Mindy's Chocolate Bundt Cake

The cake recipe is:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add flour mixture alternately with the milk. Mix well.

Pour into 10 inch Bundt pan. Bake for 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

The recipe for the glaze is:

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c semisweet chocolate chips

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Do not allow it to bubble. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly before drizzling over a cake. If you want to make this ahead, it can be cooled and reheated in the microwave.

Melanee's Cranberry-Orange Scones

Holly's Tuscan Spinach Dip

Jeannie's Blackberry Cobbler

Biscuit Topping

2 1/2 c AP flour
1/2 c white sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
2 T cold butter
2 T shortening
1 c buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Blackberry Filling

2 lb frozen blackberries
1 c packed brown sugar
2 t lemon juice & zest
2 T cornstarch
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 T vanilla

Topping
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Toss frozen blackberries with flour and place in a 9x13 glass baking dish. Stir together brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla and place on top of frozen blackberries.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, white sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in cold butter and shortening. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk and egg. Stir until just combined. Spoon over blackberries and top with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Kari's Pumpkin Pasties

Makes about 3 dozen miniature pasties.

2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1 1 lb. can pumpkin (or 2 cups fresh)

1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 2/3 cups evap. milk (1 can)

1/2 tsp. allspice

9 oz pie crust pastry (enough for two single standard pie crusts) (Kari: I used 3.5 bought pie crusts)

Mix all ingredients other than the crust and bake in a large casserole dish in hot oven (425 degrees) for 15 minutes. Keep oven door closed and reduce temp to moderate (350 degrees F/180 degress Celsuis) and continue baking for 45 minutes or until table knife inserted in center of dish comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Make or purchase a pie crust. Roll thin and cut into circles approx 4" in diameter. Put a spoonful of the cool pumpkin mixture towards one side of the center of the circle. Fold over the crust into a half-circle and firmly crimp the edges closed. Slice three small slits in the top for venting, place on a greased cookie sheet, and bake only until crust is a light golden-brown. (I baked them at 350 because the instructions didn't say. They took around 20 minutes.) Great served at room-temperature, then you don't have to worry about your guests possibly burning their mouths from the steaming hot pumpkin inside!

From here

Kari's Focaccia Bread

1 pkg (about 2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

salt

sea salt

warm water

1 tsp dried rosemary

2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in ½ cup of warm water (about 40-45 degrees C…which I figure is about the temperature of a hot Jacuzzi).  Let stand till foamy, 5-10 min.

In a large bowl, mix the flour and ½ tsp salt.  Add the yeast mixture and stir to combine.  Gradually add water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough is moistened enough to pull together and form a ball.  In the same bowl, knead dough about 1 minute, until smooth.

Remove dough, and oil the same bowl with some olive oil (see, a one-bowl recipe!).  Put the ball of dough back into the bowl, turn to coat, and then cover with a damp cloth.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about ½ hour.

Preheat oven to 245 degrees C or 470 F.

Punch down the dough, and (in the same bowl of course) knead briefly.  Press into an 8 x 12” baking pan (no need to grease it).  Keep in mind that the focaccia won’t rise much, so don’t press it much thinner than you want the final product to be.  Let it rise for 5 minutes or so until it is about the height you want.

Mix the rosemary with the olive oil and brush it over the top of the bread.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for about 10 minutes (it should sound hollow when you tap the top), or a little longer if you want it to be a bit crustier.  Cut into squares and serve.

From here.

Sheena's Creamy Tomato Soup

Creamy Tomato Soup
Serves 4

3 Tbsp butter
1lb 9oz ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
3-3/4 C vegetable or chicken stock
2/3 C milk or cream (I use heavy cream)
1/4 C ground almonds
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp shredded basil leaves
Salt & pepper

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 min. until the skins start to wrinkle. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Add the stock, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 min.

3. Meanwhile, mix the almonds and sugar together. Lightly toast almonds until they are golden-brown (I do this in a small pan on the stove. Watch them carefully, they brown fast).

4. Add almonds to soup. Remove soup from heat and blend in a food processor, blender, or mash with a potato masher.

5. Pass the soup through a sieve to remove any tomato skin or pips (I skip this step. My blender is strong enough to puree it all)

6. Place the soup in the pan and return to the heat. Stir in the milk or cream. Warm the soup through and add the shredded basil just before serving.

Enjoy!!