Fortune Cookies

There are many recipes for fortune cookies but I like this one because there is no butter in the recipe. Butter = grease spots on your fortunes. Others are good just for eating, but that is what makes this one convenient.
I double this recipe as some stick, burn or break.

1 egg white
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar

Prepare your fortunes and have them cut and ready.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I cooked mine on the convect setting and it worked well.
Prepare two cookie sheets. I have tried a few methods to keep them from sticking and the best results I've had is pouring the batter onto greased (w/cooking spray) silpat mats.
Mix the egg white with the vanilla until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt and sugar and gently blend or fold into egg mixture.
Place 2 or 3 teaspoon size amounts on the prepared silpat mats and spread into a disc about 3" in diameter. Resist the temptation to cook more than this. You will remove them from the oven and only have seconds to hurry and fold before they cool and get stiff.
Bake for 5 minutes or until you see slight golden edges. While one sheet is cooking, prepare the other.
Remove quickly from oven. Using a spatula, scoop up one of the cookies, lay the fortune in the center and fold in half. Then press the folded edge on the rim of a glass, pulling pointed edges down. Place finished cookie in a cupcake pan to hold it's shape and cool.
You will have some break. Eat them to keep you from being discouraged. :)

Pumpkin Crunch Cake...

...a great ghetto-alternative to pumpkin pie! :)


1-15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1-12 oz can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. white sugar
2 tsp. pumpkin spice
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. butter, melted
whipping cream


Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin spice and salt. Mix well. Spread mixture into a 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture as evenly as possible. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over mixture. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-80 minutes (mine took 40 and was DONE). Serve with whipped cream.

Blueberry Goat Cheese Pie

Crust:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
1 T. sugar
Pinch of salt
Cold Water

Filling:
1/2 cup goat cheese (I used less- around 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup heavy cream (of course I used all that!)
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
Pinch salt
1 T. finely chopped fresh basil (I used a little more)
5 cups fresh blueberries

Topping:
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter

Prepare the crust. Combine flour, butter, sugar and salt in a large bowl- blend with pastry blender or fingers until you have crumbly mixture, about the size of peas. In small amounts, slowly add cold water until dough comes together in a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes (I put mine in the freezer while I prepared everything else & it was ready when I was done).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For filling: Mix the goat cheese, cream, egg, sugar, flour, salt and basil together in a large bowl. Add the berries and mix together. Set aside.
For the topping: Mix the almonds, sugar and butter in a bowl. Set aside.
Remove dough and roll out on floured surface. Place in a 10" pie dish. Trim crust edges if you prefer. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle the topping over the top.
{OPTIONAL: Do not trim the edges of the crust. Fill & top the pie and then fold the edges over the top. This is how I did it for BC}
Bake 25 minutes, rotating the pie halfway through.