Tracy's Monster Cookies (Bowron Lake Favourites)

Tracy's Monster Cookies (Bowron Lake Favourites)

In  Aug 2010 we canoed the Beautiful Bowron Lake chain in British Columbia. Such an epic trip and Tracy's Cookies were hands down our favourite treat. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/bowron_lk/

6 Eggs

2 Cups Brown Sugar

2 Cups White Sugar

1 ½ tsp Vanilla

1 ½ tsp corn syrup

4 tsp Baking Soda

1 cup marg or butter

2 ¾ cup peanut butter

9 cups oats

2 cups chocolate chips

2 cups smarties or M&M’s

2 cups nuts (peanuts, walnuts or I like pecans)

• In a large bowl cream butter and sugar. 
• Add eggs and beat well between each egg.
• Add rest of ingredients and mix well using what ever method works.
• May have to use muscle, as these have been known to burn out mixers.

This makes a monster batch!

Drop by heaping teaspoon onto parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake 350 for 12 minutes.

Crazy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

This recipe came up on facebook  and I had to try it out. Just like to give a shout out to http://happyhooligans.ca/ where this recipe originally appeared.

I don't know about you but in our family we believe that Cream Cheese Icing just makes everything taste better so of course when I saw Crazy, Banana and Cream Cheese Icing I had to try this.

Crazy Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Icing

Cake

1 1/2 cups very ripe bananas (approx. 3 -4 bananas)
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup soft butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar to milk let sit for a bit if you don't have buttermilk)

Icing
1/2 cup softened butter
8 oz cream cheese. room temp 
1 tsp vanilla
3.5 cups icing sugar

Preheat oven to 275 F. (this is not a mistake 275 F)
Prepare 9 x 13 cake pan (spray or grease and flour)

• Mash bananas up with lemon juice and set aside
• In another bowl mix flour, baking soda and salt. (I use a whisk to lighten up and thoroughly mix)
• If you don't have buttermilk, combine regular milk with lemon juice or vinegar and set aside to thicken up.
• In a large bowl cream softened butter and sugar.
• Beat in eggs one at a time, making sure they are well blended.
• Stir in vanilla (don't cheap out on vanilla...I like pure extract)
• Add in flour alternating with buttermilk.
• Stir in banana mix.
• Pour into cake pan and bake 1 hour and 10 mins (or until knife comes out clean) Check every 10 minutes until knife comes out clean.

Now the crazy part

• Immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes ( I placed it on a small cookie sheet and then in my big freezer or a tea towel underneath as I worried about the heat of the pan on glass shelf etc)
• Remove from freezer and let cool completely before icing

Cream Cheese Icing

• Cream butter and cream cheese.
• Beat in vanilla and icing sugar on low until combined remembering to scrape down sides occasionally, then on high until smooth.
• Frost cake and keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

Enjoy!

Dad's Casserole

My Dad went blind at an early age. CNIB (http://www.cnib.ca/) was a big part of our lives when we were younger. 
This was one of my Dad's Go-to

dinners when it was his night to cook.

Dad’s Casserole

1 lb lean hamburger

flour

salt & Pepper

onion

fresh tomatoes

Baking powder biscuits

I use a cast iron frying pan so I can throw it in the oven as well.

• Chop onion and chop fresh tomatoes put in casserole dish or oven proof frying pan. Put in oven while preparing hamburger and biscuit.
• Brown hamburger in cast iron frying pan
• Drain add flour to thicken and seasonings to taste
• Put this layer on top of tomato, onion layer.
• On top of that add *baking powder biscuit topping.

Bake 450 (or whatever your baking powder biscuit recipe calls for) until biscuit is golden brown (If you take it out to soon, biscuit will not be cooked)

Mom Noel's Coconut Squares...AKA...Pink Lickers

These are above all, the most requested Christmas Recipe of my Mom's in our family. My eldest son Josh even had these hand delivered to Thailand one Christmas. Pink Lickers...ah...don't ask...lol:)

Mom’s Coconut Squares…AKA…..Pink Lickers

½ cup hard marg. or butter

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp. white Sugar

Mix until crumble, press into an 8 x 8 prepared pan

Bake 10 min at 350 degrees

1 cup condensed milk

1 pkg. med coconut (2 cups)

Mix together. Put on cooled crust.

Bake 35 min. until golden not spongy.

Chill

Pipe with Pink Almond Butter Icing.

Butter icing using almond extract and colour pink

Lick and Enjoy……

Mom Noels BBQ Ribs or Swedish Meatball Sauce

This is my family's favourite rib and swedish meatball recipe. Have to ask Mom where it originally came from.

This is finger licking material here. No neat freaks allowed!!!

Mom’s (Barbeque Recipe) 

350 degrees 1 hour (or longer)

Brown:

2 Tbsp Fat (I use Olive oil or grapeseed oil)

2 Tbsp Onion chopped

Add:

11/2 C. Catsup

¼ C. Vinegar

1 C. Water

2 Tbsp Worcestershire

4 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Celery Salt (I have used celery seed)

1 tsp. Dry Mustard

1 tsp Chili Sauce generous (I usually just pour a glob in)

Dash of Tabasco

I usually make the sauce up ahead of time and either leave it on the stove on a low simmer or transfer it into a crock-pot, put it on low and forget about it until you need it in a few hours.

Sprinkle *pre-cooked ribs ( I have always used baby backribs) with more brown sugar and add sauce. Cover in oven. – Take lid off for last ½ hour.

Doesn't hurt to leave these in for longer as long as you have enough sauce, make sure to give them a toss occasionally to distribute sauce.

Jo-anne’s Options.

Ribs:

I sometimes add Chipotles Chili seasoning or Chipotle Tabasco for more of a bite.

Drizzle with honey and or brown sugar before baking. I usually bake for 1 ½ - 2 hours. I like them falling off the bone.

Swedish Meatballs:

Use same sauce and heat precooked meatballs ( I like M&M precooked Italian Meatballs) in it and serve over rice. This was originally a Swedish meatball sauce.

* precook in bowling water seasoned with black pepper corns and bay leaf for 15-20 min.

Sloppy Jo- Joes

 These are a favourite and always requested by my nephew Evan

Sloppy Jo- Joes

1 lb Ground Beef

¾ t. salt

2 T. Molasses

2 T. prepared Mustard

1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

½ cup ketchup

Brown meat in skillet. Mix sauce together and add to cooked meat. 

To serve spread mix on buns that have been heated up or spread mix on buns wrap in foil and heat until warm.

Auntie Mame's Chocolate Mousse Pie

Auntie Mame’s Chocolate Mousse Pie

This recipe comes to me from my very good friend Margaret...(pictured here after attempting to teach my husband Bill how to cook) This was one of her late sisters recipes that I feel very blessed to now have.

Crust

3 cups chocolate wafer crumbs

½ cup unsalted butter melted

Filling

1 LB semisweet chocolate chopped (16 squares)

2 eggs

4 egg yolks

2 cups whipping cream

6 Tablespoons powdered sugar

4 egg whites room temperature

Decoration

2 cups whipping cream

sugar

For Crust: Combine crumbs and butter, press on bottom and up sides of a 10” spring form an. Refrigerate 30 minutes

For Filling: Soften chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water. (Or microwave) Let cool to lukewarm. *Add whole eggs and mix well. Add yolks and mix until thoroughly blended. Whip cream with sugar until soft peaks form. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir in a little if the cream mix and whites into the chocolate mix to lighten. Fold in remaining cream and whites until completely incorporated. Turn into crust and chill at least 6 hours or preferable overnight.

* IMPORTANT....chocolate must be lukewarm as you don't want to cook the egg and then stir, stir, stir. And yolks...stir and blend some more...then add some whipped cream...stir some more...then egg white....stir some more. Once it's smooth and lighter then you can add rest of egg whites and whip cream and fold gently so as you don't loose volume.

Decorate: Whip remaining cream and add sugar to taste. Loosen crust on all sides using a sharp knife, removing spring form. Decorate with whip cream and chocolate shavings.

Incredibly Fudgey Brownies

Incredibly Fudgey Brownies

Preparation Time: 10 min

Baking Time 25 minutes

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. Butter or Marg.

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup Fry’s Cocoa

2 tsp. Magic Baking Powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

(optional…I don’t add)

½ cup chopped walnuts or nuts

MELT butter in saucepan over low heat (I use a 8 cup pyrex measuring cup and use the microwave to melt butter.)

REMOVE from heat: stir in sugar, ADD eggs, one at a time, beating with a whisk or spoon after each addition until smooth. STIR in Vanilla. MIX flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt: stir into butter mixture with chocolate chips and nuts just until blended. POUR into greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan, spreading evenly.

BAKE at 350 deg. F. for about 25 minutes of until firm at edges but soft in centre. COOL on rack cut into squares.

Makes about 3 doz. Brownies.

HINT: Do not overbake brownies or they will become dry and not as fudgey.