Tummy Pleasers

marble cake….yum!!!

Marble Chiffon Cake

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

7 egg yolks

3/4 cup cold water

1 teaspoon vanilla

7 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup boiling water

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 ( 1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Make a well in the center of ingredients and add oil, egg yolks, water and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  In a large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until very stiff peaks form.  Pour egg yolk mixture over egg whites; fold gently to blend.  Remove 1/3 of the batter to separate bowl.  Blend together boiling water, sugar and melted chocolate.  Cool.  Gently fold chocolate mixture into 1/3 portion of batter.  Spoon half of the light batter into ungreased 10 inch tube pan.  Top with half of chocolate batter.  Repeat layers.  With a narrow spatula, swirl gently through batter to marble.  Bake at 325° for about 65 minutes.  Turn upside down to cool.  

Spiced Chiffon Cake

2 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup cold water

1/2 cup oil

7 eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Glaze:

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg.  Add water, oil and egg yolks.  Beat on low speed just until combined.  Increase speed; beat until smooth.  Set aside.  Whip egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.  Pour into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan.  Bake at 325° for 70 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.  Immediately invert pan; cool completely.  Remove cake from pan.  For glaze, melt butter in a saucepan.  Blend in flour and salt.  Add milk all at once, stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat; beat in brown sugar and vanilla. Add powdered sugar; mix until smooth.  Drizzle over cake.  Sprinkle with nuts, if using.  Makes 12 servings.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate….enough said

Grandma’s Chocolate Bread Pudding

2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate

3 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

6 slices day-old bread, cubed

2 egg whites

4 Tablespoons sugar

chocolate curls for garnish

Add chocolate to milk, heat in a double boiler.  When chocolate is melted, beat with rotary egg beater until well blended.  Add salt.  Combine brown sugar and egg yolks; add chocolate mixture gradually, stirring vigorously.  Add vanilla.  Combine bread and chocolate mixture; let stand for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Turn into a greased baking dish.  Place baking dish in a pan of hot water and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until almost set.  Beat egg whites until foamy throughout; add sugar, 2 Tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition until all sugar is well blended.  Continue beating until mixture will stand in peaks (making meringue).  Sprinkle meringue with chocolate curls and bake for about 8 minutes more or until meringue is delicately browned.  Do not over-bake, it WILL be moist.  Serve warm or cold.  Makes six servings.

Rhubarb is one of my favorite things to eat in the summer and fall.  It has this unique flavor that I can’t get enough of. 

Rhubarb Swirl

3 cups sliced Rhubarb

1 cup sugar, divided

1 (3 ounce) package strawberry gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 cup milk

3 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups whipped cream, divided

Mix rhubarb and 1/2 cup sugar; let set one hour. Simmer until soft.  Drain, reserving liquid, and adding water (if needed) to make 3/4 cup liquid.  Set Set drained rhubarb aside.  Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.  Ad rhubarb juice; chill until syrupy.  Meanwhile, in saucepan, mix 1/2 cup sugar, flour and milk.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened.  let cool ten minutes or more.  Add vanilla and gelatin.  Whip until fluffy.  Fold in rhubarb and one cup whipped cream.  Alternately spoon rhubarb mixture and remaining whipped cream in serving dish.  Swirl with a knife.  If you want a crust, use a graham cracker crust.

I’m thinking you don’t have to be a farmer to eat this breakfast.  You don’t have to be a farmer to appreciate it either!!  I love everything in this dish!!  Eggs, bacon, cheese, I mean what more could you ask for??  Then you even add potatoes…I think I’ve died and gone to heaven!!

Farmer’s Breakfast

1/2-3/4 pound bacon

1 large onion

4 potatoes , grated or just cubed

5-6 eggs

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

chopped parsley (optional), can also use dried if you desire

salt and pepper to your liking

Cook bacon and onions in skillet until bacon is crisp.  Remove bacon and onion; drain all but 1/2 cup of the drippings.  Add potatoes;brown.  Add  bacon and onion back to pan.  Make 5 wells in the potatoes and put an egg into each well.  Season with salt and pepper to your liking, then sprinkle with cheese.  Cover; cook over low heat for about 5-8 minutes or until eggs are set.  Garnish with parsley, if using.  Serve immediately.

This recipe caught my eye today….I, myself, have never made home-made pudding, have you?? Well, this sounds like a good one to try, check back and let me know if you made it and how it turned out!!!

Layered Banana Pudding

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 cups milk

2 egg yolks, beaten

2 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup cream, whipped

4-6 firm bananas, sliced

chopped walnuts (these are optional)

In a medium saucepan, combine the flour and sugar; stir in the milk.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly; cook and stir one minute more.  Remove from heat.  Gradually stir about 1 cup hot mixture into egg yolks.  Return all to the saucepan.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.  Cool, stirring occasionally.  Fold in the whipped cream.  Layer a third of the pudding in a 2-quart glass bowl.  Top with half of the bananas.  Repeat Layers.  Top with remaining pudding.  Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.  Chill at least one hour before serving.  Makes 8 servings.

Sometimes people have allergies to certain  foods.  Nuts, milk, wheat, eggs, gluten, it can be any number of things.  It is often frustrating to find recipes that meet the persons needs.  I know someone who has children that have just been diagnosed with allergies to gluten.  So I am going to share a gluten-free recipe today.  I have never made these, as gluten is not an issue for my family.  Please, if you try these, let me know how they turn out!!!

Gluten-Free Butterscotch Brownies

1/2 cup margarine

2 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup soy flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup finely chopped nuts (can omit if you like)

Cream margarine and brown sugar together until creamy.  Add vanilla and eggs; beat lightly.  Combine rice flour, soy flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to egg mixture.  Mix until just blended.  Stir in nuts, if using.  Spread mixture evenly into a greased 9×13 baking pan.  Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until top is lightly browned.   Cool 10-1 minutes before cutting into squares.  Makes about 2 dozen brownies.

Broccoli And Onion Casserole

3-4 broccoli florets

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups milk, divided

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/-1/2 pound mild cheddar cheese (can use American)

2 Tablespoons butter, browned

1 cup fine bread crumbs

seasoned salt

pepper to taste

Cheese sauce:  1 1/2 cups milk over medium heat; bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, make a paste with the flour and 1/2 cup milk.  Quickly stir all the paste into the boiling milk; cook until thickened.  Add cheese; stir u til melted.

For crumbs:  put butter into a hot saucepan and as soon as it is browned, add bread crumbs.  Continue stirring until crumbs are toasted,  Add any desired seasoning while toasted.

Cook broccoli in water to cover for 5 minutes; drain.  Put half of it into a buttered 2-quart casserole.  Add onion.  Pour half of cheese sauce on top.  Repeat Layers.  Bake at 375°  for about 30 minutes.  Top with bread crumbs and bake another 15 minutes longer. 

I love a dish that has hash browns, sour cream,  shredded cheese, cream of something soup, not sure which one.  A friend of mine makes it for almost every Church function we need food for, and I love her for it.  I love that dish.  I haven’t found a recipe I like as much for this type of dish.  I think this one makes a close second though, so here it is…I have no idea why it’s called….

California Potatoes

6 medium potatoes, peeled, finely diced and cooked

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

2 cups sour cream

2 cups crushed corn flakes

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup diced onion

2 cups shredded cheese

Heat 1/4 cup of butter and add undiluted soup, onions, sour cream and cheese.   Stir mixture into potatoes and place in a casserole dish.  Mix together corn flakes and 2 Tablespoons of melted butter and spread on top of potato mixture in dish. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Can you say Yummy??  Merry Christmas Everyone. 

Hearty Ham Soup

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cups diced raw potato

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas, thawed

1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon marjoram

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

wedge of blue cheese (optional)

In a heavy, covered 2-quart saucepan, melt butter.  Add onion, potatoes and water.  Cover, bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.  Stir in flour.  Add milk slowly.  Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.  Stir in  peas, ham, salt, marjoram, pepper and celery salt; let simmer about 5 minutes until peas are cooked.  Serve hot.  If desired, serve with a wedge of blue cheese to be crumbled over soup.  Yield:  6 cups.

I am posting this recipe on the basis of the name alone…I find it just too cute to pass up!!  Plus, it has bacon in it.  And frankly, if it has bacon in it, it’s bound to be at least edible and almost always delicious!!  I’m just sayin’….

Wiggles

3 pounds lean ground beef

2 pounds spaghetti

3 large onions

3 cups cooked diced potatoes

1 cup cooked sliced celery

3 cups cooked diced carrots

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 -2 quarts tomato soup

1 1/2 -2 pounds cheese

10-12 slices cooked bacon

Fry bacon; remove from skillet.  Fry ground beef and onions in bacon grease until meat is browned and onions are tender and translucent.  Put into a large baking dish or roaster.  Cook spaghetti acording to package directions.  Add cooked spaghetti to baking dish or roaster.  Add cooked vegetables and cream of mushroom soup.  Pour tomato soup over all.  Arrange bacon on top of mixture.  Top with cheese and bake at 350° for about an hour and a half.

Pizza, cheese, pepperoni, these are just a few of my favorite things.  HaHa.  I like recipes my whole family will like and that are easy to make!!  This is one of those recipes.  Enjoy!!

Cheesy Pizza Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 (16 ounce) can of pizza or spaghetti sauce, whichever you like best

8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

2-3 cups shredded mozzarella or pizza blend cheese

at least 4 ounces sliced pepperoni, or as much as you like

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion together until beef is no longer pink and onion is tender and translucent, but not browned.  Drain fat, if you have any.  Add the pizza sauce (or spaghetti sauce), half of pepperoni,  and half of cheese being used.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and top with remaining pepperoni.  Bake in oven at 350° for about 40 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browning.  Yields 6 servings.