Favorite Recipes

Anyone want to share? 🙂

Here's my fave for pancakes and it's super easy:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil


1. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in milk, egg and oil. Mix until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat. Pour batter into pan (1/4 cup for each pancake). Brown on both sides and serve hot.

I add some cinnamon while they're cooking, too. YUM! 🙂

I'm looking for a good recipe for homemade biscuits! Anyone have one to share?

Whoo boy did you open a can of worms with this thread. I'll keep going like the Energizer bunny with recipes. Here is my favorite one I go to over and over again for biscuit. 1942 edition of 'The Good Housekeeping Cook Book'.

2 c. sifted flour ( all-purpose )
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2-4 Tbsp. shortening
About 2/3 c. milk

Sift dry ing. together; then cut the shortening in using 2 knives in criss-cross fashion or a pastry blender, until the mixture is the consistency of coarse corn meal. Add enough of the milk while stirring with a fork, to make a soft dough that be easily handled. Turn onto a lightly floured board, and knead lightly about 1/2 minute. Then roll or pat into a sheet about 1/2 - 1" thick. Cut into rounds of desired size with a floured cutter, and place on a greased or oiled baking pan. Place about 1" apart if you like a crusty biscuit. Place closer together if you prefer a softer one. Bake in hot oven of 450?? F for 12-15 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 19 2" biscuits 1/2" thick. For richer biscuit, increase shortening to 6 Tbsp.

AWESOME! Thank you, VB! I'll def. give these a go.

lol Yeah, I bet a lot of "foodie" bulls will show up in this thread. Should be loads of fun!

Plus we can try each other's recipes and report back. 🙂

🙂 Absolutely! Some I have up here *tapping head* and some are in cookbooks. They are an affliction with me. I get more excited over an old cookbook than a new one. I'll include titles as it goes along. Some will be turn of the century 'receipts', some I've done so many times I don't have to think, and more than like if we really go full steam ahead from the women in my family. 🙂

Posted by venusianbull
and more than like if we really go full steam ahead from the women in my family. 🙂

Ohhhh! Those are the best! There are some recipes I've been trying to get out of people in my family for YEARS! They just won't give 'em up. GRRR!

"Ohhh...ancient Chinese secret, huh?" 😛

LOL NO ticky, no laundry! 😛 I know what you mean, they sit on them like a great dragon clutching their eggs. "But please Aunt Dody, can I pretty please..." and you get that gimlet stare of the ages. And no matter how you try to replicate it, it's just never the same.

Lemon Meringue Pie
***

( 1 ) Baked 9" pie shell.
1?_ c. sugar
1?_ c. water
?_ tsp. salt
?_ c. cornstarch
1/3 c. water
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
?_ c. lemon juice ( fresh is always better )
3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
4 egg whites
?_ tsp. salt
?_ c. sugar

Combine sugar, 1?_ c. water and salt in saucepan; heat to boiling.
Mix cornstarch and 1/3 c. water to make smooth paste; add to boiling mixture gradually, stirring constantly; cook until thick and clear. Remove from heat.
Combine yolks and lemon juice; stir into thickened mixture. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles again. Remove from heat and stir in butter and lemon peel. Cover and cool til lukewarm.
Meringue:
Add salt to egg white. Beat til frothy. Gradually add ?_ c. sugar, beating until glossy peaks are formed. ( If you dip your beaters into meringue and pull up, it should hold firmly. 'Stiff peaks'. ) Stir 2 rounded Tbsp. of meringue into filling.
Pour into pastry shell. Pile meringue on top and spread lightly over filling, spreading evenly to edge of crust.
Bake in slow oven ( 325?? ) about 15 minutes, or til lightly browned. Cool on rack for one hour or chill.

Now, extras: You can substitute any citrus juice and peel. Lime meringue, orange or even grapefruit. If you'd like to 'cheat' and use a boxed mix the best one I have found is 'My-T-Fine' lemon flavor pie filling. My Grandmother used it, I use it when I don't want to fuss making a curd. Which is essentially what you're doing for this pie. If you have a convection oven, use that to blast the meringue keeping a sharp eye on it. It will brown FAST. But I find it keeps the filling firmer than traditional baking.

Ohhh...I can make a HUGE mess with all this!

:::rubs hands together::: lol Thanks VB!

LOL Part of the fun of cooking. And an excellent excuse to look forlorn, pass a dish towel over lovingly and tell sweet cheeks to clean up, you just made the meal. 😉

Damn straight! 🙂 He's very good about that actually.

But I will def. use the "sweet cheeks" part. HAHA!

LOL! Go for it. But honey, I made PIE. And use the cute face replete with puppy eyes. And hang onto that one, helps with/does clean up. Mah goo'ness. 🙂

lol You know for a Pisces woman, I have a really tough time with the "helpless female" role, but I'll give it a go.

Actually he's a way better cook than I am. I'm usually the one on clean up duty. SUCK! 😉

BOOOOOO to clean up detail. I only do helpless female when it suits me. ( i.e. I want something ). If you crack up doing the puppy eyes it's better yet, you both have a laugh. I usually give it a go for humors sake, everyone that knows me knows better. 😄

Damn typos! 😛

LOL That's exactly what happens! We both just bust out laughing.

I'll do my best Scarlett O'Hara, though. Bat the ole lashes and say "Fiddle-dee-dee! I'm so tired I could just drop!" ::fanning self:::

LOL!!!! LOVE IT. I like the dramatic fist in the air and say "As Gawd is mah witness, ah shall nevah go hongry a-g'yan!"

NO WAY! I almost worked that quote into my last post! It would fit well when serving the food, too. I'm using it!

I hope I can get it out before collapsing with giggles. lol

😄 Just puff a bit of flour on your nose like the Rice Krispy treat commercial. That one cracks me up. LOL Heave a dramatic sigh, exit the kitchen like you've worked for hours.

Awwwwww. —

Are you trying to say I'm old enough to be your mom? 😛

Can't you just see him though? All dark hair rumpled and big brown eyes, waiting for a cookie with milk and just absorbing all the womans chatter, laughter and heart they put into what they prepare?

Yeah....with chocolate all over his mouth. Awwwwww!!!! lol

Crap! I forgot to bring in my recipe AGAIN! Tomorrow! 🙂

This is quick, easy and very good.

Whiz about 3 c. oatmeal in the blender or processor till it's flour like in consistency.

Add 2 good palms of good parmesan cheese, 2 tsp of garlic salt, however much cracked black pepper you like. Mix well.

Roll and dredge chicken breasts, or pieces of what you like in it. Line up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake at 350 degrees for around an hour.

Ta-da, oven fried chicken.

And, the weather is quite chilly this morning so I'm going into baking mode. I like the house to smell spicy sweet and warm when it's like this.

Hot Water Gingerbread:

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1 c. molasses
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. clove
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. hot water

Work the shortening until it's creamy and fluffy. Add sugar gradually and continue working it until light. Add beaten egg and molasses. Then add sifted dry ingredients and water alternately in thirds, beating well after each addition. Bake in greased & floured cake pan ( about 9x9x2 )at 350?? for 50-55 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream ( a nice touch is slivers of candied ginger folded in ) or custard sauce if desired.

YUM! This is an awesome recipe! Def. adding it to my FILE! Actually, I've added all the ones you've posted.

I made the biscuits last week and they WERE AWESOME! Thanks so much, VB! I almost burned them, but caught them just in time. WHOO!

I CANNOT find my moussaka recipe! 😢 I have one more place to check where it might be. :::crosses fingers:::

Salad Olivier. It's the best and so good for your skin and waist!

I don't know the measurements because i just see how it works and add or reduce as i go along.

So you need:


Mayonnaise. I'm talking full fat real good mayo, Hellmanns preferred.
Chicken breasts-cooked, either fried or baked or boiled doesn't matter, just simple seasoning no spice/flavour.
Peas and carrots boiled
Hard boiled eggs
Dill pickles
Salt/pepper
Boiled potatoes
Olives
Lemon juice

It's basically like a really fancy potato salad. And works well as one of those dishes you need to take when being invited round as a guest. If you have parents in law then do this dish, they'll love it. Or make it for the one you like/fancy/love-yuck.

It's best eaten spread on toast or fancy crackers. Or PITA BREAD!!

Posted by calthrope

I don't know the measurements because i just see how it works and add or reduce as i go along.

Oh...you're one of THOSE!

Okay, I will cut the umbilical to my measuring spoons for a salad. Surely even I can't fuck that up?

I SHOULD NOT have just said that. lol

LOL Whoohooo! Good biscuits! 🙂 When the weather gets colder and you want something to line your stomach with authority I'll make those and some good old fashioned sausage gravy. Or sawmill with hamburger. Grew up on hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes. Comfort food. Now I usually use ground turkey in place of beef for chili, soups, taco salad, etc. But it must be hamburg for that gravy.


That salad sounds tasty calthrope. 🙂

Last minute desserts. If you get called on to bring a good sized pan of something these are easy to pull out of your rear end. The "Fat Police" can shove off. 😉

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

1 box of graham crackers, plain
2 large boxes of instant French Vanilla ( or vanilla ) pudding
1 tub of chocolate icing
Good sized pan.

Make pudding ( phew! ROUGH work. ) and put one layer of it down in pan. Top with grahams covering. Keep layering pudding and grahams. Gently melt icing and pour down over the top of final layer of crackers. Chill.

Cherry Delight

13x9x2 pan

Bottom layer, graham crust.

3 c. graham crumbs
1/3 c. ( or less ) sugar
12 Tbsp ( stick and a half ) of butter, melted

Press firmly in pan, chill.

Filling

2 ( 8 oz ) cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar

Blend until smooth, spread gently on crust. Back in fridge.
Remove and gently top with:

1/2 tub of Cool Whip or equivalent.
2 cans of GOOD cherry pie filling.

Chill well while you're bathing, sticking tongue out applying mascara and corralling other bodies to hurry up.

Good morning, Fair Bull! 🙂

You are sent from the Gods! lol I need to make something to take to the lake this weekend...those eclairs are the perfect solution! Sound damn yummy, too!

Biscuits and gravy is one of my favorite meals...but gravy can be tricky... = / I always have trouble with it.

Posted by Sea Siren

Posted by calthrope

I don't know the measurements because i just see how it works and add or reduce as i go along.

Oh...you're one of THOSE!

Okay, I will cut the umbilical to my measuring spoons for a salad. Surely even I can't fuck that up?

I SHOULD NOT have just said that. lol

click to expand

I sure am! I like to think of myself as Nigella, va va vooming around the kitchen and just adding anything to anything as long as it's FULL FAT.

Look if it looks like this it can't go wrong!

Gravy is easy, the trick it to not walk away from it. Brown your sausage, smash it to smithereenies. Sift flour down on top of it until it's ghosted. Cook and stir for a minute so your roux ( fancy term, just means a thickener of half fat/half flour ) loses that wallpaper paste taste. Pour milk to fill skillet, and slowly bring that puppy up to a boil stirring occasionally. When it does, stir constantly until thick. Pepper the bejesus out of it and slap it on some biscuit or fried potato.
Yay! I'm glad you can use the dessert for the lake trip, simple to toss together and RICH. 🙂

Cal...that pic is taunting me. 😛~~~~~~~~

Guess what I found! 😉

MOUSSAKA! It's a two parter.

Beshamel Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 Cup melted butter
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup grated kefalotiri
4 Cups hot milk
3 pinches nutmeg
1 pinch pepper
2 pinches salt
3/4 cup of white flour

Directions
1. melt butter in heavy saucepan, add flour & cook for 1 min. stirring constantly.
2. Add milk all at once, stir until smooth
3. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
4. Remove from heat & stir in cheese, eggs and yolks.

Moussaka Pt. 2

Ingredients:
1 batch beshamel sauce
Corn oil (enough to coat frying pan)
3 Large eggplants
2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 cup Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 bunch parsley, diced
1-2 pinches pepper to taste
2 lbs. potatoes
2-3 pinches salt
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine

Directions:
1. Wrap eggplants in foil, bake until soft & slice into thick slices
2. Peel potatoes, slice and fry them lightly
3. Brown onion & beef together in olive oil
4. Grate tomatoes & add them along with parsley, salt & pepper
5. Simmer for 15 min.
6. Layer potatoes, ground meat mix & eggplants (in this order) in a deep pan.
7. Cover with Beshamel sauce
8. Bake @ medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes.

It's supposed to stand up when you serve like a lasagna, but I have never been successful getting it to do that. Could be some tweaking would get it right. At any rate, it tastes DIVINE, and that's the important thing! 😉

OY! Pour the wine on last before you start simmering. 🙂

Oh my days you make the bechamel sauce yourself! Bravo woman!

You can too, Cal. These directions work like a charm! 😉

Oh no but there's measurements!

lol I know, I know! What can I say? Measuring tools are my woobie! I have cooking security issues.

🙂

I've learnt to measure! Well sort of. I came across a really simple recipe- Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce! All you need is butter, an onion, a tin of peeled tomatoes and spaghetti. You simmer all three in a pot and then make your pasta and voila! I'm going to make it now so hopefully it will be as tasty as everyone says it is! Will report back.
And for measuring-it says 5 tablespoons of butter, but i checked that means 70 grams because butter over here doesn't come in sticks/tablespoon measurements! 70 grams is about 1/5 of a normal butter brick.

I made it and it was fab! However i messed it up a bit. It's the simplest thing and i still ruined it. I thought that a tin of peeled tomatoes meant a normal size tin. Which is what the photo showed when you look it up. But the tin in the photo is actually 28 ounces which really means you need to use 2 normal sized tins of 400 grams. I haven't even seen a 800 gram/28 ounce tin before!

So, when making this use two normal tins of peeled tomatoes! And if you can get hold of a 28 ounce tin then even better.

first you make yourself some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches then
Break eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate; beat lightly with a fork. Stir in sugar and milk.

Over medium-low heat, heat griddle or skillet coated with a thin layer of butter or margarine.

Place the sandwiches, one at a time, into the bowl or plate, letting slices soak up egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side.

Transfer bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side. Serve PB&J style French toast hot with syrup.


the peanut butter & jelly gets all melty and then the syrup,

Oh wow.

Macaroni Salad

2 c. elbow noodles, cooked and drained
1 green pepper, minced
3 stalks celery, minced
1 small onion, minced
4 hard boiled eggs, shelled and chopped
2 c. real mayonnaise ( do not substitute )
2 1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. mustard

First 4 in a bowl, whisk remainder, stir well and chill.

Peach Pudding ( my mothers, love this stuff )

2 large cans peaches, drained
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. soft butter
2/3 c. milk
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
cinnamon

Line baking dish with peach halves, sprinkle well with cinnamon.
Cream butter and sugar, alternating dry ingredients with milk blending well.
Pour over fruit and bake at 350?? for one hour or till batter tests done.


Slow Cooker Apple Butter

8 cups of home made apple sauce, drained in fine sieve.
3 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground clove

Mix well in crock, lid and cook on high for 6 hours. Low for 12 hours, stirring on occasion. Place in sterilized canning jars, seal, hot water bath for 10 minutes, allow to cool under a towel.

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. poppy seeds
1 c. butter
1 c. buttermilk ( Or sour milk. Lemon juice or vinegar in sweet milk )
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream sugar and butter, adding extracts and egg, milk. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in poppy seeds. Turn into greased and floured bundt pan and bake at 325?? for 55-65 minutes. Allow to cool and pour over a glaze of:

1 c. powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp. lemon juice