Here is a quick bread for breakfast or a brunch.

3 cups baking mix

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 T. grated orange peel

3/4 cup orange juice (fresh or frozen)

3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Orange glaze:

Makes one loaf 9×5x3- preheat oven 350 degrees

Mix baking mix, sugar, eggs, orange peel and orange juice and beat 1/2 minute on slow speed.  Beat another 2 1/2 minutes on medium.  Stir in nuts and bake for 55 to 60 minutes.

Orange glaze: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup butter or margarine melted, 1 T. grated orange peel, 1 T. orange juice.  Mix thoroughly…  If needed add more juice.

Try this some morning with a great cup of your favorite coffee!

Gogi

This is a cheese ball you can make ahead without much fuss.

2 pkgs. cream cheese

2 cups sharp shredded  cheddar cheese

l T. chopped green onion

l T. chopped green and red bell pepper

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. lemon juice

Finely chopped pecans (amount as desired)

Soften and mix cheeses.  Add remaining ingredients except nuts.  Chill.  Add nuts and form into ball. Save some of the nuts to roll the cheese ball in.

You could make this into a centerpiece for a a snack table. 

Enjoy,

Gogi

 WOW!  Here is an easy snack!  I was just talking to my friend Barb in Georgia and she gave me this recipe.  Just follow the simple directions.

box of Ritz crackers

jar of peanut butter

chocolate chips

Melt chocolate chips in double boiler VERY CAREFULLY.  While melting chocolate spread peanut butter between Ritz crackers making little sandwiches/cookies. 

Dip each little sandwich/cookie  into melted chocolate.  Remove and let cool on waxed paper.

This is sure to be a hit with both the young and old!!!!  Thanks Barb  for this quick and easy recipe.

You all enjoy,

Gogi

I just finished making the crust for a cookie pizza.  I took a package of sugar cookie mix from the cupboard, mixed as directed and spread it on an ungreased round pizza pan and baked according to directions.  It is cooling now and later I will put the topping on it. 

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts

Mix together first 3 ingredients and spread on cooled crust.  Sprnkle peanuts over top.  Take chocolate ice cream or carmel topping and drizzle across the top.  Makes a great snack or dessert for family or company.  Refrigerate leftovers.

If you are going to eat this right away, slice some granny apples, dip in lemon juice and scatter across the top of pizza before adding the topping.  I prefer not to unless I know it is going to be used right away because the apples might not look so great after a while even if you dipped them. 

Enjoy,

Gogi

Combine 1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cuup brown ssugar

2 unbeaten eggs

Sift together

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Add to creamed mixture above.

Then add to that mixture

1 cup coconut

1 cup oats

i tsp. vanilla

Drop from a spoon onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

This is  a really quick and inexpensive recipe to make.  You can add raisins, nuts, cranraisins, or any other cut up dried fruits or just leave it plain.

LIKE I ALWAYS SAY- BE CREATIVE!!!

Gogi

Summer is coming and we are all looking for something we don’t have to turn on the heat  to prepare.  This salad takes a small amount of preparation time , but not much. 

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1 red apple diced

1/4 cup nuts chopped

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup sour cream

1 T lemon juice

1/2 cup cottage cheese

lettuce leaves

Combine all ingredients, except the last two; chill; place on lettuce and top witih cottage cheese.

You can make this into a larger recipe because this only serves one.

Enjoy

Gogi

PART 4

FLOUR

FLOUR is the foundation of the cookie, but the flavor should never be apparent when you taste the baked cookie.  Cookies with too much flour have a pasty taste and a tough dry texture

Most recipes call for all-purpose flour, which is a mixture of soft, low-gluten wheat and hard, high-gluten wheat.  The combination gives the flour just enough gluten to produce light, tender cookies without making them elastic, like bread. 

Some recipes specify using other types of flour, such as whole wheat or cake flour.  Whole wheat is more nutritious and nutty-tasting than all purpose flour because it includes bran and germ.  But too much bran and germ can make the cookies heavy and dry; even whole wheat cookies should contain at least ¼ cup of all purpose flour.  If the recipe doesn’t call for ¼ cup of all purpose flour plus the wheat flour, then subtract ¼ cup wheat flour and add ¼ cup of all purpose in its place.

CAKE FLOUR is made from very finely milled, low gluten wheat.  It produces the lightest, most tender results.  Cake flour is appropriate to use in cookies that undergo a lot of handling, such as those formed by pressing or rolling the dough.

Regardless of type of flour used, it should be added last and mixed as little as possible.  Overmixing the flour forces air out of the dough and created tough, hard cookies.

Few cookie recipes call for sifting the flour, but it should be carefully measured.  For accuracy, spoon flour lightly into the appropriate-sized measuring cup and scrape away the excess with the back of a knife.

Gluten- water soluble sticky protein- gives strength, structure, and cohesiveness to dough

Part four of six