Misc. Recipes

Recently I went to Clark Hardware and discovered he had a new cookbook for sale. Of course I had to have one as I have quite a few pieces of Lodge Cast Iron, that I have also acquired from Clark Hardware. In reading through it I came across quite a few recipes that I intend to try in the near future, like: Hannah’s Apple Pancake, Charlie’s Scrambled Eggs, and Seasonal Breakfast Frittata, to name just a few. One section of this cookbook talks about “Bean Hole Cooking.” I had never heard of this before and was pleased to see that they gave directions on how to build your own, which is really quite simple. After you get it done you can cook all kinds of things in it and the cookbook has a few recipes to get you started.
When my sister and her husband came for a visit they brought me a new cookbook for my birthday called “Simple Food, Big Flavor” by Aaron Sanchez. It has all kinds of Mexican-Inspired recipes in it and one I was really excited to see was for “Dulce de Leche.” I have made this before by just placing a can of sweetened condensed milk in boiling water for a few hours but you stand the chance of the can blowing up so I don’t do that very often. This recipe is a lot safer:

dulce de leche

source: Simple Food, Big Flavor

2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk
Pour the milk into the top of a double boiler and put it over a pot of barely simmering water. Keep the water gently simmering for 2 hours, adding nor hot water as the water evaporates. You don’t have to start stirring until the milk begins to thicken, but once it does, after about 30 minutes, stir every 15 minutes or so. After 2 hours (if you want it even darker and funkier, keep cooking for another hour!), the milk will be all oozy and golden brown. That, mis amigos, is dulce de leche. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Now for some more recipes that I gleaned from my sister’s recipe box:

Barbecue Sauce

Barbara Rodriguez

1 T. orange peel
1 1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 can tomato soup
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 c. light molasses
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. oil
1 T. instant minced onion
1 T. dry mustard
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
Combine & simmer for 20 minutes in uncovered pan. Yield 3 1/2 cups.

Chocolate Fondue

Barbara Rodriguez

2 (6 oz.) pkgs. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. butter
1 c. eggnog or light cream
1 t. vanilla extract
2 navel oranges
2 bananas
2 pears
2 apples
In top of double boiler, over gently simmering water, melt chips, sugar & butter. Slowly stir in eggnog & vanilla. Heat 3 to 4 minutes longer, stirring well to blend chocolate & eggnog.
Transfer to special fondue pot - 3 cups.
To prepare fruit: Peel & section oranges. Peel bananas and cut into 1” chunks. Was, core and section pears and apples. Brush banana, pear and apple slices lightly with lemon juice. Arrange on serving platter. Provide hibachi sticks or fondue forks for dipping fruit lightly into the chocolate sauce.

Dump Cake

Barbara Rodriguez

Open and dump a #2 can pie cherries in a 9x13 inch pan.
Throw away the can
Open a #2 can crushed pineapple, pour over the cherries
Throw away the can
Open a box of Yellow Cake mix and sprinkle over the fruit.
Throw away the box.
Melt one stick of margarine.
Pour over the Cake Mix.
Sprinkle all over with 1 cup of chopped nuts.
Bake at 350 degrees in oven for 40 minutes.
Serve with Cool Whip.

Party Petit Fours

Barbara Rodriguez

12 slices white bread
1 (4 1/2 oz.) can deviled ham
1 T. minced onion
16 thin cucumber slices
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 1/2 T. mayonnaise
6 slices bacon, crumbled
2 T. chopped green pepper
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 T. sour cream
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
red and green food coloring
Trim crusts from bread slices. To make petit fours spread four slices lightly with mayonnaise and a mixture of deviled ham and onion. Add thin cucumber slices and second bread slice.
Spread with mixture of egg, mayonnaise, bacon & green pepper. Top with third bread slice. Chill. Cut each sandwich in quarters. Combine 8 oz. cream cheese and sour cream. Spread over sides and tops of the sandwiches. Mix cream cheese and coloring for decoration. Makes 16 petit fours.

Quick Quiche

Barbara Rodriguez

Heat oven to 350 degrees
In greased pie pan spread:
1 c. (or more) shredded cheese
onions
ham
mushrooms
green pepper
or anything - diced
In blender mix:
1/2 c. Bisquick
4 eggs
2 c. milk
salt and pepper
Pour liquid mixture over cheese/veggie mix sprinkle with paprika
Bake for 50-55 mins.
Let cool for 5 min. Cut and serve.

Raspberry Fondue

Barbara Rodriguez

About 1 hr. before serving:
In covered electric blender container thoroughly blend 1/2 pt. fresh raspberries and 2 T. sugar. (Or blend 2 10 oz. packages frozen raspberries, thawed, drained) Into small bowl, push raspberries through medium sieve, straining out seeds but forcing pulp through.
In medium bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat 1, 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened, until smooth. Gradually beat in raspberry pulp until smooth. Refrigerate.
Serve with slices of honeydew, fresh pineapple & fresh strawberries or pears. Print this post