Ginger Cake

1/2 C. boiling water + 2 Tb.
1/2 C. canola oil
1/2 C. br sugar
1/2 C. molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 C. whole wt flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bk powder
1/2 tsp soda
3/4 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon

-Boil water. Pour water carefully over oil. Set aside.
-Beat egg, sugar and molasses. Mix with oil/water.
-Mix dry ingredients.
-Add wet ingreds to dry ingreds.
-Bake at 350 for 30 min in 8-in greased pan.

- Serve with applesauce (unsweetened or sweetened) and whipped cream!

Y: 8

Mmmm! This dessert was a treat we enjoyed while having dinner with Blake's parents in Minnesota! The recipe is from his mother, Elaine. Her recipe was called "Ginger Bread," but I switched it to cake.

Freezer Corn

Sweet Corn
Sugar
Salt
Pint/Quart freezer bags
Ice
Large pot
Cooling bowls
Angel food cake pan
Knives

-Place cobs on angel food cake pan and slice sides off into bottom of pan.
-Measure 9 Cups corn and place in saucepot.
-Mix with 1 Tb salt, 1/4 C sugar, 2 1/2 C water.
-Stir and heat to a boil. Boil 5 min.
-Pour into bowls and place in sink with small amount of ice water to speed up cooling process.
-Bag and freeze!!
-To serve, place in saucepot with small amount of water, heat on high until completely thawed, then turn off.


This recipe is from my mother-in-law. She taught me so much about preserving. This corn is wonderful!!!!

Blueberry Morning Glaze

Mix 1 Tb Cornstarch with 1/2 C water until smooth. Add 1/2 C sugar. Heat in skillet with bottom covered in blueberries until boiling. Boil 1 minute. May mash blueberries if desired. Serve with blueberry pancakes of course!:)

Garlic Bread

1 loaf French Bread, sliced
1/4 C. Butter, softened
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp oregano
4 tsp parsley (dried)
3 Tb parmesan cheese

-Combine butter and spices and cheese.
-Spread mixture on one side of each bread slice and place on foil.
-Wrap reconstructed loaf in foil and bake at 400 for 12-15 min or until butter melts and bread is crusty.

Mmm!

Graham Cracker Crust

18 single graham crackers (~ 1 1/2 C crumbs)
2 Tb sugar
1/3 C. melted butter

Crush crackers in bag using rolling pin. Mix with other ingreds. Press into 9" pie plate. Chill as is, or bake at 350 for 8 min.


Recipe shared from Mennonite Country-Style Recipes & Kitchen Secrets by Esther Shank

Simple French Toast

4 Eggs
1 C. Milk
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
cinnamon (optional)
powdered sugar
8 slices bread

-Beat eggs until mixed in wide bowl. Add and mix milk and flavoring. Quickly dip bread slices in egg mixture one at a time to moisten, then place on skillet (lightly greased if needed). Heat each side until browned at 350. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with syrup.

Beef Roast with Veggies

Roasts are always an experiment for me - I usually just add to them whatever veggies are around and vary the spices/sauces depending on my mood. This recipe I actually wrote down once, so we must have liked it:). My mom taught me that you can throw a frozen roast in the oven, and my planning ahead was all over from then on...the only difficulty is getting the wrap off of the roast!

1 frozen roast (sirloin, chuck, pot, etc...)
veggies (red potatoes with skins on, green/yellow fresh beans, green pepper, onions, carrots)
garlic salt
pepper
paprika
dried parsley
butter
worcestershire sauce

Place frozen roast in roaster pan. Liberally squirt with worc. sauce to coat. Add hot water to pan to lightly cover bottom and a dash over the roast. Sprinkle spices over roast. Cover and bake at 400 for 10 min, then turn oven down to 350. Bake for approx. 1 1/2 hours, then add veggies around roast. Dot with little bits of butter. Sprinkle some more spices over veggies. Bake another 45 minutes (covered) or until roast is done to your desire.

Basic Steamed Rice

From More-with-Less Cookbook by D.J. Longacre...

Combine in heavy saucepan:
1 1/2 C. rice
1/2 tsp salt
Just enough water to rise above rice level to a depth of one inch; Asians measure using index finger from tip to middle of first knuckle.

Over high heat, bring to a full rolling boil. Stir through with a fork, loosening grains at the bottom of pan. Reduce heat to simmer, cover with tight-fitting lid, and do not stir or peek for 20 minutes. (If burner stays too hot and causes rice to boil over, pull pan partially off burner for first 5 minutes). After 20 minutes, turn off heat and let rice stand covered until ready to serve. Flake gently while transferring to serving dish. Yields a tender but slightly chewy rice with no gluey moisture at bottom.

*If using brown rice, increase cooking time to 45 minutes.


Notes: I have found this recipe really helpful and no longer buy expensive minute rice. It's a little tricky to get the consistency right, and the rice does seem gluey if it sits too long before being served.

Chocolate Revel Bars

These are highly recommended for a dessert! Makes a large quantity without too much effort. Recipe shared from a cookbook created by my Aunt Kathie.

1 C. Butter
2 C. Br Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp Bk soda
1 tsp Salt
3 C. Quick oats

15 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
12 oz. Semisweet choc. chips (~2C)
2 Tb Butter
2 tsp Vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs & vanilla. Mix dry ingreds, then oats. Add to wet ingreds.

In heavy pan (on low heat) or microwave: heat swt/cond milk, chocolate, 2Tb butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Wet hands and pat 2/3 of oatmeal mixture into greased 11x15 pan. Spread chocolate mixture over dough. Sprinkle remaining oats mixture over chocolate.

Bake at 350 for ~ 20 min.

An Online Cookbook

The practicality of having my recipe collection on the internet intrigues me. I couldn't figure out an easy way to do this without overloading Shupe Shire. Tonight while I was reading through some blogs of note, I came across a blog that was strictly recipes. Aha! What if I made a separate blog just for all my crazy recipes??? Thanks Food for Her Household for the idea! So, here it is! I thank God for showing me this little revelation tonight, and I believe it will be helpful in the future for keeping our home in order! I might be the only one to use this, but I hope not! I hope others will enjoy these recipes and that the recipes will bring warmth and "mmmmm" to other people's homes.

Please give feedback on any recipes that you try!

Currant Scones

2C. Flour
1/4 C. Sugar
1 Tb bk powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 C. cold butter, cut in pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup cream
2 tsp vanilla (may substitute with almond extract)
1/2 C. frozen currants (may substitute with other dried, fresh or frozen fruits)

-Mix dry ingred. Use pastry blender to mix in butter or mix with your hands until coarse crumbs. Make well in center of mixture.
-Whisk together egg, cream, and vanilla. Add to dry ingred. Stir until moistened and dough forms.
-Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead by folding and gently pressing for 5-8 turns until dough is nearly smooth. Pat dough into 8-inch circle, then cut into 8 wedges.
-Brush with cream and sprinkle with a touch of sugar.
-Place each scone 1 inch apart on sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 12 min, or until lightly browned.


This recipe is from the Midwest Living Oct. 06 issue with just a couple adjustments. Mmmm good and it makes me think of England!!!

Notes to self...
Try:
Apple Scones: Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg?, 3/4 C. chopped/peeled apple. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon/sugar. May take 14 min. to bake
Poppy Seed Scones: 2 Tb poppy seeds, 1 tsp lemon peel
Cranberry Pecan: 1/2 C. chopped fresh or dried cranb. & 1/4 C. chopped pecans (or almonds?)
Berry Scones: 1/2C. frozen blue/raspberries or chopped strawb.
Peach Almond: 1/2C. chopped, peeled peaches, 1/4C. sliced almonds, 1/4 tsp almond extr. instead of vanilla

Cherry & Apple Muffins

1 egg
3/4 C. milk
1 handful dried cherries
1 chopped apple
1/2 C. oil
1 C. wh. wheat flour
1 C. quick oats
1/3 C. sugar
1 Tb bk powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond extr.
Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients (I used between 1/3 and 1/2 C. oil and it worked well) and add to dry ingredients. Pour into 12 greased cups. Bake at 400 degrees for approx. 15 minutes. Serve warm with butter! Mmmm.

Note to self. Might try with 1/4 C. sugar next time. Had to add a wee bit extra flour to get 12 muffins.