Fran's Mashed Potatoes

This is how you make perfect mashed potatoes. This is my grandmothers recipe from rural Virginia that mom made all the time.  I never understood why people always complimented these until I tasted how other people make them.  Water?  Really?

5 lbs regular baking potatoes
1 stick butter
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
salt
pepper

Fill large stock pot with water and about 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil.  Peel potatoes and cut in half, quarter each half, then place in pot.  Drain when soft and tender, about 30 minutes.

 In a large bowl mash the potatoes with a hand mixer until creamy.  Add butter and milk and beat until smooth.  Add pepper to taste.

Orange n Berry Blondies

Thanks NikNak for this tasty treat!

½ cup white chocolate chips

1 cup brown sugar packed

¾ cup dried cranberries

2 large eggs, fork beaten

2 tsp grated orange zest

2 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cup flour

¼ tsp salt

Place oven rack in center position, preheat oven to 375°.

Put butter and white chocolate chips into heavy saucepan on lowest heat,

stirring often until chocolate is almost all melted.  Remove from heat.

Stir chocolate/butter mixture until smooth and pour into large bowl.  

Add next 5 ingredients and stir well.  Add flour and salt and stir until just moistened.

Grease a 9”x9” baking pan with cooking spray.  Spread mixture evenly in pan.

Bake in oven for approximately 25 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let blondies cool in pan then cut into squares.

Blondies are a lot like brownies except more fun, sweet cranberries and zippy orange zest will start a party on your tongue.

Crab Dip

This is always a hit with my gang at holiday time. -- Niknak

8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 can 7 1/2 oz of crab meat
3 Tbsp. Seafood cocktail sauce
4 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
Garlic powder and pepper to taste.
A dash or 2 of Shirracha sauce (Horz sauce) optional.

Mix together and refrigerate.

This dip can also be served hot, pop into oven at 350 f. until it bubbles.

Serve with crackers

Blueberry cake with crumble topping

I made this cake with a mixture of blueberries and raspberries as I had both in the fridge and both were sour as ****.

Cake:
1.5 cups of plain flour
3/4 cups sugar (I used caster)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 medium egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup of blueberries or raspberries

Topping:
1/3 cup plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp cinnamon or all spice for a more festive smelling cake


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F/170 Celsius. Grease and line a cake tin/ loaf tin, I used a small 15cm tin.

In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In a measuring cup, pour in 1/3 cup of vegetable oil, 1 egg and top it up with milk until the cup is full. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the berries and mix it all gently together so as not to break the berries too much. Put the mixture into the pan.

Prepare the topping by mixing the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter into a breadcrumb consistency. Sprinkle on top of the cake mixture and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until ready. Pig out once cooled.