Stout's Texas Fudge Cake

1/2 lb margarine

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

4 Tbsp cocoa

1/2 tsp slat

2 cups flour

2 well beaten eggs

1/2 pint sour cream

**if you do not have sour cream, take 1 cup milk and mix with 1 Tbsp vinegar)

1 tsp soda

Heat and stir margarine, cocoa and water until boiling. Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients. Use large, flat pan - very large cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Ice while warm.

Icing:

1/4 lb margarine

6 Tbsp milk

4 Tbsp cocoa

1 lb powdered sugar

1 cup nuts or coconut

1 tsp vanilla

Boil first 3 ingredients, remove from heat, add rest of ingredients and beat with spoon. Pour over cake.

I just had to have this recipe and my brother in law makes it several times a year. His mother Naomi Stout put this in her ward cookbook one year. As of yet, I have not made this with the nuts or coconuts, this is a wonderful and very moist cake. LOVE IT! Thanks Joe for sharing!

Home-Made Biscuit Mix

You know those recipes that call for "this much" biscuit mix.....well what do you do if you do not have any Bisquick handy? I came across this home made mix and I don't mind this recipe!

Chill your mixing bowl and beaters!

5 cups flour

2 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 cups sugar

2 tsp salt

1 cup chilled shortening

cut in shortening just until it resembles course crumbles. The less handling the better! you can just use two knives if you don't have a mixer or pastry blender. Using a fork would actually mash it together too much. I personally used my mixer and just made sure it was all combined well. it took no time at all and the crumbles were fairly fine.

Store in airtight container. Unrefrigerated this will keep for 10-12 weeks. Refrigerated will keep for up to 8 months.

To make biscuits mix 2 cups biscuit mix and 1/2 cups milk. Bake 450 for 10 minutes. Makes 8 biscuits.

German Apple Cake

Can I just say YUMMMMMM! This is one of the best cakes I have made and eaten! It is a pure slice of heaven! :)

4 cups diced apples

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

3 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs beaten

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. Combine apples and sugar. Stir until mixed well and set aside. Add beaten eggs. Once eggs are stirred in, add all remaining ingredients. (this was easy enough to mix I could just stir together with a spoon)

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Poke holes in cake with fork for sauce.

Sauce:

1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cups white sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

Cook sugars, flour and water until clear and slightly thickened. Add butter and vanilla. Pour sauce over cake while it is still hot. Serve Hot. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle with cinnamon or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. ENJOY!

** I have also made this with splenda and what I have noticed when using splenda is that the recipe is much dryer than when made with regular sugars. If I were to make this recipe again using splenda, I think I would probably cut the splenda in the cake in half probably. I could not taste a difference in the sugar vs splenda cakes.

Garlic Mashed.....Cauliflower

Lately I have been faced with the dilema of being more diabetic aware and have been trying to adjust some of my recipes accordingly. One of the sides I love is Garlic Mashed Potatoes. We all know that they turn into sugars as your body breaks them down. I came across this recipe online at a few sites and hooooray it is also a fat burning dish.....

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
2 medium to small heads Cauliflower steamed or boiled until tender
1 Onion chopped
2-4 cloves garlic chopped
1/4-1/2 cup margarine
olive oil

pour about a tablespoon of oil in a pan and cook the onions until tender. Add cooked cauliflower and cook another 5-8 minutes. Transfer to blender or food processer and cream with some butter or margarine. If needed, add just a touch of milk to help attain the creaminess desired.

Add a touch of oil to the pan and cook garlic until browned - but not burned. Stir into the mash and serve.


Ok....I knew I wouldn't like this recipe! That is how much I love cauliflower. However, I had made some gravy and aside from being a little bland (so experiment, add seasonings i.e. french onion chip dip or ranch dip instead of milk and cut down on the margarine) this was really not a bad dish. I will make it again. My father in law loved it so much he had 3 helpings of the garlic mashed cauliflower! YAY for another successful recipe.

Grilled Chicken with Plum Salsa

Did you wonder what to do with all of those yummy little plums in your Bountiful Basket? Well...here is one idea. Now, having never really had plums, and I am not sure I am a huge fan to just sit and EAT one...this recipe was WONDERFUL!!!

My husband wasn't too sure what to think of it, so only timidly took some of the salsa. Once he took a bite, he reached for the salsa bowl and scooped another spoonful onto his plate! This was so good!

4 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1) heat 2 tsp veggie oil in a grill pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat.

2) combine first 4 ingredients. Rub chicken with brown sugar mixture.

3) add chicken to pan and cook until done.

Plum Salsa (or peaches, nectarines, pineapple)

1 cup chopped ripe plum

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

2 tsp cider vinegar

1/4 to 1/2 tsp hot sauce (your preference)

1/8 tsp salt

Combine in a bowl. Serve with chicken.

Enjoy!!

Spiced Apricot Jam

5 C blended apricots (or peaches)
1 tsp butter
1/4 C lemon juice
1 box pectin - (I used Surejell pectin)
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnoman
1/8 - 1/4 tsp annise extract
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg

prepare Jam per the pectin instructions - Adding these spices adds so much to this jam you will not believe it!

Serving ideas:
*on bread with butter and jam of course!
*glaze on a ham
*glaze over cooked carrots
*disolve a Tbsp into a cup of hot water for a yummy cup of spiced tea
*cook in a crockpot over meatballs and veggies, serve over rice
The possibilities are endless! Be creative!

Cherry Clafoutis

What to do with all of those cherries?!!! Well let me tell you about one idea that I came across. Cherry Clafoutis "cla-foo-tee". The only thing that would have made this recipe prep easier is if I had a cherry pitter. (my fingers seem to be died a dirty red color LOL)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender, blend on high for 1 minute:

1 1/4 C milk

1/3 C sugar

3 eggs

1 TBSP vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1/2 C flour

pour 1/4 inch of batter into a pie plate or baking dish. If a pie plate is used, make sure it is a deep dish! Set the dish on your stove top on a medium heated burner for 1 to 2 minutes to allow to set just a bit.

Add halved and pitted cherries to the top of the batter in pan, then sprinkle with 1/3 C sugar. Pour remaining batter over cherries and sugar. Smooth top and bake for about an hour until it is puffy and browned. Clafoutis is done when knife in center comes out clean.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping. YUMMY