Gingerbread Cake

This is a new favorite for us! I always love the smell of gingerbread baking on a cold winter’s day while the family is huddled inside. Today I made this and the girls were skeptical. They just weren’t sure about the molasses. As it baked, though, I caught them checking the timer and when it went off, they wanted a piece right away. This does have to cool a bit, but it is worth the wait. As one of the girls said after she dove in with her fork: “I don’t like gingerbread, but I love this.” They confirmed it as a keeper, so it gets a space on the blog.


Gingerbread Cake

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1 egg
1 cup boiling water
Whipped cream


1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.Grease 9 inch square baking pan.

3.In a medium bowl, Stir together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.

4.In a separate, large bowl, beat softened butter, brown sugar, and molasses.

5.Mix egg into the wet mixture.

6.Add the dry mixture, alternating with boiling water, to the wet mixture, stirring until well-blended.

7.Pour into the greased pan.

8.Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let sit on wire rack (still in pan) about 10 minutes.

9.Invert cake onto wire rack and cool completely.

10.Serve with whipped cream

Cheesy Potato Casserole

This is another recipe that I often find at church potlucks and family dinners. The cornflakes on the top are a tasty finishing touch. This recipe makes a lot, but it heats up great with leftovers.






Cheesy Potato Casserole


2 (1lb) bags frozen hash brown potatoes, defrosted
½ cup melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup chopped onion
1 (10 ½ oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
10 oz grated cheddar cheese
Topping:
2 cups crushed cornflakes
¼ cup melted butter

1. Combine potatoes, melted butter, salt and pepper.
2. Add onion, soup, sour cream and cheese; mix well.
3. Put in greased 9x13 casserole dish.
4. B ake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Sloppy Janes

This is one of our favorite meals (even though Dad doesn’t like it). We like it better than the stuff in the can and usually I have the ingredients stocked in the pantry. This year we had a non-traditional Christmas Eve dinner for a lot of reasons. I let the twins choose the meal and this is what we had. We had this with Cheesy Potato Casserole and Seven Layer Salad. Yum!



Sloppy Janes

2 lbs ground beef (you can also use ground turkey)
2 tablespoons minced onion (dried onion works, as well)
2 cups ketchup
2 teaspoons mustard
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Salt to taste
Hamburger buns

Brown the meat and onion together. Add remaining ingredients (minus buns, of course!), stirring well. Allow mixture to simmer in the skillet for a few minutes.

Serves 4

Seven Layer Salad

This is one of my favorite salads. When I was growing up it would always make an appearance at a family reunion or a church potluck. It is also a great holiday salad and looks great on a Christmas table with a sprinkling of paprika and green onions sliced on top.

Seven Layer Salad

6 cups chopped lettuce
Salt and pepper
6 hard cooked eggs, chopped
2 cups frozen sweet peas, thawed
16 oz bacon, sliced and cooked crisp
2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup sliced green onions
Paprika

1. Place 3 cups lettuce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the chopped eggs on top of lettuce and add more salt and pepper. Then layer your veggies in this order: peas, rest of lettuce, crumbled bacon and shredded cheese.

2. Combine the mayonnaise and sugar. Spread this over the top of the salad making sure it goes to the edges to form a seal. Cover and let it chill overnight.

3. Just before serving sprinkle with paprika and green onions.

General Tso Chicken

Every business trip for me always includes a dinner with the General. While most of my colleagues meet and go out the first night for dinner, I usually beg off in pursuit of something I consider decadent. It includes me, my favorite pair of jammies, Chinese food delivered, and a good movie. This probably sounds pretty mundane to a lot of people. But, when you’ve been a mother and wife for almost 17 years, trust me, it’s a luxury. Because this is one of my favorite dishes, I’ve always wanted to make it at home and find a way to get that sauce ‘just right’. In this recipe, I chose not to deep fry the chicken, but to stir fry it instead. Feel free to double the recipe, there’s nothing like leftovers!

General Tso Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 bunch fresh broccoli, chopped
2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
½ cup green onion, sliced
3 cups hot cooked rice

Sauce:
4 tsp cornstarch
6 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
6 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp sambal oelek
1 tsp paprika
6 tablespoons water
1 cup sugar

1. Heat oil in skillet on medium high heat. When oil begins to shimmer add the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry until cooked through and slightly browned. Remove chicken to heated plate.

2. Place broccoli in the skillet and stir fry until crisp tender, approximately 6 minutes. When complete, add chicken back to the pan with broccoli.

3. For the sauce: In a bowl, whisk the cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, water, fresh ginger, garlic, sambal oelek and paprika. Set aside.

4. In a large saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Cook without stirring until the mixture turns gold. Add the mixture from the bowl into the pan. Use a whisk to stir and simmer until the caramel has dissolved and become syrupy.

5. Add the sauce to the chicken and broccoli, stir well.

6. Put rice on large platter and pour the chicken and broccoli mixture on top. Sprinkle sliced green onions over top of dish.

Serves 4

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I think I must have mentioned already how much I love chocolate and peanut butter. I make these treats for work and they always get rave reviews. The best part is that they are easy and quick and require no baking (excellent in the summer time!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

From Taste of Home Magazine, Holiday Cookbook

2 cups confectioner's sugar

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping:

2/3 cup semiswee chocolate chips

4 1/2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon butter

1. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and butter the foil; set aside. In a large bowl, combine confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs and butter. Spread ino prepared pan.

2. Combine topping ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl; heat until melted. Spread over peanut butter layer. Refrigerate until cool. Using foil, lift out of pan. Cut into 1-in squares. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yield: 1 1/2 pounds

Dutch Oven Jambalaya

This is the absolute best jambalaya I have ever made. I first made this on the grill and it came out great. Since then, I have made it indoors on the stove, as well. A crisp salad is the perfect companion to this dish.

Dutch Oven Jambalaya

Taken from: Weber's Charcoal Grilling: The Art of Cooking with Live Fire by Jamie Purviance

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups V8 vegetable juice

2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup 1/2-inch diced yellow onion

1/2 cup 1/2 inch diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup 1/2 inch diced celery

1/2 pound smoked linguica, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

1/2 pound Black Forest or other smoky ham, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 pound medium shrimp (31-35 count), peeled and deveined, with tails left on

2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

__________

1. Prepare a two-zone fire for medium heat.

2. In a small ovenproof saucepan combine the chicken broth, vegetable juice, paprika, salt, Tabasco, and pepper. Cover and place the saucepan over direct medium heat. When the liquid comes to a boil, remove the saucepan from the grill and set aside.

3. Preheat a large Dutch oven or ovenproof casserole dish over direct medium heat, with the grill's lid open, for five minutes. When hot, add the oil, onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the linguica, garlic, and bay leaf and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the rice and ham. Add the warm chicken broth mixture and stir. Slide the pot to the edge of the fire or to the part of the grill where the liquid will barely simmer (do not boil). Cover the pot and simmer until the rice is cooked through but not mushy, about 18 minutes, stirring once or twice, making sure there is still some liquid left. If the mixture looks dry, add a little water. If the liquid is boiling, move the pot farther away from the fire and rotate it for even cooking. Add the shrimp and stir to combine with rice. Cover the pot and cook until the shrimp are cooked but still tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season to taste, adding more salt and Tabasco if needed.

4. Remove the pot from the grill and set aside with the lid on for about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve warm.

Makes 6 servings

Where have all the recipes gone?

I'm starting this blog in attempt to corral all of our family's favorite recipes. As it stands, they are scribbled on slips of paper, tucked into books and otherwise lost. Our family lives in the kitchen together. It's very much the heart of our home. I'm a firm believer that chocolate and peanut butter will solve any problem and that deep fried food is the glue that holds a family together. Let's put it this way, I'd rather have a tablespoon of Godiva ice cream than a whole pint of the store brand. Life is just too short for bad food. Enjoy the recipes!