your waistline if you eat half of these in one sitting. But don’t do that, even though they’re really good!) I found this recipe over at the TastyKitchen Web site. It’s a keeper!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups Quick Cooking Oats
1-⅔ cup Low-fat Buttermilk
¾ cups Brown Sugar
¼ cups Sugar
2 whole Eggs, Lightly Beaten
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ cups Butter, Melted And Cooled
1 cup Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
¼ teaspoons Salt
1-½ cup Chocolate Chips, Preferably Semi-sweet
½ cups Chocolate-covered Toffee Bits, Plus More For Sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine oats and sugars. Pour buttermilk over mixture, stir to combine, and let sit 5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine eggs and vanilla. Poor cooled butter into egg mixture and combine. Pour butter and egg mixture into oat mixture, and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour flour mixture into oat mixture. Stir until just combined. Add chocolate chips and toffee bits, stirring gently.

Place muffin liners in muffin tins, and fill about ¾ full. Sprinkle with additional toffee. Bake about 20 minutes, or until golden. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pans, then let cool on racks.

P.S.

And now that I’ve sweetened you up a bit …
Don’t forget Farmgirl Finds will re-open Friday, April 16.
Come see our curious mix of old and new rustic treasures, antiques and primitives!

We’re open Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

New primitives arrive weekly!

Christmas candy stripers

Posted by Farmgirl on December 8, 2009  |  3 Comments

We’re baking cookies today. We couldn’t resist these cute, striped Hershey’s Kisses. They’re perfect for our Christmas-themed peanut butter blossoms. We like to eat a lot of cookies around here, so we made a double batch and included regular kisses, too.

Kisses make my daughters smile. They like to multi-task. It was a home economics lesson and art project in one.

A nicer mother would get the poor child a stool … but I’m teaching her to stand on her own two feet.

Intensity. Concentration. Great care. This is my serious child. She likes to read, and reread a recipe. (Probably because she’s seen me add two of the same ingredient when I’m distracted.)

Precise. Accurate. Exact. If it says 1/2 cup, it means one half cup. Not 1/2 cup plus a little extra on top. She sets me straight with her straight edge. I need that. I also need my rough edges smoothed every once in awhile. But that’s youngest daughter’s job. She’s my free-spirited, carefree dreamer. We could all use a little of what motivates her.

She takes the path less traveled … and if it’s not leading her in the right direction, she molds and shapes and prods it along until it fits her like a worn-out, comfortable old shoe.

(I’ve always loved that phrase. It’s how Maureen O”Hara describes herself in The Parent Trap [1961].)

The eldest child is more cautious. She treads gently, but with great determination. She seeks perfection and becomes distraught if it is not achieved. She struggles between childlike wonder and responsible deduction. She has great depth to her feelings and opinions, but shares them hesitantly. She takes charge because it’s expected, but is often labeled bossy.

It’s tough to be the oldest. Trust me, I know.

They are synonyms and antonyms. They work well in sameness, they are passionate when opposite opinions come between them. They are sisters. Every woman should have one, biological or not.

They make beautiful music cookies together. (We’re still working on the piano duets!)

The end result is fantastic. Beautiful, sweet and cheerful. Just like my daughters who are growing up so very, very fast. And though I wouldn’t halt the process, sometimes I’d just like to push pause so I could sit and gaze at them with adoration and immense joy.

Savor every single moment … and have a very, merry Christmas!

The Farmgirls’ Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients:
48 Hershey’s hugs, kisses, stripers or several of each!
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

Directions:
Heat oven to 375. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well-blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Farmgirl’s Apple Donuts: downfall of humankind

Posted by Farmgirl on November 5, 2009  |  1 Comment

Yes. They are THAT good. I’d show you a photo, but someone — or somebodies — ate them all.

According to this Web site, November 5 is National Doughnut Day. In celebration, I’m offering you my super-secret-always-under-lock-n-key Baked Apple Donuts recipe.

I know. I love you lots.

First, a few tips: the batter is very thick — a pastry bag works best. Don’t have one? No problem. Spoon the batter into a quart-sized plastic bag, snip off the end and squeeze. You’ll also need a donut baking sheet or pan. Mine is more of a mini-bundt style donut pan.

Most importantly: these are donuts. DO NOT, under any circumstances, use margarine in place of butter. It would be downright shameful! And I suggest you avoid red delicious and Granny Smith apples — they’re not juicy enough to impart great apple-icious flavor!

Farmgirl’s Baked Apple Donuts

Sift together:

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1-3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup Crisco (shortening)

Combine:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup finely diced apples

After baking:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Cut shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Set aside.
2. Combine: 1 egg, beaten; milk and apples. Mix well. Add to dry ingredients and mix just until blended.
3. Spoon batter into pastry bag and squeeze into 12 greased muffin, donut or mini-bundt cups; fill 2/3 full.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done.
5. Meanwhile: melt 1/2 cup butter, set aside. Combine 12/ cup sugar with cinnamon. Mix well and set aside.
6. Remove donuts immediately from bake pan. Roll first in butter mixture, coating completely. Roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture.
7. Cool on wire racks.
8. Farmgirl recommends making 2-3 batches at a time. They disappear right before your eyes!

Hope you enjoy these naughty little bites of heaven!

Love,
       Farmgirl

Have your cake (and eat the batter, too!)

Posted by Farmgirl on October 13, 2009  |  No Comments

Tuesday is a good day for baking, don’t you agree? I decided to try a recipe I found on Rhoda’s blog, Southern Hospitality. It’s chocolate chip cake and it’s delicious. Really, really delicious.

I don’t have photos of the cake, because it’s baking as I type this. A little risky to be posting recipes you’ve never tasted, right? Not in this case. The batter was so good the finished cake simply has to be fabulous.

I’ve never wanted to eat cake batter with a spoon before. It’s that good, I kid you not!  Here’s Rhoda’s recipe … hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup cooking oil
8 ounces sour cream

Mix until batter is fluffy and smooth, about three minutes. Then add:

1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup chopped pecans

Stir by hand. Then spoon batter into a greased tube or Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. When cake is done, turn off heat and open oven door. Allow cake to cool for one hour before removing to a cake server.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the scrumptious recipe, Rhoda!

Breaking all the rules

Posted by Farmgirl on September 19, 2009  |  No Comments

Sometimes mommies don’t feel like making supper.

They feel like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Nobody seems to mind. At all.

Simply scrumptious!

Posted by Farmgirl on July 2, 2009  |  2 Comments

My sister is a baker. She makes cupcakes, cookies, bread, wedding cakes — you name it, she’s kneaded it or frosted it. Independence Day indulgences — that’s what these are. And you can buy them … if you happen to stop at Manfull Orchards Farm Market in Augusta.

Mmm!
What do you think she’ll do with these?

Oh, of course. Beautifully tinted swirly-Qs … I never, ever would have thought to do that. How does she get the dark purple on just the edges of those beautiful swirls?

The world may never know.

She’s a baking expert … and these only took her an hour or so.

But just look at what she can bake in nine months …

Not just one … but TWO precious little cupcakes. And they’re sweeter than any frosting.

They’re so scrumptious I could gobble them up and come back for seconds … and thirds … and … sigh.