Cranberry Bread

1 1/4 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. soft shortening
2 eggs
Cream together.
Sift:
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 orange( orange juice plus 1 Tbsp. grated orange rind plus enough hot water to make 1 cup liquid)
1 1/4 cups sliced cranberries
Nuts, if desired
Pour into greased bread loaf pan.
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees
Let stand 24 hours before slicing.

Olive Garden Soup

My sister, Rita, gave this recipe to me several years ago. It is delicious. With the weather turning cooler, it starts to make me think more about good, hearty soups.

1 lb. hamburger
1 chopped onion
Brown and drain.
Add:
3 cans Campbell's Minestrone soup
1 can Ranch Style beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
1 can water
Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes on low heat.
Freezes well

LaVaughn's Apple Butter

My mom made the best apple butter in the world, according to my opinion and that of my husband and children. This is a recipe that she developed herself.

8 cups applesauce
5 cups sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. nutmeg
Sprinkle of salt
Cook down until thick enough to suit you. Then pour into jars and seal with sealable lids.

To make applesauce: Wash apples carefully to remove dust or spray. Cut in quarters and core. Do not peel. Put apples in large cookpot. Cook until apples are tender. Cool slightly and gently lift apples from the juice and squeeze apples through a ricer or colander to separate peelings from pulp. Cook apple butter in oven at 250 degrees for 2 to 3 hours or you can use a crock pot turned on low setting. Use the apple juice that remains for drinking, if you like.

Chewy Brownie Cookies

2/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, beat shortening, brown sugar, water, and vanilla on med. speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs; beat well. Stir together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating on low speed just until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until cookies are set. Cookies will appear soft and moist. Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely. Makes about 3 doz. cookies.

Moist Caramel Apple Cake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 small pkg. vanilla flavor instant pudding
1 cup water
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 apples, peeled, coarsely chopped
20 Kraft caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12 cup fluted bundt pan. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, eggs and oil in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Beat on high speed 2 min. Gently stir in apples. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 50 min. to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 min.; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Microwave caramels and milk in bowl on High 1 1/2 min. stirring every 30 sec., until blended. Cool 10 min. until slightly thickened. Drizzle over cake. Place caramels in the freezer for 5 min. before unwrapping--the plastic peels off in a cinch!

Spiced Copper Coins

2 lbs. carrots, sliced and cooked in salt water until done. Drain and cool.
1 can tomato soup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 doz. green onions, diced
1/2 cup oil
1 diced green pepper
Mix tomato soup, sugar, vinegar, onions, oil and green pepper together. Bring to a boil and then let cool. Combine with cooked carrots. Cover tightly and marinate at least 24 hours in refrigerator.

Streusel Spice Cake

Has anyone besides Rachel missed me? We have been gone on vacation to Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. We went to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY. It was fabulous. For those of you who may not know, the Creation Museum tells the story from the Bible of the first 6 days of creation. Everything was so beautifully done, definitely first class. Then we went on to Indianapolis to see family. On the way home yesterday, we took off at Rolla on Hwy. 63 and went to Mountain Grove for our grandson Barrett's football game. Rogersville won 30-20. Barrett was credited with 3 tackles. Log-Rog is still undefeated. Way to go Cats!! I am happy to be home and back to my blog.

1 box yellow cake mix
3/4 cup milk or water
1/2 cup margarine, melted
4 eggs
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 oz. melted chocolate square

Filling:
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup nuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. margarine, softened
2 to 3 Tbsp. milk

Grease and flour bundt pan. Blend in large bowl, first 4 ingredients until moistened; beat as directed on package. Stir in coconut and nuts. Marble chocolate throughout batter. Pour half of batter into pan. Combine in small bowl, all Filling ingredients. Sprinkle 3/4 over batter in pan. Cover with remaining batter; sprinkle with remaining Filling. Bake 45 to 55 min or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool upright in pan 10 min; remove from pan. Cool. Glaze cake. Bake at 325 degrees.

Angel Flake Biscuits

5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 pkg. yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup shortening
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and soda. Mix well. Then add the shortening to this. Add buttermilk and yeast mixture. Form into a ball and place on greased plastic bag. Pull together and seal tightly. Don't let rise. Put in refrigerator for 12 hours. Bake as needed. Don't let it rise before baking. When you want to bake, just pinch off or roll out dough, for as many biscuits as needed. Return remaining dough to refrigerator. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Rhubarb Bread

Another recipe from my sister, Rita Clark. Would you believe that we both loved to cook? We got that from our mother who also loved to cook.

1 1/2 cups brown sugar--firmly packed
2/3 cup margarine
1 egg
1 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. melted margarine

Combine brown sugar and 2/3 cup margarine. Stir in the egg, milk and vanilla and mix well. Sift the baking soda and flour together and stir it into the margarine mix. Then stir in the rhubarb and walnuts. Pour into well-oiled loaf pans.
Combine the 1/2 cup white sugar, cinnamon, and melted margarine and sprinkle over the top. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until done. Don't overbake. Let stand for 2 0r 3 minutes, then remove from pans and cool.

Aunt Katie's Apple Cake

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup raisins--grind raisins
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups peeled, diced apples (Aunt Katie used Jonathans)
Mix in order given and pour in greased 9 x 13 pan.

Topping:Beat 3 egg whites until stiff
Add 1 cup brown sugar-packed
Beat again well.
Add 1/2 cup nuts and 1/2 cup coconut. Spread on top of batter and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
4 eggs
2 15 oz. cans pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
Mix all together and pour into 2 unbaked pie crusts. Bake 450 degrees for 25 min. then 350 degrees for 30 min.

Butterscotch Corn Flakes

3/4 cup peanut butter
1 large pkg. butterscotch chips
6 cups corn flakes
Melt peanut butter and butterscotch chips together. Stir in corn flakes. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.

German Chocolate Cake

1 pkg. sweet German cooking chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks, unbeaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour-sifted
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
Coconut, pecan filling and frosting
Melt chocolate in boiling water. Cool. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and melted cho. and mix until blended. Sift flour with soda and salt. Add sifted dry ingredients, alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition until batter is smooth. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour batter into 3 8 or 9 in. pans, lined on bottom with wax paper. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 min.

Coconut-Pecan Filling Frosting
Combine 1 Cup evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, 3 egg yolks, 1/4 lb. butter and 1 tsp. vanilla, in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 12 min. Remove from heat, add 1 1/3 cups tender flaked coconut and 1 cup chopped pecans. Beat until cool.
This takes a little while to make but it is definately worth it. It is one of the best cakes you will ever eat, if you are fond of German Chocolate.

Caramel Frosting

This recipe was given to me more than 30 years ago by a dear, sweet lady named Blanche Campbell. She was a charter member of High Street Baptist Church and was the mother of Tootie Britton and the grandmother of Nancy Wade, Patsy Powell, Rick Britton, Scott Mills, and Marc Mills.

1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. flour (mix with sugar)
Add 1/2 pt. whipping cream. Let come to hard boil. Boil 5 min. Add 1 lump butter (about 1 1/2 Tbsp.) and 1 tsp. vanilla.
Cool--Beat until it will spread. It is delicious.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup cream style peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Makes 1 3/4 cups frosting

Oatmeal Cookies

This is different recipe than one I blogged before.

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup flour
5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
2 cups raw oats
1 cup coconut
1 cup nuts or chocolate chips or gum drops or raisins
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mom's Soft Raisin Cookies

1 cup water
2 cups raisins
1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Combine raisins and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook for 3 min., remove from the heat and let cool (do not drain ). In a mixing bowl, cream shortening; gradually add sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to creamed mixture along with raisins. Blend thoroughly. Stir in nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 14 min.

Oriental Chicken Casserole

Another recipe of my Mom's.

1/4 cup margarine or butter
2 cups sliced celery
2 med. carrots, sliced
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 cup water
1 tsp. instant bouillon
3 cups cubed, cooked chicken or turkey
3 Tbsp. corn starch
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
10 oz. frozen peas
1 4oz. can mushroom stems and pcs.
Melt butter in 2 qt. casserole. Layer celery, carrots, and onions. Microwave, covered, 8 - 10 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

No Bake Peanut Butter Clusters

I got this recipe from Deanna Melton, a dear young lady that I have known since the day she was born. Her dad was a dear friend of mine when we were children and he married a girl that became a dear friend, also. We have remained friends through the years. Deanna is now a pastor's wife and mother to 3 children. These cookies are absolutely delicious!

1 cup light karo syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
4 cups Special K cereal
Bring syrup, sugar, vanilla to a boil. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and Special K cereal. Drop from spoon onto wax paper.

Dishpan Cookies

If you are ever in need of a very large batch of cookies, this might be your recipe. Plus, they are delicious!

Cream together:
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 cups oil
Mix: 4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup nuts
1 1/2 cups oats
2 tsp. soda
2 cups coconut
6 oz. chocolate chips
6 oz. butterscotch chips
or you can make them with 12 oz. of the same flavor chips
Bake at 325 degrees for 8 - 9 minutes.

Choco-Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3 cups oats
12 oz. pkg chocolate chips
3/4 cup nuts, chopped
Bake in 375 degree oven for 9-11 minutes