Whole Wheat Bread

Whole Wheat Bread
3 c. warm Water (if water is too hot, yeast will not proof and dough will not rise) A simple test is to put your pinky in the water, if slight sting TOO hot.
2 T. yeast
1 T. sugar/honey/sucanat

Let proof about 5- 10 minutes. Should be frothy.

3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
5 c. bread flour
1/2 c. honey or 1/4 c. sugar
4. T. oil
1 T. salt

In large mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, yeast mixture, additional honey, oil, and salt and mix until smooth. Add bread flour One cup at a time. Mixing until smooth. The trick to soft bread is to only add enough flour so as to be slightly tacky, not sticky, to the touch. The quantity of bread flour is based on mixing by hand, flouring the surface. If making by machine, you will not need as much flour.

Place dough into greased bowl and flip to cover both sides of dough. Let rise until double, about 50 minutes n warmed surface. Punch down and divide into loaf pans (2 -3 depending on loaf pan size). Allow loafs to rise until they top the pan by about an inch. About 40 minutes.

Bake 350 degrees 25 – 30 minutes.

Brush with butter.

Marge's Chicken Casserole

Marge’s Chicken Rice Casserole
1 whole or 4 chicken breasts
4 c. water
1 onion, halved
3 chicken bouillon cubes
½ c. salad dressing or mayonnaise
½ onion, chopped
½ c. celery, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
½ c. salad dressing or mayonnaise
1 small can water chestnuts, sliced
2 c. rice, undercooked by 2 minutes *or cooked instant rice
1 ½ c. chicken broth
2 c. corn flakes
½ stick butter, melted
Cook chicken, onion, and spices in water. When chicken is cooked, cool and cut up into bite-sized pieces. Reserve 1 ½ c. for recipe but remainder can be stored for broth; can be frozen.
Sautee ½ c. onion and celery. Remove from heat. Add soups, chicken, salad dressing, chestnuts and 1 ½ c. chicken broth. Add in rice.
Place into 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
Put corn flakes into food processor and add melted butter. Pulse until rough chopped. Or place corn flakes into sandwich bag with melted butter and roughly crush and shake. Sprinkle over casserole.
Bake 350̊ for 35 – 45 minutes.
*Marge uses cooked instant rice

Chicken Paprikash

Chicken Paprikash.
Crockpot version
3 chicken breast halves
1 t. salt
1/2 t. Spike, Season All, OR chicken boullion
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. paprika
4 c. water
1/2 onion (chopped)
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. COLD water
4 T. flour

Place chicken, seasonings, onion and water in crockpot (high) Cook until chicken is tender about 2-3 hours. With fork, tear chicken into small pieces. Mix 1/2 C. cold water with the flour ( I use a fork to mix this completely.) If the gravy isn't thick enough for you, add 1/4 c. COLD water with an additional heaping T. of flour. Put flour/water mixture into crockpot to make gravy. Allow to boil to get rid of flour taste. Add sour cream, mix and serve.
This can be served on rice or traditionally, wide egg noodles.
Large Pot Version
You can also make this in a pot with some minor adjustments to the recipe.
You can use a whole chicken easily in a pot. But feel free to use the three breast halves.
1 whole chicken
5 cups water
1/2 onion chopped or 1 onion cut in half
Boil on medium for about 1 hour. Turn off liquid.
Remove chicken and cool enough to tear the meat off the bones. Put meat back into pot.
Add spices.
Bring to boil.
Mix 1/2 c. cold water with 4 T. flour ( I use a fork to mix this completely.) If the gravy isn't thick enough for you, add 1/4 c. water with an additional heaping T. of additional flour. Bring to boil. This is important so that your gravy doesn't taste floury.
Add sour cream.
Serve with rice or wide egg noodles.

This gravy freezes well.

Magleby's copycat syrup recipe

ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup buttermilk
1 T. vanilla
1 T. corn syrup
½ tsp. baking soda

Bring first five ingredients to a boil.
Add in baking soda.
Boil for 10 seconds then remove from heat immediately to avoid boil over.
Serve over French toast, pancakes, crepes or any other yummy breakfast item.

You can substitute roughly 7/8 c. milk with 1/8 c. lemon juice for buttermilk. Let sit about 3 minutes, until use.

Stuffed Peppers...especially for Amanda

Stuffed bell peppers

6 bell peppers
2 c. raw rice
2 lbs. Ground beef
1 t. salt
1/4 t. basil
1/8 t. paprika
1/4 t. garlic powder

Sauce
1 can 29 oz Tomato Sauce
1 can 14 ½ oz diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano (plain is also fine)
½ t. chopped garlic or ¼ t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
1/8 t. paprika
1 bay leaf

Thickener
1 c. cold water
4 T. flour

Cook rice until just undercooked. Place in large bowl. Add ground beef and spices. Mix until thoroughly combined. Place in bell peppers that have been topped and unseeded, to overflowing. Put bell pepper cap back on.

For sauce, simply combine ingredients in crockpot or roaster.

Put stuffed peppers into crockpot or roaster. Cook covered. For slow cooker, you can start in the morning on low and it will be finished by dinner. If cooking in the oven, 350 degrees for 2 hours. When cooked, add 1 c. water and flour. This will act as a thickener and to knock out some of the strong tomato flavor. Let boil two minutes longer.

Serve with sour cream.

Asparagus stir fry

Asparagus Stir fry
1 T. water
1 t. cornstarch
1 T. soy sauce
Combine the above three ingredients and Set aside until all other ingredients have been cooked.
1 T. olive oil
1 bunch asparagus cut in half once AFTER having cut off woody bottom
½ c. firmly packed chopped green onions
1 T. water
1 t. cornstarch
1 T. soy sauce
1 large tomato
1 c. sliced mushrooms
Pinch salt (if desired)
Add olive oil and asparagus. Cook for 4 - 5 minutes to soften asparagus. If skinny asparagus cut time. Add green onions and mushrooms and cook 1 minute. I prefer a bit to my green onion. If you don’t want the “bite”, add with the asparagus to cook more fully. Add tomato and cornstarch mixture and heat until bubbly.

Dessert Crepes

Crepes
1 c. flour
1 c. water
5 eggs
pinch salt
Mix ingredients until smooth. Let sit in refrigerator 30 minutes.

To make crepes - I find that the crepes are made easiest on a griddle preheated to 325. I am also able to make two at a time on my griddle. I use olive oil cooking spray sparingly on the griddle. I also use a soup ladle to pick up about 3 T. of egg mixture. I pour the mixture turning in a spiral while using the bottom of the ladle to spread the mixture. It may take a couple of tries at first, but you can do this! Heat until the crepe loses it's shine. You do not need to heat the other side. I set aside and immediately fill with chopped strawberries, or other preferred fruit, jelly/jam and then roll. I top with a dusting of powdered sugar using a tea strainer and add whipping cream. Feel free to try other toppings including chocolate syrup or melted chocolate.

Orange Chicken

Orange Sauce
3 T. Soy sauce
2/3 c. Sugar
2/3 c. rice vinegar/sushi vinegar or white vinegar I mix mine 50:50
1/4 c. green onions (chopped)
1/4 t. sesame seed oil (optional but really adds a great taste)
1 t. ginger, finely grated
1 c. chicken broth (in a pinch use 1 c h20 and one chicken bouillon cube)
Cook on low until bubbly. Add ¼ c. water combined with 2 T. corn starch (slowly pour based on personal thickness preference) cooking until slightly thickened.
Pour over 4 diced/ cooked chicken breasts.
*chicken breasts are easiest to dice when slightly frozen
Sprinkle ¼ c. sesame seeds on chicken before serving.

Serve over rice.

Scones

Best-Ever Scones
1 qt. Buttermilk, warmed
2 pkg. Or 5 t. Yeast
2 T. sugar
2 eggs
2 T. Oil
1 ½ t. salt
3 T. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
8 c. flour
Combine all ingredients. Let rise until double in bulk. Roll and cut into scone shape. Fry until golden brown. Fill with favorite jam, jelly or honey butter.
Once mixed, the dough can be frozen for later use.

Honey Butter
½ c. butter, softened
¼ c. honey
Mix until smooth

Japanese Salad

Japanese Salad
2 c. cooked chicken
2 T. toasted sesame seeds
2T. chopped green onion
1 Head chopped cabbage
1 package chicken top ramen (crush ramen noodles and add ramen flavoring to recipe)
1 T. sugar
1/2 c. oil
8 drops sesame oil (optional)
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper to taste
3 T. rice vinegar

Simply combine all ingredients if serving immediately. If not, add all ingredients except for the ramen noodles. Add those just before serving so they don't get soggy.

Torte

5 eggs, separated
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 heaping T orange or lemon zest
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt

Beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1/2 c. sugar. Beat until thick and just peaked. Set aside.
Beat egg yolk until thick and lemon colored, at least a solid five minutes. Add 1/2 c. sugar and flavorings.
Combine flour and salt.
Add 1 heaping Tablespoon of egg white to yolk mixture. This will help to fold in flour. Slowly fold in flour a couple heaping spoonfuls at a time. If mixture seems too thick to add flour, add another heaping spoon of egg white. Once flour is completely added, fold in remaining egg whites. Be gentle since the egg white mixture is what gives the Torte it's volume. So, only fold as is necessary!
375 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes depending on pan size. Torte will be a nice golden color when done.

Torte Frosting

Torte Frosting

Cook One 5 oz. box chocolate (cook and serve) pudding according to instructions MINUS 3 T milk. Place parchment paper or plastic wrap on top of pudding so that a "skin" doesn't form. Cool completely in refrigerator.

When pudding is completely cooled, you may begin the next part.

Add two sticks UNSALTED butter to mixer. Mix until creamy. A couple tablespoons at a time, begin adding cooled chocolate pudding stirring until well incorporated into butter. Add remaining pudding until smooth and creamy.

This will be enough for a layer and the top of the Torte.

Garden (Potato) soup

Garden Cream Soup
3 cups potato chopped
1 c water
½ c celery sliced
½ c. carrots sliced
¼ c onion chopped
1 t parsley flakes
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
Combine and cook until tender (15 – 20 minutes)
Combine 1 ½ c milk with 2 t. flour. Add to soup. Cook until thick. Add ½ Velveeta cheese. Cook until just melted.

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi
Juice of one lemon
1 t. fresh parsley
8 cloves garlic
½ t. Seafood seasoning (I prefer Old Bay)
4 T. butter
2 T. Olive Oil
3 T. Italian flavored baking crumbs
1 – 2 lbs Raw Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
Food process Lemon Juice, parsley, garlic, and seasoning 5 seconds. Add butter and process until smooth. Heat butter mixture until it just becomes pourable.
Brush olive oil to coat baking dish. Place shrimp on baking sheet. Pour butter mixture on shrimp. Top with bread crumbs.
Broil using broil rack about 5 minutes until shrimp JUST turn pink. Overcooking make shrimp rubbery.
Serve with Lemon rice or with pasta coated in olive oil and sprinkled with a little Parmesan cheese.

Meringue Cookies

Meringue Cookies
4 egg whites (room temperature)
1 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. walnuts OR 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Beat egg whites until stiff (do not over mix or the cookies will be dry.) Beat in sugar 1 heaping T. at a time and fold in vanilla. Fold in 1 1/2 c. nuts or 1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips. Spoon 1 inch balls 2 inches apart onto brown paper bag placed on cookie sheet.
Bake at 250 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Cinnamon or Dinner rolls (picture posted is of dinner rolls)

Cinnamon Rolls –
1 ½ c. milk (scalded)
½ c. sugar
2 ½ t. salt
½ c. oil
3 eggs, if doubling recipe use only 5
2 pkgs yeast
½ c. warm water
7 c. flour
Scald milk and stir in sugar and salt. Cool to warm. Add oil then eggs. Dissolve yeast in water and add to egg mixture. Stir in 3 – 4 cups flour and beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour. The secret to good rolls is to add only enough flour to stop the dough from being sticky. So the dough needs to be soft yet you are able to knead it. Let rest 10 minutes. Knead for 5 more minutes. Let rise until double in bulk. Punch down and let rise again for 30 minutes. Roll out onto floured board until about 1/3 inch thick rectangle.
Filling
1 stick butter (softened)
1 t cinnamon
½ c. brown sugar
1 T. sugar
Spread butter on dough, then sprinkle remaining ingredients.
Roll dough into log and cut into 1 – 1 ½ inch slices. Place on greased cookie sheet and allow to rise until near double. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes until nicely golden.
Frosting
#1
4 ounces cream cheese, ½ t. vanilla extract, 1 c. sifted powdered sugar and enough milk to make the frosting workable.
#2 If trying to reduce some fat from diet 1 c. sifted flour, ¼ t. vanilla extract, and enough water to make the frosting workable. Add 1 T. of water at a time.
*This recipe also makes delicious dinner rolls.

Cream Puffs

Cream Puffs
1 c. water
1 stick butter
1 c. flour
5 eggs

Preheat oven to 425.
Add 1 c. water and 1 stick butter to heavy saucepan. Heat until butter has completely melted and is boiling. Turn off heat and add 1 c. flour stirring until a ball is formed from dough. Add 1 egg and stir until smooth. Add remaining eggs, one at a time, until smooth. With a tablespoon add one dollop onto heavy cookie sheet forming approximately 16 cream puffs. Place into preheated over. Reduce heat to 375 for 30 – 35 minutes. There should be no water blisters on cream puffs when you remove from the oven. If there are water blisters, return to oven for additional 5 minutes. For the first 30 minutes of cooking DO NOT OPEN the oven or cream puffs will fall.
Let cool and cut or pastry bag chocolate pudding, whipping cream or your favorite flavoring. Top creampuffs with sifted powdered sugar or melted chocolate.

Chicken Paprikash

Chicken Paprikash

Crockpot version
3 chicken breast halves
1 t. salt
1/2 t. Spike, Season All, OR chicken boullion
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. paprika
4 c. water
1/2 onion (chopped)
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. COLD water
4 T. flour

Place chicken, seasonings, onion and water in crockpot (high) Cook until chicken is tender about 2-3 hours. With fork, tear chicken into small pieces. Mix 1/2 C. cold water with the flour ( I use a fork to mix this completely.) If the gravy isn't thick enough for you, add 1/4 c. COLD water with an additional heaping T. of flour. Put flour/water mixture into crockpot to make gravy. Allow to boil to get rid of flour taste. Add sour cream, mix and serve.
This can be served on rice or traditionally, wide egg noodles.

Large Pot Version
You can also make this in a pot with some minor adjustments to the recipe.
You can use a whole chicken easily in a pot. But feel free to use the three breast halves.
1 whole chicken
5 cups water
1/2 onion chopped or 1 onion cut in half
Boil on medium for about 1 hour. Turn off liquid.
Remove chicken and cool enough to tear the meat off the bones. Put meat back into pot.
Add spices.
Bring to boil.
Mix 1/2 c. cold water with 4 T. flour ( I use a fork to mix this completely.) If the gravy isn't thick enough for you, add 1/4 c. water with an additional heaping T. of additional flour. Bring to boil. This is important so that your gravy doesn't taste floury.
Add sour cream.
Serve with rice or wide egg noodles.

This gravy freezes well.

Chicken Crepes

Chicken Crepes
1 c. flour
1 c. water
5 eggs
pinch salt
2 cups cooked rice (to prevent soggy rice, I undercook by about 2 minutes)
2 - 3 c. chicken
1 onion finely chopped
2 - 6 cups water depending on chicken cooked (see below)
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. seasoned salt (I prefer the brand name Spike)
3 cubes chicken bouillon (only if making soup)
2 cans evaporated milk
2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Mix eggs, pinch salt, eggs and flour. I use a mixer and mixing bowl for this. Set in refrigerator 30 minutes. This will be the crepes.
Heat cans of evaporated milk and soup. Set 1/2 c. aside for rice mixture.
Combine Rice, salt, garlic salt, 1/2 c. onion, 1/4 c. celery, pepper, and 1/3 c. soup/milk mixture.
To make crepes - I find that the crepes are made easiest on a griddle preheated to 325. I am also able to make two at a time on my griddle. I use olive oil cooking spray sparingly on the griddle. I also use a soup ladle to pick up about 3 T. of egg mixture. I pour the mixture turning in a spiral while using the bottom of the ladle to spread the mixture. It may take a couple of tries at first, but you can do this! Heat until the crepe loses it's shine. You do not need to heat the other side. I set aside and immediately stuff the crepes with the rice mixture. I place a heaping to oveflowing amount of rice mixture at one end of the crepe and roll the crepe.
In a casserole dish, I put about 1/3 c. soup mixture at the bottom. Place crepes in dish. Pour about 1 c. soup mixture onto crepes and reserve the remaining soup as gravy. Cover and Cook at 350 until heated.
For cooked chicken there are a couple of options: You can cook a whole chicken or use a couple of chicken breasts depending on amount of crepes desired. I use a whole chicken and end up with soup. For both choices use the same ingredients just reduce water for breasts to 1 c. and cooking time to about 20 minutes. In a large pot place whole chicken and 6 cups water, 1/2 onion, 1/4 c. celery, 1 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper and 3 chicken bouillon cubes or about 1 t. Spike or other flavoured salt. Cook about 60 minutes. Remove chicken from pot, but be careful since chicken is both hot and subject to falling apart. Remove meat from chicken when cool enough and tear or cut into reasonable sized pieces.
If making soup, return some chicken to pot and cook noodles.
If you have honestly tried or don't want to make crepes, some grocery stores sell them. I find crepes too easy and cheap to make to purchase them.
* Crepes are also wonderful stuffed with jelly, strawberries or other things with whipped cream on top.

Swedish Meatballs

3 slices white bread
1/4 cup milk
1 T. Butter
3 T Olive Oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 t kosher salt
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 egg
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. nutmeg

Roughly break bread apart and pour milk on top in Mixing bowl. Let sit while in frying pan place 1 T butter with 1/2 c. chopped onion. Cook until slightly browned. Place in mixing bowl with milk/bread mixture. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well mixed...about 1 minute.

I use a melon scoop to make about 1 inch sized meatballs. Place meatballs into hot olive oil using the same pan used and with remaining onion scraps inside and cook about 7 minutes until nicely and evenly browned. This takes two batches in large skillet.

Gravy
4 T. Flour
3 c. beef broth
1/2 c. heavy cream or whole milk
1/2 t. accent

Remove meatballs to casserole or preferred dish. Add about 4 T. flour to skillet. If skillet does not have enough oil to make roux, add small amounts (1 t. of oil or butter, clarified if counting calories) until a roux forms. Add about 3 c. of beef broth, 1/2 c. heavy cream or whole milk and 1/2 t. accent (you may substitute 1/2 t. salt or even garlic salt) to roux and cook until thickened, then turn down slightly (cook additional 2 minutes to remove flour taste from gravy.)

Roladen

Roladen Recipe


10 very thinly sliced pieces of beef.

1 onion cut into thin slices that are about 3 inches in length

3 pickles sliced lengthwise first in half then in thirds so that you have 6 lengths from each pickle.

if you want to get fancy you can also add tomato cut lengthwise and/or bacon slices.

1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. your favorite seasoning salt
2 t. tomato paste (not required)

Pound the 10 slices of beef to make them thin enough and large enough to stuff.


Put filing (a couple slices onion, pickle and if desired tomato and bacon) on roladen and roll and sprinkle on all spices. Quick fry to seal, starting at seams. If you don't feel comfortable with your frying skills, use a toothpick to seal and then fry to brown. Count your toothpicks so that you know how many are to be removed!!

Place roladen in good baking dish, or use crockpot. Add enough water to halfway cover the meat. Add leftover onion to water. Also add a couple cloves of garlic, or one clove if you press it. Add 2 beef boullion cubes or about 1 t. beef paste. Add 2 t. tomato paste to liquid. Add about 1 t salt and 1/4 t. black pepper. Cook at 350 about 2 hours. With crockpot, low all day, but add one extra cup water. Check to make sure the water doesn't evaporate, add water if necessary. Maintain about 1 1/2 cups water for gravy. When I am done I usually have half the liquid I started.

When roladen are finished. Put gravy in heavy saucepan and set roladen aside. Turn on stove and bring to a boil.

In a cup add 1/2 cup cold water and about 2 T. flour. Mix with fork until fairly smooth. When gravy boils add this to the gravy to thicken it up. Boil for about a minute. If you don't boil it long enough the gravy will taste of flour. Add more salt to taste.

Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie
1 (9 inch) prebaked pie shell
1 2/3 c. water
3 T. Cornstarch
1 (14 oz.) Can evaporated milk
3 egg yolks (beaten)
2 T. butter
1 t. vanilla extract
Lemon juice (enough to coat banana slices)
2 bananas (slice bananas, dip in lemon juice to retard browning, and drain from lemon juice)
In saucepan, combine water and cornstarch until mixture dissolves. Stir in evaporated milk and beaten egg yolks. Cook while stirring until thickened and until the mixture bubbles. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla extract. Cool for 10 minutes. Place sliced bananas in cooked pie shell. Pour filling into pie shell covering bananas. Cover and refrigerate to set, about 4 hours.
Top with whipped cream and an additional sliced and lemon juice coated banana, if desired.

Stuffed Bread

Stuffed Rolled Bread
1 lb raw Italian Sausage (sweet)
1 ½ c. Shredded Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
½ t. Italian seasoning
Cook Italian sausage, crumbling as you cook. Remove from heat. Drain any grease. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Roll dough to roughly 6 x 18.
Spread Filling to 1 inch from ends of dough. Roll the length towards the other side, creating a large log. Pinch all ends and along length of dough.
Beat one egg. Brush top of bread with egg wash.
Slit top of bread to vent. Let rise 40 minutes. Preheat oven 350.
Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown.
For dough:
3/4 c. milk (scalded)
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1/4 c. oil
1 egg
1 pkgs yeast
1/4 c. warm water
4 c. flour
Scald milk and stir in sugar and salt. Cool to warm. Add oil then egg. Dissolve yeast in water and add to egg mixture. Stir in 2 cups flour and beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour. The secret to good rolls is to add only enough flour to stop the dough from being sticky. So the dough needs to be soft yet you are able to knead it. Let rest 10 minutes. Knead for 5 more minutes. Let rise until double in bulk.
If pressed for time, you can purchase frozen bread dough.


If you are really feeling motivated try putting the stuff in the center of the dough and cut the sides so they appear like fringe. braid the side using that fringe, left to right until completely braided.

Chocolate Cake and Frosting (two types)

Homemade Chocolate Cake
4 T. cocoa powder
2 c. sugar
3 c. flour
¼ t. salt
2 t. baking powder 2 t. baking soda
1 ½ T vanilla
2 eggs
½ c. vegetable oil
½ c hot water
Combine all ingredients mix for 2 minutes.
Bake 350 for 25 minutes
Mock whipped Cream Frosting
5 T. flour
1 c. milk
1 c. granulated sugar (yes, I really wrote granulated)
1 pinch salt
1 c. margarine or butter
1 t. vanilla
Cook milk and flour in heavy saucepan and whip until smooth. Cook until thick using a whisk constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool for exactly 10 minutes.
While this mixture is cooling, in mixer beat the sugar, salt, vanilla, and 1 cup butter (or margarine.) Beat for 10 minutes on high. When the milk mixture has cooled for 10 minutes, add to sugar mixture. There is enough heat remaining in the milk mixture to dissolve the sugar. Beat until fluffy being sure to use a spatula to thoroughly scrap bowl.
For chocolate frosting, simply add ¼ c. cocoa powder.
Genache Frosting
1 ½ c. whipping cream
1 c. chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet over milk)
Bring cream to a boil and put in chocolate stir until completely melted. Let cool. When thickened pour over cake.
If you want to have some filling. Take half of the cream mixture COMPLETELY COOLED and put into mixer and mix until fluffy.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/2 salt
2 c. flour
2 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 12 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 12 oz pkg milk chocolate chips or grated chocolate bar

Cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. While you are doing this, in a blender grind/food processor the oatmeal into flour. Switch to dough hook. Add dry ingredients. Once this is well mixed, add the chips. If you want to add nuts, reduce chocolate with equal amount of nuts.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet. Roll dough into golf ball sized cookies. Place two inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees in preheated oven 8 - 12 minutes.

Linguini and Clam Sauce (easy)

Quick and Delicious Linguini and Clam Sauce
1 pound linguini (cooked according to package)
6 T. butter
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 T. flour
2 (7 oz) cans chopped clams
1 T. parsley
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. basil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Freshly grated parmesan
Heat butter and garlic for 1 minute. Add clam juice and flour. Stirring constantly, bring to boil. Add remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.
Pour over cook linguini. Top with freshly grated parmesan.

White bean chili

White bean chili recipe

1 whole chicken
5 cups water
2 cubes chicken boullion

Start boiling chicken in water about 25 minutes covered or until cooked. Remove chicken from broth and cool enough to remove all meat from bone.

About 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic pressed or chopped.
1 medium onion chopped
2 green bell peppers chopped

cook until tender, but NOT browned in olive oil
Add to chicken broth.

Add two 15 1/2 oz. cans of great northern beans.
4 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin, if you don't have that don't worry, use taco seasoning as a replacement and it will taste the same
1 pinch cayenne pepper or substitute
add all the chicken pulled from bone

tabasco if desired
salt and pepper to taste.

top with cheddar cheese, sour cream and/or chives.

Linguini and Clam Sauce (easy)

Quick and Delicious Linguini and Clam Sauce
1 pound linguini (cooked according to package)
6 T. butter
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 T. flour
2 (7 oz) cans chopped clams
1 T. parsley
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. basil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Freshly grated parmesan
Heat butter and garlic for 1 minute. Add clam juice and flour. Stirring constantly, bring to boil. Add remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.
Pour over cook linguini. Top with freshly grated parmesan.

Chicken Casserole

Marge’s Chicken Rice Casserole
1 whole or 4 chicken breasts
4 c. water
1 onion, halved
3 chicken bouillon cubes
½ c. salad dressing or mayonnaise
½ onion, chopped
½ c. celery, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
½ c. salad dressing or mayonnaise
1 small can water chestnuts, sliced
2 c. rice, undercooked by 2 minutes *or cooked instant rice
1 ½ c. chicken broth
2 c. corn flakes
½ stick butter, melted
Cook chicken, onion, and spices in water. When chicken is cooked, cool and cut up into bite-sized pieces. Reserve 1 ½ c. for recipe but remainder can be stored for broth; can be frozen.
Sautee ½ c. onion and celery. Remove from heat. Add soups, chicken, salad dressing, chestnuts and 1 ½ c. chicken broth. Add in rice.
Place into 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
Put corn flakes into food processor and add melted butter. Pulse until rough chopped. Or place corn flakes into sandwich bag with melted butter and roughly crush and shake. Sprinkle over casserole.
Bake 350̊ for 35 – 45 minutes.
*Marge uses cooked instant rice

Stuffed Bread

Stuffed Rolled Bread
1 lb raw Italian Sausage (sweet)
1 ½ c. Shredded Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
½ t. Italian seasoning
Cook Italian sausage, crumbling as you cook. Remove from heat. Drain any grease. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Roll dough to roughly 6 x 18.
Spread Filling to 1 inch from ends of dough. Roll the length towards the other side, creating a large log. Pinch all ends and along length of dough.
Beat one egg. Brush top of bread with egg wash.
Slit top of bread to vent. Let rise 40 minutes. Preheat oven 350.
Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown.
For dough:
3/4 c. milk (scalded)
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1/4 c. oil
1 egg
1 pkgs yeast
1/4 c. warm water
4 c. flour
Scald milk and stir in sugar and salt. Cool to warm. Add oil then egg. Dissolve yeast in water and add to egg mixture. Stir in 2 cups flour and beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour. The secret to good rolls is to add only enough flour to stop the dough from being sticky. So the dough needs to be soft yet you are able to knead it. Let rest 10 minutes. Knead for 5 more minutes. Let rise until double in bulk.
If pressed for time, you can purchase frozen bread dough.

Shrimp Cerviche

Shrimp Cerviche - This is the cooked shrimp version
2-3 lbs. Shrimp
3 large ripe tomatoes (diced)
1 red onion (diced)
2 avocados (diced) Do not buy a completely ripe avocado or you will cutting too much away
2 cucumbers (diced)
1 bunch cilantro (diced)
1 jalapeno (diced), if you like heat try wax or serrano peppers instead
juice of 8 limes (Key lime are best)
juice of 2 oranges
Boil Water. Place shrimp in water for 3 minutes, you are only blanching, not completely cooking. Immediately place shrimp in ice water after draining, so they stop cooking or the shrimp will get rubbery.
Cut shrimp into large bite sized pieces. A medium shrimp would be cut in half.
Place citrus and shrimp into bowl and allow to marinate a few hours. This acid cooks the shrimp the rest of the way.
Add remaining ingredients. I think this tastes better on day two, but you can serve after marinating an additional 4 hours.

Uncooked Shrimp Cerviche
12 limes
2 pounds shrimp
3 - 4 large ripe tomatoes (diced)
1 red onion (diced)
2 avocados (diced)
2 cucumbers (diced)
1 bunch cilantro (diced)
1 jalapeno (diced)
juice of 2 oranges

Cut up shrimp into bite sized pieces. Place in a bowl and cover completely with juice of limes. The lime acid will "cook" the shrimp. You will see this by a change of coloring of the shrimp. Refrigerate shrimp/lime for 3 hours.
Add remaining ingredients and chill for 4 hours.

Both recipes should be stored in refrigerator in sealed container. Both will only stay fresh for 4 days maximum.

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed bell peppers

6 bell peppers
2 c. raw rice
2 lbs. Ground beef
1 t. salt
1/4 t. basil
1/8 t. paprika
1/4 t. garlic powder

Sauce
1 can 29 oz Tomato Sauce
1 can 14 ½ oz diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano (plain is also fine)
½ t. chopped garlic or ¼ t. garlic powder
1 t. salt or seasoned salt (Spike) for additional flavor
1/8 t. paprika
1 bay leaf

Thickener
1 c. cold water
4 T. flour

Cook rice until just undercooked it will finished cooking once stuffed in peppers. Place in large bowl. Add ground beef and spices. Mix until thoroughly combined. Place in bell peppers that have been topped and unseeded, to overflowing. Put bell pepper cap back on.

For sauce, simply combine ingredients in crockpot or roaster.

Put stuffed peppers into crockpot or roaster. Cook covered. For slow cooker, you can start in the morning on low and it will be finished by dinner. If cooking in the oven, 350 degrees for 2 hours. When cooked, add 1 c. water and flour that has been whisked together until smooth. This will act as a thickener and to knock out some of the strong tomato flavor. Let boil two minutes longer to remove residual flour taste.

Serve with sour cream.

Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie
1/2 cup butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
dash salt
1 cup pecan
cinnamon

425 for 10 min....325 45-50min
there is a bookmark in the plain pastry page.

plain pastry.. makes one 9 inch double crust pie, or two 8 inch pie
shells, or ten 3-1/2 inch tarts

2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 to 2/3 cup shortening
1 tsp salt about 6 tablespoons of ice water

sift flour, measure and resift twice with salt. if lard is the
shortening, use 1/2 cup; if vegetable shortening, use 2/3 cup. cut fat
into flour with a pastry blender or 2 knives, or rub with fingertips
until fat-flour particles are about the size of split peas. Now add the
water by teaspoons, mixing lightly with a fork and tossing aside the part
of the mixture that is dampened. Gather these moistened fat-flour
particles into a ball, press gently together; wrap in waxed paper and
chill in the refrigerator a few minutes.

for a prebaked single crust, trim off dough to within 1/2 inch of rim of
pan, then turn dough under so folded edge is flush with rim of pan.
flute edge, then prick pastry closely all over with tines of fork. bake
in a moderately hot oven 425 about 12-15 min.or until crust light golden
brown. after 5 min look at the crust and collapse any bubbles by
pricking. cool pan on a cake rack.

Pork Chops

Pork Chops

1 lb. Pork chops

1 egg

3 T. milk

1 t. seasoning salt *

1/8 t. garlic

1/8 t. onion powder

¼ t. pepper

¼ t. paprika

½ flour

½ c. Italian bread crumbs or corn flakes, crushed to powder

On first plate add milk, egg and spices; beat with fork until well blended. Onto second plate, combine flour and bread crumbs. Dip pork chops into egg mixture, then into flour mixture coating completely. Do this with all pork chips.

In heavy skillet add ¼ c. oil and heat until hot. Cook to slightly brown on each side; 30 seconds per side. Place pork chops on heavy cookie sheet.

Cook 350̊ for 20 minutes, until done.

*Alwine reduced seasoning salt to ½ t. and added ½ t. msg.

You can cook the pork chops about 3 minutes each side, but the above method removes some of the grease while still nicely flavoring the chops.

Fried Chicken... Yes, I use the oven too

2 pounds chicken Cut to preferred size

Flour Mixture (do NOT mix with egg wash!)
2 cups corn flakes (finely crushed using food processor or other fancy schmancy kitchen equipment..yes a rolling pin will work but for the love of bob put the stuff in a bag first or the mess you will make, oy!!!)
Put on it's own plate.
1 cup flour
EGG WASH This also gets its own plate or bowl...whichever works best for you.
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1 t. salt or for more pizazz SPIKE or other seasoning salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. paprika

Mix the above five ingredients together.


Pick up a piece of chicken and put in the flour mixture, then the egg wash, and then again in the flour. Let sit a couple minutes to set and then after a couple minutes dip back in the flour if absorbed.

Put about 1/2 c. oil in frying pan. Apply heat.

When nice and hot, add some chicken pieces. Fry only a minute on each side.

Turn stove on 350. As chicken is finished frying, place on cookie sheet. Cook the chicken until juices run clear..small pieces about 12 minutes and large pieces up to 30 minutes, depending on size. The quick fry gives the feel of fried chicken but the stove removes excess oil.

This goes great with curry chicken and rice.

Curry Sauce

Sauce
3 T. olive oil/butter/or preferred oil (I use olive)
1/2 c. onion chopped
1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper roughly julienned (I use both just for the color and red particularly for the sweet, but 1 green pepper will work)
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 large can 28 oz tomatoes (whole or diced though I prefer whole and roughly chop it myself)
2 heaping T. favorite curry (Are you taking another trip to London soon Lisa ;) You've spoiled me
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Place oil in fry pan and apply heat. Add onions and cook until softened and translucent..about 3 minutes. Add garlic and heat one minute. Add remaining ingredients and cook until bubbly. (I don't like soggy peppers so I don't quick fry it, though if you prefer a softer texture, you may want to do that. Double check to make sure you added everything including spices. That's it on the sauce.

This goes great on top of a bed of rice. I also typically serve it with curry chicken.

Welcome Home

Once again, I am attempting a blog to put some requested recipes. Thanks Lisa, for the push. Thank you Hayley for bringing up the topic.