Recipe 45:Mrs Colangelos Brownies (cookies/Brownies)

MRS COLANGELOS BROWNIES        

Growing up in the 40s and 50s in Flint MI, my dad had a neighbor named Mrs Colangelo. This woman was the epitome of everything a good Italian woman should be.  She made THE BEST COOKIES AND BROWNIES ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH (according to my dad).

To this day, at almost 70, my dad STILL talks about Mrs Colangelo and her baked goods.

I found this recipe in my grandmothers recipe box. My dad doesnt know I have the recipe.  I think for his birthday in March, I may make up a batch of these famous brownies and see if he has a flashback.

1/3 cup crisco

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 squares baking chocolate

2/3 cup flour

1/3 cup nuts

melt chocolate over double broiler (I just microwave in pyrex)

combine all ingredients.

Bake at 325 until done through.

Recipe 39: AMARETTA PIE (dessert)

THIS IS MY LAST POST FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS.  I am off to dallas, TX for work and most likely will not have computer access. If I do have access, I will not be lugging my BINDER with me to copy recipes. Sorry.  So leaving you with a dreamy delicious recipe to tide you over. Check back on the 18th!!



THE SOURCE:  This recipe is like the Amaretto Pie served at  Mt.Vernon Restaurant in Chattanooga, TN.
My Aunt Jean submitted this recipe to our family cookbook and it is wonderful.

Yes, I know it is Amaretto...but they pronounce it Am-a-rett-uh...hence the spelling of the recipe.



THE RECIPE

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup flour
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
mix together the butter and flour. spread in bottom of a pie pan. Sprinkle with  some of the chopped almonds. Bake at 350 until brown (about 15 miutes) and let cool.

In a small bowl combine:
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/8 cup Amaretto
1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners or 10x)
2oz cool whip.
Mix cream cheese with the Amaretto. Add the powdered sugar and the cool whip.

In another bowl combine:
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 cup milk.
mix together and add just a little bit of cool whip to this.

now blend your pudding mixture gently with your cream cheese and amaretto mixture. Make sure it is well blended.
Pour into cooled crust and top with cool whip.
Sprinkle remaining chopped almonds over the top.

Recipe 29: POPPYSEED CAKE (Dessert)

SOURCE:  This is one of my moms oldies but goodies recipes.  She has been making this since before I was born.  It is their "go-to" dessert for family reunions, church functions, house warming etc. One time when peter was in the hospital my dad made this cake and gave it to the nurses. Those ladies (and one Mr Mike) polished off that bad boy and raved about it for weeks afterwards.
this is one of my moms most requested recipes from friends and family. She submitted it for our family cookbook and that page is well worn!!

The best part: no frosting necessary. It has a great flavor and is really easy.






THE RECIPE:

Mix together:  1 box yellow cake mix
                       1 small box instant vanilla pudding

to this add:       4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
                        1 tsp Almond Extract
                         1 cup Hot water
                         2 TBSP Poppy Seeds

pour into well greased Bundt Pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
cool and remove from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired (Good without it too!)

Recipe 23: SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE (Dessert)

SOURCE: This recipe is courtesy of my cousin Reon Broadway.  This was one of his that he submitted to the Family Cookbook.
Decadent...full of butter and eggs.  Dense, rich and utterly delicious.
I love this recipe because it isnt excessively sweet. It has a nice creamy, poundcake texture with a buttery richness.  This poundcake is great plain, or you can make a glaze of powdered sugar and milk to go over top. I omit the glaze, as this cake is a wonderful solo act.

THE RECIPE:

2 1/2 sticks BUTTER softened
3 cups flour
1/2 pint sour cream
1/2 tsp lemon flavoring
1/4 tsp almond flavoring
3 cups sugar
6 whole eggs
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp mace

cream together sugar sour cream and butter.  Add other ingredients and mix well.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Grease and flour pan (I use the bundt pan).  Pour batter into pan and let sit for a minute or two before putting into the oven.

Bake at 300 for 70 minutes. toothpick test to check for done-ness.

Recipe 12:HOMEMADE OREOS (dessert)

SOURCE: I first had these last year at Book Club.  They were brought by Marci, the woman in charge of snack that month.  She called these Homemade Oreo cookies and the recipe was in our church cookbook. They are SINFUL. DECADENT. WONDERFUL.   TO DIE FOR. I only ate one, but I had the devilish urge to confiscate the entire platter of them on my way out the door that night. You WILL want to eat these with a tall, ice cold glass of milk. And when I say milk, I mean 2% or better. Skim just wont cut through these babies! 

Also, these really are a 1 at a time cookie. Billy, dont be a hero and try and eat a couple in one sitting. You will go into sugar shock!

You will also need a heavy duty mixer, as these make a very large batch and the dough is very thick and stiff.

HOMEMADE OREOS:

2 Boxes Devils Food cake Mix

4 eggs

1 cup shortening.

Mix together in your mixer until well blended.  Roll small, but equal balls of the dough with your hands and place on cookie sheets.  remember that you will be matching a top with a bottom.

Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes and let cool.

FROSTING:

16 oz cream cheese

2 cups(or so) of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Mix together until a thick frosting is formed. 

Frost cookies and put together to form your "Oreo"

This makes a BIG batch.

recipe 6: FRUIT AND BROWNIE DESSERT (dessert/Just for fun)

SOURCE:  I first had this recipe right before I got married.  Charles and I were at my parents house in North Carolina, visiting them for the Memorial Day Weekend. My  mom had made these for a cookout, and they were so good I asked her to make them for my bridal shower. As we fought to lick the pan clean I realized this was one for THE BINDER.  I pormptly went home and I made them again for a party a week later.
I pull these out every now and again, and I always forget just how good they really are.  Yes i didnt have time to purchase this stock photo, so now you know.

DISCLAIMER: My mom had originally gotten this recipe out of a "healthy" magazine, and the directions called for fat -free cool whip and skim milk, and to make the brownies with applesauce instead of oil.  Sure, it was good, but after tweaking it and putting everything the way it SHOULD be (this is FO, who needs fat free??) these are GREAT.  A small list of why I love these:
1. SUPER EASY.  On a scale of 1 to 5, these are like a 2 1/2 on the difficulty factor.
2. SUPER TASTY- I mean it is brownies. Doesnt get much tastier than that
3. SOMEWHAT HEALTHY- It has fruit on it...so it is kind of like diet food, right?? (no, no it's not)


BROWNIE AND FRUIT DESSERT

1 box of your favorite brownie mix.  Prepare according to directions. bake in a 9x13 pan.
 After baking, cool.

In a bowl combine:
1 box instant vanilla pudding (small box, not the huge family size box)
1/2 the milk the pudding box says on the directions. (if the box says 2, just put in 1. Pretty simple huh?)
8oz tub cool whip, thawed.


Mix this together well.  Spread evenly over the top of the cooled brownies.

Now on top of this add slices of  strawberries and bananas.
refrigerate about an hour before serving.
REFRIGERATE ANY LEFTOVERS