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Two sisters who love to bake...

Lunch Lady Frosted Brownies

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Lunch Lady Frosted Brownies Recipe

I love to bake from scratch so that’s why I’m a little embarrassed to admit that when it comes to brownies I usually make them from a box mix. It just seems so convenient to make them from a box and I don’t normally keep cocoa around.  But that was before I made this recipe…now I think I need to stock pile cocoa in my pantry so I can make these whenever I want. I was amazed at how simple these were to make & how delectable they were. The first batch of brownies I made disappeared very quickly and I’ve had several requests to make them again. I can safely say this recipe is now my go-to brownie recipe!

Lunch Lady Frosted Brownies

The story behind this recipe: I found this recipe at Saltbox House. They are called Lunch Lady Brownies because they really were served in a school cafeteria. This recipe is over 50 years old & comes from a small town in Idaho where these brownies were made in the cafeteria of Bonneville Jr. High school.

Lunch Lady Frosted Brownies
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • Brownies:
  • 1 cup butter, melted (I used salted)
  • ½ cup cocoa (I used Nestle Toll House Cocoa)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
  • Frosting:
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • ¼ cup milk or evaporated canned milk
  • ¼ cup cocoa
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • dash of salt (if you used unsalted butter)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13" baking pan.
  2. Melt butter in microwave (takes about 30 seconds) and pour into a mixing bowl, add cocoa and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
  3. Add flour and sugar and beat together. Add eggs and vanilla (and nuts if your adding them). Mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix!
  4. Pour into greased 9x13 baking pan. *Note* Batter will be thick. I had to use a rubber spatula to spread it into pan.
  5. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (Mine took 30 minutes, if you live in high altitude these should get done quicker more like 20-25 minutes).
  6. Wait only 10-15 minutes to frost brownies, you want to frost them while they are still warm so the brownies can absorb the frosting.
  7. To make the Frosting combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.

PS. If your looking at the recipe and wondering if I left out the baking soda/baking powder from the ingredients list, I didn’t, this recipe doesn’t call for any and trust me it doesn’t need any. :)

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Layered Red, White, & Blue July 4th Drink (Kid-Friendly)

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A layered Red, White, & Blue Drink for the 4th of July (Kid-Friendly too).

Layered Red, White, and Blue July 4th Drink (Kid-Friendly)

It’s that time of the year where everything is red, white, & blue & I was feeling patriotic. So, when my sister & niece decided to make those cute Patriotic Strawberry Marshmallows in the picture above I knew I had to make this layered drink to go with them. I first saw this layered drink idea at In Katrina’s Kitchen. Her recipe calls from Sobe Pina Colada for the white but I looked at the grocery stores & gas station & couldn’t find it anywhere so I used Gatorade Glacier-Cherry instead.

red, white, blue drinkAll you need are 3 drinks with different sugar contents. You need one with low/no sugar, one with medium sugar content, & one with high sugar content & lots of ice. Who knew layered drinks where so easy to make?

Sugar content for the drinks I used:
Cranberry Juice……………………..29 grams per 8 fl oz
Gatorade Glacier-Cherry……………13.6 grams per 8 fl oz (approximately)
Gatorade-G2-Blue Pomegranate…..4.6 grams per 8 fl oz (approximately)

Here are a few more options for different drinks you can also use: Hawaiian Punch, Powerade Berry Blast, & Sprite Zero/Diet 7UP.

red, white, blue layered drink

I found smaller ice works best, I used a mix of regular cubes & crushed. The festive firework straws are from Hobby Lobby.

Layered Red, White, & Blue July 4th Drink (Kid-Friendly)
 
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Ingredients
  • Cranberry or CranApple Juice (Red)
  • Gatorade-Glacier-Cherry (White)
  • Gatorade-G2-Low Calorie-Blue Pomegranate (Blue)
  • Ice
Instructions
  1. Start by filling a glass ⅓ the way with ice/crushed ice. Start with the highest sugar content drink which in this case is the Cranberry. Pour the Cranberry juice ⅓ of the way up.
  2. Next fill the glass all the way to the top with ice.
  3. Take your drink with the medium sugar content (the white Gatorade) and Slowly, Very Slowly pour down over the ice so it runs slowly through the ice, til your glass is ⅔rds full.
  4. Lastly, Slowly pour your blue Gatorade with low or no sugar to the top of the glass.
  5. Enjoy. Happy 4th of July!

More 4th of July Recipes:

Patriotic Sticks – Strawberry Marshmallow Kabobs

White Chocolate Dipped 4th of July Pretzel Rods

chocolate sweet & salty bars

Red White and Blueberry Snack with Stuffed Raspberries

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Patriotic Sticks – Strawberry Marshmallow Kabobs

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Strawberry Marshmallow Kabobs.  A fun Snack for the Fourth of July.

Patriotic Sticks - Strawberry Marshmallow Kabobs

I found these cute patriotic toothpicks at the craft store and had to find something to do with them. This is another one that is great for kids to do. My daughter did these for me. Perfect for Memorial Day and Fourth of July.

Patriotic Sticks - Strawberry Marshmallow Kabobs

Patriotic Strawberry Marshmallow Kabob
 
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Recipe type: snack
Ingredients
  • 10 big marshmallows
  • 10 strawberries
  • blue sugar sprinkles
  • 1 cup water
  • festive toothpicks
Instructions
  1. dip the marshmallow in water
  2. dip the marshmallow in blue sugar sprinkles
  3. put strawberry and marshmallow on toothpick

More 4th of July Recipes:

Red, White, and Blue Layered 4th of July DrinksWhite Chocolate Dipped 4th of July Pretzel Rods

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Moist Strawberry Swirl Bread Recipe

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More and More Strawberry Recipes! So my Strawberry Coffee Cake was my husband and daughters favorite, until they tried this today. So moist and easy to make. I will have to make another loaf tomorrow, good thing I still have a bunch of strawberries.

Strawberry Swirl Bread

Yes, this does call for lemon yogurt. I DON’T LIKE ANYTHING LEMON, but you can only taste a hint of lemon in this and I love it!!! For the yogurt I used the Yoplait thick and creamy lemon meringue. I may try it with vanilla yogurt next time and I will let all you lemon haters, like myself know how it goes.

As for the Strawberry Jam, I think that jam, jelly or preserves will do just fine for the swirl part.

Moist Strawberry Swirl Bread

Strawberry Swirl Bread. Moist Strawberry Bread with Yogurt

 

Moist Strawberry Swirl Bread Recipe
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups flour
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 1 lemon yogurt 6 oz.
  • ⅓ cup oil
  • 2 tablespoon milk
  • 1 cup sliced strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
  • glaze: (optional)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoon milk
Instructions
  1. preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease loaf pan
  2. in large bowl mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, egg, yogurt, oil and milk
  3. stir until moistened
  4. fold in strawberries
  5. pour into greased loaf pan
  6. spoon strawberry jam on top and swirl with a knife
  7. bake at 325 for 45-55 min.
  8. let cool, remove from pan
  9. mix glaze ingredients and drizzle over top

Another strawberry recipe you might like:
Strawberry Coffee Cake
Strawberry Coffee Cake

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Strawberry Coffee Cake Recipe

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Strawberry Coffee Cake Recipe

The best Strawberry Coffee Cake Recipe

I  made a double batch of strawberry freezer jam last week and ran out of the strawberries that we had picked. Today I was at the farmers market and they had the best looking strawberries, so I bought a bunch more……….now what am I supposed to do with all these?? Make STRAWBERRY COFFEE CAKE of course.

IMG_1786     IMG_1789    IMG_17931

The Topping: Now that I have figured out that the food processor does a much better job and is so much easier, I rarely use a pastry blender. See pictures below.

IMG_1794   IMG_1799

 

Strawberry Coffee Cake
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons of melted butter
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
  • Topping:
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cold butter
Instructions
  1. preheat oven to 375
  2. in small mixing bowl stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
  3. in another medium bowl add egg, milk, melted butter, vanilla and stir until blended
  4. add the dry ingredients to the medium sized bowl
  5. stir until moist
  6. pour mixture into greased 8 inch square pan or round cake pan
  7. place sliced strawberries over the mixture
  8. Topping:
  9. if you have a food processor, then add flour, sugar, and cold butter to processor and mix until well blended and crumbly
  10. sprinkle mixture over the strawberries
  11. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A FOOD PROCESSOR USE A PASTRY BLENDER TO MIX THE TOPPING
  12. bake at 375 for 30-35 min.

Another strawberry recipe you might like:
Moist Strawberry Swirl Bread.
Strawberry Swirl Bread

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Easy Fudge Marshmallow Bars Recipe

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My mom used to make this when I was a kid, but she lost the recipe for years.  I searched and searched until I finally found the recipe. It’s super easy melt in your mouth fudge. It is easy to make with kids, I always let my daughter help out with this one.

Easy Fudge Marshmallow Bars Recipe

Easy Fudge Marshmallow Bars Recipe
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 oz.
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
  1. line a 9x13 pan with foil
  2. spray foil with cooking oil
  3. put chocolate chips and sweet cond. milk in microwave safe bowl
  4. cook for 1 min in microwave
  5. stir and stir some more until smooth
  6. if you need to microwave for 10-15 more seconds (don't overcook)
  7. stir in vanilla
  8. stir in marshmallows
  9. pour mixture into pan
  10. spray your hands with cooking oil and press mixture into pan
  11. refrigerate for at least 30 min
  12. lift from pan, remove foil, cut and serve

 

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The Best Moist Banana Bread Recipe

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The best banana bread recipe I have ever made, super moist with a cinnamon and sugar crust.

The Best Moist Banana Bread Recipe

I have always been a huge fan of banana bread.  Before this recipe came along my go to recipe was always a classic buttermilk banana bread recipe. However now that I’ve had this bread I never find myself going back to make the buttermilk kind. I think there are two things that make this recipe stand out above the rest, the sour cream because it keeps it super moist and my favorite spice, cinnamon. Cinnamon compliments the flavor of bananas so well that it makes each bite a match made in heaven. But please, don’t take my word for it; give this recipe a try for yourself.

mashed bananasI used a potato masher to mash the bananas; I find it works really well.

prepared loaf panOne of my favorite parts about this recipe is the cinnamon & sugar crust. Just grease the loaf pan & dust with cinnamon & sugar.

The Best Moist Banana Bread Recipe

This recipe makes 2 loaves. No mixer required, you can hand mix the whole thing.  Don’t forget to grease those bread pans and coat them with cinnamon and sugar. The cinnamon and sugar crust is one of my favorite things about this recipe so I don’t want you to miss out on it (can you tell? I’m kind of obsessed with the crust). This recipe is also very forgiving, sometimes I use 2 bananas for this recipe sometimes I use 3; it just depends on how many bananas I have around to use. Honestly sometimes I use bananas that aren’t really ripe at all (yup, they are still pretty yellow) because I’m craving this recipe & I don’t want to have to wait another day or two to make it.

The Best Moist Banana Bread Recipe
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • For Dusting the Pan:
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • For The Banana Bread:
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1-1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1-1/2 eggs (or you can just add 2 eggs*)
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
  2. Grease two loaf pans. (My loaf pans are 8.5x4.5") In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture. It should stick easily with the sides greased.
  3. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar together. Stir in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts if you are adding them. Divide batter into the two prepared pans.
  4. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*This is half of the original recipe, the original recipe makes 4 loaves of bread & calls for 3 eggs. I usually add 1 1/2 eggs when I make it but I’ve also made it using 2 eggs, it still turns out great.

Recipe source: adapted from allrecipes.com

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Red White and Blueberry Snack with Stuffed Raspberries

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Red, White and Blueberry! My daughter will sit down and eat the entire bowl of these in one sitting. They are a great snack for a hot summer day. They would also be perfect to take to a 4th of July Party, just double the recipe.

Red White and Blueberry Snack with Stuffed Raspberries

Red White and Blueberry Snack with Stuffed Raspberries
 
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Author:
Recipe type: snack
Ingredients
  • 6 oz pack raspberries
  • 6 oz pack blueberries
  • white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Stuff the chips in the raspberries then add some blueberries, serve!

White Chocolate Dipped 4th of July Pretzel Rods

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Old Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies Recipe

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A thick, soft, old-fashioned sugar cookie topped with buttercream frosting and sprinkles.

Old Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe

My obsession with sugar cookies continues…I’m pretty sure that I have made more sugar cookies than any other type of cookie out there. My collection of sugar cookie recipes really needs it’s own recipe box. When I come across a good sugar cookie recipe you know I’m going to have to share it with you, I can’t keep it all to myself! I know I am not the only sugar cookie lover out there.

Old Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe

Just this week I made two different types of sugar cookies. I was craving a thick, soft, old fashioned sugar cookie, like the awesome one’s that my Grandma used to make for me when I was a kid. Yes, sugar cookies are my comfort food. They bring back good memories. This recipe was just what I needed to cheer myself up after having what felt like the longest cold ever.

Old Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies Recipe
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • ¼ cup & 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1¾ cups & 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • Frosting:
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • sprinkles for decorating (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheet or line with a non-stick baking mat.
  2. In a large bowl, stir butter and sugar together. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla, milk and oil. Stir in the flour and baking powder.
  3. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet, using the bottom of a glass or a fork flatten out the cookies to about ¼" thickness.
  4. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown.
  5. To make the frosting, cream together the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla . Beat in milk until frosting is smooth & creamy. Frost cookies when cool. Decorate with sprinkles (optional).

PS. This makes a small batch of cookies, if you want a larger batch just double the recipe.

This recipe was adapted from allrecipes.com.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting Recipe

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting Recipe

This stuff it totally addicting. Sometimes I just make it and eat it instead of putting it on something. It tastes great on brownies, cookie bars, and cakes.

It is also great to make a box brownie mix look fancy.

It is pictured with my Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, that is what my husband asked for for his birthday instead of cake.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting Recipe

This makes enough frosting for a 9×13 pan, if you need it for a layer cake you will want to double the recipe, or just double it and eat the rest!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting Recipe
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup soft butter
  • 2½ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. in a medium size bowl add butter, sugars, flour, milk and vanilla.
  2. mix on medium speed for 2 min. or until well blended.
  3. you can add chocolate chips in batter or sprinkle on top
  4. this makes enough for anything in a 9x13 pan
  5. double if making for a layer cake

*Eating raw flour has become a concern for some people. People have been trying the microwave method to heat flour to 160 F. degrees, I have not tried it. Disclaimer: Make & eat at your own risk.

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