Recipes

[walker]

Fast Fixin' Chocolate-Chip Cake*

1 pkg. Devil's  Food  Cake Mix

1/4 cup of oil 

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups water

1 pkg. (4 serving size) CHOCOLATE INSTANT PUDDING

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour oil into a 13 x 9" pan.  Tilt pan until bottom is covered with oil.  Put remaining ingredients into pan; stir with fork or spoon until well blended.  Scrape sides and spread batter evenly in pan.  Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes; until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  (Great with ice cream....does not need frosting unless you prefer it.)

* I wrote recipe as written, however, I find  it easier to mix ingredients (except oil) in a bowl and then put it into the pan.

NEXT INGREDIENT .... SHRIMP

[Firemans Wife 2001]

SHRIMP SCAMPI

Ingredients:

50 medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 stick unsalted butter

2 T. finely minced garlic

1 T. lemon juice

1/2 cup white wine

2 lemons sliced thin—into circles (remove seeds)

Old Bay Seasoning

Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Line sliced lemons in bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish.

Place shrimp in single layer over top of lemons.

Melt butter; add garlic, lemon juice and wine. Mix well and pour over shrimp, coating evenly.

Lightly sprinkle shrimp with a Old Bay Seasoning and Parmesan Cheese.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.

Serve with rice or mixed with angel hair pasta.   Serves 4.

NEXT INGREDIENT:    TOMATOES

[Bluffbaker]

Swiss Steak

4 to 6 Servings

1 (2 lb.) round steak, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil*

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (12 oz.) jar beef gravy

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add meat, two pieces at a time, tossing to coat thoroughly.  Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add meat and cook one minute; turn meat over and cook the other side for one minute.  Put a layer of meat in the crock-pot; put some onion, tomatoes and gravy over meat.  Continue layering until all ingredients are used, ending with gravy.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  

*If you don't brown the meat first, omit the oil and proceed as directed.

Next Ingredient:  Sweetened condensed milk

[KCFoxy]

Besides creamy fudge, cheesecakes and Key Lime Pie, sweetened condensed milk is also perfect for making tasty Pumpkin or Sweet Potato pies!

Sweet Potato Pie (Eagle Brand Recipe)

1 uncooked deep dish pie shell

2 large sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled

1 half cube butter, room temperature

1 (14 oz) can Eagle sweetened, condensed milk 

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, room temperature

Directionsreheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl beat hot sweet potatoes with butter until smooth. Add remaining ingredients except crust. Mix well, until smooth. Pour into prepared pie shell and bake 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool then garnish as desired.

Sorry font was so large, but my eyes are having an off day, getting more common at my age. Sometimes I substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the above. According to Eagle Brand, 1/12th of this pie is right around 300 calories.

Next ingredient is boneless chicken thighs

[Zhills]

One Pot Greek Chicken & Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

Chicken and Marinade

• 5 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in (boneless)
• 1 - 2 lemons, zest + 4 tbsp lemon juice (Note 7)
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp salt
  

Rice

• 1½ tbsp olive oil, separated
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 cup long grain rice (Note
• 1½ cups chicken broth / stock
• ¾ cup water
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• Black pepper
  

Garnish

• Finely chopped parsley or oregano (optional)
• Fresh lemon zest (highly recommended)

Instructions

1. Combine the Chicken and Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag and set aside for at least 20 minutes but preferably overnight.
   

To Cook

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Remove chicken from marinade, but reserve the Marinade.
3. Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a deep, heavy  skillet with lid, over medium high heat.
4. Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, then turn and cook the other side until golden brown. Remove the chicken and set aside.
5. Pour off fat and wipe the pan with a scrunched up ball of paper towel (to remove black bits), then return to the stove.
6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Then add the remaining Rice ingredients and reserved Marinade.
7. Let the liquid come to a simmer and let it simmer for 30 seconds. Place the chicken on top then place a lid on the skillet. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender (so 45 minutes in total).
8. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, garnished with parsley or oregano and fresh lemon zest, if desired.

Notes

1. I use bone in, skin on chicken thighs because there's more flavour. But you can use skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets if you prefer. If you do that, place the chicken in the pan 20 minutes into the baking time because the chicken won't need as long.
   
   2. I garnished this with slices of lemon which I seared in the pan after cooking the chicken.
   
   5. How to make this entirely on stove top (readers' request). Though the result isn't quite the same as baking because you sacrifice either the chicken juices mixing in with the rice OR the crispy skin, it can be made entirely on the stove. There are two options:
   
   a) Cook the chicken completely on the stove, set aside and cook the rice on the stove (reduce the liquid by ½ cup). To cook the rice, just follow the recipe directions up to the point just before putting it in the oven. Instead of doing that, put the lid on and cook on medium low until the liquid is absorbed (about 12 - 15 minutes). When the rice is almost ready, pop the chicken back in on top of the rice and put the lid on to warm up, and finish cooking the rice. This will yield a chicken with crispier skin than the second method.
   
   b) The 2nd method is to sear the chicken but not cook it through, then pop it on to of the rice to finish cooking while the rice cooks. This method is easier and you will get the benefit of the chicken juices mixing in with the rice while it cooks but you will lose the crispiness of the skin.
   
   7. You need enough lemon to get 4 tbsp of lemon juice which will be 1 large or 2 small lemons. Use all the zest from the lemon(s) that you use.

 Next ingredient:  Raisins

[KCFoxy]

The Central Valley of California is home to many agricultural goodies, wine, grapes and raisins just a few of many. Many years ago I found an unusual recipe using raisins in a spicy rich Bundt cake both sweet and savory. A little time consuming, but it remains one of my very favorites.

Breakfast Sausage Cake With Raisins

1 Cup seedless raisins

1 Cup boiling water

1 pound bulk pork sausage* (not Italian or Hot)

1 Cup white sugar

1 1/2 Cups brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 Cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 Cup strong brewed coffee (decaf is fine)

3 cups sifted pastry flour (all purpose ok but higher in gluten)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 9-10 Cup Bundt pan.

Pour hot water over raisins in cereal bowl. Drain water after 5 minutes, pat fruit dry with paper toweling and reserve.

In large bowl combine sausage, sugars and applesauce until well mixed. Stir in beaten eggs.

Carefully stir 1 teaspoon baking soda into hot coffee and reserve.

In another bowl combine flour, baking powder and spices. 

Add dry ingredients to sausage mixture alternately with coffee. Stir in reserved raisins and chopped nuts if desired. Batter will be thick.

Spoon into prepared Bundt pan and bake 80-90 minutes. Allow to cool 15 minutes before unmolding and serving. A simple milk and confectioner's sugar glaze with a dash of vanilla may be drizzled over the released cake if desired.

Notes: Original Nordicware recipe called for more sugar but was very sweet and little if any flavor of the sausage came through. *Turkey sausage can be readily subtituted for the pork kind if needed.  Makes 12 servings and smells wonderful while baking. Wrapped, it lasts 3-4 days refrigerated.

Next ingredient is Buttermilk