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.

.

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.

Bacardi Rum Cake

During one holiday season around 1978, each bottle of Bacardi rum came with a pamphlet around the neck of the bottle. Included in this pamphlet were drink ideas and a recipe for a new cake that I believe was developed in the Miami area. We all went crazy for this recipe and it was found on many Christmas buffets that year. Since that Christmas it has become a very well used recipe and I'm sure sold many bottles of Bacardi to Southern Baptist that otherwise would not have set foot in a liquor store-at least locally.

Here is that famous recipe!

Bacardi Rum Cake

Ingredients
Cake:
1 1/2 cups pecan pieces, reserve 1/4 cup
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup gold rum, Bacardi
1 (18.25-ounce) box classic yellow cake mix (recommended: Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe)
1 (1-ounce) small box  instant vanilla pudding mix (recommended: Jell-O)
Glaze:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 stick butter
1/2 cup gold rum (recommended: Bacardi)
Directions
For Cake

Grease a Bundt pan and spread pecans on the bottom of the pan. Beat eggs, oil, water and rum in mixer just until incorporated. Add pudding mix and cake mix and beat on med. about 3 to 5 minutes just until you get a smooth texture. Pour into pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes. The cake should have a light golden brown color, but will darken with the glaze.

NOTE**The glaze needs to be prepared approximately 10 minutes before cake is ready.

For Glaze

Melt butter in saucepan and add the sugar and water, bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, take off the heat and add the rum. Pour into a large measuring cup that will hold that amount or more. Set Aside

Once cake is ready, take out of oven and leave in pan. Gently prick holes into the cake with a skewer. Slowly pour half of the glaze over the cake making sure to fill in all the holes. Once the cake has soaked up the glaze, turn cake over, removing pan, onto the base that the cake will stay on. Gently prick more holes on other side and slowly pour other half of glaze over cake. Fill the center of the cake with reserved pecans. Let cool and enjoy. The cake is best if left at room temperature.

NOTE** Make sure you have plenty of paper towels underneath the base as the glaze will run down the sides of the cake.

The day after Thanksgiving each year I would head out for Black Friday bargains and Walter and Amy would bake cookies from early morning until I returned after dark. One of our favorites are Martha Stewarts Oatmeal Toffee Cookies. I have made lots of substitutions and they still seem to always be the favorite. Sometimes instead of dried cherries, I will use craisins or even chocolate covered raisins. The crunch of the Heath bars are the cincher for great texture and flavor. They must be taken out of the oven when they are barely brown for best results. They will continue baking on the cookie sheet.

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Ingredients
Makes about 2 dozen 3-inch cookies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup dried cherries or craisins or chocolate covered raisins
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup Heath bar pieces - smashed in a baggie with hammer
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour and baking soda, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice during mixing. Add egg, and mix on high speed to combine. Add vanilla extract; mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the sifted flour a bit at a time on a low speed until well combined. Add oatmeal, cherries, chocolate, and toffee pieces; mix to combine.
Divide dough into three equal portions, and roll into logs using plastic wrap, approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter. To bake, cut logs into 3/4-inch pieces. Bake on parchment-lined baking sheets, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer to a baking rack to cool.