Cowboy Coffeecake

Cowboy Coffeecake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup sour milk or buttermilk

Grease 2 9-inch layer cake pans or an 11- by 9-inch pan. Heat the oven to
375 degrees.

In a bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, salt and shortening. Mix until
crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumbs, adding 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the
nuts, if desired.

In another bowl, combine the baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, beaten
eggs and sour milk. Add to the remaining flour mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Turn into the prepared cake pan(s). Sprinkle the reserved crumbs over the
top.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for 9-inch layers (test the larger pan at this
point for doneness and bake more if necessary) or until a toothpick or cake
tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or cooled

Layered Fruit Salad

Layered Fruit Salad


2 medium apples, unpeeled, cored and diced
1 15-1/4 ounce can apricot halves, drained and sliced
1 15-1/4 ounce can sliced pears, drained
1 15 ounce can sliced peaches, drained
1 20 ounce can
unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained
l/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 21 ounce can cherry pie filling
2 or 3 bananas, sliced
1 cup flaked coconut, plain or toasted

Layer apples, apricots, pears, peaches and pineapple in a large crystal
bowl. Combine orange juice and lemon juice, pour over fruit. Spread cherry
pie filling on top. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. (When salad is to
be served for a morning brunch, I make it the night before.)

Before serving, arrange sliced bananas over pie filling; sprinkle with
coconut. Serve immediately. Yield: 14 to16 servings.

Bean and Weiner Cornbread Pie

Bean and Weiner Cornbread Pie

2 (12 ounce) package all-beef wieners
4 (16 ounce) cans vegetarian beans
1/4 cup catsup
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark molasses
2 teaspoons hot-pepper sauce
2 scallions, including part of the green, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brown wieners in skillet.
Cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Mix beans, catsup,
mustard, sugar, molasses and pepper sauce in 13 x 9-inch
baking dish. Stir in wieners. (This much can be fixed
ahead and refrigerated.) Meanwhile, sauté green onion in
oil until soft. Set aside. Whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar,
baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir in green onion
with oil. Mix eggs and milk in small bowl. Stir into
flour mixture until smooth and spoon over casserole.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 10
to 15 minutes before serving.

Carmel-Pecan Pie

Carmel-Pecan Pie

36 vanilla caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 beaten eggs
1 cup pecan halves
9-inch unbaked pastry shell

Combine caramels, water and butter in a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl,
then cook until melted and smooth. Whisk together sugar and eggs, then
gradually fold in caramel mixture. Fold in pecans, and pour into pastry
shell. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Pie will appear soft but firms
as it cools.

CALIFORNIA WHITE CHOCOLATE FUDGE

CALIFORNIA WHITE CHOCOLATE FUDGE



2 c. sugar
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. butter
1 (12 oz.) white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 (7 oz.) jar Kraft marshmallow creme
3/4 c. chopped walnuts
3/4 c. chopped dried apricots

Combine sugar, sour cream and butter in heavy 2 1/2-3 quart saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 7 minutes over medium heat or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat; stir in white chocolate until melted. Add remaining ingredients, beat until blended.

Pour into a greased 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. Cool at room temperature. Cut into squares. Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MIX

WHITE CHOCOLATE MIX



4 c. Crispix
2 c. pretzels
2 c. nuts (dry roasted peanuts)
1 lb. white chocolate

Melt white chocolate, pour over Crispix, pretzels and peanuts. Stir until well coated. Pour onto wax paper to cool. After mixture is cooled (about 1/2 hour) break into small pieces and store in plastic bag. Great to snack on!

WHITE CHOCOLATE RICE CLUSTERS

WHITE CHOCOLATE RICE CLUSTERS


1 (14 oz.) pkg. confectioners' white chocolate coating (see
notes)
2 1/2 c. crisp rice cereal
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. broken pretzel sticks

Combine melted white chocolate, rice cereal, pecans and pretzel sticks in large bowl and drop by teaspoonful onto wax paper. Let set until firm. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

NOTES: Confectioners' white chocolate coating is available at craft and baking/candy shops. Substitutions for coating: 2 cups Nestle's premier white chocolate baking pieces or 2 (6 oz.) Premier white chocolate bars, melted, or almond bark.

TEXAS CHILI

TEXAS CHILI


TEXAS CHILI
(Serves 6 )

1/4 cups (50 ml) vegetable oil
2 lbs. (1kg) of stewing beef cut into 3/4 inch cubes
salt and pepper
1 large onion, finely diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. (5 ml) oregano
2 tsp. (10 ml)toasted cumin seeds
3 tsp. (15 ml) chili powder
2 cups (500 ml) of beef stock
1 small tin of tomato paste
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) brown sugar
2 Tbsp. (25 ml) cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. (25 ml) finely chopped cilantro


Small flour tortillas
Hot sauce
Sour cream
Lime wedges

Heat 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) of the oil in an ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high
heat.

Lightly season the beef the salt and pepper. Brown 1/4 of the meat in the
oil and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining oil and meat until all
the meat is browned.

Add the onion to the pan and cook until light golden. Stir in the jalapeno
and garlic and cook a further minute.

Add the oregano, cumin, chili powder, stock, tomato paste, brown sugar and
vinegar. Return the browned meat to the pan.

Cook at a gentle simmer on top of the stove for about 2 hours, checking from
time to time to make sure that the chili is not sticking to the bottom of
the pan. (Or cook in a preheated 325F. oven for 2 hours). The meat should be
very tender.

Season the stew with salt and pepper to taste. Add some hot sauce if
desired. Add the cilantro.

Honey-Orange Chicken with Sesame Sauce

Honey-Orange Chicken with Sesame Sauce

Yields: 4 servings
Total Time: 21 min
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 11 min

3/4 cup(s) fresh orange juice
1/3 cup(s) orange blossom or clover honey
1 teaspoon(s) grated ginger
1 teaspoon(s) garlic
1 teaspoon(s) orange zest
1 teaspoon(s) salt
1/8 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
4 (6 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 teaspoon(s) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon(s) toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon(s) toasted sesame seeds

Combine juice, honey, ginger, garlic, zest, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add
chicken; stir to coat. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot; add vegetable oil and swirl to
coat. Lift chicken from marinade and let excess drip back into bowl. When oil is
hot, add chicken and cook over medium heat 3 minutes per side, or until golden
brown.
Add reserved marinade to skillet and boil over medium-high heat, turning chicken
once or twice, 3 to 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and sauce is
reduced by half. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, cut into diagonal slices,
and arrange on a platter. Stir sesame oil into thickened sauce and spoon it over
chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.