Christmas in June

Hello folks!

Ok, it's a little early for Christmas, and I'm definitely still working on my summer tan, but it's NEVER too early to be prepared. AND you'll never be sorry if you're prepared for DESSERT!! So here it is:


Now, you've probably heard some horrible things about fruitcake. Perhaps you're one of those families that re-gifts the same fruitcake every year, because no one wants it. Well, it's time to give fruitcake another chance! This is actually one of The Bag Lady's favorite dessert recipes. You can mix up the fruit and experiment to find your favorite combination, so give it a try. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. Now then, I'm off to go find a new swim suit. :)

Bag Meal Fruitcake

Wax paper to line bottom of 9 x13 pan
1 quart fruit, puree including the juice. I used apricots
1 -16 oz. container fruit cake mix

Resealable bag:
4 teas soda
2 cup sugar
4 cup flour
1 teas salt
4 teaspoon cinnamon

Resealable bag:
2/3 cup raisins
Resealable bag:
2/3 cup nuts*

Pantry: 1 cup oil

Directions: Grease and flour and line bottom of pan with wax paper. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 and bake until center is done i.e. toothpick comes out clean. Approximately 45 minutes.

*Don't chop nuts before using. They won't last as long.

No-Bake Bag Meal Cookies!

Ok, who doesn't love no-bake cookies? Come on, admit it. I know I do. I think its because they are full of oats, so I feel healthy when I eat them. No-bakes are even popular in China. When I was getting ready for my trip I was told to make sure I brought cocoa powder. Cocoa powder? What for? For no-bake cookies of course! They don't do milk in China, so we had to use a powdered version when we made our experiment. They were pretty good, but using American peanut butter you'll be sure to have tastier results. When you no longer use a spoon, but can roll up your cookies and place them on wax paper with chopsticks, you will have reached the pinnacle of skill!


No-Bake Bag Meal Cookies

Wax paper
Resealable bag: 2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, 3 tablespoons powdered milk
Resealable bag: 3 cups quick oats
1/2 cup canned butter
1/2 cup water
Pantry:1 cup peanut butter
Directions: In a medium pot bring to boil sugar, cocoa, powdered milk, butter, and water, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add peanut butter stirring until smooth. Add oats. drop by spoonfuls on to waxed paper.