Chicken Fiesta Soup

I had to laugh...now I have my dear friend Karen hunting down those wonderful recipes in my absence...she is a true friend, sent me this recipe as I missed Singing last night at church...Janna is such a wonderful cook...we are so blessed to have such a great group of Christian Friends.


Janna's Chicken Fiesta Soup

2 lb block of Velveeta
2 cans Rotel
2 cans chicken broth
cooked chopped chicken (canned would work)
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can cream corn
1 can pinto, white, or kidney beans (she used pinto but thought the original recipe called for white beans; kidney beans would be good too)

Mix it all together in a big pot and let it simmer til the cheese is melted and everything's hot. You can add more or less of an ingredient to taste; she said it was very forgiving!

Pretty fast, easy, yummy and filling!!

Ranch Rolls

Anna brought these wonderful rolls to a dinner I attended, so I had to have this recipe. Anna laughed and said the recipe originally came from Charlene, who is a fantastic cook. I love good recipes, so thanks to you, Anna, for a sharing heart.

Ranch rolls

2 (1/4 ounce) packages dry yeast, dissolved in
1 cup warm water
7 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk (dry may be used after you add the water)
1/2 cup vegetable oil


Directions: Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
1. In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water. 2. In the same bowl mix all the rest of the ingredients. 3. Let the bowl of dough sit for about 1/2 hour, but you do not have to--you can bake them right away. 4. Roll to 3/4" thickness and cut with biscuit cutter. 5. Make as many as you want; the rest can be saved for another time. 6. Place on ungreased sheet and bake in 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. 7. LEFTOVER DOUGH--store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks in an airtight container making sure there is enough room in it as it grows.

Iron Skillet Apple Pie

Talk about a fantastic, delicious recipe...this one is a blue ribbon winner. Our new preacher's wife, Jana, brought this pie to third Sunday dinner. What caught my eye was the presentation, a big black iron skillet. So many of us love cast iron to cook in, and I have several pieces. She graciously shared the recipe with me. You will not be disappointed in this pie.......

Iron Skillet Apple Pie

7 apples (Granny Smith if possible)
1 cup Sugar (less if the apples are not tart)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Line skillet with pie crust (or use a Pillsbury Refrigerated Crust)
Add filling and top with second crust. Seal the edges together.
Bake until almost brown, and then add the topping for the last
ten minutes.

Topping

Mix together and sprinkle on top....

1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup of pecan pieces
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream

I always bake my pies at 350 degrees. This recipe did not have
a temperature, but I am sure this will bake perfect at this one.
I smile when I think of how all us ladies looked when we saw
this beautiful pie in the cast iron skillet....reminded me of
my Grandma, that was all she cooked with.....

Pear Mincemeat and Pear Conserve

My dear friend Barbara sent me a letter this week...enclosed was their family recipe for Pear Mincemeat. I will definitely make this next year. I have to post my recipes here or I loose them. I have recipes in boxes, plastic boxes, plastic envelopes, recipes from auctions, I will soon need a forklift to move the piles, but I love recipes and sharing good ones is a blessing from one friend to another.

Pear Mincemeat
(Recipe from the Robinson family)

10 pounds pears (peeled and cored)
3 oranges (peel and pulp)
3 lemons (peel and pulp)
3 Delicious apples with peel
2 pounds raisins

Grind all the above together and add:
1 (24 oz.) bottle of Grape Juice
1 #2 can of crushed Pineapple
5 Pounds of sugar
1 Tablespoon each of cloves, nutmeg, all-spice, and
cinnamon
Mix all the ingredients and cook 30 minutes, stirring to
keep it from sticking.
Add 1 pound margarine or butter. Cook about 15 minutes
more. Seal in canning jars.
One pint will make 1 pie......


This recipe was shared on Homesteading Today by Granny Sue. I
made this and it is wonderful I also tried it with apples and
it is a beautiful blend, looks so pretty in the jars. I changed
the recipe up just a little and used two jars of marischino cherries
(drained) as I wanted a lot of color.She used candied cherries in
her recipe.


Pear Conserve

4 cups of peeled, cored and finely chopped pear
(the type of hand chopper often used for onions worked great for this)
1/4 cup chopped, candied cherries
1/2 orange (juice and rind)
1 box fruit pectin
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Prepare and measure the pears into a large saucepan. (If there is little juice, add 1/4 cup of water.)
Squeeze the juice out of the orange and into the pears in the saucepan.
Grate or zest the orange's peel into the mixture. Add the chopped cherries, spices and pectin and heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
Add the sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir constantly to prevent scorching.
Cook to a full rolling boil. Boil one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir and skim off foam for 5 minutes.
Ladle into hot sterilized jars. Clean jar rims carefully, put on lids and turn upside down for twenty minutes to aid the sealing process.
Return to upright position, tighten lids and check for seal as the jars cool.

Canning Time

Fall months means lots of canning and dehydrating around here. Praise the Lord for generous friends who share as well. I had a call a couple weeks ago to "come get these pears". There were at least four bushels of them. I gladly went and got them, and am doing the last batch today. I mostly make Pear Honey, Benny's favorite. It is just pears cooked down with sugar until thick, then add a can of drained crushed Pineapple and continue to cook down till ready to go on a biscuit...LOL...nice and thick. Yesterday, I added marischino cherries and left off the pineapple, and this morning I plan to make Pear Compote...Pears, Marischino cherries, some orange juice from one orange, and the orange zest. I have been making labels for the jars...I am not that creative, but this is so easy...clip art, then cover front and back with clear packing tape, draw on my circles for wide mouth or regular jars, and cut them out, place on the top of the band and screw down the ring...I have been doing all my jars that way this year, lots of beautiful designs, and they are really cute.


This is how the labels look when I am working on them....


This set is from Debbie Mumm's Little Cowboy which is quickly becoming one of my favorite clipart sets....

Still have lots of apples to dehydrate. One of my neighbors has a wonderful apple tree. She allows me to have all the apples that fall on the ground. I have made applesauce, applebutter, and now am dehydrating them. My old dehydrator gave up the ghost, I cannot complain, it lasted me over thirty years. I bought a new one, and it is on the porch, ready to be opened and put to work.
My sister-in-law came to visit last week...she fell in love with the dehyrdated tomatoes, and she loved the apples, told me she was going home and order a dehydrator for herself.

Chocolate Torte

Another fantastic chocolate recipe for chocoholics...my friend Linda makes this for third Sunday dinners and it is gone before you can get to the dessert table. I have also heard it called Chocolate Delight, but I will eat it either way I can get it....and so she graciously gave this recipe hound her recipe to share...Enjoy...with thanks to Linda !

Chocolate Torte

2 sticks margarine
2 cups flour
3/4 cup pecans
1 (8 oz.) package of Cream cheese
1 cup powdered Sugar
1/2 large carton of Cool Whip
2 large packages of Instant Chocolate Pudding
3 cups milk
Chocolate chunks

Mix margarine, flour, and pecans. Press into baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool.
For second layer, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and Cool
Whip. Pour into cooled crust.
For third layer, mix Instant pudding with milk. Pour over
the second layer. Top with the rest of the Cool Whip and
sprinkle with Chocolate chunks.

Swedish Pineapple Cake

Today was third Sunday at church, a time of "shaking salt" together, sharing our love of friends, and recipes. How many times have you brought home a recipe written out on a napkin ? LOL...this happens often to me, the recipe hound...I love to find out who made that fantastic dish...Sharing is caring....and this recipe belongs to the new minister's wife, Jana, a fantastic cook....I will be making this often, believe me, it is so wonderful, and a rich, tasty, creamy, dessert. And as Jana put it, "no eggs and no oil in it".

Swedish Pineapple Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 large can crushed Pineapple
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Topping (On hot cake )

8 ounces Cream Cheese
1 stick margarine or butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup pecans

Crab Apples

I am really crabby today....LOL....My dear friend Karen has a tree full of crab apples. She had picked all around the tree...her height's worth, and asked me if I wanted the rest of the apples, from the middle up...so funny...and of course, I never turn fruit or veggies away. Benny got a ladder, and we spent the morning getting the tiny green fruits pulled off the branches. This tree is one of the old Pioneer type...tiny and green...but still make wonderful jelly.

I love the little glass cutting boards (Dollar General)...
I watch my favorite TV shows and slice the blossom end off and pull out the stems..It takes a LONG time to do these tiny little tart apples. After rinsing them with water, I use a cup of water to start with, add more as they cook, and it took a long time to cook these little ones. I let the pan cool overnight, and this morning, I drained the juice off them. I had two whole cups ! I added equal amounts of sugar and started the batch. Crab Apples have their own pectin, so Certo is not needed. However, these apples were soooo sour, I had to add more sugar than the usual one to one ratio. I cooked them till the jelly dribbles off the spoon, and then threw in a few sprigs of Chocolate Mint leaves from the garden. I ended up with four pints. I have now finished the rest of the apples, and will make more tomorrow. Benny loves homemade jelly, so he is happy.

Plum Syrup

Summer is going by fast....I will not miss the high temperatures, but am thankful for the wonderful fruit my plum tree produced this year. Made lots of plum jam for breakfast times during the winter months. Whenever I have plum juice left over after measuring for my jam, I put it to good use. I mix sugar to taste in it, and a squeeze of lemon juice, bring it to a good boil till it is nice and thick, and I pour it into bottles. I love to pour the syrup into my saved and clean glass SOBE bottles. What is it about that cute little lizard on the top of the bottle ? It always brings a smile to my face. Now they are just putting their drinks in plastic ones, and I do not care for those bottles. This morning we had french toast for breakfast, slathered with butter, and plum syrup. Heavenly ! I also make apricot syrup when I have juice left over from making jam. I keep it refrigerated, and it will last for months....great over waffles as well.

Watermelon Salsa

I love those little critters, they roll around on your plate and stare at you ! My BIL outdid me yesterday...his recipe was better than mine, so I had to breakdown and get it from him today....enjoy....

Watermelon Salsa

2 cups diced watermelon
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
(You can use black beans instead....)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate
for a least an hour. Drain if necessary before serving.

Yum...Yum...Yum....

My Favorite Zucchini Bread

Now that summer is here, my squash is prolific in feeding us...we love squash...and this is my favorite zucchini bread recipe. I think the brown sugar has something to do with it...having our own pecan trees helps, nuts in everything...

ZUCCHINI BREAD

2 eggs
1 cup cooking oil (I use Canola)
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup White Sugar
2 cups grated Zucchini
2 TBSP Vanilla
3 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use Pecans)
You can also add a handful of raisins if you like them.
Beat eggs. Add oil, sugars, vanilla and zucchini. Mix
lightly. Combine flour,baking soda, baking powder and
cinnamon. Add slowly to the batter and mix lightly. Fold
in nuts (and raisins ).
Pour into two greased and floured bread pans or spray
with Pam.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a toothpick
inserted in center comes out clean.

Buttermilk Coconut Pie

Buttermilk Coconut Pie

5 eggs
1 stick melted butter or margarine
(I prefer butter )
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
1 cup coconut (I toast my coconut )
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

Beat eggs well, add butter, buttermilk,
sugar and coconut.
Pour into the pie shell...bake at 350
degrees about 30 minutes or until the
set in the center.

Tri-Colored Pasta Salad

Tri-Color Pasta Salad

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package Tri-colored pasta
(sometimes I use two packages)
3 medium carrots, shredded
1/2 cup diced celery
1 large green pepper, chopped
(I use about a cup of diced red,
yellow, and green peppers)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed
milk (Eaglebrand)
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
(cider vinegar works, too)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Cook pasta according to package

directions; drain and rinse in cold water.

In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta,

carrots, green pepper and onion.
In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise,

milk, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper until

smooth. Pour over pasta mixture and toss

to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Mexican Wedding Cake

One thing about little towns, there are all kinds of bake sales, especially around here for the different little town volunteer fire departments. Cottonwood VFD ladies had a bake sale, it is always in front of the only market in town, and I went up to look over all the beautiful baked goods. One cake caught my eye...it had a label on it as Mexican Wedding Cake. It looked to good to resist, so I bought it along with a little extra donation to a worthy cause. That evening for summer, i went out to the refrigerator to get the cake. I cut Benny and i each a big piece and sat down to watch TV and eat it...then I had a second piece, and really wanted a third...LOL..I was in love with this cake. I tried and tried to find out who baked it to no avail. Then yesterday, the same little group were back again for a fundraiser. I asked who had baked that cake the last time I bought from them...several names were suggested..I bought a big pan of chocolate brownies for a church social and went on my way. Last night, we had our church social, and I was talking to my friend Francis about this wonderful cake that came from her town...we often share recipes and love to eat those really special recipes we talk about for weeks...We really had a big laugh to find out she had made that cake...so this morning, at church, she gave me the recipe I have hunted down for months...and so I share it with you...

MEXICAN WEDDING CAKE
( Francis )

Sift together: (in a Large bowl)
2 cups sifted flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons soda

Make a well in the center and add:

2 eggs, beaten
1 20 ounce can crushed Pineapple with juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped Pecans

Mix until well blended. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake
at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
Place on a rack to cool while you are making the icing.

ICING:

Blend together:

1 stick margerine at room temperature
1 8 ounce Cream Cheese at room temperature
Add and mix well...
1 teaspoon of Vanilla
2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Spread on the cake while it is still warm (but not hot)

She told me she used walnuts instead of pecans for that cake.
ENJOY !!!!

Karen's Banana Cake

My dear friend Karen, and also my neighbor, made the most delicious cake for
church dinner today....I had to get the recipe from her, so I now post it so I can come back here and find it....this blog has ALL my favorite recipes.


Karen's Banana Cake

"This is a very versatile and fast cake recipe.
Not only is it moist and delicious, the same
batter can be used to make banana bread
and muffins. Delicious frosted with chocolate
or cream cheese frosting."

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar 3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Karen also adds :
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 heaping Tablespoon Sour Cream to the batter.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour
, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar
and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in
eggs, one at a time. Mix in the bananas. Add flour
mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed
mixture. Stir in chopped walnuts. Pour batter into the
prepared pans.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven,
and place on a damp tea towel to cool



Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 lb powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 t vanilla
1 t butter flavoring
1/2 & 1/2 or milk to thin to spreading
consistency

Beat the cream cheese and butter till
blended good. Gradually beat in
the powdered sugar and salt; beat
in the flavorings. Thin with the 1/2 &
1/2 or milk until you get to desired
spreading consistency. I always let it
beat for quite a while and taste test
it until it's no longer gritty, usuall
about 10 minutes or so. Then stack
and frost the cooled layers. Enjoy!!

Banana Bread

I spied two bananas this morning hiding under a towel near the kitchen sink, and nothing goes to waste in this house, so I got out my trusty old Banana Bread Recipe.This is a good recipe. I found the ingredient of a TBSP of vinegar intriguing, but you are also using soda in it, so it works out great. I use a cup of native pecans in it. I also had some left over green candied cherries left over from the candy I made, so those went in as well. I would have preferred the red candied ones, but if I serve a friend who is color blind, they won't know the difference ! It is in the oven baking, and will go good tonight with cups of hot Cappiccino. I have fallen in love with the Vanilla flavor one from Folgers....foget that little teaspoon to a cup of boiling water, I use 2 TABLESPOONS to a cup, then add a dollop of fat-free Cool Whip...I have to save calories somewhere !

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup oleo (margerine)
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup mashed bananas
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 TBSP vinegar
1/2 to 1 cup pecans

I mix all my wet ingredients together
first, then add the dry. Bake at
350 degrees, will take about 50 to
60 minutes. Bake in a greased and
floured loaf pan or spray with Pam.
I usually use 2 bananas, 3 works fine
as well...a good way to use up old
bananas.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cake

I was looking through some of my old recipes and came across one I had not made in years. It was always such a favorite of mine, so I decided I better put it on here so I can find it the next time I want to make it...perfect for a hot summer night.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cake

Combine 30 crushed graham crackers, 1 TBSP sugar and 1 stick of melted margerine( or 1/2 cup butter) and press 3/4 this mixture on the bottom of a cake pan 9 x 13. Save the rest for topping on the cake.

Lemon Filling
1 package (3 ounce Lemon gelatin dissolved in one cup of boiling water and cooled.)
I put in the the refrigerator and let it get almost to a soupy consistency....you want it good and cold, but not quite set.
1 tall can of evaporated milk..I usually use Carnation. You want to put this in the freezer, but do not freeze it...let it get ice cold, chill thoroughly.
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package 8 ounce Cream Cheese..let it set at room temp. so it will be nice and soft to use.
Beat the cold canned milk at high speed in a large bowl until it is thick and looks like whipped cream.
Beat the cooled Lemon gelatin until it is foamy, add to the whipped milk, beating constantly,. Add sugar, vanilla and cream cheese in small portions, continue to whip in mixer.When well blended, whip about three minutes more, and pour on top of the crumb mixture in the pan. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs, and refrigerate at least four hours or overnight. This is so lucious and creamy...a wonderful dessert.

Red Velvet Loaf Cake

If you are in a hurry, this is a good recipe. I have tried it with the moist chocolate cake mix and the carrot cake mix....both have been excellent. I bake the
batter in two bread pans. I wish I had put chopped pecans and raisins in the carrot cake mix, but we enjoyed it any way.

Hands-on Time: 25 min.; Total Time: 2 hr., 15 min.

Yield: Makes 16 servings


Ingredients
1 (18.25-oz.) package DUNCAN HINES Moist Deluxe Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 (16-oz.) containers DUNCAN HINES Creamy Homestyle Cream Cheese Frosting
Garnishes: white sparkling sugar, fresh mint sprigs
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch) loaf pans.

2. Beat first 5 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer just until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium, and beat 1 minute or until batter is smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

4. Place loaves on a serving plate or cake pedestal. Spread frosting over tops and sides of cakes. Garnish, if desired.

Southern Living Food for Today, SEPTEMBER 2009