Almond Date Loaf and Muffins

Almonds, dates and pumpkin.  Yummy. This recipe bakes up a batch of muffins and 2 loaves. They are delicious as a snack, or for dessert.

Ingredients

1 c. sliced almonds
3 to 4 over ripe bananas, mashed 
1 c. pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil or melted butter or a mixture of both
1 T. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
5 c. flour
2 c. dates

Topping

1 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. butter or margarine melted
1/4 c. brown sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 350°.  Grease or line 12 muffin cups and grease two 8 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans.

Sprinkle pans and muffins with sliced almonds. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine bananas, pumpkin, eggs, and sugar.  Mix thoroughly until smooth. 

Beat in oil or melted butter. 

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves until blended.  Stir in dates.

Add the flour mixture into the wet batter.  Stir only until blended. Do not over mix.

Spoon 1/4 c. batter into each muffin pan cup. 

Divide the remaining batter between the two loaf pans. 

In the bowl that you made mixed the dry ingredients in, combine the sliced almonds, butter, and brown sugar.

Sprinkle muffins with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the topping mix. Sprinkle the remaining topping between the two loaf pans.  

Bake muffins for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Bake the loaf pans for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool in pans for 5 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

Old Settlers Baked Beans

This is a recipe that my mother used to make. It stretched a pound of ground beef into an entire meal to feed the family. It can be served as a side dish or as the main meal.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
6 slices bacon, cut up
1 onion chopped
1/3 c. brown sugar**
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 c. barbecue sauce
1 (16 oz.) can pork and beans
1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans
1 (16 oz.) can butter beans or black beans
2 Tbs. molasses
2 Tbs. mustard
1 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oven to 250°.

In a cast iron Dutch oven or skillet, brown ground beef, bacon, and onion together. Drain off excess grease.

Stir in, brown sugar, ketchup, barbecue sauce, pork and beans, red kidney beans, molasses, mustard, and chili powder.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Notes

If you like your baked beans sweeter, add more brown sugar or even granulated sugar will work. 

You can use a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish instead. 

If you have left over ground beef, cooked sausages, hot dogs or chicken, use that in place of the ground beef. Use what you have on hand, so the meat does not go to waste. 

Easy No-churn Chocolate Ice Cream

This is an easy ice cream to make if you don't have an ice cream machine. It is smooth, creamy, and delicious. No cooking eggs or heating the ingredients. Simply whip the whipped cream, fold in the other ingredients and freeze.

Ingredients

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. heavy cream, very cold

Directions

In a bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder and vanilla.  Mix until smooth and there are no lumps of cocoa powder left.

Pour heavy cream into your mixing bowl.  Beat at medium high speed until stiff peaks form.  This takes about 2 minutes with a stand mixer or 3 with a hand held mixer.

Mix a heaping tablespoonful of the heavy cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture.  This will lighten it, so it will not deflate the whipped cream. 

Using a spatula, gently fold the rest of the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture until it is smooth.  

Gently spread the mixture into a 9-inch cake pan.  Cover with plastic wrap or foil to prevent freezer burn.  Freeze for 3 to 6 hours, depending on how hard you want your ice cream to be. If it is too hard to scoop out, allow the ice cream to sit out for about 5 to 10 minutes to soften. 

Notes

Right before you put the ice cream in the pan, you can add some chopped chocolate chips, nuts, maraschino cherries or crushed cookies to the mixture if desired.

 Pork Chops and Spanish Rice

This is one of our favorite recipes to make.  We use home canned hot salsa to use in our rice. It gives the rice extra flavor. This is a fast and easy recipe that will get you out of the kitchen in no time. It's one that my family loves and yours will too.

Ingredients

3 or 4 pork chops
1 Tbs. oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup rice
1 1/2 cup water
1 can tomatoes with chilies.  We use a pint of home canned salsa

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a cast iron skillet, over medium high heat, pour in oil.

Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper.  Cook until browned, then turn the pork chops over to brown the other side. They do not have to be cooked through.

In a baking dish or a high-sided skillet, pour in the water, rice and tomatoes with chilies. Place the pork chops on top of the rice.

Cover the casserole dish or skillet with a lid or a sheet of foil. 

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and tender.  Check the rice after 30 minutes to see if more liquid needs to be added.  If so, pour in hot boiling water and continue to bake until the rice is tender. 

Remove the pork chops to a serving platter.  Stir the rice. Serve. 

Notes

When seasoning the pork chops, we also sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder and some Cajun seasoning over each side. 

Stir Fry Vegetables with Cheese

Vegetables on their own are good. However, when you add cheese to these vegetables, it changes them so something even kids will love to eat. This is a quick and easy recipe that goes together in no time at all and is the perfect side dish.

Ingredients

2 pkg. mixed frozen vegetables with cauliflower and broccoli
1/4 c. butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 c. shredded cheese, cheddar cheese, pepper jack, or any cheese you prefer

Directions

In a large skillet, melt butter.  Add the frozen vegetables and stir. Lower heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring several times.

Add cheese.  Cover and continue to simmer until the cheese melts.  Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken Parmesan

 

Tender, juicy chicken with marinara sauce and cheese. Flavorful and delicious, especially when cooked low and slow in the oven.

Cooking chicken in a low and slow oven is perfect for those who work or want to sit down and enjoy a meal that is ready and waiting in the oven.  Of course, you can bake this dish at 400° if you prefer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked, but oftentimes the meat is tough.

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts cut in half horizontally
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs
1 Tbs. minced garlic or 3 garlic cloves
1 Tbs. parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2c. oil
3 c. marinara sauce
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat oven to 425°. Or, if you want to start the chicken early in the day before you go to work, heat the oven to 175°. One 9 x 13-inch baking dish or large casserole dish.

In a shallow dish, whisk eggs, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.  

Place the chicken in the egg mixture. Turn the chicken to get all sides coated with the egg mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 15 minutes. You can also refrigerate overnight for more flavorful chicken meat.

In a low sided dish, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and onion powder.  Mix the dry ingredients well.  Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, coating all sides.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Fry the chicken pieces until they are golden brown, turning them to brown on all sides. This takes about 4 or 5 minutes on each side. 

Pour half the marinara sauce into the bottom of a baking dish or casserole dish.  Place the chicken on the marinara sauce in a single layer. Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the top of each piece of chicken. Cover the dish with a lid or a sheet of foil.

Bake 7 to 8 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and has an internal temperature of 165°.

Remove from oven. Turn the heat up to 350°.  Top the chicken with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve over noodles if desired.

Everything Bagel Seasoning

This seasoning is so good, and you can use it on so many foods. Sprinkle some on muffins, toast, sliced tomatoes, potatoes, salads, chicken and of course, bagels. 

Ingredients

3 Tbs. poppy seeds
3 Tbs. sesame seeds
3 Tbs. black sesame seeds
3 Tbs. garlic flakes
3 Tbs. onion flakes
2 Tbs. salt

Directions

In a bowl or a jar that has a tight-fitting lid, combine poppy seeds, sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, garlic flakes, onion flakes and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Keep tightly closed and stored in a cool, dry location.