INDIVIDUAL CHEESECAKES
24 cup cake liners
24 vanilla wafers
1 can cherry pie filling
1 1/4 C sugar
2 eggs
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Line cup cake pans with liners. Place one vanilla wafer in each cup. Beat cream cheese with eggs and sugar; add vanilla and blend well. Pour filling into cups. Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes. Don’t overbake. When cooled, top each cup with 1-2 tsp of pie filling. Store in refrigerator.
FUNNEL CAKE
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 C milk
Mix eggs with milk
Sift together:
2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
Add to eggs and milk. Beat until smooth. If the mixture is too thin, add a little more flour. In an electric skillet, pour 2 C of oil. Heat to 360°. Take a cup size funnel or larger and cover the bottom end of funnel with your finger to cover the hole. Put 3/4 to 1 full cup of batter into the funnel. Hold the funnel over the skillet and make a spiral shape like a pretzel as you move it around. Stick your finger over hole of the funnel to move to another part of skillet to make another one. Continue this until skillet is full. Fry until golden brown (about 3 minutes). Turn the funnel cake over and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from oil and lay out on paper towels. Sprinkle powdered sugar over them and serve warm.
SOUTHERN OATMEAL CAKE
1 C oatmeal
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 C hot water
2 eggs
1 1/3 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Mix hot water and oatmeal; set aside to cool. Cream together sugars, eggs & oil; set aside. Sift together dry ingredients. Mix oatmeal/water in with creamed mixture; add flour mixture. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
Topping:
3/4 C butter
1/2 C coconut
3 TBSP milk
1/2 to 1 C walnuts
1/2 C brown sugar
Put all ingredients in saucepan. Bring to a boil till and continue boiling until thick. Pour topping on cake and then put back in the oven for 5 minutes.
CHERRY-CHOCOLATE CAKE
Cake:
1 pkg chocolate cake mix
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
3 eggs
Combine cake mix, eggs and pie filling; mix until blended. Bake 35-40 minutes at 350° in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. NOTE: when mixes call for oil DO ADD THE OIL.
Frosting:
1 C sugar
1/3 C milk
5 TBSP butter
1 (6 oz) pkg chocolate chips
Mix all but the chips in a pan and bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Spread over the cooled cake.
HOT FUDGE PUDDING CAKE
Cake:
1 1/4 C all purpose flour
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C milk
2 TBSP margarine or butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
Pudding Mixture:
1 C sugar
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa
dash salt
1 1/3 C boiling water
Heat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off.
In medium bowl, combine flour, 3/4 C sugar, 1/4 C cocoa, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well. Add milk, margarine & vanilla and then stir until well blended. Spread batter in ungreased 8 inch square or 9 inch round cake pan. In small bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/4 C cocoa and dash salt. Mix well and sprinkle evenly over cake batter. Pour boiling water over sugar mixture. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until center is set and firm to touch.
Serve warm. Store in refrigerator. (This cake makes it’s own sauce as it bakes. Spoon the sauce over the pieces of cake)
Eclair Cake
Ingredients for crust:
1 cup water
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Bring water, margarine and salt to a rapid boil. Remove from heat and add flour. Stir until it forms a ball. Beat in eggs one at a time. Spread into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 400 for 40-50 minutes. Cool and cut in half lenghwise.
Filling:
2 small boxes of Instant Vanilla Pudding
2 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz Cool Whip
Beat pudding, milk and vanilla until thick. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread on cooled bottom crust. Put top crust over filling.
Topping:
1/2 stick margarine
2 Tbs cocoa
1/4 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar
Bring margarine, cocoa and milk to rapid boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar. Stir well. Drizzle over top crust when cooled but not set.
Refrigerate desssert at least 2 hours before serving
Today, I found out that while I was on my way to Omaha to pick up my son’s girlfriend from the airport, 8 people were being shot to death and 5 others were wounded by gunfire. With the holidays coming up and the Christmas shopping that is still needing to be done, it’s scary to think about how easily it could have been a member of my family or one of my friends as our family does alot of shopping in the Omaha malls. With Robert Hawkin’s statement that he wanted to “Go out in style”, I’ve yet to figure out how wounding and killing innocent people can be described as “stylish”. While it’s pretty much a no-brainer that the survivers will need extensive therapy to help them work through the trauma they went through, after going through such a tragic episode, I wonder if they will be able to receive ENOUGH therapy to get them through this and to enable to go on with their lives in any sort of a normal way. I wasn’t even in the mall and after hearing about the shootings, I know I will definitely hesitate before walking into another Omaha mall. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it will be for those that were there to ever consider shopping in a mall in Omaha again, much less anywhere else. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and friends as well as the survivors.
The fact that the shooter had emotional problems is no secret. It was well known before, and there is definitely no doubt about it now. What amazes me is the number of people with emotional problems in the United States that are overlooked. The reasons/excuses, whatever you want to call it range from:
People not caring when they see someone in trouble (the “it’s not my problem” syndrome that seems to be the norm anymore.
People not thinking they can do anything to help the person having problems. (Or at least not knowing which resources are available to go to, or to refer the person to)
People not being able to get the treatment they need due to not having enough money or no insurance, or both.
People not wanting to step up and say “My son/daughter/friend/parent/sibling (whatever the case) needs help” and actually doing something about it for fear of upsetting or angering the person.
It seems so easy for people to take the “it’s not my responsibility” approach and then to blame someone else when a person with psychological problems goes on a rampage.
While I dont in any way feel that the shooter should be glorified or excused for his actions, I do believe that people are going to have to start stepping up and stop ignoring the people with emotional problems if we want these kind of senseless shootings to be prevented. Alot of people died and were injured yesterday because no one cared enough to see to it that Robert Hawkins got the kind of mental treatment that was needed. The people that knew him best, KNEW that he had problems, KNEW that he was at a minimum SUICIDAL and as far as I am aware of right now, didnt bother making that one phone call that could have gotten him evaluated and treated. (To my knowledge, there was no mention about anyone requesting mental health care for him). Granted, they arent the ones that pulled the trigger, but had they cared enough, made one 5 minute phone call out of a lifetime, there is a POSSIBLITY that this tragedy could have been prevented. How people can know that someone is suicidal and not do anything because they didnt know that the person would hurt others, baffles me. Did HIS life not matter enough? How many deaths is it going to take before people stop looking the other way?
When is the government going to step up and take responsibility in their role in health care? Probably never. There’s been lots of promises made about health care reform, but where are the results of those promises? Where is the health care for those with no money and no insurance? How many deaths is it going to take before the government puts health care at least somewhere towards the top of their list?
These are just my own personal thoughts about the shooting.
HERSHEY BAR PIE
1 (1/2 pound) Hershey bar with almonds, or 6 to 8 small bars equaling 1/2 pound
8 oz. bowl Cool Whip, thawed
Graham cracker pie crust
Melt the Hershey bar over low heat.
Immediately blend in the Cool Whip til smooth.
Spoon mixture into the crust and chill at least an hour before serving
This is a light, chiffon type pie. For a thicker, fudgier version use a pound of chocolate!!
