Recipes

 

 3 Bean Chili
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced mild green chiles
1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
Cook meat and onion in skillet.  Drain fat and place in slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Cook on High 6- 8 hours.
 
Crock Pot Mesquite Beef
This is the easiest roast I’ve ever done.  And it’s so good!
1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 4-5 pounds)
1 cup Lawry’s Mesquite Marinade with Lime juice.
Place meat in slow cooker.  Pour 1 cup of Marinade over the meat.  Cook on Low for 9 hours.
That’s it!  You can shred the beef and serve with tortillas or taco shells.
 
Strawberry Butter  – from Everyday Baking (www.pbs.org) 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup hulled and coarsely chopped fresh strawberries
Using an electric mixer beat butter, sugar, and salt until light about 1 minute. 
Add strawberries and beat until combined, but not totally uniform.
 
Transfer to ramekins or small serving dishes. Chill until ready to serve. Or, transfer to 2 sheets of plastic wrap, roll each into log and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw before using. Serve at room temperature.

Three Layer Apple Cake – from Everyday Baking website (www.pbs.org)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pans
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 Granny Smith apples (8 ounces each), peeled and coarsely grated (2 cups)
2 Granny Smith apples (8 ounces each), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt 

Preheat oven to 350. Brush three 8-inch round cake pans with butter; line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Brush paper with butter, then dust pans with flour (tapping out excess); set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, and eggs until well combined; fold in apples.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt; add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Divide among prepared pans, smooth top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of cakes comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes in pan, then invert onto cooling racks; peel off parchment. Reinvert cakes and let cool completely, top sides up.

 

Brown Sugar Buttercream
4 large egg whites
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons

In a heatproof bowl, set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, whisk together egg whites, sugar and salt. Cook, whisking constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. 

 

Transfer to the clean bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy and cooled, about 15 minutes.
Raise speed to high; beat until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium-low; add butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, until fully incorporated.
Note: If the mixture seems to have separated after all the butter is incorporated, beat on medium-high until smooth. Reduce speed to low; beat 3 minutes more.

To ice cake: Place one layer on a serving plate. Spread a quarter of the buttercream over the layer and top with another, then another quarter of the buttercream. Top with third layer and spread remaining buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. Chill at least 1 hour before slicing with a serrated knife. 

 

 

Buttercream Two Ways – from Everyday Food website (www.pbs.org )

Vanilla Buttercream
With an electric mixer, beat 8 tablespoons (1 stick) room-temperature unsalted butter until light and fluffy. On medium speed, beat in 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl as necessary. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Increase speed to high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Chocolate Buttercream
Place 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and cool to room temperature. Make Vanilla Buttercream, then beat in melted chocolate.
 
Spiced Carrot Cake – from the Everyday Baking website (www.pbs.org)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for pan
1 cup (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 cup finely shredded packed (about 2 medium) carrots
Quick Glaze (see below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch round cake pan with oil. Place a round of waxed or parchment paper in the bottom; brush with oil, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cardamom, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugars, yogurt, and oil until smooth. Gently mix egg mixture into dry ingredients until moistened; mix in carrots.
Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes (if browning too quickly, tent cake with aluminum foil).
Cool in pan, 15 minutes. Turn out of pan, remove paper, and cool completely on a rack, right side up. Apply glaze, or dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Quick Glaze
In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 to 2 teaspoons water until a smooth but thick glaze forms (too thin a glaze will be absorbed by the cake).
Place a piece of waxed paper under cooling rack for easy cleanup. Spoon glaze back and forth over cake, forming a pattern. Keep cake on cooling rack until glaze is set, 15 to 20 minutes.
 
Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting – from Everyday Baking website (www.pbs.org) 

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice, (or 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon each allspice and cloves)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 (15 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin puree
For the Honey Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 bar (8 ounces) regular (or reduced-fat) cream cheese
1/4 cup honey
Be sure to use canned pumpkin puree — not pumpkin pie filling or fresh pumpkin puree.

Note: You can also use a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan: Increase baking time by 25 to 30 minutes (tent loaf with foil if it browns too quickly).

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin-pie spice. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, and pumpkin puree until combined. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, and mix gently until smooth.
Turn batter into prepared pan, and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes.
Cool cake 10 minutes in pan, then turn out of pan, and cool completely, right side up, on a rack.
Make Honey Frosting: In a medium bowl, whisk 1/2 cup (1 stick) very soft unsalted butter, 1 bar (8 ounces) very soft regular (or reduced-fat) cream cheese, and 1/4 cup honey until smooth.
Spread top of cooled cake with Honey Frosting. Cut cake into squares to serve.
 
Coconut Layer Cake w/Seven Minute Frosting – from Everyday Baking website

3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks (reserve whites for frosting)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
Seven-Minute Frosting (below)
1/4 cup lemon curd and 1 1/4 Cups sweetened shredded coconut, for assembling 

 

 

 Seven-Minute Frosting 

3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups sugar
Lemon curd, made from lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, and butter, adds tartness to the filling. Look for jars of curd next to jams and jellies in the supermarket.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center.
Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment-paper rounds; butter paper. Dust paper and sides of pans with flour, tapping out excess.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, alternately with milk in two, beginning and ending with flour.Mix until just combined.
Divide evenly between prepared pans. Place pans next to each other in oven (without touching); cook until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.
Cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges; invert cakes onto a rack. Peel off parchment; reinvert and let cool completely before assembling.
Assemble the cake: In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup store-bought lemon curd with 3/4 cup Seven-Minute Frosting.
Place bottom cake layer on a platter; tuck strips of parchment under edges of cake.
Leaving a 1-inch border, spread layer with lemon-curd mixture and 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut. Top with remaining cake layer.

Spread 2 cups frosting over top; spread remaining on sides (push spatula in a forward motion to prevent crumbs). Sprinkle 1 1/4 cups coconut over cake; pat gently on sides.

 

 

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes – from Everyday Food website (www.pbs.org )
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 tablespoons buttermilk
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Light cream-cheese Icing
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard 12-cup muffin tin (or 6-cup muffin tins) with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, combine cocoa and 3 tablespoons hot water until a thick paste forms (this process intensifies the chocolate flavor). Add butter, buttermilk, egg, and egg white; beat until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth.
Scoop (or spoon) batter into prepared tin(s). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the light cream-cheese icing: With an electric mixer, beat 3 ounces softened reduced-fat cream cheese and 1 cup confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. (To make without a mixer, sift sugar before stirring into cream cheese).Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread icing over tops. Decorate as desired.

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Cheesecake Squares – from Everyday Food website  (www.pbs.org)
Nonstick cooking spray
8 chocolate wafer cookies
1 bar (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1 large whole egg plus 1 large egg white
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325°. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with two crisscrossed pieces of parchment or wax paper, spraying between sheets. Spray lined pan; set aside.
Process cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Gently press crumbs into bottom of prepared pan (do not rinse processor bowl).
Blend cream cheese and sour cream in food processor until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add cocoa, cornstarch, sugar, egg, and egg white; process until smooth. Pour into pan; sprinkle with chocolate chips.
Bake until just set, 35 to 40 minutes; cool completely in pan. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.  Invert onto a tray; peel off paper, and reinvert crust side down. Cut into 9 squares.

 

Apricot Stuffed French Toast – from Everyday Food (www.pbs.org)
1 loaf Italian bread (about 4 inches in diameter), cut into 8 one-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons apricot jam
1/4 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 cup low-fat (1 percent) milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
pure maple syrup, for serving (optional) Using a paring knife, cut a horizontal slit in each bread slice to form a pocket. In a bowl, blend jam and cream cheese. Spoon 1 tablespoon mixture into each pocket.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and cinnamon until combined. In a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-low heat. Lay half the bread slices in egg mixture, letting them soak 5 seconds on each side. Place slices in skillet; cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining bread, adding more butter to skillet if needed. If desired, serve French toast with syrup 

 

 Tropical Fruit Salad

2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
2 navel oranges
1 small fresh pineapple
3 kiwisPlace sugar in a large bowl.
Using a paring knife, slice off both ends of each orange. Following curve of fruit, cut away peel and white pith. Quarter lengthwise; cut crosswise into 1/2 -inch pieces. Add to bowl.
Cut off both ends of pineapple. Following curve of fruit, cut away peel. Quarter lengthwise; remove core. (Save half of pineapple for another use.) Cut remaining pineapple crosswise into 1/2 -inch pieces (about 3 cups). Add to bowl.
Cut kiwis in half crosswise. Use a spoon to remove flesh. Halve lengthwise, and cut into slices. Add to bowl; toss gently to combine. Serve in bowls.
 
Crock Pot Pork Chops
4 pork chops, well trimmed
1 envelope onion soup mix 10 oz. can ready to serve chicken broth

You can brown the pork chops if you wish in a nonstick skillet 3-4 minutes on each side. Place pork chops in 3-1/2-4 quart crockpot. In medium bowl, combine soup mix and chicken broth and stir until blended. Pour this mixture over the pork chops. Cover crockpot and cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. 4 servings             
 
Slow Cooker BBQ Pork

3-4 lb. pork butt roast, well trimmed
salt and pepper
2 onions, chopped
16-oz. jar prepared barbecue sauce

Trim visible fat from the pork and season it with salt and pepper. Place the onions in a 4-5 quart crockpot; place the meat on top.  Pour 1/2 cup barbecue sauce over the meat. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours.
Remove the cooked meat from the crockpot. Drain the juices from the pot, reserving the onions. Coarsely shred the meat into chunks, using two forks. Put the shredded meat and onions back in the crockpot, mix in the remaining barbecue sauce, and cover and cook on low for about one hour. Serve on sliced and toasted rolls.
 
Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice

I usually make this on the weekend and we enjoy taking the leftovers to school for lunch.
2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 cups water
4 large carrots
1 package of Uncle Ben’s orginal Wild Rice
4 large boneless chicken breasts
Place chicken in bottom of crock pot.  Add carrots.  Mix soup, water, rice and seasoning packet in a large bowl and pour over chicken and carrots.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
 
Chicken Tortilla Soup
This is a good soup for a cold winter’s day.

4 chicken breasts
2 15 oz cans black beans, undrained
1 15 oz cans Mexican stewed tomatoes
    OR Rotel, undrained
1 cup Salsa
4 oz can chopped green chilies
14 ½  oz can tomato sauce
tortilla chips
grated cheese
 
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker except chips and cheese.  Cover and cook on low 8 hours.  Just before serving, remove chicken breasts and slice (or shred) into small pieces.  Stir into soup
Serve:  Place chips in bottom of bowl, ladle soup over chips, sprinkle with cheese 
 
Italian Chicken
Easiest chicken recipe ever!

4 frozen Chicken Breasts
1 pkg of dry Italian dressing seasoning
1 can chicken broth
Place all ingredients in crock pot.  Cook for low 8 hours.
 
Dump Soup

2 pounds ground beef
1 can each undrained:
Progresso Minestrone Soup, Rotel, Diced Tomatoes, Ranch Style Beans, whole kernel corn, veg-all.
Cook meat and drain.  Put all ingredients in a large pot and cook unitl hot.
 
Breakfast Cake – Thank you Amy Jarret!
Amy Jarret made this for us when we moved to Pilot Point.  It was an instant hit and I’ve made it several times for guests.  If you eat this for breakfast, you can skip lunch!

3 cans biscuits
1 diced bell pepper
3 ½  oz Parmesean Cheese
½ sausage
1 cup butter
1 med. onion chopped

Cut each biscuit into 8 pieces.  Saute onion and pepper in butter.  Add biscuits, cheese and meat.  Toss together making sure butter is on all pieces.  Pour into a lightly greased bundt pan.  Bake 25-30 min. at 350
 
Sopapilla Cheesecake – thank you Louise Childs (affectionately known as NaNa)
2 cans Crescent Rolls (8 count)
2 8 oz pkgs cream cheese (softened)
1 stick butter melted
1 ½ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

Roll out 1 can of dough pressing seams together into 13×9 inch pan. 
In large bowl, mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla.  Spread on top of dough. 
On lightly floured surface, roll out second can of rolls, pressing seams together and place on top of cream cheese mixture. 
Pour melted butter over dough.  Mix ½ cup sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.