SCOTCHAROOS

This is a popular twist on Rice Krispies Treats that is just as quick and easy for those hungry kids.  It's also a great bake sale item.  Try these and enjoy!




SCOTCHAROOS

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

Chocolate and/or butterscotch chips (optional)

6 cups Rice Krispies

Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Combine sugar and syrup in a 3 quart saucepan.  Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils.  Remove from heat.  Add peanut butter and mix well.  Add Rice Krispies and stir until well blended. 

Press the mixture into the pan.  Melt all the chips and pour evenly over the mixture and let cool.  

CHESS CAKE

This is an ooey, gooey butter cake and an old family recipe that is quick and easy and really delicious.  Again, this is Aunt Jean's recipe, but this one probably came from Grandma Johnson.


CHESS CAKE

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick butter or margarine, melted

3 eggs

1 box (1 lb or 2 cups) confectioner’s sugar

8 oz cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 ^o f .  Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Mix cake mix, margarine and 1 egg.  Spread in bottom of pan.  Beat remaining 2 eggs, then add the confectioner’s sugar and cream cheese until smooth.  Spread over the cake mixture and bake for 45 minutes.  After cooling, cut into squares and serve.

BAKED PINEAPPLE

I got this recipe from my Aunt Jean also.  It's a great side dish for Sunday dinner.  Baking the pineapple releases all it's sweetness and the buttered Ritz crackers make a great counterpoint.  

As always, Splenda or one of the new sugar substitutes can be used instead of real sugar.


BAKED PINEAPPLE

Ingredients

2- 20 oz cans of chunk pineapple

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 stack Ritz crackers

1 stick (½ cup) melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 ^o f . 

Drain pineapple and mix with flour and sugar by hand.  Pour into a well greased (using butter or butter flavored Pam or Crisco) small 9 inch casserole.

Crush crackers and mix with melted butter.  Pour evenly on top of pineapple mix.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Serve warm.

BROWNED RICE

This is one of Aunt Jean’s recipes and is great as a side with beef or pork roasts.

BROWNED RICE

Ingredients

¼ cup chopped onion

1 can onion soup

1 can beef broth

½ stick (¼ cup) butter or margarine

1 cup uncooked rice

1- 4 oz can sliced mushrooms

 Preheat oven to 350 ^o f . 

Brown onions in butter.  Add other ingredients and bring to a boil.  Pour into greased casserole and bake for 45 – 55 minutes.

CHILI RICE DINNER

Great quick family casserole.  I got the original recipe off a Minute Rice Box and changed a few things to my own taste.

CHILI RICE DINNER

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef                       15 oz tomato sauce

 cup chopped onion                     ½ cup water

1 tablespoon chili powder              1 cup minute rice

½ teaspoon dry mustard               10 oz frozen corn

1 cup shredded cheese                1 cup diced green peppers

A dash of ground cloves               Optional - 1 can black beans, drained

Brown beef and onion in skillet.  Add corn, spices, green pepper, tomato sauce and water.  Cover and bring to full boil, stirring occasionally.

Stir in rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rice is fully constituted.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

BROCCOLI EN CASSEROLE

Here is one my Grandmother passed down to my Mom and then to me and it’s a favorite for Thanksgiving Dinner.

BROCCOLI EN CASSEROLE

Ingredients

20 oz frozen broccoli

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp salt garlic powder

1 stick butter, cut in small pieces

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can (8 oz) mushrooms, drained

Cook broccoli according to package instructions.  Combine garlic and cheddar in a large bowl.  Add drained broccoli and remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.  Pour into greased casserole and bake for 30 minutes in preheated 350 ⁰ f.

You can sprinkle with crushed ritz crackers or buttered bread crumbs before baking.

CHERRY CHEESECAKE

This is an easy recipe my Mom used often.  It makes a great cheese cake!

CHERRY CHEESE CAKE

Ingredients-Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons sugar

1 stick melted butter

Pre-heat oven to 350 ⁰ f.

Mix crust ingredients together.  Press in a cake pan.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool thoroughly

Ingredients-filling

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

1 3 oz package of cream cheese

1 cup sugar

2 pkgs Dream Whip

2 large cans cherry pie filling (Mom’s favorite brand was Lucky)

Bring cream cheese to room temperature.  Then, make Dream Whip according to package instructions.  Beat together sugar and cream cheese and add to dream whip.  Pour over crust and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Pour pie filling on top and serve.

BEEF STROGANOFF

This is a great recipe from a surprising source.  It came from Senator Robert C Byrd of West Virginia many years ago.  Enjoy!

BEEF STROGANOFF

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs round steak

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 cup or 3 oz can of sliced mushrooms

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup chopped onion

1 can tomato soup

1 cup sour cream

Salt & pepper to taste

Cut beef into long thin strips.  Brown well in the butter in a heavy skillet.  Add mushrooms, chopped onion and garlic.  Cook until lightly browned.  Blend in tomato soup, sour cream and salt & pepper.  Cover and simmer about one hour or until beef is tender.  Stir occasionally.  Serve over hot cooked rice.

14 DAY PICKLES

Fair warning!  These are incredible pickles and worth the effort it will take.  If you like sweet pickles or bread and butter pickles, these will taste like a little bit of heaven!

14 DAY PICKLES

Ingredients

2 gallons cleaned sliced cucumbers

2 cups salt

1 gallon boiling water

1 gallon boiling water

1 tablespoon alum

1 gallon cold water

Use a glass, ceramic or plastic container for this.

Day 1 - Place cucumbers in 2 gallon container.  Spread salt on top. Pour 1 gallon boiling water over the cucumbers and salt.

Day 2 - Let stand

Day 3 - Let stand

Day 4 - Let stand

Day 5 - Let stand

Day 6 - Let stand

Day 7 - Let stand

Day 8 - Let stand

Day 9 – Drain, pour 1 gallon boiling water over the cucumbers, let stand 24 hours

Day 10 - Drain water, mix together alum and 1 gallon cold water and pour over cucumbers and let stand 24 hours.

Ingredients-Syrup

6 cups sugar

5 cups apple cider vinegar

8 teaspoons mixed pickling spices in cheesecloth

Day 11 – Drain, mix syrup ingredients and boil, then pour over cucumbers

Day 12 – Drain and re-heat syrup and pour over pickles

Day 13 – Drain and re-heat syrup and pour over pickles

Day 14 – Drain syrup, add 1 cup sugar and re-heat syrup, removing the spices in cheesecloth.  Place pickles in canning jars and pour syrup over pickles.  Add some of the spices from the cheese cloth to each jar and seal.  

Jars should seal tightly as they cool.  If any jars don’t seal, place in hot water bath and then cool again.  Any pickles that don’t seal should be used as soon as possible.

VEGETABLE DIP

I've been using this recipe at every party we have had and it always gets rave reviews.   It’s such a hit, I usually double the recipe.

VEGETABLE DIP

Ingredients

1 pint mayonnaise                      1 package (3 oz) cream cheese

½ cup buttermilk                       ½ teaspoobn garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder               1 teaspoon Accent

2 ½ tablespoons parsley flakes

Salt & pepper to taste (I don’t use either because that’s my taste)

In a blender, mix all ingredients.  Refrigerate overnight. 

CORN FINGERS

This recipe came from DHB’s Aunt Jean.  It’s a regular for Sunday dinner at their house. 

CORN FINGERS

Ingredients

1 ½ sticks margarine

2 cups flour

1 can cream style corn

¼ cup milk

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Pre-heat oven to 425 ⁰ f.

First, melt margarine in a 9 X 13 pan.

Combine remaining ingredients; knead; roll out into a rectangle and cut into 1 X 3 inch strips.  Roll strips into margarine and bake in the same pan for 20 -25 minutes.

Serve hot.

APPLE BLOSSOM CAKE

This is one of my Mom’s favorite cakes.  She used to make several and freeze them.  If she had unexpected guests, she would just take one out of the freezer and cut slices while it was still frozen.  By the time she offered them refreshments, the cake was thawed, coffee was made and her reputation as a great hostess was still intact!  She usually baked it in either a Bundt or loaf pan.  Of course, if you use a Bundt pan you need to line it with the topping after greasing and before pouring in the cake mix.

APPLE BLOSSOM CAKE

Ingredients - Cake

2 eggs, beaten                          2 cups sugar

1 ¼ cup oil                               1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla                       1 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups flour                             3 cups chopped apples

1 ½ teaspoon baking soda              1 cup chopped nuts

½ teaspoon salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 ⁰ f.

Blend eggs, oil and vanilla.  Sift flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add apples and nuts to egg mixture.  Add dry ingredients and mix everything together.  Pour into a greased pan.

Ingredients – Topping

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup chopped nuts

Mix sugar, vanilla and nuts together.  Sprinkle on top of the cake.  Bake for 35 – 45 minutes.  Cool and serve.

EASY CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Here is an easy chicken casserole that normally I would say is fool-proof.  Unless my husband is replacing old oven dials and gets them marked wrong!  He was at his Mom's and wanted to fix her this recipe. He followed all my instructions and 2 ½ hours after he put it in the oven, it was still half raw.  He called me and we finally figured out that the new oven dial had been marked wrong for the oven.  He was pre-heating instead of baking!  At least he hadn't been broiling!!!  He would have burned the house down.

EASY CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1½ cups raw rice                                             

1 can cream of celery soup                         

1 can cream of chicken soup                        

1 can cream of mushroom soup           

1 cup milk

7 or 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ cup butter or margarine (1 stick)

1 ½ oz. Grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon paprika

One note:  7 or 8 chicken breasts are around 2 lbs of chicken.  I usually use 3 lbs and layer them because my family really, really loves this recipe.  The grated parmesan cheese and paprika are more to taste rather than exact measurements.  I love both, so I am generous when I use them.

Mix together soup and milk.  Sprinkle rice over the bottom of a 3 quart (or larger if you use more chicken) greased casserole.  Pour ¾ of the soup mix over the rice and stir, making sure you get to all the rice.  Place chicken breasts evenly on rice.  Cut butter into small pats and place on chicken.  Cover with remaining soup mix.  Sprinkle cheese and paprika on top.  Bake at 275 ⁰ f. for 2 ½ hours or at 350 ⁰ f.  for 1 ½ hours.

This can be made the night before and refrigerated.  Don’t sprinkle cheese and paprika until just before baking.   

GRANDMA'S TOMATO DUMPLINGS

This recipe was given to me by my DHB’s grandmother before she passed away 2 months before her 107^th birthday.  She was a wonderful lady and she cooked with lard, real butter, whole milk, salt, sugar and plenty of pepper and outlived 4 of her 7 children.  I fixed this recipe for my Mom’s oldest niece and it has become the most requested dish at her family’s Thanksgiving dinners.  If you like tomatoes, I know you will love this.

GRANDMA’S TOMATO DUMPLINGS

Ingredients: Tomato Sauce

1 quart cooked or home canned tomatoes

½ cup water

¾ teaspoon salt

½ stick butter or margarine (4 tablespoons)

½ cup sugar (do NOT add extra.  All you want to do is cut the acid from the tomatoes. Extra sugar makes it super sweet and you DON'T want that!  I know.  I tried it once.)

In a 3 or 4 quart sauce pan, bring tomatoes, water, salt, butter and sugar to a fast rolling boil.

Ingredients: Dumplings

1 quart cooked or home canned tomatoes

 cup milk

Mix Bisquick and milk until a soft dough forms.  Using a teaspoon, dip out small spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture and drop into the tomatoes until all the dumplings are floating on the tomatoes.  Turn heat to low, cover and cook for 13 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Serve immediately or this is a great dish to make ahead and reheat in a slow oven (200^{0 -} 300⁰ f. ) until hot.

EASY BROCCOLI SALAD

Here is an easy, great tasting broccoli salad that my Mom used to make. 

EASY BROCCOLI SALAD

Ingredients: Salad

½ lb. bacon                               1 pint grape tomatoes

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese         1 large red onion. 

1 bunch fresh broccoli

Chop broccoli and onion into small pieces, then fry bacon until crisp.  Drain the bacon, then crumble it into small pieces.  Mix broccoli, onion, bacon, cheese and tomatoes together.

 Ingredients: Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup sugar or sugar substitute

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Combine dressing ingredients until smooth.  Pour over the salad and toss until completely mixed.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.

PINTO FUDGE

How about fudge that’s also full of protein?  That is what today’s recipe is all about.  My DHB heard about this recipe a few years ago from his mother.  We tried it and it’s just as good as any fudge I've ever eaten!

PINTO FUDGE

Ingredients:

1 can (15.5 oz.) Pinto Beans – drained

1 cup cocoa

¾ cup butter or margarine – melted

1 tablespoon vanilla

7 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar

1 cup walnuts

Mash pinto beans in a microwaveable container.  Cover and microwave for 1 ½ minutes.  Add cocoa, butter and vanilla and stir.  Add sugar and stir.  Add walnuts and stir.

Pour into a greased 9 inch square pan and cover it.  Refrigerate immediately until completely cooled.  Cut into 1 inch squares and serve.

MOM'S BUCKWHEAT CAKES

Continuing with my comfort food theme, buckwheat cakes are one of my ultimate comfort foods.  My Mom always made the best buckwheat cakes and she passed her recipe on to me.  I have lots of anecdotes about the challenges I've faced while making them, but I’ll just get on with the recipe.  I'm certain you will love it!

MOM’S BUCKWHEAT CAKES

Ingredients:

1 Cup buckwheat flower.                  2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup white flower.                        ¼ cup melted shortening.

1 beaten egg.                              1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon salt.                            1 tablespoon sugar
2 ¼ cups buttermilk.                             

Sift flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.  Add soda to milk then add to the flour mixture along with egg and shortening.

Beat until smooth and bake on a hot ungreased griddle. 

ARKANSAS CORNBREAD

Yesterday I listed my special recipe for chili.  Well, you can’t have chili without cornbread.  And several years ago, my father gave me a perfect recipe.  I hereby share it with you.  Enjoy!

DAD’S ARKANSAS CORNBREAD

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal                                   ½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar                             1 egg
½ teaspoon soda in 1 cup buttermilk. 

Tip 1… If buttermilk is not your thing, it’s easy to keep it on hand.  You can buy powdered buttermilk and just re-constitute it as needed. 
Tip 2… drop the soda in the buttermilk and stir it in just before you combine it with the other ingredients.

Preheat oven to 450 ^o f.  Pour ¼ cup oil into 8 inch iron skillet and place skillet in oven while you are preheating the oven.

Mix all ingredients together.  When oven reaches 450 ^o f, pull skillet out of oven and place on heat-proof trivet.  Pour cornbread mixture into the hot oil slowly and carefully.  Quickly place skillet back into preheated oven and bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Yields about 8 pieces of delicious cornbread.

Point of interest…. My dad was always taken care of by my Mom or Grandmother.  He only cooked when there was something he really, really wanted to fix.  This was one of the few things he made the effort to learn.  Trust me!  If you like cornbread, this is a recipe you want to try.

WEST VIRGINIA TEXAS CHILI

I guess I’m in Comfort Food mode.  This is great to freeze for later, so make plenty.  Over the years, I have designed what I like to call West Virginia Texas Chili.  A perfect blend of Hillbilly and Redneck.  Yumm!

Again, I usually double the recipe. 

Also, this is a mild chili. If you wan to heat it up, just use hotter chili peppers.  Remember to take precautions during preparation so all the heat goes in the chili and not random body parts. 

WEST VIRGINIA TEXAS CHILI

Ingredients:

½ lb. raw bacon, chopped              1 teaspoon salt

1 large (sweet) onion, chopped      1 tablespoon paprika

3 lb. ground chuck                          2 small chili peppers, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced                   2 cans (10 ½ oz.) condensed beef broth, undiluted

3 tablespoons chili powder             1 qt canned tomatoes (add 1 tspn sugar to cut the acid)

1 teaspoon cumin powder               2 cans (1 lb. 4 oz.) kidney beans

(if doubling recipe, 1 qt. of tomatoes is adequate)

In large saucepan, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove and drain.  Saute onion, ground chuck and garlic until brown and crumbly.  Drain excess fat.  Stir in bacon, spices, beef broth and tomatoes, adding chili peppers.  Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or until mixture is thick, then stir in drained kidney beans.  Reheat until bubbly .

Y’all enjoy!  Yeeee Hawwwww!

MY SPECIAL MEATLOAF

I don’t know about anyone else, but today it’s back to work for me.  One of the great comfort foods for me is meatloaf.  Especially My Special Meatloaf.  It’s a recipe I developed over several years and many “not quite right” attempts.  I hope you enjoy it.  Oh!  I usually double the recipe.

MY SPECIAL MEATLOAF

Ingredients - Meatloaf

1 ½ lbs. ground beef                         1 pkg. onion soup

¼ cup milk                                     ¼ cup ketchup

1 egg, beaten                                ¼ teaspoon Poultry Seasoning

¾ cup oats                                    Salt and Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 ⁰ f.

Mix all ingredients together.  Pack into an ungreased loaf pan.

Ingredients - Sauce

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ cup ketchup

Mix all the ingredients.  Pour on top of meatloaf.

Bake for 1 ½ hours.

Doubling the recipe gives you plenty for either a 2^nd entree or several meatloaf sandwiches.