KC10's Favorite Recipes

Well, I said a week or so ago that I was going to start this post. Today the temps here in So.Central MN are in the 90's and the humidty is oppressive. Can't do much outside, so I decided this would be a great time to start. With that said, on this hot, humid summer day, I'll start with something refreshingly cold....................

Frozen Yum Yum

2/3 c. butter
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3 egg whites, well beaten
pinch of salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts
2 c. powdered sugar
2 squares melted chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
graham cracker crumbs

Cream together butter & powdered sugar. Add egg yolks, melted chocolate, salt, vanilla & nuts. Fold in beaten egg whites. Grease 9X13" pan. Pat graham cracker crumbs on bottom. Carefully pour in the filling & freeze for 2 hours. Remove from freezer & spread the vanilla ice cream over top. Sprinkle more graham cracker crumbs on top & return to freezer. Remove about 10 - 15 minutes before serving, cut and serve.

10-12 servings

This is not only pretty, but it keeps a long time in the refrigerator.......

Copper Carrot Salad

2 qt. carrots, sliced or chunked
Cook to crisp-tender, drain & cool.

Add:
1 large red onion, sliced &
separated into rings
1 small (4 oz.) can sliced
mushrooms, drained
1 green pepper, chopped
some celery, chopped

Mix together:
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. vinegar
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. prepared mustard
Pour over vegetables and chill overnight.

This makes a pretty large salad.

Comfort food..........

Basic Meat Loaf

4 c. fine, soft bread crumbs
1 1/3 c. finely chopped onion
3 - 4 tsp. salt (depends on what
kind of pork sausage you use.)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. milk
4 eggs
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. pork sausage (I use Jimmy
Dean. I like the flavor.)

Place bread crumbs, onion, salt, pepper & milk in large bowl; with hands, combine thoroughly. Add eggs & mix well. Gently mix in ground beef and pork sausage. Pack mixture firmly into ungreased, shallow baking dish that is at least 1" larger in all dimensions than loaf. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 hr., 30 minutes. For easier slicing, let meat stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield 8 servings

We usually have this with Creamed Dill Potatoes...................

......which recipe you'll find here.....

Creamed Dill Potatoes

4 c. diced potatoes
2 tsp. salt (or less)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tb. dill seed (I use more as we
really like the dill flavor.)
2 c. heavy cream

Place potatoes in shallow baking dish. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over potatoes. Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hr.

Yield: 6 servings

*The original recipe comes from Farm Journal's America's Best Vegetable Recipes. It calls for dill weed, 1 c. cream & 1 c. milk. We've found that we much prefer it with the dill seed and also using all cream. It seems too watery otherwise. The flavor is good, but with the cream it is so much better.
Also, you may want to set the casserole on a cookie sheet or something, as it can cook over.

Serve it up with corn and a salad. This is one of our favorite menus.

This is a light, cool dessert.....

Mandarin Orange Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
3/4 c. veg. oil
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges,
liquid and all

Mix all together & pour into greased & floured 9X13" cake pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until it tests done.

Frosting

1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
1 small pkg. of instant vanilla
pudding
1 small can undrained crushed
pineapple

Mix all frosting ing. together and frost cooled cake.

Keep refrigerated!

You can do lots of variations with this muffin recipe........

Basic Muffins/White Chocolate, Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

3/4 c. butter, melted
2 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
6 eggs beaten
2 c. sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
4 1/4 c. flour
3 c. FROZEN (YES!) blueberries. blackberries, cranberries...

Beat sugar, salt & butter 'til fluffy. Add beaten eggs; mix well. Add sour cream; mix well. Add baking soda, flour & vanilla; beat well. Gently fold in FROZEN berries. Bake in well greased or paper lined muffin tins, sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake @ 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes or 'til tested done.

Yield: 25 - 30 muffins.

* If you have the Texas size muffin tins, you'll get 12 - 18 muffins.

Use above muffin recipe for........

White Chocolate, Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

Make Basic Muffin Recipe, but instead of the frozen fruit, mix in white chocolate, chocolate raspberry chips. (Hershey's makes them.) Sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake same as Basic Muffins.

*These muffins are a bit drier than the fruited version, but still fairly moist. Also, they taste great cool, but they taste better warmm-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m!!

Here's a recipe that I don't really use measurements. It's one of those "throw together what looks good" recipes

Chicken Salad

3 - 4 boneless chicken breasts. Cook, cool, cube.
red, seedless grapes, halved
pecans
Cool Whip, thawed

Mix together with salad dressing. Then fold in cool whip. Serve on lettuce leaf.

I love pineapple.......

Hawaiian Cheesecake Bars

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
4 Tb. sugar
4 Tb. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 (8 oz.) cans crushed pineapple,
well drained
2 c. flaked coconut
2 Tb. butter, melted

Combine 2 c. flour, 1 c. sugar & 1 c. butter. Cut 'til particles are fine. Press in bottom of ungreased 9X13" pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 14 - 19 minutes or 'til golden brown around edges. Cool slightly.

Mix together cream cheese, 4 Tb. sugar, milk & eggs. Fold in vanilla & crushed pineapple. Spread on crust.

Combine melted butter & coconut for the topping. Sprinkle topping over pineapple, cream cheese filling.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes or 'til coconut is toasted a
& filling is set.

Another "comfort-food".....

Bean & Hamburger Hot Dish

4 slices bacon, fried crisp &
crumbled
1 lb. hamburger
1 med. onion, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can Bush's Original
Baked Beans®
1/2 c. catsup
2 Tb. molasses

Fry bacon; set aside. Brown hamburger and onion in some of the bacon drippings. Mix together beans, catsup, molasses in 1-1/2 qt. greased casserole. Add hamburger.-onion mixture and mix well. Bake @ 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hr.

Serve with fresh baked bread and a salad. What a meal.

*This recipe is an adaptation of one that came from B & M Baked Beans® . Where my folks got it I don't know. When I first got married, I wanted to make it for supper one night and the only baked beans I had in the cupboard were Bushes. So I used them and have used nothing else since! We love it & use it a lot to take for funeral lunches, pot lucks, you name it. People always want the recipe!!

Enjoy.........

Margarita's by the Gallon...... 

1/2 bottle tequila
1/2 bottle Triple Sec
3 bottles Mr. & Mrs. T Sweet/Sour
mix

Mix all together. To make, blend with crushed ice and pour into salt rimmed glass. (Use coarse salt, not so much sodium, and lime)

This was the recipe we used in a supper club I tended bar in years ago. We sold this stuff literally by the gallon!! LOL

KC10, you're my kind of cook.Great comfort food recipes and a gallon or so on margaritas. Cook on!!!!
AuntiEM

bump

Chicken Stuffed w/Pepperoni & Cheese

Chicken:
5 Tb. unsalted butter
1 c. chopped broccoli florets
1/2 c. chopped pepperoni
2 tsp. minced shallots
1 2/3 c. grated Fontina cheese
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 eggs, beaten

Sauce:
1 1/2 c. whipping cream or half-and-half
1 1/2 Tb. chopped shallots
1/2 c. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 2 Tb. butter in heavy skillet over med. heat. Add broccoli & sauté until crisp-tender (4 minutes). Add pepperoni, shallots & sauté 1 minute. Transfer mixture to bowl; add Fontina; season with salt & pepper; cool.

Pound chicken breasts with mallet or rolling pin, between sheets of waxed paper to thickness of 1/4". Place 1/2 c. filling in center of each chicken breast. Fold short ends over filling. Fold long sides over, covering filling completely. (Can be prepared 6 hrs. ahead, cover & refrigerate.)

Dip chicken roll in beaten eggs & then roll in breadcrumbs. Melt 3 Tb. butter in heavy skillet over high heat. Add chicken seam side down & cook until golden, turning once about 3 minutes. Arrange chicken seam side down on baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Sauce: Bring cream & shallots to simmer in heavy saucepan. Add Gorgonzola & stir until melted. Add Parmesan & cook until thickened to sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Spoon sauce onto plates; cut chicken into slices & fan atop sauce.

Not only does this taste heavenly, but it makes a beautiful presentation when serving guests!

The first time my mother served this to the family, we all were very skeptical. We were raised to never turn up your nose at something new. You never know, you might like it!! We did!!!!!


Cucumber Soup
(can be served hot or cold)

Melt 1 stick butter in soup kettle. Shred 3 *ripe*, peeled, seeded cucumbers. Shred or chop them and sauté in butter.

Meantime, peel 2 potatoes & chop or shred them.
Chop 3 medium onions.

Add to cucumber/ butter mixture, 1 qt. of chicken broth.

Add chopped potatoes & onions.
Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes. Put in blender & purée. (being careful as this in very hot!)
Salt lightly to taste.

Yield: approx. 2 qt.

This soup freezes very well.
By *ripe*, I mean large cucumbers that have turned yellow. These make the best soup! But you can use large green cucumbers if you prefer. If you use yellow cukes, your soup will taste a bit more mild and will be a nice creamy color. If you use green cukes, it has a nice pretty pastel green color.