Kat’s Recipe Box

This recipe popped up one day on my facebook page and I was having company come the next night and it looked perfect and easy so I thought I would give it a try. I am not an apple fan so I did not try it but my guests and husband said it was wonderful…the company even asked to take some home. I served it warm with a bit of vanilla ice cream. Let me know what you think.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar ( I used dark)
½ quick cooking oats ( I used Quaker)
¾ cup butter, melted

Filling

2/3 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups cold water
3 tablespoons corn starch
3 cups of diced peeled tart apples ( I used Granny Smith)
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, oats and butter. Make sure to set aside 1 cup for topping. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9 inch pie plate and set aside.

For the filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water in a large saucepan stirring until smooth; bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes until thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the apples and vanilla.

Pour filling on top of the crust and top with the crumb mixture you set aside earlier. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Earlier this summer our family went on vacation to Pigeon Forge TN…and let me say, I just loved it…who knew Dollywood would be so great! Anyway, on our way we had the opportunity to visit with family in Charlottesville, VA. My aunt, uncle and cousins and their families live there and both of my cousins recently moved into new homes that we were all eager to see. My aunt and uncle have lived in a wonderful community in Charlottesville called Ednam Forest…wonderful homes. My youngest Cousin Kristin and her family just purchased a home in Ednam Forest a mere..hmmm…are they called blocks, from her parents. She made mention that having lived there as a child she never thought she would be back. My cousin Colleen moved into a wonderful old farm house in Crozet VA that sits on a golf course called Old Trail…if you are ever in the neighborhood, check it out. They also have a wonderful housing development with the same name…if you need to move to the area they are worth the look.

Anyway, as VA is a bit of a distance we don’t always find the time to get together and with young kids it is a bit harder but we did find the time and had a wonderful visit and some fabulous food….my Aunt Kaky made these wonderful beans as part of our dinner and I have been thinking about them ever since!! I am so glad she finally got the recipe to me. I hope you enjoy them and I think they are going to be made quite frequently in our home.

Aunt Kaky doubled the recipe and made them in a pot on the stove…they were wonderful.

4 slices bacon
1 chopped onion
1 1 lb. can Campbell’s baked beans
1 1 lb. can kidney beans, drained
1 1 lb. can lima beans, drained
1/4 lb. sharp cheese, cubed
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. catsup
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
Parmesan Cheese

Fry bacon until crisp. Saute onion in the drippings.
Combine in large casserole the beans, sharp cheese,
brown sugar and seasonings. Stir in onion
and crumbled bacon. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly. Serves 6.

This recipe came to me thru my friend Rose who I work with. She brought this concoction into work one day and asked me if I wanted to try it. Now generally I would not even attempt to try this but having decided to broaden my horizons I was brave and gave it a taste…you never know what will happen when you try something new! I loved it and have made it twice since. It is very simple and a very inexpensive dinner. If you need something heartier you can make a ham slice and use this as a side.

1 head of cabbage, chopped into large bite size pieces
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 stick of butter
1 bag of wide egg noodles

Melt 4tbsp. of butter in a large saucepan and add cabbage and garlic sauté until cabbage is tender, about 35 minutes stirring frequently to coat the cabbage in the butter.

Halfway thru the sauté, cook the noodles. Once noodles are cooked, add to sauté pan and toss to coat adding the final 4 tbsp of butter and serve.

Alright, I jumped on the bandwagon and bought into the hype ! Yes it’s as good as everyone says, and being on the Atkins Diet, it’s the perfect snack for me. Just in case you have been living under a rock for the past few days, check out BBQAddicts.com for the recipe. I smoked mine with Alder wood which gives a sweet flavor. And if you notice from the pictures, I made one a little spicier with the addition of some Jalapeno Peppers chopped and mixed in the sausage. I used a digital thermometer and it took about 2.5 hours in a 225 Degree F. smoker. The family loved it and I think it’s just as good cold, as warm. This morning we made our Sunday Omlettes and I took the sliced Bacon Explosion and warmed them in the pan, for a special breakfast treat.

Now for the experimenting !!! How about blue cheese in the middle? Or maybe replacing the sausage with some salmon? I guess the sky is the limit.

Here is to the bacon weave, a great way to encase anything in a heart stoppingly good blanket of goodness !

This is my favorite roast beef sandwich!
For the Sauce:

1 – 10 oz. can of diced tomatoes and green chilies
2 – 8oz. cans of tomato sauce
¼ cup of fresh cilantro chopped
2 – 3 chipotle chilies in Adobo seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons of the adobo sauce
1 lime juiced
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 cup of low sodium beef broth

For the meat:

2 tablespoons of oil
1 large onion chopped
1 green bell pepper sliced in thin slices
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped
1 lb. of deli slice roast beef sliced into strips
1 hass avocado mashed
4 ciabatta or crusty sandwich roll

To make the suace:
In a large sauce pan, add the diced tomatoes, sauce, cilantro and chipotles, lime juice and salt and bring to a boil, reduce and then simmer for about 15 minutes.

To make the meat:
In a large skillet, over medium heat add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the onions and peppers and cook until the onions start to get soft. Add the jalapenos and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the meat and toss until heated thru. Add ¾ cup of the tomato sauce and toss to coat.

Meanwhile, remove the sauce from the heat and add the broth. Put broth into a blender or use an immersion blender and blend until the sauce is smooth. Dish out into 4 separate bowls for dipping.

To serve:
Spread the avocado on your roll, top with the meat mixture and serve with the dipping sauce.

My husband and I are big blue cheese fans so when I came across this recipe I had to give it a try. This recipe can be doubled for a large party.

2 bags of pre packaged cole slaw mix
1 bag of shredded red cabbage
1 cup of mayo
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard
½ teaspoon of celery seed
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
3 oz. of crumbled Roquefort blue cheese
½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Wisk together the mayo, mustard, celery seed, salt and pepper and then pour over the slaw mixture. Add in the blue cheese and parsley and mix well. Serve at room temperature.

If you would like to make this a head of time, just add the dressing before serving.

Well, this year for Christmas I was asked to make two things that I had never made before by my brother Tim. One was the Cranberry Salad and my husband’s grandmothers Apple Cake.
Mom Mom frequently brings this cake to family gatherings and my husband’s family is so used to it but to my family it was something special and a huge hit. I am not a big apple fan so I have not personally tasted it but I hear it is fabulous. I spent Christmas at my brothers house along with my sister-in-law Adrienne’s family and they were so impressed that they asked if I would post the recipe so here it is.

1 ½ cups cooking oil
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon sugar
3 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts (I used walnuts)
1 cup shredded coconut
3 cups chopped apples (I used Granny Smith)
Grease a 10 inch tube pan. Combine all the above ingredients and beat well. Pour into the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours.
Icing

1 stick of butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup milk
Boil 2 ½ minutes and pour over the cake when it comes out of the oven. Leave cake in the pan until it is completely cooled and turn out onto a serving platter.

I sprinkled with powdered sugar just for a little extra kick.

Well, it has been a while since I have had the opportunity to post anything on my website, and today is the perfect opportunity to get started again.

With the holidays behind me I had the opportunity to observe which family recipes were the most well loved and this happens to be one of them. My mother-in-law has been making this cranberry salad recipe for years and although it is the same old thing to her family it is very new to mine. Everyone loved this recipe and I was even requested to make it for my brothers Christmas get together. I was never a big fan of the out of the can cranberry jelly thing and most people don’t seem to like it either, but, this one is well received.
1 lb. of fresh cranberries
2 cups of sugar
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups water
6 oz. strawberry jello
½ cup chopped walnuts
Combine cranberries, water and sugar and boil for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, combine celery, nuts and jello. Add cranberry mixture to celery mixture and chill until set.

I got this recipe years ago from my friend Carol who is a food demonstrator. It is an old favorite that pops out every once in a while for special occasions.

10 slices of bacon cooked until crisp
1 medium tomato, seeded
½ small onion
4 oz. of Swiss cheese, shredded
½ cup of mayo
1 tsp. of basil
1 -10 count Hungry Jack biscuits
1 – 5 count Hungry Jack biscuit
Cook bacon and coarsely chop along with the onion and tomato and combine with the cheese, mayo and basil. Separate the biscuits into 3 thinner biscuits and place one biscuit disc over a mini muffin pan and push into pan and up the sides of each cup. Fill each cup with the mixture and bake for 10-12 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I first tried this quiche at my friend Carol’s house. I am not a big Asparagus fan but I actually liked this. The only change I made was to use a frozen puff pastry instead of a pie shell which Carol used. Of course the asparagus can be changed out for another vegetable if you would like. It makes a very thin quiche so if you are looking to use this for a meal, I would double the recipe. I am going to try to make this with out a crust as well.

10 bacon strips, diced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)

3 eggs

1/2 cup half-and half cream

In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. In the drippings, sauté onion until browned; drain. Cut eight asparagus spears into 4-in.-long spears for garnish. Cut remaining asparagus into 1-in. pieces. In a saucepan, cook all of the asparagus in a small amount of boiling water until crisp-tender; drain.

In a bowl, toss the bacon, onion, asparagus pieces, cheese, flour, salt and pepper. Pour into pastry shell. In a bowl, beat eggs and cream; pour over bacon mixture. Top with asparagus spears. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown., Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 6-8 servings.