Banana Pudding - Emma Stephenson

1/2 c sugar

2 Tbsp flour 

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup whole milk *

1 cup half and half *

3 eggs, separated 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 med size box vanilla wafers

4-6 bananas   

Combine the sugar flour and salt. Add milk to slightly beaten egg yolks. Combine flour mixture and milk mixture. Cook in the top of a double boiler until the consistency of custard. Add the vanilla. 

Line a baking dish with vanilla wafers. Slice bananas over the wafers. Pour half of the custard mixture over the bananas then repeat with a second layer as before.  

Beat the egg whites with 6 tablespoons of sugar to make a meringue topping. Pour the meringue over the pudding. 

Bake at 425° for five minutes or until delicately brown.  May be served hot or cold. 

Yield 6 to 8 servings.

Recipe courtesy of my Aunt Barbara's mother, Emma Stevenson. 

* Original recipe called for 2 cups whole milk. I modified it to make it slightly richer. 

The milk, half and half, and egg yolks mixture.

The sugar, flour, and salt

Cooking the custard.

The finished product with meringue before cooking. 

After cooking. 

Shepherd's Pie - Autumn

2¼ lbs lean ground beef

6 cups prepared instant creamed potatoes, or homemade if desired

8 oz. block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated

½ medium onion, diced

½ large bell pepper, diced

2 teaspoons diced garlic (from the jar) or 4-5 med/lrg cloves, minced

salt & pepper to taste

Prepare the instant potatoes (or homemade if you have the time) and set aside.  Be sure to salt, pepper, and butter the potatoes.  

Season the meat with salt and pepper also. Cook the ground chuck with the peppers, garlic and onions in a skillet.  Drain the excess grease off of the meat.  Place the meat in the bottom of a 9x13 Pyrex dish.  Layer the creamed potatoes on top of the meat.  Sprinkle the grated cheese all over the potatoes.  Place in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the entire dish is good and hot.

Notes:  I usually prepare this dish with extra lean ground beef, 1% milk and margarine in the potatoes, and 2% cheese to reduce the fat content of this dish.  It is still really good! You’d never know I used the reduced fat options.

*Stuffed Peppers - Autumn

3 large bell peppers

1 lb ground chuck

2 c. cooked white rice

2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp lemon pepper

¼ tsp celery seed

¼ tsp salt

⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

Fresh ground black pepper [to taste]

Cook ground chuck and drain off the grease. Parboil the bell peppers.  Make sure not to boil them tool long because they will become flimsy and difficult to stuff later.  

While the peppers are boiling, mix the beef, rice, seasoning and one can of tomato sauce in a medium bowl. Use mixture to stuff peppers. Pour remaining can of sauce over peppers.  

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.

*The Perfect Chili

* This is my personal chili recipe.  It uses a combination of fresh ingredients and dry seasonings for optimal flavor.  Note that I not only use fresh garlic and onion but also garlic and onion powders.  I find that this produces a better flavor. 

servings: 4

cook time: 30 min

total time: 1 hr

2 lbs lean Ground Beef

1 med Onion, chopped

4 large cloves, or equivalent of minced from jar

2 c. Water

2 tbsp Flour

1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes

2 (8 oz.) cans Tomato Sauce

Seasonings: 

6 tbsp Mexene Chili Powder

1 tbsp Paprika

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Onion Powder

1½ tsp Salt (regular, not sea salt)

2 tsp Sugar

Cook ground beef with onions and garlic in a large skillet. Drain the excess grease off of the meat and place the meat back in the skillet. Add all of the other ingredients and simmer for at least 30 minutes.

*Tip:  If you are sensitive to spicy foods, try cutting back the chili powder to 4 tbsp. This will give it a milder flavor. 

Makes about 6 cups.

Green Bean Casserole

When I was a little child I never would eat green bean casserole because the cream of mushroom soup mixed with the green beans seemed disgusting. However, this recipe is unlike any I have ever had before and is delicious!

Green Bean Casserole

2 (15 oz) cans of green beans (French cut works nice)

2 slices of bacon

½ cup brown sugar

¼ tsp garlic powder

 ⅛ tsp salt

1 tbsp butter (cut into 4 pieces)

Drain the green beans well.  Place them in a clear 9X9 baking dish.  Sprinkle the garlic, brown sugar, and salt on the beans.  Cut the bacon into small pieces and sprinkle over the beans.  Place the pieces of butter on the beans.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Stir about every 15 minutes to make sure it’s not sticking.  For an extra kick, add some French’s French Fried Onions during the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

Recipe courtesy of Dot Land

The Best Ever Cole Slaw / Cabbage Slaw

This is the best recipe for cole slaw (or cabbage slaw as some call it) that I have ever had!

½ lrg head cabbage (shredded)

1 med carrot (shredded)

½ med onion (quartered)

½ c. sugar

½ c. vegetable oil

¼ c. vinegar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp celery seed

½ tsp ground mustard

Directions:  Toss the shredded cabbage, carrots, and celery seed together in a large bowl.  Put the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and the sugar has dissolved.  Pour the sauce over the cabbage mixture and stir through well.  Refrigerate before serving.  Serve with a slotted spoon.

**If you don't have time to cut up cabbage, you can buy the bag mix with the carrots already in it and use it instead. 

**This stuff is so delicious that you won't be able to back away from it! My only warning is don't feed it to a diabetic because it's sweet!

Beef Tips with Gravy

Beef Tips with Gravy

1 lb of beef tips

1 can (10 oz) cream mushroom soup

Zesty Italian dressing dry mix

Brown Gravy dry mix

1/2 tsp garlic powder, or 2 cloves, finely minced 

1/2 small onion, minced

1/2 c cold water for brown gravy

1/4 cup hot water for Italian dressing

Lawry's Season Salt for meat. 

Sprinkle the meat (somewhat liberally) with Lawry's season salt to taste. Chop up 1/2 of a small onion and 2 cloves of garlic and place in a nonstick pan with the meat. Lightly brown the meat, garlic and onions. Dissolve the gravy mix in 1/2 c cold water. Dissolve the Italian Dressing mix in 1/4 cup warm water. Place the meat, onions, and garlic in a slow cooker and add the gravy, the dressing, and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Cook on high for about three hours. 

I personally have a shortcut that I like to use. I place the meat garlic and onion mixture in an electric pressure cooker and add the gravy mix and dressing mix with the water. I cook it under pressure for about 15 minutes. Then I depressurize it and stir in the cream of mushroom soup and let it simmer for a few minutes before serving.

*Best served over white rice or egg noodles. 

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Mexican Cornbread - Autumn

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Mexican Cornbread

3 c. yellow self-rising cornmeal

1½ c. cultured whole buttermilk

2 c. grated medium cheddar cheese

3 lrg eggs

¼ c. canola oil

¾ c. sugar

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel sweet corn (drained)

5 whole medium jalapenos (fresh) or substitute ½ c. pickled jalapeños with some of the juice  

Directions:  If using the fresh jalapenos, cut the tops off and you might want to rake the seeds out. Then place the jalapenos in a food processor along with the corn.  Chop until the mixture is completely pureed and soupy.  Place the mixture in a large bowl.  Add the oil, eggs, sugar, cheese, buttermilk, and cornmeal.  Blend the mixture well.  

You will need 2 iron skillets:  a 10¼ inch and an 8½ inch.  Make sure both are sprayed well with Pam cooking spray.  Bake at 450 for 25-35 minutes.  The small pan will cook more quickly (about 25 minutes) and the large pan will take about 35 minutes.

As an alternative you can also cook the entire batch in a 13X9 inch glass baking dish at 350 for 45 minutes.  Using the baking dish will also make the crust softer and the bread will be a little more moist.

This is my own personal recipe. 

~Autumn~

Elegant Venison Stew

2 lb venison steak

1/2 lb bacon or salt pork

2 tbsp. flour

6 cups beef stock (not broth)

1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes

8 med. carrots

3 stalks celery diced

2 tbsp. sugar

2 1/2 med. yellow onions

garlic to taste (I used 5 cloves)

1 cup peas (optional)

salt (2-3 tsp) and pepper(1/4 tsp); to taste

1/2 tsp dried Rosemary leaves

Cut bacon into 1″ cubes and saute in large saucepan until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Cut venison into 1 1/2 or 2″ pieces and brown over high heat in bacon fat. Stir in flour and make a roux. Lower heat and let brown 2-3 minutes.

Add stock and stir till smooth. Simmer 1 hour or more until venison begins to get tender, add more liquid as necessary.

Add all the other ingredients, except peas, and continue to simmer to make a thick stew. Simmer peas in a separate pan until done. Strain and spoon over or around stew when served. Serve with corn muffins, potatoes or parsnips and a salad.

**I served this with Melt-In-Your-Mouth Mexican Cornbread**

Apple Lasagna

My mother-in-law is very skeptical about trying new foods, but she was even impressed with this one and insisted we make it again! I got this recipe from one of my customers at work who brought me some to try. She also mentioned she has had great success freezing this dish after it is cooked. It re-warms beautifully. 

Apple Lasagna

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles

2 (21 ounce) cans apple pie filling

2 c. (8 ounce block) grated sharp cheddar

1 c. ricotta cheese

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 c. granulated sugar 

6 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsp unsalted butter

6 tbsp light or dark brown sugar

1/4 c. quick cook oats

dash of ground nutmeg, optional

---------------------------------------

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the noodles to the desired doneness.  Drain and set aside. 

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Layer for noodles on the bottom of the prepared dish.  Spread one can of apple pie filling on top and slice any extra thick apples in two.  Layer 4 more noodles over the apples. 

In a large bowl, mix together the cheddar cheese, ricotta cheese, egg and granulated sugar.  Spread the mixture evenly over the noodles.  Place the last 4 noodles over the mixture.  Spread the remaining can of apple pie filling over the noodles. 

In a small bowl, crumble together the flour, cinnamon, butter, brown sugar and quick oats.  Sprinkle the mixture over the apple pie filling. 

Bake for 45 minutes in 350° oven. Let stand for 15 minutes after removing from hot oven.  Then slice into serving size pieces and serve either warm or cold. 

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3 Cups - Granulated Sugar

2 Sticks - Margarine

1/2 Stick - Unsalted Butter

3 Cups - All-purpose Flour

1 Tablespoon - Vanilla Extract

8 Ounces - Cream Cheese

6 - Large Eggs (beaten)

Pinch of Salt

Directions: Begin with softened cream cheese, margarine, and butter. Cream the cream cheese, margarine, sugar, and butter. Add beaten eggs and flour alternately. Mix very well. Pour into greased and floured tube pan. Bake in cold oven (do not preheat!) at 300° for one hour and 30 minutes or when cake pulls away from sides of pan. Frost when completely cooled or just leave plain. 

*This recipe was given to me by a student in my speech class at UWA my freshman year.  We were presenting demonstration speeches that day.  About half of the class had chosen to demonstrate cooking something for their speech.  Many of us handed out copies of our recipes and the class got to eat the food.  This was the best pound cake I had ever eaten at the time and probably still is. 

*Oriental Chicken & Pasta

1-1½ lbs boneless skinless Chicken Breasts

16 oz box of Penne Pasta

1 med Sweet Onion, cut into short thin slivers

3 Green Onions, diced in small pieces

¾ cup Baby Carrots, sliced

½ cup Celery, diced

1 cup sliced Mushrooms

2 cans of Water Chestnuts, drained and sliced

8 cloves Garlic, minced

4 slices of Pineapple, each cut into 6 large bites

½ cup Pineapple Juice

½ tsp ground Ginger

Lawry’s 30 minute marinade (Teriyaki with pineapple flavor)

¼ cup Canola Oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Step 1:  Cut the chicken up into bite-size pieces.  Cook it in a large skillet with a little marinade until done.  Take the chicken out and place it aside.

Step 2:  Cook the vegetables (not the pineapple! it’s a fruit) in the oil until tender. Be careful not to burn the onions! Add a little marinade to the vegetables while they are cooking for flavor.

Step 3:  In a separate pan, cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.

Step 4:  Mix all of the cooked vegetables, chicken, garlic, ground ginger, pineapple juice and slices, pasta, salt, and pepper in the large skillet.  Add a little more marinade as needed to make everything good and moist.  Stir gently as to not make the pineapple pieces come apart.  Simmer for about 5 minutes and serve.

The pics are 1. The veggies cooking, 2. The chicken cooked in teriyaki sauce and the pineapple, and 3. The penne pasta boiling. Sorry I forgot to get one of the finished product. We were so hungry smelling it cook that we dove right in!

Cinnamon Toast

Cinnamon toast... now that's something to make you happy.

**the brands I used are in parenthesis following the items**

Just take some bread (Bunny), squeezable butter (Parkay), sugar, and cinnamon and you'll have a delicious breakfast or even snack ;-)

I used about equal parts butter and sugar in a small bowl to form a paste-like spread. Add as much cinnamon as you like. My mixture tends to be quite brown when I'm done. Then just spread the yummy goodness onto your bread.

Place it in the oven under your broiler. Wait until the sugar and butter melt together and bubble on the surface of the bread. The edges of the bread should be lightly browning too. Then take it out quickly! It is easy to burn at this stage.

Allow to cool and enjoy!

*Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & Cheese

8 oz. uncooked dry large elbow macaroni (cook about 2 minutes less than directions and set aside)
2 tbsp butter or margarine (melted)
2 tbsp self rising flour

1 ½ c. milk

2 c. (Or 8 oz. Block) grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz. Velveeta

¾ tsp ground mustard powder
½ tsp garlic powder (or a large clove of garlic, minced)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
⅛ tsp paprika

Step 1:  Start heating your water to cook the macaroni.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  If you have a gas oven, lower the heat to 300-325.  Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl.  

Step 2:  In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter and flour together.  Begin cooking the roux.  Add the milk and seasonings.  Slowly add the cheddar.  Stir constantly and keep the heat low so the cheese sauce doesn’t stick or burn.  Add the Velveeta and let it melt completely. 

Step 3:  Pour the mixture over the macaroni and stir well.  Top with additional cheese if desired.  Bake for about 30 minutes.

*Meatloaf

Please excuse the burnt tomato sauce on the sides of the pan. The meat is fine I assure you! I just forgot to wipe the sauce down that I got on there before I put it in the oven. It's very good! Enjoy. :-) The pan is by Temp-tations. Best cookware ever! Here is the link for the pan. The cleanup on this stuff is super easy... even with the mess I made! LOL!

http://www.qvc.com/Temp-tations-Old-World-Loaf-Pan-with-CeramicDrip-Tray-Spice,.product.K37829.html?upsh=1&sc=K37829-CSWB

Meatloaf

1.3 lbs ground chuck
1/2 c. minced yellow onion
1/4 c. minced green bell pepper
1/2 c. Progresso Italian Style Bread Crumbs
1 large egg
2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
3 tbsp Ketchup
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Cavendar's Greek Seasoning

Combine meat, onion, pepper, bread crumbs, 1 can tomato sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, ketchup, garlic powder, and Cavendar's Seasoning in a mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, beat your egg with a fork until it's a little fluffy. Add egg to meat mixture. Blend all ingredients together well. You may need to use your hands for this.

Place meat into a 1.7 quart loaf pan. Pour about half of the tomato sauce from the second can on it to cover the top evenly. Bake at 350 in the top third of your oven for about an hour and 20 minutes.