Hot cross Buns
3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg (1 oz) yeast
1 large egg well beaten
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
3/4 cup raisins
Honey cake frosting:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
*1 tablespoon milk
*2 cups orange juice
*Combine all ingredients except yeast and eggs and mix well. Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Add yeast and eggs to the rest and mix well. Cover and allow the dough to rie in a warm spot until it has nearly doubled. This will take about an hour.Preheat oven to 400* Shape the dough into round balls about 3 inches across and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. After 5 minutes, remove buns and cut into the dough about 3/4 inch down, slicing equilateral crosses into the tops. Return to the oven. Allow to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the buns from the oven and drizzle the honey cake frostingMakes about 1 1/2 dozen.
Gingery carrot soup
2 tblsp olive oil
2 pounds baby carrots washed
2 " of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp light brown sugar
4 cups organic chicken or light vegetable broth
1 tblsp fresh lemon or lime juice
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk, well stirred
Garnish-carrot grated, or cilantro chopped
In a heavy soup pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, cumin and ginger and cook about 3 minutes. Add brown sugar and stir until it caramelizes. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or puree in small batches in a food processor or blender until smooth and return soup to the pot. Add the coconut milk and season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately . Serves 4-6
Beltane cream pie
1 cup whole milk
1 cup rich cream
1/2 cup butter
3 tblsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
ground nutmeg
prepared pie crust, baked
Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. In a separate bowl slowly add the milk to the cornstarchm making sure it is fully dissolved and absorbed before adding more milk. When the cornstarch is blended, add this and all the other ingredients, except the vanilla to the pan. Stir constantly over the medium heat until the mixture becomes thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture into the waiting pie shell and sprinkle with nutmeg. The pie may be eaten while it is still warm as long as it has cooled enough to set. Or the pie may be chilled and eaten later.
*Makes one nine-inch pie
Knock You Naked Brownies
Ingredients
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.
In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.
*Adapted from the standard/classic “Knock You Naked Brownies” recipe. These brownies don’t really knock you naked…but almost.
Ingredients
- 1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
- 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
- ⅓ cups Evaporated Milk
- ½ cups Evaporated Milk (additional)
- ½ cups Butter, Melted
- 60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
- ⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- ¼ cups Powdered Sugar
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.
Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.
In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.
*Adapted from the standard/classic “Knock You Naked Brownies” recipe. These brownies don’t really knock you naked…but almost.
