Make a Difference in a Child’s Life

Relishing Life — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:29:21 +0000

Today, more than 12 million children in the United States do not know when their next meal will come. Unfortunately, this number continues to rise as these difficult economic times times are leaving more and more people jobless, without homes, and unable to provide food for their families. What can you do?

1. Sign-up to host a bake sale: http://www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org/vgabs
2. Buy the virtual Great American Bake Sale eBook: http://StolenMomentsCooking.com/virtual-gabs
3. Post a ChipIn widget or banner on your blog: http://www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org/bloggers

Make a difference in a child’s life by signing up and purchasing a virtual cookbook today! 100% of the proceeds from this eBook will benefit Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale, which is a national effort that encourages Americans to host bake sales in their communities to help end childhood hunger. Funds raised support summer and after-school feeding programs in your community that thousands of kids depend on.

Once you have purchased your virtual Great American Bake Sale cookbook, double your impact and use the recipes to host your own Great American Bake Sale! Hosting a Bake Sale is a fun and easy way to make a big impact! To register your Bake Sale or for more information, please visit http://GreatAmericanBakeSale.org

Virtual Great American Bake Sale

Relishing Life — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:01:34 +0000

Welcome to the Virtual Great American Bake Sale. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these ebooks will go toward Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale program. Funds raised through Great American Bake Sale are donated to after-school and summer feeding programs–food programs that many kids depend on when school is not in session. Great American Bake Sale is a program of Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.

The ebooks are a compilation of recipes from submitters across the blogosphere and beyond. The ebooks are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer’s choosing.

The following recipes were my contibution to the Virtual Great American Bake Sale.

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Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 pinch salt
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan bring sugar, margarine, milk, and salt to a rolling boil. Let boil for 1 minute.***

Add quick cooking oats, peanut butter, and vanilla; mix well.

Working quickly, drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper, and let cool.

Note: Stirring too much with make the cookies have a dull finish instead of a shiny luster.

***To make the regular chocolate no-bake cookies, add 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder in the first step.

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Neiman Marcus Brownies

18 oz. box plain yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
4 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese
16 oz. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of 9×13 pan/dish.

In a large bowl, mix together:
18 oz. box plain yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
2 eggs, beaten

Mix well; it will be rather dry. Press into the bottom of greased pan. (Greasing your hands will help the batter from sticking to your fingers and keep it in the pan better.)

In bowl, mix together:
2 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese
16 oz. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Spread on cake mixture layer – do not mix the batters. Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Recommend making day before and refrigerated.

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Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup butter (salted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
2 cups minus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture just until blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts.

Press dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes in preheated oven. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in remaining confectioner’s sugar. Rolling a second time is optional.

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Hummingbird Cake

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
8 ounce can crushed pineapple (undrained)
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups bananas, chopped or mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or 325 degrees for dark pan). Grease Bundt pan or 9x 13 inch cake pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add eggs and oil, stirring until moistened. Do NOT beat. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, pecans and bananas.

Bake for 50 – 60 minutes. Cool. Frost cooled cake with cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup butter or margarine (softened)
1 pound powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Beat ingredients until fluffy; then frost cooled cake.

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