Beef Beer Balls

Nice appetizer or party finger food.  There are  not a lot of fillers in this recipe, i.e. bread crumbs, crackers, eggs, or flour.  The flavor comes from the seasonings!  You only have to use 1 pound of beef per batch. 

Oh yeah...this has beer.  Something about cooking with the "secret sauce(s)" that just adds that extra Pop to a recipe!!  Yum Yum.

1 pound ground beef
1/4 -1 tsp.. ground cloves, depending upon taste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Accent seasoning
1/2 cup catsup
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces of beer

Mix ground beef, ground cloves, salt, pepper and Accent.  Form into small balls about the size of walnuts.  Brown well.  Mix catsup, Worcestershire sauce and beer in separate pan.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Drain fat from meatballs, add sauce.  Cover and simmer for 2 hours (could also be transferred to crock pot at this time).  Serve on toothpicks.

1917 War Cake

Popular circa. 1917 when sugar and butter were scarce, eggs were too expensive and considered a luxury for cake.  Simple recipe using basic ingredients. 

1 cp. corn syrup
1 cup cold water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. Crisco
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Put first 6 ingredients in saucepan; cook 3 minutes after reaching boiling point.  Add Crisco.  When cool, add soda dissolved in a little hot water; add flour and baking powder.  Stir and pour into greased tube pan.  Bake for one hour at 325 degrees.

Make sure to use all-purpose flour since this recipe calls for salt, soda and baking powder.  Recipe can also be adapted by using self-rising flour, but make sure to omit the salt, soda and baking powder.

Wine Biscuits

I love to cook with “ The Secret Sauce” (wine, brandy, sherry, rum), because it seems to add that UMPH to my dishes. It tenderizes and gives a recipe a little kick that most people can't quite identify, but just know that it good.

1 ¼ cups sifted flour
Pinch of salt
1 ounces Oleo (butter)
2 ounces sugar
½ beaten egg
¼ to 1/3 cup of wine (sherry)

Mix all ingredients together. Place dough on floured wax paper and spread dough out (can also put wax paper on top). Cut with round cookie cutter or as desired. You can sprinkle tops with sugar or nuts. First batch cook at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, second batch cook at 350 degrees fro 15 minutes.

These are almost like potato chips, but 3 times thicker

 

Deutsch Fruit Dessert (Easy to make classy dessert)

OK,  so you are having company and you want to impress with a dessert that looks gourmet classy, but something that does not have to be cooked. This is it! Go to the Dollar Tree and buy some shallow glasses, bowls, or even side plates that are slightly indented (I like the clear ones). Voilà!

Ingredients:

Sliced pineapple
Peach halves
Whipped cream
Sugared strawberries

Champagne

Lay a pineapple ring in a wide dish. Top with peach half filled with whipped cream. Place a well-sugared strawberry on top of the cream. Pour in enough champagne to cover the pineapple.

Instead of strawberries, try blueberries, blackberries or raspberries.

Fish Shortcake

This recipe is not what you think. This is not a dessert, but is actually an entree or main dish.

My grandmother worked, but she also cooked everyday. Not necessarily from the “four food groups”, but to make sure that empty bellies were filled. Some days there was just beans and cornbread. Some days there was gravy with leftover beef or chicken fragments served over homemade biscuits. Whoever sat at her table for dinner, did not go to bed hungry.

 

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped onion
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/3 cup grated cheese
1 ½ cups flaked cooked fish
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot biscuits or cornbread

Cook onion slowly in butter until tender. Blend in flour. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly, and cook until the sauce is thickened. Add cheese and fish. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the mixture through, stirring occasionally. Serve on hot biscuits or cornbread (I like mine over rice).

For variety try this as a Salmon Potpie: Prepare fish mixture as above using cooked or canned salmon. Turn it into a greased baking dish, top with unbaked biscuits and bake at 425 degrees.

Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin season is here!! Good old chili to make once you've gutted the pumpkin and need to utilize the insides.

1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp. Salad oil
16 ounces of pumpkin (you can use the canned)
1 pkg. Chili seasoning mix
1tbs. onion flakes
2 (16 oz) can tomatoes
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
1 (16oz) can peas
1 (15 ½ or 16 oz) can kidney beans

Cook beef in salad oil until browned, stirring with a fork to break meat into small pieces. Add pumpkin, seasoning mix, onion flakes, salt and pepper. Blend well and simmer for 30 minutes. Add peas and kidney beans. Heat through. Makes 6-8 servings.

Raisin-Cinnamon Roll

This was one of my favorite treats growing up!!  The ones that are bought now cannot touch the ones that were made years ago.  They used to be made with lots of cinnamon AND raisins.  Yummy Yum!

1pkg. active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 tsp. salt
1 egg

In mixer bowl, combine yeast and 2 1/4 cups of flour.  Heat milk, sugar, shortening and salt till warm.  Stir until shortening melts.  Add to dry ingredients.  Then add egg.  Beat at low speed of electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping sides of bowl.  Beat 3 minutes at high speed.  Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form soft dough..  Place in greased bowl, turn once.  Cover.  Put aside for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Let rise.  Turn out on a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half.  Roll each half to 16 x 8 inch rectangle. 

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 4 tbsp. melted margarine, 2 tsp. cinnamon.  Spread half the cinnamon mixture over each rectangle.  Top each with 1/4 cup raisins.  Roll each, from long side, jelly roll fashion.  Seal edge: cut in 1-inch slices.  Place cut side down in 2 greased 9x9x2 inch pans.  Cover.  Let rise till double, 30 to 40 minutes. 

Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes and then drizzle with the following icing while still warm.

Combine:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
4-6 tsp. milk

These are definitely worth the effort and once you taste them

Pinto Bean Fudge

Another interesting recipe that is probably very tasty.  Pinto and Fudge in the same recipe!!!!

2/3 cup canned milk or light cream
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup cooked pinto beans mashed thoroughly
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter (if desired)

Combine sugar and milk in pot.  Bring to a boil, and boil 5 minutes, stirring.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until marshmallows* are dissolved.  Pour into buttered pan.  Cool and cut into squares.

The recipes are shared just as they are written.  *Nowhere in the ingredients is there a mention of marshmallows.  Either you substitute the chocolate chips for the marshmallows or the recipe should state marshmallows instead of chocolate chips.  Which sounds better to you?

Ketchup Cake

Never thought to put ketchup and cake in the same sentence, but none-the-less here it is.  This is an odd cake, but I bet it is tasty. 

Ok....so here goes the recipe:

2  1-3rd cups sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
2-3rd cup shortening
2-3rd cup tomato ketchup
2-3rd cup milk
1-3rd cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 grated lemon rind

Sift together first six ingredients.  Add shortening, ketchup and 2-3rd cup milk.  Beat 300 strokes with spoon, or 2 minutes on mixer at medium.  Add eggs and 1-3rd cup milk.  Fold in nuts and lemon rind.  Beat 2 minutes more.  Spread batter evenly in 2 greased and floured 9-inch layer pans.  Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Frost with butter or cream cheese frosting.

Since the recipe calls for baking powder, salt and soda, I will assume you will need all-purpose flour and Not self-rising flour.

If you make this or have had this cake before.....be sure to let me know.  Thanks for