Deonia - Would you share your recipes for...

I read a post the other day where you mention having found the best chocolate cake.  I am looking for a good cake recipe - one that's moist, chocolately, etc.  Would you share your recipe?

Also, in another post, you mentioned using an appetizer filling in your calzone recipe.  Would you share your calzone dough recipe?

You always have such good ideas - have you compiled your Favorite Recipes yet?  (Just a hint lol)

Thanks!

Diana

bump

 I'll be glad to share with you hon, right now i'm getting ready to watch Danacing with the 'Stars, but i'll be back later on tonight and post them for ya.

 OK Diana, here's the recipe for best chocolate cake  I have ever eaten. Nindsy posted this and said that she had chosen this one to replace a family favorite of many years. That's what prompted me to try it because I have, or rather HAD, been searching for one I loved. I have been using the new cocoa put out by Hershey's called "SPECIAL DARK" A blend of natural and dutched cocoas ( the bottom half of the regular Hershey's box is red) It's the only cocoa I have made this cake with and it's really chocolatey LOL if that's a word. But i think it's the best cocoa to use in this cake. At the end of the cake recipe is a recipe for a Faux Whipped Cream Frosting that I iced the first cake i made with. It's the one I always iced my chocolate cakes with, I love it, but this cake, for me, needs nothing to be enjoyed all by itself. ( See next post )

Chocolate Cake (My Favorite)
Posted by Nindsy
1 Cup Butter (2 Sticks) No substitutions.
6 TBS Cocoa
1 Cup Water
2 Cups Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/ 2 Tsp Salt
2 Cups Flour
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
Boil butter, cocoa and water. Stir in sugar. Remove from heat. Beat. Cool slightly.
 Add flour and the rest of the ingredients. Beat. Pour in greased 9x13 pan. Bake 375 for 25-30 min. ( I baked mine in two 5" X 9" oblong cake pans instead of the pan called for)

I iced my cake with this recipe for:

Faux Whipped Cream frosting.

Mix 6 T. cornstarch with 1 1/2 cups milk, fresh or canned ( I used nonfat dry milk) and cook until thick.( don't let it scorch)
 Cool to cold in the fridge while you prepare the next part.

Cream together:
1 cup butter ( 2 sticks)
1 cup sugar

When first part is completely cold, mix it in with the butter/ sugar creamed mixture and whip till light and fluffy.
 Spread on a cold cake. Keep refrigerated. YUMMY!!!



 

 I don't use a traditional pizza dough recipe although there are many good ones,  that have been posted by a number of fantastic cooks we have on this board.. I like this one and then for fillings i'm not real adventursome either LOL. I like meatball & provalone cheese, steak & Provolone cheese, Ham and american cheese, and i'm trying a new one next time that I never thought of as a calzone filling before, but Jolene and I were talking about an appy foodguy had posted and hamburger with american or cheddar cheese with crisp bacon sounded so good to me.  It's taken a lot of years to collect some of my favorite recipes. I dont feel i'm very creative, but i can copy almost anything and if you have something you want to make, I can usually come up with an idea or two  I guess my true loves are baking and candy making but i'll get a few of my favorites together for ya if you like. Anythlng special you'd like to have?  Here's the dough I like to use most of the time for my calzones:

THE DOUGH:
3 c. flour
1 pkg. dry yeast, 1/4 tsp. sugar dissolved in 1/2 c. warm water
3/4-1 c. cold milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
1. Measure flour into bowl. Add yeast mixture and oil. Then add salt and cold milk, mix until forms a dough. Let rest 5 minutes.
2. Turn dough out onto a floured board. Knead 50 strokes or until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes. Knead 20 more strokes.
3. Let dough rise in a covered bowl for 1 1/2 hours or until double in bulk. Turn out onto floured board and divide into 4 -6 balls( I divide into 8 pieces because I like smaller calzones) Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
4. As dough is rising, prepare fillings
5. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place large baking sheets in oven.6. Twirl each ball of dough into a circle about 10-12 inches big. Place on pan to be baked on.
Put about 1/2-3/4 cup filling to be used on half of dough.
6. Fold dough over and press down edges to seal. Repeat for remaining balls of dough
7. Bake for 6 minutes until golden brown.

 

Thank you so much, Deonia!  I am so pleased to have both recipes.

Your offer to share other recipes - anything you'd like to share.  I also love to bake and enjoy making sweet breads and coffee cakes so I can share with my neighbors.  I live in England and its fun to share my American recipes (I'm an American) with people that have never tasted some of these things before.  The banana "bread" idea is a little confusing for them since "bread" is typically sandwich material.  But, they are all good sports and always want a little history of the recipe and how to eat it when I share.  (Would you believe I know only one person who cooks or bakes from scratch here and she's in her late 70's. .  They buy already-prepared meals from the stores and microwave them.)

I am anxious to try the calzones.  I have some leftover spaghetti sauce and meatballs that I'd like to try this way.  Can't get Provolone cheese here (I've looked everywhere!!) but could probably use Parmesan and Mozzarella. 

Thanks again, Deonia!

Diana

 LOL before I forget, I LOVE YOUR SIGGIE! it's wayyy cool!

Yes, you can use any kind of cheese, I just like the taste of the Provolone and meatballs together. If you like making breads I've got a killer recipe for ya, you can make dinner rolls AND/OR sweet rolls from it. or keep it in the fridge for up to 10 days and use just what you want each day.When I make this recipeI make half dinner rolls and freeze or refrigerate the rest to use later and use the other half to make cinnamon rolls. Here it is: As always, any questions, dont' hesitate to ask.

I think you lwill find these rolls to be what you're looking for. They are failproof! and delicious too. They can be made up and the dough kept in the fridge for up to a week and used as you like. They make either Sweet rolls, or dinner rolls. I know that sounds strange , but try them and let me know how you like them. They are very, very easy.

ICE BOX ROLLS
SCALD; 1 qt milk
(i like to use half evaporated milk and half whole milk for the taste if i'm making only cinnamon rolls, any kind of milk may be used , even non-fat dried milk reconstituted)
ADD: 1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
Cool to lukewarm (110-115 degreees)
ADD: 1 pkg. yeast ( not rapid rise)
and enough all-purpose flour to
make a thin batter(6-8 cups sifted)
Cover and let stand 2 hours.
SIFT INTO THIS BATTER:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Let rest 10 minutes, then divide dough in half to make sweet rolls and refrigetate the rest or make dinner rolls.

TO MAKE SWEET ROLLS:
Knead dough a few minutes and then roll out to a long rectangle appx. 10"X18". Spread with soft butter or margarine, and sprinkle with cinnamon (i like to use apple pie spice, raisins, pecans, etc....)Roll up jelly roll style and cut off 1 1/2" slices. Lay each slice, cut side up into a cupcake pan ( i use the Texas size cupcake pans and cut 2" thick) or , if using a loaf type pan, lay them side by side like biscuits so they will rise UP instead of OUT . LET RISE 1 hour. Bake at 400 degrees until brown. When done, immediately spoon icing made of powdered sugar and butter mixed together thinned with a little milk.
Serve and enjoy!
TO MAKE DINNER ROLLS FROM SAME RECIPE:
Take half  ( or as much as you want) the dough and pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough, dip into melted butter and place 3 in each cup of a cupcake pan, let rise 1 hour and bake as before.
Bon Appetit` from the Occasional Cook!
   
   
   
   
 

I've always been a, from scratch, cook and I used to ride the river with my paternal grandmother who cooked on a tugboat for 50 years. She always had homemade bread for the hands to eat, nothing bought, ever. LOL I had always tried to make the nice soft, spongy bread she had made ( I never got any of her recipes)but never could quite get it like the store-bought. Then when Imoved to Pensacola and was reading the paper one day I spotted a recipe for Sourdough bread. With a little tweaking, I have perfected this bread to my satisfaction and you might like to try it. It will stay fresh for a week. I think it makes teriffic grilled cheese sandwiches. This bread is made with a "starter" that you can keep in the fridge and feed every 10 days tjo keep it"alive". I used to write a food column and this is from that column which I wrote for people who were novices at baking so it's a little long.

SOURDOUGH BREAD
Starter:
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoon instant potato flakes ( make sure they are just potato, no additives. They'll usually be the cheapest on the market)
1 pkg. Active dry yeast ( not quick rise)
1 cup warm water ( 110 - 115 degrees F ) also, i use distilled or spring water as some city water has ammonia, bleach, etc... added to it that will kill your starter!
Mix all ingredients together ( I use a quart canning jar)and cover with aluminum foil with a few air holes punched in the top. let sit on counter 24 hours
. Then refrigerate for 3 days before use.
FEEDING THE STARTER:
After 3 days, remove from refrigerator, and feed with:
 3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons instant potato flakes
 1 cup warm water
Let sit out 8-12 hours before making bread. Then put back into refrigerator, still with the air holes in cover to let gases escape,
 and keep until the next feeding time (which is 10-14 days) or bread making time. I make bread every 2 weeks so i use a cup of the starter each time i feed it,
 but if you do not want to make bread when you feed your starter, just discard 1 cup after you have fed it, or better yet, give a cup of it to a friend with this recipe.
 As long as you can see little bubbles when you look down at the starter it is "alive", and it will stay this way as long as
you keep feeding it every 10 - 14 days.And always let it sit out 8-12 hours when you feed it before using it, or
returning it to the refrigerator.
MAKING THE BREAD:
When you have fed the starter, and let it sit out for the required time, ( i let mine sit out overnight and make bread the next morning) you are ready to make bread!
6 cups bread flour -
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pkg. active dry yeast ( not rapid rise)
1/2 cup oil ( i use soybean oil as i feel it makes a moister bread)
 1 cup starter
1 & 1/2 cups warm water ( 110-115 degrees)
Into about 1/4 cup of the warm water, add the yeast and about a teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes to activate.
 ( if at this point, the yeast is not foaming, it is either too old, or your water was too hot and killed the action)
Meantime: mix together the bread flour, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and all other liquid ingredients and mix throughly.
 I use my hand so i can feel the dough, but a bread hook may be used. When all ingredients are thouroughly incorporated, cover loosley with waxed paper
and let rise until doubled. ( i mix my bread in a 2-qu pyrex measuring bowl and have learned that when the risen dough touches the waxed paper it is ready)
.Also, I proof my bread dough in my oven, placing the bowl inside and putting a shallow pan of hot water underneath it. This gives just enough heat
 to let the yeast act on the sugars and starches in the dough to produce carbon dioxide gas,  If fermentation is complete and the dough has doubled in volume,
 a dent will remain after the hand is pressed into the top of the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead, this will usually take about 10-12 minutes. When the dough begins to feel smooth and satiny,
it is ready to scale. I have found that for this recipe i can get three very nice high loaves if i use three medium sized pans,  about 5" X 4" X 8",
. I grease mine with butter and once i have kneaded the dough to the desisred consistancy, cut it into three equal parts. Placing one in each pan,
 i again set them in the oven to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour if you put the pan of hot water under them. During this rising,
 i also turn on my oven light to make it just slightly warmer for the proofing stage.
Once they have risen to double in bulk, I remove them from the oven to a place away from the ovens heat and preheat it to 350 degrees F.
I then bake the loaes at this temp until brown, or when tapped slightly on top, they will sound hollow. This usually takes about 30 minutes.
When done, I remove them fromt he oen and immediately rub the top of each loaf with butter. This insures me of a soft crust. Cool thoroughly
before wraping if storing. I put mine in the 2-gal zip lock bags and then wrap with freezer paper to freeze. If left out and lasts long enough,
 it will stay fresh for almost a week sitting on the counter.Any comments or questions? Please direct them to TheOcasionalCook@aol.com or to Dockside Publishing@aol.com

Thanks for the bread and rolls recipes!  I am going to try the dinner rolls first.  I've gotten so used to making bread in my bread machine that I haven't made yeast bread without it for a long time.  It will feel good to get my hands "dirty" again.  I especially like the words "fool-proof."

Diana

LOL and it is. I just saw another post and it reminded me of another great recipe i got from these guys. Parmesan Potato Crisp! Ohhhhh I'ts to die for, here's the recipe. I, because I love Miracle Whip, made the mistake of using it once in this recipe. It RUINED it. So only use mayo and just what it calls for if you like the crispness of fried potatoes. I think Chefly posted this one, not sure, but here it is:

Oh, I see it was moms_rule_OH who was the origional poster. Glad I copied the whole post LOL This is so simple, but Oh, so good, I do add a few things to it though, I added some onion powder and maybe 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. 

Parmesan Potato Crisp
Posted by: moms_rule_OH Posted on: 11/4/2003 11:28:03 AM
#R2434994
Subject: Recipe - Parmesan Potato Crisp
Posted by: sadielady Replies: 28 Posted on: 8/30/2003 12:26:43 AM
#T223332
I'd forgotten I had this one. These are delicious.

5 cups potato slices
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Combine potato, cheese and 1/2 cup mayonnaise. Mix lightly.
 Spoon into a 9-inch pie plate that has been brushed with the additional mayonnaise.
 Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Cover with foil and continue baking 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
 Invert onto a serving plate immediately. Cut into wedges to serve.


 

 NOW, if ya really wanna WOW those lady friends of yours, Make this Danish recipe ( pockets or braid), They'll think they died and went to Heaven if they've never had homemade LOL It's a little long but i taped the show, when Julia C. had this famous sweedish baker,  on and transcribed the whole thing, took me about 6 hours but man are they worth it.Please let me know how these turn out for you if you make them and what your friends say about them. When I make them, I have to make about 3 recipes to satiate everyones desire for them LOL

DANISH PASTRY---------- a LA, Julia Child show
Mix 1/4 waram water with 1 pkg yeast.
ADD: 1/2 cup room temp milk
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
Meanwhile: use 2 sticks cold saltd butter, cut across into 3/8" slices ( use 1 t. salt if using unsalted butter)
Put into a food processor: 2 1/2 cups plain flour
Add: the butter and pulse about 8 times, leaving the butter in 1/2" pieces for layering.
MIX: flour mixture into liquid mixture by folding in w/ a spatula just until liquid is absosrbed.
 PUT IN FRIDGE OVERNIGHT OR UP TO 4 DAYS ( chill at least 24 hours) use a plastic bag or seal with plastic.
Next day:
Scrape dough out onto a floured piece of marble ( use a salt shaker and dust just enough onto the marble board
 to keep pastry from sticking. ( Object here is to keep dough as cold as possible to insure flakiness
and to not work any more extra flour into it as necessary so it will not be tough.)
Roll dough into a square and fold it into thirds into a rectangle. roll into a rectangle again
and fold into thirds again. do this for 2 more turns.At this point,
cut in half and re-bag and place in fridge for 30 mnutes to get the butter cold again.
 Then take out and use or only use one bag and keep the other in the freezer up to one month.
( I usually make all the dough up at once.
FILLINGS
Dried Apricot or jam:

1 cup sugar
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup water
Put all in microwavse for 10 minutes , stirring 2-3 times to keep sugar melting.
Put into a food processor and puree.
Add: 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 1/2 tespoon almond extract. Put in a jar to cool.

PRUNE FILLING JAM
Same proceedure as above only substitute prunes and vanilla and cinnamon.

BERRY FILLING JAM
2 cups crushed fresh berries ( any mixture of berries you want) but she used blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.
1 cup sugar

Microwave 18 minutes stiring occasionally. Then add 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

CONFECTIONER'S CREAM
Into a larage pyrex bowl put:
1 cup heavy cream or 1/2 & 1/2
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten ( save the white to glue and glaze danish bsefore baking)
Microwave in 1 minute increments , stirring after each minute. do this 2 more times.
Stir together:
1 egg yolk and a llittle of the cornstarch mixture to temper.
Than add all togsether and mix and cook 30 seconds more. Cool
TO MAKE DANISH POCKETS ( use half the dough for these and the other half to make a braid dainsh)

Roll out one dough half into a 10" X 20" rectangle and cut into 10- 5' squares.
Put 1 Tablespoon of one of the jams and 1 Tablespoon of the cream in the center of all squares.
 Brush all sides of all the squares with a skightly beaten egg white.
Pick up all teh corners and pinch/twist togesther. Plaace on parchment and lest rise 30 minutes.
Brush tops w/egg white ans sprinkle w/pearled sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until lbrown.

Cool and make frosting of 2 taspoons milk to 1/2 cup 10X powdered sugar. Put into a plastic bag. Close,
cut of corner and drizzle over pastries while still warm.

TO MAKE A BRAID WITH THE OTHER HALF OF THE DOUGH:
Roll dough nto a 16: X 10" rectangle. Put on a piece of parchment and cut into each side about 1/3 of the way into the braid on both sides. make cuts about 1/2" to 3/4" wide. Spread cooled jam down the middle and spread confectioner's cream on top. Brush all edges w/egg white and start to braid by pulling 1 strip from the left and 1 from the right alternataely to braid. Brush w/egg white, sprinkle w/pearled sugar. Cover with a towel and let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. If you have any question, just ask. I love the ease of making the jams in the nuker.
 
FILLING
¾ cup cream cheese, softened
¼ cup icing sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup pure maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla
5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
½ cup chopped pecans
Beat together (in processor) the cream cheese, icing sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and flour until well blended. Stir in ½ cup chopped pecans.
Spread mixture down centre of pastries, leaving 3 inches of dough on each side.
Make 2 inch long cuts at 1 inch intervals on long side of pastry.
Crisscross strips over the filling.
Bake 15 minutes at 400º, turn heat down to 375º and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, until golden brown (I baked it about 30 minutes at 400
Remove to racks to cool.
GLAZE
¼ cup cream cheese
¾ cup icing sugar
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp maple syrup
¼ tsp maple extract (my addition)
¼ chopped pecans.
Beat glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over pastries and sprinkle with ¼ cup chopped pecans.     



 

 I hope you saw the discussion we had on the Coffee House Scones 'Rossiewny posted last week. I've made them twice already LOL they also are great. Here's that recipe with all the tweaking I did.My notes are at the end.

Coffee House Blueberry Scones
ATK

It is important to work the dough as little as possible—work quickly and knead and fold the dough only
 the number of times called for. The butter should be frozen solid before grating. In hot or humid environments,
 chill the flour mixture and workbowls before use. While the recipe calls for 2 whole sticks of butter,
 only 10 tablespoons are actually used (see step 1). If fresh berries are unavailable, an equal amount
 of frozen berries (do not defrost) can be substituted. An equal amount of raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries
can be used in place of the blueberries. Cut larger berries into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces before incorporating.
 Refrigerate or freeze leftover scones, wrapped in foil, in an airtight container. To serve, remove foil and place scones on
a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven. Heat until warmed through and recrisped, 8 to 10 minutes if refrigerated,
16 to 20 minutes if frozen. See final step for information on making the scone dough in advance.

Makes 8

16     tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), frozen whole (see note above)
1 1/2     cups fresh blueberries (about 7 1/2 ounces), picked over (see note)
1/2     cup whole milk
1/2     cup sour cream
2     cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for work surface
1/2     cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
2     teaspoons baking powder
1/4     teaspoon baking soda
1/2     teaspoon table salt
1     teaspoon grated lemon zest



1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Score and remove half of wrapper
from each stick of frozen butter. Following photo at left, grate unwrapped ends on large holes of box grater
 (you should grate total of 8 tablespoons). Place grated butter in freezer until needed. Melt 2 tablespoons of remaining
ungrated butter and set aside. Save remaining 6 tablespoons butter for another use. Place blueberries in freezer until needed.

2. Whisk together milk and sour cream in medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder,
 baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl. Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.

3. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to liberally
floured work surface. Dust surface of dough with flour; with floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times,
 until it just holds together in ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.

4. Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square. Following illustrations, fold dough into thirds like a business letter,
 using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds
 again to form approximate 4-inch square. Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.

5. Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll into approximate 12-inch square again. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over
 surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough. Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula,
loosen dough from work surface. Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam-side down and press log into
 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle
 diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.

6. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown
, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

To Make Ahead:
After placing the scones on the baking sheet, either refrigerate them overnight or freeze. When ready to bake,
for refrigerated scones, heat oven to 425 degrees and follow directions in step 6.
 For frozen scones, heat oven to 375 degrees, follow directions in step 6, and extend cooking time to 25 to 30 minutes.

Step-by-Step: Folding and Shaping the Scones

1. Fold dough into thirds (like a business letter).    
2. Fold in ends of dough to form 4-inch square. Chill dough.

3. Reroll dough into 12-inch square. Press berries into dough.    
4. Roll dough into jellyroll-like log to incorporate blueberries.

5. Lay log seam-side down and press into even 12 by 4-inch rectangle.    
6. Cut dough into 8 triangular pieces.


 NOTES: To keep the scones from spreading "out" instead of "up", I made them in an 8" round cake pan. Had to bake them twice as long to get them done, (a 9" pan would be better I think. But they need to be touching each other and contained in a pan they "just" fit into).I made up the dough, divided it in half, pressed thefirst half into the cake pan, topped it with , (I used Raspberries and some extra sugar sprinkled over the top of them.) patted the other half of the dough out and placed it on top of the fruit and scored them with a knife, then baked them in the top 1/3 of my oven for about 40 minutes to get them done through and through.. Faster, easier, and prettier out of the pan And they broke apart just like biscuits do when you crowd them into a pan.Each wedge was about 1' thick.

 This is the best "savory" crust for pot pies I've ever eaten. The cottage cheese makes it salty enough to be delicious and the dough is soooo easy to work with, It'll never get tough, no matter how much you work it and it doesn't tear apart when you're working with it like pie crust does. Pot pies are one of my favorite things to keep in the freezer for a fast meal or when company comes in unexpected. Then you don't have to holler, "Don't water down the soup Ma, they're not staying for lunch" LOL

Cottage cheese pastry
1 cup of cottage chese ( I puree` it before mixing in other ingredients cause i like a smooth pastry)
2 sticks butter
2 cups flour
I mix the flour and butter in the cusinaart till the butter is the size of peas.Then I add the pureed` cottage cheese
 and make a ball. Let it rest in the fridge for half an hour and then roll out like pie crust.
This pastry is soooo easy to work with and never gets tough. I also make individual pot pies with a top crust because
 i like a lot of crust LOL. I usually lay the top curst just on top and dont seal it so the steam of the inside can escape.
Bake at 375 till browned
. Another thing i like about this pastsry is that it is salty enough from the cottage cheese to have a really good taste.

 Here's a recipe for another one of the best cakes I ever ate.

COCO LOCO COCONUT CAKE
This cake can be made with a white cake mix, but i like the White Feather Cake i make better.

The night before you make the cake;
Mix together & refrigerate;
1 cup sour cream
1 lg. bag(10oz)sweetened flake coconut
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar ( if I use sweetened coconut, I only use 1/4 cup sugar)

White Feather Cake
Mix together and set aside:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Whip and hold in refrigerator:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Beat 4 egg whites stiff
Fold whipped cream into flour mixture;
Fold in beaten egg whites
Pour into 2 round cake pans and bake at 325 F until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of cakepan.
COOL COMPLETELY:
Whip 1 cup heavy whipping cream and fold into the sugar/coconut mixture from the fridge.
Frost completely cooled cake with this.Best if left for 3 days in refrigerator to ripen. ( I ca'nt get one to last this long)

* If i use fresh grated coconut i increase the sugar in the frosting mixture to 1 cup.
   
   
   
    

How sweet of you to take the time to type out all these wonderful-sounding recipes.  What a blessing you are!  I really like the idea of the White Feather Cake with the frosting.  So many toppings use Cool Whip instead of whipped cream and I can't get Cool Whip here - and it's not exactly one of those things I can get my family to include in a care package.  DH and I absolutely love fried potatoes and the Parmesan Potato Crisps look just as good.  They are on tomorrow night's menu!!

Yes, I have been following the thread about the scones, and I definitely want to try them as well.  I have some wild whinberries in my freezer (like miniature blueberries) that I think would work really well.  People sort of shake their heads at me here when I serve scones because the traditional way is using raisins or currants (only).  I am always experimenting with Craisins, dried apricots, dried cherries, etc.

Thanks again, Deonia!  My "To Try" file just got even bigger!!

Diana