Basic Buttercream Frosting

 Ingredients

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

 

Directions

In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Note: If using in a piping bag, be aware that this icing melts easily and the heat from your hands can let this occur. Also, be cautious to not set desserts with this frosting outside in the heat of the sun. 

Basic Cream Cheese Frosting

This is our basic Cream Cheese Frosting recipe that we use for most recipes.

Ingredients

3/4 Cup of Butter, softened

6 oz Cream Cheese, softened

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

3 Cups Confectioners Sugar

Directions
1. In a mixing bowl whip Cream Cheese until light and fluffy.
2. Add Butter. Beat well.
3. Add Vanilla. Gradually beat in Sugar.

Use immediately or store in fridge

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 cup of blanched Spinach, chopped
1 cup (heaping) marinated Artichokes, chopped
1 cup Philly Cream Cheese
1 cup Sour Cream
3/4 c. shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 Onion finely chopped
1/2 cup Butter
red pepper flakes to taste

Directions
1. Sauté onions in butter till clear, remove from heat. set aside.
2. Using a mixer, whip Cream Cheese till fluffy. Add Sour Cream and Cheeses. Mix well.
3. Slowly add Onion and Butter mixture into mixer.
4. Add Artichokes and Spinach by slowly folding them into mixture (Do not mix with beaters for you want there to be little hunks in your dip)
5. Pour mixture in an 8x11 inch pan and spread evenly through pan.
6. Place in oven at 375 degrees, bake for 20-30 minutes (Or until slightly browned on top)

Makes approx. 12 servings

Serve hot with chips, crackers, or bread

Bon Appétit!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

IGREDIENTS

1/4	cup butter or margarine
2/3	cup packed brown sugar
9	slices canned pineapple in juice , drained
9	maraschino cherries without stems, if desired
1 1/3	cups all purpose flour
1	cup granulated sugar
1/3	cup shortening
1 1/2	teaspoons baking powder
1/2	teaspoon salt
3/4	cup milk
1	egg

1. 1 Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.

2. 2 In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

3. 3 Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm. Store cake loosely covered.

Tropical Fruit Combo

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Tablespoon hot water

1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice

2 Cups Sliced Strawberries

1 Fresh pineapple

1 Kiwifruit

4 Teaspoons flaked Coconut

Slice the pineapple in ½ or ¼ to form a bowl. Remove the pineapple leaving the shell for a bowl.

Combine sugar, water, juice. Stir in water until sugar is dissolved. Puree with ½ cup strawberries. Slice the fruit that you want to use (I use whatever kind of fruit I have at home at the time). Mix the puree with your cut up fruit. Just before serving put in the pineapple shell.

Tastes great and likes very festive.

Aunt Caroles' Famous Potato Cassarole

Ingredients:

12 Medium Potatoes (Do not Peel or Cut!)

1 1/2 Cups of Butter, Melted and divided

1 (4oz) Jar of chopped Pimentos, drained

1 Cup chopped Green Pepper

2 Cups Evaporated Milk

1 Tsp Salt

1 1/2 Cups of shredded Cheddar Cheese

48 Saltine Crackers, crushed

Directions;

1. In a large pot with water, boil whole potatoes until a fork can be inserted easily.

2. Remove Skins. Cut potatoes into bite-size pieces.

3. In a large bowl (Or if the pot you used is big enough) combine potatoes, 3/4 C of butter, Pimentos, Green Pepper, Milk, Salt, and Cheese. Mix Thoroughly (Do not mash potatoes!)

4. Place mixture in a large 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with crackers and then pour remaining butter on top.

5. Bake at 350, for 45 minutes

Gluten Free Strawberry Cake

Ingredients                

• 2 Cups of Strawberrys
• 1 2/3 cups sugar Divided
• 3 sticks of butter soften 
• 2 cups Brown Rice Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Tsp Xanthum Gum
• 6 large egg whites (See Note for non-wasting eggs)
• 1/2 cup Coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 (9-inch) diameter by 1 1/2-inch deep layer pans or 1 (13 by 9 by 2-inch) pan, buttered and bottoms lined with parchment or waxed paper 

 For Cake Filling:

• 2 Cups of Frozen Strawberrys
• 1 Cup of Sugar (Use less for sweeter berrys)
• 1 Envelope of Unflavored Geletan           

  Buttercream Frosting is the perfect compliment to this cake!

Directions           

1. Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. 
2. In a small saucepan add strawberrys and 1 cup of sugar on medium heat. Bring to a boil so that sugar dissolves. Remove from stove top. Set Aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until thoroughly beated. Add sugar and continue to beat for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt & Xanthum Gum. Set aside.
5. Combine egg whites, milk and vanilla extract.
6. With a flour sifter add the flour  and milk mixture alternatly to the butter mixture. Continue to alternate beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scrape bowl and beater often. 
7. Add somewhat cooled strawberry mixture to batter.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and smooth top with a metal spatula. Bake cake(s) about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
9. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack, remove paper and let cool completely.

For Cake Filling:

1. Put strawberrys in blender until smooth. Using 1/4 cup of strawberry blend, put in a bowl and add gelitan and stir so that it is mixed thouroughly. Set aside. 
2. In a small saucepan add berry mix and sugar. Heat over medium until boiling. Remove from heat and whisk in the geletan strawberry mixture. Let set and cool. The geletan will set in more as it cools to a jam consistency. 
3. If put in-between cake layers, to keep filling from coming out create a 'dam' around the edge of the cake by using your frosting. Then fill it in with the berry mix and it shouldn't squeeze out from the pressure of the top layer

Note* Geletan needs to be mixed into cold liquids to work properly before being added into hot mixtures, So if your berrys where not frozen before being blended then place the 1/4 of a cup in a bowl in the freezer for a few minutes before adding geletan.
       
Variation:
       
CLASSIC YELLOW CAKE: Substitute 3 large eggs and 1 egg yolk for all of the egg whites above.