S'more Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 cup whole milk
1 5oz chocolate pudding (cook&serve)
1/2 cup butter
6 whole graham crackers
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
40 large marshmallows

Directions:

Combine milk and pudding mix and place into greased 13x9 baking dish.

Place graham crackers (broken in half) on top of pudding mixture with space in between each one.

Add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips.

Spread DRY cake mix over top and place the butter by tablespoons on top of dry mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Mix slightly so there isn't large areas of dry ingredients.

Add marshmallows and bake for 8-10 minutes and if needed 1-2 minutes under a high broiler to brown.

Apple Cake

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the dish
1 1/4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced into 12 pieces
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Generously butter a 9-inch glass pie dish and arrange the apples in the dish, cut side down. 

Combine 1 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it turns a warm amber color, about 360 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Swirl the pan but don't stir. Pour evenly over the apple slices. 

Meanwhile, cream the 6 tablespoons of butter and the remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, add it to the butter mixture. Mix only until combined. 

Pour the cake batter evenly over the apple slices and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a flat plate. If an apple slice sticks, ease it out and replace it in the design on top of the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Homemade Cracker Jacks

Ingredients:

1/2 cup un-popped popcorn
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 brown paper sandwich bag
1 piece of adhesive tape
1/2 cup shelled peanuts
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the popcorn in a brown paper bag (if you're using 2/3 cup, you might want to split it into two paper bags), pour in 4 teaspoons of olive oil (or more for the larger amount), and close the bag with a piece of tape. Heat it on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Put it in a bowl. Add the peanuts to the popcorn.

For the caramel, heat the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses and salt in a pan on the stove until the butter is melted, and the sugar is smooth and not grainy anymore.

Pour this mixture over the popcorn and peanuts, stirring well. Pour it all onto a cookie sheet and place in oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring once or twice. (It will be gooey and wet.)

Stir occasional and let air dry until crisp, then store in an airtight container until the first pitch. (The cookie sheet will look dauntingly dirty, but hot water will easily erase all traces of sticky caramel sauce.)

 

Mini Cheeseburger Puffs

Ingredients:

 

1 pound ground chuck
2 teaspoons steak seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Vidalia onion, minced
1 package puff pastry sheets
20 (1-inch) slices Cheddar
 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the first 5 ingredients. Hand-form patty to 1/4 normal burger size, about 2-inches in diameter. In a grooved black skillet, cook burgers to medium. Turn once. Do not overcook.

Roll out thawed puff pastry. Cut 10 (6-inch) even panels. Place burger in center of square and top with 2 slices of cheese. Fold edges up and twist on top. Bake 20 to 25 minutes and serve warm.

Vanilla Wafer Cake

Ingredients:

6 whole eggs
3.5 oz can of coconut
1/2 cup milk
12 ounce box vanilla wafers
2 cup sugar
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

Beat eggs well. Crush vanilla wafers. Mix wafers and all other ingredients into eggs. Pour into greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350 for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:

One 12-ounce tube bulk pork sausage
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Baking Powder Biscuits, recipe follows

Directions:

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, break it up with a wooden spoon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet. Whisk the flour into the fat and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. While whisking, pour the milk into the skillet and bring the gravy to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Stir in the sausage and season with pepper. Split the biscuits in half and divide them among plates. Top each biscuit with some of the gravy and serve immediately.

Mango Tart

Ingredients

Crust
1 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup(s) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
8 tablespoon(s) cold butter (no substitutions), cut up
3 tablespoon(s) (or more, as needed) ice water
 

Lime Pastry Cream

1 cup(s) whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup(s) granulated sugar
2 tablespoon(s) cornstarch
2 tablespoon(s) butter (no substitutions)
1 teaspoon(s) grated fresh lime peel
 

Fruit Topping

2  mangoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1  peeled slice kiwifruit (optional)
 
 

Directions:

Lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll disk into 11-inch round. Transfer dough round to 9" by 1" round tart pan with removable bottom . Press dough onto bottom and up side of pan. Trim dough level with rim of pan; discard trimmings. Refrigerate or freeze tart shell 10 to 15 minutes to firm dough slightly before baking.

Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights, and bake about 15 minutes longer or until golden. (Cover rim of tart with foil if browning too quickly.) If center of crust puffs up during baking, gently press down with back of spoon. Cool in pan on wire rack, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare Lime Pastry Cream: In 2-quart saucepan, heat milk to simmering on medium. In small bowl, whisk yolks and granulated sugar until blended. Mix in cornstarch until smooth. While constantly beating with wire whisk, gradually pour about half of simmering milk into egg-yolk mixture. Pour egg-yolk mixture into remaining milk in saucepan and cook, whisking constantly to prevent lumping, until mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Boil 1 minute, stirring. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in butter and lime peel. Transfer pastry cream to small bowl; cover surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.

Spoon pastry cream into baked tart shell and spread evenly. Arrange mango slices on top; place kiwifruit slice in center. Remove tart from side of pan. Place tart, still on pan base, on serving plate. If not serving tart right away, cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours.