Basic Brownies

This recipe comes from my favorite baking cookbook "The Amish Cook's Baking Book". I LOVE LOVE this cookbook! It is a very simple and quick recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup veg. oil
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 deg. Grease a 9x13 pan. In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix until the batter is well blended and creamy.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30 min. or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and ENJOY!

Old South Pound Cake

This recipe comes again from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook of mine. The description in the cookbook is "If you thought the days were gone when pound cake really did take a pound of each ingredient...you were wrong!" I found this funny! :o)  I wanted to give it a shot for Mother's Day dessert... it is WONDERFUL! So buttery...it almost tastes like a sugar cookie to me. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. butter
1 lb. sugar (a lb. of sugar or flour is about 3 2/3 cups)
1 lb. flour
10 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla (or lemon flavoring...I used vanilla for mine)

                                                           mmmm butter  =o)

                                                                  eggs separated


Preheat oven to 300 deg. Grease a bundt pan and set aside. Cream butter; add sugar and beat well. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks; add to creamed mixture.

Combine flour and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Add vanilla (or lemon flavoring). Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into cake batter.

 Pour into your prepared bundt pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours (mine took a little longer). This cake is YUMMY! Please give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

April's Fried Chicken Wings

So this isn't so much a recipe as it is my technique. Just wanted to share how I fry my chicken wings. I first put some mustard (about a half cup or so)  into a gallon size zipper bag. Then in a separate gallon zipper bag I put one cup of flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal and then add my seasonings (whichever you prefer). I shake it until it's mixed well. I fry my chicken in vegetable oil but you can use what you like. I first put my wings in the bag with mustard until they're well coated, then take them out and put them into the bag of flour and shake until well coated. The last thing to do is just fry them until they're done (different time etc. depending on your stove and oil temp etc) It's so yummy! Crispy, golden chicken! What could be better?

"Grandpa's Okra"

So this recipe I found in one of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks. If you don't have any I recommend them, they're WONDERFUL! The recipe is called "Grandpa's Okra". It is very tasty. I did tweak this recipe as it was a little vague as to what to fry everything in etc... but over all a very good recipe! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal       
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1 cup sliced okra
1/2 small onion diced
3 med. sized potatoes (peeled and cut into small cubes & seasoned with seasoning salt if desired)
1/2 lb. bacon cut into one inch strips (cooked and reserve the grease)
vegetable oil for frying

In a med. bowl stir together your cornmeal, salt and pepper. In a small bowl beat together your egg and milk. Next heat your oil and put in the potatoes & onion. Dip each piece of okra first into the egg mix and then into the cornmeal then add to the pan w/ potatoes & onion. Fry until the potatoes and okra are golden brown and tender. Remove from oil. Discard remaining oil that is in your pan. Now in your pan add about 2 or 3 Tbsp. of your reserved bacon grease, once heated add back to the pan the okra/potato mixture. Then throw in your already cooked bacon. Fry for about another five minutes making sure to stir well to get the bacon flavor mixed in well. Remove from heat and serve.

Baked Penne

So this recipe is pretty simple and very yummy! I got the idea from my friend at http://www.thecountrycook.net/2012/02/baked-penne-50-visa-card-giveaway.html ...... She has a ton of great recipes if you'd like to check her out! (I did make a few tweaks so there is some difference but not much.)

Ingredients:

1 box of Penne Rigate Pasta (Cooked)
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced (you can also add green/red bell peppers but I chose not to)
1-10oz tub of Philadelphia Italian cheese and herb cooking creme
8 oz bag of mozzarella shredded cheese
1-24oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1tsp parsley flakes

To start you cook your pasta and drain and set aside. Next grease a 9x9 baking pan and preheat your oven to 350 deg. F. While the oven is preheating, brown your beef with the diced onions and then drain the grease out.

Next you'll add the jar of pasta sauce, 3/4 cup of cooking creme and 1/2 the bag of mozz. cheese to the meat and heat until the cheese is melted.

Once the cheese is melted you'll add the pasta & stir...you may want to mix in a larger pan or pot because mine was too much to mix in the skillet. Stir until pasta is covered in the mixture then pour into your greased pan. Top with remaining cooking cream and mozz. cheese (I mixed mine together so it would spread easier), then sprinkle with the parsley. Cover with foil and bake for 15 min. then uncover and bake for another 10-15 min. or until cheese is melted well and bubbly. Serve with a fresh salad or some garlic bread and enjoy!!!!

PeanutButterZings

This is a recipe that my cousin gave to me. They are SUPER simple to make and taste a whole lot like a Butterfingers candy bar to me. There are only three ingredients... Graham Crackers, Peanut Butter and Dipping Chocolate:

         These are the products I used...but you can use your favorite brands.

(You'll need to have some wax paper laid out on the nearest counter to the stove to put the finished bars on to cool.)

First you break all the Graham crackers into fourths, then take the peanut butter and make little sandwiches of Graham crackers with peanut butter in the middle. You'll use the whole box of Graham crackers.

Break'em! :)

                                                             Little "sandwiches"

The next step is to just melt the chocolate in a double boiler...or if you're like me and don't own one...you can just put water in one pot about half full and put a smaller pan inside to where the bottom of the smaller pan is touching the water... then put the chocolate in the smaller pan... bring to a boil but watch it cause if the burner is too high the water may start to boil over. Stir the chocolate once heated until it's melted and smooth.

 

This is how I double boil :)





Next you'll take a pair of small tongs and dip each little sandwich into the chocolate and completely cover it with the melted chocolate, then just lay them on the wax paper until they are cooled and hardened. (You may have a few sandwiches that you don't have enough chocolate for left over, that's normal.)

                                                          mmmm...melted chocolate :)

                                                           completely covered bar
                                   

                                                          place them on the wax paper

And once they're cooled? You've got it...ENJOY them! They're fully kid approved! :)

Welcome

Hello and welcome!

          I am starting this blog to share my love of comfort food! I absolutely love cooking and baking for my family and friends! It's the best feeling in the world to fill someone's belly with comfort food and talk and laugh with them. I hope that you'll enjoy all the recipes I'll post over time and will visit my blog often! Some of my recipes are mine and some are from cook books that I've tweaked to my liking! I wish you a pleasant day and a full tummy!

                                                                          Your friend, April

                                                                    Let's get cookin'!