Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients

3/4  c. sugar
1/4 c.  cornstarch
1/4 tsp.salt
2 1/2 c. milk
3 egg yolks
2 Tbs. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 bananas
1 (9 inch) pastry shell baked

Meringue

3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
6 Tbs. sugar

Directions

In a small, heat safe bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Set aside.

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. 

Gradually pour in the milk, whisking constantly to keep the mixture from clumping.  Cook, stirring constantly over medium high heat until thickened and very bubbly. Continue to cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat. 

Whisking constantly, temper the eggs by slowly pouring in some of the hot filling. I usually add about 3 tablespoons of the hot filling into the egg yolks. Place the whisk back into the sauce pan and whisking or stirring constantly, slowly pour in the egg yolk mixture.

Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. The mixture should be very thick. Remove from heat.

Add the butter and vanilla, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool as you make the meringue.

 In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Set aside while you finish assembling the banana cream pie.

Slice bananas into the baked pastry shell. Pour the cooled filling over bananas. You can also put some of the filling to cover the bottom of the pie shell and then add the sliced bananas. Pour in the rest of the filling.

Spread the meringue evenly over the top of the still warm filling, sealing the edges to the crus.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Tips:

There are many different schools of thought on making this pie. One thing many cooks agree on is to make sure you cook and stir the pudding filling until it is thick. 

The humidity in the air also determines whether this meringue pie turns out perfect. For best results, make cream pies when the humidity is very low.  

 No-Knead Cinnamon Sugar Breadsticks

Very easy breadsticks to make. These are perfect anytime you are wanting something sweet to eat and they are

Ingredients

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar, divided
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg. active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp. of dry yeast
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Grease 2 large baking pans.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and yeast. 

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, warm the milk and butter to a temperature of 120°. Do not bring to a boil, otherwise the milk will curdle. You only want the milk to be lukewarm, like you are going to give it to a baby. If this mixture is too hot, it will kill your yeast and the bread sticks will not rise. 

Pour the milk and butter mixture into the flour.  Mix until combined.  Add the vanilla and eggs, beating well for about 2 minutes. 

Either by hand or with a mixer that has a dough hook, mix in the remaining flour until you have a soft dough.

Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl. (I often use the same bowl that I mixed the dough it. Just grease the sides and bottom of the bowl.  No need to clean it before you do this.)

Cover the bowl with a towel or piece of plastic wrap and place in a warm location. Allow to rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.  The dough will be sticky, and this is what you want it to be like.

While the dough is raising, combine the nuts, 1/2 c. sugar and cinnamon.  Mix well. 

Pinch off about 1/4 cup dough, approximately the size of a golf ball. Drop this into the nut, sugar and cinnamon mixture, turning to coat all sides.

Stretch the dough into an 8-inch rope. Twist the ends, so the rope looks a corkscrew.  Place on the prepared baking pan.  Or you can dip the breadstick back in the sugar cinnamon mixture again, if desired, and then place on the prepared baking pan. See notes below.

Lightly spray the tops of the bread twists with butter flavored cooking spray to keep them from drying out. Or you can cover them with a towel.  Place in a warm location and allow the dough to rise for 20 or 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Remove from pans and cool slightly before eating. These are best when served warm.

Notes

*You can preheat the oven first, but I usually place them in a cold oven and then turn the oven on. It gives them a little more rising time before they begin to bake.

* You can also mix up extra cinnamon and sugar, so after you get the dough stretched into a log shape, re-coat it in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 c. butter, soft
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Icing

2 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbs. milk
1 Tbs. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease the cookie sheets, or line the pans with parchment paper or a Silicon liner.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the pumpkin.

Add the egg and vanilla. Beat well until creamy.

Mix in the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Add the flour, mixing until thoroughly combined.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. You can also roll the spoonful of dough between the palms of your hands to make them more uniform.

Bake for 9 to 15 minutes, or until edges are firm.  We like a softer cookie, so we bake ours until the tops are no longer shiny or wet looking.

Cool on a wire rack. Frost when the cookies are completely cool. 

** Variations:

You can also add 1 cup white chocolate chips to the mixture and or 1 cup chopped walnuts.

Frosting

In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk, butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth. If the mixture is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Or if the mixture is too thick, add a little more milk.

Drizzle the frosting with a fork over the top of each cookie.

 Taverns AKA Sloppy Joes

There is one meal that my family really love and that is taverns, also known as Sloppy Joes. This recipe was given to me from my daddy.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 hot pepper, chopped fine *
1 green pepper, chopped fine
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 c. ketchup
1/3 c. spaghetti  or pizza sauce
3 Tbs. hot salsa *
1 Tsp. BBQ sauce
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. vinegar
1 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper *
1/2 tsp. celery seed
Salt and black pepper to taste
Hamburger buns

Directions

In a heavy cast iron skillet over medium heat, brown the hamburger, onion, hot and sweet peppers. When the beef is no longer pink, drain off the fat.

Stir in the mustard, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, hot salsa, BBQ sauce, honey, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and celery seed. Mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir  the tavern mixture often as it simmers, otherwise it will stick to the bottom of the skillet. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Spoon some of the sloppy Joe mixture on hamburger buns and serve.  

Serve this dish with a salad, baked beans and potato wedges for a wonderful meal.
When I have the extra time, I like to make hot home-made bread buns for our taverns.

* If you don't like this much heat in your food, omit the hot pepper and cayenne pepper.   Use a mild salsa instead of the hot salsa. 

Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties

 We make these chocolate covered peppermint patties when the weather gets cool and the holidays are approaching. They taste so better then the ones you buy at the store, because you can add as much peppermint as you like and make them as big or as small as you want as well.

Ingredients 

3 to 4 c. powdered sugar (More or less)
2 Tbs. butter, softened
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. peppermint extract (More or less depending on how much peppermint you like to taste)
1/4 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. sweetened condensed milk.
3 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. shortening

Directions

In a bowl combine powdered, sugar, butter, peppermint extract and the sweetened condensed milk.  Beat with a low speed mixer until the mixture begins to hold together. Remove the dough and place onto a cutting board or counter dusted with powdered sugar. Knead the peppermint candy dough, adding more confectioners sugar as needed. You  will want a soft dough that is no longer sticky.

Form the dough into patties. There are several ways to do this.  You can pinch off some of the candy dough and form into 1-inch balls by rolling the dough between the palms of your hands. Then, place the balls on a sheet of wax paper and flatten with your fingers tips. Or you can use the bottom of a glass to flatten them. If the candy sticks to the glass, dip the bottom in powdered sugar.

Another way to flatten the peppermint candy balls is to powder the counter or cutting board with confectioners sugar. Press or pat out the dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Use something to cut small round circles or shapes.  Dip the cutting tool in powdered sugar to keep the dough from sticking.  

Let the patties dry at room temperature. After about an hour, turn the patties over and let them dry for another hour.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate with shortening, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat when the chocolate has completely melted. 

Lay a peppermint patty on the tines of a fork. Lower the fork into the melted chocolate, making sure to coat both sides with the chocolate. Tap the fork on the edge of the pan to shake off excess chocolate.  Place on a sheet of wax paper and allow to cool until set. 

Store the peppermint patties in an air tight container.

 

Hamburgers in Gravy 

This is our go recipe for times when we want to make a fast, yet comforting meal. Make extra gravy to serve with mashed potatoes and you'll have a delicious meal.  You can also use ground sausage in place of half of the ground beef in the recipe as well. This gives the hamburgers more flavor.

INGREDIENTS :

1 egg
1 onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 tsp. beef bouillon
1/4 tsp. pepper
2  slices bread
1 lbs. ground beef
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 1/3 c. milk or use the soup can to measure the milk
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS :

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, onion, beef bouillon, and pepper.  

Cut or tear the bread into small cubes or pieces. Add the bread to the egg mixture and allow it to soak for a minute of two. 

Add the ground beef. Mix well with your hands or a spoon. Form into 4 patties. 

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. fry the hamburger patties until they are browned and the meat is no longer pink. Remove the hamburger patties to a dish. Drain the grease off.

Add the cream of mushroom soup, milk, mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce.  Whisk together until smooth. 

Return the hamburgers to the skillet and spoon the sauce over the top.  Over medium high heat, cook until the mixture until it begins to bubble.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. 

Serve with mashed potatoes.

 

Oatmeal  Fudge Bars

This is a quick and easy treat for those times when you have a craving for chocolate.  

Ingredients

2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. Bisquick baking mix
3 c. quick cooking oats
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. nuts, chopped
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a jellyroll pan.

Beat brown sugar, 3/4 cup butter until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until thoroughly combined. 

Mix in the Bisquick and oatmeal.  

Press 2/3's of this mixture over the bottom of the jellyroll pan.  Set the other third of the oatmeal mixture aside.

In a heavy saucepan, mix the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons butter and salt over low heat. Stirring constantly until chips are melted, and the mixture is smooth.  Stir in the nuts and vanilla. Spread this over the top of the oatmeal mixture in the jellyroll pan.

Drop the remaining oatmeal mixture by the tablespoonful on top of the chocolate.

Bake about 30 minutes, or until it is light brown.