PRUNE PLUM BUCKLE (Dessert Cake)

10-12 purple prune plums
1/3 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1-3/4 cup sifted flour
1-3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup milk

Topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine
Combine until crumbly

Slice plums to equal 2 cups.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg.  Beat until light.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.  Pour into greased 9" square greased baking dish.  Arrange plums on top in rows.  sprinkle topping over all.  Bake 375 40-45 minutes.  9 servings.  Good with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

This is really delicious.  I just used regular ripe plums and sliced them.  Once you get the plums sliced and ready, this is really easy to make.  I thought it was really good for a change since you don't often get to use plums in a dessert.

CHOCOLATE CHIP/PEANUT FUDGE

2 cups sugar
2/3 cups milk
1 T butter or margarine
1 t vanilla
3 T peanut butter
1/2 pkg chocolate chips (6 oz.)

Combine sugar and milk in 2 qt. heavy pan.  Bring to boil stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.  If sugar crystals form on sides of pan, wipe them off.  Continue boiling without stirring to the soft ball stage (236).  Remove from heat.  Add butter without stirring.  Cool to lukewarm (110).  Add vanilla and peanut butter.  Beat until mixture begins to thicken and lose its gloss.  Stir in chocolate pieces at once and turn into slightly buttered 8 X 4 loaf pan.  Mark in pieces while warm and cut when cool.  Makes about 1 pound.

Really good.  Can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter together!  Makes a small amount, but that's okay.

LEONA'S SWEET-SOUR DRESSING

1 10 oz. can Campbell's tomato soup
1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 t garlic salt
1 T worchestershire sauce

Blend all ingredients together in mixer or blender.  Store in refrigerator.  Keeps well.  Yields 3 cups.

I didn't really like this very much.  The fact that it had 1/2 cup of corn syrup in it kind of was off-putting as well in this age of eating more healthy.  I tried to use it up as in ingredient in other recipes but finally just ended up throwing it out, just really not for me.  Some people may like it though, so if you want to, give it a try.

SPICED NUTS

1 large egg white
1/4 cup sugar
1 t salt
1/2 t chile powder
1/4 t ground allspice
1/2 t ground cumin
1-3/4 t cayenne pepper
2-1/2 cups pecan halves or assorted nuts such as cashews, walnuts or almonds

Heat oven to 300.  Beat egg white until soft and foamy.  Combine all remaining ingredients except nuts; whisk into egg white.  Stir in nuts until well coated.  Spread mixture in single layer onto an ungreased baking pan.  Bake nuts for 15 minutes.  Then remove from oven.  Using a metal spatula, toss, stir and separate nuts.  Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees and return nuts to bake until medium brown, about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Toss and stir again.  Place baking pan on wire rack to cool.  Break up any nuts that stick together.  Stoer in an airtight container up to two weeks.  Makes 2-1/2 cups.

All I can say is this is super tasty!  If I make up a batch of these, they're gone!  I've made this recipe at least 3 times since I first tried it.  It's a keeper!

APPLESAUCE COFFEE CAKE

2-1/2 cups flour, sifted
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 t salt
2 t nutmeg
3/4 cup oil
1 cup applesauce
1 t soda
1 egg
2 t cinnamon
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350.  Stir flour, sugars, salt and 1 t nutmeg together.  Add oil.  Reserve 1 cup of the mixture.  Add applesauce, soda, and egg to flour mixture.  Mix thoroughly.  Put into ungreased 13x9x2" pan.  Combine cinnamon, walnuts, and reserved nutmeg.  Add to reserved mixture.  Sprinkle over applesauce mixture.  Bake for 25 to 35 minutes.  Yield:  12 to 15 servings.

I loved this, and it's super easy.  I like it when you just quickly mix everything together and then dump into a baking dish that doesn't even need to be greased.  This is extra good warm out of the oven with some Cool Whip on top

LEMON LOAF CAKE

Combine: 2-1/2 cups sifted flour, 3 t baking powder, 1/2 t salt.  Set aside.
Cream:  1/3 cup margarine, 1 cup sugar
Add:  2 extra large eggs (or equal to 1/2 cup)
Add dry ingredients alternately with: 3/4 cup milk, 1 T shredded lemon rind

Pour into margarine-coated and lightly floured 5x9x3" loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes until done.  Set pan on wire rack and prepare glaze.

Glaze:  1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 T shredded lemon rind

Combine ingredients in small saucepan.  Heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Prick top of loaf with wooden pick or skewer.  Spoon glaze over hot loaf in pan.  Cool loaf in pan 20 minutes before removing from pan.  Cool on wire rack.

This is so delicious and very moist.  My mouth is watering thinking about it......

FUDGE (Quick)

18 oz. chocolate chips
1 pint marshmallow crem or 1 small bag of mini-marshmallows
1 cube of margarine
2 cups walnuts (optional)

In a medium saucepan combine all the ingredients except the nuts.  Stirring constantly, allow ingredients to melt and mix together.  When completely melted (watch out for lumps), add the walnuts and pour the whole thing onto a lightly buttered 9X13 pan.  Allow to stand at room temperature until cool.  Makes approximately 5 pounds.

Well, yes, this is quick, but the consistency isn't right.  It turned out flat and kinda hard.