Curiosity Cake

1c. raisins (optional)
1t. baking soda dissolved in 1/2c. boiling water
1T. margarine
1c. sugar
1t. salt
1t. nutmeg
1t. cinnamon
1/2t. cloves
2c. flour
1/2c. chopped nuts (optional)

In a saucepan, bring 1c. water to a boil.  Add raisins and boil for 15 min.  Remove from heat and add 1/4c. cold water and baking soda mixture to raisins.  Let raisins cool.   In a mixing bowl, cream together the margarine, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.  Add the raisins (with the water) to the creamed spice mixture and mix well.  Gradually stir in flour and nuts.  Pour into a greased loaf pan (bread pan) and bake at 300℉ for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 min. or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Makes 1 loaf pan or 18 cupcakes.  For cupcakes, bake for 30-35 min. or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

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Mexican Fruit Cake

20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
2c. flour
2t. baking soda
1t. salt
2 eggs
1c. chopped nuts (optional)
1&1/2c. sugar
1/2c. margarine

In a mixing bowl, cream eggs, margarine, and sugar together.  Add baking soda, salt, and pineapple.  Mix well.  Stir in flour and nuts.  Pour into a greased and floured 9x13-inch pan.  Bake at 350℉ for 40-45 min. or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2c. melted margarine
3c. powdered sugar
1t. vanilla

Mix together and frost on warm cake.

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Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

1/2c. margarine
1&1/3c. powdered sugar
1&1/3c. peanut butter
2t. vanilla
11-12 oz. (approximately 2c.) chocolate chips, or more if desired

Mix vanilla, peanut butter, and margarine in a mixing bowl.  Cream well.  Stir in powdered sugar.  Mix until quite firm.  Melt half the chocolate and spread in the bottom of a greased square pan.  Let chocolate cool (may speed up the cooling by chilling).  Spread the peanut butter mixture on top of cooled chocolate.  Melt the rest of the chocolate and spread over the peanut butter mixture.  Let cool.

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English Toffee

1/2 lb. chocolate
2c. chopped almonds or walnuts (optional)
2c. butter or margarine
2c. beet sugar
2T. white corn syrup
6T. water
1t. vanilla

Melt butter or margarine in heavy sauce pan.  Add sugar, corn syrup, and water.  Stir until sugar is blended and no undissolved sugar adheres to the sides of the pan.  Cook slowly, stirring frequently until small amount in cold water separates into hard, but not brittle threads (about 290℉).  Stir in vanilla.  Pour in a buttered pan (cookie sheet or jelly roll pan).  Break chocolate into pieces and put on top of candy.  As it melts, spread chocolate over the candy with a spatula.  Sprinkle nuts over the chocolate.

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Food Allergies, Celiac Disease, Nut-Free Nut Substitutions, Chronic Health Conditions

For those with various food allergies and/or celiac disease, some recipes on this site will work for you or may be modified.  

Specific recipes for your needs can be found at this recipe blog.

Check out this website for nut-free nut substitutions (seeds, beans, pretzels) and other food allergy help.

For Food Safety information, visit this food safety site or this CDC Food Safety site or this USDA site. The Fight Bac website is also quite informative.

The following links are in alphabetical order according to the name of the chronic health condition:

Click to learn about Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (Mayo Clinic).

Click for American Society of Addiction Medicine or Addiction-American Psychiatric Association (APA) or Center on Addiction or NIH-Addiction.

Click for Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) or FDA Food Allergy or FDA Consumer Food Allergy sites or Kids with Food Allergies site.

Click for Asthma and Allergy Foundation or CDC-Asthma or the American Lung Association.

Click for the Autism Society or the CDC's Autism site or Autism Speaks or this U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services site or the Autism Research Institute.

Click for a list of Auto Immune Diseases.

Click for Bell's Palsy-NIH or AANEM-Bell's Palsy or National Organization for Rare Disorders.

Click for Bipolar Disorder-National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) or American Psychiatric Association (APA) or NIH-Bipolar. 

Click for National Federation of the Blind or All About Vision.

Click for Burn Survivor Resources (American Burn Association) or Johns Hopkins-Burns or Burn Injury Resource Center.

Click for American Cancer Society or the National Cancer Institute or the World Health Organization.

Click for Celiac Disease Foundation or National Celiac Association or Celiac Disease Organization.

Click for United Cerebral Palsy Foundation or Christopher Reeve Foundation or Cerebral Palsy Foundation.

Click for Crohn's and Colitis Foundation or Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis information.

Click for COPD Foundation or the American Lung Association or the Mayo Clinic-COPD.

Click for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the American Lung Association-CF. 

Click for National Association of the Deaf or learn about American Sign Language (ASL).

Click for the American Diabetes Association.

Click for National Domestic Violence Hotline or National Resource Center on Domestic Violence or NIH-Domestic Violence.

Click for National Down Syndrome Society or National Association for Down Syndrome or CDC-Down Syndrome.

Click for Endometriosis Association or Women's Health-Endometriosis or Speak Endo.

Click for Hearing Loss Association or Healthy Hearing or Hearing Link.

Click for Heart Disease-CDC or Go Red for Women or American Heart Association.

Click for Hepatitis-CDC or FDA-Hep B & C.

Click for HIV/AIDS information or CDC-HIV/AIDS. 

Click for Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)-Amercan Heart Association or CDC-Hypertension or FDA-Women's Hypertension.

Click for About IBS or IBS-American Gastroenterological Association or Help For IBS.

Click for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or CDC-Leukemia or the American Society of Hematology.

Click for American Liver Foundation or NIH-Liver Diseases.

Click for Lupus Foundation of America or Lupus-Women's Health or Lupus-CDC.

Click for a list of Mental Health Conditions (NAMI).

Click for Meth House Detection or Are You Living in a Former Meth House or Meth Lab Cleanup Services.

Click for American Migraine Foundation or Migraine Research Foundation or National Headache Foundation.

Click for CDC-Mold (general) or CDC's Guides for Mold Cleanup or EPA's Mold Cleanup or NIH-Mold or Mold Man.

Click for MTHFR gene mutation or MTHFR Doctors or Psychology Today-MTHFR.

Click for National Multiple Sclerosis Society or NIH-MS or this MS website.

Click for Muscular Dystrophy Association or CDC-Muscular Dystrophy or NIH-Muscular Dystrophy.

Click for International OCD Foundation or NIH-Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or APA-OCD or NAMI-OCD.

Click for National Osteoporosis Foundation or NIH-Osteoporosis or Johns Hopkins-Osteoporosis.

Click for PCOS Awareness Association or Women's Health-PCOS or Heal Your PCOS.

Click for National Center for PTSD or APA-PTSD or NIH-PTSD. 

Click to learn about Rabies from the CDC site (not chronic condition, but you should know).

Click for Citizen's Guide to Radon-EPA or Home Buyer's/Seller's Guide to Radon or Radon Information Center or National Safety Council.

Click for National Rape Hotline (RAINN) or Rape Crisis Center or Get Support.

Click for Schizophrenia-NIH or Schizophrenia-NAMI or American Psychiatric Association (APA).

Click for National Sleep Foundation or American Sleep Association or NIH's Sleep Research.

Click for Smoking Cessation help or CDC-Quit Smoking or Way to Quit.

Click to learn about Strokes or read the CDC's stroke information.

Click for Traumatic Brain Injury-CDC or NIH-TBI or Brain Injury Association of America or Brain Trauma Foundation.

Click for Vision Loss Resources or Better Health-Vision Loss or Vision Aware.

Click for Weight Loss-CDC or Learn to Choose a Weight Loss Program.

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Coconut Orange Frosting

From: C&H Powdered Sugar

1 lb. (4c.) powdered sugar

Dash salt

1/4c. (1/2 stick) margarine

2T. orange juice

2T. evaporated milk

2t. grated orange peel

2t. lemon juice

1c. shredded coconut

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, except coconut.  Beat until smooth about 2 min.  Adjust consistency by adding in small amounts of orange juice (to thin the frosting) or powdered sugar (to thicken the frosting).  Fold in coconut.  Spread on cold cake.  Makes enough to frost tops and sides of a 9-inch layer cake.

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Cheerios Treats (with variations)

3T. margarine or vegetable oil spread
1 pkg. (10&1/2 oz.) Kraft mini marshmallows (6c.) or 38-40 Kraft jet-puffed marshmallows
1/2c. smooth or crunchy peanut butter
5c. Cheerios toasted whole grain oat cereal (any flavor)

Grease a 13x9-inch pan.  Microwave margarine or spread in a large microwavable bowl on high 45 sec. or until melted.  Add marshmallows; toss to coat with margarine or spread.  Microwave on high 1&1/2 min. or until smooth when stirred, stirring after 45 sec.  Stir in peanut butter.  Immediately add cereal; mix lightly until well coated.  Using greased spatula or wax paper, press mixture into prepared pan.  Cool; cut into squares.  Makes about 24.

Variations:
Mix 1c. candy-coated milk chocolate candies OR 1c. raisins and 1/2c. dry roasted peanuts with cereal; add to warm marshmallow-peanut butter mixture.

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