Welcome to my cookbook! I have several recipes that folks have asked for, so I decided to post them here. Some are included in the ward cookbook, but many of them are things I found after that was published so I wanted a place to put them so my family had access to them. I'll add to this as I find things that I think need to be shared. If you have a recipe you'd like to add, let me know and I'll add you as a contributor.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Chocolate Cake, no eggs

If you're out of eggs and you are craving chocolate cake, try this recipe.

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups water
3/4 cups oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. vinegar

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Add all wet ingredients and mix well.  Batter will be thin.  Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan, bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until atoothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool completely and frost.  (Use a rich frosting.)

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
dash salt
3 tbs. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter together, add powdered sugar, cocoa, salt, milk, and vanilla.  Spread over 9 x 13 cake.

Moist chocolate cake

1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa
2 tbs. pero powder (optional)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda and baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1 or 2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour pan of your choice (bundt or 9 x 13).  Mix all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl.  Add wet ingredients, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Batter will be thin.  Pour into pan.  Bake 45-50 minutes for bundt pan, 35-40 minutes for 9 x 13 pan.  Test for doneness with toothpick inserted near center.  (Toothpick should come out clean.)  For bundt cake, cool on rack for 10 minutes, invert on plate and dust with powdered sugar.  For 9 x 13 pan, try chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Lemon or Lime Cornmeal Cake

Baking spray (cooking spray with flour)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp each baking soda and salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

Heat oven to 325.  Coat bundt pan with baking spray.  In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, lemon zest and juice with mixer till light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time till blended.  Add cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  With mixer on low, alternately beat in flour and buttermilk (or yogurt) until batter is smooth.  Scrape into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes.  Cool cake on wire rack 5 minutes and invert pan onto plate.

Meanwhile, make glaze with 1 cup of sugar and juice of one lemon just till combined.  (Sugar will not be dissolved.)  Brush glaze over hot cake until absorbed (sugar crystals will still be evident) and let cake cool completely.  Cover cake and let it rest several hours or overnight before serving.  Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days.  Cut into thin slices to serve.

(Lime juice and zest can be substituted for lemon.)

Spinach Dip

This is a little different than the typical spinach dip, this does not include that "Knorr" stuff.  I like this one better, but to each his own.  :)

10 oz. pkg chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained well.  (Chop some more in food processor)
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped scallions (green onions)
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients in bowl, chill to let flavors blend.  Serve in a hollowed out loaf of bread such as sourdough, pumpernickel, or rye.  Serve with bread cubes for dipping.

Caramelized Onion-Bacon Dip

6 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, sliced thin
3 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In large skillet, saute diced bacon till it's nice and crispy.  As it crisps, break it up further with fork.  Remove from pan and drain well.  Using some of the bacon drippings, cook onion until well caramelized and golden brown.  Remove from pan and chop coarsely.

In medium bowl, whip together the cream cheese and sour cream till light and fluffy.  Stir in the bacon crumbles, the onions, the vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Chill at least 30 minutes.

Hot Fudge Swirl

I haven't tried this yet, but saw this recipe in a magazine and it looks intriguing.  After trying it once as is, I would probably substitute hot caramel sauce for the hot fudge and add some cinnamon, but that's just me.

Cooking spray (like Pam or the equivalent)
1 3/4 cup flour
2 heaping tsps. bread yeast (or two envelopes regular yeast)
2 tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup very warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
2 tbs. melted butter

Spray 9 1/2 inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.  Mix the rest of the ingredients together and top with dollops of hot fudge sauce (regular or dark chocolate.)  Do NOT substitute chocolate syrup.  (This is where I would try a hot caramel sauce, but not something thin, something meant to be used the same as hot fudge.)  Use approximately 1 cup sauce.  Using spoon, swirl fudge sauce into batter.

Bake by placing pie plate into a cold oven.  Set temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned and firm in center.  Cool 10 minutes.  Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 or 2 tbs. milk to make icing and drizzle over warm cake.  Serve.

Karen's Delectable Clam Dip

Karen's been making this dip forever.  We used to make up a bowl and take it downstairs to her bedroom with a bag of chips.  The ultimate comfort food snack.  :)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 oz. can clams, minced or chopped
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce (or more to taste)
1 tbs. lemon juice

Loosely drain clams (reserve juice) and mix with all other ingredients.  Thin to desired consistency with reserved juice from clams and or more worcestershire sauce.  Serve with potato chips.  Yum.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Pumpkin Raisin Bars or Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp.  baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optioal
1/2 cup raisins

Frosting:
1/3 cup butter (softened)
3 oz. cream cheese (softened)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350.  Grease 15 x 10 x 1 pan.  Combine all ingredients except nuts and raisins.  Beat at low speed till moistened.  Beat 2 more minutes, then stir in nuts and raisins.  Pour into greased pan.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely.   Combine all frosting ingredients in small bowl and beat till smooth.,  Frost cooled bars and cut.

To make pumpkin raisin cake, bake in 9 x 13 pan, bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)
powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar till light, add vanilla, eggs, and cocoa.  Stir in dry ingredients, milk, and nuts/chocolate chips.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls (refrigerate dough to make it firmer, if necessary.)  Roll balls in powdered sugar and place on lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 14 to 16 minutes, or until cookies are firm in the center.  Remove from cookie sheets and cool on rack.  Makes about 4 dozen.

Bridget's Pudding Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 package pudding

(mix above together.)

Add:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
chocolate (or other flavor) chips

Oven @ 375
Bake 8 minutes (if you don't preheat the oven, bake the first batch 10 minutes.)

Bridget has made these using butterscotch pudding with butterscotch chips, vanilla pudding with chocolate chips, etc. I'm sure there's a lot of good combinations.  These are wonderful cookies, very soft.  And they never last long.

Green Bean Casserole

A few changes in the way I used to make the traditional green bean casserole have made a big difference in the quality.  Now it's a lot fresher tasting and richer (and of course higher in calories, but it's for Thanksgiving so I don't care.)

  • 2 cans cream of mushroom soup (Healthy request)
  • 1 cup cream (instead of milk)
  • 1 - 1 1/2 tsp. canadian steak seasoning (instead of pepper)
  • 1 large bag of frozen green beans (as much as you can comfortably fit in dish and still stir together ingredients.  Do not used  canned for this version of the recipe.)
  • 3 cups French's french fried onions (doubled from original recipe, get the big can from Sam's club)

Mix all ingredients together, reserving half of the onions, in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.  Top with reserved onions.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or till casserole is bubbling hot, you can adjust time and temperature to share the oven with other Thanksgiving side dishes.

Thanksgiving Spinach Casserole

I made this to surprise the kids for Thanksgiving once instead of the green bean casserole and after they got over being upset they decided this was better.  Now I'm supposed to make both every year. :)


  • 2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 can (13 3/4 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
  • 1 cup whole milk

Combine spinach, artichokes, cream, salt, pepper, and half of parmesan cheese in casserole dish.  In a small bowl, beat cream cheese till fluffy.  Reduce mixer speed and add milk, mixing just till blended.  Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over spinach mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges bubble and top is golden.  You can adjust baking time and temperature so you can bake it with other casseroles and Thanksgiving side dishes.  Also, it's okay to be a little more generous with the parmesan cheese if you want to.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Green Beans a la Susie

1 pound fresh green beans (can use frozen, but they won't be as delicious)
bacon drippings and/or olive oil
canadian steak seasoning

Clean 1 lb. fresh green beans and blanch for 3 minutes in boiling water.  Drain well.  In the meantime, heat about a tablespoon of bacon drippings in a large frying pan.  Add about a tablespoon of olive oil.  When oil is hot, add drained green beans and stir fry till there are some nice browned areas on the beans but they're still tender-crisp. Sprinkle to taste with the canadian steak seasoning and serve immediately.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Cream Biscuits

These are the best biscuits EVER.  You will never bother making any other kind.  And they're easy.

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbs. baking powder
2 tsp. sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 425.  Use an ungreased baking sheet.  Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a mixing bowl.  Stir dry ingredients with a fork to blend and lighten.  Slowly add one cup of cream to the mixture, stirring constantly.  Gather the dough together.  When it holds together and feels tender, it is ready to knead.  If the dough seems shaggy and pieces are dry and falling away, then slowy add enough additional cfream to make the dough hold together. 

Place the dough on a lightly floured board and knead for one minute.  Pat the dough into a square that is about half an inch thick.  Cut into twelve squares and dip each into the melted butter so all sides are coated.  Place the biscuits 2 inches apart on teh baking sheet.  Bake for about fifteen minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly browned.  Serve hot with butter and jam, or serve with sausage gravy.  (This is a special-occasion breakfast, not "low fat" by any stretch of the imagination, but really delicious.) 

Flame Tree BBQ Sauce

This is the same BBQ sauce that they serve at the Flame Tree BBQ in Disney's Animal Kingdom.  Yum.

1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbs. molasses
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. mild chili powder
1 tbs. paprika
2 tsps. onion powder

1 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tps. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low and cook at a bare simmer, stirring frequently, for 35 minutes or until thickened.  Use immediately or store for up to 2 weeks. 

Unshrinking Sweaters

Okay, this isn't a real recipe, one that you would cook and eat, but it's handy to have around just the same.


If you've ever washed a batch of sweaters in the washer, thinking you'd lay them flat to dry and then had someone else come along and "help" you and put your load in the dryer for you, this is how you can fix them.  If it doesn't work for you, all you're out is a bottle of cheap hair conditioner.  If it DOES work, you've saved yourself all your nice sweaters.
________




Fill the laundry tub or bath with a few inches of warm water and add a generous amount of hair conditioner. (I had a whole load of my sweaters, so had a whole batch of them in the tub so I used a whole bottle of conditioner.)  Gently work the solution through the entire sweater, kneading the sweater as you go. Do not wring the sweater, but after draining the tub, press the sweater against the side of the tub to press out the excess water.  Pull it out of the water and place on a stack of bath towels (since the sweater will be soaking wet) and then gently stretch the sweater into the former shape.  Allow to dry in a cool room - DO NOT use any heat to dry the sweater. Repeat if needed. Then wash again as usual, being sure to rinse fully to remove the conditioner, and lay flat to dry.

Breakfast Cake

When the kids were little and I wanted to make a special breakfast, they would FREAK when I mentioned I was making coffee cake, so I had to re-name this breakfast cake.  


½ cup salad oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 ½ cups sugar
3 cups flour (whole wheat is best)
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Combine oil, eggs, milk.  Add dry ingredients, mix well.  Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle with Spicy topping (below), bake 375 degrees for 34-40 minutes.  Serve warm, along with some fresh fruit and maybe some bacon or sausage.  This is a special breakfast.  To make it a little healthier I used to make it with freshly ground whole wheat flour, and it was still absolutely wonderful.

Spicy topping:

½ cup brown sugar
2 tbs. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbs. melted butter

Combine all ingredients, sprinkle over cake batter before baking.

Pancakes and Blueberry pancakes

1cup flour
1 tbs. baking powder
2 tbs. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbs. salad oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, salt, milk, egg, oil, and vanilla together.  Add baking powder and flour and mix until smooth.  If batter is too thick, add water.  It's better to have batter a little too thin than have it too thick. Cook on greased hot griddle.   To make Blueberry Pancakes:  Use a little more sugar in the batter, and after you ladle the batter on the griddle, sprinkle fresh blueberries on each pancake.  

To cook on griddle:  Heat griddle to 375 or 400 degrees, depending on griddle.  Lightly grease griddle and wipe with paper towel.  Ladle batter onto griddle (about 1/4 cup per pancake, maybe a little less, especially with thinner batter.)  Pancakes will form bubbles.  This is NOT the time to flip them.  Wait till the majority of the bubbles have popped and the edges of the pancakes look a little bit dry.  Flip one time only.  Let cook on second side till done.  If the pancakes are too brown, lower the heat.  

When the kids were little I used to make pancakes with their initials on them.  Make a capital letter backwards (easier for some than for others!) and let it cook a few moments, then fill it in with batter till the batter spills over and makes a circle, looking as close to a "normal" pancake as possible.  Then when you flip it, you can see the initial in the middle.  It'll be a slightly darker shade than the rest of the pancake, but even if it's the same color you can still see the outline of the initial.  This used to really tickle the kids.  It's also fun to do shapes like Mickey Mouse for them.  (Okay, I admit I got the biggest kick out of the Mickey pancakes...)

Death by Chocolate Cake

1 ¾ cup boiling water
1 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
1 tbs. vanilla
2 eggs
1 ¾ cup flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 heaping tbs. cocoa

Pour boiling water over oats, let sit ten minutes.  Add sugars and margarine, stir till margarine is melted.  Add eggs, mix well.  Add flour, salt, soda, and cocoa, beat till well blended.  Add three ounces EACH chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.  Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle with 3 ounces EACH chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.  Bake 350 degrees 40 minutes or till done.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1 cube butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 20-oz can pineapple rings (reserve juice)
marachino cherries
1 yellow cake mix

Melt butter in 9 x 13 pan, add brown sugar and stir.  Arrange pineapple rings on bottom of pan.  Place cherry in center of each ring.  Mix cake according to package directions, except use pineapple juice for the liquid, adding water if necessary to get the right amount.  Pour batter over pineapple.  Bake 350 degrees 40-45 minutes.  When done, let cool for a few minutes and turn cake onto large platter.  

Applesauce Bundt Cake

1 box cake mix
2 cups applesauce
3 eggs
¼ cup cinnamon sugar

Mix cake mix, applesauce, and eggs together using an electric mixer, until all ingredients are mixed well and then continue to use the mixer for 2 minutes on high.  Pour 1/3 of the batter into bundt pan which has been greased well and dusted with cinnamon sugar.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top cake batter.  Pour second 1/3 of batter into pan, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Pour last 1/3 of batter into pan, top with cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees, 40 minutes.  VERY moist, dense cake.

Fruit Cocktail Cake

1 ½ cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups (approx.) fruit cocktail (do NOT drain)

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 9 x 13 pan.  The batter will be very dense.  Sprinkle with ½ cup brown sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees 40-50 minutes.  Top with boiled frosting as SOON as you pull it from oven (both frosting and cake must be piping hot)

Boiled Frosting:

¾ cup sugar
1 cube butter or margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in small saucepan, add sugar and milk.  Bring to boil, boil hard for 2 minutes.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour over cake immediately.

Ranger Cookies

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream above ingredients

2 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Sift together above ingredients, add creamed mixture.  Add following and mix well:

1 cup coconut
2 cups oats
2 cups rice crispies

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet, bake 350 degrees 10-12 minutes.

Lemon Bars

2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar

Cut all ingredients with pastry  blender or fork, spread into greased 9 x 13 pan, bake 300 degrees for 15 minutes.

4 eggs, beat slightly
4 tbs. lemon juice
grated rind (zest only) of 2 lemons
2 cups sugar
4 tbs. flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Combine all ingredients, pour over pre-baked “crust.”  Bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar when done.

Shortbread

½ lb. butter (no substitutes)
½ cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder

Cream butter and sugar, add salt and baking powder.  Mix well, add flour, mix till well blended.  Roll out and cut into desired shapes.  (Use cookie cutters or roll into circle and cut into wedges.)  Prick with fork and place on ungreased cookie sheet .  Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Hopscotch

1 pkg. (6 oz.) butterscotch chips
½ cup peanut butter
2 cups miniature marshmallows
4 cups chow mein noodles

Melt butterscotch chips and peanut butter in microwave till smooth, stir as needed.  Pour over chow mein noodles and marshmallows, stir till noodles and marshmallows are well covered.  Drop on waxed paper and let cool.  

Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 lb. butter (splurge, margarine will work but will affect the quality of the cookie)
1 ½ cup sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 tbs. vanilla
6 cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 pkg. chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk)

Cream butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients, mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips to distribute evenly.   Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees 8-10 minutes.

Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups applesauce
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup shortening
4 eggs
1 ½ cup sugar
4 cups flour
1 tsp. each cloves, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon.
1 pkg. chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

Mix applesauce and baking soda, set aside.  In large bowl cream shortening, eggs, and sugar.  Add applesauce mixture and spices/salt.  Add flour and mix well.  Add chocolate chips, stirring to distribute evenly.  Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet, bake 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

You can substitute pumpkin for the applesauce for a different taste, but it's still a nice, soft chocolate chip cookie.

Mrs. Fields Oatmeal Cookies

I don’t know if these are REALLY from her recipe, but they are the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever had.  If you don’t like coconut, do NOT use this recipe.  You can’t just leave it out.

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
1 lb. butter (splurge, margarine isn’t as reliable for these)
4 eggs
1 tbs. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. each of baking powder, baking soda
4 cups flour
5 cups quick oats
3 cups raisins (optional)
4 cups coconut

Cream sugars and butter, add eggs and vanilla.  Add salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour.  Mix well, add oats, coconut, and raisins.  Stir till mixed evenly.  Drop on cookie sheet (greased) and bake 375 degrees for 10 minutes. 

Old Missouri Cornbread

Grandpa Jay's recipe


4 ½ cups cornmeal
1 ½ tsp. salt
2 tbs. butter or margarine
3 cups boiling water

Mix all ingredients well, visually divide dough into quarters, spoon each quarter onto cookie sheet, pat into place by hand.  Each “mound” will be an oval about 4 x 7 inches around, about an inch thick.  Bake at 425 degrees approximately one hour.  Rinse mixing bowl immediately.  Serve with butter.

lefse

We used to get this in the mail from my Grandma Iverson every Christmas.  Whenever we go to Epcot we stop by the bakery in the Norway pavilion and get some.  (But they don't put enough sugar on theirs, so I always have to unroll it to add a little more.)


5 large potatoes, peeled, boiled, drained, and mashed
½ cup sweet cream
1 tsp. salt
3 tbs. butter
flour (1/2 cup per each cup of potatoes)

Measure potatoes, make note of amount.  Add cream, butter, and salt.  Beat until light.  Cool.  Add ½ cup flour for each cup of potato.  Roll about ¼ - ½ cup portion of batter as thin as possible.  These need to be as thin as corn tortillas.  They will be fairly large.  You can roll them into a circle or a rectangle, depending on the size and shape of your griddle.  For ease of rolling, cover bread board with thin “flour sack” dish cloth, secure with pins, and flour well.  Flour rolling pin as well.  Bake on ungreased griddle on medium heat till light brown, turning to prevent scorching.  These cook quickly.  Place between layers of towel to cool.  After cooling, fold lefse into quarters.  Stack, store tightly wrapped in refrigerator.  To serve, open lefse, spread lightly with butter on one half, sprinkle with sugar, roll, and eat.

Swedish Pancakes

3 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
3 cups milk
½ tsp. salt
2 tbs. sugar

Mix all ingredients in a blender.  This batter is VERY thin.  Pour approx. ¼ cup batter onto buttered griddle, let cook till dry on the edges.  Turn, cook till done.  If you have a large griddle you can cook several at once, but if it’s not perfectly flat they will run together.  To serve, lightly butter pancake, add jam or powdered sugar, roll up and eat.  Re-butter griddle as needed.

Pie Filling

2 quarts bottled fruit
1 ½  tsp. cornstarch
¼ cup cinnamon and nutmeg (for apples, peaches)
1 tbs. lemon juice
½ cup sugar (or to taste)

Drain fruit well, add remaining ingredients.  This will make enough for an 8 - 9 inch pie.  Mixture will thicken as it bakes in the pie.  If you like your fruit filling thicker, increase cornstarch to 1 tbs.

Pie Crust in the Pan

Hate to roll out pie crust?  Use this recipe for the same flavor.  This crust will be more crumbly than a rolled crust, but the flavor is perfect.

1 ½ cups flour
½  salt

Throw above ingredients straight into large pie pan, mix with fork.  Combine following ingredients in small bowl:

½ cup oil
2 tbs. milk

Beat oil and milk till combined.  This will NOT mix completely.  Pour this mixture into the pie pan, mix with flour mixture until all oil/milk is absorbed.  Pat mixture into place with your fingers.  Use this as you would any pie crust.  For puddings and other pre-cooked fillings, bake crust at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  To use with fillings that need to be cooked (pumpkin, etc.) pre-bake pie shell at 425 degrees for 5 minutes.  To use in place of a 2-crust pie, reserve ½ to ¾ cups of the crust  mixture to crumble over top of filling, bake as recipe directs.

Fruit Crisp

Fruit to cover bottom of 9 x 13 pan
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
1 cube butter or margarine, melted

Spread fruit on bottom of pan, mix remaining ingredients  except butter in bowl.  Add melted butter, mix thoroughly.  Mixture will be crumbly when it’s mixed enough.  Spoon this mixture over fruit, bake 375 degrees for 35 minutes.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if you like.

7-layer Taco Salad

We call this salad, but it's really a 7-layer dip.


1 30-oz can refried beans
2 mashed avocados mixed with 1 tbs. lemon juice
1 cup sour cream mixed with ¼ cup taco sauce or salsa
4 chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can chopped or sliced olives
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Layer above in order listed in 9 x 13 pan.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours, serve with plenty of tortilla chips for scoopers.

Spinach Salad and Dressing

1 bunch spinach
3-4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
fresh sliced mushrooms
Finely grated mozzarella cheese
crumbled bacon or bacos
thinly sliced red onion
1 can sliced olives

Clean spinach, mix all ingredients together in large bowl. 

2/3 cup oil
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup sugar
3 tbs. lemon juice
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. paprika
2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. dried minced onion

Mix above ingredients for dressing, use as desired on spinach salad.  This makes a lot of dressing, you won’t need to make it each time you make the salad.

Dilly Dip

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. dried diced onion
½ tsp. salt (optional)

Mix all ingredients together, chill to let flavors blend.  Serve with plenty of crisp raw vegetables or chips.

Spinach Dip

10 oz. Pkg. Frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained. 
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chopped green onions
1/8 tsp. pepper
¾ tsp. salt

Mix above ingredients in blender for a few moments.  You do NOT want it completely smooth.  Chill to let flavors blend.  To serve, hollow out large round loaf of bread (sourdough and rye both work well) by slicing a one-inch top off bread, scooping out insides in large pieces.  Pour dip into bread bowl, cut “lid” and bread scraps into cubes for dipping.  Also good served with ritz crackers and veggies.

Bean Dip

4 cups refried beans (homemade is best, or use 2 cans)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1 cup grated jack cheese
½ cup chopped green onion
1 can chopped green chilis
1 small can sliced black olives
¼ cup salsa or taco sauce
fresh cilantro, ground cumin, garlic powder to taste

Mix all ingredients, reserving half of the cheese, in oven-safe dish or crock pot.  Top with remaining cheese and heat through (350 degrees for 1 hour by oven, 8 hours on low for crock pot.)  This makes a BIG batch.

Funeral Potatoes

People either love the name or hate it.  Excellent served with ham.  To cut down on the time involved in making it, you can substitute a package of frozen hash browns for the 7 medium potatoes.(either the cubed or the grated hash browns will work.)  Also, to make this extra good, if you're using fresh onion instead of dehydrated, caramelize them in butter before mixing them into the dish.

7 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and grated (or diced.)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
¼  cup onion flakes or 1 medium onion, diced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Mix potatoes, soup, sour cream, onions, and cheese in casserole dish.  Top with 1 cup bread crumbs or crushed corn flakes, drizzle with 2 tbs. melted butter or margarine.  Bake 325 degrees for 45 minutes. 

Rice Pilaf

This is a GREAT side dish, more flavor than plain white rice, and almost as easy to make.  Vermicelli is a pasta, available at grocery stores, that looks like thin spaghetti.  Vermicelli is available in either straight form or coils.  If you can’t find coils, use straight.  If you can’t find vermicelli at all, you can use spaghetti noodles, broken into inches approximately ½ inch long.

½ cube butter or margarine
1 coil vermicelli (a thin pasta that comes in a coil)
1 tsp. each salt and pepper
2 cups rice
2 ½ cups hot water

Melt butter in pot large enough to cook rice.  Break up one coil of vermicelli into melted butter and cook on a fairly high heat till pasta is browned.  Add salt and pepper and rice.  Cook for a few more moments to give rice a slightly browned look.  Add hot water, stir well.  Bring mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low or simmer.  Cook for 20-25 minutes.  As with most rice dishes, do not lift lid or stir until rice is done.  However, this rice will not be as sticky as regular rice.  If you can't find coiled vermicelli, you can use angel hair pasta.  About an ounce, broken into small pieces (about an inch long.)  You can also make this in a rice maker.  Kick the water up another notch on the pan to account for the vermicelli.

Play Dough

This makes the best playdough.  It's far better than the kind you buy.


2 cups flour
1 cup salt
½ cup cornstarch
1 tbs. oil
1 tbs. alum
2 cups water
food coloring or package of unsweetened Koolaid (optional)

Combine all ingredients in saucepan, cook on low heat (stirring constantly) until the mixture is too hard to stir anymore.  At this point it will most likely be leaving the sides of the pan.  Remove pan from heat, dump dough onto the counter and knead until smooth.  Let cool and store in plastic bag or covered container.  This play dough is a bit softer than commercial, and easier to mold.  You can also let it dry for ornaments, etc.

Monkey Bread

PAM spray
Pecans or Walnuts (optional)
Frozen Roll dough (about 24 rolls)
1 pkg. Regular (not instant) Butterscotch or vanilla pudding, unprepared
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine, melted

Spray bundt pan generously with PAM spray, add pecans or walnuts if desired.  Put frozen rolls in pan on top of nuts.  Sprinkle pudding mix over frozen rolls.  Mix the sugars and the melted butter, pour evenly over the pudding mix.  Lightly lay plastic wrap over pan, cover with clean towel.  Let stand overnight.  In the morning the rolls will be thawed, raised (if any of them are beginning to droop over the side of the pan, lightly pinch them to “shrink” them a bit) and ready to bake.  Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.  When the monkey bread is done baking, turn bundt pan upside down over a plate.  Shake lightly to loosen, serve with milk, juice, and bacon for a filling, FUN breakfast.

Big Samwich

1 loaf French bread, sliced in half lengthwise
6 oz meat (salami, ham, pastrami, or pepperoni)
Sliced cheese (American, Swiss, Cheddar, or Mozzarella)
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tbs. Prepared mustard
Caramelized onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers

Spread mayonnaise on both sides of bread, squirt mustard on bread and mix with mayo till it's a uniform color.  Place sliced meat on bread, top with cheese.  Add caramelized veggies and then place “lid” on the sandwich, wrap well in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  You can cook it in the microwave if you prefer, but bread will not be crusty and overall the results are not as good.  Remove from oven and slice into serving-sized pieces.  Garnish with sliced tomatoes if you like.  Variation: and add a small amount of pesto to the mayonnaise-mustard mixture.  

(To caramelize the vegetables, slice them thin and saute in a small amount of olive oil until they brown nicely.)

Chili Verde

This is just a jumping-off point.  Chili Verde is different each time I make it.


3 cups cooked pinto beans (canned is fine; 2 cans drained)
2-3 lb. Pork roast
3-4 cups water
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs. Cumin
2 tbs. Chili powder
1 tbs. Salt
1 tsp. Oregano
1 small can green chilies, diced
1 small bottle green chili salsa
1 cup chopped onion
Juice and zest of one lime or lemon
Tomatoes (canned or fresh)
Bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
Banana peppers or pepperoncini or pepper rings to taste
If I have any cans of green enchilada sauce I want to use up, I'll add that too.

Put all ingredients in large slow-cooker and cook on low all day.  Take out pork roast, break up with fork and return to cooker.  Simmer a while longer if you like.  To serve, fill bowls with crushed chips, top with chili verde and garnish with any or all of the following:  shredded lettuce, chopped green onion, cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, sour cream, guacamole, salsa.

Sticky Chicken

1 whole chicken
Seasoning as follows:
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Paprika
¾ tsp. Cayenne pepper
½ tsp. White pepper
¼ tsp. Black pepper
½ tsp. Onion powder
½ tsp. Ground thyme
¼ tsp. Garlic powder

Mix all seasonings in small container.  This will be enough for several chickens.  If you prefer you can buy pre-made Cajun seasoning; experiment till you find one you like.  Sprinkle seasoning on whole chicken, wrap in Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.  Bake at 250 degrees for five (yes, FIVE) hours.  Baste occasionally.  This chicken will NOT burn.  You really can’t ruin it.  I’ve skipped the “refrigerate overnight” part, and it’s still good.  I normally only baste it for the last hour, every fifteen to thirty minutes.  I also use the drippings to fry some cottage potatoes or use them in place of butter or margarine when making rice pilaf.  

Chicken Lasagna

Grandma O's recipe.  Very rich, white lasagna.


1 chicken, cooked and boned, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 pint sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
½ lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 tsp. Salt
2/3 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
10 oz lasagna noodles, cooked

Mix all ingredients except noodles and mozzarella cheese in large saucepan. Cook until thoroughly mixed and cream cheese is melted.  Layer noodles, sauce, and mozzarella cheese in 9 by 13 pan, ending with cheese.  Bake 350 degrees 30 minutes.

Sherried Beef

Perfect to put in the oven before church, it’s done when you get home.  I have substituted ground beef for the stew meat, it’s still good.  You do not need to precook hamburger, just break it into chunks.  Easy to expand, use another can of soup.  I have also used chicken parts instead of beef, but cut down on the onion soup mix so you don’t overwhelm the chicken.

Two pounds Stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces. 
Three cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can water or cooking sherry
1 envelope onion soup mix.

In large oven-proof glass bowl (preferably one with a lid) mix soups with water or sherry, stirring well.  You do NOT have to get all the lumps out.  Mixture will be a pasty white, don’t worry as it turns a very rich brown by the time it’s done cooking.  Add cut stew meat, stir, cover.  Bake for 3 hours at 350 degrees.  Serve over rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, or biscuits.

This can be done in a crock pot as well, mix together in crock instead of baing dish and cook on low for 8 hrs.

Taco Soup

1 lb. Hamburger
½ cup chopped onion
2 16-oz cans kidney beans (or equivalent in cooked beans)
1 envelope taco seasoning
3 cups water
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1 quart tomatoes, pureed

Brown hamburger in large soup pan, drain and add onion.  Cook till onion is clear.  Add remaining ingredients, simmer covered for 15-30 minutes.  Serve with various garnishes, such as grated cheese, guacamole, crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, olives, tomatoes, green onions, salsa, etc.

Clam Chowder or Cheese Soup

2 cup finely chopped onions
2 cup finely chopped celery
4 cups finely diced potatoes
1 tbs. Parsley
2 6 ½  oz. cans minced clams, reserve juice
1 cup butter 
1 cup flour
1 quart ½ and ½
1 ½ tsp. Salt
few grains pepper
½ tsp. Sugar

Drain clams over vegetables in a large soup pan.  Add enough water to barely cover veggies and simmer till barely tender; do NOT drain.  Melt butter, add flour and blend.  Add ½ and ½ and cook till thick, stirring constantly. Stir this mixture into the pan with the cooked veggies.  Add clams, salt and pepper, sugar.  This makes a LARGE pan of soup.  Do not substitute margarine for butter or milk for half and half.


To make Cheese soup, omit clams, add 1 large can chopped green chilis when you are simmering the vegetables, and as much grated cheddar cheese as you like (at least 1 1/2 lbs) after you stir the half and half mixture into the cooked veggies.  Serve with heated tortillas.

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb. Hamburger
½ onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package tater tots
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Brown hamburger, onion, and salt and pepper to taste in skillet.  Add soup and stir well.  Pour into bottom of baking dish.  Arrange tater tots on top of hamburger mixture, top with grated cheddar cheese.  Bake 350 degrees, 30 minutes.  

Potato Supreme

1 lb. Ground beef
½ onion, diced
2 cans golden mushroom soup (NOT cream of mushroom)
¾ can water
Baked Potatoes

Brown hamburger and onion, add soup and water.  Simmer for a few moments to mix flavors.  Spoon mixture over individual baked potatoes and top with any or all of the following:  grated cheese, diced green onions, diced tomatoes, sour cream, bacon bits, broccoli flowerettes, sliced olives, etc.  

Sour Cream Enchiladas

  lbs. Ground beef, browned with salt and pepper, chopped onion
1 small can tomato sauce
1 package taco or enchilada seasoning mix
1 small (approx. 4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 dozen flour tortillas

Mix meat, tomato sauce, seasoning mix, and chilies in pan.  Simmer together for a few minutes.  Put scoop of meat mixture in center of each tortilla, roll up, and place in large baking dish. 

Sauce:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2/3 can water
8-12 oz. Sour cream

Put above in sauce pan, boil.  Pour soup mixture over enchiladas, sprinkle with cheddar cheese (the more the better) and bake 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.