Our Next Meeting - April 14th

Theme: Trip Around the World

Make a new recipe from some country other than the United States.

Where: Sybil's home

Time: 6:30 p.m.

See you all there! Be sure and come hungry and either email me a copy of the recipe or bring a copy to the meeting.

March Meeting of the Pioneers

Sybil brought Peach Crisp recipe came from her friend Susan Peterson


2 quart jars sliced peaches, drained
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 cups flour
1 cups oatmeal
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
½ cup chopped nuts
¾ cup butter, softened
Put peaches into 13 x 9 inch pan. Mix remaining ingredients with a pastry blender. Sprinkle on top of peaches. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.
Serves 6-8

The original recipe is for:
Apple Crisp
1 gallon canned apples, drained
3 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts
1 ½ cups butter, softened
Pour apples into a large 11 ½ x 17 ½ inch pan. Mix remaining ingredients with a pastry blender. Sprinkle on top of peaches. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes.
Serves 15

Mary brought Granola a recipe she received from her friend Carol

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup wheat germ or flax seed
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts or almonds
1 tsp salt
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup oil
1-1/2 cups raisins

Combine oats, wheat germ, nuts and salt. Stir in condensed milk; add oil and mix thoroughly. Spread mixture on shallow baking pan, lined with foil which has been sprayed with oil.

Bake in 300 degree oven, stirring occasionally for 1 hour or until golden. Remove from oven. Stir in raisins while still warm. Store in tightly covered container.

Makes 8 cups.

DeeAnn brought Hearty Turkey Cannellini Chili from Rice A Roni

1 pound ground turkey or ground beef
1 (6.9-ounce) package RICE-A-RONI® Chicken Flavor
2 tablespoons margarine, butter or spread with no trans fat
1 (14-1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

In large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground turkey until no longer pink. Remove from skillet; drain. Set aside.

In same skillet over medium heat, saute rice-vermicelli mix with margarine until vermicelli is golden brown.

Slowly stir in 2-1/4 cups water, tomatoes, Special Seasonings and chili powder; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in beans and turkey; return to a simmer. Cover; simmer 5 to 7 more minutes or until rice is tender.

NOTE: If I make it again I would add another can of tomatoes.

DeeAnn also brought Baked Oatmeal from Allrecipes.com

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup raisins 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat together oil and sugar. Mix in eggs, milk, salt, baking powder, oatmeal. Beat well then stir in raisins. Pour into a lightly grease pie pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake in preheated oven until firm, about 35 minutes. Serve hot.

Cei brought Tamale Pie from Bishops Storehouse cookbook.

1 lb hamburger (I used ground turkey)
1 c chopped green pepper
1 chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 16oz can tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 12oz can corn, drained
1 can sliced ripe olives (optional)
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
A dash of pepper
1 1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
3 c cold milk
1 c yellow corn meal
1 tsp salt
1 T butter

Brown the first 4 ingredients together. Drain the fat and add tomatoes, tomato paste, corn, olives, sugar, salt, chili powder and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes, utnil thick. Add cheese and stir until melted. Pour into 9x13 baking dish. Make corn meal topping by heating milk in double boiler, add salt and slowly stir in corn meal. Cook and stir until thick (about 20 minutes); add butter and spread over top of meat mixture. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Serves 8-10

Birdie brought Tuna Salad

March's Meeting of the Pioneers

We will be meeting on Wednesday, March 10th at Cei Kratz's home, 44514 Loneoak Avenue at 6:30 p.m.

The theme this month is: Food Storage Recipes

So bring a recipe that uses all or mainly ingredients from your food storage. Hope to see you all there!

AND: Remember to email me the recipe so I can post it on this blog. Be sure to state where you got the recipe as well. Thanks!

Appetizers and Sweets for Your Sweeties

Sharon brought Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms (Allrecipes.com)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
24 mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (12 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook the onions and mushroom stems in the hot oil until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl; add the artichoke hearts, cream cheese, sour cream, Italian cheese blend, and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Stir the mixture until ingredients are evenly distributed. Stuff the mushroom caps with the mixture. Arrange the stuffed mushrooms on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the filling begins to bubble, about 20 minutes.

AND

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake (Allrecipes.com)

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

2. In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.

4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.

5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.

DeeAnn brought Buffalo Chicken Dip (Allrecipes.com)

2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers

1. Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

AND

Peanut Butter Cup Trifle Dessert (www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com)

9x13 pan of brownies, cut into 1 inch pieces
5.1 oz instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
8 oz container thawed whipped topping (Cool Whip), divided
20 peanut butter cups, crumbled (buy in a 10-pack. Not the bite-sized)
6-8 peanut butter cups to garnish.

1. Combine pudding and milk. Beat for 2 minutes. Add peanut butter and vanilla, beat until smooth. Gently fold in 2 cups cool whip.

2. Layer in trifle dish ½ the brownies, ½ the crumbled peanut butter cups, ½ the pudding mixture. Repeat. Top with cool whip and peanut butter cups. (Or shaved chocolate curls, as I did.) Chill until serving.

Mary brought English Toffee (from her friend Karen Tolman)

1 lb butter
2 cups butter
4 cups sliced almonds
1 large package milk chocolate chips

Spray jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides) with cooking spray. Sprinkle layer of sliced almonds evenly on sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes to lightly toast them. Meanwhile, melt buter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and stir occasionally. Boil mixture on medium heat untl hard crack stage (about 280 degrees). Mixture will start to smoke and will have darker streakes appearing. (To test for doneness, drop a little of the candy into half a cup of ice cold water. When ready, candy will crack easily when broken.) Spread over nuts on cookie sheet and let set for 5 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top of toffee and let set until chocolate chips are melted. Spread chocolate over toffee with a knife or the back of a spoon. Let cool completely and break into pieces.

February's Meeting of the Pioneers

This month the meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 10th at 6:30 p.m. at DeeAnn's home.

The theme is: Appetizers & Sweets for Your Sweeties!

Bring a recipe that you have never tried before and lets enjoy the evening!

Be sure to email the recipe to DeeAnn so it can be added to this site. Thanks!

January Recipes

Sharon brought Cinnamon Rolls

Hot Roll Mix from the Make-A-Mix Cookbook

20 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup instant nonfat dry milk

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together to distribute evenly. Put in a large airtight container. Label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 to 8months. Makes about 22 cups of HOT ROLL MIX.

Changes Sharon made to Cinnamon Rolls recipe below:

She added the grated peel of 1 medium orange to the Cinnamon Sprinkle. She used 1/2 cup orange flavored craisins plumped in orange juice and drained.

For the glaze she substituted whipping cream for the milk and used orange extract instead of vanilla.

Cinnamon Rolls

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups HOT ROLL MIX
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Cinnamon Sprinkle, see below
2 eggs, beaten
Sweet Glaze, see below
1/2 vegetable oil or melted butter

Cinnamon Sprinkle:

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Sweet Glaze:

1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Blend in eggs and oil or butter. Add 5 cups of HOT ROLL MIX. Stir well. Add additional HOT ROLL MIX to make a soft, but not too sticky dough. Knead about 5 minutes until dough is smooth. Lightly butter bowl. Put dough in bowl and turn to butter top. Cover dough with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Generously grease 2 baking sheets. Prepare Cinnamon Sprinkle. Punch down dough. Let stand 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 12” x 24” rectangle, about 1/4” thick. Spread generously with Cinnamon Sprinkle. Roll dough like a jelly roll and Cut with a sharp knife into 24 1” slices. Place on prepared baking sheets. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 30 to 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 375˚. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Prepare Sweet Glaze, and brush on while rolls are still warm. Makes about 24 rolls.

Cinnamon Sprinkle: Melt butter or margarine in a small saucepan. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins and nuts.

Sweet Glaze: In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a thin mixture.


Sybil brought Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup from Paula Deen

Ingredients
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.


Mina brought Chicken and Dumplings

First, I make my own broth (you can use can broth).
1 (about 3 pounds) whole chicken
8 cups of water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.In a heavy pot with a lid place the chicken and water and bring to a boil.
2.Now add salt and pepper.
3.Simmer (with lid on the pot) - until tender, about 1 hour or one and ½ hours.
4.Let broth and chicken cool in pot, now refrigerator so the fat will come to the top of the broth.
5.Skim excess fat off the broth. Then remove and take the meat off the bones and cut into large pieces. Discard the bones and skin.

Chicken and Dumplings
3 c. cooked chicken, cut into large pieces
½ c. butter
1/3 c. flour
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 c. chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup (98% fat free variety works great)

Blend butter, flour, salt and pepper in saucepan. Add chicken broth and cook until thick. Now stir in cream of chicken soup, add cooked chicken, and cook for a minute or thicker if you are going to use this mixture for chicken crepes or a dish that calls for cream chicken.

Dumplings:
2 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ c. oil
1 c. milk

To prepare dumplings, mix all ingredients together and stir until moistened.
Roll out dough on a floured surface, with a rolling pin, until very thin. Cut into 1 inch wide strips using a pizza cutter or knife.

Layer sauce dumplings sauce dumpling and sauce in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 425° for 25-30minutes.

Serve immediately.


DeeAnn brought Homemade Pop Tarts

Make pie crust (or buy the ready made)
Here is one recipe:
1 1/3 cups fat (butter, lard, shortening, tallow...use a combination of two for the best flavor)
4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2/3 cup cold water
Combine the fat, flour, salt and sugar with a pastry blender or in a food processor. Add the water a little at a time, mixing with a fork or food processor until it forms a slightly moist ball. Divide into two balls and roll out on a floured surface

At this point, you can trim off the edges so you have nice, neat rectangles, but I didn't want to waste any, so these are less than perfect.

For the filling, you can as I said, use jam or chop up some apple pie filling. We chose to the brown sugar variety: Melt 3 tablespoons butter and combine with 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon in a small bowl.

Cut your pie crust into smaller rectangles...making sure you cut an even number(tops and bottoms). Sprinkle some of the filling (about 1-2 Tbsp) on every other one.

Carefully place a top piece on the filling. Using a fork, crimp the edges shut to seal in the filling, but prick the tops to vent. If you are using jam or a fruit filling, this is especially important or you will have a mess on your baking sheet. Transfer the pop tarts to a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, switching from the top rack to the bottom rack halfway through the baking time. You will know they are done when they get a little tan around the edges and lose the shiny look in the middle. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

If desired, frost with a powdered sugar glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp milk (you don't want this runny)
1 tsp cinnamon (for the brown sugar filling)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, whisking briskly to remove lumps.

You can put sprinkles on top to make it fun.

January's Meeting of the Pioneers

This month's meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13th at 6:30 p.m. The theme is Making Old Things New. So take one of your old recipes and tweak it with lower fat, different ingredients, etc. OR you can just try a new recipe.

The meeting will be held at Sybil's home. Hope to see you all there!

Remember to email me or bring a copy of your recipe to the meeting so I can get it on the blog right away.