Chicken Piccata

(An easy dish for a crowd which can be prepared the day before)

1 (16 oz) can Swanson's chicken broth
3/4 cup lemon juice
3 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 skinned, boned chicken breast halves
seasoned flour
olive oil
chopped fresh parsley

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a saucepan and set aside.
2. Cut thick chicken breasts in half lengthwise. If the breast is very large, cut it in two pieces.
3. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in small bowl and dredge chicken pieces.
4. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 4 minutes on each side until browned. Remove chicken to a Pam-sprayed baking dish.
5. Heat broth mixture over medium heat until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.
6. Pour over chicken pieces.
7. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove cover the last 10 minutes.

Mocha Torte

(a delicious blend of coffee and chocolate)

1 2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup real mayonaise
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups unsifted plain flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup dry instant coffee dissolved in 1 1/3 cup hot water
1 tsp vanilla

In mixer, mix sugar, eggs, mayonaise, cocoa.
Blend in, alternately, flour, baking soda, and coffee mixture.
Add vanilla.
Mix well for a minute.
Pour into round cake pans (or a 13 x 9 sheet cake pan).
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
If using round cake pans, cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to racks to cool thoroughly; then split layers.
Frost.

Mocha Frosting
1/2 cup milk
2 TBSP dry instant coffee
1 cup cocoa

Cook these in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth.
Set aside to cool a bit.
In mixing bowl, soften (but do not melt) 2/3 stick of butter.
When soft, beat in, alternately, cocoa mixture and about 6 cups powdered sugar.
Add 1 tsp. vanilla.
Add 2-3 TBSP milk until a stiff spreading consistancy is achieved.
Frost cake layers.
Refrigerate to maintain frosting hardness.

Hazel’s Lemon Cheesecake

(This light, cool, and delicious recipe is my paternal grandmother's. I've never seen it anywhere else.)

Important preparation: Put beaters/bowl in freezer for 30 minutes to get cold before beginning.

1 cup sugar
8 oz,. softened cream cheese
1 large (12 oz., I believe) can evaporated milk
1 cup crushed pineapple (do not drain)
1 box lemon Jello
¾ cup hot water

Cream softened cheese with sugar. Beat well.
Dissolve Jello in hot water and cool very well. (I put mine in refrigerator for a while.)
Whip milk until very stiff.
Add cool Jello, cheese/sugar mix, and pineapple.
Mix thoroughly.
Pour in 9” x 13” inch sheet pan lined with graham cracker crumbs.
Sprinkle some crumbs on top.
Refrigerate overnight.

Lib Wilhelm's Cheese Slaw

(From 'Oh My Stars! Cookbook by Junior League of Roanoke Valley)
When stuffed into a hollowed-out purple cabbage, this cheese does look like slaw. The yellow colors of the cheese sprinkled with green from the peppers sandwiched within the vibrant purple of the cabbage make an eye-catching autumn table display.

1 pound Swiss cheese, coarsely shredded
1 bunch green onions with tops, chopped
1/2 cup chopped mild banana peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers mayonnaise
1 head red cabbage

Combine the cheese, green onions, banana peppers and jalapeno peppers in a bowl. Add enough mayonnaise to bind and mix well. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Add additional mayonnaise if needed at serving time.

Hollow out the center of the cabbage and fold back the outer leaves. Spoon the cheese mixture into the center. Serve with corn chips.

Asparagus Casserole

3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter
1 1/3 cup liquid from asparagus
1 cup grated sharp cheese
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup mayonaise
2 cans asparagus
3/4 cup slivered almonds
salt to taste
bread crumbs to top (optional)

Make a white sauce using butter and flour, adding liquid from asparagus.
Stir in cheese.
Add mayo, almonds, and eggs. Stir gently.
Pour into buttered casserole and top bread crumbs.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Dr. R’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
1 tbsp coffee liqueur
2 large eggs
2 ½ cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 11.5 ounce packages milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 325.
Mix together first 6 ingredients until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and beat well.
Mix flour, soda, salt in small bowl.
Stir into butter mixture.
Mix in choco chips and all nuts.
Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing apart.
Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 16 minutes.
Transfer to racks and cool.

Sweet potato casserole

2 tall cans yams, drained
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla

Topping

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup flour
2 cups finely chopped pecans
Mix together until evenly distributed.
Melt ½ stick butter and pour into sugar/flour mixture.
Stir until all is moist.
Sprinkle onto casserole and bake.

With mixer, combine all and mix till smooth.
Pour into buttered casserole dish.
When ready to bake, sprinkle on topping.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Cranberry Salad

1 package cranberries, chopped (I freeze these and put them into my food processor to chop while frozen. The noise will wake the dead.)
2 medium navel oranges coarsely ground with skin
1 16oz can crushed pineapple, drained very well (I squeeze the residual juice; too much juice causes the salad to not congeal well.)
1 cup sugar
1 6 oz package jello (cranberry, strawberry, or raspberry)
1 cup water
½ cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
½ cup finely chopped celery (optional)

Mix cranberries, oranges, pineapple and sugar together. (Add pecans and celery here, if you use them.)
Heat water to boiling, remove, and add jello. Stir to dissolve.
Add jello and water to fruit and mix.
Pour into dish or mold to congeal.

Mildred Schultz's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

from son Donald E. Shultz: "In memory of my mother who loved to cook and bake."

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups oats
2 cups raisins (ground; this is important, I am told)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp soda
1 cup butter (softened)
2 eggs (beaten)
2 1/2 cups sifted flour

Combine the sugars, butter, eggs, and vanilla.
Add raisins.
Sift together and add oats, salt, flour, soda.
Press into a 9 x 13 pan OR drop and press with a glass covered with a damp cloth onto a cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

[For the story of how I obtained the cookie and peach pie recipes, click here.]

Hash Brown Potato Cassserole

Hash Brown Potato Cassserole

1 32 ox frozen hash browns
1 stick butter, melted
½ cup finely chopped onions
½ cup mayonnaise
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups cornflakes, crushed

Combine frozen potatoes, ½ of the melted butter, mayonnaise, onion, soup, sour cream, and cheese. Mix well and pour into a greased casserole.

Stir the remaining butter with cornflakes and sprinkle on top.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 50 minutes.

Chicketti

1/2 of bell pepper, diced
1/2 of sm. onion, diced
3/4 c. chicken broth
1 can mushroom soup
1/4 c. pimiento, diced
1 c. grated sharp cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 - 2 c. chicken, cooked & diced
1 small box spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces

Combine bell pepper, onion and broth and cook until onions and peppers are done. Add mushroom soup, pimiento, grated cheese, salt, pepper, chicken and spaghetti and put into casserole. Cover with bread crumbs, buttered and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until casserole bubbles and crumbs are golden brown.

Easy Roasted Potatoes

(Quiet Life posted this recently, but I changed it to use ingredients I had on hand)

Peel and quarter 8-10 potatoes.
Drop all potatoes into large ziplock bag.
Pour 1/4 or less oil into bag and smoosh around to coat potatoes.
Sprinkle any packet of dressing or soup mix into bag and smoosh to coat.
Pour pototoes into baking dish and cover.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove cover the last 15 minutes to crisp potato edges.
(Quiet Life used onion soup mix; I used Good Seasoning dry Garlic and Herb dressing mix.)

Vegetable Casserole

(large recipe to fit into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish)

2 (16oz) cans Veg-All mixed vegetables (drained)
1 family size can mushroom soup
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
2 (8 oz) cans sliced water chestnuts (drained)
1 cup mayonaise
2 cups grated cheese
1 sleeve crackers, crushed
2/3 stick butter, melted

Mix all ingredients except crackers.
Pour into Pam-sprayed baking dish.
Mix crackers and butter and layer on top.
Bake covered at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove cover during the last 15 minutes.

Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake

Anyone who has read at least one of Jan Karon's Mitford Books is familiar with the famous Orange Marmalade Cake. Whether or not you have ever tasted, or liked if you have tasted, orange marmalade, Karon's description of the cake compels you to try it. And it is heavenly, as Cynthia might say.

After months of trying to get my sister to read the Mitford books, she did and is a fan now. Since I am the baker in the family, she wanted me to bake this cake while she was in recently. The occasion was appropriate, too: it was our mother's 84th birthday.

I think one can easily subtitute a really good store-bought pound cake and add the syrup, filling, and frosting for the desired outcome.


For the cake:
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
• 3 1/4 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 4 large eggs yolks, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

For the orange syrup:
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the filling:
• 1 12-ounce jar orange marmalade

For the frosting:
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream, chilled

1. For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter three 9-inch round cake pans, line them with parchment paper, then lightly butter and flour the paper, shaking out any excess.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Sift a second time into another bowl.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light in color, about 4 minutes. Add the 2 2/3 cups sugar in a steady stream with the mixer running. Beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Be sure to stop at least once to scrape down the batter from the sides of the bowl. After all the eggs have been added, continue to beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the oil and beat for 1 minute.

4. In a small bowl, combine the orange zest, vanilla and buttermilk. Using a rubber spatula, fold in half of the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add half of the buttermilk mixture. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients, scrape down the sides, and add the remaining buttermilk.

5. Pour the batter among the prepared pans, smooth the surface, rap each pan on the counter to expel any air pockets or bubbles, then place in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 20 minutes.

The orange syrup:
In a small bowl, stir together the orange juice and 1/4 cup sugar until the sugar is dissolved. While the cakes are still in the cake pans, use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes at 1/2-inch intervals in the cake layers. Spoon the syrup over each layer, allowing the syrup to be completely absorbed before adding the remainder. Let the layers cool completely in the pans.

The filling:
Heat the marmalade in a small saucepan over medium heat until just melted. Let cool for 5 minutes.

The frosting:
In a chilled mixing bowl, using the wire whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream with the 4 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form. Add the sour cream, a little at a time, and whisk until the mixture is a spreadable consistency.

To assemble the cake:
Invert one of the cake layers on a cake plate and carefully peel off the parchment. Spread one-third of the marmalade over the top, smoothing it into an even layer. Invert the second layer on top of the first, peel off the parchment, and spoon another third of the marmalade on top. Place the third cake layer on top, remove the parchment, and spoon the remaining marmalade onto the center of it, leaving a 1 1/4-inch border around the edges. Frost the sides and the top border with the frosting, leaving the marmalade on top of the cake exposed. Or, if you prefer, frost the entire cake first, adding the marmalade as a garnish on top. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.