Easy Caramel Apple Pie

This is a VERY easy, old fashioned pie. I found it in my grandmother's recipe box- clipped from an old Pet Ritz pie crust package.

10 caramel candies, each cut into 4 pieces
1/3 cup flour
3 cups chopped apples
2/3 cup caramel ice cream topping
2 t lemon juice
1 frozen 9 inch pie shell
1/2 cup pecan pieces


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine caramel pieces, flour, apple pieces, caramel topping and lemon juice in large bowl. Mix well. Pour mixture into frozen pie shell and sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecan pieces. Bake for 40-45 minutes.


TIP OF THE DAY: To make this pie in a deep dish pie shell substitute 15 caramel candies, 1/2 cup flour, 5 cups apples, 1 cup caramel ice cream topping and 1 T lemon juice.


Tomorrow's Daily Special: Buttermilk Candy

Black Walnut Cake with White Fudge Frosting

Another wonderful cake recipe from my sweet mothers recipe box.


Black Walnut Cake:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
4 eggs


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into creamed mixture. Stir in vanilla and milk. Add nuts and then eggs- mix well. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9 inch round pans. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.


White Fudge Frosting:
3 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 stick butter
1 t vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts


Combine sugar and milk - bring to a boil. Cover. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Cool. Beat till thick. Frost cake.


Tomorrow's Daily Special: Easy Caramel Apple Pie

Quick Sticky Buns

I found this recipe in my Real Simple magazine last month. What a fabulous and EASY way to fix a yummy breakfast for your family!

1 1/2 T butter, sliced into 10 pieces
1 medium banana, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
3 T brown sugar
1 (7.5 ounce) tube buttermilk biscuits


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop a piece of butter in the bottom of each of 10 compartments of a muffin tin. Arrange the banana slices on top. Sprinkle the pecans and brown sugar over the bananas. Top each compartment with a biscuit. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Place a baking sheet on top of the tin while the buns are still hot. Carefully flip the tin over, tapping the bottom to release the buns. Serve warm.


Tomorrow's Daily Special: Black Walnut Cake

Garlic Pork Tenderloin

2-3 lb pork tenderloin
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 T oregano
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T thyme
salt
pepper

With a sharp knife, make slits or pockets in the pork loin -- one for every whole garlic clove. Insert the whole cloves and pinch of oregano into each slit. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Pour over pork loin and refrigerate 6-24 hours. Preheat oven to 350. Place pork in a foil lined baking dish. Bring foil up and tent. Bake for 1-1/2 hours, or until pork is tender and juices run clear. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes or so. Cut into slices and serve.



Tomorrow's Daily Special: Quick Sticky Buns

Christmas Tea

This is a great Christmas time drink!

1 cup instant tea (or 1/2 cup instant tea with a 1 qt pkg lemonade mix)
2 cups Tang
1 cup sugar
1 t cloves
3/4 cup red cinnamon candies or 1 t ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together. To use, dissolve 2 t mix in one cup of hot water.


Tomorrow's Daily Special: Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Ravioli Bites

This is a wonderful appetizer to take to a holiday gathering! A nice change from the traditional chips and dips!

1 cup fine soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 t garlic salt
1 t dried leaf oregano
16 ounces cheese-filled ravioli, cooked and drained
nonstick cooking spray
1 cup prepared spaghetti sauce, warmed

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray or use nonstick mats or foil to line baking sheets. In a pie plate combine the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic salt, and oregano. Roll each hot ravioli in the crumb mixture until coated. Place the ravioli, 1-inch apart, on baking sheets. Spray lightly with the nonstick spray. Bake 1 sheet of the ravioli until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then bake the second sheet. Serve with the spaghetti sauce for dipping.

TIP OF THE DAY: Frozen ravioli works great for this recipe.

Tomorrow's Daily Special: Christmas Tea

Eggnog Tea Bread

My dad loves eggnog so I am always on the lookout for recipes with eggnog. This
bread is a fabulous and easy bread that is great to give as a gift!

1 (16 oz) package Betty Crocker pound cake mix
¾ cup refrigerated eggnog
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon refrigerated eggnog

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Pour batter into 3 greased 6 x 3 x 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks. Combine powered sugar and 1 tablespoon eggnog, stirring well; drizzle over bread.

Tomorrow's Daily Special: Ravioli Bites

Hershey Pound Cake

This is another of my mother's recipes. Her recipe actually calls for 8 five cent Hershey bars but since they don't sell those anymore, I figured out the equivalent for this recipe.

2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
4 eggs
2 (5.5 ounce) cans chocolate syrup
7 (1.45 ounce) Hershey® bars, melted
1/4 t salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 t vanilla
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream sugar and butter; add eggs 1 at a time, beating well.
Add syrup and melted candy bars. Add salt to flour; stir baking soda into buttermilk and add to other ingredients alternately with flour, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla extract and pour into greased tube pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing. Sift confectioners' sugar over cooled cake.

Tomorrow's Daily Special: Eggnog Tea Bread

Coconut Sour Cream Cake

This is a recipe from my grandmother's recipe box and is labeled as her sister Fern's Favorite! It is a great and easy coconut cake!

Cake:
1 box white cake mix
1/4 cup cooking oil
3 eggs
8 ounces sour cream
1 (8 ounce) can cream of coconut

Frosting:
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 box powdered sugar
2 T milk
1 t coconut flavoring
1 can flake coconut

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients at once in bowl of electric mixer. Bake in greased 9 x 13 or two 9 inch round pans sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool and ice.

Frosting:
Beat cream cheese in mixing bowl. Add milk and coconut flavoring. Work in powdered sugar. Spread over cooled cake and sprinkle with coconut.

Tomorrow's Daily Special: Hershey Pound Cake

Homemade Cocoa Mix

My mom made this every year and my sister and I so looked forward to it. It’s an easy and quick alternative to pre-packaged cocoa mixes.

6 ounces Coffemate creamer
1 lb 9 ounce box Carnation Dry Milk
2 lb box Nestlé’s Quick
1 box powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Store in airtight canister. Use 1/3 cup mix to 1 cup hot water.

TIP OF THE DAY: This is a great and easy gift idea. Package it with two cute coffee mugs, a big bag of marshmallows and some chocolate covered spoons and the recipient will love it!

Tomorrow’s Daily Special: Coconut Sour Cream Cake

Greek Pasta Shrimp

This is a quick and easy dinner to make if you like shrimp. The oregano, tarragon, and feta cheese are a great combination. It’s also a healthy dinner which is so great this time of year- with all of the fabulous holiday treats around!

12 shrimp
1 t oregano
½ t tarragon
2 t olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped, diced tomatoes
1 ½ ounce feta cheese
Fettuccine – cooked and drained

Shell and devein shrimp. In large non stick skillet, heat olive oil. Add garlic and sauté till tender. Add shrimp, tomatoes, oregano, and tarragon. Sauté 5-6 minutes stirring till shrimp is pink and opaque. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in feta and spoon over pasta.

TIP OF THE DAY: If you don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand, you can use canned petite diced tomatoes instead.

Tomorrow’s Daily Special: Homemade Cocoa Mix

Apple Butter Scones

If you love apple butter, you are going to love these super easy scones!

2 1/4 cups flour
3 t baking powder
1 T packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup apple butter
1 t butter or margarine, melted
2 t cinnamon

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder and brown sugar in large bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup butter, the eggs, whipping cream and apple butter until soft dough forms. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Pat into an 8 inch round, about 3/4 inch thick. Brush with 1 t butter; sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Cut into 8 wedges. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve these warm with additional apple butter.

TIP OF THE DAY: If you don't want to make these in traditional scone shapes, you can use a biscuit cutter (or a glass dipped in flour) to make round scones.

Tomorrow's Daily Special: Greek Pasta Shrimp