Easy Peach Cobbler

I use this fruit cobbler recipe most often to make peach cobbler, but it's equally as good with apples, pears, berries.  I'm including my healthier version but the standard Easy recipe is very good.

Healthier Peach Cobbler: 1 stick melted butter (can sub 1/4 cup olive oil for 1/4 cup butter)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsps flaxseed meal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 cup sugar (I used Splenda, but have used half the amount of sugar and recipe has worked out very well)
12 oz. frozen peach slices (you may substitute 2 cups of any fruit(canned, fresh or frozen, including berries (drain if canned), applesauce)
Mix all ingredients well. Pour into casserole dish (I use a flat 2 qt. dish) and place on the cobbler the frozen peach slices.  Bake at 350F for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown and tender.


Easy Peach Cobbler
1 cup melted butter
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups fruit of choice
Mix the batter first, then pour over casserole with fruit in bottom.  Bake 350F for 35-40 minutes until golden, tender to the touch.
For the pulled pork, I cooked a boneless boston butt in the crockpot until done.  Then drained the juices from the meat and let the meat cool.  I used two forks to 'pull' the meat into shreds.  Takes time but isn't hard to accomplish.  Then pour over a good vinegary BBQ sauce.  There are store bought brands you can use, such as Mrs. Griffins or Finger Licking Chicken Sauce to name two, but I prefer my homemade version, which is on the  March 25, 2007 post.
Today I've put a bottom Round Roast in the oven.  Not to cook as a pot roast per se, though potatoes  and onions and mushrooms are most excellent with this particular recipe.  I rubbed the meat with the following:

Homemade BBQ Sauce

I often make my own Bbq sauce rather than buy bottled.  It tastes so much better.  The variations you can mix up are absolutely endless.  I've used a variety of preserves (orange marmalade, peach or strawberry preserves, apple butter) or syrup (maple is nice and so is cane syrup).  You can thin with sodas or beer...As I said, the variations are endless!  Don't be afraid to experiment with this sauce. 

Homemade BBQ Sauce 1 cup catsup
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tbsps cane syrup (brown sugar will work as well)
dash of hot pepper sauce
2 tbsps. prepared mustard
Mix well.  You may cook if you prefer, but if too thick thin with hot water to desired consistency.  This is a more vinegary sauce, but additional sweetener will offset if you find it too tart.

Kelly's Fettucini Chicken Casserole

Kelly's Fettucini Chicken Casserole

I was blessed to get to know a family of very good cooks and they didn't mind a bit making up their own recipes.  This casserole dish was especially tasty.

1 jar of Alfredo sauce
1 jar of dried tomato Alfredo sauce
1 can of tomatoes
1 cup of green bell pepper
1 cup of onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 pounds Fettucini, cooked and drained
4 cups diced cubed chicken
Grated Parmesan cheese


Cook the green pepper, onion, garlic until just tender.  Mix all the ingredients in a 13 x 9 pan reserving the Parmesan to sprinkle on top.  Bake until hot and bubbly. 

Vintage Summer Libations And One of My Own

I love vintage magazines, especially of the homemaking variety.  I found these in one of my summer issues and thought they sounded worth a try.

From the 1925 issue of Better Homes and Gardens:


Ginger Cream
Into a glass of chilled ginger ale, add 2 tablespoons of cream, and 1 tablespoon of crystallized ginger, finely chopped.

Pineapple Smash
First make a simple syrup of:
1 cup sugar and 2 cups water, boiled for five minutes. Let cool.  Set aside.
Add:
1 pint grated pineapple
juice of 3 lemons
Remove one cup of pineapple syrup and add:
1 cup ice water
Freeze mixture until firm.
Chill remaining mixture.  Just before serving, strain into pitcher.  Add 1 pint of ginger ale, seltzer or ice water.  Serve this punch in tall glasses with a heaping spoonful of the pineapple slush in each glass.
Other suggestions from the same magazine:
Pineapple juice, crushed mint leaves, ice water and simple syrup to sweeten.
Brewed tea with orange and lemon juice added in equal portions along with simple syrup.


From my own file:
Penny's Pink Lemonade
1 cup water boiled with 1 cup sugar to form simple syrup.  Cool and pour into pitcher.
Add:
juice of 4 lemons and 4 cups of water.  Stir well. 

To make a single serving

Pour mixture over glass of crushed ice.  Add 2 tablespoons grenadine syrup to each glass.  Stir to blend into pink lemonade.  Leave as is for sunrise effect in the lemonade.

Rhonda's Red Enchilada Sauce

RHONDA'S RED ENCHILADA SAUCE

After my friend Rhonda shared this recipe with me, I've bought enchilada sauce only twice.  Both times I was so disappointed, I vowed to go right back to making my own.  This is absolutely delicious and never fails to wow anyone having burritos, enchiladas or even a Mexican pizza in my home.
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, chopped fine, about 2 1/2 ounces
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons granular Splenda or Sugar
16 ounces tomato sauce
1/4 cup water

In a medium pot, cook the onion in oil until soft and slightly browned. Add the garlic, spices and sweetener. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce and water; bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes about 2 cups
Can be frozen.

Penny's Basics: Pancakes

Penny's Basic Pancakes:
2 cups self rising flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk (more if you like thinner pancakes)
1 egg
Mix just until blended.  Don' t over mix!  Pancake batter is like brownie and muffin batter, the less you mix the more tender your results.  And if you like pancakes extra fluffy, just go ahead and add a tsp of baking powder.

Pour out 1/4 cup measures onto a hot griddle.  When tops begin to bubble and the bubbles to break, then flip over and cook until bottom becomes light golden brown. 

They are truly that easy to make.  And boy oh boy!  There's nothing like a really tender homemade pancake!

Variations:  Add any of the following:  1 diced ripe peach, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup shredded apple, 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Brenda's Polish Sausage Casserole

Brenda's Polish Sausage Casserole

I won't even tell you how long I sat on this 'recipe'...a friend shared it at work one morning after she'd made this.   Years later, stuck for inspiration one night, I tried it.  I've made this in a crock pot and in the oven and it is most definitely a keeper and a wonderful cozy winter meal.  All you need is a salad to complete the meal.

6 medium potatoes sliced thin
1/2 medium onion sliced thin
1/2 pound of frozen green peas
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1 pound Polish Sausage
Layer potatoes and onions in the casserole dish.  Add peas and salt and pepper to taste. You can cut sausage into serving sized pieces of slice into bite sized pieces.  Top all with cheese, cover and bake at 400F until potatoes are fork tender.

For the crock pot: spray crock with non-stick spray.  Layer onion and potatoes.  Add sausage atop and cook for four hours on high, 6 hours on low.  Test doneness of potatoes and adjust cooking/heat time.  Thirty minutes before meal, remove sausage, sprinkle thawed peas over top and top with cheddar, put sausage back in and cook until peas are tender and cheese melted.