Mother's Coffee Bars

 

This is an old recipe that my mom used to make many years ago. It had a delicious blend of spices, raisins and a hint of coffee.   I made this cake as well when my kids were small and my parents were still with us. 

Life happens, and I had lost this recipe.  Last night, as I was looking through a box of newspaper clippings, I came across the recipe once again.  It brought back precious memories of family time, good times.  

 I know what I will be making for the dessert tonight.

Ingredients

2 c. brown sugar
1 c. shortening
2 eggs
1 c. cold strong coffee
3 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. raisins
1 c. nuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch cake pan. 

Cream sugar and shortening until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Mix in the cinnamon, cloves, soda, and salt.

Add the flour alternately with the coffee.  

Stir in the raisins and nuts if desired. 

Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bars are done when a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Frost with a thin layer of powdered sugar icing, if you like.

BBQ Pork Chops

 If you don't have much time to cook, here is a simple recipe for BBQ Pork. It is good with pork loin, or pork chops. This is a delicious recipe that your family is sure to love.  

 

Ingredients

6 thick pork chops
3/4 c. ketchup
1/3 c. hot water
2 Tbs. vinegar
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Place chops in a large cast-iron skillet or an ovenproof pan or baking dish. 

Combine ketchup, hot water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, pepper, chili powder, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.

Pour the sauce over the pork chops. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the meat over. Bake another 20 minutes, or until the pork registers at least 145° with a meat thermometer.  

Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for about 5 minutes.  Serve with mashed potatoes or French fries, and a salad for a great meal.

Notes

The internal temperature of pork should be cooked to the right temperature to ensure it is safe to eat.

145° to 150° gives you a medium rare pork chop.  Medium is 150° to 155°  Medium well is 155° to 160° Well done is 160.°

Sunshine Carrot Jello Salad

If you are looking for a salad that is like a burst of sunshine, this Carrot Jello Salad is sure to please. For a pretty presentation, you can pour the jello into a mold, but we usually just leave ours in a pretty bowl. 

This is an old recipe that my grandmother used to make and serve for special meals. It was a taste treat that was not overly sweet for a salad dish. In fact, the carrots added just enough sweetness to make this delicious.

Ingredients

1 (3 oz.) package orange flavored jello
1 c. boiling water
1/2 c. cold water
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 c. carrots (about 2 medium-sized carrots) shredded

Directions

Empty the package of orange jello into a heatproof bowl that will hold at least 4 cups. 

Pour boiling water over the jello and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.  This takes at least 2 minutes. 

Stir in cold water. 

Add pineapple and stir until combined.  

Place in the refrigerator for about 20 to 40 minutes or until the gelatin is thickened, but has not set up.  

Bring In a large bowl, prepare lemon gelatin according to package directions, using reserved pineapple juice in place of some of the water. Refrigerate until thickened, about 1 hour. 

Remove the gelatin from the refrigerator.  Stir in the grated carrots. Place the bowl back in the refrigerator and refrigerate for about 3 hours, or until the jello is firm.

Notes

Lemon, lime, strawberry or strawberry banana jello will work too if you don't have orange, but for me, it won't be as good. 

Instead of buying already grated carrots, grate your own carrots.  This gives you a better flavor.

Some other foods you can add to this jello are, mandarin oranges, raisins, celery, sliced pimentos, and stuffed olives.

Chicke Nuggets

 Chicken Nuggets

 

Instead of going to a fast food place or restaurant, why not save some money and make your own chicken nuggets.  This is a simple recipe, made with tender white chicken meat.  Each piece is coated with a spicy buttermilk batter and then dipped in seasoned flour. You can bake the chicken nuggets, or deep-fry them.

Ingredients

3 large boneless, chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 c. flour
1 Tbs. paprika
2 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 c. buttermilk

Instructions

Heat oven to 400°. You'll need a baking pan. You can line the baking pan with parchment paper.

 

In a bowl, add the chicken. Pour in the buttermilk and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. 

In a low sided bowl or pan, combine flour, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and baking soda.

 

Remove a few pieces of chicken from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Place a few pieces of the chicken in the flour mixture. Toss them in the flour until all sides are coated. 

Place the chicken on a baking pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the chicken nuggets over.  Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and crisp.  You can also deep-fry the chicken nuggets is a deep fryer.

 

Serve and enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce. 

 Home-Made Noodles

Making your own noodles at home is easy. It just takes a little time, but your efforts are so worth it.  These taste so much better than the ones you buy at the store.  You can roll the noodles out by hand with a rolling pin, or you can use a pasta maker machine.  

Ingredients

3 eggs
3 tablespoons milk or water

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour - approximately
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the milk and olive oil.  Beat until the mixture is thoroughly combined. 

Sift flour, salt, and baking powder onto a large cutting board. You can also use the top of your clean counter. With your hands, form a well in the center of the flour. It needs to be big enough so when you add the liquids in the center, it does not run over the top of the flour.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the well. Using your fingers or a fork, pull in some of the flour from the inside of the well and mix it with the liquid. You want to keep the outside of the flour ring intact until the egg mixture is thickened so it won't run away   Continue mixing in the flour until you have a stiff dough. It is important to dust your hands and work surface with flour to keep the dough from sticking.   

Tips:  The humidity in the air when you are making noodles can cause the dough to be too wet, or too dry.  If the dough is too sticky, knead in more flour. Sometimes the dough becomes too dry to knead properly.  When this happens, add water in 1-teaspoon increments until the dough holds together.

Continue to knead the dough for approximately 6 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Sprinkle the work surface with flour to keep the dough from sticking as you work. Don’t add too much flour that the dough is dry. You want it to be slightly sticky. How do you know when it has enough flour? By touching the dough with your fingers. You’ll want the dough to stick to your fingers, but release cleanly away when you pull away. 

If possible, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes. This relaxes the dough, making it easier to roll out.

Set up your pasta machine according to manufacture's directions.

Remove the plastic wrap and cut the dough in half. Place one of the doughs back in the plastic wrap while you roll out the other one.  

 

If rolling the dough out by hand. Lightly flour the surface you will be rolling the dough out on. Roll the dough into a narrow rectangle using a floured rolling pin. Place the dough into the pasta machine and run it through the rollers. Repeat this for five or six times at the lowest setting. 

Change the setting one number thinner. Run the dough through the pasta machine, one time. If the dough begins to stick in the machine, dust both sides of the dough with flour. Each time you put the dough through the rollers, change the setting to the next thinner number.  Continue doing this until you have the pasta dough as thin as you need for your recipe. 

Now it is time to put the dough through the cutting blades on your pasta machine.

Lay the cut pasta on a lightly floured pan or countertop. At this time, you can cook the noodles by dropping them into boiling salted water and cooking for about 20 minutes. Or you can leave the pasta out until thoroughly dry.  After the noodles are dry, place them in a plastic bag or large jar.  Seal tightly.

Sweet and Moist Buttermilk Cornbread

We never liked cornbread, but this recipe changed our minds. It is one that we do like, and I make it quite frequently.  This cornbread is moist, and sweet.   This recipe is so easy.  Even my son offers to make this cornbread. It goes well with supper, or it can be eaten as a snack. 

Ingredients

1/2 c. butter
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. milk buttermilk * see note below
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. You can either butter the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish, or use a cast iron skillet to bake the corn bread in.

In a medium pot, or a cast iron skillet, if you are going to use that to bake your cornbread in, melt the butter over low heat. Pour the butter into a heatproof bowl if you are using the cast iron skillet. Otherwise, continue with the recipe.

Stir the sugar into the butter. Mixing until thoroughly combined.

Pouring slowly, whisk in the eggs, You will need to keep whisking as you add the eggs to keep them from cooking. Whisk until the mixture is well blended.

In a 2-cup measuring cup, or a medium bowl, combine buttermilk and soda together. Pour the buttermilk into the butter and sugar mixture, whisking to combine.

Add the cornmeal, flour and salt. Whisk until well-blended. It is all right if there are a few small lumps remaining.

Pour the mixture back into the skillet that you melted the butter in, or into your prepared baking dish. Spread the mixture out evenly in the pan or skillet.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Notes

If you don't like that much sweetness in your cornbread, cut the sugar down. 

If you don't have buttermilk, use whole milk with a tablespoon vinegar added to it.  

You can add some chopped jalapeños for a spicier cornbread.

Try adding 1/2 cup of grated cheddar to the mixture.

You can also add a can of corn, drained, or creamed corn. 

Quick and Easy Taco Pizza

 

My family loves pizza and we love Mexican food. So we combined our two favorite foods together to make a Mexican Pizza. 

You can skip the take-out, waiting in line, and delivery charges by making your own pizza. This is a recipe and easy recipe. No dough to mess with or wait for it to rise. You can use tortillas or burrito wraps instead. It is one recipe that the whole family will be able to enjoy as they make their own personal pizza.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbs. taco seasoning *see below
salt and pepper to taste
4 9-inch tortillas
oil for frying
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. vinegar
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
2 tbs. butter
2 1/2 tsp. taco seasoning
1 1/2 c. cheese, shredded or sliced We use sharp cheddar and pepper jack
1 bell pepper, chopped
olives, sliced thin
mushrooms, sliced
2 or more Jalapeños, sliced thin
Roma tomatoes, chopped
sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.  Set out 1 large baking sheet. If your tortillas are too big to sit side by side on the baking sheet, you will need to use 2 baking sheets.

In a heavy cast iron skillet over medium heat, add ground beef and onion.  Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Season with 3 teaspoons taco seasoning. You can use more or less depending on your taste.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

In a large cast iron skillet, pour in 1/2 inch oil.  Heat the oil to 350° over medium-high heat.

Fry the tortillas until they begin to puff up and there are some golden brown spots underneath. This does not take very long, so do not walk away. Turn the tortilla over to fry the other side.  Place on a wire rack to cool. Repeat the frying process for the remaining tortillas. 

In a small saucepan, add tomato sauce, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and vinegar. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture comes to a simmer. You can let the sauce simmer over very low heat while you prepare the refried beans.

In another small sauce pan, add refried beans, butter and 2 teaspoons taco seasoning.   Mix well.  Cook over medium heat until heated through. 

Place a tortilla on a baking sheet. Spread a layer of beans on one side of the tortilla.  Add half the meat over the top of the refried beans. Pour a fourth of the sauce over the top of the meat. Add some bell peppers, mushrooms, olives or the foods that you enjoy on a pizza. Add cheese. Place a tortilla on top of the cheese. Spread an even layer over the top and then place cheese over the top. Repeat with the process with the remaining tortillas.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted, and they are heated through. 

Remove from the oven. Serve with sour cream, tomatoes and jalapeños over the top as desired. 

Notes

You can open up a packet of Taco Seasoning that you buy at the store, or you can make your own blend of Taco Seasoning. Our recipe for Taco Seasoning blend can be found here.

Also, do not buy the pre-shredded cheeses. I know they are more convenient, especially if you are in a hurry. However, that convenience may come at a price to your health.  Pre-shredded cheese contains Natamycin which is a macrolide antifungal.  This is an ingredient used to treat some types of fungal infections of the eye. However, this ingredient is by prescription only. It is only available to you if a doctor prescribes it to you.  

You can still buy the brick cheese. They do not add this ingredient to the brick cheese.