Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Folk Class Spinach Salad

Dressing

3/4 c. Balsamic Vinegar
1 1/3 c. Vegetable Oil
1/2 c. Sugar
1 Tbs. Poppy Seeds
1 Tbs. Grated Onion (or Dried Minced Onion)
1/2 lb. chopped mushrooms

Blend dressing ingredients and then add mushrooms to marinate (for at least 8hrs, but no more than 24hrs)

Salad
Spring Mix
Spinach
Onions (sliced round)
1 regular-sized cottage cheese
1 lb. cooked and chopped bacon
2 c. grated swiss
almonds and Craisins (optional)

Layer the ingredients on a large platter and pour the dressing over the top when ready to serve.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Sweet Cornbread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
6 tablespoons cornmeal
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Blend in eggs. Combine dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture. Add milk and mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. While cornbread is still warm, spread top generously with soft butter.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Fruit Dip

7 oz Marshmallow Cream
8 oz Cream Cheese
Orange Rind

Blend all ingredients and serve with sliced fruit.

Apple Fruit Leather (Grandma Ludwig's)

Applesauce
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Spray plastic wrap on a cookie sheet. Pour mixture over plastic wrap, no more than 1/4-inch thick. Bake at 250-degrees leaving oven door ajar for 8 hours or more. Let cool. Save for long amounts of time in the freezer.

Guacamole

Avocado
Sour Cream
Pepper
Garlic Salt

Mash avocado and mix in sour cream. Season to taste.

Chocolate Shake

6 Tablespoons Quik Chocolate Milk Powder
1 cup Milk
1 cup Ice Cream

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Ludwig Slush

4 cups Sugar
6 cups Water
5 Bananas, mashed to pulp
46 oz can Pineapple Juice
Juice of 2 Lemons
1 small can Orange Juice, frozen
3 cans Water
Food Coloring
4 quarts 7-Up or Sprite

Combine sugar and 4 cups water and boil until clear (simple syrup) and let cool. Combine remaining ingredients together and mix in simple syrup. Add food coloring (remember blue will make a green slush). Freeze for 24 hours. When ready to serve, mash the mixture and add soda. Serves 50.

Orange Julius

1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Milk
1-1/2 cups Water
3/4 teaspoons Vanilla
Ice
6 oz Orange Juice Concentrate, frozen

Blend all ingredients together in a blender. Serve immediately.

Kool-Aid Slushie

1 package Kool-Aid
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
Ice

Blend the Kool-Aid, sugar, and water together in a blender. Fill the blender with ice and blend until icy and smooth.

Honey Butter

1 cup Butter
1 cup Honey
1 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar
8 oz jar Marshmallow Cream

Beat all ingredients until fluffy. Store in refrigerator.

Pie Crust

1 cup Flour
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Shortening
1/4 cup Water
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Make sure all ingredients are at room temp. Follow the measurements and directions EXACTLY.

Measure the flour and shortening separately. Cut the shortening into 1/2 of the flour with a pastry blender (25 strokes). Cut in the remaining flour (15 strokes). Add water and salt; mix with a fork (50 strokes). Flour hands and gather dough into a ball. Roll dough out between 2 pieces of wax paper and ease dough into pan (remove wax paper carefully). Trim the excess dough with a knife. Bake at 350-degrees until lightly browned.

French Apple Pie

Filling
8 cups Tart Apples, thinly sliced
1 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons Flour
3/4 teaspoons Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Salt

Cook and stir all filling ingredients together in a saucepan until apples are soft.

Crumb Topping

1/3 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Flour
6 Tablespoons Butter

In a medium bowl, make the crumb topping by cutting the butter into the sugar and flour with a pastry blender.

Pie Crust
1 cup Flour
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Shortening
1/4 cup Water
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Make sure all ingredients are at room temp. Follow the measurements and directions EXACTLY.

Measure the flour and shortening separately. Cut the shortening into 1/2 of the flour with a pastry blender (25 strokes). Cut in the remaining flour (15 strokes). Add water and salt; mix with a fork (50 strokes). Flour hands and gather dough into a ball. Roll dough out between 2 pieces of wax paper and ease dough into pan (remove wax paper carefully). Trim the excess dough with a knife.

Pour the apple filling into the pie crust. Bake at 350-degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle crumb topping over the pie and put back into the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

Cream Puff Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup Butter
2 Tablespoons Cocoa
2 Tablespoons Milk
Vanilla
Powdered Sugar

Melt butter and take off heat. Mix in cocoa and add vanilla, milk, and powdered sugar. Frost Cream Puffs.

State Fair Cream Puffs

1 cup Water
1/2 cup Butter (no substitutes)
1 cup Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Milk
1 Egg Yolk, lightly beaten
Vanilla Pudding
Cream Puff Chocolate Frosting (optional)

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour and salt all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth.
Drop 1/4 cup portions (3-inches apart) onto a greased baking sheet. Combine milk and egg yolks and brush over the puffs. Bake at 400-degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the puffs and place on wire racks. Immediately cut a slit into each puff to release steam; let cool. Split puffs and fill with vanilla pudding. Dust with powdered sugar or Cream Puff Chocolate Frosting.

For eclairs, shape puffs into a longer and more slender shape.

Sherbet Fruit Salad

Raspberry Sherbet
Watermelon
Pineapple with Juice
Various Fruit

Combine watermelon, pineapple and other fruits in a large bowl. Serve over raspberry sherbet.

Pavlova (WW)

4 Egg Whites, room temp. (1 PointsPlus)
Pinch of Salt
1-1/4 cups Sugar (20 PointsPlus)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Vinegar
Whipped Cream Topping (Fat Free Cool Whip= 0 PointsPlus)
Berries and tangy fruit (kiwis, passion fruit)

Beat the egg whites and salt together until stiff. Slowly mix int eh sugar. Finally, fold in the vanilla and vinegar. Cover a cooking sheet with foil and grease with a cooking spray. Shape the batter into a dinner plate-sized circle on the foil. Bake at 225-degrees for 35 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova int he oven for 1 hour (DO NOT open the oven door, it will let the heat escape).
Top with whipped cream and fruit.

TOTAL PointsPlus= 21 (add whip cream accordingly)

(PS: I checked, and there are Splenda pavlova recipes, so maybe you could substitute and make it a virtually harmless dessert)

Karl's Raisin Bars

1 cup Raisins
1-1/2 cups Water
1/2 cup Shortening
1 Egg
1 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1.2 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 cups Flour
1 cup Chopped Nuts (optional)

Glaze
Butter, melted
Powdered Sugar
Milk
Vanilla

Boil the raisins in the water for 5 minutes, save the water. Blend the shortening, egg, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in 3/4 cups of the water from the raisins, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add in the flour, nuts and raisins. Spread the batter onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375-degrees for 15 minutes. Mix glaze ingredients and frost over hot raisin bars.

Caramel

2 cups Sugar
2 cups Cream
1 cup Butter
1-3/4 cups Light Corn Syrup
Vanilla

Mix together sugar, cream, butter, and corn syrup. Stir over medium-high heat until caramel reaches soft ball stage, then cook for 30 seconds longer. Take off stove and add vanilla. Pour caramel into a buttered 9x13 pan. Let the caramel set for 4-5 hours.

Never-Fail Fudge

1/2 cup Butter
4-1/2 cups Sugar
1 can Evaporated Milk
13 oz Milk Chocolate, broken into pieces
2 12oz bags of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 cups Marshmallow Cream
2 teaspoons Vanilla
Toasted Nuts and/or Marshmallows (optional)

Boil butter, sugar, and milk in a heavy pan for 5-1/2 minutes. Remove from head and add both the semi-sweet and milk chocolate. When chocolate has melted, add marshmallow cream, vanilla, nuts and marshmallows. Quickly pour the mixture into a buttered 9x13 pan since the fudge will set up very fast.

Jell-O with a Crust

1-1/3 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
2/3 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Butter, melted
8 oz package Cream Cheese, sofetened
1/3 cup Milk
1 medium container Cool Whip, thawed
1 large package Jell-O
Fruit

Mix crumbs, butter, and 1/3 cup sugar. Press mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan and refrigerate. Beat cream cheese in a bowl until smooth, add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and mix until smooth. Add milk and mix again. Fold in Cool Whip and spread over crust. Lay fruit evenly over the cream mixture and refrigerate. Make Jell-O (speed method) and pour over the fruit and refrigerate for 2 hours (until set up).

Pineapple Sherbet Ice Cream

1/2 gallon Vanilla Ice Cream
1/2 gallon Pineapple Sherbet
2 packages Raspberries
4 Bananas, peeled and sliced
3 cans Pineapple tidbits, drained

Soften the ice cream and sherbet and mix together. Fold in fruit. Refreeze until firm.

Guava Cake

1 Box White Cake Mix
2-1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 small box Instant Vanilla Pudding
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
12 oz can Frozen Guava Concentrate
1 Tbsp Sugar
12 oz can Evaporated Milk
Red Food Coloring

Prepare cake according to package instructions with the addition of 1/4 cup guava concentrate to replace 1/4 cup water from the cake directions. Bake in a 9x13 pan.
While the cake is in the oven, prepare the guava glaze by putting the remaining guava concentrate in a saucepan. Mix int eh sugar, cornstarch and food coloring and cook over medium heat until thickened. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the pudding according to teh package directions except using the evaporated milk.
When the cake is done and has cooled, spread the pudding over the top. Then layer the guava glaze by drizzling over the top. Allow the cake to set. Top with Cool Whip.

Fruit Cocktail Cake

Cake
2 cups Flour
1-1/2 cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Egg
1 can Fruit Cocktail (with juice)

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Shredded Coconut
1/2 cup Chopped Nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Sauce Topping:
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Butter
1 small can Evaporated Milk

Mix all the cake ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan. In a separate bowl, mix crumb topping ingredients together and sprinkle over batter. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350-degree oven.
Combine sauce topping ingredients in a sauce pan and boil for 2 minutes. When the cake is done, pour the sauce over hte cake when both are still hot. Let cool. Cut and serve.

Brown Sugar Pudding

Pudding Batter
1 Tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Raisins, softened

Syrup
2 cups Boiling Water
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Butter

Mix pudding ingredients together and pour into a baking dish. Mix syrup ingredients and pour over the top of the pudding batter. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350-degree oven.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Homemade Donuts

Refrigerator Biscuits
Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture

Punch out holes in the biscuits. Fry them until golden. Roll in cinnamon-sugar.

Cape Cod Apple Carrot Nut Muffins (WW)

1/2 cup Raisins (6 PointsPlus)
3 Eggs (6 PointsPlus)
1 cup Oil (56 PointsPlus)
2 cups Flour (24 Points Plus)
1 cup Sugar (16 PointsPlus)
2 cups Carrots, shredded
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 large Apple, shredded
1/2 cup Nuts (optional)
2 teaspoons Vanilla

Mix all the wet ingredients together; then stir in the dry. Spoon into muffin tins. Makes approximately 18 muffins. Bake at 350-degrees for 20-25 minutes.

TOTAL PointsPlus= 108

French Pancakes

1-1/2 cups Flour
3/4 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
4 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
4 Eggs
1-1/3 cups Milk
2/3 cup Water
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Top With
Fresh Fruit, sliced
Powdered Sugar
Butter
Whipping Cream

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together in a large bowl. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Add milk, water, and vanilla to the eggs and beat together. Make a "well" in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquids. Mix lightly, ignoring the bumps. Laddle the batter onto a hot griddle, making large, thin pancakes. To serve, butter the pancake and fill with fresh fruit; top with powdered sugar and whipping cream.

Christmas Bread

Whole Wheat Bread Dough
Pecans or Walnuts, chopped
Regular and Golden Raisins, softened
Candied Pineapple, yellow and green, chopped
Candied Cherries, red and green, chopped
Cinnamon

Use the Whole Wheat Bread recipe or another sweet bread dough. While adding the last of the flour to the dough recipe, also add the nuts, raisins, candied fruit, and cinnamon. Bake according to the bread recipe instructions.

Whole Wheat Bread (Baby Bread)

7-10 cups Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cups Gluten Flour
2 Tablespoons Yeast
4 cups Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Salt
3/4 cups Oil
3/4 cups Honey

Mix 4-5 cups whole wheat flour, gluten flour, yeast, and water for 5 minutes and let sit for 10 minutes. Combine salt, oil, honey, and 3-5 cups whole wheat flour to the mixture; mix for 10 minutes. Let dough rise for 30-45 minutes. Oil a surface and shape dough into loaves. Place in greased bread pans and let rise until doubled. Bake in a 425-degree oven for 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375-degrees and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.

Grandma Garrison's Rolls

1/4 cup Warm Water
1 package Fast Rising Yeast
1 cup Milk
1/4 cup Shortening
1/4 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg, beaten
3-1/2 cups Flour

Mix yeast with warm water and a pinch of sugar; set aside. Scald milk in a saucepan (when film appears on sides of pan, before boiling). Remove from heat and add shorteing and sugar; let cool. Combine yeast and milk mixture. Mix in flour, one cup at a time, to form a soft dough. Place dough in a well-oiled, large bowl; cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down dough and shape into rolls. Place rolls on greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 400-degrees for 20 minutes or until done.

Buttermilk Scones

1 quart Buttermilk
3 Tablespoons Yeast
1/2 cup Warm Water
2 Eggs, beaten
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Oil
8 cups Flour (no more)

Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1 Tbsp sugar. Add remaining ingredients to form a dough (it will be sticky). Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a well-floured board. Pat dough into desired scone size. Drop dough into hot oil until golden brown. Dough will kepp for up to 6 weeks in the fridge.

Serve with Honey Butter.

Potato Topper

1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Cheddar, shredded
2 Tablespoons Green Onions, chopped
3 slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Mix butter and sour cream. Fold in cheese, green onions, and bacon. Serve over baked potatoes.

Salt Baked Potato

Large Russet Potatos
Shortening
Coarse Salt

Clean and dry potatoes. Rub the skin of the potatoe with shortening and roll in coarse salt. Bake in a 400-degree oven until soft. Best if served with Potato Topper.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Mushrooms
Butter
Garlic
Flour
Cream
Parmesan

Wash and stem mushrooms (save stems). Place caps into a sprayed pan and brush with butter. Chop mushroom stems and sauté in butter and garlic. Sprinkle with flour, stir, and cook over heat for 1-23 minutes. Add cream and Parmesan. Fill mushroom caps with mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350-degrees for 15 minutes.

Japanese Wonton Salad

Lettuce, washed and torn
Green onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 package Wonton skins, cut and fried until golden
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Celery, chopped
2 cups Chicken breast, cooked and chopped

Dressing
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
3 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

Mix dressing ingredients in a blender and refrigerate. Toss salad ingredients together, drizzle with dressing before serving.

Butterscotch Yams

6 Yams, cooked, peeled, and quartered
1/2 cup KARO syrup, light or dark
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Marshmallows (optional)

Place yams in a 9x13 baking dish for 15 minutes at 325-degrees. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Pour sauce over yams. Bake for 15 minutes longer, basting frequently. Top with marshmallows and bake until golden.

Strawberry-Spinach Salad

2 packages Spinach
12 wonton skins, cut into triangles and fried until golden
1/2 c. crumbled bacon
1/2 c. red pepper, finely chopped
1 Bermuda onion, thinly sliced
1/4 fresh Parmesan
1 cup sugared almonds (toast almonds in a pan with butter and 3 Tbs sugar)

Combine all the salad ingredients except almonds and wontons in a large salad bowl.

Dressing
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup salad oil
1/2-1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup strawberry or raspberry jam

In a blender, mix all the dressing ingredients. Drizzle dressing over the salade just before serving. Sprinkle with almonds and serve with wonton skins.