Coffee Tea Books and Recipes

Beverly Nye's "rich" brownies

2011-12-14T18:21:00.001-05:00

This recipe makes a cake-like brownie that (when completely cooled) can easily be cut into small squares. It is good to take to potlucks as it travels well, too.

Beverly Nye's Rich Chocolate Brownies

Melt 2 sticks butter and add 7 T. cocoa (I often use only 4).

Then add 2 Cups sugar and beat well (I often use 1 1/2).

Add:
4 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups flour
Dash salt

Mix well. Stir in nuts if desired.

Spread in greased 9 x 12" pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min.

(I have let the butter-cocoa mixture cool and then just added everything else to the saucepan!)

For the thin layer of frosting I used today...

1/2 stick butter at room temperature
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa

Blend together in mixer until smooth. Add milk about a tablespoon at a time until you get the fluffy consistency you want. Be patient or you will add too much and then you have to add more sugar and then more cocoa and well, it can get to be a mess.

My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe

2011-11-05T18:56:00.001-04:00

Stephanie asked me to type this out for her so I thought I'd go ahead and put it here, too. These cookies are delicious. They filled many a cookie jar in our home.

I will post a picture the next time I make them.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick butter - soft
1 stick Crisco
2 1/2 C. brown sugar
4 T. milk
1 T. vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/2 C. flour
1 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 pkg. milk chocolate chips or mini choc. chips or 1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cream butter, Crisco, milk, and sugar. Add eggs and then vanilla.

Combine flour, salt, soda. Add to cream mixture just until mixed.

Add chocolate chips (and nuts if you are using them).

Drop onto baking sheet. Bake 8 or 9 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack or let cool on paper bag.

Possum Pie

2011-07-31T20:04:00.004-04:00

I will add a picture the next time I make this pie. The original recipe is from the Taste of Home magazine. Yummy!20

2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened*
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional but good)
1-3/4 cups cold milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1/3 cup instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped (or Cool Whip)

Directions

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
In a bowl, whisk the milk, vanilla and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Spoon over the pecans. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Top with whipped cream and if desired, more chopped pecans. Yield: 8 servings.

*I usually only have 8 oz. packages of cream cheese on hand so I use 6 oz. for this and then use the remaining 2 oz. for something else (like spreading on a bagel).

While the pecans add interesting texture and great flavor, I have made the pie without them to save on cost.

The boxes of pudding (vanilla and chocolate) will make two pies. If I am just making the one pie, I tuck the two boxes in my pantry to use for another pie later.

Don't you love the name of this pie? It was one of their favorite restaurant recipes and the owner of the restaurant didn't know how it got its' name. Had to be a story there...

Jerusalem Salad

2011-06-21T11:01:00.002-04:00

I started doing a web search for the Jerusalem Salad recipes when the price at my son's favorite restaurant nearly doubled. This is a wonderful recipe to use when tomatoes and cucumbers are in season. In the winter, I use plum tomatoes.

Jerusalem Salad
1 English cucumber, sliced (if large, I take out the seeds)
6 firm plum tomatoes, seeds squeezed out and diced
1 cup (more or less to taste) of parsley, chopped
3 or 4 Tbs. tahini sauce (to taste)
Pepper
Salt if needed

Tahini Sauce*
5 Tbs. tahini (more or less to taste but start with 5)
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. vinegar
1 or 2 lemons (to taste)
zest of 1 lemon (both if you love lemon)
salt to taste

Blend ingredients until smooth. If needed, add just a tablespoon of water at a time to thin from paste into a thick sauce. You don't want it too thin. Can be made ahead and chilled.

I found by taking the seeds out of cucumbers and tomatoes, it helps the salad to not become as watery. Use any tomato or cucumber in season.

This is one of those recipes that you can definitely tweak to your liking by adding more or less of any of the ingredients, adding spices, etc.

*This sauce makes more than you would need for the listed vegetables. You can reserve it in the frig for another time or double the amount of veggies, which you would have to for a larger family, anyway.

Note: I prefer the Joyva brand of tahini, sold in a can. I store in the frig once it has been opened in hot and humid weather. Otherwise, I use it so quickly that I keep it on the pantry shelf.

Hummus

2011-06-21T09:30:00.012-04:00

This is the recipe I've come up with after tweaking the original for months. Although this recipe calls for canned garbanzo beans, I have found soaking the dry beans overnight and cooking them the next day provides a deeper flavor and for much less money if you are serving a large family (or a crowd coming over for snacks).

Any cooked beans you do not use can be frozen.

If you use an entire package of dry beans, you will need to increase the other ingredients "to taste".

My favorite Hummus
2- 15.5 cans garbanzo beans (reserve about 1/4th cup liquid from can)
juice from 2 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbs. vinegar (optional but I have found it a great addition)
1 or 2 garlic cloves
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil*
4 or 5 Tbs. tahini
salt to taste (taste first, that much lemon may not require salt)
pepper (to taste)
cumin (optional... if I use it, I only put in 1/4th teaspoon)

Drain beans, reserving some of the liquid. If using garbanzo beans you have cooked, reserve some of the cooking liquid. (Water can be used if you forget.) Place garbanzo beans in food processor along with the garlic clove(s), lemon zest, juice of the lemons, vinegar, tahini, and 1 tbs. of the olive oil.

Pulse food processor and then let it run about a minute or two, until the hummus is almost fluffy... you know what I mean. Add remaining olve oil, salt, pepper, and any spices... pulse food processor.

If hummus is too pasty, add reserved liquid or water a few tablespoons at a time until you get a smooth consistency. Let the processor run another minute or two.

This is definitely one of those recipes you tweak to make your own. I like hummus very lemony but you may want only one lemon. I have left out the garlic when I didn't have any at home and I have even left out the tahini when I was out of it but then it becomes a bean dip. ;)

You can add roasted red pepper to make a red pepper hummus and any web search will offer all kinds of options.

* Hummus is traditionally served with a little extra virgin olive oil poured over the top.

Note: I prefer the Joyva brand of tahini, sold in a can. I store it in the frig once it has been opened in hot and humid weather. Otherwise, I use it so quickly that I keep it on the pantry shelf.

Lentil soup with bacon

2011-02-09T11:27:00.002-05:00

I found a recipe very similar to this on a foodie blog and tweaked it as it now looks. I love to find new recipes for lentils as well as recipes which use meat as a seasoning... and this one turned out to be delicious. The leftovers were even better than when it was first served.

2 cups French lentils* (which I had on hand but regular lentils will work just fine)
4 strips bacon, cut into pieces
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced thinly or diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped (more to taste)
6 cups chicken stock or water**
1 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
salt, pepper (to taste)

Place dutch oven or similar size cooking pot on medium heat. Cook bacon until the fat is rendered and it is browned (do not drain bacon fat). Add onion and carrots. Saute until softer. Add garlic and lentils... sauteing just until garlic has slightly softened and lentils are covered with bacon fat. Do be careful as both the garlic and lentils burn easily. Add the thyme if using.

Cover with stock or water (see below).** Simmer on low to low-medium heat for a total of one to one and a half hours... adding more water as needed... remember, you do not add all the water at first but as soup thickens and needs more. You will need to keep an eye on the thickness and stir once in awhile to keep from sticking or scorching.

* I love French lentils (the green-ish lentils) for lentil salads but I find with all soups, the brown lentils soften quicker and taste just as good. I only used them this time as that is what the original recipe called for.

** I used two cans of chicken broth and four cans of water... as that is what I had in the pantry. I added the two cans of chicken stock and two cans of water first, then added about another two cans of water as the soup thickened.

Cowboy Casserole

2011-02-09T10:31:00.005-05:00

This is one of my oldest recipes and one I put together long ago. Although, I've seen very similar recipes in cookbooks and online. This recipe is the mother ship and I've added to it and taken away through the years, according to what I had in the pantry.

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 large can baked beans or two smaller cans pork & beans
2 teaspoons worchestershire sauce (more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons onion powder (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (ditto)
salt and pepper (to taste)
3 or 4 tablespoons ketchup (to taste if necessary, mainly if you use pork & beans)

Brown the ground beef, drain grease if necessary (mainly when using cheap ground beef), add onions and continue sauteing until onion is softened. Add baked beans or pork & beans, worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Saute another few minutes and add ketchup if you need it. This is primarily to sweeten it if you haven't used a can of baked beans (which are already seasoned)

Then take a potato masher and mash the mixture a bit, which is only necessary if you have a son who hates beans like I do. He likes mashed beans... go figure.

Sometimes I pop the skillet in the oven for about 15 min. at 350. Sometimes I pour the mixture into a casserole dish and bake about 15 min. at 350. Depends on if I want to dish it up from a casserole dish at the table or not. You can even eat it as is without baking if you so desire.

Variations over the years:

ground turkey instead of ground beef
chopped green peppers added at the same time as the onions
one can of pork & beans and one can of tomato bisque soup... when that was what the pantry offered
one can of pork & beans and one can of cream of tomato soup... (ditto)
one can of chilis added when I felt wild and crazy
a sprinkling of Tony Chachere's creole seasoning (ditto)
a couple handfuls of cheddar or co-jack cheese sprinkled on top of mixture
I'm sure there were others I have forgotten along the way

We like it made with a large can of baked beans the very best.
This can easily be doubled and tripled... the amounts mention serves 3-4 with no leftovers whatsoever.

Picture added the next time I think of it... ;)

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

2010-12-13T09:00:00.006-05:00

This recipe is closely adapted from one in the December-January 2011 issue of Mary Janes Farm magazine. Of course, as with all soups... this is just a suggestion and you can make it all your own as I did. :)

I will add a picture soon!

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

4 1/2 cups chicken broth*
3/4 Cup orzo pasta
1 Cup shredded or cubed cooked chicken
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. dried dill (more if you desire) or fresh dill if available
1 cup milk
salt and pepper (salt may not be needed if you use a purchased chicken broth)

Bring chicken broth to a strong simmer, almost a boil. Add the orzo. Cook five minutes, stirring once in awhile.

Add the chicken, lemon zest, lemon juice, and dill if you use it. Add milk, slowly simmer for at least 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like lots of pepper with lemon.

I found this tasted even better when reheated later.

*I made my own stock starting with a whole chicken so I actually had more than 4 1/2 cups as well as more than 1 cup cooked chicken. The original recipe called for 2 cups of milk.

Creamy cheese dessert - parfait

2010-09-20T11:39:00.003-04:00

The idea for this use of the filling from the creamy cherry cheese pie came about when I was looking for a quick dessert. I noticed the premade creamy cheesecake filling at the grocery, took one look at the price, and decided that was not for my budget!

However, I also realized I could make my own and have it ready to be used in a variety of ways. In this case... a parfait with all the tastes of the original cherry cheesecake pie. This can be made two or three days ahead and stored in the refigerator as long as it is in a container with a tightly fitting lid (like Tupperware).

I used Comstock cherry pie filling and crushed graham crackers but really, the ingredients can be as interesting as your imagination. I can easily see fresh fruit used or a homemade pie filling, too.

I'd say if used as a parfait, one recipe can feed four people but if the cheesecake filling is spooned into a smaller dessert dish... it will feed many more.

The recipe is very easily doubled.

Creamy cheesecake parfait (as shown)

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese (room temperature)
1 1/3 c. (15 oz. can) sweetened condensed milk (chilled when possible)
1/3 c. lemon juice (fresh or bottled)*
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (22 oz.) can prepared cherry pie filling (can use other fruit pie filling or fresh fruit)

Graham cracker crumbs

*I have made the filling with the bottled key lime juice before and served without fruit filling.

Let cream cheese stand at room temperature until softened; beat until fluffy. I usually set it on the kitchen counter before going to bed at night if I know I'm using it in a recipe the next day.

Gradually add condensed milk until thoroughly mixed.

Add lemon juice and vanilla extract and whip for a few minutes.

Whipping awhile is really the secret to a light and fluffy filling.

Pour into container with tight fitting lid and refrigerate at least three or four hours... up to a few days. You may have to "fluff" with a fork if it has set awhile.

To make parfait as shown, simply layer the fruit and graham cracker crumbs with the creamy cheesecake mixture.

It can also be spooned into a small dessert dish or a pre-made graham cracker crust tart. Yum... so many options.

Refrigerate dessert before serving.

Butterflied chicken

2010-09-18T08:09:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I haven't tried this before but after seeing it on The Food Network a few times, I decided to bake butterflied chicken last night instead of roasting a whole chicken as usual.

I like a crispy skin on chicken and this way of baking gives the entire chicken a nice crispness as well as cutting the baking time to one hour.

I just cut the backbone from the chicken, using kitchen shears and pressed it down as flat as I could get it. (As you can see, mine is not even or really flat but it worked.) You just have to be careful since the scissors get slippery and I can just imagine what it would do to my chef's knife.

I spread butter on the skin and then drizzled oil on top, sprinkled sea salt and lemon pepper on the entire chicken (I use Mrs. Dash lemon pepper on fish and chicken a lot).

I popped it into a preheated 400 degree oven for 25 minutes, then reduced the oven to 325 for another 35 minutes. It turned out nice and juicy but the next time I'll only reduce the temp to 375 for an even crispier skin.

The small amount of prep time gives a lovely chicken! Next time I'll bake it in the larger roasting pan with quartered potatoes and carrots and perhaps place it on a "bed" of sliced onions and/or lemons. I think I can see rosemary and thyme in the future, too...

I had no desire to work with raw chicken and a camera at the same time. However, if you but Google butterflied chicken... you will find lots of videos available.

Whole chickens go on sale really cheap and this makes it a quite uptown... even if your chicken turns out lopsided like mine. :-)

Very easy and yummy lasagna

2010-09-07T15:42:00.003-04:00

A family member needed this recipe so I thought I'd share it here at the same time. I will add a picture the next time I make it.

This is the recipe I’ve used for over twenty years. It is SO easy. You do not boil the noodles ahead of time.

Besides time to assemble, it needs 1 hour for baking covered, 15-20 minutes to bake uncovered, and an additional 20 minutes to set before cutting.

I normally make sauce “from scratch” but in this recipe, you don’t notice the difference... so using store bought spaghetti sauce you have in your pantry makes it come together very fast.

In addition to the groceries listed, you will need aluminum foil.

Lasagna

1 large jar (at least 26 oz.) spaghetti sauce (or 2 smaller cans)*
15 oz. cottage cheese or ricotta
8 oz. plain yogurt
½ lb. lasagna noodles – uncooked
½ Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ lb. ground beef, browned
1 Cup water
16 oz. grated mozzarella or Italian Style cheese (2 cups) (More if you love a lot of cheese)

*While 26 oz. will give you three cups of sauce, you may want even more so you don't have to be so careful with measurements or if you like a "saucier" lasagna.

Okay, so you don’t forget it, put 1 cup of water in your line of sight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9 x 13 dish

Mix ricotta and yogurt.

Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce in bottom of pan.

Layer 1/3^rd dry lasagna noodles on sauce, breaking to make them fit if necessary.

Layer 1 cup sauce, ½ the ground beef, 1/2 ricotta mixture, ¼ cup of mozz., sprinkle with Parm. cheese.

Layer 1/3^rd dry lasagna noodles on top of this mixture, breaking if necessary.

Layer 1 cup sauce, ½ the ground beef, ½ ricotta mixture, ¼ cup of mozz., sprinkle with Parm cheese.

Layer 1/3^rd dry lasagna noodles on top, breaking to make fit if necessary (you will not use entire box of noodles).

Pour remaining sauce on top.

Pour water around the inside of pan. Seal with alum. foil tightly.

Bake 350 for one hour.

Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining mozz. cheese and bake 15-20 min. until noodles are tender. (Check after 15 minutes, leaving in an additional five minutes if necessary.)

Cover loosely with foil (like a tent) and let set 20 min. before serving.

Basil Vinegar

2010-08-24T19:05:00.000-04:00

This is how I learned to make Basil Vinegar from the Franklin Springs Homestead Blessings Herbs DVD with the West Ladies. It made a wonderfully yummy vinegar a few weeks ago so I thought I'd share with you when making this next batch.

The West Ladies' made their batches in quart size canning jars, I used pint jars since I didn't have much vinegar to use. It is so easy...

You will need basil which has been washed and dried, a mild vinegar such as white wine vinegar or rice vinegar (not seasoned rice vinegar, which contains sugar). I had rice vinegar on hand and it worked very well. The West Ladies' used white wine vinegar.

Fill a clean jar with basil which has been torn to facilitate the vinegar absorbing flavor.

"Bruise" your basil a bit if you want, I used the end of a wooden spoon.

Fill the jar with vinegar and if you are using a metal lid, slip plastic between the lid and the jar. The vinegar will react to metal. As you can see here, I just slipped a sandwich bag over the Ball jar before putting the lid on it.

Place the jar in a place where it does not get direct light but where you can see it to shake a couple times a day. At the end of two weeks (or longer), remove basil by straining the vinegar into another jar or (as I was able to do) just removing the basil from the jar. It came out very easily and looked so pretty, as you can see in the first picture above (which is the vinegar I made previously).

You can pour the vinegar into a pretty glass container with a cork to give as a gift. I had a couple plastic lids left from a previous project so I just placed one of them on the Ball jar and kept it in the original container with a pretty label.

I'm thinking of trying this with lemon verbena and seeing how it turns out.

Chocolate chip peanut butter cookies

2010-08-01T13:02:00.000-04:00

This recipe is from the Wanda Brunstetter book called A Merry Heart and was called Miriam's Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. We found them to be delicious!

3/4 Cup margarine (I used unsalted butter)
1 Cup white sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup peanut butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 oz.) chocolate candy bar, chopped (I used one 12. oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Prehat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat margarine (or butter), sugars, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the chocolate pieces (or chocolate chips).

Drop rounded tablespoon of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Let stand a few minutes before removing from cookie sheet (I transferred to a wire cooling rack).

Makes about four dozen cookies.

Homemade Nilla Wafers

2010-06-30T09:16:00.003-04:00

These are a delicious homemade alternative to the box of Nilla Wafers from the store. I made them a lot when Christopher was little and we had to be careful about additives from commercial products.

I'll add a picture soon.

1/2 Cup Butter, room temp
1 Cup Sugar (you could try 3/4 Cup first)
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Vanilla (yes... that is Tablespoon)
1 1/3 Cup Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 350

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.

Drop by 1/2 teaspoon for small cookies (1 teaspoon for a bigger cookie) on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are slightly brown.

Roasted Cauliflower

2010-05-01T13:08:00.001-04:00

I have roasted veggies for a very long time but roasted cauliflower was a recent discovery. It takes plain cauliflower and makes it SO yummy that I need to roast two cauliflowers for the three of us. It is low in carbs and much healthier than the deep fried equivalent.

Roasted Cauliflower
1 or 2 cauliflowers (or more)
Olive oil (regular, garlic, or lemon infused oil... or regular vegetable oil)
Salt (I like to use a seasoned salt like Lawry's).
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Although the original recipe I tried had the temperature at 400 degrees, I've found keeping it at 375 does a nice job roasting with less chance of burning the veggie. One could pop it in the oven at 350 to roast while another item is baking... just add to the baking time.

Break the florets into smaller pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper (not necessary but it makes clean up easier). Make certain you get all the cauliflower, even those tiny bits that fall off when you break the bigger sections into pieces.

Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake about fifteen minutes, remove and stir to make certain all is coated with oil. Drizzle with a little more oil if it is too dry.

Bake another ten or fifteen minutes... until the cauliflower is nicely brown but not burned.

Add more salt and pepper if necessary... serve hot (if you must wait before serving it, take off of baking sheet and place on a platter with paper towels to absorb excess oil).

This is SO good. :)

2010-03-16T19:45:00.000-04:00

Oriental chicken spareribs

2010-03-06T11:23:00.001-05:00

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine. It has been tweaked just a bit (as indicated in recipe).

I served this with orzo but it would be great with rice or noodles, too. Made for excellent leftovers (I mixed the leftover orzo with the main dish and stored them together in frig).

Oriental Chicken Spareribs

3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs (about 8) (I used deboned thighs as that is what I had in freezer)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup water
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce (I used 1/2)
1/2 cup apple juice (I used 2/3 cup orange juice instead)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used 1/2 t. but will use 1 t. next time)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch (I used flour)
2 tablespoons cold water (more if using flour)

In dutch oven or large skillet with lid, brown chicken over medium heat in oil (in batches if necessary) on both sides, drain.

In large bowl, combine water, brown sugar, soy sauce, juice, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, pepper flakes, and ginger. Pour over browned chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Remove chicken, combine cornstarch or flour and water, add to cooking juices and stir until thickened. Add chicken back to pan to combine with sauce or just pour the sauce over the chicken on a platter.

This sauce recipe would be great with other meats, too!

* Since I used deboned chicken thighs, I slightly shredded the meat and added it back to the sauce. You could do the same with bone in chicken thighs, too. It would easily serve 8 instead of the original 4 people the recipe indicated.

Cream Puff Bars

2010-02-17T19:19:00.006-05:00

My daughter asked for this recipe yesterday so I thought I'd put it here, too. (I'll add a picture the next time I make it.)

My friend, Karen, served this one day when we lived in Iowa. I had to get the recipe! It tastes just like our favorite cream puffs but easier for serving a crowd.

One can make it with homemade vanilla pudding and fresh whipped cream if desired.

CREAM PUFF BARS

1 cup water
8 Tbsp. butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs

2 packages instant vanilla pudding
2 1/2 cups cold milk

1 carton whipped topping (Cool Whip)

chocolate syrup (like Hershey's)

In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a rapid boil. Add flour and remove from heat.

Add eggs, one at a time (not adding the next egg until each gets assimilated... which happens like magic).

Spread batter onto 10" x 15" jelly roll pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool.

Mix pudding and cold milk until thickened. Spread over cooled crust.

Spread whipped topping on top. Chill.

Cut into squares, drizzle with chocolate syrup before serving. (If desired, squares can be plated and the chocolate syrup offered on the side.)

Optional: Similar recipes add 1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (room temp) to the pudding mixture. Karen's original recipe did not include it and neither have I but it would be interesting.

Cherry cheesecake pie

2009-12-26T09:02:00.003-05:00

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese (room temperature)

1 1/3 c. (15 oz. can) Borden's Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (22 oz.) can prepared cherry pie filling (can use other fruit pie filling or fresh fruit)

1- 9" graham cracker crust*

Let cream cheese stand at room temperature until softened; beat until fluffy.

Gradually add condensed milk until thoroughly mixed.

Add lemon juice and vanilla extract until well mixed. Turn into prepared crust.

Refrigerate at least three or four hours, then pour cherry pie filling on top - or - plate up individual slices of pie and fruit filling can be spooned onto each slice. This is especially good if you want to offer a variety of pie filling options.

Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

*This can also be made in an 8" or 9" square pan by making your own graham cracker crust and pressing it into the pan (9 x 13 dish if recipe is doubled). Continue recipe as usual...

This is a wonderfully light and creamy dessert!

Easy pumpkin muffins

2009-12-19T10:52:00.003-05:00

I almost always bake from scratch but I have a few fun recipes that begin with a cake mix. When I heard about this recipe, I had to make it right away to see if it really was that easy AND good. All I can say is... yum.

This is the perfect recipe for last minute guests as everything is available in the pantry!

Added Note: With just the three of us at home, we've had these last a few days. They stayed moist for days (unlike other muffins). Great when you need something to make ahead.

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

1 box yellow cake mix
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
(I added 1/2 teaspoon coriander and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom)

Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips (not used in muffins pictured above)

Yes... that is the correct ingredient list. There are no eggs, no oil, just what is listed.

Mix together dry cake mix and spices. Add pumpkin and mix until blended. Spoon into well greased muffin tin about 3/4ths full.

Bake 20-25 minutes for average muffin tin and 12-14 minutes for the mini muffins. (The picture above is a bowl of mini muffins with colored sugar sprinkled on top before baking.)

These can easily morph into cupcakes by icing with your favorite buttercream, caramel, or cream cheese icing.

Favorite Christmas recipes

2009-12-05T19:00:00.002-05:00

I brought this over from Coffee Tea Books and Me...

Pretzel Candy

My favorite time of year to be in the kitchen is December when I'm baking and making candy gifts for friends and family. This year I won't be making as much but I'll choose a few favorites to have available. I will be picking from some of these...

Pretzel Candy... I made these (pictured above) for the first time last year and loved the recipe. It is tasty and easy to make. One of those great recipes for kids in the kitchen as older kids can spoon the white chocolate into the pretzel and small children place an M&M on top.

Rachel Ray's Fudge... This recipe was from one of her earlier 30 Minute shows. As soon as I tried this fudge, it became my Christmas "go to" recipe. So easy and everyone loves it!

Beverly Nye's Candy... The following recipes are all from my favorite Beverly Nye cookbook from the 1970s. Love her recipes! They are all easy and yummy. None of them require a candy thermometer.

Peanut Butter Easter Eggs -- just shape them into a ball instead of an egg. :)
Chocolate covered mints -- delicious minty flavor. Also, you can make the "filling" without dipping into chocolate for what we usually call "wedding mints". Just mold them in a candy mold for a pretty display.
Homemade Mounds candy -- This one basic recipe can be made into all kinds of yummy candies by adding dried fruit, nuts, etc.

Raspberry Truffle Brownies - This is one of those over-the-top brownie recipes that is perfect for the Holidays. They are rich but everyone I know loves them.

Homemade Cocoa Mix - There are lots of recipes online for cocoa and other drink mixes. I made these for my husband's siblings last year. Part of the gift was the glass container, which was very inexpensive. The marshmallows and Christmas M&Ms are in jelly jars that I wash and put back to use for such gifts after the jelly has been used. They made the gift even more festive. :)

Christmas Jam - This is a great December jam to make when cranberries are available and the strawberries called for are frozen.

Of course, there are lots of cookie and cake recipes on my recipe blog, too. :)

Blond Brownies

2009-10-30T15:37:00.008-04:00

Blond Brownies

1 1/4 Cups packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 Cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 Cup oats (quick or regular Old Fashioned)
1 Cup butterscotch chips (cinnamon chips or semi sweet chocolate chips)
1/2 Cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In large bowl, beat together brown sugar and butter, add eggs and vanilla. Blend flour, baking soda, salt, and oats. Add to wet ingredients. Add butterscotch chips (or other chips) and nuts if you are using them.

Pat into a well greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting into squares... so easy!

I think these are even better the second day but I've never been able to wait that long for a bite. :)

Christmas Jam

2009-09-09T16:17:00.007-04:00

This recipe was an award winner in Country Woman magazine many years ago.

Christmas Jam

2 packages (20 ounces each) frozen whole strawberries or 2-1/2 quarts fresh strawberries
1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
5 pounds sugar
2 pouches (3 ounces each) liquid fruit pectin

Directions:

Grind strawberries and cranberries in a food processor or grinder; place in a Dutch oven. Add sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil; boil for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat; stir in pectin and return to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Cool for 5 minutes; skim off foam.

Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids.

Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Yield: about 14 half-pints.

Picture: Country Woman website

Canned Pie Filling

2009-09-05T09:23:00.002-04:00

This is a wonderful Beverly Nye recipe for canning your own pie filling. I use it for apples but I have friends who have used it with good success for peaches.

I've written it out just as it came from Beverly's cookbook back in the 70s so from here on out, these are Beverly's words...

Canned Pie Filling

Combine in large kettle:

4 cups sugar
1 cup cornstarch
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt

Add: 10 cups water

Cook until thickened and add: 3 T. lemon juice

Fill canning jars 1/3 full of sauce. Peel and slice apples into jars, smooshing down into the sauce until the jar is full.

Put on hot lids and process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Fills 7 quart jars.

When you want to make a pie, just roll out the crust, pour in the filling, dot with butter, and cover with the top crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

You can also substitute other fruits such as peaches or cherries. You may want to vary the spices a little. Sometimes I (Beverly) use a little more cinnamon and nutmeg with apples.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

2009-08-20T11:26:00.004-04:00

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks called The Amish Cook by Elizabeth Coblentz. It is delicious! It is more a cake texture than brownie. I'll add a picture soon.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil*
1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar**
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Your favorite frosting if desired

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the eggs, oil, and sugar in large bowl. In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cocoa. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture.

Add the vanilla, zucchini, and nuts (if using) to the batter and mix thoroughly. Batter will be thick.

Spread into a 15 by 10 inch jelly roll pan. Bake for 25-30 min. until center is set.***

Cool and frost if desired (it is very good with a vanilla or cream cheese frosting). I also recently made it with a chocolate buttercream frosting for additional chocolaty flavory. :)

* Original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups oil but I found that made the brownies greasy. I tried 1 cup and found that much better.

** Original recipe called for 2 cups sugar but I've found 1 1/2 to be plenty.

*** I have made this in a 9 x 13 pan, just increase baking time... check after 35 minutes.

Freezing Zuchinni

2009-08-13T09:30:00.001-04:00

This post was originally posted on Coffee Tea Books & Me.

I shred the zucchini and then place it in a colander which is sitting on a plate to let it drain awhile. It stays there an hour or two and I "fluff" it when I think of it.

Some cooks salt the zucchini just a little to help take the moisture out but I prefer to let it sit in the colander since I'm using all of it for quick breads.

I then fill snack size ZipLoc bags with two heaping half-cup measuring cups of the green stuff. It's a little more than a cup total.

All of these bags came from just three zucchinis.

The snack size ZipLoc bags are placed in a gallon size ZipLoc bag. Since I'm putting a "bag within a bag", neither of them have to be freezer strength. I love snack size bags... use them for lots of things.

I froze the sliced zucchini exactly as above except they went into quart size ZipLoc bags and then in the gallon size for extra protection. I have read that some people like to blanch their sliced zucchini for about a minute but I didn't. I'm using them in soups and casseroles.

Freezing corn

2009-08-12T17:17:00.013-04:00

The corn this year is especially sweet and that comes from (as I mentioned before) a corn snob. I won't buy corn on the cob in the grocery store. I'm sceptical of any corn I either 1) did not pick, or 2) buy from the back of a farmer's pickup truck down the road.

However, we were given corn recently so I happily accepted it and hubby shucked all the husks for me. I served some for lunch but froze the rest for fried (sauteed) corn this winter since I wasn't sure how old it was. In case you have never frozen corn, here are the easy directions (really easy if you got your husband to shuck the corn cobs!).

Bring a stockpot about 3/4ths full of water to a boil. Add corn into the water, one batch at a time. It took me two batches for this amount of corn. When the water comes back to a boil, set the timer for six to eight minutes (the smaller the corn, the less time it takes).

If you are freezing them on the cob, shock them by placing in ice water. If you are slicing the corn off into niblets, just drain them as shown above. This corn is draining on a clean dish towel.

When they have drained, I set them on the cooling rack I use for cookies until they are cool.

If freezing corn on the cob, after they have been "shocked" in the ice water and drained, place them in gallon ZipLoc freezer bags, getting as much air out of the bag as possible. Immediately place in the deep freeze.

I sliced this corn off the cob when it was cool enough to easily handle.

The niblets were placed into snack size ZipLoc bags. Since there are often only two of us at home, this size bag works very well for us. Otherwise I'd use the quart size bags or place them into freezer containers.

The individual snack size bags were placed inside a gallon size ZipLoc bag, especially since they are not freezer bags. The date was written on the larger bag (it can be used again and again when the smaller bags are all used).

I'm thankful now for the corn but how wonderful it will be to take it out in winter, sauteed in a little butter... or a lot... with a little salt and pepper... yum. :)

Salmon Patties

2009-08-03T18:05:00.005-04:00

This is the quintessential pantry dish. If you've tried other recipes and hated salmon patties (as was the case with hubby), give this one a try. He actually ASKS me to make them once a week now.

I'll add a picture when I remember to take one before they are inhaled at dinner.

I buy canned wild Alaskan salmon when possible, it is not much more expensive than pink salmon and I've read it has more nutrition.

Also, if you leave the bones in by smashing them a bit when mixing the ingredients, these are also a great source of calcium. My husband didn't know I kept the bones in them until he was told.

When I serve them to my picky eater (aka: son), I just add a slice of cheese on top or pour cheese sauce over them.... he eats just about anything with cheese.

Salmon Patties

15 oz. can salmon (reserve liquid)
1 egg
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Lemon pepper to taste (optional, I added this to the recipe)
Oil for skillet

Drain the salmon, reserve 2 Tablespoons of the liquid in a small bowl.

In larger bowl, combine salmon, egg, and chopped onion. Stir in the flour and any seasonings you want to add.

Stir the baking powder into the reserved salmon liquid and watch it fizz! This is the secret of this recipe and what makes it so light.

Add the liquid to the salmon mixture and mix just until combined.

Form into patties (I make five from this recipe) and place into a medium hot skillet which has oil to cover the bottom. Brown one side and then turn, frying until other side is brown. I start with medium high and then turn it down to medium as soon as I add the patties to keep the outside from browning too fast before the inside is cooked completely.

I'd say about four minutes on each side.

Recipe was from: Favorite Recipes From Quilters

Note: I have begun making these a little differently. I form them into very small patties (about a heaping tablespoon each) and then dip them into flour before adding to skillet. They become a little crispier and I find the guys like them much better when cooked like this.

Sauteed corn

2009-07-27T16:10:00.005-04:00

Doesn't that sound better than "fried" corn? My mother was from the south and there were few things she didn't fry. However, unless she was making succotash, she boiled the corn on the cob... but it is still in my genes... frying that is.

I am a self admitted corn snob. I won't buy corn cobs at the grocery store (unless they were flash frozen by Green Giant). I mean, really, I don't know where that corn came from. It wasn't grown on my beloved local soil (which also grows the best tomatoes... believe me). Picked this morning fresh is also preferred.

We were gifted with corn recently, soon after seeing corn fixed this way on a cooking show. It is absolutely delicious and my preferred way to cooking corn now.

Just cut the raw corn off the cob (carefully as the knife can slip) as close to the cob as you can. Heat a heavy skillet and then add as much butter as your waistline and checkbook can handle. Pour the corn into the skillet and salt & pepper to taste. Turn the heat down and saute about fifteen minutes on low to medium... see what works best for your skillet.

You'll need to keep an eye on it and stir from time to time to keep it from scorching. When done, pour into a bowl and serve immediately. This recipe was a huge hit in our house. It brings out that rich corn taste. Yum...

A couple frozen desserts

2009-07-23T19:15:00.005-04:00

One of my favorite recent cookbooks is Food That Says Welcome; Simple Recipes to Spark the Spirit of Hospitality by Barbara Smith (mother of Michael W. Smith).

It is full of great recipes but there are two that are great for hot weather since they can be frozen and then served when needed (cold!). You wouldn't find them in a health food book but they are not meant to be eaten everyday. :)

Frozen Cranberry Salad

1 (16 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 (8 1/4 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (which I don't always include)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Spoon into a 9 x 13 dish. Cover with foil. Freeze.

Can also be frozen in muffin tins for individual servings.

Frozen Strawberry Salad

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 (8 1/4 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (10 ounce) pkg. frozen strawberries, thawed
2 bananas, sliced

Mix cream cheese and sugar in mixer until well blended; blend in whipped topping.

Fold in pineapple, strawberries, and bananas and freeze in muffin tins.

I'll post pictures when I have them (if I remember). :)

Peoria Rhubarb Cream Pie

2009-05-09T15:46:00.006-04:00

This recipe was originally from a Midwest Living cookbook called "Recipes From Great Midwest Cooks". I'd used a different rhubarb recipe for years but once I tried this, it became the "go to" rhubarb pie recipe in our home.

Added Note: You can also add about a cup of sliced strawberries to this for a delicious change of pace.

Peoria Rhubarb Cream Pie

Preheat over to 400 degrees

Pastry for single crust pie

1 1/2 C. sugar
1/4 C. flour
3/4 t. nutmeg
3 beaten eggs
4 C. sliced rhubarb

1/2 C. flour
1/4 C. sugar
1/3 C. butter

In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 C. sugar, 1/4 C. flour and nutmeg. Add eggs, mix well. Gently stir in rhubarb. Turn into pastry lined pie plate.

In small bowl, combine 1/2 C. flour and 1/4 C. sugar. Cut in butter until you get course crumbs. Sprinkle over pie.

Cover edge of pie with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 20 more minutes or until golden brown.

Rasberry Truffle Brownies

2009-05-07T11:42:00.005-04:00

Picture from Country Woman magazine

The recipe first appeared in Country Woman magazine in their January/February 1994 issue. It has long been one of my most used "fancy" dessert recipes, it has that pastry chef look about it.

However, it is easy to make as written and even easier if you "cheat" a bit and use a boxed brownie mix for the base, just making the truffle topping from scratch. I do that when I'm making it to serve with other baked goods. If it is going to be the star of the dessert show, I'll make it from scratch. It's rich but oh, so yummy. Everyone raves about it.

I usually bake this in a 9 x 13 pan instead of the called for 9" square pan. If you do this, you will end up with a much thinner layer of truffle on top. It tastes just fine but doesn't have the "wow" factor of the 9" dish. If you double the truffle ingredients, you will once again have that nice, thick truffle layer with the 9 x 13 dish. However, I usually just make the one truffle layer as I find it is rich enough that way.

It comes together quickly if you take your cream cheese out the night before you're going to make it. I prefer making it the day before I'm going to serve it, or at least that morning (keep it refrigerated until serving if possible, especially in hot weather). The truffle topping gets time to become firm and cold, as well as easier to cut into small squares.

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, cubed
1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

FILLING:

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup red raspberry jam

GLAZE: (Optional)

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:

In a microwave, melt butter and chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until blended. Dissolve coffee crystals in water; add to egg mixture. Beat in chocolate until well blended. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add into chocolate mixture.

Spread in a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until brownies test done. Cool completely on a wire rack before adding the truffle filling on top. (If you bake in a 9 x 13 dish, check after 20 to 25 minutes.)

For filling, in a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Cool. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in jam. Stir in melted chocolate; spread over cooled brownies.

For glaze (optional), in a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over filling. Chill before cutting. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.

This tastes even better made the day ahead and stored (covered) in the refrigerator overnight.

Cheesecake (baked in 9 x 13 dish)

2009-03-21T18:08:00.009-04:00

This turned out to be a wonderful recipe and it's very easy if you have a sturdy mixer (even hand held would be fine). It does need to have some advance planning as the cream cheese must be at room temp (I put mine on the kitchen counter the night before I plan to use it) and it needs to chill at least four hours but believe me, the taste and texture is far superior the next day.

New York Style Cheesecake

1 Cup crushed graham crackers (about 6 grahams)*
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. butter, melted

4 or 5 pkgs. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, room temp
1 Cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional, original recipe did not include it)
1 Cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 can cherry pie filling (or other topping) **

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and melted butter, press firmly into bottom of 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake 10 minutes... set aside.

* I didn't have graham crackers but I did have a few premade graham cracker crusts I'd bought on sale over the Holidays. I just crushed the graham cracker crust from one of them and spread the crumbs over the bottom of a buttered 9 x 13 dish. I washed the aluminum foil pie plate they came in and stored it for another use. These crumbs worked fine and didn't require baking.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour, vanilla, and lemon extract (optional but adds a little extra flavor) with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream, mix well. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low spread after each addition until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Cover tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours but overnight is best. Store leftover cheesecake in frig.

Makes 16 servings, 1 inch each or about 8 large servings.

** Recipe calls for cherry pie filling on top but any fruit filling would work. My husband likes the cheesecake plain with chocolate sauce on top!

From: Food & Family magazine, Winter 2007

Chocolate Cherry Cake

2009-03-19T18:45:00.008-04:00

This is an old recipe that I only recently started making again. Everyone I know loves it.

If you are in a hurry, you can make the cake as usual and use a canned chocolate frosting. It won't be the exact same but it will still be good.

Chocolate Cherry Cake

1 Package chocolate cake mix*
1 can cherry pie filling (a little water if needed)
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla

Combine all ingredients (I use a heavy wooden spoon). The cherries will break apart but that's fine. If needed, put two tablespoons of water in the cherry pie filling can and stir to incorporate some of the cherry "sauce". Add that to the mixture at the same time as you add everything else. The cans are smaller than they used to be and I think the water helps but it isn't necessary.

Grease a 9 x 13 pan (I spray with Pam or something similar) and bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. In my oven, it needs the entire 30 minutes.

While baking, make the frosting:

FROSTING *

1 Cup sugar
1/3rd Cup milk
5 Tablespoons butter

Let melt together on medium heat and then bring to a boil for about 30 seconds. Take off heat.

Add:

1 heaping cup mini marshmallows
1 heaping cup good quality chocolate chips
1 heaping cup good quality white chocolate chips (optional, but good)

Stir together until smooth. If it sets up a little before the cake is finished, just stir it again really good.

Pour over the hot cake (when it comes out of the oven). Let cool completely before you try to cut it.

I actually like this cake refrigerated and served cold but it also is just fine to serve at room temperature. It's one of those cakes that is even better one or two days after it is made.

* I have increased these ingredients before by 1/2 to make a thicker fudge frosting (using one stick of butter).

**If you like the taste of dark chocolate, use a Devils Food cake mix. I prefer a regular chocolate, milk chocolate, or even a German Chocolate mix as I'm not as fond of dark chocolate as some members of my family. :)

Kentucky Sugar Cream Pie

2009-03-19T18:38:00.004-04:00

My sister, Jean, gave me this secret family recipe that is served at our cousin's restaurant. Since only a few readers personally know my family and only my daughter has been to the restaurant... it is safe to pass on to you.

This is different than the sugar cream pies we find in the Midwest as it is made with brown sugar.

Kentucky Sugar Cream Pie

1 Cup brown sugar
6 Tablespoons flour

Mix together and take 2 handfuls and put in a 9 inch unbaked pie shell.

Mix remaining flour-sugar mixture with:

1 Cup heavy cream
1 1/2 Cups Half & Half
2 Tablespoons butter

Pour into pie shell, sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Cool completely to set.

That "handfuls" part of the recipe. You can tell that is from a family member of mine as that is how we all cook. :)

From Cousin Idell (in Kentucky) via my sister Jean (in Tampa).

Sugar Cream Pie

2009-03-18T20:50:00.005-04:00

NOTE: I did some more online research for the Durbin Hotel Sugar Cream Pie. I found one that is exactly like the one I had copied from the Tampa Bay website except it called for less cream and milk. I'm thinking the extra cream in this original recipe is what required more baking time. It is now modified.

This modified recipe is from AllRecipes.Com.

Durbin Hotel Sugar Cream Pie

1 stick butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 cup cream

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup milk

1 9-inch baked pastry shell

Nutmeg

Heat butter, sugar, milk and cream in double boiler until hot and butter melts. Do not let boil. Stir together cornstarch and 1/4 cup milk until smooth. Add to hot mixture, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. Pour into baked pie shell, sprinkle with nutmeg and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

This recipe for sugar cream pie was sent in to the Tampa paper by Yvonna Stockel Brewer who said makes a pie just like Mrs. Wick's frozen sugar cream pies.

Sugar Cream Pie

1 pint half and half coffee creamer

11/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked

Mix first five ingredients and cook until slightly thick. Add vanilla and butter. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees and 25 minutes at 325 degrees.

Baked Brie

2009-01-07T14:49:00.003-05:00

This recipe was originally posted on Coffee Tea Books & Me. I'll add a picture when possible.

This is the brie recipe I tried on Christmas Eve. I saw it on a TV show and it was so simple, I didn't have to pay to order the recipe.

This was absolutely delicious. It can be used as I did as an hor'dourve (we serve hor'dourves every Christmas Eve rather than a meal) or it can be a sweet way to end a meal.

Baked Brie

1 round of brie, white part cut off the top if desired (it is not necessary)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of brown sugar, to taste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 or 3 T. cold butter (more if you use more brown sugar)
pecans (optional if people do not like nuts) *

Crackers... I used small water crackers. Just about anything except saltines would work.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

If desired, slice a little of the white part of the brie off the top. It is completely edible, though. Place brie in a pie pan (they suggested Pyrex and that is what I used).

Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter together. Add about 1/4th cup of chopped pecans if desired. Press mixture into the brie and bake about 10 - 12 minutes, until mixture is bubbly.

When baking for the first time, check after about 8 minutes.

Serve with your favorite cracker or shortbread cookie by using a knife or a small spoon to place mixture on crackers.

*Since my son doesn't care for nuts, I sprinkled the nuts around the brie instead of in the brown sugar mixture. Then I served the roasted nuts in a small bowl along side the brie.

Obviously this is a recipe you can make your own by adding more or less of an item, use walnuts instead of pecans, etc. The person who was making the recipe said she uses it all the time when she has guests to her home.

Fun pretzel "candy"

2008-12-03T21:38:00.008-05:00

I LOVED this recipe. It is so easy that small children can help as long as there is an adult or older child melting the white chocolate (which can get a little hot). My husband dislikes pretzels but he said this is a winner.

You will need one bag of pretzel "twists, one bag of M&Ms, and one or two packages of white dipping chocolate (two if you plan to make the entire bag of pretzels into candy).

You don't need this many M&M's, they also went into another recipe, some were poured into my glass candy dish, and others were placed into a jar to be given as a gift!

Just place the small pretzel "twists" on a tray of some kind covered with either parchment paper or wax paper.

Melt the white dipping chocolate according to directions. I only used half of it at a time to keep it from hardening too soon. Spoon the white chocolate into each pretzel (don't be stingy, you need enough for the M&M to sit in easily).

Then quickly place one M&M on top of each pretzel while the white chocolate is soft. Obviously the peanut M&M type won't work here.

Let sit until they harden which doesn't take too long but you can also put them in the frig to harden quickly.

This takes awhile if (like me) only one person was making it. But it would be great family fun for a group.

I made two "batches" that covered the cookie sheet with one bag of white dipping chocolate. I'll make the rest tomorrow. People will love receiving these as a gift.

Homemade cocoa mix

2008-12-03T21:24:00.008-05:00

Front of cocoa jar

Back of cocoa jar (with instructions)

I made cocoa mix as one of the gifts for my husband's siblings this year. It's something I know they'd appreciate.

The container for the cocoa mix is very inexpensive and it came from Target. I added a Christmasy touch to it.

The front has the "To" and "From" sticker and the back has the directions on a label.

The recycled jelly jars contain miniature marshmallows and Christmas M&Ms. I love those jelly jars, whenever my husband finishes that brand of jelly, he knows to put it in the sink to be washed and not in the recycling bin!

Here are two cocoa recipes. I used one with Nestle's Quick. It was similar to this recipe but I had to "tweak" mine a lot. This one looks a lot better. My recipe was so large that I had to use my bowl I make bread in at times.

Homemade Cocoa Mix

1 (3 lb.) box Nestle Quick (they are less weight now)
1/2 to 1 c. powdered sugar
1 (8 qt.) box powdered milk
6 to 8 oz. coffee creamer powder

Combine all ingredients. To make a cup of hot chocolate, add 1/3 cup of the mix to a cup of boiling water. This keeps indefinitely in a covered container.

The last time I made this, I added about 1/4th a cup of cocoa to the mixture to make it richer.

Here is a recipe using Hershey's cocoa:

2 c. nonfat dry milk powder
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. Hershey's cocoa
1/2 c. powdered non-dairy creamer

Mix in large bowl combine all ingredients; blend well. Store tightly in covered container (16 servings). Single serving: Combine 1/4 cup mix to 3/4 cup boiling water.

For mocha flavor, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup instant coffee (I'd make it decaf)

These two recipes were from Cooks.com. There are many variations available by doing a web search.

Muffins My Way

2008-11-10T13:51:00.012-05:00

These are the muffins I make the most. They make only seven or eight muffins when using an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin tins. They'll make a little more than that when filling muffin tins only half full. This recipe can easily be doubled, which should make at least one dozen muffins.

Muffins My Way

1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 Cup Milk
1 egg

1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 Cup berries, or chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, etc.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray or butter muffin tin.

In bowl, mix together very well the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Melt butter, set aside.

Whisk together milk and egg.

Pour milk and egg mixture into bowl of dry ingredients, then pour butter into bowl. Stir only until ingredients are combined, do not over mix.

Add any additional ingredients at this time and fold in gently.

I use an ice cream scoop to place batter into a greased muffin tin.

Pour just a little water in any unused muffin tin.

Check after 17 or 18 minutes, bake longer if a toothpick does not come out clean.

For blueberry muffins, I add about 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract to batter. I make a glaze with a cup of confectioners sugar and a little lemon juice and pour glaze over the baked muffins while they are still a little warm.

For cranberry muffins, I add about 1 teaspoon of orange extract to batter. I make a glaze with one cup of confectioners sugar and a little orange juice and pour that glaze over the baked muffins while they are still warm.

The muffins shown are the basic recipe with 1 cup of butterscotch chips added.

I have also used 1 cup of... cinnamon chips, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and just 1 cup of nuts without any chips.

Although I add only one cup of fruit, or flavored chips, etc., I will add an additional 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans if my son isn't eating any of them. :)

Dutch Apple Pie

2008-10-26T14:01:00.004-04:00

9" pastry shell, unbaked (I use a frozen deep dish pie crust, easy and it tastes great!)
I have also used a Pillsbury Refrigerator Pie Crust with excellent results.

5-6 apples, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
(I add a pinch of ground coriander but that is optional)

2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup margarine or butter, sliced (I prefer butter)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine apples, sugar, and spice(s) until apples are thoroughly covered. Place in the pie shell.

Mix flour, brown sugar, and margarine or butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples, making sure to press in to fully cover all the apples and "tuck" into sides.

Place pie pan on cookie sheet or something similar.

Bake for 15 minutes, then...

reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake an additional 35 minutes.

I find baking on the bottom shelf of the oven helps keep the crust crisper.

This basic recipe is my favorite for Dutch Apple Pie.

It is from the community cookbook called Eet Smakelijk put together by the Holland Junior Welfare League of Holland, Michigan.

Mine is now yellowed with age and food stains... a very good thing.

Chicken and Dressing Casserole

2008-10-18T20:14:00.003-04:00

I made this for a family get together and everyone asked for the recipe. It's SO easy and good for pot lucks. I make it most of the year with chicken but you can also use leftover turkey on Thanksgiving.

Chicken (or Turkey) and Dressing Casserole

5 Cups Chicken or Turkey, cooked and cubed or shredded
(three deboned chicken breast work fine)
6 Slices bread, torn or cubed (either white or a light wheat bread)
1 Can Cream of Mushroom soup (no water added)
1 Can Chicken Noodle soup (no water added)
1 Stick butter, melted
1 Egg, beaten
Poultry seasoning to taste

Combine all ingredients. Pour into 9 x 13 dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Can be baked and reheated later.

Pumpkin Cookies

2008-10-14T18:40:00.005-04:00

I am posting these again just so new readers will find the recipe easier (and I finally remembered to take pictures before they were all eaten). A very delicious cookie and one of or favorites.

They are from Brenda Hyde's Old Fashioned Living e-mail newsletter.

Check her website for many wonderful recipes.

Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening (I use 1/2 butter, 1/2 margarine)
1 cup sugar
1 cup mashed pumpkin
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup raisins (optional, I prefer them without raisins)

*I often double this recipe by doubling all ingredients and using an entire can of pumpkin.

Cream shortening , sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and
mix well.Add sifted dry ingredients and raisins. Drop
from spoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake at
375 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes.

Frosting for Pumpkin Cookies

3 Tbsp. butter
4 tsp. milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla

Cook butter , milk and brown sugar until dissolved:
Cool and add powdered sugar and vanilla .

**Finely chopped walnuts or pecans
(optional for pressing into the frosting if desired... immediately after frosting the cookie)

Spread on cooled cookies (original recipe called for frosting them warm, I found waiting until they cool much better). Yield 4- 5 dozen.

* Be sure if you double cookie recipe to also double frosting.
**I usually press finely chopped nuts into about half the cookies.

Pumpkin Bars

2008-09-04T20:51:00.005-04:00

I know pumpkin bars have been around for awhile. This recipe is from one of the best cooks in Muscatine, Iowa! The church we attended there had amazing pot lucks. It's one of my all time favorite recipes, especially in autumn and winter... so easy and it serves a lot.

Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
16 oz. can pumpkin (I think they are 15 oz. now)
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 Cup toasted walnuts or pecans (optional) *

Cream sugar and oil; add eggs and pumpkin; mix until smooth. Combine flour, salt, soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until blended.

Pour into well greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 min (20 min. seems to work fine in my stove). Ice when completely cool.

ICING **

All ingredients at room temperature

3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon maple extract (optional but good)
2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese; add vanilla and then powdered sugar. Mix until well blended. This is not as fluffy as regular icing.

Spread over pumpkin bars when they are completely cooled. If desired, press toasted nuts into part of the freshly iced cake before cutting into squares.

** I often double the icing recipe, especially if I'm going to press nuts into it. I double everything but leave the butter to one stick, which is more than enough.

* I love checking out how professional caterers fix and display food, that's where I learned this trick of pressing toasted nuts into part of a baked good instead of putting them in the batter. It is especially good for making one recipe for people who dislike nuts in their food and people who love them.

I was at an "After the Concert" open house for the youth symphony in the City. The caterer had used this idea. I have "borrowed" it in so many baked goods since then.

Kentucky Peach Pie

2008-08-12T19:27:00.004-04:00

This recipe came from a library book. It is delicious, especially for those who love buttery type pies.

Kentucky Peach Pie

1 cup sugar
1 stick butter - room temp
1/3 cup flour
1 Egg
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 large peaches, sliced (about 5 cups)
1 double pie crust (Pillsbury works fine)
cinnamon sugar mix (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using an electric mixer; combine sugar, room temperature butter, flour, egg, and vanilla until well blended. Fold in peaches until well covered.

Line a 9" pie plate with crust. Pour peaches into crust. Top with second crust and crimp edges. Prick a few holes for vents on top. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top if desired.

Bake pie for one hour. Let cool completely to room temperate before serving (this is important so make it way ahead of serving).

From: Endangered Recipes by Lori Robling

Weight Watchers Pineapple Angel Food Cake

2008-07-21T14:27:00.003-04:00

This is so quick and quite delicious. It doesn't have to be refrigerated when finished but I like the texture when it is cold. Serve with a dollop of Cool Whip or whipped cream if available.

Pineapple Angel Food Cake

1 Pkg. angel food cake mix
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in its' juice

With a spoon, mix together (do not drain the pineapple) the pineapple and cake mix. Pour into ungreased 9 x 13 dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Pan must be ungreased so cake can rise properly.

Jean's Peach Pie (Cobbler)

2008-07-21T14:23:00.003-04:00

Jean's Peach Pie (Cobbler)

1 28 oz. can sliced peaches
1 yellow cake mix (18 oz. box)
1 stick butter, cut into small chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Pour can of peaches into bottom of large baking dish that has been buttered (or sprayed with something like Pam).

Sprinkle dry cake mix over peaches.

Top with butter chips.

Bake until brown

(It has been awhile since I made this but I'd say check after 20 min.)

Cucumber Sandwiches

2008-06-24T08:32:00.004-04:00

This is the vegetarian sandwich I put together for the graduation open house. I think it would be wonderful for a tea party, too. This is just the basic recipe, one could do a lot with it.

Cucumber Sandwiches

2 loaves mini French bread (baguettes would work well, too)
1 English cucumber
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
Seasoned rice vinegar (any vinegar would probably be fine)
Favorite herbs - I used dried dill and thyme

Thinly slice cucumber and place in a small bowl. Cover with vinegar and let set 30 to 60 minutes (30 is really all you need). Drain vinegar.

Mix together herbs (to taste) and cream cheese. If needed, add a little milk or cream to make it lighter. However, if the cream cheese is at room temperature, it should mix up just fine. I like the taste of the herbs to come through so I started with a half teaspoon of each and added a "pinch" until I got the flavor I wanted. You may want to add a pinch of salt.

Slice bread to desired thickness. I think mine was about 1/8th of an inch but I'd slice them a little thicker if they were to be more filling, as for a tea party. Spread cream cheese mixture on the bread and then top with two cucumbers.

Serve on your prettiest plate or serving platter.

Cheese Shrimp Ball

2008-06-21T12:09:00.002-04:00

I've had this recipe since the 1980's. It is very good and if you have a food processor, extremely easy! If you don't, chop the shrimp as fine as possible and mix everything into the cream cheese.

Cheese Shrimp Ball

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temp
2 cans small shrimp - or - 1 8 oz. pkg. frozen salad shrimp, defrosted
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon chili sauce (I use Heinz)
1 Tablespoon horse radish (I never have it on hand so I don't use it)
2 Tablespoons chopped onion (or a little more)

Blend above ingredients. Form into a ball. Chill.

Can be rolled in nuts if desired.

Lentil Salad

2008-06-20T10:31:00.003-04:00

My friend, Sheila (of Sheila's cake fame) served me this salad many years ago and I thought it a wonderful way to serve lentils. She said it came from one of the Frugal Gourmet cookbooks.

Lentil Salad

1 1/2 Cups lentils
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup chopped parsley
6 green onions
8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Juice of 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Black pepper (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

The original recipe says to soak lentils a few hours. I have no idea why one would do that since lentils (unlike beans) do not have to soak. I just rinse the lentils and look for any rocks masquerading as lentils.

Cook lentils about 30 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain and cool.

Mix the salt, parsley, and onions (I actually add salt later).

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, black pepper, coriander, and cumin.

Toss with lentils, best made at least a few hours before serving.

Hamburger Dip

2008-06-19T22:29:00.003-04:00

We've served this for so long, I can't remember when I found the recipe... when we lived in Iowa I think.

Hamburger Dip

1 pound ground beef
2 large jars salsa
1 pound Velveeta

Brown the ground beef, pour off excess grease.

Place ground beef, salsa, and Velveeta in Crock Pot and set to "high". Switch to "low" when Velveeta has melted.

-- or --

After pouring off excess grease, add salsa and Velveeta to the ground beef and stir (on low temp) until cheese has melted. Then pour into Crock Pot and keep on "low" until ready to serve (this is much faster than letting the cheese melt in the Crock Pot as above).

I serve it in the Crock Pot and have people ladle it into bowls and serve it with big corn chips.

Snickerdoodles

2008-06-19T22:19:00.001-04:00

These are a family favorite. I remember neighbors who had moved to the Midwest from California that LOVED these cookies. They'd never heard of them before.

Snickerdoodles

Mix:
1 Cup shortening, room temperature
(I like to use 1 stick butter and 1 stick margarine)
1 1/2 Cups sugar
2 Eggs

In another bowl, mix together and then add to above mixture:

2 3/4 Cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

After mixing dough well, roll into balls about the size of a walnut. Dip each into a mixture of 2 Tablespoons sugar and 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Heloise's Mom's Potato Salad

2008-06-19T21:56:00.004-04:00

This is a delicious potato salad. I've been using it since I first found the recipe in one of Heloise's columns perhaps as long as twenty years ago! It was the original Heloise's "go to" potato salad recipe.

This is the way it was printed in the paper. Sorry there are no specifics but through the years, I've developed my own amounts.

Heloise's Potato Salad

Boil potatoes in their jacket, cool slightly, peel and cube. (The potatoes should still be warm when you combine them with the dressing.)

Mix together:

Mayonnaise, cider vinegar, celery salt (or celery seed if you are watching your salt), savory salt (I use Lowry's seasoned salt), a jar of chopped pimento, ground pepper. Mix in a little mustard (to taste).

Mix well and pour over warm potatoes.

Add chopped boiled eggs and chopped onion.

I find this is best made the day before and refrigerated overnight. Although it is good as long as it can sit in the frig for the flavors to "marry" at least a few hours... but overnight is best.

Oriental Slaw

2008-06-19T21:51:00.002-04:00

This is from Laine's Letters. It makes a good hot weather side dish.

Oriental Slaw

6 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (you may want to start with 1 Tablespoon... to taste)
1/2 Cup Olive Oil (or any vegetable oil)

Shredded Cabbage
Shredded Carrots
(or one package cole slaw mix)

Sliced Green Onions

Mix vinegar, brown sugar, oil, and soy sauce together.

Pour over veggies and let marinate about an hour or so, tossing frequently.

1,2,3,4 Cake

2008-06-19T21:38:00.003-04:00

This makes a delicious yellow cake. It is an old fashioned recipe that still works. The name comes from the amounts... 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs.

1,2,3,4 Cake

1 Cup (2 sticks) butter, room temp
2 Cups sugar
4 Large eggs, beaten
3 Cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 Cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and mix.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.

Add half flour, then half milk, remainder of flour, remainder of milk.

Add vanilla.

Bake in 9" cake pans for 25 - 30 minutes.

Shrimp Salad for sandwiches

2008-06-16T12:42:00.004-04:00

I saw this Paula Deen recipe all over the Internet. I may use it for the Graduation Open House since I have two packages of cooked baby shrimp in the freezer.

I wouldn't do it for the open house but for a tea party, these would be great on dainty miniature croissants.

Paula Deen's Shrimp Salad

Ingredients

1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
3 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
3 celery ribs, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 dash onion salt
salt and pepper
1 dash seasoning salt
1 dash celery salt
8 slices your choice bread, toasted
lettuce
tomato, slices

Directions

1 Cut shrimp up and transfer to a bowl.
2 Add eggs, celery, and mayonnaise and mix well.
3 Add seasonings, to taste, and stir to combine.
4 Spread additional mayonnaise on both sides of bread.
5 Heap shrimp salad onto bread and then cut sandwiches in half.
6 Serve with lettuce and tomato, if desired.

From: RecipeZaar

Key Lime Squares

2008-06-16T12:37:00.004-04:00

I think I'm making these for Saturday. I'll let you know how we like it!

I have plenty of key lime juice to use up. I like Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice. I think I got it at Target but I've seen it at other grocery stores. Don't let anyone tell you bottled stuff is not good... this is excellent. I use it all the time for key lime pie (my hubby's favorite).

Key Lime Squares

Recipe From: CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com

Serves/Makes: 2.5 dozen

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup lime juice
4 eggs
1 lime peel grated (I may use lemon peel instead, since I already have one)
1/4 cup flour

Directions:
Mix first four ingredients, then press in an ungreased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Beat together remaining ingredients. Whisk together and pour over hot crust. Bake 30 minutes.

Cool on a rack and cut into squares. Sift powdered sugar on top when cool.

This recipe is from CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
© 1995-2008 CDKitchen, Inc.

Baked Chicken & Stuffing

2008-06-13T17:33:00.005-04:00

As soon as I saw this recipe in a small recipe booklet (purchased for $2.99 at a restaurant from Lancaster County, I think it was in Bird-In-Hand), I knew I'd love it. It has all the flavors I like... almost like Thanksgiving without turkey and sage. :)

I made it almost as the recipe directed but "tweaked" it as I didn't need quite as much meat. Christopher and I both loved it but hubby doesn't care for dressing, even at Thanksgiving so he tolerated it. I might try different herbs & spices some day.

Plain & Fancy Restaurant's
Baked Chicken & Stuffing

Ingredients:

4 cups diced, cooked chicken
(I used three rather large, cooked chicken breasts, which was two cups)

1 cup margarine (butter here)
(I used one stick of butter to begin with and then melted 1/2 a stick and poured it over everything after one hour of baking)

1 Cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk

20 slices white bread, cubed (I just tore it into pieces)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper (always more pepper here)

1 cup chicken broth (a little more reserved if needed)

Melt butter in sauce pan with onion and celery, saute. Do not brown.

Combine milk, eggs, onions, celery and bread cubes in large bowl and mix until moistened. (I knew I was going to make this so I purchased a bag of white bread at the surplus bread store.)

In greased roasting pan (I used a 9 x 13 dish), place half of filling, then the chicken, and then the rest of the filling. When finished layering, pour broth on top.

Place in a preheated 325 degrees oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Add a little more broth if needed while baking. I checked it after one hour, added a little melted butter for additional flavoring (but you could probably get by without that, cutting your butter consumption in half). I baked it another twenty minutes or so. Baking it in a 9 x 13 dish shortens the baking time a bit.

When finished, remove from oven and serve hot with chicken gravy (obviously only if you have made chicken gravy).

The booklet said the Amish call this "Roast" and it is often served at weddings and other large gatherings.

German Chocolate Cookies

2008-04-22T19:51:00.006-04:00

Click to Enlarge

These cookies are absolutely delicious. I made them for my husband's birthday instead of German Chocolate Cake (his favorite). They do take a little extra time to prepare but they are worth it, especially for a special occasion.

They are also quite rich... but delicious. I think my husband liked them better than German chocolate cake... and that is saying something.

I froze some of the cookies I made after frosting them and before adding the chocolate on top (well, except for that one lone cookie that eventually made its' way to the serving plate. :)

German Chocolate Cookies

Cookie Dough:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips
1/4 cup flaked coconut

German chocolate icing:
1 egg
1 5 oz. can evaporated milk (or measure 5 oz. from larger can)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter (no substitutes)
1- 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Chocolate drizzle:
12 oz. chocolate chips
-0r-
dipping chocolate
(I had some dipping chocolate left so I melted it and it worked great)

For frosting, in a saucepan, combine the egg, milk, sugar, and butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 10 - 12 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Mixture will reach 160 degrees (I didn't check temp, I just stopped when mixture thickened). Take off heat. Stir in coconut and pecans. Set aside and let cool.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in 2 cups chips and coconut. Drop by tablespoons 2" apart onto ungreased baking sheets. (I used my cookie scoop, which looks like a little ice scream scoop). Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet for ten min. before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

In microwave, melt the chocolate chips or chocolate dipping chocolate. Frost the cookies when completely cool. Drizzle with melted chocolate.

(Recipe originally from Taste of Home magazine)

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2008-03-02T14:49:00.003-05:00

We all thought this was delicious when I made it over the Holidays. Next time I'm going to use lemon extract and add some lemon zest. Whatever extract used, this would make a wonderful cake to be served with strawberries and whipped cream. I drizzled some melted white chocolate over it before serving at Christmas. As with many such cakes, it is even better the second and third day after baking... albeit hard to stay away from that first day. :)

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until combined.

Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan.

Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 40 minutes* or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 1 (10-inch) cake

From: Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2001

*You should also be able to bake these in two (2) 8 1/2" loaf pans for 60 to 70 minutes. Test center with a toothpick, if ready then set the loaf pans out to cool about ten minutes, then remove the pound cake.

Cranberry Orange Scones

2008-01-24T18:24:00.000-05:00

2 cups all purpose flour
10 teaspoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cold butter
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup half and half cream
1 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
1 egg
1 cup dried cranberries (I used fresh frozen cranberries)
1 tablespoon milk

Glaze: 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 2+ tablespoons orange juice

In large bowl, mix flour, 7 teaspoons of sugar, orange peel, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Cut butter into mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In small bowl or measuring cup, combine orange juice, cream, orange extract, egg, and dried cranberries (if using fresh cranberries, add when kneading). Add to flour mixture, measure just until soft dough forms. On a floured surface, knead very gently about six times. Pat dough into 8 inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges.

Separate wedges and place on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with milk, sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine glaze ingredients to make a thick glaze. Drizzle over each scone.

To use food processor:

Combine all dried ingredients into food processor bowl. Add butter and pulse just until mixture becomes crumbly. Pour liquid ingredients without any cranberries into processor. Pulse just until mixture comes together.

Proceed as above recipe, adding cranberries after taking out of processor.

This recipe is delicious and moist. I'm going to try it using lemon juice, lemon extract, and poppy seeds very soon.

Cinnamon chip scones

2007-09-12T19:36:00.000-04:00

This recipe is easy and delicious!
From: The White Lily Tearoom
in Bluff Park, Alabama

Cinnamon Chip Scones

3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature (yes, I know scone recipes usually call for cold butter)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter cookie sheet.

In large mixing bowl (I used my stand mixer), mix flour and sugar.

Mix in butter with dry ingredients just until mixture resembles cornmeal. (I just used the paddle attachment and it worked fine.)

Add heavy cream and cinnamon chips to mixture. Mix together until dough forms, mixing as little as needed.

Pat into a 1/2 inch thickness and cut out with a 2 inch biscuit or cookie cutter. Place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake 9-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Do not overbake.

I let them cool on the baking sheet.

Makes nine scones.

Cowboy cookies for the Feingold diet

2007-06-13T10:05:00.000-04:00

Here is my favorite Cowboy Cookie recipe that I have "tweaked" a bit for when my grandson was here. Since he is on the Feingold Diet (for hyperactive and ADHD people), I have included changes made that he could eat. He absolutely loved the cookies and my husband liked them more than the original cookie (because he loves anything with lots of nuts in them). I still prefer the original because I love...chocolate!

Cowboy Cookies

1 1/2 Cups Butter (or mixture of butter and margarine if not for Feingold diet)
2 Cups brown sugar
2 Cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla (although I have left it out and it tasted fine)
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
4 Cups flour
4 Cups oats (I use regular Old Fashioned oats)
2 Cups chocolate chips (omit for Fengold diet)
1 Cup coconut
1 Cup chopped nuts (I add a little more for Fengold diet)
1 Cup dried cherries (omit for Feingold Diet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix butter and sugars until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add mixture to above and mix well. Mix in the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, dried cherries, and nuts. You may have to do this part by hand unless you have a BIG mixer.

Scoop out dough onto cookie sheets. I use a cookie scoop (which looks like a small ice cream scoop). Bake 10 minutes or until slightly golden on top. (If you have to leave the dough to set for awhile before baking, it absorbs moisture so it needs only 9 minutes baking time.) Of course, each oven can be different!

For my grandson, I made the recipe as given with the oats, coconut, and nuts added and removed about a fourth of the dough at that time, which was baked as cookies for him. Then I add the chocolate chips and dried cherries to the remainder of the dough for the original recipe.

This does seem to contain a lot of sugar but it makes a huge amount of cookies. Because the cookie dough contains oatmeal which can absorb liquid, it is best to make them as quickly as possible and freeze extra cookies (rather than letting dough sit for a long time or overnight).

Makes about 4 dozen cookies. Freezes very well.

Quick and Easy "Quiche"

2007-05-20T15:52:00.000-04:00

This looks like a souffle when it first comes out of the oven but it flattens to look more like a quiche. It's quick, it is easy, it is very good.

This is how I made it recently but I'll also show the original recipe:

Easy Quiche

1/2 lb. (or 1 lb) sausage
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
(I used a combination shredded cheddar and American)

4 eggs
1 1/2 C. milk (regular or soy milk)
1/2 C. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 T. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown and drain the sausage. You can use a full pound if you want a meatier quiche but half a pound is fine.

Spoon into the bottom of a well greased 9" pie pan (I like Pyrex for this and I set it on a cookie sheet in case it drips over the side).

Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, salt and melted butter. Pour over the sausage into the pie pan.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes. It will be "poofed" up but will settle soon. Let cool just a few minutes and slice into wedges.

The original recipe called for 1/4 C. chopped onion and 1/4 C. chopped mushroom sauteed in 1 T. oil to be added to ham or sausage.

I think it would taste great with just broccoli that has been steamed and well drained instead of meat, too.

Beverly Nye's Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

2007-03-30T21:23:00.000-04:00

Also from the cookbook, A Family Raised on Sunshine. How much easier can homemade candy be to make?

Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

Mix well:

1 1-2 boxes powdered sugar*
1 1/2 cups peanut butter

2 sticks margarine (or butter), room temp
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

*3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar = 1 pound

Form into egg shapes and dip in chocolate.

Beverly Nye's "Basic Mints"

2007-03-30T21:14:00.000-04:00

In Beverly's cookbook called A Family Raised on Sunshine, she gives this recipe for Spring. While it is nice enough just rolled into patties, you can also mold it in a candy mold for pretty shapes.

Basic Mints

Knead together with hands*:

8 oz. package cream cheese, room temp
2 lb. package powdered sugar

Color and flavor as desired:

Lemon-Yellow
Mint-Pink
Wintergreen-Green

*I use my Kitchen Aid mixer to mix these ingredients.

Either shape into small patties or mold with candy molds. I've seen some candy makers roll these in white sugar immediately after shaping.

You can also just add mint flavoring, form into patties, and dip into dipping chocolate.

Mamaw's Marvelous Lemon Pound Cake

2007-03-30T15:09:00.000-04:00

I love this recipe! It is one that I cut out of a magazine and "pasted" it in one of the photo albums where I keep such magazine and newspaper articles I've clipped out to save. (The kind that has a plastic sheet that you can lift up and has a sticky background to hold pictures...or magazine articles!)

The recipe calls for it to be baked in a Bundt pan. However, since I was making it the last time for a dessert buffet, I baked it in the mini Bundt pan that makes six mini cakes. I then cut the little cakes into 1/8ths and drizzled the glaze on the cut pieces. This way, all the cake gets some of the drizzle. (There was enough batter left over to make mini muffins, too!)

The article didn't say what magazine this was from but I think it was either Tea Time or Southern Lady.

Mamaw's Marvelous Lemon Pound Cake

2 sticks butter, room temp
3 cups sugar
5 eggs, room temp
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
3 Tablespoons pure lemon extract (I used 1 Tablespoon lemon and 1 Tablespoon vanilla)*

*I think orange extract would taste great, too.

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons lemon juice (or milk if you don't have juice)

Cream the butter and sugar, beating very well, recipe says "almost beat to death"! Add eggs, one at a time.

Combine the flour, baking powder and lemon extract in one bowl. (I add the extract to the milk, it works better for me that way.)

Add flour mixture and milk to batter, alternating flour/milk/flour/milk. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into a greased Bundt pan and place in a cold oven. Set the oven to 325 and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

For the six mini Bundt cakes pan, I bake in a preheated 350 oven for 35-40 minutes.

For mini muffins, I baked them in a preheated 350 oven for approx. 20 minutes.

Glaze: Combine the powder sugar and lemon juice (or milk), making it as thick as possible (sometimes I have to add a little more liquid for the right consistency), then apply the glaze to the cake. Let the glaze "set" before serving.

(As I said, if I'm serving it buffet style--already sliced and on a platter--I don't drizzle it on the top of the cake, I drizzle it over the slices.)

Oatmeal Coriander Cookies

2007-03-30T14:57:00.000-04:00

These were one of the cookies I made to take to the library function last night. I love coriander so when I saw this recipe a few years ago, I was happy to try it. It is delicious! It has been one of my "go to" cookie recipes since then.

I added a bag of Hershey's Dark Chocolate Chips to this recipe, they tasted great with the dried cherries. The original recipe didn't call for chocolate chips. I'm going to try them with dried cranberries the next time I make them.

Oatmeal Coriander Cookies

1 cup shortening*
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt (I use just a pinch)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 cups uncooked oatmeal
2 cups dried cherries** -or- (1 cup dried cherries and a pkg. of chocolate chips)

*I usually use all butter but I have also used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup Butter Flavored Crisco. The cookies are flatter when using all butter and a little "puffier" with the mixture.

**I like to pour boiling water over dried cherries or dried cranberries. I let it sit only sixty seconds or so, then pour the water out. It plumps them up nicely without making them "squishy" (hmmm...is that a technical foodie term?).

Cream shortening and sugars. Add egg, water, and vanilla.

Mix flour, soda, salt, and coriander. Add to creamed mixture.

Add oats and cherries (and chocolate chips if you're using them).

Drop by teaspons onto greased cookie sheets. bake 8 or 9 minutes at 375. I've also baked these at 350 if I'm baking a lot of cookies and most call for 350. It may take just a couple minutes longer.

Oatmeal Cake

2007-03-23T19:49:00.003-04:00

This is one of my husband's favorite cakes. It originally came from his mother, who has a Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. I've seen it in Amish cookbooks, too. I used to make this for him and then freeze big slices (wrapped in foil) for him to take with his lunch to work.

I think this cake tastes better the day after it is made. Makes a great picnic cake.

Oatmeal Cake
1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 stick butter (room temp)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour (I like to use 1 cup white and 1/2 cup whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 taspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup raisins

Pour boiling water over oatmeal, let stand 20 minutes.

Cream sugar, butter, eggs. Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Add oatmeal mix and raisins.

Pour into 9 x 13 pan (well greased) and bake 30 minutes. Frost while warm.

This cake was cut before it cooled so it fell apart. :)

Frosting Recipe *
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
1/2 cup coconut

Mix together and spread on baked warm cake...carefully. May have to spoon it on at first. Place under broiler until it starts to bubble and gets ever so lightly browned. Watch carefully or it will BURN! Let cool before eating.

*I often double this frosting recipe.

Easy fruit cocktail cake

2007-03-23T19:46:00.000-04:00

This was one of mother-in-law's favorite cakes. She loved easy recipes like this for her bridge club.

Easy Fruit Cocktail Cake

Mix:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder

Add:
2 cups drained fruit cocktail
1 egg, beaten

Pour into a greased 9 x 12 (I use 9 x 13) pan.

Top with mixture of:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Cocoa Bars

2007-03-23T19:38:00.001-04:00

This is another good Beverly Nye recipe. So many of my favorites came from her cookbooks! It's simple to put together. It is a cake style brownie but I always bake it as a regular cake. It's one of those recipes that is just as quick as a cake mix but has no additives.

Frost with a favorite chocolate icing (I use the one on the back of Hershey's cocoa).

Cocoa Bars

Beat together:
1 stick butter (room temp)
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Add:
3/4 cup sour milk (buttermilk or regular milk with a little vinegar poured in--about a teaspoon)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Then add:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa (I now use 1/4 cup with great results)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 taspoon salt

Mix well...pour into a greased 9 x 13 dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool before icing.

Christmas Date Cake

2007-03-23T19:33:00.000-04:00

This cake was made every Christmas by my sister's German mother-in-law. She says it is delicious. My sister is in her 70s so this would be another Victorian era (or slightly later) cake recipe.

Christmas Date Cake

Mix together and let stand the four following ingredients:

1 small package of dates, cut up
1 cup of raisins
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water

Cream 1/2 cup butter (room temp) with 1 1/3 cups sugar, add 2 eggs and date mixture.

Add 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

Pour into a tube or bundt pan that has been greased and floured.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Frost with a cream cheese icing.

Reuben Chicken

2007-03-23T19:29:00.000-04:00

Another of my sister's favorite recipes.

Reuben Chicken

4 deboned chicken breasts
1 16 oz. can sauerkraut, drained well
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups Thousand Island Dressing

Place deboned chicken breasts in shallow baking dish. On each breast put sauerkraut first, then Swiss cheese, cover well with dressing.

Bake uncovered, in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour or until done (I'd check at 45 min.).

Makes 4 servings...can easily be doubled.

MaMaw's Victorian Jam Cake

2007-03-23T19:02:00.000-04:00

My sister, Jean, updated my grandmother's original Victorian era Jam Cake recipe. When she made MaMaw's version, the cake was 12 in. high! This one she says is delicious and managable.

Jam Cakes were very popular in the Victorian age. I've seen them mentioned often in old fashioned books. I have not made this but Jean is an excellent cook.

Grandma Vick's Jam Cake (ala' Jean)

Cream together: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, then add...4 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda (disolved in buttermilk)

4 Cups flour
1 tsp. each: ground cloves, cinnamon, allspice

2 cups blackberry jam (seedless better)

Sift flour and spices; add to creamed mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Add jam last, mix well.

Pour batter into four 9" round cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until it tests done. Cool cakes completely before filling and frosting.

Filling:

3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup milk
1 cup butter

Boil to soft stage, stir in:
1 box raisins (1 lb.)
1 pkg. figs, cut up (small package), more if you like
1 cup coconut
Beat until thick (enough for three layers)

Caramel Icing:

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
6 Tbls. butter
Powdered sugar
Cream cheese (optional)

Cook brown sugar and butter to boiling, pour into mixer, while beating add powdered sugar gradually, until thick enough to spread on cake.

Since this icing gets very hard and will crack on cake, Jean mixes in a little cream cheese (1/2 of three ounce package) to keep icing softer.

Can cut recipe in half for a 2-layer cake.

Jean's Sweet "N" Sour Chicken (Easy)

2007-03-23T18:50:00.000-04:00

This is a favorite of my oldest sister.

Sweet "N" Sour Chicken

1 cut up chicken (raw)
1/2 cup Russian dressing (red)
1/2 envelope onion soup mix (dry)
3/4 cup pineapple-apricot jam or preserves; (or can use peach preserves)
1 tsp. dry mustard

Mix all ingredients except chicken. Place chicken in shallow baking pan and pour mixture over, covering chicken well. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.

Joan's Chicken Tetrazzini

2007-03-23T18:39:00.000-04:00

It may sound strange but when my sister, Joan (pronounced Jo-Anne), was on her death bed, I looked up suddenly at my other two sisters and panicked. Did anyone get her tetrazzini recipe? Sigh...really.

However, my sisters understood exactly why I would panic for Joan was famous for this particular recipe. (She had been ill for many, many years so her passing was a blessing for her, as hard as it was for the rest of us.)

Yes...my oldest sister had made certain Joan gave it to her. This is the way it was given so I hope you can figure it out. It is fattening, rich, decadent...and delicious.

Joan's Chicken Tetrazzini

Remove giblets and "boil" 2 whole fryers. Add salt, cool and debone. Save stock.

Cut and saute the following in stick of oleo (butter or margarine for those with no Southern relatives):

2 sticks celery, 1 large onion, and 1 green bell pepper.

Boil 8 ounce pkg. thin spaghetti in chicken broth.

Make white sauce: 1 pint milk, 1 stick oleo, 1/2 cup flour.

Add to white sauce: 1 lb. Velveeta cheese, 1 can Cream of Chicken soup.

Mix all ingredients and divide into lightly greased baking dish. (Joan put it at least three smallish casserole dishes.)

Crumble one box Keebler's Ched's* crackers. Mix with one stick melted oleo. Spread over top of casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly for 35-45 minutes. Can be frozen and baked later.

This makes a lot!

*I use Ritz Crackers instead but it does make it taste slightly different.

There you have it, a family treasure. I don't hold myself responsible for any weight gain or other health issues. :)

Christmas Cheesecake

2007-02-27T16:25:00.000-05:00

Here's another cheesecake recipe that can be made without a springform pan.

Christmas Cheesecake

Crust:
1/2 Cup flour
1/3 Cup butter, room temp
1/2 Cup brown sugar

Filling:
2 - 8 oz. cream cheese, soft
1/2 Cup sugar
2 large eggs
4 Tablespoons milk or cream
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Crust: Combine ingredients, pat in an ungreased 8" square (or 8" round) pan. bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven.

Filling: Combine filling ingredients, beat until smooth. Spread over the partially baked crust and put back in the oven.

Bake for 30 - 35 more minutes.

From: Goosebury Christmas

Stephanie's Pizza

2007-02-26T14:56:00.000-05:00

I made this Sunday afternoon, changing the recipe to one for the bread machine. I'll add those directions. For toppings, I used ground beef browned with lots of onions (what I had on hand); Italian blend shredded cheese, and my favorite pizza sauce. It turned out great.

I usually make one pizza with sausage, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms and another with less meat but I used the ingredients I had on hand this time.

One thing I like about this recipe, the dough rolls out to be used on a cookie sheet...thin crust that bakes just fine and not doughy at all.

Stephanie's Pizza

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups warm water

Proof 1/4 cup warm water, 2 teaspoons yeast, a little sugar

Gradually add proofed mixture to first ingredients in mixture. Add water until right consistency.

Divide dough in half, roll into 2 squares as thin as possible (I rolled mine into a rectangle the size of the cookie sheet.

Bake on bottom rack of oven at 500 degrees for 10 minutes (I found 8 min. worked better in my stove).

BREAD MACHINE:

1 cup warm water
a little sugar (optional but I think it helps the yeast)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons yeast

(I added a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to both recipes)

My bread machine instructions call for the water, sugar, and salt to be added first. Then the flour with the yeast on top. Push the dough cycle and proceed from above recipe when ready.

Brownie Swirl Cheesecake

2007-02-18T10:39:00.000-05:00

This recipe is far better made early and allowed to chill all day (or all night!). Also, I made it in a 9 x 13 dish rather than a springform pan. The only change was to lessen the final baking time.

Brownie Swirl Cheesecake

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Brownie Mix -- and ingredients it calls for
(or use your favorite brownie "from scratch recipe)

2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, room temp
1/2 C. Sugar
1 t. Vanilla
2 Eggs
1 C. Milk Chocolate Chips to melt (I used regular semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare brownie mix according to directions for chewy brownies. Spread into greased 9" springform pan (I used 9 x 13 Pyrex dish). Bake for 15 minutes. Then cool 10 minutes on wire rack.

Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add eggs, beating one at a time. Pour over brownie mix. Melt chocolate, drizzle on top. Cut through batter with knife to form a swirl or marbled affect.

Bake 350 for 35-40 minutes if in springform pan. Bake 25-30 minutes if in 9 x 13 dish.

Cool completely, best left chilled for at least a six hours.

You could make a rather thin ganache and pour it on top after it has cooled a bit. I didn't have the time to do it but it would taste great and add an additional layer of chocolate.

My favorite Crock Pot recipe

2007-02-15T21:11:00.000-05:00

This is the recipe I made for our Valentine's Day dinner. It may be the guy's favorite main dish.

Easy Crock Pot Beef and Gravy Meal

1 beef roast (I like a round rump roast but I also use chuck roasts when available, anything is good as long as it isn't too fatty)
1 onion, sliced in half
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (store brand is fine)*
1 or 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
About 1/4th a soup can of water*
Salt and Pepper to taste (I use lots of pepper)

*Two cans of soup and 1/2 can of water can be used for with a large beef roast to serve more people.

Place the roast and onion halves in the Crock Pot. (The onion will break up as it slow cooks.) Pour the Worcestershire sauce over the roast. Using a knife or spoon, remove Cream of Mushroom soup and pour it into the Crock Pot. Salt and pepper the beef (you shouldn't need much salt if you are using regular canned soup).

Swish out the soup can with just a little water, perhaps 1/4th of the can, add to Crock Pot. Cover and start on high. Check after about an hour and spoon some of the liquid over the roast.
I like to turn the roast over after a couple of hours and then turn the Crock Pot to medium for a few more hours.

About half an hour before serving, remove the roast to a plate and let sit at least twenty minutes before slicing the rump roast (a chuck roast may fall apart on its own). Scoop out most of the gravy, leaving most of the onion in the Crock Pot, and place the gravy in a saucepan to simmer until thickened (watch closely).

Pour about half a cup of water into the Crock Pot with the remaining soup mixture and onions, place sliced beef back into the Crock Pot and "stir" a bit until the beef is covered with the soup mixture.

The gravy made from this is just the BEST, wonderful over mashed potatoes.

Cooking time increases the larger the roast.

My favorite bread machine bread recipe

2007-02-11T12:40:00.000-05:00

This has been my "go to" bread recipe since I received my bread machine as a Christmas present (a very long time ago). I tweak the ingredients by who I'm making the bread for and what I'm going to use it for. If it is for my husband (who slices the bread and freezes it, getting out only enough for breakfast each day), I make it 100% freshly ground whole wheat. My son and I like it best half-whole wheat and half-King Arthur bread flour. For cinnamon rolls, I like to make it with three cups bread flour and one cup whole wheat flour. (I rarely make it with all white flour.)

If I'm using it to make a sweeter, richer, dough (for cinnamon rolls or to make dinner rolls), I use milk instead of water and use butter instead of oil. When I do this, I warm the milk up and then add the butter and honey to the warm milk to mix well.

As with any bread machine recipe, all ingredients should at least be room temperature (if not warmed a bit in the Winter).

This makes one loaf of bread or six to ten smallish cinnamon rolls.

Whole Wheat Honey Bread (also cinnamon rolls)

1 Cup and 2 T. water (just slightly above the 1 C. line)
4 Cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup honey (or a little less, or brown sugar)
2 T. shortening (I use mild olive oil or butter)
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place water, salt, honey and shortening in machine pan. Add flour and then sprinkle the yeast on top.

Put on dough cycle, will take 1 ½ hours until finished. Take out of bread machine, mold into a loaf, put in greased loaf pan. Let rise until slightly over the top of the loaf pan, slash a few times on top. Bake 30-35 min. at 350 degrees.

If making cinnamon rolls: Roll out into a rectangle, butter the dough (except about an inch at the bottom so it seals well), sprinkle with cinnamon, sprinkle with brown sugar, pat the sugar into the dough, roll up, cut into about one inch slices. Place slices in two 9" cake pans (or whatever you have, I've also put them all in a 9 x 13 dish) and let rise about 30 min..longer in cold weather.

Place into preheated 350 degree oven and bake about twelve minutes or until golden on top. Let cool a bit and frost with frosting: 1/4th cup (one-half of a stick) butter-room temp mixed with 3 cups confectioners sugar. Add just enough milk until you get the consistency you like (I like mine thinner than I'd use to frost a cake but not so thin it becomes a glaze).

Chicken Spaghetti

2007-02-10T18:18:00.000-05:00

I made this especially for my son tonight since I had just enough Velveeta left over from the dip I made for he and his friends. It is not the healthiest dish in my recipe box but it is one of his favorites.

2 - 4 chicken breasts, boned, cooked, and cubed
(Can also use leftovers from a whole, cooked chicken)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom
1 can Cream of Celery
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 cup chicken broth

8 oz. Spaghetti or linguine, cooked*

In large saucepan or a deep skillet, saute onion. Add soups, cheese, and chicken broth, stirring until cheese is melted. Combine with chicken and spaghetti (or linguine).

Place in a greased 9 x 13 dish. Bake 30 minutes at 350 (or about 40 minutes at 325)
Let cool a little before serving.

*I've also made these with cooked noodles when they were all I had.

Two lemon chess pie recipes

2007-02-08T22:31:00.000-05:00

I've been researching lemon chess pie recipes after my husband tried a piece at a restaurant and loved it. The first recipe I tried, he didn't care for. It was a traditional lemon chess pie with cornmeal in it, the pie at the restaurant was creamy.

I made this first recipe and it was much more like the creamy pie he had eaten. I'm going to try the second recipe for him soon. It also looks very interesting.

I used a frozen pie crust. I know how to make a pie crust and I do when I don't have a store bought crust handy. However, when my mother-in-law (who was famous for her pie crust) started using Pillsbury crusts...I was no longer guilty for going the quick route myself.

LEMON CHESS PIE

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
5 eggs
1/2 c. lemon juice
9" pie shell

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Pour into pie shell. Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) for 30 minutes.

It was still quite "wiggly" when I took it out of the oven. I put it in my garage to cool (it's VERY cold in my garage right now) and it firmed up nicely. We found it was better after sitting in the frig for awhile and it was better when served with whipped cream on top. Yeah, this is not a low fat dessert!

From: Cooks.com

Lemon Chess Pie

Recipe courtesy of Biltmore Estate's Deerpark Restaurant, Asheville, N.C.

Ingredients:

1/2 pkg. (15-oz.) refrigerated pie crusts
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbs. flour
5 large eggs
1/2 tsp. freshly grated lemon rind
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
whipped cream

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place one of the pie crusts in a 9-inch pie plate. Flute edges and set aside.

Combine both sugars and flour in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer until blended. Add lemon rind, lemon juice, melted butter and nutmeg. Mix well.

Pour pie filling into the prepared pie crust. Bake on lower rack of a 325-degree oven for 45 minutes. Dollop each wedge with whipped cream when the pie is cool enough to cut and serve.

Yield: One 9" pie

From: HGTV

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2007-02-08T17:05:00.000-05:00

I just tried these today and they are one of the best muffins I've ever made!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons Ovaltine (I used regular Hershey's cocoa)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a medium bowl blend the banana, oil, egg and vanilla together.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in the banana mixture until just blended. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling 3/4 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

From: Mommy, Are the Toys on Sale Blog (who got it from the Ovaltine online recipes)

My favorite chili recipe

2007-01-20T12:11:00.000-05:00

Beverly Nye's Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large can or 2 small cans tomatoes
1 can condensed cream of tomato soup (the original recipe called for 2 cans)
1 tomato soup can of water
1 large can or 2 small cans chili beans
salt, pepper, cumin to taste (original recipe called for chili powder)
(I also like to add a few dashes of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning)

Sprinkle a little salt, pepper, cumin, and Tony C.'s on ground beef and brown in a dutch oven or small stock pot. Even before the ground beef is browned completely, add onion and green pepper and saute until they are somewhat soft. Unless there is a lot of fat left after browning, I leave the drippings in the dutch oven for extra flavor.

Add the can of tomatoes, can of tomato soup, the tomato soup can filled with water, chili beans, and extra water if needed. Simmer on medium about half an hour and taste, add a little water if necessary and adjust seasons with more salt, pepper, and Tony Chachere's if you are using it. (I like it because it adds a little extra flavor when sprinkled lightly on a dish. I have two Midwestern guys who do not like too much of that kind of seasoning.) Simmer on medium about another half an hour or on low if you are serving it much later.

I like to serve it with shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Carrot Cake

2006-12-27T21:40:00.000-05:00

This recipe is from The Best of Goosebury Patch Christmas Favorites. It turned out very good and moist. The recipe calls for a 9 x 11 pan. I believe you could also put the batter in two round cake pans and check after 25-30 minutes.

Ingredients:
2 C. Sugar
2 C. Flour
2 t. Baking soda
1 t. Salt
3 t. Cinnamon
16 oz. can Crushed pineapple, well drained (the can I used was 20 oz.)
1 1/2 C. Vegetable oil
4 Eggs
3 C. Carrots, grated
1/2 C. pecans, chopped (optional, I didn't have any so I left them out)

Mix sugar, flour, soda, salt and cinnamon together...set aside (I sifted them onto parchment paper). Mix oil and eggs and beat together, add pineapple and carrots. Mix in dry ingredients, fold in pecans if you use them. Bake 30-35 min (mine took 40 min. but that may have been because I used a 20 oz. can of pineapple). Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting
1/2 C. Butter, room temp (one stick)
8 oz. Cream cheese, room temp
1 Box Powdered sugar
2 t. Vanilla

Beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Blend in powdered sugar and vanilla, beat until fluffy. Frost on cake that is completely cool.

I find cold days and baking are made for each other.

Rachel Ray's Fudge

2006-12-27T21:33:00.000-05:00

This recipe is from Rachel Ray's "30 Minutes" program on The Food Channel. She made it into a wreath by putting the condensed milk can (washed) into the middle of a round cake pan and forming the fudge around the can, into a wreath. She added green and red candied fruits to the top of the "wreath". I have made it as a wreath, in an 8" square dish, in a small loaf pan and (by working quickly) into round balls and placed in the small paper cups. Except for making them into the round balls, the entire recipe takes about ten minutes!

Ingredients:
1 Pkg. Semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz.)
1 Pkg. Milk chocolate chips (12 oz.)*
1 Can Sweetened condensed milk
1 t. Vanilla
1/2 Cup Currents**
1/4 Cup Chopped nuts (optional)

Heat condensed milk in saucepan, add chocolate chips until melted. Add vanilla, then currents and nuts (if using). Pour into a dish as the options described above.

Chill. Work quickly as fudge sets faster than you would think!

*I always use the semi-sweet chocolate chips as a base. Sometimes, instead of milk chocolate chips I will use another type--mint chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc.

**I've tried variations and the smaller currents really do work better than raisins. However, you could also use chopped raisins, dried cherries, or dried cranberries.

Homemade Mounds (base for various candies)

2006-12-27T21:31:00.000-05:00

This wondereful candy recipe is from one of Beverly Nye's cookbooks.

Knead Together:
8 oz. Package cream cheese (room temperature)
2 lb. Bag powdered sugar
Coconut (as much as you can knead in)
(You will also need two packages dipping chocolate later)

I mix these together with my stand mixer and get about half a large package of coconut mixed in.*

Add:
1/2 teaspoon almond extract -or-
1 teaspoon vanilla extract -or- (and this is what I often do)
Put in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to the mixture, take about 1/2 of the mixture out of the bowl, add 1/2 or 1 teaspoon of mint extract to the mixture remaining in the bowl.

You can experiment with other extracts. I've used maple extract and kneaded in some chopped nuts. I've also used orange extract. (I wonder what cherry extract would taste like...yum.)

Roll mixture into balls and dip into dipping chocolate. I use a spoon and a fork for this (or you can use professional candy equipment). I bring up the ball from the chocolate and "roll" it onto a fork where the excess can drip through a bit. Then I place it on parchment paper (foil will do just fine, too, you just need something easy to peel off the candy). The dipping chocolate hardens quickly so I find it best to melt just half a package in a small bowl at a time.

*If Beverly was just making mint candy, she would leave out the coconut. Since this recipe makes a large amount, I like to make it all at once and just add the mint extract to the remaining "Mounds" ingredients and make them into patties instead of a round ball...works great, too.

You can really use your creativity with this recipe by changing the extracts around, mixing in finely chopped nuts, before dipping the ball in chocolate you can push a walnut or pecan half in the ball, you can knead in dried or candied fruit (chopped finely)...lots of great things to do with the Mounds recipe as a base.

The base recipe can be made one or two days in advance, just keep it in an airtight container or a bowl that has been tightly sealed with plastic wrap then form and dip into the chocolate when you have time. I made my base on Saturday and wasn't able to form them and dip them until yesterday (Thursday).

You can also make the candy into the balls or patties, place undipped candy on a plate (or cookie sheet if your freezer is big enough), set timer for thirty minutes. Take out the candy and pour into zip-lock bag and freeze. (Ask me why you have to set the timer???) This recipe makes a lot of candy so I dipped only part of them yesterday (using only one package of dipping chocolate) and froze the rest to use as gifts later. All you will have to do is dip them into the chocolate.

You can make these look like a fancy gift by placing individual candies in tiny paper cups and placing them in a tin. It looks uptown for a very small price. I have never had to refrigerate the candy, even with the cream cheese base. It's probably the two pounds of confectioners sugar that preserves it.

Tulip Time Brownies

2006-12-27T21:26:00.000-05:00

This recipe is also known by a few other names, including Texas Sheet Cake.

Use a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan, well buttered (or sprayed with something like Pam).

In large saucepan, boil for about thirty seconds while whisking, then let cool:

1 cup butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup water

Mix together: 2 cups flour and 2 cups sugar--in large bowl. Add the cooled cocoa mixture.

Combine together and then add to the above:

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour into jelly roll pan and bake at 375 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes. Frost (recipe follows) when WARM.

Frosting

Heat slowly in large saucepan:

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup cocoa
6 Tablespoons milk

Add: 1 box confectioners sugar (or about four cups)

Pour over warm cake. Let cake cool completely before serving. Cake stores well and travels well.

*You can sprinkle finely chopped pecans over all or part of the cake if desired, right after pouring on the frosting.

(When serving this in the hot weather, I like to refrigerate it and then serve cold. It sounds different but it is very good.)

Puppy Chow

2006-12-27T21:25:00.001-05:00

1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt ingredients together.

Add:

7 cups Rice or Corn chex*

Stir well.

Pour into a grocery sack (or other large bag): 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Add Chex mix and shake well.

I find it good to pour mixture into a colander and shake excess powdered sugar off as much as possible.

*I prefer to use Crispex cereal instead, especially if I can get it on sale. This year I used half Rice Chex and half Corn chex since they were what I found at a great price.

Thanksgiving Recipes #1

2006-11-16T19:49:00.001-05:00

Mamaw's Dressing Recipe

Dry one large loaf white bread overnight. When dry, break up into a big bowl.

In large skillet, melt two sticks of butter. Add one chopped onion and a few stocks of celery, sliced. Slowly cook just until veggies are soft.

Pour everything into bowl. Whisk one egg and pour into bowl or mix egg into broth below and pour in together.

Mush all together along with 1 to 2 T. poultry seasoning. Add salt, and pepper (to taste).

Pour in just enough broth to make moist. (I end up using about 2 cups.)

Place into 9 x 12" buttered dish. Bake until brown, about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Wash Hands!!!

Broccoli Casserole

2 Boxes frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 Stick butter-soft
1/2 Stick butter-melted
1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese
1/4 lb. (one sleeve) Ritz Crackers, crushed

Cook broccoli, drain. Add softened butter and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

Place in a 9 x 13 pan.

Mix crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle on broccoli mixture.

Bake 350 degrees for 20-30 min.

Slow cooked chicken sandwich

2006-11-15T19:43:00.000-05:00

I made this today, trying to think of something I could slow cook while taking a Benedryl induced nap. It worked great and I will add this to my monthly menus.

1 package deboned chicken thighs
1 can Cream of Chicken soup (or similar homemade cream sauce)
1/2 soup can of water
Mrs. Dash to taste
Pinch or two of salt

If I were serving this over potatoes or noodles, I'd add sliced mushrooms.

Place deboned chicken thighs baking dish, with a cover (or 9 x 11 dish and cover with foil).

Pour soup and water on top of chicken and add seasonings. No need to stir before baking.

Cover and slow bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Serve in sandwiches.

This would also be good with a little sour cream added at the end and served over biscuits, mashed potatoes or noodles.

Recipe easily doubled and I expect it would work perfectly in a slow cooker.

Lemon Bars & Dream Bars

2006-11-02T08:20:00.000-05:00

These two cookies were first posted on Coffee, Tea, Books and Me and I wanted to make sure they are here, ready to be used for holiday festivities. Both of these bar cookies are easy and delicious.

Dream Bars

¼ cup shortening
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup flour

Mix together and pat in bottom of square pan. (I used 9 x 13, they were a little flat but baked fine.) Bake 10 min. at 325 degrees.

Then prepare the following:

2 tbsp. Flour
¼ tsp. Salt
1 cup flaked Coconut (I used 1 ½ cups)
1 tsp. Vanilla
½ tsp. Baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used ½ cup of chopped pecans)
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar

Sift flour, salt, and baking powder over nuts and coconut. In a separate bowl, mix 2 eggs and 1 cup brown sugar and vanilla and add to first mixture. Spread evenly over baked crust. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 325 degrees.

Lemon Bars
1 cup flour
½ cup butter
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour and salt, mix lightly. Pat into a greased baking dish (she used 10” square). Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Combine and pour over hot crust at once.

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. lemon juice and grated rind of half a lemon

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon on top ¾ cup powdered sugar mixed with juice of one-half lemon (approx. 1 tablespoon).

I let the bars cool and then cut them into squares, cutting the sides in about 1/4^th inch on each side to make them all even. We got to eat those side pieces.

Christmas cookies

2006-11-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the tried and true Christmas cookie recipes I've used over the years. I'll be adding more soon.

I always use real unsalted butter in my cookies (unless a recipe calls for margarine or butter flavored Crisco). I also only use pure extracts (never use imitation vanilla if you want a good quality baked item). I prefer King Arthur flour most of the year but at Christmas, when I am doing a lot of baking, I will also use Gold Medal flour with excellent results.

Jewel Cookies

2 Cups flour
1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 Cup white sugar
2 Large egg yolks

Filling: Cherry or Apricot preserves (can also use nuts, Hershey's kiss, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolks just until blended. Add flour, again just until blended. Break off walnut size piece and roll into a ball. Flatten each ball with thumb in middle, making an indentation. Fill with preserves.

Bake on greased cookie sheet 20 to 25 minutes.

Butterballs (from The Silver Palate Cookbook)

1 Stick butter, room temp
3 T. honey
1 Cup flour
1/2 t. salt
1 T. vanilla extract
1 Cup pecans, chopped somewhat fine
3/4 Cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease cookie sheets.

Cream butter, beat in honey. Gradually mix in flour and salt, then vanilla...add pecans. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.

Form balls by hand, the size of a quarter. Place 2" apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake 35-40 minutes.

Remove from oven, as soon as cool to the touch, roll in conf. sugar. Cool completely and roll in conf. sugar again.

Chocolate Chip Brickle Bars (From Christmas-Cookies.com)

1/2 Cup (one stick) butter, room temp
1 1/2 Cups graham cracker crumbs
14 oz. Can sweetened condensed milk
6 oz. almond brickle chips (like Skors)
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Cup chopped nuts (sometimes I use coconut instead)

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter in 9 x 13" dish in the preheated oven. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter, pour condensed milk over the crumbs. Sprinkle brickle chips, chocolate chips and nuts (I like to put nuts on half the mixture, coconut on the other half to please both guys in my family). Press down firmly.

Bake until lightly browned, 20 - 25 minutes. Let cool. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature.

Cherry/Chocolate/Toffee Chip Cookies (from Martha Stewart's TV show)

1 1/2 Cup flour
1 t. baking soda
1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 Cups sugar
3/4 Cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 Cup quick oats

1 Cup EACH: Dried Cherries, Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Chunks, Skor's Toffee Bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine flour and soda (sift if you have a sifter), set aside. Cream butter and both sugars until fluffy. Then add egg and vanilla. Combine with flour. Add oatmeal and then the dried cherries, chocolate and toffee.

The original recipe called for dough to be divided into 3 logs, rolled in plastic wrap, chilled and then sliced and baked. I still do this if I'm going to freeze the dough but I found that time consuming and the dough tended to crumble when I cut it (which it doesn't do when frozen).

However, I have had great success with dropping dough by teaspoons (I actually use a little cookie scoop purchased from Target) onto baking sheet and baked 8 - 10 minutes.

Everyone I give these cookies to love them.

Rasberry Truffle Brownies (From Country Woman magazine)

1/2 Cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 Cup chocolate chips
2 eggs
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1 t. instant coffee
2 T. water
1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 Cup flour

Filling
1 Cup chocolate chips
1 8 oz. Package cream cheese - room temp
1/4 Cup confectioners sugar
1/3 Cup seedless rasberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In heavy saucepan, melt butter and chocolate chips over low heat. Cool.

In large bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar. Dissolve coffee crystals in water and add to egg mixture with the melted chocolate. Mix well.

Combine baking powder and flour, stir into chocolate mixture. Pour into 9" well greased square dish and bake 30-35 minutes. Cool.

For filling: Melt chocolate chips and cool. Beat cream cheese until smooth, add conf. sugar and jam. Stir in cooled melted chocolate chips. Spread over cooled brownies.

Chill very well before cutting for filling to get firm. Store in the refrigerator.

This is amazing...rich but amazing.

Just the best cookies!

2006-10-18T17:22:00.002-04:00

I found this recipe in a book a few weeks ago and I tried it soon after. I "kind of" liked it but there were changes I knew would make it better. After trying the changes today, I've got to say this is the BEST cookie. It's even better than my chocolate chip cookies and people love them.

This makes a huge batch of cookies. I had enough to send to a young friend at University and plenty to fill our cookie jar. My huge stand mixer strained at this big batch. I suggest mixing wet ingredients with a mixer and then mix in dry ingredients by hand in very large bowl.

Added: Yes, recipe can easily be cut in half! Also, I have made this with all butter and no margarine.

Cowboy Cookies

1 cup (two sticks) margarine, room temp
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 cups unbleached flour
4 cups quick (not instant) oatmeal, uncooked
3 cups chocolate chips (I used 1 pkg. regular choc. chips and 1/2 pkg. mini chocolate chips)
1 cup coconut
1 cup Heath english toffee bits (or chopped nuts, I used the toffee bits)

Whip margarine, butter, and sugar untill fluffy. Add eggs and then vanilla.

Whisk together in large bowl... flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Mix into cream mixture. Add oats, then remaining ingredients.

Scoop out onto cookie sheet (I use a small cookie scoop but I expect a tablespoon would do just fine.)

Bake 7 - 10 minutes, until lightly golden on top. My oven took ten minutes.

Chicken Special

2006-09-23T14:11:00.000-04:00

This recipe was originally posted on my main blog. It is from Gladys Taber's book called Still Meadow Cookbook.

Chicken Special

4 split chicken breasts
(I’m sure this would work with deboned chicken breasts, reducing cooking time)
butter
1 pkg. cream of leek soup
1 1/2 cups of milk or half and half (may need more later)
1 can mushrooms (optional)

Brown chicken in butter just until golden. In a saucepan, combine soup and milk, just until boiling, stir constantly. Pour over chicken.

Simmer 30 minutes

Add the mushrooms, liquid and all. If not using mushrooms, you may need to add another 1/2 cup milk or half and half. Simmer another 15 minutes.

She said the chicken should be "butter tender".

Indian Fry Bread

2006-09-17T17:57:00.000-04:00

My daughter called for this recipe this afternoon. I thought I'd post it now, since it is already typed for sending in an e-mail.

I made this often when she was growing up. I still make it once in awhile. The recipe is inexpensive and makes a wonderful treat on a cool day. You just have to watch the little ones when frying and yourself (ask me how I know...ouch!).

Indian Fry Bread

4 C. flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 C. sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package yeast (1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons bulk yeast)
2 C. warm water

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the water, work into flour mixture.

Pat the dough into approx. 1" thicknesses (any thicker and it doesn't cook in the middle) - use extra flour to avoid stickiness. Cut dough with 3" biscuit cutter.

Heat oil and when hot, fry pieces of dough until brown. Turn and fry the other side.

Do not let oil get too hot or bread will cook on the outside and be doughy on the inside.

Drain and immediately toss in either conf. sugar or a cinnamon-sugar mixture. (Or, it can be left plain and served with butter and jelly.)

There is no rising time in this recipe. They "puff" in the hot oil.

Sunday Dinner -- Cold weather favorites

2006-09-16T10:54:00.000-04:00

It's going to be warm in the Midwest today but cool weather is just around the corner. I had to blink a couple of times when I saw our end-of-the-week forecast. It's almost sweater time! Here are a few of my favorite meals for cooler weather.

Most of these recipes came from friends and they are made often in the Winter. I make a "hearty" meal like these two or three times a week and I serve soup for dinner at least twice. Since we usually have cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, I'll also serve breakfast-for-dinner once in awhile.

Strombolis

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 to 1 stick butter
Paprika and/or Lawry's seasoned salt

Mix together and set aside.

1 lb. or more Hamburger (according to how many you have to feed)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon fennel
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or simply basil, oregano, etc.)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

4 - 6 buns to serve three or four people. Recipe can very easily be increased.

Brown meat. Add onion, tomato sauce, ketchup, parm. cheese, and sices. Cook approx. 20 minutes. Brush buns with the garlic butter mix. Spoon meat onto buns. Sprinkle with cheese. Wrap each bun with foil. (They can be frozen at this point and baked later.) If you want to make ahead to serve later that day, just be sure to spread garlic butter mix on both buns to keep them from getting soggy.

If not frozen, heat 15 min. in 350 degree oven.

Peek-A-Boo Stew
(former called No Peek Stew but young daughter changed it)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

1 - 2 pounds of round steak, cut into cubes (or buy stew meat)
3 - 4 potatoes sliced (I wash them and leave the skin on for nutrients)
3 - 4 sliced carrots
2 sliced celery stocks
1 - 2 sliced onions
Tomato juice to cover (I often use a large can of Italian style tomatoes instead)
2 - 3 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca (original recipe called for this but I rarely have it in the pantry)

Oil or butter a 9 x 13 dish. Layer the ingredients in order given, starting with the meat. Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 2 - 3 hours. After two hours, I usually turn the oven down to 300 if I'm keeping it in a full three hours. I have also baked this for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

Chicken Pot Pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cooked chicken, shredded
1 large package of frozen mixed vegetables
1 - 2 potatoes, cooked and sliced (this was not in the original recipe but I always add them)
1 small can chicken broth (or one pint homemade chicken broth)
Flour, butter, salt, ground coriander, garlic powder, onion powder
1 pie crust, homemade or Pillsbury

Defrost vegetables completely (I leave in frig all day) or cook them, drain any water completely. Make a roux with butter, flour, spices and broth by melting butter, stir in flour and spices, when they thicken, add broth and whisk until lumps are gone.

It's hard to know exact measurements but I'll guess at 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 stick butter, 1/4 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon salt if using unsalted broth (don't add any salt at this time if using salted broth), 1 teaspoon garlic powder and one teaspoon onion powder. After you make it the first time, you can adjust ingredients. I actually use slightly more coriander because I like the taste. It was in the original recipe.

In deep pie pan or 9" deep cake pan (I have also used a round casserole dish), layer chicken, then cooked potatoes (they must be cooked ahead or they won't be done by baking time), and the vegetables. Press down if they are too near the top. Pour liquid mixture over these ingredients. Place pie crust on top and press edge onto side of cooking pan to keep it from shrinking. Poke top a few times with sharp knife to let out steam when baking.

Bake 45 minutes to one hour. Watch that crust does not get burned. Let set a little before serving to cool (about ten to fifteen minutes). There are never any leftovers when I make this.

Chicken Chimichanga

Preheat oven to 475 degrees

2 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (approx.)
1/2 cup taco sauce
1/2 cup chopped onions (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 flour tortillas
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Combine chicken, taco sauce, onion and salt. Simmer five minutes.

Brush one side of tortilla with butter. Spoon about 1/8th meat mixture onto unbuttered side. Roll up after putting cheese on mixture. Plate seam side down in 9 x 13 dish (well greased)

Bake 10 to 13 minutes. Serve with sides you would use for taco dishes.

Yes, your hands will get messy putting this together but it's a delicious dish. You can add other items like green chilis, too. This was given to me by a former pastor's wife who took it to pot lucks.

Chicken Tacos

3 pounds chicken or turkey, cooked and shredded*
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons onion owder
1 package taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups broth (water can be used but it's not as tasty)
Taco shells
Cheese, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, taco sauce

Combine meat, salt, onion powder, taco seasoning together. Then add the broth. Simmer about half an hour.

Serve in taco shells with cheese and veggies to taste.

*My friend who gave this recipe to me is married to a Hispanic man and had a big family. She would simmer a whole chicken to use for this recipe. When turkeys are inexpensive, she'd simmer a turkey in her stock pot instead. It's also a good way to use up extra turkey already baked.

Chicken Enchiladas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 whole chicken, cooked (or 4 chicken breasts, cooked) and meat shredded
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 small jar taco sauce
10 - 13 flour tortillas
12 oz. package shredded cheese (cheddar, colby, jack, whatever you like)

Combine cooked chicken, soup, sour cream and taco sauce in a pan. Heat until warm, blend well.

The original recipe calls for quick frying shells to make them hot and soft, drain. I have used them without cooking but quick frying does gives a better taste and texture. It just takes more time and has more fat. It's worth it once in awhile, though.

Fille middle of each tortilla with mixture, roll up.

Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 dish. Pour remaining sauce over them. Top with cheese. Bake until heatd through and cheese is melted. (I'd say 15 to 20 minutes)

This is another recipe given to me by a friend who took it to pot lucks we attended.

Cheesy Brat Stew and Oatmeal/Cherry/Toffee Cookies

2006-09-14T20:54:00.000-04:00

Here are two more of my recipes transferred from my regular blog. The cheesy brat stew is one of my son's favorite meals. He burns off all calories! The cookie recipe is a former Martha Stewart "Cookie of the Week". I used to make it only at Christmas but now I make it more often (dried cherries are cheaper than they used to be).

Cheesy Brat Stew

1 1-lb. Polish Sausage
I use Polish Sausage but original recipe was 6 fully cooked Brats
4 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and cubed
1 16-ounce can cut green beans, drained
1 103/4-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
I have also used an 8 oz. pkg. of Velveeta when I was out of cheese
1 small onion, chopped

Combine everything and place in a 3 quart casserole. If I'm substituting Velveeta, I combine it first with the soup and then add the remaining ingredients.

Bake covered in a 350 oven for about 45 minutes or untill heated through.

Makes 8 servings unless you are serving my guys.

Honest, I usually do cook healthier meals but this is one of their comfort foods.

Oatmeal/Cherry/Toffee Cookies

1 1/2 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 C. butter, room temperature
3/4 C. granulated white sugar
3/4 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 C. each: dried cherries, chocolate chips, Skor's toffee bits
1 1/2 C. oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift flour and baking soda. Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Combine with flour mixture.
Add oatmeal, then dried cherries, chocolate chips and toffee.

Drop by teapoons on cookie sheet and bake 8-10 min.*

*The original recipe called for the dough to be divided into three logs, rolled in plastic wrap, chilled, then sliced and baked. I found this caused the cookies to crumble but it did make it easy to freeze and bake later.

My pancake recipe

2006-09-14T17:46:00.000-04:00

Here is the pancake recipe originally on my main blog. I made these this morning and sprinkled blueberries on some and finely chopped pecans on others.

Republished to add: This is also a Beverly Nye recipe

My Favorite Pancakes
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cups oil (I use canola or mild olive oil)
4 eggs
2 cups flour (it holds up well to all whole wheat flour)
2 t. soda
1 t. baking powder
dash salt
(I also add a teapoon...or two...of vanilla to the wet ingredients)

Mix wet ingredients very well then add flour mixture. Mix only until blended, there will still be some lumps. If it is too thick, you can add a little milk.

I put about a ladle at a time on a hot skillet. Of course, ladles come in different sizes! I find it easier to make a few smaller pancakes then one big one. They are difficult to turn. When bubbles start coming up around the edges and the pancake is somewhat firm in the middle, they can be flipped onto their other side.

To add fruit or nuts, ladle batter onto hot skillet. Sprinkle with fruit or nuts. When bubbles start popping up and center of the pancake looks firm, turn pancakes over and cook until finished on the other side. If you are using frozen fruit (like frozen blueberries), it takes a little while longer to cook well enough to turn the pancake.

Coffee Tea Books and Recipes

Beverly Nye's "rich" brownies

My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe

Possum Pie

Directions

Jerusalem Salad

Hummus

Lentil soup with bacon

Cowboy Casserole

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

Creamy cheese dessert - parfait

Butterflied chicken

Very easy and yummy lasagna

Basil Vinegar

Chocolate chip peanut butter cookies

Homemade Nilla Wafers

Roasted Cauliflower

Oriental chicken spareribs

Cream Puff Bars

Cherry cheesecake pie

Easy pumpkin muffins

Favorite Christmas recipes

Blond Brownies

Christmas Jam

Directions:

Canned Pie Filling

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Freezing Zuchinni

Freezing corn

Salmon Patties

Sauteed corn

A couple frozen desserts

Peoria Rhubarb Cream Pie

Rasberry Truffle Brownies

Ingredients:

Directions:

Cheesecake (baked in 9 x 13 dish)

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Kentucky Sugar Cream Pie

Sugar Cream Pie

Baked Brie

Fun pretzel "candy"

Homemade cocoa mix

Muffins My Way

Dutch Apple Pie

Chicken and Dressing Casserole

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Bars

Kentucky Peach Pie

Weight Watchers Pineapple Angel Food Cake

Jean's Peach Pie (Cobbler)

Cucumber Sandwiches

Cheese Shrimp Ball

Lentil Salad

Hamburger Dip

Snickerdoodles

Heloise's Mom's Potato Salad

Oriental Slaw

1,2,3,4 Cake

Shrimp Salad for sandwiches

Ingredients

Directions

1 Cut shrimp up and transfer to a bowl.

2 Add eggs, celery, and mayonnaise and mix well.

3 Add seasonings, to taste, and stir to combine.

4 Spread additional mayonnaise on both sides of bread.

5 Heap shrimp salad onto bread and then cut sandwiches in half.

6 Serve with lettuce and tomato, if desired.

Key Lime Squares

Baked Chicken & Stuffing

German Chocolate Cookies

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Cranberry Orange Scones

Cinnamon chip scones

Cowboy cookies for the Feingold diet

Quick and Easy "Quiche"

Beverly Nye's Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

Beverly Nye's "Basic Mints"

Mamaw's Marvelous Lemon Pound Cake

Oatmeal Coriander Cookies