Fruit Pizza

Great party food. It looks pretty and is easy to make. It also tastes great!

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Mix in egg. combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Press dough into an ungreased pizza pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool.
4. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until light. Spread on cooled crust.
5. Arrange desired fruit on top of filling, and chill.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fruit-Pizza-I/Detail.aspx

Carmel French Toast Casserole

Ingredients:
***Toast***
2 loaves French bread or Texas toast, 1/2 inch thick slices and cubed
8 large eggs
2 cans (12 ounce ea) evaporated milk (I have also used regular milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
***Topping***
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans


Directions:
Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Fill pan with half of the bread. Beat eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg sugar and cinnamon. Pour over bread. Add second half of bread and mix again. Mix topping and pour over bread. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves:14

Banana Cream Pie

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 4 bananas, sliced

Puffed Oven Pancakes/ German Pancakes

Lonnie has been asking me to make these since we got married. I finally found a recipe that was what he remembered from growing up.

2 T butter
3 eggs
1/2 flour
1/2 milk
1/4 t salt

1. Place butter in 10 inch oven proof skillet. Place in oven at 400 degrees for 3-5 mins or until butter melts. Meanwhile, for batter, in a med bowl use a wire whisk to beat eggs until combined. Add flour, milk and salt and beat until smooth. Immediately pour all batter into hot skillet. Bake for 20-25 mins or until puffed and well browned.

Top with fruit, syrup and powdered sugar.
(from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

We have used both 10 inch skillet and also smaller cake pans and made two pancakes. The cake pans worked great. They were dark so they got hot enough and the fancy curves made for more delicious edges on the pancakes. They also made the dish look really pretty.

Best-ever Spagetti

1 lb Italian Sausage (browned and drained)
1 can spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti noddles

Made enough to two meals plus left overs.

Lonnie said this was the best spaghetti he had ever had. It was also very easy....so it makes the list.

END OF THE WEEK POT PIE

(Inspired by a similar recipe in one of my favorite weeknight cookbooks, The Six O'Clock Scramble)

1 refrigerated pie crust (I used the Pillsbury brand you unroll)
4-6 cups chopped mixed vegetables (I used left over broiled vegetables from Sunday dinner, carrots, potoates, parsnip, zuchinni and summer squash)
1-2 cups chopped cooked chicken or meat (I used left over ham)
salt, pepper, and thyme to taste
1 can cream soup (cream of mushroom or chicken)

Mix the onion, veggies, meat, and cream soup together, and season with salt, pepper and thyme. (Depending on the soup, you may not need salt.) Dump the mixture into the crust, and top with a second crust. Cut slits to vent. Bake at 375 till nice and brown and bubbly.

Obviously, the vegie-and-meat part of the recipe is where you get creative. You can chop up the bottom-of-the-bin veggies and lightly saute them with the onion, or you can use already-cooked veggies (a proportion of frozen mixed vegies will add to the thriftiness and retro appeal). As for the meat, chopped chicken, steak, or even mild seafood would work. We're mostly vegetarian, and I've used fake "chicken" with great success. The total amount you use depends on the size of your pie plate. You could even make little turnovers or mini-pies if you've got the time.

Delicious comfort food, says hot for a long time (so good to share), and freezes beautifully. You can even freeze it unbaked and save it for a future dinner.

Allred Family Carmel Corn

1 c. butter (2 sticks) 2 c. firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 c. corn syrup 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. vanilla 6 qt. popped corn Melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil with stirring 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in soda and vanilla. Gradually pour over popped corn, mixing well. Turn into 2 large greased baking pans. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool completely. Break apart and store in tightly covered container. Makes about 5 quarts caramel corn.

Lovisa's Brownie Sheet Cake

Mix dry ingredients:
2 cusp flour
2 cups sugar
1 t soda
1/4 t salt

In a sauce pan cook, just to a boil:
1 stick butter
5 T cocoa
1/3 vegetable oil
1 cup water

Add:
1 cup milk and 1 t vinegar 1 t vanilla

Mix all together

Add two eggs and mix together well whipping air into batter

Pour into greased and floured cookie sheet

Cook at 350degrees for 30 mins

Frosting:
1 stick butter
5 T cocoa
5T milk
1t vanilla
mix in powdered sugar until desired consistency

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 9-inch pie crust, unbaked

Preparation:

In mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and flour. Add eggs; mix well. Add evaporated milk, water and vanilla; mix well. Pour pumpkin pie mixture into a 9-inch pastry lined pie pan. Preheat oven to 425°. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake pumpkin pie for about 35 minutes longer, until pumpkin pie is set.

Susan Combs' Fool Proof Pie Crust

Cut together with pastry blender:
4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups vegetable shortening

Mix in a small bowl or measuring cup:
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup water

Combine two mixtures until moistened. Chill 15 minutes. Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze. Makes 2 2layer pie crusts or 4 9 inch shells.

Banana Cream Pie

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour and 2 tbsp.
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. whole milk
1 c. evaporated milk
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 (9 inch) baked pie crust
3 bananas, sliced thinly
1 pt. heavy whipping cream

For filling, in medium saucepan combine sugar, flour and salt; gradually stir in milks. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat, cook and stir 2 minutes more.

Remove from heat. Beat egg yolks slightly. Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot mixture into yolks. Return egg mixture to saucepan; bring to gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Fold sliced bananas into warm filling, cool. Pour into pie crust, top with 1 pint whipped cream. Serve.

Gingered Pumpkin Soup

GINGERED PUMPKIN SOUP
1 1/2 cups pumpkin, cooked (I used canned)
3 cups chicken broth (I used 3 cups warm water with chicken bullion)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup light cream
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium apple, diced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Sauté onion and apple until tender and broth. Remove from heat and process or blend until smooth. Stir in pumpkin, broth and spices. Return to saucepan and stir in cream. Heat through and serve.

Crab Pasta

This dish is similar to something we would order at one of our favorite restaurants, Babins. Of course when I make it at home it is not quite as good because I have to do the cooking myself, but it is also much cheaper.

Instead of putting the sauce over pasta we put it over fish, Mahi Mahi in this case. I grilled the fish on the Foreman Grill for about 10 mins. It turned out great. This recipe made enough for two of us with left overs enough for another meal. At Babin it is often served with baked Sweet Potatoes. Enjoy!

1/2 c. butter
1 garlic clove
8 oz. frozen crab meat or imitation crab
3/4 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
12 oz. fettuccine, cooked and drained
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden. Stir in crab, cream, Parmesan, pepper. Stir until well blended. Pour crab sauce over fettuccine in large bowl and toss well. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.