It’s that time of the year when we begin to think of graduation. These lemon balls make a very pretty cookie for any occasion. They are easy, quick and delicious!
Lemon Bars
Ingredients:
1 (12oz) Package Vanilla Wafers
1 (6oz) Can Frozen Lemonade, Thawed
1/2 Cup Butter
1 (16oz) Box Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Finely Chopped Pecans
Directions:
Combine Wafers, Juice, Butter and Sugar, Mix Well. Blend in Nuts. Shape into small Balls and Roll in powdered Sugar.
Yields Approximately 8 Dozen
If you like something fast and easy this recipe os for you. It was given to me by my friend, Sue Ann Kid. She and I used to fuss over the name of it. Sue Ann calls it taco soup and I call it tortilla soup becuase my recipe for taco soup doesnt have tortillas in it. No matter what you call it, I promise it is delicious!
Ingredients:
Taco/Tortilla Soup
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese
1 Can Chicken Broth
1 Can Cream of celery soup
2 small cans or 1 large can chicken pieces
1 can rotel tomatoes
Directions: Heat all the ingredients together, and once it has heated add: 1 1/2 Cups Chopped Flour Tortillas.
This week’s recipe is a perfect salsa recipe for the holidays. It goes well over cream cheese or can be eaten with corn chips. It calls for grated ginger but I always use ground ginger and no one has complained yet.
Cranberry Salsa
Ingredients:
12 oz. fresh cranberries (grind in food processor)
½ cup sliced green onions
2 jalapenos – seeded and minced (if you want it spicier you can leave some of the seeds)
¼ cup cilantro leaves – minced
2 TBS grated fresh ginger
2 TBS lemon juice
½ cup sugar
Directions: Crush the cranberries in food processor. Add crushed cranberries in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Let set for several hours. Serve over cream cheese or serve with ships.
For some reason Thanksgiving dinner seems to always call for cranberry sauce. I’m not a big fan of cranberry sauce. Laugh if you want, but I just don’t like how it feels in my mouth. I do however love cranberry salad. This week I am going to share my favorite recipe for cranberry salad. After Thanksgiving dinner has come and gone, we’ve even used it on our turkey dishes.
• 1lb Cranberries, ground
• 1 whole orange, ground (I always grind the orange peeling too)
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 pkgs cherry jello
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup chopped marshmallows(optional, I do not use marshmallows because I don’t like the way they feel in my mouth)
• 1 1/2 cup chopped celery
Directions: Grind the cranberries and orange in your food processor. Pour into a bowl and add the sugar. Mix well. Then Let this mixture set in refrigerator over night. The next day mix gelatin with warm water. Set in refrigerator until it just begins to jell. Once it starts to jell, add pecans, marshmallows and celery. Then add this in the cranberry mixture. Refrigerate until well set.
This time of the year,I think apples have a crisper sweeter taste. There are so many ways to enjoy a good fresh apple. How many ways can you name? I’ve come up with a few: An apple with a little salt, apples dipped in caramel sauce, apples dipped in peanut butter and honey, fried apples, apple sauce, apple dumplings, apple pie… Well you get the picture. I’m sure you have thought of some I didn’t.
In keeping with holiday favorites, I’m sharing a recipe called Spiced Red Apples. The first time I had these was during the holiday season at Sam and Glenda Countiss’s home. Glenda shared this scrumptious recipe with me.
Spicy Red Apples
8-10 Apples (Peeled and quartered)
1 Large Package Red Hots
3 Cups Sugar
4 Cups Water
2 TBS Red Food Coloring
Bring the last four ingredients to a boil. Then add the peeled & quartered apples in the liquid and bring to a boil. Remove from stove and let steam for 3-4 hours. Place in a bowl with small amount of juice. This can be served room temperature or chilled.
It’s fall y’all! We are beginning to feel a crispness in the air, leaves are turning those beautiful autumn colors and there’s football on Friday nights. These things mean the holidays are just around the corner.
I am going to begin sharing some of my family’s favorite holiday recipes for the next several weeks. We are now seeing pumpkins in the stores. So, I will begin with two of my family’s favorite pumpkin recipes. The first recipe is a rich and creamy pumpkin cheese cake and the second one is a pumpkin dip.
Pumpkin Pie Dip
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese (softened)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin pie mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground ginger
This dip can be made in the food processor. Just add a hint of vanilla.
This makes a large portion but can be frozen well.
Serve with gingersnap cookies or my =favorite, Lotus Brand Biscoff cookies.
Also good to serve with fruits such as pears and apples.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
3 (8 oz. each) pkgs. cream cheese.
That’s 24 oz. of cream cheese! I warned you it is rich and creamy!
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
3 eggs
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin
Gram Cracker Crumbs
Blend cream cheese, both sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add eggs & beat until fluffy. Mix in pumpkin.
Butter a spring form pan. Then lightly coat the bottom of the pan with graham cracker crumbs. Pour the batter in the spring form pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours in 350 degree oven.
Several years ago there was a restaurant in Wichita Falls that always reminded me of a Steak and Ale in Oklahoma City. I’m not sure my memory is correct but I think the name was The Oxford House. Like Steak and Ale this restaurant had a fabulous salad bar. One of my favorite salads on this salad bar was a creamy cucumber salad. I searched numerous cookbooks until I finally found a recipe that tasted like theirs. I don’t remember what cookbook it came from because it has been many years since I found it. All my fellow cucumber lovers, this recipe is you for you!
Sour Cream Cucumbers
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
3 TBS White Vinegar
1 TBS Sugar
Peppers to Taste
4 Medium Cucumbers, Thinly Sliced
1 Small Sweet Onion, Thinly Sliced and Separated into rings.
In a serving bowl, combine the sour cream, vinegar, sugar and pepper. Stir in cucumbers and onion. Cover and refridgerate for at least four hours. Serve with a slotted spoon.
Serves 4
When I found his recipe in a newspaper one summer, it was the perfect time of the year to find fresh veggies required to make it. Since fresh veggies are plentiful at our Farmer’s Market every Saturday, it is a perfect time for me to share it with you. Also, it is low in fat. I must admit, it has become one of my favorite recipes.
Oklahoma ‘Caviar’
2 Medium tomatoes, seeded & Chopped (2cups)
I5 oz. Can Black-Eyed Peas, rinsed and drained
1 Medium Green Bell Pepper, Seeded and Chopped (About 1 1/2 Cups)
1/2 Cup Sliced Scallions
2 TBS Fresh Lemon Juice
1 to 2 Fresh Jalepeno Pepper, Seeded and Finely Chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1TBS Chili Powder
1/2 TSP Ground Cumin
1/2 TSP Salt
Fresh Cilantro or Parsley to use a garnish in a medium bowl, Combine all ingredients except cilantro or parsley. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, Then transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with cilantro or parsley. Serve with tortilla chips.
If you are looking for a new appetizer to serve at your next gathering, this one is sure to please. It is also very simple to make. Al I and used to go to Martin’s Restaurant in Lawton. This is where we first had this appetizer. Sadly the restaurant is no longer there. The only thing I add that is different from the recipe is garlic salt. Enjoy!
Martin’s Cheese Appetizer
1 Carton Small Curd Cottage Cheese
2 TBS Chopped Chives
2 TBS Diced Pimento
1 TBS Greek Seasoning
Dash Nutmeg
I usually add 1 to 2 tsp. garlic because we think garlic makes everything better.)
Mix well and chill for 1 hour. Serve with buttery crackers or chips.
As many of you know, Al and I love to travel. We take advantage of traveling every chance we get. Many of our trips are overnight trips while other have been out of state trips and even trips out of the Country. What most of you aren’t aware of is our trips often find us browsing in bookstores. Al will be in the mystery section while I will be on the other side of the store in the cookbook section. Yes we know we can get the books and recipes online, but being old school, we like the ides of having a book in our hands.
This week I’m sharing a punch recipe. It comes from one of my favorite cookbooks. I bought this cookbook when we went to Savannah, Georgia. The recipe book is called “Big Mama’s Back In The Kitchen”. This time of the year we find ourselves attending wedding showers, weddings, graduation parties, family reunion and etc. I chose this punch recipe because it is so different from most punch recipes you have tasted. If you are a coffee lover I think you will love it.
Southern Coffee Punch
1 Quart Strongly Brewed Coffee
1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Chocolate Milk
1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Pint Coffee Ice Cream
1 Pint Vanilla Ice Cream
1- 8oz. Carton Whipped Cream
Dissolve Sugar in Hot Coffee. Chill Throughly.
Pour Chocolate Milk and Vanilla into Chilled Punch Bowl. Mix Thoroughly. Add Scoops of ice Cream to the bowl. Whip Ice Cream to form stiff peak. Top Coffee punch with dollops of whip cream.
Serve.
