Microwave Cake

1 cup cake mix (any flavor)

1 egg

1/3 cup water

3 Tbs. oil

Directions: Combine all ingredients in the mixer. Beat for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy (scrape sides if needed). Pour into a greased glass ROUND pie pan. Place in the center of the microwave and cook for 4-5 minutes. Allow 1 minute of standing time after cooking. Frost (see below) while the cake is still warm and serve. Yield: 4-5 servings

Chocolate Frosting:

2 Tbs. margarine or butter

1 Tbs. cocoa powder

1 Tbs. + 1 1/2 tsp. milk (make sure you measure this correctly or it will be dry!!)

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions: Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan on low heat. Add the cocoa powder and milk. Bring to a boil for 20-30 seconds, remove from the heat and then whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla till smooth.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup shortening (butter flavored)

2 TBS. butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 1/4 cup flour, sifted

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 pkg. chocolate chips (1 cup)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Cream together the butter, shortening, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. In a custard cup, beat the egg together with a fork and then add to the sugar-butter mixture. Beat until smooth and creamy. Next, in a separate medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir these dry ingredients until well combined, then gradually add them to the sugar-butter mixture. Finally, pour in the chocolate chips and only mix until the chocolate chips are spread evenly through the dough. Drop the cookie dough by small even spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Yield: about 1 1/2 dozen.

You can also get the chocolate chip cookie variations we saw on Alton Brown’s Good Eats at http://www.foodnetwork.com/good-eats/three-chips-for-sister-marsha/index.html

Mashed Potatoes

5 medium-sized Russet Potatoes

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 cup Milk

2 Tbs. Butter

Salt, Pepper, and Parsley flakes to garnish

Directions: Fill a large pot half full of water. Add the salt and bring the water to a rolling boil on high-heat. While waiting for the water to BOIL, WASH and PEEL the potatoes. Using a cutting mat and sharp knife, CHOP the potatoes into even pieces about the size of dice. Carefully DROP the potatoes into the boiling water and turn the heat down to medium-high to prevent the water from boiling over. Allow the potatoes to BOIL for approzimately 15 minutes, or until they are very soft (use a fork to test). Next, DRAIN the potatoes in a colander placed in the sink. Transfer the potatoes back to the pot. With the heat turned off, BLEND the potatoes with the hand-held mixer on the lowest setting. Slowly add the milk and butter and MIX the potatoes until smooth (don’t over mix or they will become sticky). Season with the salt and pepper and serve with gravy. Garnish with dried parsley.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

You can make your own gravy or use an instant gravy packet. Use the directions on the packet to prepare the gravy. In our class we used Country Gravy but any gravy would work just fine.

Mystery Lab (M&M Cookies)

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup white cake mix
3 T. oil
1 egg
¾ cup plain M&M’s

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together cake mix, oil, and egg until mix is dissolved.
3. Mix M&M’s into dough.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Remove from pan to cool

You can experiment with this recipe by using a different type of cake mix or adding chocolate chips instead of M&M’s.

Biscuits

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup milk

Directions: Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients until well combined. With a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until coarse crumbs appear. Form a well in the center of the mixture and add the milk. Fold together the ingredients until a soft dough is formed (it should be fairly sticky). Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently form the dough into a ball, only using small amounts of flour. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1/2 inch thick piece. Cut straight down into the dough with a floured biscuit cutter. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: about 10 biscuits.

New Blog!!

Hello my wonderful students! This will be our foods blog. I will update this blog frequently by posting recipes we make in class

. Rather than hand you a bunch of recipes that you may or may not like, I thought it would be easier to just post them on the blog so you can have access from home. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions about the recipes but make sure to be professional and appropriate. I hope you enjoy!

Mrs. Barker