Blueberry Cake

This blueberry cake is moist and delicious. Serve it with ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream. This is so good, you can have some for breakfast, dessert, or as a snack when you want something good and tasty to eat.

Ingredients

2 c. blueberries
1/4 c. flour, for the blueberries
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
zest from 1 lemon
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butermilk
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbs. sugar, to sprinkle over the batter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray or lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

In a bowl, combine blueberries and flour.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add lemon zest. Mix well.

Add egg and vanilla.  Beat well until thoroughly combined. 

In a bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. 

Mix in half of the flour into the batter.  Stir until well blended. 

Pour in the buttermilk.  Stir until combined. 

Add in the rest of the flour mixture, stirring to combine.

Add the blueberries into the batter.  Stir gently just until mixed in. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it out evenly.

Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the batter.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted in the center of the cake, comes out clean.

Cool completely before serving.   Serve with ice cream, or whipped cream, if desired.

Spicy Pork Chops

A very simple recipe packed with flavor and a touch of spicy sweetness. It cooks slowly, giving you tender and juicy pork.  Bake it low and slow in the oven, or in a crock pot.  Either way will give you amazing results.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. pork ribs or 4 or 5 pork chops, thick cut
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt or more
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 c. cold water
1/4 c. cornstarch

Directions

Heat oven to 175°.

In the bottom of a Dutch oven, or your crock pot, combine ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Mix thoroughly.

Add the pork chops into the ketchup mixture. Turn the pork chops over in the sauce, so both sides are coated. 

Cover and bake for 4 hours. 

In a small bowl, combine water and cornstarch together, mixing until smooth. 

Pour the cornstarch slurry into the ketchup mixture in the Dutch oven.  Mix to combine.  

Cover and bake for 1 hour, or until the pork chops are done. The internal temperature of the pork chops should register 145°.

Fried Garlic, Potatoes, Peppers, and Onions

Crispy, pan fried potatoes with garlic, onions, and peppers. Simple to make, yet perfect as a side dish or to serve as a main meal. 

Ingredients

2 Tbs. oil** see notes below
1 Tbs. butter
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled if desired and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet bell pepper, diced
12 garlic cloves, whole
1/2 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat. 

Add potatoes, onion, sweet bell pepper and garlic. Sprinkle the paprika over the potatoes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook covered for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the vegetables to keep them from sticking and burning on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the potatoes are almost tender and are golden brown.

Remove the lid and cook another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Add more salt and pepper if desired.

Notes

For extra flavor, fry some bacon until crisp. Remove from the skillet to a plate lined with paper towels. Crumble the bacon and set aside.  Use the bacon grease instead of the oil and butter to fry the potatoes, garlic, onions, and bell peppers in.  At the final 10 to 15 minutes cooking time, mix in the crumpled bacon. 

Baked Chicken Casserole

With just a few basic ingredients, you can turn leftover chicken into a delicious, comforting meal.  Tender, juicy chicken, and vegetables, in a homemade mushroom gravy with cheese over the top. It is simple to make, and it tastes so good!

 Ingredients

6 oz. egg noodles, uncooked
2 c. cooked chicken, cubed
2 Tbs. butter
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, drained
4 hard boiled eggs (optional)
2 Tbs. flour
3 Tbs. butter
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 c. water
2 1/2 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Heat oven to 325°. Set aside one 2-quart casserole dish with a lid.

Fill a large saucepan with water.  Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain.

In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter. Add the onion, celery, and sweet bell pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.

Stir in the chicken, mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs and egg noodles. Transfer the chicken mixture to a casserole dish. 

In the same skillet you just fried the chicken mixture in, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth and bubbly.

Slowly stir in the chicken broth and milk. Whisking constantly over medium heat, bring to a low boil. Cook and stir until the mixture thickens.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the mixture over the chicken and vegetables, stirring to combine.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. 

Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top and bake until the cheese melts. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

If you are short on time or have canned condensed cream soup on hand, you can substitute 1 can cream of chicken soup in place of the flour, butter, chicken broth. But you will need to add 2 1/2 c. of milk to the recipe.

Grape Salad

If you need a side dish, dessert, or just something to snack,  this grape salad is sure to please.  It is so easy to put together, and it is a perfect dish to bring for potluck, picnics, family gatherings, or anytime. This recipe can be easily cut in half.

Ingredients

1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese or mascarpone cheese
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. sugar
3 Tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4 lbs. grapes, red or green or a mixture of both
3 Tbs. chopped pecans, (optional)

Directions

Rinse off the grapes.  Allow the grapes to dry thoroughly before using them in the salad.  Otherwise, the cream cheese mixture will slide off the grapes instead of coating them.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer until light.

Add in the grapes, gently stirring them to coat in the cream cheese mixture. 

Sprinkle the top with pecans and gently mix in.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes:

You can add a diced apple, strawberries, or blueberries to this as well. 

Before adding the grapes, take a grape and dip it into the sauce. Taste to see if you need any more sugar. If the grapes are tart, you may need more sugar. Always taste it first. 

Instead of adding brown sugar and pecans over the top, you can crush up a Butterfinger candy bar and sprinkle that over the top. Or freeze 3 Milky Way candy bars. When they are frozen, chop them up into pieces. You can also use a food processor to chop them up as well. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

This bread is so easy to make from scratch, and it has a delicious lemon and poppy seed flavor. Whether you are wanting a fast snack for breakfast or if you're having lunch with friends, this recipe is sure to please. It is also a good gift to give to your friend or a new neighbor that just moved in.

Ingredients

3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 to 3 Tbs. poppy seeds
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. milk
1 c. oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c. lemon juice ** See Notes below
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Syrup Glaze

1/4 c. orange juice or lemon juice
3/4 c. sugar
1/2  tsp. lemon extract

Frosting Glaze

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. water
1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Directions

Heat oven to 350°. Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds, and sugar.  Whisk the ingredients together to make the flour lighter.

Form a well in the center. Add the milk, oil, eggs lemon juice,  vanilla extract and lemon extract.  Mix for about a minute, or until the batter is smooth. 

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.  Try to get them divided as evenly as possible.

As the bread bakes, mix the syrup glaze. 

In a bowl, combine orange juice or lemon juice, sugar and lemon extract.  Mix well until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Bake the lemon poppy seed loaves for 50 to 55 minutes, or until done. Test the bread by inserting a toothpick in the center of the loaves. If it comes out clean, then your lemon poppy seed bread is done. 

Cool the bread in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove them from the pans. Place the bread on a cooling rack. 

While the loaves are still hot, poke holes in the top with a toothpick.

Pour the orange or lemon syrup over the top. Set aside to cool completely.

When the bread is cool, make the frosting glaze. 

Combine powdered sugar, water, and lemon extract. Pour and smooth the glaze over the top of the loaves.

Notes

You can up the lemon juice to 1/2 cup. Just replace it for a 1/4 cup of the milk if you do that.

Add more or less poppy seeds depending on your preferences.

Beef Sandwiches with Dipping Sauce

If you cook the roast low and slow in the oven, or in the crock pot, you'll get tender, moist meat perfect for making pulled beef sandwiches.  Add some au jus gravy, and you have a delicious dipping sauce. This is a quick and easy recipe to make that your entire family will love.

Ingredients

2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 beef roast, about 4 lbs.
1 onion, sliced thin
1 (14 1/2 oz) can beef broth
1/2 c. water
1 envelope au jus gravy mix
1 Tbs. Creole seasoning
1 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
6 French rolls, split or 10 sandwich rolls, split

Directions

Preheat oven to 175° to 200°.

In a small bowl combine salt, garlic powder, oregano, caraway seeds, marjoram, celery seed, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix well.

Trim off excess fat from the beef roast. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the beef roast and rub it into the meat. Make sure to coat all sides of the beef roast. 

In a bowl combine beef broth, water, au jus gravy mix, creole seasoning, chili powder and cumin.  Mix well.

Place the roast in a Dutch oven. Cover the roast with onion slices. Pour the au jus gravy mix over the top of the roast.

Cover and bake for 8 to 10 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling apart. 

Remove the roast from the Dutch oven and place on a serving platter that has sides to catch the liquid.  Skim fat from the cooking juices.  

Shred the beef using with 2 forks. Return the shredded beef back into the Dutch oven. 

Continue to bake the beef until it is heated through and hot. 

Use a slotted spoon to place some meat on the rolls.  Top with a slice of cheese if desired.  Pour some of the juice into a bowl to dip your sandwich in.