Jello Surprise

This is one of my favorite recipes from my growing up years that was served at holiday dinners or large family gatherings. I know it seems an odd combination of ingredients,but trust me it's good. Another instance of Jello at it's finest. ;)

1 small box jello
16 oz. low fat, small curd cottage cheese
1 can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 (8oz) container Cool Whip

Add all ingredients together and mix well until jello powder is dissolved and everything is well blended.

Pickled Beets & Beet Juice Jelly

A friend of mine was very generous recently and not only taught me how to make pickled beets, but also gave me all of the beets from her garden that she didn't want. Needless to say I was just tickled because they are one of my all time favorite foods. I grew up eating them. She also sent me home with a recipe for Beet Juice Jelly so that I could use up everything from the beets. While that may sound very unappetizing, I would encourage you to try it if you are able to. My daughter who hates beets with a passion tasted some of the jelly and thought I was lying about it having beet juice in it! I'll give you both recipes for pickled beets - the one my friend uses, and the one that my grandma uses.

Virginia's Pickled Beets

Scrub beets and trim. Cook in pressure cooker until tender (about 18 minutes for decent size beets). Unfortunately I don't remember how much pressure she used. Remove peeling from beets and slice and set aside. Strain beet juice through a coffee filter and set strained juice aside.

Put sliced beets in a large stockpot. Using 1 part beet juice, 1 part vinegar, and 1/2 part sugar, create enough liquid to cover beets (2 cups beet juice, 2 cups vinegar, 1 cups sugar). Bring beets & syrup to a boil. Fill hot, sterilized jars with beets and then add enough syrup to fill the jar, leaving about a 1/2" to 3/4" of headspace. Seal jars and process in cold pack canner for 5 minutes. Remove jars and let cool.

Granny's Pickled Beets

Prep as above. For the syrup, use 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups beet juice, 1 cup sugar, 3 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon mustard seed, and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed. Process the same as above.

Beet Juice Jelly

4 cups red beet juice, strained (what you don't use to make syrup when doing pickled beets)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 package pectin
1 package Kool-aid (grape, cherry, black cherry, or raspberry)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a hard boil. Add 5 cups of sugar. Bring to a boil again and boil for 3 minutes. Ladle into hot jars and seal.

Gazooey Balls

I'm sure that recipe title got everyone's attention. ;) I have no idea if this is what the recipe was originally called or not. I've had this recipe for years. I got it from my mother-in-law, Beth when the kids were itty bitty. It's a little bit of a pain to make in my opinion but the end results are so yummy and very much worth it!

1/2 cup brown sugar, well packed
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup white karo syrup
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt
2 - 6 oz. packages of puffed rice cereal
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix sugars, syrup, honey, water, and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook until it reaches the hard crack candy stage. Pour over puffed rice cereal and nuts. Mix well. Butter your hands and very carefully form into balls.

Potato Pancakes

Store bought hash browns just don't even compare to these wonderful potato pancakes. This is another recipe from my grandmother, but it goes back further than her even. She grew up eating these. She said her mother always made these to serve with homemade soup. Does anyone else remember the old fashioned soup bowls with the wide rim and the fabulous soup spoons that went with them? My mother has the soup bowls and spoons that belonged to my great-grandparents and oh the memories they bring. Anyways, my grandma says that her dad's favorite way to eat potato pancakes with his soup was to put the potato pancake on the rim of his bowl and break off a little piece of it and scoop up a bite of soup with it. On a cold winter day, potato pancakes and homemade vegetable soup are the ultimate comfort food!

5-7 shredded potatoes
2 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 - 2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup flour
1/2 onion, finely diced
cooking oil - enough to cover bottom of a skillet

Mix all ingredients well. Heat cooking oil over medium/medium high heat. Drop by rounded spoonfuls into hot oil and flatten with the back of a spoon. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Place on paper towels to drain.

Stuffed Peppers

Another family recipe. I remember my grandma making this quite often in the summertime when bell peppers were plentiful from the garden. I confess I don't care much for green bell peppers...they tend to bite back for me...but I love orange, yellow, and red bell peppers. I seriously could live off of this filling it is so yummy! I remember my grandma always made it with home canned tomato juice which just made it all that much more flavorful.

1 quart tomato juice
3 cups cooked rice
1/2 onion, diced
6 medium bell peppers
1/2 lb meat (beef, chicken, or pork)
oregano or Italian seasoning
salt & pepper

Brown meat with onion, salt, and pepper. Cut tops off of peppers, clean out insides, and set aside. Cut up usable pepper meat from tops and add to meat. Drain grease from browned meat. Add tomato juice (12 oz tomato sauce and 20 oz water if you don't have juice), rice and Italian seasoning. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1/2" to 1" of water in a 13x9 baking dish. Fill peppers with rice mixture and place in prepared baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until peppers are tender and lightly browned.

Chicken & Rice Casserole

Another one of those good old comfort food recipes I grew up with. Very filling and totally delicious.

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can of water
1 lb. chicken
1 1/2 - 2 cups uncooked rice
1 can of mushroom pieces

Mix all three cans of soup, water and mushrooms together. In a large casserole dish pour a layer of soup mixture. Sprinkle rice evenly over soup. Place chicken on top of rice. Cover with remaining soup. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until rice is completely done.

Grandma's Pie Crust

My grandma swears by this recipe for pie crust. It turns out well everytime. She says that she often will make more than she needs and then wrap it well in saran wrap and freeze it. She then puts it in the fridge to thaw the day before she needs it. She claims that it rolls out better after it's been frozen than it does when it is fresh. I have yet to try that little trick though. :)

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1 egg
5 Tablespoons cold water
1 Tablespoon vinegar

Mix flour and shortening together until mixture looks like cornmeal. Then add egg, vinegar, and water slowly until you get a nice ball of dough formed. Freeze overnight. Thaw in fridge until workable.

Grandma's Bread Pudding

3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups scalded milk
1/4 cup butter
5 slices white bread, toasted
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Beat eggs, add sugar and nutmeg, and beat until smooth. Add scalded milk. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a shallow dish. Cut each piece of toasted bread into 3 pieces and dip in butter. Add custard mixture to toast, making sure toast is soaked very well. Add a handful of raisins if desired. Mix 2 Tablespoons of sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until custard is set.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Another recipe from my grandma...my daughter just made some of these last week...simple recipe and totally delish!

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift flour with soda and salt. Cream shortening and both sugars together. Add beaten eggs and mix until smooth. Add peanut butter, stir well, then add flour mixture. Mix to a stiff batter, then add vanilla. Form into balls and press onto a greased cookie sheet. Press with the back of a fork to make the waffle design. Bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned.

Grandma's Sugar Cookies

My grandmother got this recipe out of the Betty Furness Westinghouse Cookbook (1954). These are the sugar cookies I grew up eating. It's a simple recipe and quite timeless. I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as my family does. :)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift flour together with baking powder and salt. Cream shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add unbeaten eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each egg is added. Add vanilla and flour mixture. Beat vigorously until flour is completely blended. Refrigerate dough until chilled - about 2 hours. Divide dough in half. Roll each half out on a lightly floured surface. Roll until dough is about 1/8" thick and cut out into shapes. Sprinkle with colored or plain sugar. Bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned around the edges. ***If you roll the dough out as this as the recipe says to, you will get a very thin, crispy cookie. I like to roll it out a little thicker for a softer cookie. Also, instead of rolling out the dough, you can roll it into balls and then flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.***

Pao de Queijo

Brazilian cheese bread. It is so very yummy. I got this recipe from Patrick & Heather. So Heather, if I have any of the recipe wrong, please be sure and correct me! I have it written down on a scrap of paper and I haven't made it in forever because I haven't been able to find povilho azedo. LOL

3/4 cup oil
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
5-6 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Blend for one minute. Add 2 cups povilho azedo (sour starch) a little at a time. Once blended, pour into a mini-muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Do not overcook.

I haven't made this in forever, but it is one of the yummiest foods!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Another recipe from my grandma. :) I absolutely love sweet potatoes and don't just eat them for Thanksgiving. While most people think of having this with turkey as part of all of the trimmings, it is absolutely wonderful served with roasted chicken for a Sunday dinner.

6 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Miniature marshmallows

Wash and boil potatoes. Remove skins and mash potatoes. Add crushed pineapple and nuts. Place in a greased casserole dish and cover with marshmallows. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until marshmallows are melted and slightly brown.

Scalloped Potatoes

I grew up eating scalloped potatoes as a side dish. I never seem to make them quite the same way as my grandma does....but they are delish nonetheless. Often times, I will add diced ham and some very thinly sliced onion to it and make it a main dish with a salad and steamed veggies. Keep in mind that the measurements are approximate and may need to be adjusted a little since it is one of my grandma's recipes and she doesn't measure well. She just throws stuff together and it always turns out good!

6 medium potatoes
4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
black pepper to taste

Peel potatoes and slice thin. (I leave the peel on) Make a white sauce out of the butter, flour, salt, and milk. Stir until thickened and remove from heat. Add grated cheese. Place potatoes in a greased casserole dish. Cover with hot cheese sauce. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Check after 1 hour and leave the foil off for the last little bit of baking so that the cheese can brown on top.

Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

Here's a really good old fashioned oatmeal cookie recipe...courtesy of my grandma once again. :) She has this really old cookbook that is falling apart and has been well used over the years. I think she got it as a wedding present and it has some of the best recipes in it. Of course, I am sure that most of us have a well used, falling apart cookbook in our kitchen. Ours is a pioneer cookbook put together by the Austin Oak Hills Stake quite a while ago. I just love cookbooks that are a collaborative effort of everyone's "tried and true" recipes. Anyways, enough of my rambling. I hope everyone has a great week!

1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tablespoons sour milk (buttermilk)
2 cups all purpose flour - sifted before measuring
2 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal

Cream shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly. Add vanilla and salt. Pour boiling water over raisins and let stand a few minutes. Drain. Add to creamed shortening mixture. Dissolve baking soda in milk and add alternately with flour to creamed mixture. Add oatmeal. Blend all ingredients thoroughly. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees.

Brocca

I learned how to make this simple yet filling dish from my mother-in-law (Beth) many years ago. For starters, it's pronounced broh-ka. I guess what I really like about this dish besides how tasty it is, is how simple it is and really the possibilities are endless because ultimately it's just like making your own sandwich pockets.

1/2 of a sweet dough recipe (a basic sweet dough like you'd use for cinnamon rolls)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1/3 - 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded

Make sweet dough and let rise. Brown beef, drain off fat (if any), add onion and cabbage. Cook until tender but do not overcook. Roll out sweet dough and cut into squares. Put a small amount of filling in the middle of each square and fold over. Place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned. Serve with brown gravy.

Often times I'll just add more cabbage than it calls for and use up all of the sweet dough, or I'll make cinnamon rolls that I let rise in the fridge overnight with the leftover dough. I'll share my favorite cinnamon roll recipe tomorrow. :)

Rice Pudding

This is another recipe from my grandmother, and one of the best comfort foods of all time. :) I have fond memories of enjoying this as a child.

1 cup rice (do not use minute rice) - cook according to directions.

Add about 4 cups milk and cook until it looks creamy, but don't let it boil. Add 2/3 cup sugar and a handful of raisins if desired. Add 3-4 beaten eggs and stir until it thickens but DO NOT BOIL. If it is too thick add more milk. Remove from stove and add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Turn out into a buttered 9x13 pan and sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Chicken & Dumplings

This recipe is an old one that my grandmother has been making for years. I thought with being in the middle of winter it would be an ideal recipe to share today. :) Nothing fills & warms the belly quite like homemade chicken & dumplings - especially if served with homemade bread.

Chicken & broth:

One chicken cut into serving size pieces. Cover chicken with water and add 2 ribs of celery and 2 carrots, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. When chicken is cooked through, remove vegetables. You can leave the chicken in or you can remove and debone it if desired.

Dumplings:

2 cups flour
4 egg yolks
3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon shortening
1 teaspoon salt

Place flour in mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add egg yolks, salt, water, and shortening. With a fork start blending the ingredients together. When the fork has gone as far as it can go, start blending with fingers until all blended. Remove dough to a floured surface and knead. Divide dough in half and roll out thin. Cut into one inch strips. Break the strips into tidbits as you drop them into the boiling broth. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Edited to Add: My grandmother does not really measure too much for recipes such as this, and often has to guess an approximation. As we were making this for dinner last night we realized the amount of water needed for the dumpling dough is off by quite a bit. It is rather a stiff dough, but you'll want to add enough water, one tablespoon at a time until you have a pliable dough that is not crumbly and that you can work with. I think Corey ended up using about 5 1/2 tablespoons of water by the time he was done.

Banana Bread

We are back from Christmas vacation and attempting to get back into the swing of things. I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas. I am way excited about the goodies Santa brought me for the kitchen...cotton dish towels, restaurant quality muffin tins with plastic covers, and a stainless steel 9x13 pan. Normally I don't get too excited about new stuff for the kitchen but I have wanted these items for so long to replace items that were either worn out or had been broken. There's something to be said about having stainless steel and restaurant quality aluminum in the kitchen as opposed to glass and stoneware - especially if you have kids! LOL :)

Today's recipe is one that my mother-in-law Beth gave me many years ago. It is a little different with having butterscotch bits and cherries in it but oh so yummy. It is a family favorite around here and the kids beg me to make it. My DH does not like cherries, so I usually divide the batter and make half with and half without. So here you go Christi, a great way to use up those bananas!

1/3 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs well beaten
3 Tablespoons sour milk (buttermilk for those of you not from the South)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
3 mashed bananas
1 cup nuts
1 10 oz. jar maraschino cherries, drained and halved
6 oz. butterscotch chips

Cream together butter and sugar. Add all other ingredients, mix well. Pour batter into loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until done. Makes one large loaf or two small loaves.

Coconut Cookies

Here's another cookie recipe for you. :) I am going to be making these for the goody plates that we hand out to our neighbors for Christmas. These are my mom's favorite cookie and I grew up eating these. My grandmother gave me the recipe and she has been making them for many many years. I hope y'all enjoy them as much as our family does.

1 cup shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tsp. grated lemon rind (my grandmother used the rind from the whole lemon...just the yellow part mind you. the white part is quite bitter)
4 cups flour (sift before measuring)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup moist flake coconut

Dough should be chilled overnight.

Preheat oven to 375. Drop by teaspoons (or cookie scoop) onto baking sheet. Dip glass in sugar and quickly flatten the dough. Bake for 10-12 minutes. These can also be rolled out and cut into shapes just like sugar cookies.