Pineapple and other pies

I hate looking for a recipe....and then I cannot find it....but I know it is somewhere....so I will just post them here for safety reasons...LOL Pineapple Coconut Chess Pie 2 cups of sugar 4 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup melted margarine 1 Heaping Teaspoon of flour 1 Heaping Teaspoon of Cornmeal 2 cups of coconut 1 cup Crushed Pineapple, well drained You will need two eight inch or one 10 inch unbaked pie shell Mix sugar and eggs, add margarine,flour,cornmeal, coconut and pineapple. MIx well. Pour into unbaked pie shell (s) Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour…check after 45 minutes ................................................ This recipe is a real winner...and you do not need a crust.. . Blender Custard Pie 2 cups milk 4 eggs 1 stick oleo (I use butter) 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup flour 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup coconut Place all ingredients in a blender and mix till combined. Pour into a 9-inch pie pan, buttered or spayed with Pam, and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Sprinkle the top with nutmeg. This makes its own crust. ................................. Pecan Cream Pie 1 prepared Graham Cracker Crust 2 eggs, well beaten 1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 cup Maple Syrup ( the REAL thing) 1 to 1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans that have been toasted in 2 TBSP butter Put in a saucepan and cook until thick. I usually put my pecans in just as it begins to boil. Pour into the ready crust and let it cool. Before serving, top with Cool Whip. This recipe is so good…it is like eating candy, it is so rich and yummy.

Nopalitas (Cactus)

Nopalitos (cactus) We know we are strange, we eat "strange", and our kinfolks are right along side us. LOL. This recipe came from my brother-in-law, Weaver. One year we had Thanksgiving at his home, and everything was Spanish oriented. We feasted on enchiladas, his famous Shrimp dish that I call the "Shrimp-Watchamcallit" and another dish I really enjoy, Nopalitos, or cactus. I know what you are thinking….good grief, those people eat cactus ! and yes, we do, and it is very delicious, thank you. Now you can fix your own cactus pads, which is difficult to me and stickery, or just buy a jar, which I do, already cleaned and ready to go. Nopalitos 1 jar (14.7 oz) Nopalitos ( tender cactus) Drain and rinse. I usually cut these in smaller pieces, looks pretty in the dish, instead of leaving them in strips. ADD: Fresh tomatoes, diced…..you can use one or many Onion, diced….I usually use several onion rings, sweet onions, and dice them cilantro…fresh,chopped fine, use small amount to start, to taste Salt….to taste Squeeze fresh lime juice over this and serve ice cold. Nopalitos come from the Prickly Pear Cactus. The edges are cut off, the pads are scraped of stickers, they are rinsed and diced or cut into strips. The larger pads have "eyes" after scraping but these are cut out with a knife or dug out with the end of your potato peeler.The flavor of nopalitos is similar to that of a green bean. Nopalitos are very rich in vitamins, so they are good for you !! Lots of Vitamin A,C, and K. You have to be careful and not overcook them, or they will be slimey. I love just the young pads, they have very few stickers on them. They can also be used in omlettes. Cactus really has other uses. The fruit of the Prickly Pear can be used for jelly or syrup. The pods are peeled, the fruits cut in half and cooked, then drained through cheesecloth and made into a delicious jelly. Mom used to make cactus syrup which we used on pancakes. There are lots of good "greens" out there, good for the picking, such as dandelion,poke, lambs quarter. Yes, you can eat weeds for free. LOL.You can even eat young tumbleweeds and careless weeds. I saved one huge cactus plant from the old homestead.It blooms every year, lovely yellow flowers, and has lots of good pads on it.We also saved the cactus from the land that belonged to Benny’s Great Aunt Leona. She loved cactus and had a bed of them. I could not leave them there when the land was sold, I had Benny dig them up and bring them home. They are family. They are around the chimnea. They bloom every year, beautiful purple blossoms. I know she has to smile from somewhere when she sees her cactus still blooming, continuing as her love of family for all those years. We auctioned off some of the plants at the family reunion, so now they continue to be shared by those that go on after her.

Jalapeno Macaroni Salad

JALAPENO MACARONI SALAD 12 oz. medium size macaroni shells or elbows, cooked and drained Fresh green onions --I use about 3 or 4 I also add a little sweet white onion to this, 4 jalapeno peppers (deseeded) and diced fine I use more because we like ours hot to the taste salt and pepper to taste garlic powder to taste (just a dash ) 1 pint Real Mayonnaise--make it good and moist Dice onions fine (I cut mine with the scissors) or chop onions and peppers till fine in a food processor. You want these in small pieces, not liquid. Mix all together and chill overnight. So good !

Biscuits

My friend, Nez, makes the most wonderul biscuits, so I got her recipe....easy...and so good... Nezzerd's Buttery Biscuits 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 TBSP baking powder 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 2/3 cups whipping cream 2 TBSP melted butter Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add whipping cream all at once. Use a fork, stir just till moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surfce. Quickly knead by gently pressing and folding. Cut and place on ungreased cooking sheet. Brush tops with butter. Place about one inch apart. Bake at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and enjoy.

Meatloaf

MEATLOAF 1 pound Ground meat 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1/3 cup uncooked rolled oats 1/4 cup chopped onion ( I use a whole onion) 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Sauce: 1 can tomato sauce 3 TBSP brown sugar 1 TBSP vinegar (I use white) 1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon Chili powder ( I use more, I love chili flavor) 1/2 teaspoon salt Mix and cook the sauce ingredients for 5 minutes. Stir half the mixture into your meat mixture. Stir well. Put in a loaf pan. Pour the remaining sauce over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour. I think the sauce is the key to this recipe. It is SO GOOD! Sometimes I double the sauce, as we eat it all. I sometimes mix a stack or 1/2 stack of crushed crackers in the recipe as well to "stretch" it, and it is very good. Makes wonderful cold meatloaf sandwiches.

Dandelion Jelly

I went searching for my dandelion jelly recipe this week, found where I had written this post on my old blog over six years ago..thank goodness for blogs, they save tons of time...so here is the old entry....

The Bee

March 30, 2006


Such a beautiful, warm day today, with a hint of rain in the air. The Dandelions are in full bloom, and I decided to try a new recipe for Dandelion Jelly. I can remember my Grandma Parks picking the young, tender shoots in the Spring, and she would fry them in bacon grease with potatoes, and what good eating that was, back in the little coal mining town of Lloydell, Pennsylvania. My thoughts often drift back to that little town and living on the farm with my grandparents. I would climb the hills in seach of wild strawberries, dandelions, elderberries, and look for jack-in-the pulpits at an underground spring. I have always been a loner, and would play in the barn and the fields. I would try to save the kittens. My grandpa hated them and would get rid of them, so I would hide them in the haystacks or where I thought they would be safe, but he always found them. He would make me stand and watch as he drowned each one, one at a time, in a bucket of water. I came to despise him. Tears would not help, he was the adult and I was the child. My grandma was the love of my life. I still can see her cooking with her apron pinned on her dress. She was always special in my life.


As I pick the dandelions, I think of my childhood friends, Anna Marie Royko and Cecelia Ann Snyder. We all walked to school every day, from Lloydell to Beaverdale. a great distance for us. We would take the dandelions when they were at seed, and blow them at each other, sending parachutes of seed everywhere. We would giggle and laugh, helping them to grow again in their yellow splendor.


Today as I picked the dandelions, a bee kept following me. Every flower I picked, there he was. I would lightly brush him away. He didn't try to sting me. His legs were heavy with pollen, and he was working so hard. I watched him flit from flower to flower. He was content to be doing the job the good Lord intended for him to do on this earth. I, too, need to be content, do the best job I can before I take my dirt nap. Funny how a little bee can bring back so many memories. I just went along singing as I picked, “Bee all that you can Bee”.


Dandelion Jelly


1 quart packed yellow blossoms (take off all the green parts)


1 quart water


1 3/4 0z. package pectin


2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (fresh)


4 1/2 cups sugar


A couple drops of yellow food coloring


Boil the flowers in water three minutes. Strain through several layers of cheese cloth. (3 cups of juice)


Add pectin and lemon juice and bring to a rolling boil.


Add sugar and food coloring.


Bring to a fast boil and boil 2 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars.


Makes 4 1/2 pint jars

Dandelion Jelly has been called "Poor Man's Honey"....it has a very sweet, mild flavor of a diluted honey....and they are free for the picking...How the Lord watches over all of us...Spring freebies...LOL

Rosemary Crackers

Another Rosemary love...this is a crispy cracker made with rosemary...this is what it looks like when I pat it out on parchment paper, it is then baked, and broken into pieces...sooooooooo yummy....you can make it square....I am just different..LOL




Rosemary Crackers

Thin, crisp homemade crackers with a delightful rosemary flavor!


Yield:Two large sheets of crackers


Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon dried Rosemary (or 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh Rosemary)
1/3 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
Salt, for sprinkling


Instructions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the water, rosemary, and oil and stir until a thick dough forms. Knead several times until dough holds together.

2. Grease 2 large baking sheets (13x18-inch) or 3 smaller baking sheets (11x13-inch). If you have silicone baking mats to line your sheets, you can skip greasing the sheets and use the mats instead.

3. Divide dough into two (or 3) equal portions and press or roll onto the prepared sheets. (When your dough fills the sheets, you'll know it's thin enough!)

4. Sprinkle lightly with salt and use a pizza cutter to cut into squares or strips. (If you cut into strips, after crackers are baked you can break them into smaller pieces for a rustic look.)

5. Bake crackers in a preheated 400-degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until crackers are lightly browned and crisp. Cool on a wire rack. (If you cut into strips rather than squares, break the strips into crackers.)

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

I found this recipe on Pinterest, comes from Hint of Honey ...it is wonderful. I have been baking it often, I just use Gold Medal Bread Baking Flour. Having rosemary to snip is wonderful and a blessing. I love rosemary. Nothing fancy...After the first raising,I just put the punched down dough on a cookie sheet with aluminum foil around it, sprinkled with cornmeal...no egg wash, just use rosemary salt (ground rosemary and kosher salt) sprinkled on the top...it just makes one loaf, so works great for us....

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water (100-110 F)
1 Tbsp. organic cane sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (or pinch of each ground garlic, dried oregano, and dried basil)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bread flour + extra for kneading
1 egg, whisked + 1 Tbsp. water, for egg wash
dried rosemary, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes to proof.

2. Stir in the salt, rosemary, seasonings, olive oil, and whole wheat flour. Add the bread flour and stir until the dough forms a ball. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking, until smooth.

3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about1 hour.

4. Punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf. Place it on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel or parchment paper; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, preheat oven (and pizza stone) to 400 F. Once the dough has risen, gently brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with dried rosemary.

6. Bake on preheated stone for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Makes 1 round loaf.





I found two more recipes, and today, I made this one...this is beautiful bread. I do all mine by hand, I do not use a mixer. You do not need bread pans, just let it rise in a big bowl, then make into two loaves of bread on a big cookie sheet. Having my own rosemary makes it even better. It is one of my favorite herbs....

Rosemary Peasant Bread

1 packet dry yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp)
2 c. warm water
1 T. sugar
2 tsp salt
4 c. flour
1-2 tsp. fresh Rosemary plus more for topping
Olive Oil, Corn meal, Melted butter and salt

Dissolve yeast in the warm water and sugar. Add flour, salt, and 1-2 tsp Rosemary and stir until blended, do not Knead!! Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until double in size. I keep it in the mixer bowl and cover with a moist cloth to raise.
I put my bread in my oven to raise, I turn on the oven light...works wonderful..keeps it warm.
Remove dough. It will be sticky. I like to put shortening or oil on my hands for taking out the dough and shaping it. I think it works better than flour hands. Place it in 2 rounds on a cookie sheet lightly coated with Pam and sprinkled with cornmeal. Let it rise another hour.
Brush each round with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with more Rosemary and Kosher salt. Bake @ 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce temp to 375 for 15 minutes more.
Cool slightly, then cut into nice size bits or rip it apart and dip in a bowl of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This bread can’t be beat! It is soooo delicious and a really easy bread recipe. If you’ve never made bread before, Rosemary Bread is a great one to start with.


Rosemary Peasant Bread rising....


Rosemary Peasant Bread baked and ready to eat...YUMMY !