Recipes

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Mom's Easy Rhubarb Cake

Grandma’s Date Pinwheel Cookies

Grandma's Banana Bread

No-Bake Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate Cherry Cake
Easy 6-Week Bran Muffins
Best Ever Soft Sugar Cookies
Cinnamony Coffee Cake
Easy Peanut Brittle
"New" Chex Mix
My cousin Becky's Chuck Wagon Beans

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Mom's Easy Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Grease and flour a 9x13 pan

Cream together:

1 ½ cup sugar
1 stick butter

Add:

1 egg

Dissolve 1 tsp. soda in 1 cup buttermilk   (Don't have any buttermilk?  Simply sour some milk with apple vinegar...works just fine!)


Combine together:

2 cups flour
¼ tsp. salt

Mix dry and liquid ingredients together, alternating in 1/3’s.  (Or just mix all together at once…I did and it didn’t seem to hurt anything!  J )

Stir in:
1 ½ cups rhubarb

Pour into 9x13 pan and sprinkle sugar (1/3 cup)/cinnamon (1 tsp)  mixture over the top of the batter. 

Bake 350 degrees for ~23 minutes  (be sure to test for doneness) 

 Enjoy!! 

(I made some yesterday--tastes even better the 2nd day--wish my boys were here to have some!) 

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Grandma’s Date Pinwheel Cookies

Cream together:
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar

Add, in order:
3 eggs, well beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend together and mix in:

4 cups flour
1 tsp.soda
½ tsp. salt

Mix well; then refrigerate to set.

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Filling:

1 cup cut-up dates
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup water
Juice of one lemon (If you microwave the lemon for about 30 seconds, you will get the most juice for your squeeze.)

Cook mixture over low heat until dates disintegrate and thicken.  Cool

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Divide dough into ½ or 1/3; roll out 1/3 to ½-inch thick.  Spread with cooled filling then roll up as a jelly roll and cut at least ½-inch thick. 

Bake 15 minutes @ 350 degrees.   

As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar.  

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Mmmmm…. Good stuff!  They were favorites of my grandpa, uncle and brothers 

Enjoy!!   I did while growing up in grandma’s house.  J 

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Grandma's Banana Bread

(Double batch)

Grease and flour one regular size loaf pan.
(I like to grease and flour the sides, but prefer to line the bottom with parchment paper.)

Dissolve:

1 tsp. soda into

¼ cup buttermilk

(Don’t have buttermilk?  Sour some sweet milk with a tsp. of vinegar.)

Cream together:

½ cup shortening  (I prefer the real thing:  butter!)

1 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

Add, in order:

2 eggs, well beaten

3-4 crushed ripe bananas

(The riper the better…don’t have three?  Stick them in the refrigerator or freezer—even with the skins still on.  Defrost in refrigerator and you can snip off the ends and squeeze them into your mixing bowl.)

2 cups flour

Mix well and bake:
1 hour @ 350 degrees

HINT:  The whole process can be done in one mixing bowl...
...just make sure it's a big one. 
NOTE:   This recipe can be doubled or tripled! 

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Mmm…. warm banana bread, fresh out of the oven with melted butter!   What fond memories that brings back.   (However, a slice of cold banana bread is just as tasty, later on.  …and the memories still linger!)

Enjoy!!   I did while growing up in grandma’s house.  J 

;j an

P.S.  Some like to add nuts and/or chocolate chips…but "as for me and my house," plain and simple is the best. 

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No-Bake Chocolate Cookies


Combine in sauce pan and bring to full rolling boil…

2 Cups      Sugar

1 stick      Butter

2/3 Cup    Milk

4 Tbsp      Cocoa (heaping)

…Then set timer for 2 minutes (exactly) and stir constantly. 


Remove from heat and add…

1 tsp.        Vanilla

¾ Cup      Peanut Butter (plain or chunky)

3 Cups      Oatmeal (either quick style or old fashioned)

Stir until all is mixed together, then drop by spoonfuls immediately on wax paper until set.

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This was my mother-in-law’s recipe and my husband’s favorite—and now my sons’ and grandchildren’s as well. 


Be sure though to be precise in the timing of the 2-minute rolling boil part.  And, DO NOT put the Peanut Butter in until after the pan is removed from the burner.   I remember well the first time I made these (in 1965)—they were SO hard, a hammer couldn’t break them. 


Enjoy!

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Chocolate Cherry Cake

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix

21 oz. cherry pie filling

1 tsp almond extract  (don’t skimp on the almond flavoring)

2 eggs beaten

Mix well by hand and pour into greased and floured 13x9 cake pan. 

Bake 25-30 minutes @ 350 degrees

(Bake 20-30 minutes for 15x10 cake/bar pan)

Frosting:

1 cup Sugar

5 Tbsp. Butter

1/3 cup milk

6 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips

Bring to a rolling boil: sugar, butter and milk then stir constantly for 1 full minute—60 seconds, only!  (The timing on this is important.)

Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth. 

Frost immediately.

Another family favorite for more than 25 years!!  

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Easy 6-Week Bran Muffins

Mix together…

4  Eggs

1 cup salad oil

1 qt. buttermilk

Mix together…

15 oz. Raisin Bran (or 5.3 cups)

5 cups flour

3 cups Sugar

5 tsp. Soda

2 tsp. Salt

Mix dry and liquid ingredients.

Bake ~20 minutes @ 350 degrees

Batter can be stored up to 6 weeks.

This is a BIG family favorite!  Serve with melted butter and honey and/or jelly...or just as is. 


Best Ever Soft Sugar Cookies

Cream together:

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

½ cup sour cream

Add:

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond  (I skip the vanilla and use 2 tsp. almond)

Combine:

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. soda

2 tsp. baking powder

Add:
4 ¾ cup flour

Chill thoroughly for 2 hours or overnight. 

Roll out ½ of the dough.  Leave the rest of the dough in the refrigerator. 

Cut with cookie cutters; roll out remaining dough and cut. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 

Decorate with sprinkles or frost with butter frosting. 

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Butter Cream Frosting

1/3 cup butter

3 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

1 ½ tsp. almond extract

2 Tbsp. milk

Mix together butter, sugar, almond, and milk until smooth. 

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Grandkids LOVE these for Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas...even St. Patrick's Day!

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Cinnamony Coffee Cake

Grease and flour the baking dish…I use my 10” Revere Ware frying pan (the original recipe called for a 7x10 pan). 

Filling & topping

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter

Batter

Sift together:

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking power

Blend together:

1 cup milk

1 egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

Combine dry and liquid ingredients together and mix in:

1/3 cup soft butter

Beat a few minutes.

Alternate a layer of batter with ½ the filling, then layer the remaining batter and filling.

Bake 350 degrees for ~40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. 

This is a favorite since 1969.  I never got any complaints from the family when I would make this…especially Sunday mornings.  This also freezes nice so as to make it last longer. 

Enjoy!  …oh, I forgot to mention how good the kitchen smells while it’s baking!  J

 

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Easy* Peanut Brittle

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup raw peanuts
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

PREPARATION:

Combine first 4 ingredients in 2-quart microwave mixing bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 8 minutes, stirring after 4 minutes. Add butter. Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes. Brittle should not get too brown. Stir in vanilla and soda until light and foamy. Spread on buttered baking sheet as thinly as possible. Cool. Break into pieces. Soak mixing bowl in warm sudsy water immediately for easier clean-up.

Note: exact cooking times may vary depending on your microwave wattage.

* If I can make it, it's easy!!  :)

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 “New” Chex Mix

  

1 box Crispix cereal

Pretzels

Mixed nuts or beer nuts

M&Ms

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

PREPARATION:

Pour Crispix in brown grocery bag.  (If you lightly spray the inside of the bag with Pam, not as much of the caramel sauce with stick.  All the more for the cereal!!) Set aside.

Combine butter, syrup and brown sugar in large bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave, stir, and microwave again on high for 2 minutes. 

Remove and add vanilla, salt and soda; stir well and pour mixture over Crispix in brown paper bag.  Shake and roll to coat mixture. 

Microwave mixture in closed paper bag for 1½ minutes on high.  Remove, shake and roll; add nuts and pretzels (optional).

Return to microwave and heat on high an additional 1½ minutes; remove, shake and roll for 1 minute. 

Empty contents into large bowl and cool before adding M&Ms. 

This recipe takes about 15 minutes start to finish.  

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My cousin Becky’s

Chuck Wagon Beans

Brown 1 pound of hamburger per 16 oz can of beans, then

Add chopped onions and garlic to your liking

Add (1) 16 oz Bush's beans,

1 can each garbanzo, kidney and butter beans…be sure to drain the juice off the added beans

Add Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue sauce,

Add couple tablespoons of mustard (the kind you put on hot dogs),

1/4-1/2 cup of brown sugar

Simmer until you can't wait to taste them and then have at it!

They are SOOOOOOOO good!!  Enjoy!!!

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