Aunt Winnie's "Eat Till You Puke" Fruit Salad

This one is for Jenny. Every year Aunt Winnie would make her 24 hour fruit salad when we visit Donalsonville Thanksgiving or Christmas. Jenny would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She didn't know when to stop and would often become quite ill. She still likes it quite a bit.

24 Hour Fruit Salad

4 egg yolks, beaten
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup milk
1 16 ounce bag miniature marshmallows
1 lb seedless grapes-halved
1 29 ounce pineapple chunks - drained
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 pint whipping cream - whipped with a few tablespoons sugar

Combine egg yolks, lemon juice, and milk in top of a double boiler. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cool. Combine marshmallows, grapes, pineapple, nuts, and cooked mixture, blending well. Refrigerate overnight. Fold in whipped cream and chill several hours. Enjoy!!

Kahlua Cake with Glaze

This recipe for Kahlua Cake was made by one of my friends when we lived in Americus when Walter and I were in college. I had no idea what Kahlua or any liqueur was used for at that time. The only liqueur that my mama ever kept in our house was creme de menthe for her Grasshoppers. Do people still drink Grasshoppers? Anyway, while digging through the recipe box at Thanksgiving I made the Kahlua cake and it was just as good as I remember.

1 Box Golden Butter Cake Mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 package vanilla instant pudding
3/4 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup Kahlua
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine cake mix adding eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream pudding, oil, and vanilla. Mix well.
Divide batter in half. To one half add brown sugar, Kahlua, and pecans. Grease bundt pan.
Pour 1/2 of the pecan mixture, then all of the plain mixture, then remaining pecan mixture. Run a knife through mixture to marble. Bake one hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Check after one hour.

Glaze

1/4 lb butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup kahlua

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Kahlua.

Crockpot Chicken and Mushrooms

Phyllis and Steve were in town for a short visit and I had to come up with an idea for a good supper that could cook while I was at the shop working. I did a variation of one of Walter's stovetop dishes that is yummy and very easy to prepare.

2 lbs thin cut boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 TBS butter
1 chopped onion
1 diced bell pepper
8 oz carton of sliced mushrooms
2 cans cream of chicken soup

Pat dry chicken breasts with a paper towel and rub in mixture of salt and pepper on each individual cutlet. Saute onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms in butter in large frying pan. Place chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot. Spoon sauteed vegetables on the top of chicken. Pour two cans of cream of chicken soup over all. Set crockpot to low and cook for 6 hours. Serve chicken over rice.

5 Hour Beef Stew

One our favorite winter meals was a five hour Beef Stew recipe that I found in the Methodist Ladies Cookbook. It was so easy and yet yummy and satisfying for a hungry family. I would often fix it in the morning and carry it to the beach house on the weekends for an easy supper.

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5 Hour Beef Stew

2 lbs stew beef
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup frozen green peas
1 can tomato soup
1/3 can water

Place stew meat in the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and your favorite seasonings. Layer potatoes and carrots on the meat, Season again. Layer onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms on top. Add frozen peas. Pour can of tomato soup over all and top with 1/3 soup can filled with water. All vegetable ingredients are estimates. Use more of your favorite veggies and omit any that you don't like. But, this blend is very colorful and tasty. Bake in a 275 degree oven for 5 hours. Serve with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls to dip in juice!

Weight Watchers Chicken Parmigiana-Everyone's Fave

For years, I have made this Chicken Parmigiana recipe from the Weight Watchers cookbook. No one ever objects or even knows how good that it is for them. As a matter of fact, we were dining on this recipe when the eye of hurricane Charley decided to turn and come right over our town along with a few dozen tornadoes. Since then, every time I cook this recipe Amy and Jenny associate it with the hurricane.

Chicken Parmigiana

Olive oil cooking spray
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast-thin cut-4 oz each
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt to taste
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 Tbs Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.
Place egg whites in a shallow bowl. Combine bread crumbs with Italian seasoning and salt; pour into another shallow bow. Dip chicken in egg whites;turn to coat. Dip chicken in bread crumb mixture; turn to thoroughly coat.
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and add oil; heat over medium high heat. When hot, add chicken and cook until lightly browned and no longer pink in center, about 4 minutes per side.
Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce into prepared baking dish. Place chicken in dish and pour remaining sauce evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with cheeses and bake until chicken is cooked through and cheese is bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Beanie Weenies Are For Dinner

Believe it or not, one of our favorite weeknight meals when the kids were growing up were Beanie Weenie's. Even Walter would not object, if we had a salad and crusty bread. They were a treat for the kids, especially when the edges of the hot dogs were on top and got a little dark and crusty. I made them this week on one of those cold, cold nights and they were still yummy, after all of these years.

Bailey Beanie Weenies

1 28 oz can Bush's homestyle baked beans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon mustard
5 to 10 Lykes Hot Dogs, cut in bite size pieces

Combine all ingredients. Pour into casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Walter's Favorite Chocolate Cake

For Walter's birthday one year when we were living in Americus, I found this recipe for Hershey's Chocolate Cake. It was sooo easy to prepare and super delicious. I remember, the original recipe called for a 29 cent can of Hershey's syrup. Therefore, I know that this is a very old version that was originally found on the back of the large syrup can. It is great with ice cream or a glass of cold milk. A small slice will do most people-some of the Bailey's are exceptions.

Hershey's Chocolate Cake


Ingredients:
Cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1-cup sugar
4 eggs
1-cup all-purpose flour
1-teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (16 ounce) can Hershey’s chocolate syrup

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1-cup sugar
1/3-cup evaporated milk
1-teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13x9x2 inch pan.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in another bowl. Add to creamed mixture, continuing to beat. Add vanilla and chocolate syrup to batter and mix well. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Just before cake is done, prepare frosting. Put butter, chocolate chips, sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stirring ingredients together, boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and nuts. We usually leave out the nuts, since the Bailey kids always want the nuts (taken away). Pour over warm cake. Delicious!!

Chicken Spaghetti With a Little Kick

I must agree that school cafeterias get the raw end of the stick when it comes to culinary reputations. North Wauchula Elementary was one of the best restaurants around in the 70's and 80's. Their homemade yeast and cinnamon rolls were to die for-they prepared yummy turkey and dressing and could even make the best buttered toast imaginable. One of the specialties that the teachers always enjoyed was turkey spaghetti. It was layered with cheese, spaghetti noodles, and I presume leftover turkey. I have found this recipe for chicken spaghetti that is almost as good-not quite as good as yours was Sylvia.

This recipe is from Paula Deen's magazine.
SERVES 8 -10
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
2 (4 1/2 ounce) jars mushrooms, sliced and drained
1 (15 ounce) can LeSuer English peas, drained
1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (3 7/8 ounce) black olives, sliced and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (8 ounce) packages sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 (7 ounce) packages vermicelli (broken into 2-inch pieces, cooked and drained)

Directions
1Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2Lightly grease a 4-quart baking dish.
3In large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.
4Add pepper and onion, and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender.
5Stir in chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, broth, soup, olives, salt and pepper until combined.
6Add cheese, stirring until melted.
7Add vermicelli, tossing gently to combine.
8Spoon into prepared dish; bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.