Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients
Peanut Butter Base

• 1 cup Natural Peanut Butter

• ½ cup gluten-free graham cracker crumbs (we chopped gluten-free graham crackers in a food processor)

• ¼ cup pure maple syrup

• 2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

Chocolate Topping

• 1 cup semi-sweet chips (I used Enjoy Life Foods )

• ¼ cup almond milk or milk of choice

• Sea Salt or chopped walnuts for sprinkling, optional but recommended

Instructions
Place parchment baking cups in 24 mini muffin tins and set aside.
Peanut Butter Base

1. In a sauce pan over low heat, mix peanut butter and coconut oil until well combined/ peanut butter softens. Add graham cracker crumbs and maple syrup. Stir until well combined.
2. Remove mixture from heat and divide evenly among muffin cups.

Chocolate topping

1. In a small saucepan, over low heat, add chocolate chips and almond milk. Stir until the chocolate has melted and mixture well combined.
2. Spoon melted chocolate mixture evenly over the peanut butter mixture.

Top with chopped walnuts or sea salt, if using
Place in refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.
Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Serve 24 mini cups

Recipe from Healthy Gluten Free Family at www.healthygffamily.com

Mom's Cheesecake

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 c sugar

Juice of one lemon

1 lb cottage cheese

1 lb cream cheese

1 pt sour cream

2 T flour

2 T cornstarch

1 t vanilla

1/4 lb melted butter

16 graham crackers

Steps

Crush 16 graham crackers and mix with 3 T butter. Reserve 1/2 c of mixture for top of cake.

Press crumbs into bottom of spring form pan. Mix eggs and sugar. Mash cheeses well. Add cheese and sugar, egg, then all. Electric mixer until fairly smooth. Add melted butter last. Batter is loose. Crumb over top. Bake 60 minutes. Turn off oven. Leave cake in oven for 2 hours.

From the kitchen of Susan McGowan

Naval Academy Apple Cannonballs

Ingredients
Six (6) apples, cored and peeled
One-half (1/2) pound of granular sugar
Cinnamon sugar (Ground Cinnamon and granular sugar mixed, to taste)
One quarter (1/4) pound of butter (recall the Academy only served us butter)
Pie Dough - Six (6) Ounces, or of sufficient quantity

Preparation
Roll out a one (1) ounce piece of pie dough into a circle approximately six (6) inches in diameter. Place a cored, peeled apple in the center of the pie dough. Fill the center of the apple with cinnamon-sugar mix. Fold the pie dough around the apple and place the conglomeration onto a greased (non-stick) cookie sheet pan. Bake the apples at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately twenty-five (25) minutes or until the apples are soft. Be careful you don't burn the pie crust.

Hard Sauce: Place the granular sugar and butter into a mixing bowl and beat them until they are thoroughly mixed. Add either Vanilla or Rum flavoring to the sugar-butter mix and stir it in.

When the apples are baked, place a good, healthy dollop of Hard Sauce on top of the apple-in-crust.

Easy Hard Sauce: While it's quite possible to make Hard Sauce with granulated sugar as specified, it's a lot quicker and easier to use confectioners (powdered) sugar.

Hard sauce is simply flavored thick texture cake frosting. Confirm with the ladies that 'from scratch' icing is made a lot easier with confectioners than granulated sugar. It makes smoother stuff regardless of beating and takes a lot less beating effort to dissolve in the butter.

Certificate of authenticity: The recipe has been served aboard USS John Marshall (SSBN-611) on the 38th submerged day of the last patrol before overhaul inside the Arctic Circle at 105 feet and five knots.

Perfect Popcorn

Ingredients
3 Tbsp canola, peanut or grapeseed oil (high smoke point oil)
1/3 cup of high quality popcorn kernels
1 3-quart covered saucepan
2 Tbsp or more (to taste) of butter
Salt to taste

Preparation
1. Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat.

2. Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.

3. When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. (Count out loud; it's fun to do with kids.) This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.

4. Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.

With this technique, nearly all of the kernels pop (I counted 4 unpopped kernels in my last batch), and nothing burns.

5. If you are adding butter, you can easily melt it by placing the butter in the now empty, but hot pan.

6. Salt to taste.

Makes 2 quarts, a nice amount for two people, or for one hungry one.

Additional tips:
If you add salt to the oil in the pan before popping, when the popcorn pops, the salt will be well distributed throughout the popcorn.

Fun toppings for the popcorn - Spanish smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, cayenne powder, chili pepper, curry powder, cumin, grated Parmesan cheese.

Steamed Lemon Custard

Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/8 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons flour
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
3 eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 pint blueberries, optional
1/3 cup heavy cream, whipped, optional.

Steps
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter six four-ounce ramekins or foil muffin cups. Dust each with 1 teaspoon sugar, shaking out any excess.

2. In small bowl, mix remaining sugar with flour and lemon zest. In large bowl, lightly beat egg yolks, and stir in buttermilk and lemon juice.

3. Whip egg whites until softly peaked. Whisk sugar mixture into buttermilk mixture. Fold in beaten egg whites in thirds. Spoon batter into prepared containers. Place in baking pan, and add hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins or tins. Cover pan completely with foil.

4. Bake about 15 minutes, until batter begins to puff. Remove foil, and bake another 15 minutes or so, until tops begin to brown and are springy to touch. A little cracking is fine.

5. Remove from oven, and serve warm. If you make the pudding in advance, allow it to cool to room temperature, and unmold to serve, or reheat in warm water bath, and serve warm. Fresh blueberries and whipped cream can be served alongside.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch squares (about 6-7 cups)
1 qt milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup raisins (soaked overnight in 1/4 cup bourbon)
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Soak the bread in milk in a large mixing bowl. Crush with hands until well mixed and all the milk is absorbed. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices together. Gently stir into the bread mixture. Gently stir the raisins into the mixture.

3. Pour butter into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter. Pour in the bread mix and bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, until set. The pudding is done when the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. Can also make in individual ramekins.

Serve with bourbon whiskey sauce on the side; pour on to taste. Best fresh and eaten the day it is made. Makes 8-10 servings.

Bourbon Sauce
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup Kentucky bourbon whiskey

In a saucepan, melt butter; add sugar and egg, whisking to blend well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Whisk in bourbon to taste. Remove from heat and let cool. Whisk before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.

Adapted from recipe at the famed Bon Ton Cafe in New Orleans.
www.simplyrecipes.com