Doskogirl

Hummingbird Cake

2022-05-10T11:55:00.005-05:00

Hummingbird Cake
Hummingbird Cake
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 C vegetable oil
1-1/2 t vanilla extract
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
2 c chopped bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1 c chopped pecans, toasted
Vegetable shortening

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 c butter, softened

2 (16-oz.) packages powdered sugar

2 t vanilla abstract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans.

Divide batter evenly among well-greased (with shortening) and floured cake pans. (Traditional cake is made in 3 layers in 9 in round pans.)

Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, about 1 hour.

Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Place first cake layer on a serving platter; spread top with 1 cup of the frosting. Top with second layer, and spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with third layer, and spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Decorate top with pecan halves, chopped pecans or garnish of choice.

My Mom’s birthday is May 12th. I made this Hummingbird Cake for her in 2020. It turned out to be the last birthday and Mother’s Day we would celebrate with her. I think it was the most beautiful cake I ever baked for her.

I decorated it with mint and Gladiolus from our yard. It took me all morning to make it, and the process gave me a deeper appreciation for those who make cakes professionally!

I think it was the first Hummingbird cake I ever baked. My Aunt Virginia used to be the one in the family that made them for our gatherings. It has always been one of our favorites, but it was Virginia’s specialty. I’m so glad I made it for Mom.

I decorated the cake with mint and Gladiolus from our yard. It took me all morning to make it, and the process gave me a deeper appreciation for those who make cakes professionally!

I researched before decorating with gladiolus and discovered that the flowers are edible! That’s a fun fact although I haven’t tried them! I’ll stick to enjoying them for their beauty!

Note: The traditional recipe uses 3- 8 inch baking pans. I used 2- 9 inch square pans.

Walnut Blondies

2021-02-06T09:12:00.000-06:00

Walnut Blondies

1 C butter, softened

2 eggs

2 C brown sugar, packed

2 t vanilla extract

2 2/3 C all-purpose flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pan with cooking spray.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Add the flour mixture and nuts until well blended but do not overmix. Spread evenly in prepared 9x13 inch pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed.

Cool slightly and cut into squares.

I lined my pan with parchment paper and sprayed the parchment with cooking spray.

The batter will be thick. I used an offset spatula to spread it into the pan.

When baked, the surface will become a bit more smooth.

After cooling for a few minutes, I removed the blondies from the pan and cut them into pieces with a pizza cutter.

Walnuts are perfect for these Blondies. Feel free to substitute with your nut of choice or make them without nuts.

The flaky crust on top will melt in your mouth!

Beef and Vegetable Soup with Acini di Peppi

2020-10-02T07:54:00.000-05:00

Beef and Vegetable Soup with Acini di Peppi

1 lb beef stew meat in small cubes

1 large onion, diced

3 carrots, peeled and cubed

5 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/3 C fresh celery leaves and tender celery, minced

1 32 oz Beef Broth

1 28 oz can diced Tomatoes

1 6 oz can tomato paste

2 C water

1 T Italian seasoning

1 T salt

1 t dried basil

1 t sugar

1/2 t pepper

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t Montreal steak seasoning

1/3 C Acini di Peppi pasta

In large pot, sear beef in 2 T vegetable oil. After beef is seared on all sides, add diced onion and stir. Cook a few minutes until onion has softened. Add carrots, potatoes, celery, beef broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and seasonings. Cook on medium heat about 15 minutes and then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. When carrots are desired consistency, add pasta and cook 10 minutes until pasta is done.

Add more water if needed. Taste and add more salt as needed before serving.

This is a hearty and flavorful soup. It is good served with cornbread.

Acini di Pepe is a fun pasta to serve in soups. When cooked, it forms into little balls. If you cannot find this pasta, add another type of pasta or rice instead.

We usually have cornbread with this soup but at other times, we just have saltine crackers. Enjoy!

Pecan Tassies

2020-08-22T17:40:00.002-05:00

Pecan Tassies

Filling for Tassies

1 large egg

1 C brown sugar

1 T butter, softened

1 recipe Cream Cheese Tart Pastry

1 t vanilla

pinch of salt

1-1/4 C pecans, finely chopped

Mix filling ingredients. Line small muffin tins with pastry. Place 1 teaspoon filling in each tart shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes 15-20 tassies.

Cream Cheese Tart Pastry

1-3 ounce package cream cheese

1 C flour

1/2 C butter

Mix pastry ingredients by hand. For tarts, shape dough into one-inch balls and press each into ungreased muffin tins of the smallest size. Press dough with thumb or tart tamper to cover sides of tins. Fill with favorite filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool and remove from pans. Makes 15-20 mini pies or crust for 1 9-inch pie. (If fillings do not need to be cooked, prebake unfilled tart shells at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.) Cool before filling.

My sister-in-law, Annette makes the best Pecan Tassies I have ever eaten! Whenever our family has a wedding or baby shower or other gathering for a celebration, she bring them! She recently made a big batch of them to give to her son on his birthday. I am so glad to have her recipe. For some reason, I thought Pecan Tassies were like baby pecan pies. I see now that the tart pastry is different than regular pie crust. It must be the cream cheese that makes such a wonderful difference.

Annette told me she uses a tart tamper instead of her fingers when molding the pastry into the mini muffin tins. It makes them more uniform and really saves time. The day I got that tip from her, I ordered this one below online for myself! She uses a Pampered Chef one she bought nearly 20 years ago. She said she dips it in flour before each "smush" of the dough into the muffin tins. She said it is fantastic! I wish I had waited and ordered one from Pampered Chef instead of mine but I'm hoping mine will work just as well.

She also told me that when she is making them for parties, she triples the recipe for the filling and quadruples the tart pastry.

This is a photo of Annette's Pampered Chef Mini Tart Shaper.

I am so glad to have this recipe! The ones pictured below were baked by Annette for my daughter-in-law's wedding shower last year. They always made such a nice presentation on a table!

Peanut Butter Chewies

2020-08-21T16:49:00.001-05:00

Peanut Butter Chewies

1 C sugar

1 C Karo Light Corn Syrup

2 C creamy peanut butter

7 C cornflakes cereal

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a large pot. Heat until sugar has dissolved. Do not let boil. After sugar has melted, remove from heat. Add peanut butter and stir. Add cereal and stir. Using a scoop, form into balls using about 2 tablespoons of mixture for each ball. Place on parchment paper. Let cool before serving. Store remainder in an airtight container. Makes approximately 36 balls.

These are a quick no-bake treat to make in minutes!

I couldn't resist this one while I was forming the rest of the batch into balls. It was warm and I had a cold glass of milk with it! Yum, yum, yum!

If you like peanut butter and chewy treats, this one is for you! My Mom said she wants me to add some salted peanuts in my next batch. I think I'll try that!

Hot Pepper Jelly

2020-08-13T19:11:00.007-05:00

Hot Pepper Jelly

3 or 4 medium bell peppers in different colors, seeded and finely chopped (about 3 cups)

10 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (about 1 cup)

1 C Cider vinegar

1 box Sure Jell Fruit Pectin

1/2 t butter

5 C sugar, measured in separate bowl

Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

Place peppers in 6 or 8 quart saucepot. Add vinegar. Stir in Sure Jell. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladel immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with lid and screw band on tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.

This recipe makes about 6 cups of jelly.

Notes: I use my food processor to dice the peppers. I pulse the processor so that I can make sure the peppers are the right consistency and don't get pulverized too much.

Also, when using a canner for a water bath, my Mother-in-law taught me to add a couple of pot holders in the bottom of the canner to elevate it before lowering the basket of jars into the canner!

I like to use several colors of peppers for this jelly. If you like you jelly hotter, leave in a few of the jalapeño seeds.

I make this jelly in 4 ounce jars. That is a good size to have for a charcuterie board or to spread over a block of cream cheese. The golden color of the jelly is beautiful!

I took some of this jelly on our recent trip to Breckenridge, Colorado. One night, we had a snack supper with summer sausage, fruits, cheeses and crackers. I spread the jelly on a block of cream cheese. Our snack supper was enjoyed by everyone!

I left the jar with the remaining jelly on the plate in case someone wanted to spread it on the summer sausage or have it on a cracker without cheese.

This is my favorite recipe for using jalapeños in jelly!

Annette's Banana Pudding

2020-08-03T17:33:00.001-05:00

Annette's Banana Pudding

1 large - 5.1 ounce Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

3 C milk

1 - 14 ounce can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 large - 16 ounce Cool Whip Frozen Whipped Topping

5 -6 bananas

Vanilla Wafer cookies

In large bowl, whisk together pudding mix and 3 cups of milk until all mix is incorporated. Whisk in condensed milk. Whisk in whipped topping last.

In serving bowl, spoon 1 C of pudding mix into bottom of bowl. Add 1 layer of sliced bananas. Top with vanilla wafer cookies. Repeat layers ending with pudding layer on top. Place additional cookies around edges for decoration. Cool for at least an hour before serving.

This is the banana pudding recipe my sister-in-law, Annette uses. She makes it for many of our family gatherings, by request! She was even asked to make it for our nephew's wedding reception with several hundred guests. I had never seen a bowl of pudding that big!

This pudding is light and fluffy and is a treat! I'm glad I finally have the recipe. Thank you Annette for sharing!

We recently spent a week in Breckenridge, Colorado with family. We stayed at a lodge and loved being together. We cooked meals, played games, painted rocks, fished for trout and enjoying being in the mountains. I made this pudding the first night we arrived. Maya, our relatives's Alaskan Malamute was my lip-smacking assistant! She watched every move I made. She has the sweetest disposition. I loved being around her during our stay.

This recipe makes a large bowl full of pudding. We had game night at our lodge after our meal and then served this pudding during our game time. It was enjoyed by everyone!

JALAPENO RANCH DRESSING

2020-08-03T16:52:00.003-05:00

Jalapeño Ranch Dressing

Our lunch today was bacon lettuce tomato avocado sandwiches with Jalapeño Ranch Dressing. Here is how I made the dressing:

Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

1/3 C buttermilk

1/4 C mayonnaise

1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded

1/4 t fresh garlic

1 T onion

1 T lime juice

1/2 C fresh cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in food processor and serve. For a thicker spread, add more mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

This is great as a sandwich spread, salad dressing, or dip for vegetables.

Note: I didn't have buttermilk on hand so I added 1 T fresh lemon juice to 2% milk and let it sit 10 minutes before finishing the recipe.

My husband said he would eat a salad every day if I would make this dressing to go on it!

Key Lime Pie

2020-07-05T20:46:00.002-05:00

Key Lime Pie

Graham cracker crust:

1-1/2 C graham cracker crumbs

1/3 C granulated sugar

6 T butter, melted

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Press the crumb mixture in a 8 or 9-1/2 inch pie pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

Pie filling:

28 oz sweetened condensed milk

1/2 C light sour cream

3/4 C key lime juice

Zest from 2 regular limes or 4 key limes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest in a medium bowl. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust and bake for 10 minutes.

Let pie cool slightly before chilling. Chill for 3 hours before serving.

Whipped cream topping:

1 C heavy whipping cream

1/2 C powdered sugar

1 t vanilla extract

Beat heavy cream and sugar together in a mixer until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Dollop or pipe onto cooled pie. Top with additional lime zest if desired.

This recipe was given to me by my cousin, Gay. She made it for a family gathering we had several months ago. It was a fiesta themed party and we even had a piñata for fun! This dessert was the perfect ending to our fiesta. I like this pie because it is not too sweet. It is really creamy and I like that as well. Gay said she always makes the whipped cream instead of using prepared whipped cream topping. Maybe that is the special touch that sets this pie apart from the others. I'm so glad to have this recipe. You will be too when you try it!

Let me tell you a little about my cousin, Gay. She is a year younger than me and we grew up only 10 miles apart. We spent every childhood moment we could together and loved to explore out in the country. We spent summer days and nights with my Grandparents and read every Nancy Drew book together one summer. We would play all morning and as we rested in the afternoon, we would get on a big bed and read the set of Nancy Drew mysteries that had belonged to her mother and our Aunt Glenna when they were about our age at the time. Those were magical days!

We have a always remained close and have never had a cross word with each other. She is so talented! This photo was painted by her years ago in a closet in her home under the staircase. It was an adorable little room for her children to learn to dream and be creative. Her creative mind never stops. She loves doing mosaics and is a Master Naturalist and Master Gardener as well! Now, I'm adding pie maker as one of her skills!

To know Gay is to love her! Here are a few more things about her below:

She made this mosaic bird made from old dishes.

She has a free little library in her yard!

Her imagination is whimsical! My favorite place in her yard is her little fairy door and courtyard. It is so precious! I'm working on getting my brother to make a door for me so that I can have a little fairyland at the base of our pecan tree!

Now you know a little about my cousin. I hope some thoughts of her pop into your mind as you make this key lime pie using her recipe!

Tostones (Fried Green Plantains)

2020-07-05T03:55:00.000-05:00

Tostones

2 green plantains

1 C vegetable or canola oil, or as needed

1 C water

2 cloves garlic, minced ( I used garlic powder)

1 t salt

1 lime

Peel or cut the skin off outer skin of plantain being careful not to slice into inner portion. Cut plantains into 1 inch thick pieces.

Combine water, garlic, salt and lime in medium bowl. Set aside.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add plantain slices to oil. Fry the plantains until softened and golden, about 4 minutes on each side, turning gently with tongs. Transfer to paper towel after cooking.

Using the bottom of a glass or bowl, gently flatten each fried plantain. If flattened too much, they will break apart during second cooking. Dip each flattened plantain into garlic-lime water for about 10 seconds. Remove from water and pat dry.

Cook second time in medium high heat oil until crisp, about one minute on each side. Transfer to paper towel after cooking and sprinkle with a little salt before serving.

the plantains will stand up in the oil during the first cook.

This is how they should look after first cook.

The second cook goes more quickly. Be gentle when turning over so that they will not break apart.

The plantains should be crispy brown when done.

Sprinkle with salt before serving.

We served our tostones with Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche

My cousin Rhonda introduced us to tostones a few weeks ago when she invited us over for an Ecuadorian meal. She lived in Ecuador as a child. She had made them perfectly and when I ate mine with the ceviche, it reminded me of hot water cornbread in a way. The crispy and salty taste was delicious!

When I made them for our meal today, my husband said he wasn't sure about "those banana lookalikes" but when he tasted one, he went back for 2 more!

Eggs Benedict

2020-07-04T10:10:00.008-05:00

Eggs Benedict

2 egg yolks

1 T and 2-1/4 t fresh lemon juice

pinch of pepper

1/4 t Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 t water

1/2 c butter, melted

1/4 t salt

4 eggs

1/2 t distilled white vinegar

4 pieces of Canadian-style bacon

2 English muffins, split

1 T butter, softened

To make Hollandaise: Fill the bottom of a double boiler part-way with water, making sure water does not touch top pan. Bring water to simmer. In the top of the double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and 1 T water.

Add the melted butter to egg yolk mixture 1 or 2 teaspoons at a time, whisking constantly. If Hollandaise begins getting too thick, add more hot water a teaspoon at a time. Whisk until all butter is incorporated. Whisk in salt and them remove from heat.

Poaching eggs: In gently simmering water and vinegar, carefully break eggs into water and cook for about 3 minutes. Yolks should still be soft in the center. Remove eggs from water with slotted spoon.

While eggs are poaching, brown the Canadian bacon in a skillet over medium heat and toast the English muffins on a baking sheet in the oven.

Spread toasted muffins with softened butter, and top each one with a slice of bacon, followed by one poached egg. Drizzle with Hollandaise sauce.

This is a meal my husband and I like to make together. We usually serve the eggs with some sort of potato and often with asparagus that has been roasted in the oven. Sometimes we cut potatoes into small cubes and fry them to go with the meal. When we travel, one or both of us always seem to order Eggs Benedict if it is on the breakfast menu. This recipe is the one that suits our taste buds more than any other!

In this photo below, we baked sliced potatoes in the oven with asparagus on the same baking dish while we were making the eggs and Hollandaise sauce. We coated both in a little olive oil and Montreal Steak Seasoning. The next time we bake these, we will start the potatoes about 15 minutes before adding the asparagus. It doesn't take as long for the asparagus to bake and you can see in this photo that it is almost very well done! It still tasted good but we prefer it to be a little less baked. In the photo above, it was perfectly baked!

Fresh Strawberry Pie

2020-06-27T02:38:00.002-05:00

Fresh Strawberry Pie

4 C fresh strawberries, sliced

1 (3 oz.) package strawberry Jell-O gelatin

1 C water

2T cornstarch

3/4 C sugar

1 refrigerated pie crust.

Blind Bake the crust. Line unpricked crust with a double layer thickness of heavy-duty foil or parchment paper. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a rack.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved. Refrigerate until slightly cooled, 15-20 minutes.

Arrange strawberries in the cooled crust. Pour gelatin over berries. Refrigerate until set. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

This is a simple pie to make if you know how to bake the crust properly. If not baked correctly, the pie crust will shrink when blind baking. This has happened to me and when it does, there is not much you can do about it. The last time it happened to me, I went ahead and made the pie. Right before serving I used spray-on whipped cream to make big dollops all around the edges of the pie so the crust shrinkage was less obvious.

Blind Baking Tips

Use a ceramic or metal pan. Glass pans have more of a slippery surface.
When placing the crust in the pie pan, try to keep the top a little bit higher. Crimp around the edges deeply, pressing it into the pan to make it less likely to slip down.
Hold down the crust with weights. Once your crust is in your pie plate, place a piece of heavy-duty foil in the bottom and up the sides, covering the dough. Fill with the pie weights so that the crust will remain even and not puff up. Use professional pie weights, dried beans or raw rice, and fill to the edge of the crust.
Make sure your pie crust is cold before baking it. Once you have your pie crust weighted down, let it chill in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

I ordered some pie weights to use the next time I bake this pie. I had always wanted some and this recipe is one I like to make so I "splurged" and bought some pie weights!

This is a pretty pie. When I make it, my Mom always talks about going to Luby's cafeteria when we were young. My brothers always got a piece of pie like this for dessert.

I braided the crust around the edges once when I made this pie. It was beautiful but it was difficult to braid and it broke easily. Still, the braid can really make a beautifully presented pie.

I always add a dollop of whipped cream. I have mint that grows in our flower bed so I add a sprig of it on each piece for color. This is a great refreshing summer pie. I love the way the strawberries glisten with the filling on them.

Fresh Peach Pie

2020-06-26T18:24:00.001-05:00

Fresh Peach Pie

4 C fresh peeled and sliced peaches

2 T lemon juice

1/2 C light brown sugar

1/4 C sugar

2 T cornstarch

1/4 t nutmeg

1/4 t cinnamon

1 T butter

9-inch uncooked pie crust (top and bottom crust)

Peel and slice peaches into medium bowl. Add lemon juice and stir. Add sugars, cornstarch, nutmeg, cinnamon and gently stir. Let sit for 30 minutes. With slotted spoon, scoop peaches into unbaked pie shell, leaving most of sugar syrup juice in bowl. Discard extra juice. Add top crust. Dot with cubed butter and sprinkle a little sugar on top. Use foil or crust protector around outer edges of crust. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees or until top crust is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream!

I'm not very masterful when it comes to crimping the edges of my pie crusts but they taste good anyway!

Fresh peaches are one of my favorite things about summer!

Use a slotted spoon to transfer your peaches to the pie crust to keep pie from being too juicy.

Some of the juice will remain on the peaches and the flavor of the spices will transfer nicely.

I had never used this cute pastry cutting wheel until today and it worked nicely! I love kitchen gadgets!

1 tablespoon of butter was enough for this pie and a few sprinkles of sugar on top makes the pie look very tasty! Protect your outer crust with foil or a crust protector. It tends to brown more quickly than the rest of the crust and will over bake if not protected.

When you allow the pie to cool and set for a few minutes, it will keep its form when sliced. I sliced a piece when the pie first came out of the oven and it went all over the plate. My Mom and I ate that piece! This is how it looks when you slice it after allowing it to cool and set a bit.

Summer on a plate! You can't beat fresh peach pie with ice cream!

Annette's Pecan Pie

2020-06-24T04:13:00.000-05:00

Annette's Pecan Pie

3 large eggs

1 t vanilla

1 t salt

1/2 C sugar

4 T flour

1/2 C Karo Light Corn Syrup

1/2 C Blackburn's Syrup

1 C chopped pecans

2 T melted butter

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into 9-inch uncooked pie crust. Cover edge of pie crust with foil or pie crust edge protector. Bake at 350 degrees 45-55 minutes or until center of pie is set.

My sister-in-law Annette makes the best pecan pies! I am thrilled to finally have her recipe! I like it because it is not too sweet. She bakes these pies all year round. She is an expert baker and we love it when she shows up at our family gatherings with this pie! She baked the one pictured here for our family reunion auction. I had the winning bid and was the lucky one that got to bring it home!

Poblano Chicken and Rice

2020-06-24T03:54:00.001-05:00

Poblano Chicken and Rice

1 large Poblano pepper, diced or cut into thin 1-inch strips

1 large onion, diced

3 C cooked chicken cut into cubes (I used a Rotisserie chicken)

1-1/2 C quick cook rice

3 C water

1 10-3/4 oz Cream of Chicken soup

1 10-3/4 oz Cream of Mushroom soup

1/3 C sour cream

1 - 4 oz can mushrooms

1/2 t black pepper

In large pot or saute pan, saute onion and Poblano pepper in 2 T oil and 1 T butter until the onion softens, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add 1-1/2 C quick cook rice in same pan and 3 C water. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook until rice is done. Add both soups and sour cream. Stir until soup is incorporated into rice mixture. If mixture is extra thick, add a little more water making sure it is moist enough that baking time will not dry it out too much. Add chicken and mushrooms. Stir and pour into greased 9x13 casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top. Sprinkle with black pepper before serving.

I used a rotisserie chicken for this casserole for convenience, but I usually boil or sauté the meat. When I boil the chicken, I use the water I cooked the chicken in for extra flavor instead of tap water. When I sauté it, I add the juices from the sauté pan used for cooking the chicken.

I used Brown Minute Rice that takes about 10 minutes to cook. When I use wild rice in this recipe, I precook it because it takes much longer to cook. Wild rice is my favorite in this casserole but quick cooking rice saves a lot of time.

This is such a good, hearty casserole and easy to make. You can adjust the recipe and use low calorie or less sodium soups and you cannot tell the difference.

I sometimes substitute the Poblano pepper with a can of green beans and add red pepper strips or a small jar of pimientos. I started adding green beans to this casserole a few years ago when I found that if I served them as a side dish, the leftover beans were often forgotten in the refrigerator. By incorporating them into the main dish, they brought color, were all eaten, and stretched the casserole to make more servings.

Zucchini Relish

2020-06-10T09:55:00.001-05:00

Zucchini Relish

10 C grated zucchini

5 C grated onions

5 T salt

Combine zucchini, onions and salt and place in refrigerator several hours or overnight.

Remove from refrigerator, drain mixture, and add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

1 t turmeric

1 T cornstarch

2 t celery seed

6 C sugar

3 C vinegar

1 chopped sweet red pepper or 1 large jar of diced pimientos.

After mixture has simmered for 30 minutes, spoon into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rims and add lids and rings. Process relish with a 10 minute hot water bath. The water bath begins when the water starts boiling.

This recipe makes about 14 pint jars. The recipe can easily be halved if you don't want to make that much.

I haven't made this relish in years. My friend Charlene gave me this recipe and she always made it every year. It is really good! We worked together for many years until she retired. She worked in our Waco office. We were always sharing recipes with each other at work. I contacted her about this recipe today and she told me she got it long ago from Marguerite Ramsey who worked in our Lampasas office. Marguerite is now in her 90's. This relish is one I always remember Charlene making and I was so happy when she gave me the recipe and I made it myself. I hope to make some again this summer. It is good on crackers, hot dogs or served as condiment of any type. I want to make some and serve a bowl of it on a charcuterie board or spoon some over a block of cream cheese and serve it with crackers.

This is how the relish looks while it is simmering.

This is an old picture of the batch I made years ago. This recipe makes a beautiful relish and you would never dream it was zucchini!

Dewberry Pie

2020-05-18T10:09:00.004-05:00

Dewberry Pie

1 unbaked pie shell

Berries to fill pie shell (about 3 cups)

1-1/2 C sugar

2 well-beaten eggs

1/2 C flour

1/2 C sour cream

Pinch of salt

Combine sugar, eggs, flour, sour cream and salt. Pour Mixture over berries and allow to settle to bottom.

Topping:

8 T flour

8 T sugar

4 T butter

Mixture should be crumbly. Spread over top of pie. Bake at 325º for 30 to 45 minutes or until browned. The original recipe says to bake for 25 minutes but I had to bake mine longer before the center was baked through.

This is Caroline Sulak's pie recipe and I will never forget how it tasted when she made it. I made one yesterday and it was exactly how I remembered her pie!

Mrs. Sulak was my brother-in-law's Mother. When my husband and I were first married, we would go fishing in tanks on their farm and Mr. and Mrs. Sulak would come sit with us and visit. That was 35 years ago. They became more than my brother-in-law's parents during those visits. They became our friends. They are both gone now, but those good memories remain.

This photo is from my Mother-in-law's cookbook. You can tell the cookbook has been turned to this page for many a dewberry pie baking sessions!

My grandparents always had a berry patch when I was a child and I can vision my grandmother right now, standing in her kitchen cutting her homemade crust to make a cobbler with the first picking. We would pick and pick and freeze them to make pies and cobblers during the winter. My Uncle and Aunt had a berry patch on their farm and my uncle trained the vines to grow on wire platforms he built so that we wouldn't have to bend over as much to pick! That sure made picking easier! We would pick and pick and eat them right off the vines. These pictured here are blackberries my sister-in-law, Margie picked for us at a Pick-Your-Own Farm in Whitney, Texas. She shared them with me. It was 3 cups, the perfect amount for this pie.

I am going to try using blueberries and strawberries with this recipe and see how well other berries work with this recipe.

When I made the topping for the pie, I cut the butter into little cubes and used my hands to combine the topping ingredients.

The topping baked into a slightly crispy and flaky crust.

While I was baking the pie, the edges of the crust began to get brown before I felt the pie was fully cooked. I ended up making a foil ring to cover the crust the last few minutes of baking. The recipe said to bake for 25 minutes but I baked the pie for 35 minutes. I judged the doneness by the golden color the of the topping as it baked.

There is no denying this is a beautiful pie! I do wish I had protected the outer crust more but it still tasted perfect and not burned.

My youngest son and daughter-in-law stopped by for a few minutes last night and I packed 2 pieces of pie for them to take home. When I woke up this morning, I had this text message below from my son on my phone. Words that sure made me happy!

Cranberry-Orange Cookies

2020-05-03T09:02:00.003-05:00

Cranberry-Orange Cookies

1-1/2 C unsalted butter, softened

1-1/4 C unsifted powdered sugar

2 t vanilla extract

3 C flour

1/4 t plus 1/8 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 C chopped dried cranberries

1-1/2 T orange zest

1 C sugar ( granulated, sparkling or pearl) as needed for decorating.

Beat butter at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in vanilla.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in cranberries and orange zest.

Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a rectangular log about 9 inches long x 2 inches wide x 2 inches tall. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour sugar in shallow dish. Unwrap dough logs. Gently press sugar into long sides of both logs.

Cut dough into 1/4 -inch-thick slices. Arrange slices 1 inch apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in oven until edges are lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool. Store up to 1 week in airtight container. Makes about 3 dozen.

I used 1/2 C cranberries and the zest of one large orange. You can add more or less, according to your preference. I think the addition of 1/4 C chopped pecans would be good as well!

The dough has a shortbread consistency.

Use plastic wrap to assist in forming rectangular logs.

Let chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

I used Pearl Sugar to decorate.

I only added sugar to the side on the first tray of cookies.

On the second tray of cookies, I added the sugar on top of the cookies. I believe I prefer it this way.

The cookies are not too sweet and have a shortbread smell and flavor. The combination of the orange and cranberry makes this a great cookie.

You can decide whether to decorate with sugar on top or just on the sides. I prefer on top and I especially like making them in a share formation instead of the usual round cookie.

Pickle Juice Cole Slaw

2020-05-02T21:57:00.003-05:00

Pickle Juice Cole Slaw

4 C shredded green cabbage

1 C shredded purple cabbage

1 large carrot, grated

1/4 c diced bell pepper (optional)

1/2 C water

1/2 C dill pickle juice

1/4 C red wine vinegar

1 T vegetable oil

1 T sugar

1 t salt

1/2 t paprika

1/2 t course ground pepper

Shred and combine cabbage, carrot and bell pepper in large bowl.

In medium bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over slaw and stir. Refrigerate 2 hours, stirring twice to allow slaw to coat evenly.

I have made this slaw twice in one week! It is really good. I usually have a mayonnaise based dressing for coleslaw but this one with the pickle juice is my new favorite.

The first time I made it we had fried shrimp and French fries with it. Today, I made and served it with giant sliced tomatoes and chicken quarters I had baked, pulled and drenched in Rudy's BBQ sauce. This salad complimented both meals!

Peach Cobbler

2020-04-23T11:46:00.001-05:00

Peach Cobbler

4-6 C fresh, frozen or canned peaches, drained

1/2 C sugar plus 3T sugar to sprinkle on top of crust

1 T cornstarch

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 C water or 1 C juice from canned peaches

1/2 t cinnamon

dash of salt

3 T butter ( I use unsalted)

Pie crust - I used already prepared refrigerated pie crust

Arrange peaches in baking dish. Make a slurry of cornstarch and lemon juice by stirring the two together until cornstarch is incorporated. Add cinnamon, salt and water (or juice from canned peached) and stir. Pour over peaches.

Roll out pie crust on a flat surface and cut out designs with cookie cutter or cut into slices to make a lattice crust. If using a cookie cutter, after designs are cut out of crust, press remaining crust gently into peach mixture. Place cutouts on top, dot with butter that has been cut into small cubes and sprinkle top with remaining 3T sugar. Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes or until pie crust is brown on top and mixture is bubbly. Remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes and serve alone or with vanilla ice cream.

For the recipe pictured here, I only used 1 pie crust and baked the cobbler in a 7x10-1/2 inch pan. I only had 4 cups of peaches. When I use canned peaches, I use 4 of the 15-ounce cans and make it in a 9x13 baking dish. I used two refrigerated crusts when I do that and I add more of the juice from the cans, about 1-1/2 C instead of 1 C. I keep all of the other ingredient amounts the same. The amount of cornstarch and lemon juice will be enough for both cobbler sizes.

Tip: If you don't have cornstarch, 1 T of flour will work as a thickener just as well.

This will give you an idea of the peach to liquid ratio I use when making a cobbler.

One refrigerated pie crust was enough for the small cobbler I made today. I'm not good at making crust so I use Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts.

I bought these small cookie cutters a couple of years ago to make cheese and butter cut outs more than cookies, but I had never used them until I made this cobbler! I loved the way they worked so well! I have a tip for you though if you buy some like this: Take a photo of the arrangement of the pieces before you take them out of their container. I had a hard time getting the two I used back inside the can!

This is how I gently tucked the extra crust into the cobbler before I added the cutouts.

Using decorative pastry shapes will add a nice touch.

I arranged the cut out pastry all over the top of the cobbler then dotted the butter on top. I used Pearl Sugar to top my crust. Regular sugar works just a well but I keep Pearl sugar on hand to use for a special occasions like this one. The peaches I used were from Cooper Farms. We bought them in Fairfield, Texas last summer at a roadside stand. Mom and I brought them home, processed them and froze them. In the cobbler, they tasted like they were picked today!

Here's the cobbler! As I was taking this picture, my husband called me. He was on his way to work and drove by my Mom's house. He saw her sitting outside with her friend, Lela in her back yard. Since the Corona Virus is going on at this time and social distancing is the way we have to visit these days, they were sitting far apart around her outside table. He said they looked so cute sitting there as he passed by.
I immediately spooned two warm portions in to-go containers and took them over to share. Lela has been sewing face masks and surgical caps during this time and my Mom had given her all of the ribbon she had in her house to use so Lela wouldn't have to go to the store. I was thrilled to be able to share some of my cobbler with Lela. I'm so thankful for those like Lela who can do something to help everyone during this time.
Well, that's how I make my cobbler. Peach is my favorite but when it's dewberry time, I always have to make one in memory of my Mammaw Morgan. She made the best dewberry cobbler. We would pick them fresh and she would make one immediately. So good and a memory I will never forget. She always made her pie crust from scratch. I make my dewberry cobbler exactly like I make my peach cobbler except I double the sugar.

Apple and Plum Galette

2020-04-16T10:39:00.001-05:00

Apple and Plum Galette

2 apples

2 plums

1 refrigerated pie crust

3 T quick cook oatmeal

2 T sugar

3 T butter

2 T marmalade or jam

Roll out pie crust on a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle crust with oatmeal and 1 T sugar. Thinly slice fruit and arrange on top of oatmeal and sugar in center of crust. Dot fruit with butter cubed into small pieces and remainder of sugar. Gently paint crust with marmalade or jam and dollop a small amount on fruit as well. Fold up pie dough around fruit to form a rustic crust. Bake at 350 for approximately 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Other fruits may be substituted such as blueberries and strawberries. The oatmeal will help to absorb the juices of the fruit and keep the crust from getting soggy.

Thinly sliced fruit work best in a galette.

I like to arrange the fruit in patterns.

You don't have to be perfect. Rustic looks great!

For this one, I used Orange Marmalade that was on my hotel room service tray. You can use any kind of marmalade or jam. You can even use an egg wash.

Cut the butter into small pieces and sprinkle some sugar on top. Fold the crust up around the edges to keep the fruit snuggly inside the tart.

Apple and Plum Galette. A galette is a flat round cake or pastry often topped with fruit. Sometimes they are also called rustic tarts.

I used summer peaches and blueberries in this one!

Plums and a diced apple. I covered this one in Mustang Grape Jam I made myself!

I used puff pastry for the crust in this one.

Blueberry Plum Galette

Apricot Apple and Plum!

Blueberry, Nectarine, and Plum

Rhonda's Reese's Brownies

2019-12-21T13:13:00.000-06:00

Rhonda's Reese's Brownies

1 Box (18.3 oz) Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix

(Ingredients listed on mix required for brownies include eggs, water, oil)

1 C creamy peanut butter (Rhonda prefers Jiff)

1 C powdered sugar

1 - 16 oz. container Fudge Frosting

3 oz. Reese's peanut butter baking chips or diced Reese's peanut butter cups for garnish if desired.

Prepare and bake brownies as directed on package in 9 x 13 inch baking pan. While brownies are baking, mix peanut butter and powdered sugar together until smooth. Remove brownies from oven and place a dollop of peanut butter mixture all over hot brownies. Let it sit until it begins to melt. Gently spread mixture evenly over brownies. Open frosting container and microwave on high for 30 seconds or until it can be poured from container. Pour over top of brownies, spreading evenly. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until fully chilled. Garnish with Reese's peanut butter chips if desired. Cut into squares and serve. These are delicious with a glass of chilled milk!

My cousin, Rhonda, made and served these at our recent family gathering. They are really good! I wish I had one right now while I'm writing this! Everyone at our party was talking about them!

Thank you Rhonda for sharing your recipe!

Payday Candy

2019-12-15T17:55:00.003-06:00

Payday Candy

3 C salted peanuts

2 C peanut butter chips

2 C mini marshmallows

1(14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

3 T unsalted butter

1/2 t vanilla extract

Melt butter and peanut butter chips in a large saucepan over medium heat until smooth. Stir in condensed milk, vanilla extract and marshmallows, stirring until smooth and incorporated.

Generously grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with butter or non-stick vegetable spray or line with parchment paper. sprinkle half of the peanuts across the dish.

Gently pour condensed milk mixture over peanuts. Sprinkle remaining peanuts on top. Refrigerate or let sit at room temperature until set. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Tips:

I lined my baking dish with parchment and I greased it with butter as well.

Remember to stir constantly while heating to keep mixture from sticking to pan.

I cut the candy into squares with a pizza cutter.

I sprinkled decorating sugar on top to make it look a little more festive for Christmas!

Add caption

Fresh Pineapple Pie

2019-12-08T17:20:00.000-06:00

Fresh Pineapple Pie
By: Lawrence Cole

(As found in a Southern Baptist Missionary's cookbook

in Liberia, West Africa, 1984)

Phase 1:

2 medium pineapples

1 C sugar

pastry for a 9-inch two crust pie

Phase 2:

1 C sugar

1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 t grated lemon peel

1 T lemon juice

2 T butter or margarine

Directions:

Cut the pineapple into 1-inch thick slices. It is much easier if you buy a peeled and cored fresh pineapple. Cut the sections into 1/4 inch pieces. Place in a shallow dish; sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar; cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours.

Heat oven to 425°. Drain pineapple and reserve 1/2 C syrup. Prepare the pastry; turn pineapple into pastry-lined pie pan. Stir together 1 C sugar and 1/2 C flour in a small saucepan. Gradually stir in reserved syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute; remove from heat; stir in lemon peel and juice.

Pour syrup mixture over pineapple; dot with butter. Cover with top crust; put slits in top crust; seal and flute. Cover the edge with a 2 to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust. Also, delicious if served a-la-mode!

We had this pie yesterday at our Christmas gathering for my paternal side of my family. My cousin Rhonda, her husband Lawrence and my Aunt Glenna hosted it in their home. We had nearly all of our cousins there and spent the entire day together! It was really special because my cousins, Keith and Penny, who are foreign missionaries were here! My Aunt Glenna is a retired Missionary. She and my Uncle Stanley served as foreign missionaries for 35 years. We have always shared our family over the years as they served, so when they are home on furlough, it is always a wonderful time of celebration!

Lawrence made this pie and it was just about the most refreshing thing I've had in ages! I had never tasted a fresh pineapple pie. I asked him about the recipe and he shared his interesting story with me. The story of how he came upon the recipe is as delicious as the pie. I think of missionaries, especially at this time of the year. It is time for our Lottie Moon offering for foreign missions. Lottie Moon was a missionary who lived telling others about Jesus. All of my life, I have heard of Lottie Moon and have lived with generations of my family, who were just like her, traveling to foreign lands to tell others about Jesus.

When Lawrence told me about the woman who shared her recipe with him while he was in a foreign land, it really brought me comfort. It reminded me of when we lived in Germany when my father was in the Army and a Colonel taught my mom how to make cornbread dressing. I pray that missionaries serving all over the world have friends, like Lawrence had while serving. The woman shared a simple recipe, but to me, it is much more than that. The recipe sharing created a bond and a memory to last a lifetime!

When you read Lawrence's story of how he got the recipe, think of, and pray for all of the missionaries serving all over the world.

Lawrence's recipe story:

From 1984-1986 I served as a missionary in Liberia, West Africa. We had plenty of fresh fruit like papaya, grapefruit, mango and pineapple. Not having cooked for myself very much, I decided to make things I liked, like pizza and pies. One of the missionary ladies who lived on the compound where I lived told me she had a recipe for a fresh pineapple pie. I got a couple of sweet pineapples and made the pie. It was surprisingly delicious! A pie flavor I had never experienced.

I have made this pineapple pie for years now for church and family functions. It is a new intriguing taste that no one has every sampled. I entered the pie into one of our nation's top ten fairs (Wilson County Fair, Lebanon, Tennessee) and placed second. That pie crust was made from scratch with lard, of course!

Cream Cheese Cookies with Jam

2019-11-27T18:48:00.001-06:00

Cream Cheese Cookies with Jam

1- 8 oz. package cream cheese at room temperature

1 C unsalted butter at room temperature

3 T granulated sugar

2-3/4 C all-purpose flour (you will need some for dusting as well when rolling out cookie dough)

1/2 t salt

1/2 C apricot preserves or jam

1/2 C preserves or jam of your choice

Coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Beat the cream cheese, butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour and salt until combined. Divide the dough between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Flatten into 1/2 inch-thick disks and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with more flour as needed. Cut out 2-2/1 inch squares using a sharp knife or a 201/2 inch square cutter. Lift the cutouts using an offset spatula and arrange 2 inches apart on prepared pan.

Spoon 1 teaspoon preserves or jam onto the center of each cutout. Fold in two opposite corners to overlap in the middle and press down to seal, spreading the preserves slightly. Sprinkle the dough with coarse sugar.

Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and the edges are golden, 20-25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pan, then removed the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Repeat with other disk of dough.

Notes:

I used a few drops of water on the tip of my finger to help "seal" the dough on top. Some of the tops came apart when I didn't seal them with the water.

A few of my cookies were thicker than the others. 1/8th inch thickness is best. The ones I made that were less thick turned out better.

I made a few with blackberry jam that had seeds. I didn't like the seeds in this recipe. They took away from the creamy softness of the cookie.

Lining the baking sheets with parchment paper sure makes clean up easier!

Try to roll out your dough into a uniform 1/8th inch thickness. If they are thicker than that, they don't like to stay sealed as well when they bake.

I felt like I was wrapping babies in a snuggly blanket when I was making these cookies.

When the cookies don't seal, that means there are more samples for the baker to enjoy!