Thursday, November 28, 2013

'Nana Puddin'...


1 C Whipping Cream (Whipped & Sweetened)
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 oz)
1 8 oz pkg Cream Cheese (Softened)
2 C Milk
1 Large pkg French Vanilla Instant Pudding
6-8 Bananas (Sliced)
*(Either 2 Shortbread Cookie Pre-made Crusts or 2 Bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Cookies or Vanilla Wafers)
Directions
 Mix milk and pudding mix together.  In a separate bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese.  Blend until smooth using a hand-mixer.  Fold in whipped cream to cream cheese mixture and then add pudding and stir until well blended.  *I usually use 2 cookie crusts... I divide the prepared pudding mixture evenly between the two pies.  Chill overnight.  And when serving, I slice fresh bananas over the top.  If using cookies, layer the bottom of a 13x9x2 inch dish.  Slice Bananas and layer on top of cookies. Pour pudding mixture over cookies & bananas and cover with another layer of cookies.  Chill at least 4-6 hours.

(This recipe is basically derived from Paula Deen...  But, not being a huge banana fan, I like my bananas freshly sliced, this is why I usually make it like a "pie".  If I'm taking it somewhere, I'll do the traditional way with the bananas chilled on top of the cookies.  No matter how I make it, people LOVE it and eat it all...)

Monday, November 25, 2013

White Dinner Rolls...

2 2/3 C Whole Milk, divided
1/2 C + 1 Tbsp Sugar, divided
5 Tbsp Butter
2 tsp Salt
2 Pkgs Active Dry Yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
8-9 C All Purpose Flour
3 Eggs (beaten)

Combine 2 C milk, 1/2 C sugar, butter and salt in a medium saucepan.  Heat until butter melts.  Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.  Dissolve yeast and 1 Tbsp sugar in 2/3 C WARM milk.  Let stand about 10 minutes until bubbly.  (If your yeast doesn't activate... repeat this step with fresh yeast!)

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 C flour and milk mixture.  Beat on low about 30 seconds scraping sides of bowl constantly.  Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.  Add beaten eggs.  Add as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough.  Should come away from the bowl, but will stick to your fingers.  (Too much flour will make the rolls heavy and dense.)

Place dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a clean towel.  Let rise for about an hour.  Lightly punch down and divide dough in half.  On a floured surface, roll 1/2 of the dough into a rectangle.  With a pizza cutter, cut into 18 strips.  Roll each strip into a "ball".  I usually roll into a "snake" and tie a "knot" out of the dough.  Place each roll onto a greased sheet.  (Repeat with the other half of dough, makes 3 dozen rolls.)  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

(I found this on the Internet and it was very easy to do, they tasted good too.  The rolls were HUGE... so I changed the equation from 2 dozen rolls to 3 dozen!)

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Removing Crayon... From Washed & Dried Clothes!

1) Put the clothes in the washer, and set the water to hot.  I'm thinking as hot as you can get it to get the wax melting.  If you are worried about your water getting hot enough consider adding a pot of boiling water.  I didn't, but I like things to be easy.
2) Add your laundry detergent (I just used what I had on hand), a 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1/3 C. of dish-washing liquid (I used Blue Dawn). 
3) Let the clothes agitate for 1 min to mix the ingredients into clothes.  Stop the cycle and soak for an hour.
4) Let the wash run normal.  Check.  Repeat if necessary before drying.

(Unfortunately, since school started this year, this is the 2nd time I've needed this recipe!  It works.  It takes the clothes from unusable to salvageable.  Of course, the better thing would be to NOT have the crayon go through the washer and dryer in the first place.  Thank you Mr. O.  Love my little "artist"!)