March 2006

2 cups Self-Rising Flour
1 can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar

FROSTING:
1 cup sugar
1 stick margarine
1 - 2 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup coconut
1 cup pecans

Mix cake ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees just until done. Immediately prepare frosting.

For the frosting: Combine sugar, margarine, and milk. Bring to boil until it thickens. Add vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Mix well and spoon over cake while still hot.

So DELICIOUS your taste buds’ll get jiggy!

Joi

Muesli is a delicious, wholesome and healthy breakfast cereal that leaves you feeling full until lunch. Below is an amazing recipe for homemade Muesli. It’s from “Pearls of Country Wisdom” and is as good as it gets.

4 cups flaked oats
2 cups dried fruit medley
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup almonds or pecans
2 large apples, grated
2 cups milk
1/2 cup honey

Stir to combine and chill before serving. Spoon portion into a bowl and serve with additional milk and honey. Use within a week.

Note: (this is what I prefer)
To store cereal in the pantry, leave out the fresh apples and milk until serving.

I also prefer twice the coconut and usually only add dried pineapple or strawberry rather than the fruit medley or apples. However, with 7 apple trees in our yard - I’m working on different applelicious combinations!

This makes a great summertime breakfast when the last thing you want to do is start the day by heating up your kitchen.

Joi

Below are some great tricks of the trade I found in a really cute little book, “Pearls of Country Wisdom.” I found it in a used book store (few places I’d rather hang out!):

“For a really pretty presentation, bake your next pumpkin or banana bread recipe in small, greased coffee cans. It slices into very attractive round cakes.” (Can’t wait to try this one.)

“To get the most juice out of your lemons, oranges, and tangerines, place in hot water for several minutes before juicing.”

“Enjoy cottage fries without the grease of frying. Slice potatoes in strips, with the skins on, and season with salt or Cajun seasoning. Lightly oil a cookie sheet and lay the potato strips on it. Place under the broiler until tender. Turn once.”

“Use peppermint, dried orange, tangerine, or lemon peels to flavor your tea. Add to water while steeping tea on the stove. Deduct one bag of tea from the pot when adding flavor.”

“Measuring out shortening can be quite messy. Use an ice cream scoop. A standard-size scoop holds 1/4 cup. Scoop out the shortening and plop into place. No more greasy measuring cup and spatula to clean!” (I’d test my ice cream scoop first, to make sure it’s equivalent to 1/4 cup.)

“Wonder why the old-timers never contracted Salmonella? After using a cutting board, it was thoroughly cleaned and heavily salted.”

Have a great weekend - make something you’ve never made before!
Joi

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup peanut butter

Cream butter. Add vanilla and sugar gradually. Beat in eggs and peanut butter, mixing well.

Sift flour and baking powder together, then stir into the mixture. Roll into small balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten with fork that has been dipped in water. (Don’t get the dough too wet, though!)

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes.

Yield: 50 peanut buttery cookies!

2 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 medium container of whipped cream
1 pkg Oreo Cookies, crushed

Mix all ingredients (except for the Oreos!) together until smooth. Put into a clean a clay or plastic pot - or a large bowl. Top with 1 pkg of crushed cookies.

Serve with a silk flower stuck in the middle, and/or gummy worms “crawling” around.

This is as delicious as it is adorable. Kids of all ages flip for it!

Joi

1 cup Graham Cracker crumbs
16 oz. package chocolate chips
1 can coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened condensed Milk

Melt 3/4 stick butter in a 13 x 9 inch pan. Place ingredients in the pan - in order listed - in layers.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Chill and cut.

These crazily delicious bars sometimes go by other names - but I prefer “Hello Dollies.” This is one of the few recipes that combine my culinary passions chocolate, nuts, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut. It’s a good thing buttermilk and coffee aren’t included in the recipe, I’d never live past the first bite.

But what a way to go!

Joi

The following is a recipe from a website I’d love to throw your way: A Taste of Kentucky.com. The longer you look around the site, the more things you’ll find to love. They have food, gifts, cookbooks, etc. I highly recommend all of it, right down to the etc! You’ll find that everything can be bought for very, very reasonable prices. For the most part, Kentuckians just don’t overcharge - unless you go to a University of Kentucky ballgame or the Kentucky Derby - then you and your $$$ will part - amicably, of course.

While on the site, be sure to look at the Amish baskets - they’re not only beautiful, they’re extremely well-made and last two forevers. Also, check out the recipes - the one below is from the collection.

The Blue Cheese and Garlic Burgers and the Buttermilk Pie recipes beg to be printed out and made asap. I also think you’ll love the Derby Grits and Red Eye Gravy. Great food! I’d give just about anything to have the ingredients for grits and red eye gravy in my kitchen right now - if I did I wouldn’t be here at the computer now… I see a trip to the store coming up. Soon.

Apple butter is a favorite at my house on cold Winter mornings. It’s delicious with hot Kentucky biscuits.

1/2 bushel apples
4 pounds sugar
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup red hots candies

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Peel, core and quarter apples and cook in Dutch oven over low heat until tender. Juice will form. Transfer the applesauce to a large roaster and add the remaining ingredients, blending well.

Bake uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick. Pack in jars according to manufacturers canning directions and process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath to seal. This will yield about 8 to 10 pints.

Note: The red hots candy add flavor and color to the apple butter.

Hope your Monday thinks it’s a Friday,
Joi

There’s a great article on MSNBC.com concerning all the food news that’s flying around right now. It’s called “Food News Blues” and it’s a pretty good read.

Joi

11 1/2 oz. Milk Chocolate Morsels
1/2 C. Margarine
1/2 C. Light Corn Syrup
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1. C sifted Confectioners Sugar
4. C Rice Krispies Cereal

Combine Milk Chocolate Morsels, margarine, and Corn Syrup in medium sized Non-stick sauce pan. Stir over Low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in Vanilla Extract and sugar. Add Rice Krispies, mixing lightly until well coated. Spread evenly in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan (sprayed with Cooking Spray). Chill until firm. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares.

YIELD: 48 Squares.

1 egg
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. devil’s food cake mix
vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat egg, shortening, butter, vanilla, and half of the cake mix together - until smooth. Stir in the remaining mix until it’s all incorporated.

Roll dough out and cut into rectangles (or circles if you’d prefer). Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Using a fork, poke holes into them as soon as they come out of the oven.

Put ice cream between layers and freeze.

You could, of course, use any flavor or brand of ice cream that your heart desires - but Breyer’s Vanilla is second to none in this recipe!

Joi