Cinnamon Chess Pie

September 28th, 2009
by: Sue

I remember eating this pie at the Overton’s home right after WWII. It was always served with coffee, which Mem would cool by saucering it a little at a time so I could sit in his lap and have real coffee laced with cream and sugar. We visited the Overton’s very often and always had a delicious piece of pie or cake and coffee. That was the only time I was allowed to have coffee, so I always looked forward to our visits. We served this pie for most holidays and never grew tired of it.

1 cup sugar
1 heaping Tablespoon flour
1 large can condensed milk
3 beaten egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 unbaked pie crust

Add sugar to flour, whisk in milk, egg yolks, cinnamon and vanilla.
Pour into unbaked pie crust, and bake at 400 for 5 minutes, lower heat to 325 and bake until center is firm.

Variation: Make meringue of 3 egg whites, and spread on baked pie. Bake in oven until meringue is lightly browned.

Note: The crust will do better if you prebake it. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, remove from oven and remove paper and beans. Brush the crust with beaten egg, then pour in filling; bake at 325 until center is set.

Mema’s yeast rolls

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

No holiday meal was complete without my sweet Mother In Law’s rolls. The first meal I ate at her table consisted of fried chicken (lightly fried then baked in the oven), fresh black eyed peas, homemade cream style corn, rice with celery and onions sauteed in butter, and these rolls served with home churned butter. The rolls just melted in my mouth. Dessert was chocolate meringue pie so good your eyes would roll back in your head. When the meal was over all the females pitched in and cleaned up the kitchen and got to know each other. I was in love with Darrell and his family after this meal if not before.

1/4 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
3 cups flour
1 cup scalded milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup lard (yes, LARD) Crisco will do, though

Place yeast in cup with 1/4 cup warm water to proof the yeast. If it begins to bubble, it is good yeast. Put sugar, salt, and lard in mixing bowl. Add scalded milk and let cool to lukewarm. Add eggs and yeast mixture to the milk mixture and beat in 1 1/2 cups flour with the mixer. Add 1 1/2 more cups flour, beating until moist. Turn out on floured surface and work in more flour 1/2 cup at a time as needed to make a soft dough. This will be softer than bread dough. Turn into greased bowl, cover and let rise at room temperature until double.

Punch dough down and put on a floured surface, pinching off 2 small balls of dough to make divided rolls. Place two balls in each muffin tin depression, let rise until double (again at room temperature), and bake at 325 until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter.

Alternate method: Roll out dough, and cut with round biscuit cutter. These may be baked in biscuit shapes or creased and folded over to bake in a folded shape.

Creamy Fudge

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

This recipe takes the guess work out of fudge. You don’t need a candy thermometer, you just need to time how long you cook it. One some days, it takes it longer to set (I guess it depends on the humidity and barometric pressure). But it always does set up and remains creamy after being cut. I like to cut these into small 1 inch or smaller squares and serve in a mini muffin paper liners. So good you had better double the recipe; good for gifts at Christmas and to gift your guests as they leave your house.

1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup (1 small can) evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1 jar regular size (approx 7 ozs.) marshamallow crème
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 12 oz. size semi-sweet chocolate (2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Combine sugar, milk, butter, marshmallow crème and salt in a saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture has boiled for exactly 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add chocolate pieces and vanilla and stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in walnuts. Turn into buttered 9 inch square pan. Let stand until firm, then cut into squares. This recipe can be doubled.

German Apple Pie

September 27th, 2009
by: Sue

This apple pie is the pie of my dreams. It’s important to choose the freshest apples available with a firm texture and the sweet tart flavor that resembles pineapple. Unfortunately the best apples for this run about $3 a pound, but it’s worth it! If you’re going to the trouble to make it, do it with the best possible ingredients.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 3 tablespoons ice water

FILLING:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6 cups thinly sliced peeled tart applies (1/4″) approximately 6 apples
1 cup heavy cream

Whipped cream optional to top.

In a small bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in the shortening until crumbly. Add vanilla. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Roll out pastry to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate, trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Pinch or flute edges to make a pretty edge.

For filling, combine the sugar, flour and the cinnamon. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of this mix into the crust. Layer with half the apples, then sprinkle with half the remaining sugar mixture. Repeat layers. Pour cream over all.

Bake at 450 for ten minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 50-60 more minutes until apples are tender. Cool and store in the refrigerator. Top with whipped cream if desired. Delicious!

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

March 25th, 2009
by: Blue

This dip (which also makes an incredible salad dressing) was a huge hit at our 2nd Thanksgiving dinner for 2008. Our first dinner was traditional, the 2nd dinner was a Mexican theme feast! Because my brother Grue requested it, of course. As he said then, where else but Blue or Sue’s kitchen can he pretty much list anything that he wants to eat and it just miraculously happens? We obviously love him! Also it goes without saying that after our Mexican feast we continued the traditional “death by pie” dessert lineup. This consisted of not one, not two, but four different fabulous pies!

16 oz. sour cream (can substitute reduced fat sour cream if you wish)

1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix powder

1/2 c Sofrito

1-3 fresh jalapenos, depending on how hot you like it, coarsely chopped

Drain the sofrito in a small sieve for a few minutes. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill for a few hours for best taste and texture.

Salsa

March 23rd, 2009
by: Blue

1 can diced tomatoes (or substitute fresh)
Hatch green chiles to taste (my personal favorite, I use at least 6 because I like it HOT), or substitute jalapenos to taste
1/2 cup sofrito
Salt/pepper to taste

Throw everything into a food processor and process to desired consistency. Add more garlic/onion if needed.

Sofrito

March 23rd, 2009
by: Blue

In my kitchen sofrito makes its way into everything from rice to soup to beans to salsa to casseroles…the list is endless. Not only that, it freezes beautifully, so in a few minutes you can make enough sofrito to use in multiple dishes. Search for “sofrito” on this site for other recipes containing this delectable concoction!

2 medium onions, cut into large chunks
5-6 bell peppers, cored and seeded, cut into large chunks
16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled
3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks, or 1 can diced tomatoes
2 bunches cilantro, washed

Throw everything into a food processor and process until smooth (I don’t even remove the stalks from the cilantro). The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, but I like to freeze it in 1/2 cup portions in those little ziploc snack bags – that way it is always ready for me to use whenever I want it – and I want it often!