Witches Brew Root Beer (Dry Ice)

-Water 10 cups
-Sugar 2 1/2 cups
-Root Beer Extract 2 tablespoons(1 oz.,1/4 of a 4 oz bottle)
up to 4 T(2oz., 1/4 cup, 1/2 a 4 oz. bottle)
-Dry Ice 1 to 3 pounds
Stir water, sugar, and extract.  Carefully add dry ice, either a little at a time or all at once.  Do not close lid, it will explode; but if you cover container 1/2 to 3/4 it will make better bubbles in the soda.  But it is great either way.  Takes dry ice maybe an hour, but you can drink it before if you are careful to not ladel dry ice with the root beer.

Dry Ice:
Do not touch with bare hands, (but do touch it with a thin blade, table knife, it makes a cool screech sound).  You can touch it briefly but any longer skin will freeze, it is almosst 100* below zero.  Wrap closely in a brown paper bag and store in freezer.
Costs just over $1 a pound.  Does not last in freezer (loses 10% a day), so don't buy too much extra. Does not hurt to breath the smoke, just co2, but if you start getting a headache, you are getting too much.  Break apart with hammer if needed.

For 30 Cups (about): 
-Water 32 cups,2 gallons
-Sugar 8 cups 
-Extract 1/4 to 1/2 cup, 1/2 to 1 full 4 oz bottle

YELLOW CAKE

2-1/4 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups milk
vegetable oil, 1-1/2 to 3 tablespoons(2T.+1t. best)
1/2 cup butter softened (one stick)
1 tablespoon vanilla 
3 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut wax paper to fit bottom of pans; 2-9 inch round, 3-8 inch round, or  9x13.  Spray the pans with cooking spray, place the wax paper in the pans and spray the paper.
In mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, whisk.
In a measuring cup, measure 1-1/4 cups milk.  Then add enough oil to make 1-1/3 cups liquid (1-1/2 T. to 3T.)
Add the milk and oil, butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat for 2 minutes.
Add the eggs and beat 2 more minutes.  Pour batter into pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 16 to 25 minutes (16 for 8 inch, 25 for 9x13) or until toothpick come out clean.
Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes; remove from pans and peel waxed paper off, cool completely, frost.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING                CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
6T. butter softened                     1 c. butter softened
1/2 c. cocoa powder                    1/2 c. (4 oz) cream cheese softened
2-2/3 c. powdered sugar              3 c. powdered sugar
4 to 6 T. milk                               1 t. vanilla
1 t. vanilla                                   1/4 t. salt
Beat until smooth.                       Beat butter and cream cheese. Add other ingredients                                                                       and beat until smooth.

STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM     Combine gelatin and water in small saucepan; let stand 
1 t. unflavored gelatin              until thick. Stir constantly over low heat until just 
1T+1t. cold water                     disolved. Remove from heat, allow to cool at room temp.
1 c. heavy whipping cream        while preparing cream. In large mixing bowl, whip cream,
1/4 c. powdered sugar              sugar, and vanilla, just until slightly thick. On low speed, 
1/2 t. vanilla                            gradually add gelatin, then beat on high until cream is 
                                                thick.

This cake is good with stabilized whipped cream in between cake layers and chocolate frosting on outside.

BUTTERMILK FROSTING
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c. butter
16 oz powdered sugar (3-1/2 cups)
1/3 c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
Beat cream cheese and butter.  Add sugar alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla

COOKIE DOUGH FUDGE

1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown suger
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt divided
1-1/3  cups mini chocolate chips divided
1 package powdered sugar (1 pound, about 4 cups)
1 package crean cheese softened (8 oz.)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1.  Line 8 or 9 inch square pan with foil, leaving 1 inch overhang on sides. Butter foil.
2.  Mix butter and brown sugar. Stir in flour & 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir in 1/3 cup chocolate chips.
3. Form dough into ball. Place on plastic wrap, flatten into disc.  Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze 10 minutes or until firm.
4. Unwrap dough and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, refrigerate.
5. Place powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at low speed until combined.  Scrape down side of bowl, beat at medium speed until smooth.
6. Melt remaining 1 cup chips in heavy small saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat as soon as chocolate is melted. 
7. Add melted chocolate to cream cheese mixture, beat just until blended.  Stir in chilled cookie dough pieces.
8. Spread in prepared pan.  Score into squares, about 1-1/4 inches, while fudge is still warm.
9. Refrigerate until firm.  Remove from pan by lifting fudge using foil handles.  Place on cutting board, but along score lines.  Remove foil.  Stor in airtight container in refrigerator.

Holliday Sweet Potatos/Candied Yams
We call them sweet potatos but that is a misnomer.
Indentification-Sweet potatos are light in color and are shaped and look more like potatos, yams are dark orange and are long, not as much like a potato.  I believe they are interchangable but I do not remember trying it in one or both of these recipes. Share the results if you do.

Yams, 2 large (about 2 lbs, 1 1/2 lbs fill an 8 inch square nicely)
Peel, slice 1/4 inch thick, boil in salted water 8 minutes.
Drain, layer in 8 inch pan or 9x13 (if you want to cut the syrup in half, put yams in a single layer in a 9x13 with just a little syrup on top to keep them moist, instead of syrup almost level with yams).
In sauce pan melt just until boiling:
Butter, 1/2 cup (1 stick)
Brown sugar, 1 cup
Pour over yams. Bake 400 for 15 to 20 minutes (just until syrup is bubbly). Cover with miniture marshmallows, bake until brown about 5 minutes, or turn to broil for 1-2 minutes.


Whipped Yams
2 yams
2 carrots
1 cup chicken broth, or bullion
2 Tbsp. plain greek yogurt, or sour cream
1 tsp. butter
1/8 tsp. mace
salt and pepper
Slice carrots and boil in broth, covered, until soft, save 1/4 cup broth for mashing(I sometimes have to add liquid)
Peel, dice and boil yams, about 5 minutes.
Drain both, put in large bowl and mash with potato masher.  Add rest of ingredients and mash again.
Makes a lot.

Grandma Clarke's Gingerbread Cookies

3/4 c. shortening
1/2 c. molasses
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
1 c. sugar
4 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. soda
2 t. bakeing powder
1 t. salt
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
Heat shortening and molasses, in sauce pan until shortening is melted. Add milk  then slightly beaten egg and sugar.
In mixing bowl whisk remaining dry ingredients together.  Add molasses mixture and stir. Dough will be quite stiff.
Cover bowl with dish towel and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour (to absorb moisture and for flavors to ripen).
Roll about 1/4 inch thick, cut and bake 375 for 10 minutes.
Makes about 30 cookies.