Amish Cookies

Last Wednesday night, bur church had it's usual soup, sandwich, and a few desserts dinner before singing began....and someone had made the most wonderful cookies...I love a sweet cookie, like shortbread cookies, and no frosting, so I started hunting down the recipe of the cookie maker. It turned out to be Wilma Lawrence. She has some of the most wonderful recipes anyway....from TX Caviar to Sugared Peanuts. So today, she met me at the church door and handed me the recipe....and so I am sharing it and making them this week.....Thank you, Wilma, for your generosity of sharing these wonderful recipes... AMISH COOKIES 1/2 Pound of Butter 1 cup Sugar 1 cup Powdered Sugar 1 cup Wesson Oil 1 teaspoon Vanilla 2 eggs 4 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add powdered sugar and cream into the above. Beat eggs and mix into the above. Mix flour and salt, beat into the dough. Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about six dozen cookies. She stated they were wonderful with chopped pecans added to them as well.

Canned Okra

This is my favorite recipe for canning okra...it is a wonderful recipe..we love to eat it right out of the vinegar/water/salt solution when I first make it...add some butter, salt and pepper, and YUM. In the winter months, it is great to just open the jar, rinse it off , put it into seasoned cornmeal and fry.....so glad I found this tutorial..if you cannot watch it, this is the recipe..... 6 TBSP white vinegar put into a gallon of water, 2 TBSP canning salt...bring to a boil and add your sliced okra...bring it back to a boil and time it for 6 minutes...use a slotted spoon and put the okra in your canning jars, add the boiling solution..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6bpsWkL0g4 I will use a little less salt in the next batch I make, but this recipe is a winner....

Poppyseed Dressing

Poppyseed Dressing 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons dry mustard 2 teaspoons salt 2/3 cup white vinegar 3 TBSP grated onion and juice 2 cups canola oil 3 TBSP Poppy seeds Mix sugar, mustard, salt, and vinegar. Add grated onion and juice. Using a blender, or mixer, slowly add oil, and continue to beat until thick. Add poppy seeds and beat a few minutes more. Keep in refrigerator.. I sometimes just put it all in the blender and whiz it...this is so good over fruit as well, drizzled over watermelon and cantaloupe balls....great on spinach and strawberry salad...

Granola Recipes

Pineapple Granola 1/2 cup Pineapple Preserves 2 TBSP Butter 1 cup Old Fashioned Oats 1 cup flaked Coconut 1 cup Dried Banana Chips Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine Pineapple Preserves and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat, Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread mixture in a greased 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake 30 minutes or until very lightly browned, stirring occassionally. Turn onto a large piece of foil or baking sheet. Cool. Store in an air-tight container. Makes 3 cups. Kelly at Party like a Vegan's recipe..... Cinnamon Vanilla Granola 3.5 tbls canola oil 1 tbls molasses 1/3 cup pure maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla 1 ¾ tbs brown sugar 2.5 cups rolled oats 1 cup chopped walnuts ¾ cup sliced almonds 2.5 tbls ground flax seed 1 tsp cinnamon a pinch of salt 2-3 handfuls of dried cherries, or other dried fruit of your choice Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix oil, molasses, syrup, vanilla, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Mix well to make sure the sugar has dissolved Mix remaining ingredients, except cherries, in a large bowl. Once well combined, add the oil/syrup mixture. Mix very well. This may take a few minutes, be patient. Spread evenly on cookie sheet, back for 22-28 minutes, checking often. Once cooked, remove from oven and let cool completely. At this point you’re going to be dying to try it, but if you mess with it before its cool you will not have clumps, but you will have a burnt tongue. Again be patient. Once cool, place granola in a large bowl. Gently mix in the cherries. I find it easiest to use my hand for this step. Store in an airtight container. I like to use mason jars.

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 !