FREE Scripture Graphic - Psalm 34:8, The Lord is Good, Cherries

Here is another vintage graphic that I edited. I got the original graphic from The Graphics Fairy. I made some changes and added the verse. You can save the image from here, but it will not be very high quality.  You can get it in higher quality if you go and download it here. (Use the download button in the lower right corner.)

Here is a link to a version without words which you can use for your own purposes.

If you wish to use these online, please do not link to the graphics from either of my locations. Save it to your own computer and then upload it to the place where you store graphics online for your own use. Thank you.

[Note: It's OK to link the graphic from here only if you are sharing the link to this specific post on my blog - either on your own blog or in social media.] :-)

Enjoy!

Mock Cherry Crispy Treats

Another re-run tonight.  I meant to write up a new post today, but I have not felt well most of the day, so I'm resorting to this again.  This recipe was first published in July 2009. :-)
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Here is a recipe for crispy rice treats that I found on the Internet. The person who posted it had made some changes to the original, and I made some changes of my own. One thing I did was to substitute dried cranberries for dried cherries and add almond flavoring instead of vanilla. This makes you think that it really is cherries in the treats. For some reason almond flavoring will fool the taste buds that way when combined with dried cranberries (I use Crainsins® brand which are pre-sweetened). My family liked the results quite well!

Mock Cherry Crispy Treats

3 Tbl. butter

1 (10 oz.) bag of marshmallows

1/4 C. white chocolate chips

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. almond flavoring

5 C. crisp rice cereal

1 C. dried cranberries

1/2 C. semisweet or 60% cacao chocolate chips

1 Tbl. butter

Line a 9x9 baking pan with aluminum foil leaving excess foil to hang over the edges of the pan. (Thinner treats may be made by using a 9x13 pan). Butter or grease foil.

Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Add marshmallows, white chocolate chips and salt. Cook, stirring constantly about 8 minutes, or until melted and smooth. Stir in almond flavoring.

Remove from heat and stir in crisp rice cereal and cranberries until well mixed. Scrape mixture into prepared pan and press into the corners with a greased spatula or spoon. (Use the back of the spoon.) Let cool for about 1 hour.

Melt chocolate chips and 1 Tbl. butter over low heat in a sauce pan stirring constantly just until smooth. Drizzle chocolate over the cooled treats. Allow to cool, about 45 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift treats out of pan to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Sever or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Coconut Fruitcake

 

I’m pretty sure this is the Coconut Fruitcake since
I can’t remember making any other kind in recent years. :-)

This is probably my family’s favorite fruit cake.  The original recipe came from the Nov/Dec 1993 issue of “Country Woman” magazine but, as usual, we made some changes of our own. :-)  Here is our version.  (See my ideas for making in healthier at the bottom.)

2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. total candied cherries, candied pineapple and fruitcake mix
1 1/2 C. flaked coconut
1 C. raisins (golden or brown)
1 C. chopped pecans
1/2 butter
1 C. sugar (reduce to 2/3 C. if desired)
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 C. orange juice
Additional candied fruit or cherries for top (optional)
Marzipan (almond paste) for cover (optional)  Note: Make sure it is as room temperature before working with it!

In a large bowl, combine flower, baking powder and salt.  Add all candied fruit, coconut, raisins, and nuts and mix till well coated.  In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and extracts, mixing well.  Stir in the fruit and flour mixture alternately with the orange juice.  Pack into a greased 10-inch tube pan which is lined with waxed paper or baking parchment.  Or, you can pack into greased, lined loaf pans.  Bake at 250F for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the cake tests done.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.   Loosen edges with a knife and remove from pan to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Garnish with candied fruit if desired, or roll the marzipan to a large thin circle, big enough to cover the cake.  Place gently over the top and cut out the center carefully.  Mold the marzipan to fit the cake and trim away excess around the bottom edge.  You may out candied fruit on top, or you may wish to put some flowers or fruit in the center of the of the cake.  You may also use nuts or molded marzipan to decorate the top of the cake.

For loaves roll the marzipan into rectangles that will fit the loaves.  Gently press it into place.

Yield: 12-16 servings

Store, well wrapped, in the fridge or freezer.

Note:  Next time I make this fruitcake I hope to add miniature chocolate chips to it as per a recipe we used to make.  I think it will make a nice addition. :-)

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This is a Coconut Fruitcake that I made for my dad’s birthday some years ago.  As you can see I covered it with marzipan and tinted the extra marzipan with food coloring. Then I molded roses and leaves to fill the hole in the center of the cake.

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Healthier:

For those of you who are are concerned about the high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring that is in candied fruits, you can make your own candied fruit!  My mom and I did it a couple years ago.  Here are two locations to find information: DIY Candied Orange Peel, and Food Network’s Candied Orange Peel.  My mom and I actually made it with a pomelo, so we got a lot of candied peel for our effort, but it took awhile to cook it too.

Also, when I make this fruitcake recipe next, I hope to switch out some of the candied fruit for good quality dried fruit.  I want to use the nicer kind of dried pineapple in place of the candied type, and I want to use some good dried cherries for the candied cherries.  I think it will give the fruitcake a more interesting flavor also because these types of preserved fruits taste more like they were meant to than the candied varieties.  I’ll try to let you know how this works out. :-) 

Brazil Nut Sensation

This was one of my Gramma Hoover’s recipes.  It was one of my dad’s favorites, but others of us like it really well too. :-)  It is rather pricey to make with the cost of Brazil nuts being what it is, but it makes a great rare treat.  I haven’t made this cake for some years now, and I interpreted her somewhat cryptic method of writing down recipes the best I could.

Brazil Nut Sensation

Sift together:

3/4 C. flour
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl put:

3 C. shelled Brazil nuts (whole)
2 8 oz. packages pitted dates
1 C. well-drained maraschino cherries

Sift flour mixture over nut mixture.  Mix with hands until nuts and fruit are well-coated.

In another bowl:

Beat until foamy: 3 eggs
Add: 1 tsp. vanilla

Stir this into nut mixture.  Spread evenly in 2 9x5x3 bread pans, greased and lined with waxed paper.

Bake: 1 hr. 45 min. (or 1 hour to 45 minutes?) – or until cake tester comes out clean.

Cool, wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate up to 5-6 weeks.  (Or freeze.)