Spicy Molasses Cookies

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

These rolled cookies are crisp and spicy. They are great Christmas cookies, and do well with the plastic cookie cutters that have lots of detail on the inside. We began using this recipe with the Twelve Days of Christmas cookie cutter set that had some amazing detail; you use a glaze on it which collects in the detail creases so you don’t have to individually decorate each cookie, just brush on the glaze. On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me (etc etc etc).

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoons molasses
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoons cloves

Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and nmolassess. Add combined dry ingredients and mikx well. Chill dough 4 hours or overnight. Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/8″ thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters, pressing firmly on cutter; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 f for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet. Brush with glaze if desired.

Glaze:
1 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon corn syrup

Italian Cream Cake

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

This cake is most requested when family members celebrate birthdays. I generally cook the cakes ahead of time and freeze them; freezing the cakes makes little ice crystals throughout the cake and prevents the cake from being dry. You can make beautiful layer cakes as the directions show or you can do a larger sheet cake. I have travelled many miles with the cake in my lugguage, and I pull it out of my luggage, whip up the frosting and ice it when I reach the destination. I like to pipe decorative icing edges at the top and bottom of the cake and sprinkle chopped pecans on top. Some fresh pansies or other edible flowers may be used to garnish. Don’t try to skip beating the egg whites, or the cake will be too dense. Don’t let the cake get too warm or the cream cheese frosting will run.

Cake batter:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
5 egg yolks
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoon soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 small can Angel Flake coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
5 egg whites, stiffly beaten with 1/4 cup sugar

Cream butter and shortening; add sugar and beat until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolks and beat well. Combine flour and soda; add to creamed mixture alternatelyd with buttermilk. Stir in vanilla extract. Add coconut and nuts. Fold in egg whites. Pour batter into 3 parchment paper lined greased and floured 8 inch cake pans (or 2 9 inch pans). Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until done; cool. Watch it closely because there is a relatively high sugar to flour proportion and the cake will overbrown easily. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter
1 box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chopped pecans
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth; add sugar and mix well. Add vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Spread on cake. Sprinkle top with finely chopped pecans.

Hint: I make 1.5 times the frosting recipe because I have found the frosting inadequate to frost all three 8″ layers or two 9″ layers and to pipe decorative edges.

12 oz cream cheese
3/4 stick butter
1 1/2 box powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Sweet Potato Apple Casserole

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

I prefer this sweet potato dish to the traditional marshmallow topped dish for the holidays. The natural sweetness of the potatoes is contrasted with the tartness of the apples, and honey or brown sugar further sweeten just as far as you want to go with sweetness. Toasted pecans on top add to the fall harvest flavors and add some needed texture.

8 large sweet potatoes
large pot for boiling
water to cover

Cook sweet potatoes until nearly done. They will be cooked two more times so don’t overcook at this stage. Pour out water, and run cold water over them to cool. When cool, remove from pan, and peel and slice the potatoes in about 1/4 inch slices.

3 – 4 Sliced Granny Smith Apples, peeled
Butter as needed
Large saute skillet

Saute sliced potatoes in butter. Saute apple slices. Layer in large oiled casserole (9X12).

Top with:

Chopped nuts, toasted (pecans preferred)
brown sugar and/or honey
Cinnamon

Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes.

Southwestern Deviled Eggs

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

I developed this recipe in an effort to bring a different flavor to deviled eggs. Every recipe I found seemed to have the same bland ingredients, and the eggs were so stinky that you didn’t really get a lot of sensory pleasure from them. Thus the technique to boil the eggs perfectly was added to my repertoire, and to season with the southwest flavors we love. (Hint: green chile is good in this, too!)

10-12 uncooked eggs (enough to cover bottom of saucepan before adding water for boiling)
3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise, reduced fat
1 tablespoon sour cream, reduced fat
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons salsa
1/3 cup shredded cheese (fat free or regular)
1 – 2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
paprika to sprinkle
sliced olives, optional

Place eggs in saucepan, cover with water, and place on burner. Add one teaspoon salt to water. Bring to a rolling boil, cover pan with tight fitting lid and turn off burner but keep pot on the warm burner. After 17 minutes, eggs are hard-cooked. This method results in a perfect egg with no dark smelly stuff around the yolk.

Drain hot water from pan, fill with cold running water to quickly cool the eggs. After cool, crack the eggs on the flat top of the counter (not the edge), rolling them to break the shell into small segments. Beginning at the bigger end of the egg, slowly peel off the shell, rinsing any tiny shell pieces off the eggs.

Cut peeled eggs longwise into halves, removing the yolk to a small mixing bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork until yolks are mealy and completely broken up. Add mayonnaise, salsa, sour cream, onion, sugar and garlic, and mix with fork until creamy and smooth. Hint: add the mayonnaise and sour cream a tablespoon at a time until you reach the creamy consistency you prefer. Add cheese, salsa, and salt and pepper to taste, mixing throughly with fork.

Place yolks mixture into a small baggy, sealing at the top. Cut out a small opening on one corner of the baggy. Squeeze the bag and direct the filling into the egg white holes where the yolks originally rested. Top with a slice of olive, sprinkle with paprika, and arrange on an egg plate. Lettuce leaves may be used as a base to cover a plate and to garnish the dish.

Variations: add green chilis, chopped jalapeno, or chipotle pepper to your liking

Mema’s Oatmeal Cookies

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coconut
3 cups quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts

Blend sugars and shortening. Add beaten eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and add to first mixture. Stir in vanilla, coconut, oats and nuts. Mix well and drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with bottom of glass. Bake in 350 oven until light brown.

Recommended: lightly toast the oats in the oven, and toast the nuts before adding to the dough.

Chicken Bake

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

My sister Rose gave me this recipe. In our many years of recipe exchanges, this is my favorite. Rose lived in Syracuse, New York, for a few years and she brought this dish back with her from Syracuse. I’ve carried it to many friends when they lost a loved one and served it as a special meal for special guests (we call it a company meal in West Texas). While the ingredients list is not long, it has a complexity of flavors that I love. Of course, anything that contains the words “chicken” and “bake” that uses a stick of butter is going to be good.

1 chicken, cut up (do yourself a favor and buy a kosher chicken)
1 cup long grain rice
4 chicken bouillion cubes
1 can mushroom pieces (or splurge and have mushroom caps!)
1/4 cup pimientos
1 1/2 cups water
1 stick butter
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt

Salt & pepper chicken pieces. Brown in butter in a dutch oven. Remove chicken and saute pepper and onion until tender. Add pimientos, mushrooms, salt, mashed bouillion cubes, rice, and water. Mix well. Place chicken pieces on top, and bake in 325 oven for 1 1/2 hour.

Old Fashioned Potato Soup

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

Aunt Teenie’s version of potato soup, this is one of those comfort food dishes great when the winter wind is howling outside and you need to warm yourself from the inside out.

8 slices bacon, cooked and diced
4 medium potatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 Tablespoons minced parsley
1 1/4 cup water
3 cups milk
1 Tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine diced vegetables and water. Cover and simmer 45 minutes or until done. Rice vegetables or put through a coarse sieve, and return to the water in which they were cooked. Add milk, salt and pepper, and reheat. Cook bacon until crisp. Just before serving, float parsley and crisp bacon on soup. Serves 6.

Lord Charley’s Corn Chowder

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

This recipe is a Barron family favorite. Cousin David Corey brought it to the family and his Aunt Marguerite (our Mema) would serve it to us often. While it’s not a diet food, it definitely is a comfort food!

Brown in pan with 2 Tablespoons oil:

1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/3 cup chopped bacon

Add:
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Peel, Dice, and Add

1 pound potatoes (4 cups)
15 ounces Frozen Cut corn

Simmer 1/2 hour.

In a separate pan, melt butter and mix:

4 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour,

add

1 quart half and half

Whip smooth.

Add to soup, cook 10 minutes to blend. Do not boil.

Grandmother Mitchell’s Tamale Pie

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

My Grandmother Mitchell is a legendary cook in my family. She made blackberry cobblers I still dream about, and her turkey and dressing set the standard for holiday fare for us. Grandmother taught my Mom most of what she knew about cooking, and most of the things that Mom did really well were a product of this training. Tamale pies came on the scene during the depression. Using only 3/4 pounds of hamburger, this dish will feed a lot of people! I must confess I usually splurge and use a whole pound of hamburger. We love tamale pie for Christmas Eve dinners, and serve it with beans and rice and salsa. It’s a good way to prepare for the holiday season and a nice change from the usual holiday fare. The cornmeal mush that is the base for this recipe is a “polenta” and we love it! Thanks, Grandmother, now if you had only left us the recipe for your cobbler.

1 cup cornmeal
3 cups water (or chicken broth for extra flavor)
1 teaspoon salt

Place three ingredients in a large sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until you have a stiff cornmeal mush. Line a greased large baking dish with the mush, reserving enough to drop by teaspoons on top of casserole before baking the pie.

Filling:
1 large onion
3/4 pounds hamburger
1 cup tomatoes
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 chopped green peppers
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and meat in skillet; add remaining ingredients and pour over the mush. Drop remaining mush over the casserole, top with grated cheese if desired, and bake at 400 degrees until browned. Slice into squares, and serve with fresh salsa and beans. Serves 5 or 6 people.

Hint: I like to add crushed red pepper flakes to this filling . I also like to use chicken broth for the mush instead of water, and moisten it with some butter stirred into the mush to make a richer taste. I think Grandmother would approve.

Mississippi Mudder Pie

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

This recipe has a luscious chocolate crust, creamy two chocolate filling, with a whipped cream top garnished with chocolate curls. If you are a chocolate lover this is your dish.

Pie crust:
1 5/8 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (dark preferably)
5 1/2 ounces butter (11 Tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons superfine bakers sugar
1-2 Tablespoons cold water

Sift the flour and cocoa into a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into little chunks, then put in bowl with the flour mixture. Rub in the butter with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (The warmth of your fingers will aid in this). Stir in the sugar, then add enough cold water to make a soft dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes. While this is chilling, relax and have a glass of mint iced tea.

Filling:
6 ounces butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
4 organic eggs, lightly beaten
4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, preferably dark
5 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate (preferably Callebaut)
1 1/4 cups light cream
1 tsp vanilla

When the dough is chilled, roll out on a lightly floured counter and use it to line a 9 inch pie pan. Line with parchment paper and fill with dried beans. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and take out the paper and beans. Put crust back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

To prepare the filling, beat the butter and sugar together in a deep mixing bowl then gradually beat in the eggs with the cocoa. Melt the chocolate (I like to do this in a double boiler) and beat it into the mixture with the cream and vanilla.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 45 minutes, until the filling has set but don’t overbake.

Let the pie cool completely. Top with whipped cream and milk chocolate curls. Chill until ready to serve. Serves eight. May garnish with sprigs of mint. I believe a glass of red wine would go great with this dessert but you may just want more mint tea.

This pie is rich, so you may want to slice into more than 8 pieces.