Mom's Apple Cake

One of my favorite desserts! Very rich. It looks pretty ugly in the pan. I've taken it to picnics and potlucks, and people have been reluctant to take a slice, but those who dare are glad they did!

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 TBS brewed coffee
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups chopped apples

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour a 9x13 pan
  
• In a medium bowl, stir flour and baking soda with a wire whisk and set aside.
• Mix sugar, oil, eggs, coffee, cinnamon, and vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and mix until well combined.
• Stir in apples.
• Pour batter in pan and bake about an hour.
• When cake is cool poke holes in top and pour topping over cake.
  

Topping

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Melt over stove to boil

Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie

Gonna Try this!

Basic Meatloaf

Easy Meatloaf Recipe

She enjoys helping, but it's squishy.

Use the Leftovers Crockpot Chili

This is my own made up recipe that began as a way to use some leftovers and make a delicious hearty chili at the same time. I did a lot of improvising and experimenting. I added 12 oz. chicken broth to mine, but replaced it in the recipe below with 1 cup of salsa instead because mine turned out a little too soupy. I just simmered it to cook off the extra liquid, though.

We had this with some chili cheese cornbread. YUM!

1 pound stew meat
Leftover shredded pork roast (about 2 cups)
Leftover seasoned, browned ground beef (taco meat, about 1 and 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 TBS olive oil
1 cup salsa
1 cup marinara sauce
3 15 oz cans of pinto beans (not drained)
2 TBS chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 dash of hot sauce

In a mixing bowl, combine beef and flour; toss to coat meat evenly. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot; brown beef. Put browned meat and all other ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low 7 to 9 hours. (could also add green chilies, sauteed onions, corn, etc.)

Chicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole

My whole family LOVES this recipe. I tried it when I was experimenting to see if avoiding gluten would help me feel better. Now I just make it using all purpose flour and whole wheat bread crumbs. We've had it several times, and it's on the menu this week.

Chicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole <~~~~~ Gluten free!

My version:

CHICKEN BROCCOLI CHEESE CASSEROLE

3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 lb fresh or frozen broccoli, chopped

2 Tbs. of butter

2 Tbs. flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp of pepper

1/2 tsp. of dried mustard

1 1/2 cups of milk

squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

1/2 cup bread crumbs for topping

1/4 cup slivered almonds for topping

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour, salt, pepper, and mustard, and cook 2-3 minutes until bubbly and foamy. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened. Stir in the shredded cheese. Place the brown rice, chicken, and broccoli in a casserole dish and pour the white sauce over the top. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice if using and mix until combined. Spread the breadcrumbs and slivered almonds over the top. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Taco Pasta Casserole

I found this recipe when I was looking for a home-cooked version of Taco Hamburger Helper. A freezer full of beef and a pantry full of noodles made this a yummy but cheap way to stretch my food budget to the next payday.

I used tomato soup instead of cream of mushroom when I made it.

I was surprised how tasty it was.

Taco Pasta Casserole

Another Recipe Blog

This blog is a collection of links to recipes I've tried and my family has loved. It's mostly to keep myself more organized because planning dinner is always a trial for me. Pleasing everyone is almost impossible, and the question I have come to hate most is, "What's for dinner, Mom?" I'm going to make peace with that question, once and for all.

For now, I'm going to post links to recipes as I prepare them. As the collection grows, I'll attempt to categorize them and make it easy to find what I'm looking for. If you find something of value, that's great too!