Ingredients

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

    * FOR THE CUPCAKES
    * 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    * 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
    * 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
    * 1 1/3 cups sugar
    * 2/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
    * 3 large eggs
    * 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    * 1/2 cup sour cream
    * FOR THE FROSTING
    * 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
    * 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for decorating
    * 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
    * 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

Directions

   1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 3 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
   2. Make the cupcakes: Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Mix in peanut butter. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Add flour mixture; mix until combined. Mix in sour cream.
   3. Spoon scant 3 tablespoons batter into each muffin cup. Bake until pale golden and a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 13 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool completely.
   4. Make the frosting: Put cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and butter into the clean bowl of a mixer fitted with the clean paddle attachment; mix on medium- high speed until pale and fluffy. Stir in peanut butter with a rubber spatula.
   5. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons frosting onto each cupcake. Refrigerate until frosting is firm, about 10 minutes. Using tines of a fork dipped in confectioners' sugar, score each top in a crosshatch pattern. Cupcakes can be refrigerated in single layers in airtight containers up to 2 days.

Source:  Martha Stewart Living

This was in my inbox today, from Lynne Rossetto Casper at Splendid Table, does this look amazing or what???

~ jan

Prime tomatoes green and red, a great old fashioned dressing and a slick trick with, of all things, cream cheese gives this old time dish new panache. Tomatoes were made for this treatment, but know the dressing is fine on green beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, steamed butternut, fish, meat, chicken and anything else you can pair with it.

Okay, so this is a tad over the top, but you could eat this as a one dish supper, then serve it as a side at the Labor Day feast.No meat, great taste -- can't ask for more than this.

Old Time Sweet-Sour Tomato Salad with Fresh Dill Cheese
Copyright 2008 by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Serves 4 to 6
10 minutes prep time; 5 minutes stove time.

Straight from 19th-century American cookbooks, these big chunks of green tomatoes and ripe beefsteaks bathed in a warm, garlicky sweet-sour dressing can stand on their own, top greens or make a potato-tomato salad you can't stop eating. Bacon fat was favored in this recipe 150 years ago; olive oil works today.

My pet theory of sweet-and-sour being a universal panacea for any dish proved true when we tested this recipe with so-so red winter tomatoes.

From the same era is the idea of rolling cream cheese (homemade back then) in fresh herbs. Dropped on top of the salad, the bright green little balls are a great accent.

Cook to Cook: The dressing can be prepared up to a week ahead up to the point of adding the vinegar and refrigerated. The oil should be warm, but not hot, when the vinegar goes in; that way you won't get spattered, nor will you burn your tongue when you taste it for seasoning.

Serve the salad immediately after dressing.

Dressing:

• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, but preferably use bacon fat
• 1 medium red onion, thin sliced lengthwise into long strips
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper as needed
• 8 large garlic cloves, thin sliced
• 2 tight-packed tablespoons brown sugar

Dill Cheese:

• 1/4 cup tight-packed fresh dill leaves
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons minced red onion
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Tomatoes:

• 2 to 3 large, delicious, ripe tomatoes (1-1/2 to 2 pounds), cut into 1-inch chunks
• 3 medium green tomatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/3 light-packed cup coarse-chopped fresh dill leaves

Make the dressing by pouring the cider into a small saucepan and boiling down to about 1/2 cup - 5 minutes more or less. Set aside.

In a 10-inch skillet set over medium heat, warm the olive oil or bacon fat. Stir in the onions, sprinkling them with a little salt and a generous amount of pepper. Saute for a minute or until the onion is softened, but not browned. Stir in garlic and cook another 30 seconds to a minute. You want to soften the garlic, but not brown it. Pull the pan off the heat and blend in the sugar to melt it. (You can set the dressing aside at this point for several hours, or refrigerate it up to a week.) Make the dill cheese by chopping the 1/4 cup dill, blending the cream cheese with the onion and salt and pepper, then creating small balls with 2 teaspoons.Roll the balls in the dill. Chill until ready to serve.

To serve, put the tomatoes into a large serving bowl. When you are ready to serve, warm up the onion mixture if needed - it should be warm, not hot. Pull the pan off the heat, stir in the boiled-down vinegar and any liquid from the tomatoes. Carefully (dressing could be quite hot) taste for seasoning and sweet-tart balance.

Pour it over the tomatoes, folding in the dill. If you made the salad with olive oil dressing, serve it warm or at room temperature. If bacon fat was used in the dressing, it's best to eat it warm. Then dot the salad with the dill cheese.

LYNNE'S TIPS

Make extra dressing; you will use it up for homemade coleslaw, cooked yams, broccoli, shrimp or salmon salads.

When delicious, ripe heirloom tomatoes are at farm markets, snap them up for this salad. It's a great chance to try different varieties.

If you can find fresh cream cheese without gums or stabilizers buy it.You'll taste the difference.

Peel and slice four cups of peaches, mix with 3/4 cup sugar and let stand on counter for two hours, so that peaches can absorb sugar and make juice.

Then whisk together:

1 cup flour
pinch salt
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Then add to the flour/salt and baking powder:

1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Stir to combine and make batter.

In bottom of 9x13 pan melt 1 stick butter. Then using a large spoon place large dollops of batter over the butter in the pan. Then pour your peach/sugar mixture on top of the batter.

DO NOT STIR BUTTER AND BATTER TOGETHER, JUST PLACE BATTER ON TOP OF MELTED BUTTER.

Bake 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes until browned and bubbly.

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mild cheddar cheese

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. salt

1 # lean ground beef

2/3 cup ketchup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2  tsp. mustard

In bowl, beat the egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion, and salt. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 8 loaves; place in a greased 9x13 pan or baking dish. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard; spoon over loaves. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink or 160.

Source:  Judy C.

---

Fruit Tea is quite a hit in Nashville especially during the "tea season" of honoring brides to be, graduates, etc.

I'm posting a couple of recipes for it, let me know which one works for you.  ~ jan








4 tea bags
Directions:

Steep 4 family size tea bags in 1 qt water (get to boiling point). Let stand 5 minutes. Remove bags. Add sugar, lemonade, orange juice, and water. Makes 1 gal.

Note:  I made this and it tastes EXACTLY like HRH Dumplin Fruit Tea.  - be sure and steep the tea bags in 1 quart of water - Then ADD AN ADDITIONAL 9 CUPS OF WATER when you mix it all together.  It keeps several days in the fridge - it's a great recipe!  I'm going to make it with Splenda next time to cut down the calories.

~ jan

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FRUIT TEA

3 cups boiling water

3 family-size tea bags

1 cup sugar (less if you do not like it as sweet)

4 cups cold water

1 cup orange juice

1 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

Pour 3 cups of boiling water over tea bags. Cover and steep five minutes. Remove and discard tea bags.

Stir in sugar until dissolved. Stir in four cups cold water and juices. Serve over ice.

Makes 2 quarts, about 10 servings.

You would be hard-pressed to find something more refreshing than watermelon. This cooler is easy to make, beautiful to behold, and not too sweet. You'll want a pitcher of it in the refrigerator all summer.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Servings: Makes 1 gallon (serves 16)

Ingredients

1 (12-lb) watermelon (preferably seedless)
1/4 cup sugar, divided
4 tsp fresh lemon juice, divided
16 cups ice cubes, divided

Garnish: lemon slices; mint sprigs

Cut watermelon flesh into 2-inch chunks and discard rind. Purée one fourth of watermelon in a blender with 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice, 4 cups ice, and a pinch of salt. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Make 3 more batches. Add sugar to taste if desired and serve over ice.

Cooks' note: Watermelonade can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Drink will separate; re-blend before serving.

For each cookie, use a 1/4-cup measuring cup to scoop out and level dough before dropping
onto baking sheet.

Ingredients

Makes 16

• 2 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 bag (12 ounces) chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until combined; mix in vanilla.
3. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture; mix until just incorporated. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop 1/4-cup mounds of dough onto ungreased baking sheets, at least 4 inches apart and away from edges of pan. (You will fit about 4 cookies to a sheet; bake in two batches, using two baking sheets per batch.) Bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets front to back and from top to bottom of oven halfway through.
5. Cool 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Source:  Martha Stewart

Miss Daisy's Tea Room was a fixture in Franklin, Tennessee for years. This is one of her recipes. It was a state fair prize winning recipe, and is the best peach cobbler, EVER. It has a top lattice crust, and you poke strips of dough down into the peaches to making dumplings. We've made it for years. ~ jan Filling: 8 or 9 peaches, peeled and slices 1/2 cup water 1-1/2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons self-rising flour pinch of salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted Cook peaches briefly in water until bubbly and tender. In separate bowl, mix flour salt and sugar, whisk to combine. Add to cooked peaches and tir. Then add melted butter. Pastry for Cobbler: 1 cup self-rising flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup shortening 4 tablespoons sweet milk or enough to make a stiff dough (I use fat free half and half) Blend flour, salt and shortening to coarse meal texture. Add milk. Roll thinl into oblong shape on floured surface. (I pulse this on and off to blend in the cuisinart, then add milk and stir, works great and it's eay). Using a pizza cutter, and a ruler to guide you, cut the dough into long strips. Take almost half the strips, and cut them into small pieces, about 1-2 inches long. Pour half the peaches in a 8x12 pan, push the cut dough pieces into the peach liquid, then add the rest of the peaches, and make a lattice top with the remaining dough. If you have leftover dough, you can poke more of it between the lattice top into the cobbler. Sprinkle with sugar, and bake in 350 oven 45-55 minutes or until top is golden brown and peaches are bubbly.

Cake:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
dash salt
1 cup cold water
1 cup Miracle Whip.

Combine dry ingredients, whisk together water and Miracle whip and stir by hand into the dry ingredients.

Bake at 350 degrees in 9x11 inch pan, approximately 25-28 minutes. I undercook it just a bit so it isn't dry.

Note: Don't make this in a 9x13 pan, cake will be too thin, you need to do it in a 8.5x11 or a 9x11.

Caramel Frosting

1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar - you can use either light or dark brown, i prefer the dark brown as it gives it a richer flavor, but either light or dark work great.

Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes

Stir in 1/4 cup half and half, bring to boil.

Pour into KitchenAid bowl if you have a stand mixer, put in the whisk attachment, add 2 cups powdered sugar and whisk until it is lukewarm and smooth.

Frost the cooled cake.

It's better the next day - totally moist after it sits, covered overnight.

from Martha Stewart...

Ingredients

Makes 16

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch cocoa
• 1 tablespoon finely ground espresso beans
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract