Apricot-Coconut Cookie Bars

½ cup butter, softened

¼ cup sugar

1 1/3 cups sifted all purpose flour

½ t baking powder

¼ t salt

2 eggs, well beaten

1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 can finely chopped dried apricots

In medium bowl, combine butter, sugar, and 1 cup flour. With two knives or pastry blender, cut ingredients together until mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Press pastry evenly on bottom and 1” up sides of a buttered 9” square baking pan. Bake in moderate 350°F oven about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside. Hold oven temperature at 350°F. Into mixing bowl, sift together baking powered, salt and remaining flour. Stir in eggs, sweetened condensed milk, coconut and apricots; mix well. Spread mixture evenly over baked pastry. Return to oven. Bake 35 minutes longer or until top is firm. Cool in pan. Cut into bars.

Makes about 20 bars.

Chocolate Peanut Clusters

2 (4 oz) bars sweet cooking chocolate

2/3 cup Eagle Brand Sweetened condensed milk

1 cup shelled unsalted whole peanuts

In top of double boiler, melt chocolate over hot water. Remove from heat. Add sweetened condensed milk and nuts; stir until all nuts are covered. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto buttered baking sheet. Refrigerate several hours.

NOTE: if desired, pecans, cashews, walnuts or seedless raisins may be substituted for the peanuts.

Makes about 2 dozen 1¾” diameter candies

Fruit and Oatmeal Bars

6 tablespoons grapeseed oil, or other neutral oil, plus extra for brushing pan

2 cups rolled oats

½ cup mixed seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower and sesame

½ cup honey

½ cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

Pinch of salt

1 ½ cups mixed dried fruit, such as raisins, cherries, apricots, papaya, pineapple and cranberries (at least 3 kinds, cut into small pieces if large)

1 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon

2 tablespoons of butter
 

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, letting a few inches hangs over side of pan. Brush with oil
2. Spread oats and seeds on another baking pan and toast in oven just until golden and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes, shaking pan once.
3. In a saucepan, combine oil, butter, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup and salt. Stir over medium heat until smooth and hot. In a mixing bowl, toss together toasted oats and seeds, dried fruit and cardamom. Pour hot sugar mixture over and stir until well combined.
4. While mixture is warm, transfer to prepared pan, pressing into pan evenly with an offset spatula.
5. Bake until brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and let cool completely. Using the overhanging foil or paper, lift out of pan and place on a work surface Cut into bars, about 1 ½ inches by 3 inches.

Date & Coconut Balls

1 egg
½ c sugar
1 c dates
½ c nuts (chopped)
1½ c Rice Krispies
fine coconut

Beat egg and add sugar and dates. Cook in double boiler to moisten dates. Stir in nuts and Rice Krispies. Shape into balls and then roll in coconut.

Yields 2-3 dozen

ArtFire Collection: Trot Out The Turkeys

Trot Out The Turkeys

Curated By: CTurtlezOddzn...

ArtFire.com

Craft Tutorials

Easy Blueberry Shortcake

4 individual sponge cakes

2 cups blueberries

Reddi wip Original Dairy Whipped Topping

Top each cake with ½ cup blueberries and Reddi wip

Fruity Pudding Snack

¼ banana, sliced

2 vanilla wafer cookies, coarsely crushed

1 pudding cup (3.5 oz) snack pack vanilla

Reddi wip original dairy whipped topping

Add bananas and cookies to pudding cup mix lightly. Top with Reddi wip Serve immediately

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

1 medium banana, cut into chunks

1 cup frozen blueberries

¾ cup vanilla soymilk

1 T honey

½ cup ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend to desired consistency. Divide between two glasses.

Trick-Or-Treat by George L Ehrman

Witches and ghosts and goblins and elves

And all of them almost afraid of themselves,

Sneaking about in the oldest of places

And all of them wearing the scariest faces!

Where do they come from?

Who can they be?

Why every year do they come visit me?

But when the refreshments are gone from the scene,

They soon all depart until next Halloween!

Blueberry Waffle Strusel

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

¼ cup chopped pecans

1 T butter, softened

½ t ground cinnamon

1 package frozen blueberry waffles

1 (10 oz) package frozen blueberries, thawed and drained

vanilla ice cream if desired

In a small bowl, combine sugar, pecans, butter and cinnamon; set aside.

Place waffles on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with no-stick cooking spray. Top with drained blueberries. Sprinkle with streusel mixture.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with ice cream, if desired.