Super Easy Gift Idea to Make at Home

Flour Free Banana Pancakes

It's not something that happens every day but I found my new favorite thing. Sugar free, flour free, gluten free, banana pancakes. I did not believe it when I first heard about it, so I had to give it a go.
You only use 2 ingredients: 1 mashed banana and 2 eggs
Mix vigorously and you have your batter, pour on to hot frying pan with I like coconut oil. The first few are a little greasy but I just put them on a paper towel to cool. Enjoy your guilt free breakfast! I know I did!

Note my new rooster cup from The Mill, yes I had to have a snack while cooking!

 Mix together, less than 2 minutes

 Pour on hot frying pan

 Flip and cook

 These take less than 5 minutes to make and you can add to the batter, cinnamon or chocolate chips or berries. Have fun and let me know what you think after you make them.

Peppermint Bark EASY !!!

This was so easy and fun, I can not wait to give it out on my cookie platters!

Ingredients:

1 Bag semisweet chocolate chip

1 Bag of semisweet white chocolate chips

olive oil or vegetable

6 candy canes smashed into crumbs with a hammer

In a double boiler over low heat melt chocolate chips and 1 tsp oil until smooth then spread out in a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and greased. Chill until firm. Next melt white chips with 1 tsp oil until smooth then spread evenly over hardened chocolate. Sprinkle candy cane crumbs onto the top while still soft. Chill for four hours and then remove from cake pan and break into bite size pieces. This will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge in a sealed container.

Butter Cream Cookie Frosting( From Scratch)

Christmas cookie frosting seems like it would be hard to do, but I found its one of the easiest things going.

Ingredients:

3 cups Powdered sugar
1/2 cup Butter softened
1/4 cup of milk or less

If you have a mixer start with 1 cup of sugar and the butter and beat well until mixture gets crumbly, then add milk slowly and sugar until all sugar is added and the whole mixture is creamy. If you are mixing by hand I would start with milk and sugar and combine milk slowly until it becomes creamy then mix in butter. You can always add more powdered sugar until you get to a nice smooth mixture. When you get the frosting smooth add food coloring to multiple small dishes of frosting. This frosting keeps in a covered container in the fridge for over 1 week. This same butter cream frosting can be used to frost brownies, cakes, and molasses cookies.

Christmas Cut Outs- Old Fashion Recipe

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups flour sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup margarine soft
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla





Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cream margarine and sugar,then mix in eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients and chill the dough for 2 hours. Roll out onto a floured surface and cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Bake for 6-8 minutes then cool for 5 minutes and decorate any way you see fit. Enjoy this recipe has been a family favorite for years. The thicker the dough the chewier the cookie.

Strawberry Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 large egg
4 fresh strawberries finely chopped

Mix all ingredients together except the strawberries just until it comes together but do not whip it. Fold in the berries and drop onto hot oiled skillet. Flip when edges look dry.
Yum this is a great way to start the day! Find this recipe and many more inside of Grow it, Save it, Use it.

Pumpkin Mash Made Easy/ Pie

 1 1/2 pounds of skin-on, raw pumpkin to yield 2 cups of mashed.

Quarter pumpkin and scoop out seeds and stringy portions,save seeds for roasting in the oven. Cut pumpkin into chunks. In saucepan over medium heat, in 1 inch of boiling water heat the pumpkin to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain, cool and remove the peel. Return pumpkin to the saucepan and mash with a potato masher.

This is a great recipe for any kind of squash, it will cook quickly and be very juicy, sometimes oven roasting dries out your squash.

 Pumpkin Pie Directions below from allrecipes

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening 1/2 cup cold water 2 cups mashed, cooked pumpkin 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

2 eggs, beaten 3/4 cup packed brown sugar or maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.	Prepare pie crust by mixing together the flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour, add 1 tablespoon water to mixture at a time. Mix dough and repeat until dough is moist enough to hold together.
3.	With lightly floured hands shape dough into a ball. On a lightly floured board roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. With a sharp knife, cut dough 1 1/2 inch larger than the upside down 8 to 9 inch pie pan. Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it right side up on to the pie pan. Unroll, ease dough into the bottom of the pie pan.
4.	In a large bowl with mixer speed on medium, beat pumpkin with evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Pour into a prepared crust. Bake 40 minutes or until when a knife is inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.

Chocolate Chip Squash Bars

This is one of those recipes that happened because I wanted a "healthy" snack or I was going to go crazy. So if you have ever made chocolate chip cookie bars you will find this recipe very similar but a lot less sugar. In fact next time I make it I may replace the brown sugar with real maple syrup.

As you can see from the picture this recipe has a very short shelf life because we can not stop eating it.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Cooked mashed squash( I used butternut but any kind would work)
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar packed
1/4 Cup milk( I used powdered and water)
1/4 Cup Oil
3 Cups Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 Cups or less Chocolate chips
1 Cup raisins or dried cranberries

Mix in order given, preheat oven to 325 degreess. Spread into a baking dish and bake 25-32 minutes depending on your oven.
This can also be made into cookies, drop by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

This turned out thick and hardy, perfect with a cup of tea! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have.

Potato Candy ??? Strangly Good!

Ingredients:

1 Baked potato peeled
Confectionery sugar
Peanut butter

Mash the potato when cooled and mix with sugar until it reaches a dough like consistency, this will take a lot of sugar. Next roll it out on a sugared surface like dough. Spread peanut butter over the top then roll it up like a jelly roll. Refrigerate for a few hours then slice and enjoy.
Food coloring can be added for a festive look.

Chocolate Turtle Bars

Ingredients: Crust:
1/4 cup butter softened to room temp
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Ingredients: Toppings:
8 squares of bitter sweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter
1 Tblsp corn syrup
1 Tblsp coco powder

Ingredients: Chocolate Carmel Syrup:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
2Tblsp butter
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat over to 325 degrees
Line 9 inch pan with foil, rub bottom and sides with butter.
Start with the crust-
Put sugar,butter,salt in food processor mix then add pecans and mix again. Press dough into bottom of pan into 1 even layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it feels firm to the touch.
Next is Topping-
Combine all ingredients to sauce pan and heat for 5 minutes, let cool then pour over crust. Cover whole mixture and chill for 4 hours.
Last Carmel Sauce-
Combine,sugar,cream in heavy pot and melt until it boils for 2-3 minutes and should begin to darken. Remove from heat and stir in butter and chips, after they melt stir in vanilla and salt. Use this mixture warm or just room temperature. Drizzle this sauce over each slice as its cut.
Makes cut bars into inch squares. Very rich very good!

Easy Peanut Brittle- Great Present!

Ingredients:

6 oz unsalted peanuts

1 1/2 cups sugar

1tsp of vanilla is optional

Slowly in a frying pan melt sugar over low heat after it becomes liquid stir in peanuts.

Have ready a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or greased. Melt sugar to watery consistency and thoroughly coat peanuts then spread into cookie sheet and smooth if necessary with a spatula, chill in fridge until hard. Break into pieces and store in closed container for up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:


1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup choc. chips
1tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1tsp vanilla
2 cups flour



Preheat oven to 375 degree F . Cream butter,sugar,eggs,soda,salt,and vanilla. Mix in remaining ingredients. Drop by tsp full onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until done.

Always Smooth Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

6 oz evaporated milk

1 bag semi sweet choc. chips(12oz)

1/2 oz baking coco powder

3 1/2 oz marshmellow cream or Marshmellows

1/2 tsp vanilla

walnuts are optional

First combine butter,sugar,milk in a sauce pot and bring it to a hard rolling boil for exactly 6 minutes. In a separate bowl place chips,coco and marshmellow until the six muntes is up then pour liquid mixture into bowl of dry ingredients, stir until smooth and add vanilla. Spread mixture into a wax paper lined cake pan and chill until hard. Cut into bite size pieces.

Brenda's Famous No Bake Cookies !

If you have 20 minutes you can make these with ease!

Ingredients:

2 cups Sugar

3 tblp Coco powder

1 stick of real butter

1/2 cup milk

Bring all these ingredients to a hard rolling boil for exactly 1 minute then add:

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 cups quick oats

1 tsp vanilla

Have these ingredients ready before you start the boiling the first set of ingredients.

Put wax paper a large flat surface , after all the ingredients are mixed quickly drop one tsp at a time on the wax paper. Leave on paper until dry and had this should take anywere from 1-3 hours.