PUMPKIN NUT CAKE

3 eggs

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

3/4 cup oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup walnut pieces

 

Cream eggs, pumpkin,  oil, sugar, and vanilla with mixer.  Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon and add to pumpkin mixture mixing well with mixer.  Fold in nuts.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish, add cake mixture. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 35 to 40 minutes until cake is done in center.  Let cool before frosting. 

Nutmeg Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter or margarine, softened

2 cups confectionery sugar

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Beat with mixer until spreading consistency.  Spread on cooled cake.

 

I promise you, if you like pumpkin, you will love this moist, delicious cake!

 

Oriental Chicken Salad

Yield:
8 servings
Ingredients:
Salad ingredients:
leaf lettuce, washed and torn
shredded red cabbage (optional)
sliced almonds
chow mein noodles
fried chicken strips (recipe below)
homemade honey mustard dressing (recipe below)
Fried chicken strips ingredients:
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/4-1/3 cup vegetable oil

Dressing Ingredients:
6 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white vinegar
8 teaspoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sesame or olive oil
Instructions:
1. Slice chicken breast into thin strips (as thin as possible).
2. In a medium-large container with a tight-fitting lid, combine flour, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley flakes. Add 1/4 of the chicken meat; close tightly and shake vigorously to coat. Continue adding meat in three more sections, each time replacing the lid and shaking the container (leave meat in when adding more).
3. Heat 1/4-1/3 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat (or just slightly above medium). Add chicken and spread out over bottom of skillet. Allow to fry for several minutes, then stir. Continue stirring and frying until chicken is completely cooked. Drain on paper towels to remove excess grease.
4. Combine dressing ingredients and whisk to remove lumps.
5. To assemble salad, layer plates with lettuce, cabbage, fried chicken, chow mein noodles, almonds, and top with the homemade dressing.


Additional Notes:
The fried chicken pieces can be still warm/hot, or, if you need to make this up ahead of time, you can refrigerate the chicken and serve a completely cold salad: it's good either way!
Preparation Time:
15 minutes
Cooking Time:
15 minutes

SOFT GINGER COOKIES

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 Tbsp. sugar


Here's How...


1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.  Set aside.  In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter for 30 seconds.  Add 1 c. sugar.  Beat until fluffy.


2.  Add egg and molasses - beat well.  Add half the flour mixture at a time and beat until just combined.  


3.  Shape into 1" balls.  Roll in 2 Tbsp. sugar.  Place on un-greased cookie sheets or baking stone 2" apart.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until light brown and puffed.  Let cool for 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks or plate to finish cooling.


Makes about 36 cookies.

Yummy Pinto Beans

3 1/2 cups dried pinto beans
1/2 cup  brown sugar
salt to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. molasses
12 oz. lean bacon (I have made this dish without this)
3 cups tomato juice ( I have used my own home canned tomatoes, 1qt. or equivalent amounts of canned stewed tomatoes or whatever I had on hand.)
1 tsp. dried mustard
1/2 large onion, finely chopped

Put beans in large pot and cover with water and salt well ( I have read that you should not salt beans before you cook them because they will not cook completely, they will still be hard. I have never found that to be true and always salt my beans. It gives them so much flavor.). Cook beans until soft. Check often as you may need to add more water. When beans are completely cooked drain them, setting aside a few cups of the bean broth, and add tomatoes, spices, brown sugar, molasses. Slowly cook onion and bacon in frying pan. Drain. Add to beans. Add enough of the reserved bean broth to cover beans by one inch. Let this simmer slowly and watch carefully as beans seem to scorch easily, for about one to two hours to allow flavors to blend. This dish is excellent with cornbread or home made bread and a salad.

Teriyaki Chicken

8 to 10 pieces skinless chicken – I use legs, thighs, breasts
½ cup soy sauce
2 T.  brown sugar
1 ½ t. ginger
1 or 2 spoonfuls of chopped garlic, I use the kind from the jar

First thing to do is lay your chicken pieces into the crockpot.  Next, mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Pour these over chicken pieces.  Cook this on High for 1 hour and then turn down to low and continue cooking for another 6 or 7 hours.  I have served this with rice along with steamed snap peasor sugar peas  and a salad or broccoli.

Strawberry Bread

Ingredients
2 cups fresh strawberries
 3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans. Divide batter into pans. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.

Spicy Beef and Beans over Brown Rice

This is a recipe i also got from  my friend Crystal ..

 
2 cups dry pinto beans
1lb. beef stew meat
8 cups water
1 T salt
1 onion, chopped
Jalapeno peppers, chopped (as many as you like..  the more you add the spicier it will be)
Olive oil
1 cup of your favorite salsa
Cooked Brown Rice
In a large stock pot combine pinto beans, stew meat, water and salt.  Let cook and simmer for 2 ½ hours or until beans are soft and meat is tender.
 After  beans and meat have finished cooking heat a frying pan and add olive oil, chopped onions and peppers.  Cook until onion is soft.  Add this to the bean/beef mix.  Add salsa and mix and let sit for a little bit so flavors can blend.

Spanish Rice x 2

These are my two favorite spanish rice recipes..since i love both i  decided to share both one is a healthier version ..

2 cups brown rice
2 to 3 T olive oil
4 cups plus 2T water
1 heaping T of tomato paste (you can save the rest of the can and use it another recipe)
2T chili powder
2t cumin
2t salt

In a large stock pot heat olive oil and brown rice. Stir and cook the rice until it starts to brown slightly. Add water, tomato paste and seasonings and stir well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat slowly over the first 5 minutes and then put the lid on (this helps to prevent your pot from boiling over when you put the lid on ). Turn the burner on low and let it cook for another 55 minutes.

Spanish Rice2

2 Tbsp Oil

2 Tbsp Dried Onions

1 4oz can Diced Green Chiles (optional)

2 28 oz cans Diced Tomatoes—do not drain (or 1 quart

 home-canned tomatoes)

1 cup Rice

4 tsp Chicken Bullion powder

1 tsp Taco Seasoning

3 cups Water (less if using 2 quarts canned tomatoes)

In a sauce pan combine oil and rice. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until rice begins to brown. Add tomatoes, chiles, water, onions, chicken bullion and taco seasoning. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering over low heat until all liquid is absorbed. 

Serving suggestions:

Flour tortillas

Corn 

Black olives

Sour cream

If you have cooked ground beef in your freezer, you can add some defrosted meat when you add tomatoes. You can also add canned beef or canned chicken. Spanish Rice is a fantastic burrito filler with cooked pinto or black beans. It also makes a great meal with just beans and some sour cream.

Southwest Stew

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb boneless pork cut up into cubes
1 large onion diced
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1/2 cup beef broth
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans

Brown your pork cubes in olive oil along with the garlic and onion. Put this in your crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.  Serve this with tortilla chips and garnish the stew with a dollop of sour cream.

 You can  sub beef or chicken for the pork

Santa Fe Chicken

1 tbsp butter in fry pan.
Add one chopped large onion.
Saute till tender.
Add 1-1/4 c. chicken broth to pan with one cup of salsa.
Bring it to a boil.
Add 1 c. long grain rice.
Add 4 boneless chicken breasts and 1/8 tsp. garlic powder.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. (I used the already cooked chopped chicken breasts and added it later since it is already cooked).
Simmer for 10 minutes then turn over the chicken breasts, and cook another 10-15 min.
(At this point, add in cooked breast meat if you are taking that route)
Add a cup of pinto and black beans (1/2 c. of each).
Stir it up, turn off the heat. Add green onions, cilantro and 3/4 c. of cheddar cheese. Let rest for 5 minutes. ENJOY!
  You can do this in the crockpot

• 24 oz. (1 1/2 lbs) chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies *Or a jar of salsa 
• 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 oz frozen corn (*We use canned.)
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 onions
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste
  
  

Directions:

1. Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, onions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt in the crock pot.
   1. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.
   2. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
   3. A half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.
   4. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.
   5. Adjust salt and seasoning. 
   6. Serve over rice with cilantro, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Ranch House Chicken Casserole

4 to 5 cups cooked, cubed chicken
2 cups cheddar cheese
12 corn tortillas
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 large mushrooms, chopped

Sauce
6 T butter
6 T whole wheat flour
1 cup water
2 ¼ cups milk
2 chicken bullion cubes
½ t seasoning salt
½ t pepper

In a frying pan heat olive oil and cook onions and mushrooms until soft.  Add cooked chicken and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium high heat melt butter.  Add ww flour and stir with whisk until any lumps are broken up and the mixture is smooth.  Add water, milk and bullion cubes.  Turn up heat a little and whisk and stir until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat.

 

To assemble casserole, layer half of the chicken on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Cover with half the cheese, half the tortillas, and half the sauce.  Repeat for second layer only ending with cheese on top. 

 

Bake at 350 for one hour. 

Quick and Easy Coca-Cola Chicken

1 large fryer, cut up
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. ketchup
1 c. Coca-Cola
1 T. worcestershire

Wash chicken and pat dry. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Place in large fring pan. Combine ketchup, Coca-Cola and worcestershire sauce and pour over chicken. Simmer, covered, 55-60 minutes, turning once. Serve with rice.

Pumpkin Bread

1 (16-oz.) can pumpkin
2 sticks melted margarine
4 beaten eggs
1/4 cup water
3-1/2 cups plain flour
3 cups sugar
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. baking soda1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped nuts  (I did not add the nuts)

Combine pumpkin, water, eggs and margarine.
Add combined dry ingredients, except for the nuts.
Mix well; stir in nuts.
Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pans.
Bake for 1 hour at 350.
Cool in pans 5 minutes, then remove.
Makes 2 loaves of bread.

Delicious Italian Casserole

1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 lb hamburger
*note: you can also use all sausage or all hamburger
½ onion, chopped
¼ c. Italian seasoning
2 c. tomato sauce
*note—You can substitute 2 cups spaghetti sauce for the Italian seasonings and tomato sauce
1½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ c. sour cream
enough whole wheat dough to make one loaf of bread
*note, in a pinch you can use frozen bread dough or even canned biscuits
2 T. butter
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

To begin with brown your sausage and along with the onions. Drain excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce and seasoning. Remove from heat and spoon into ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish. Combine mozzarella cheese and sour cream. Spoon over meat sauce. Roll out bread dough and lay across top of casserole. Melt butter and combine with Parmesan cheese. Spread this over the dough. Bake this in a 350 degree oven for about 35 to 40minutes, or until bread is cooked and casserole is heated and bubbly. If using canned biscuits it may not take as long, so watch carefully. Serve this with a large tossed green salad and enjoy!

This casserole freezes very nicely too. Freeze before baking. On cooking day thaw first and bake as above.

My Favorite and Easy Enchilada Sauce

8 oz. tomato sauce
3 more cans of water (use the tomato sauce can for your measurement)
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. taco seasonings

Mix all of these in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium high heat. Cook for about 2 minutes and it is ready.

Making Enchiladas:
I make enchiladas by filling my whole wheat tortillas with some type of filling. I will use beans, rice, cheese, chicken, and hamburger, usually seasoned with taco seasonings. I find it a good use for leftover beans or rice. The measurements are not really that important. I just mix my filling in a bowl and then fill each tortilla down the center, roll them up and put them in my baking pan (I do 2-9x13 pans usually). Then pour the enchilada sauce over everything, making them a little soupy so that they don’t dry out while cooking. I also top with cheese (sometimes I don’t put cheese inside the tortillas, just on top) and then bake at 375 for about 30 to 40 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips or corn bread and a salad. My kids like to top this sour cream and extra salsa

Minute Chicken

1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless thighs
cut into bite sized pieces and dredge them in flour. Let them sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make the sauce!
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/3 c. oyster sauce
1/3 c. water
1/2 c. green onions
Mix and set aside.

In skillet, add 2 Tbsp. oil heat and add 1 clove crushed garlic. Cook chicken until brown and done. Lower the heat add the sauce and keep it on low for a few minutes for sauce to thicken up just a bit. Done! Enjoy with  rice.  If you want to do this for OAMC you can  have your chicken all cut and your sauce mixed and just have to add your green onions  at the last  minute  ..

Mexican Hamburger Rice Bake

 This recipe is a family favorite..It belongs to my friend Crystal she has a ton of recipes on her blog.. check it out and enjoy ..

5 to 6 cups of cooked brown rice (a great use of leftover rice)
1 lb hamburger
½ small onion
1 10oz can Rotel tomatoes
8 oz. tomato sauce
½ cup water
salt or seasoning salt to taste
1 cup or more cheddar cheese

Cook hamburger and onion in fry pan till hamburger is no longer pink and onion is soft.  Add rice, rotels, tomato sauce, water,  and seasonings and mix and simmer everything for about 5 to 10 minutes.  Put this in a 9x13 inch pan (I sprayed mine with Pam) and top with cheese.  Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes until everything is hot and bubbly.

Homemade Pancake Mix

Dry Ingredients:

    2 cups dry buttermilk powder
    8 cups all-purpose flour
    ½ cups sugar
    8 tsp baking powder
    4 tsp baking soda
    2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together and pour into an airtight container. Store in a cool,dry place. Keeps for about 6 months.  If you dont have butter milk powder you can add liquid buttermilk when mixing the wet ingrediants and leave out the water .

Recipe:

    1 ½ cup pancake mix
    1 egg
    2 tbsp oil
    1 cup water

Mix all ingredients. Makes about 10-4”pancakes.

Fall Comfort Muffins

1 c. melted butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. honey
4 eggs
1/3 c. water
1 c. mashed banana
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp.  pumpkin pie spice
2 c. white flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. chocolate chips

Blend sugar and butter.  Add honey, eggs, and water.  Mix well.  Add banana and pumpkin.  Mix well.  Stir dry ingredients together, add to wet batter just until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen (plus 3!) muffins.

Fabulous Baked Beans

4 cups cooked navy beans (aka small white beans), save liquid from cooking the beans
½ c ketchup,
½ cup  or brown sugar
2 T white vinegar
1 T dried minced onion
½ t dry mustard
1 t minced garlic
Salt, to taste..  if you cook your beans with salt then you may not need to salt them any more
Pepper to taste

Combine all of the above ingredients and add reserved bean liquid to make it soupy.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are of a desired thickness and the flavors have blended well