Seems I have an older version of the Quaker Oat’s Oatmeal Cookie recipe. This one has a “bit” more margarine.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups margarine
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cups Quaker Oats

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat together margarine and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices; add to margarine mixture, mixing well. Stir in oats. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet (I like to use parchment paper). Bake 8 to 9 minutes for chewy cookies, 10 to 11 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove and enjoy.

I tend to make my cookies a little larger, my batch turns out about 2 dozen cookies. It also means I have to increase my baking time a touch. I’m going to test a batch that uses a newer recipe that uses less margarine, but one additional egg.

This is a very unique recipe given to me by my mother. I started baking these while in high school. Then I didn’t appreciate the need to cream the sugar and shortening together. I actually melted the shortening into the hot coffee! For years I also used instant coffee because I wasn’t a coffee drinker. Now through the magic of a Keurig coffee brewer, I can make just the right amount needed for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsps baking soda mixed in 1 cup (8 ounces) hot coffee
• 5 cups flour

Cream shortening and sugar together until fluffy. Add molasses, mix until smooth. Add spices, mix until smooth. Beat in eggs. Add coffee/baking soda mix until smooth. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Drop about  tablespoon size of dough onto cookie sheets. Makes about 4-5 dozen. Bake at 350 degree F for 10-12 minutes.

TIP: Use parchment paper. It makes clean up soooo much easier.

I tend to undercook these ever so slightly, makes them very yummy.

Good cinnamon rolls have 3 key components; the dough, the filling and the frosting. Two of these can be fiddle with just a bit for your own personal taste, but the dough needs to be made as outlined.

The Dough

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup very warm water
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

Scald milk; stir in sugar, salt, and margarine; cool to lukewarm. Put warm water in large warm bowl, sprinkle in yeast, stirring until dissolved. Stir in lukewarm milk mixture, egg, and half the flour; beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour to make a stiff batter.
Cover tightly with waxed paper or aluminum foil. Refrigerate dough at least 2 hours. Dough may be kept in refrigerator up to 3 days.

The Filling

The filling is nothing more than a combination of brown sugar, cinnamon and the “right” amount of butter. I prefer softened butter instead of melted butter because you end up using a bit more. I use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar. These measurements are approximate – feel free to improvise here, include raisins if you are so inclined.

• 1/2 cup softened margarine or butter (I like unsalted butter)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon

Roll dough into an 18 x 12 inch rectangle and spread the softened butter. Cover butter with the filling mixture. Roll up, seal the ends up, cut into 12 slices. Place in a buttered 9 x 13 rectangular pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Baking time is about 25-30 minutes but can vary.

The Frosting

You can leave these naked, or drizzle with a simple powdered sugar and milk mixture. I like a Cream Cheese frosting.

• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup margarine or butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

Combine all ingredients, mixing until smooth. Frost rolls while still warm.

I’ve been working to prefect the very simple recipe for Beer Bread. It’s taken a few tries, but this seems to be the favorite. Keep in mind the key ingredient in Beer Bread is the beer. Look for something full bodied. I’ve tried a few wheat beers that seem to compliment this recipe very nicely. The addition of melted butter gives the crust a very crusty buttery texture.

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups of unbleached flour
• 3 Teaspoons of baking powder
• 3/4 Teaspoon of salt (I prefer fine ground sea salt)
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 12 Ounces beer
• 4 Tablespoons melted butter

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare the bread loaf pan by pouring about 1 tablespoon of the melted butter into it. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl by hand, then slowly pour the beer into the mixture. Carefully mix by hand, but don’t overdo it. Put the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, pour the remaining melted butter over the bread and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes. Total baking time is around 60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Going to Starbucks everyday is out of the question for a couple reasons, one we don’t have one that is convenient to where we live, two the calories and three the cost. Hence the name “Poor Man’s Mocha” – the name came from my husband. My favorite flavor – peppermint – doesn’t come in a lower calorie version at Starbucks, so I started working on my own version.

Begin by brewing 16 ounces of your favorite coffee. It can be a flavored coffee if you like. Next you will need:

• 1 packet of diet hot cocoa mix
• 1 tablespoon Torani Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
• 3 tablespoons Torani Sugar Free of your favorite syrup flavor

I first put the cocoa mix in my travel mug. Next I heat up the syrup mixture in a microwave proof container for about 25 seconds. I discovered if you heat the syrup mixture before adding it to the mug, it keeps from cooling the coffee down too much. Now add the warmed syrup to your mug, followed by your freshly brewed hot coffee. Stir until well mixed and enjoy.

I search the world over and found that Barista Pro Shop has not only the best prices for the flavoring syrups but it has great shipping rates too.