Broccoli Casserole

1-2 packages broccoli florets, steamed in microwave

Mix together:

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 eggs

1 cup mayonaise (or greek yogurt)

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp chopped or dried onion.

Mix gently with broccoli, pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover top with shredded cheese or crushed crackers.

Bake at 400F for 20 min or until set.

Ridgefields Salad Dressing

Crush 2 garlic cloves

Slice 1 large onion thinly

Pour 1 cup white vinegar over garlic & onion and marinate for one hour.

Remove garlic & onion, add in 1 tsp dry mustard & 1 1/2 cups white sugar, beat until dissolved.

Add in 3 cups olive oil and beat until thick.

Makes 1 quart; cut in half if desired.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

9 cups AP flour

4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

3 cups (1 box) dark brown sugar

3 cups white sugar

4 cups vegetable shortening

4 12 oz packages semi-sweet chocolate chips

combine 7 cups of mix w/ a mix of 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla.

Bake in pre-heated 350F oven for 8-12 min.

Mom's White Buttermilk Birthday Cake

Simply the BEST!

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

3 cups cake or AP flour, sifted

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar

1 tbsp vanilla

5 egg whites

Cream shortening and sugar; add dry ingredients alternately with wet; add egg whites one at a time, beating well between each addition.

Bake at 325 for 30 min.

Buttercream Icing: double mixture if icing a layer cake

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 tbsp vanilla

5 cups confectioner's sugar

3 tbsp milk, cream, or half and half

Cream butter and shortening, gradually add in sugar and beat well; add milk and vanilla last and beat until fluffy.

Mom's Red Velvet Birthday Cake

Make a paste of:

2 oz red food coloring (2 bottles)

3 tbsp cocoa

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/4 cups cake or AP flour, well-sifted

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 tsp baking soda

Cream together shortening and sugar, add in eggs and coloring paste. Beat until fluffy (~10 min); add buttermilk and vanilla slowly, then gradually add dry ingredients. Add vinegar and baking soda last and fold in lightly. Pour into 9x13 cake pan, or two round pans.

Bake at 325 for ~30 min

Icing: double mixture if icing a round layer cake

1 stick butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/4 cup sugar (superfine white or powdered)

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp half and half, cream, or milk

Cream together until well blended and fluffy.

alternately can use a cream cheese icing

Great-Grandma Ratcliffe's Southern Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 can pineapple slices

1 cup cake flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tsp rum or butter flavor (optional)

1/4 cup pineapple juice (reserved from can)

Marashino cherries

Pecan halves (optional)

Melt butter in a large (~11 inch) iron or heavy skillet; add brown sugar and stir, arrange pineapple slices, cherries, and pecans to cover bottom of pan. Sift dry ingredients together. Beat eggs with sugar, vanilla, juice, and rum flavor and add to dry mix. Pour over pineapple in skillet.

Bake 350F ~ 30 min

Turn upside-down on cake plate.

Mexican Chocolate Cake, aka Texas Sheet Cake

1 stick butter
1/2 cup oil
4 tbsp cocoa
1 cup water
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp cinammon
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch cayenne

350, 12 x 18 pan, 20 min

Icing:

1 stick butter
4 tbsp cocoa
6 tbsp milk
1 lb powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)


heat in saucepan, add powdered sugar and vanilla last, glaze cake when cooled.

Death by Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Easy Peazy!

4 eggs
1 cup sour cream (or yogurt)
1/2 c water
1/2 cup oil

beat till smooth; add

1 devil's food chocolate cake mix *duncan hines
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix

beat together

add in 12 oz chocolate chips (semisweet)

pour in bundt pan bake 350 1 hour

add cinnamon for a mexican twist

Cranberry Pie

1 1/3 cups white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1 12 oz package cranberries

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C.)
In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg. Beat in eggs. Stir in melted butter. Fold in cranberries, then pour into crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until filling is set.

This makes a custard-like pie. For a more traditional berry pie, omit eggs and substitute 1/2 cup orange juice. Bake in a double crust at 425 for ~30 min.

Can also add chopped walnuts to pie filling.

Spiced Eggnog Pound Cake

1 cup butter, softened
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup refrigerated or canned eggnog
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Powdered sugar
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon whipping cream

Generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan; set aside.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer about 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with 1 cup eggnog, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla and, if desired, brandy.
Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Stir cinnamon and next 3 ingredients into remaining batter. Spoon spice batter over plain batter. Swirl batters together, using a knife.
Bake at 350° for 50 to 55 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.
Place cake on a cake plate; dust with powdered sugar.
Combine 1 cup powdered sugar and whipping cream, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake.

Could make an eggnog glaze by combining eggnog with powdered sugar to desired consistency. Add a splash of rum or eggnog flavoring if desired.

Chestnut Pound Cake

2 cups (9 oz) all-purpose flour
1 cup (4.5 oz) chestnut flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup butter milk, at room temperature
1/3 cup rum
1 ½ cups (6oz) coarsely chopped nuts (optional)


Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Spray the pans with vegetable oil spray. (Or line the loaf pans with parchment paper.)
In a large bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, soda, and salt together, then sift the mixture three times. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with a fork to combine the whites and yolks; set aside.
In a bowl of a stand mixer (use the paddle attachment) or another large bowl, beat the butter for a few seconds until creamy. Add the sugar in a steady stream and beat at medium speed (high-speed with a hand mixer) until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beating constantly, dribble the eggs into the butter mixture a little bit at a time, taking 2 to 3 minutes to add them all.
Stop the mixer and add one-third of the flour mixture and beat on low speed only until no flour is visible. Stop the mixer and add half of the buttermilk and half of the rum and beat only until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat with half of the remaining flour, then all of the remaining buttermilk and rum, and finally the remaining flour with the walnuts if using. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes for a tube pan or 50 to 55 minutes for the loaves. Cool in the pan(s) on a rack for about 10 minute before unmolding.

Could substitute glazed sweet chestnuts in batter

Jalapeno Cornbread

1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
2 cups sifted flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus extra butter for greasing pans
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 jumbo eggs, beaten
6 ounces warm corn kernels
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 loosely packed cups)
6 tablespoons chopped scallions
Minced fresh jalapeno peppers to taste (1/4 to 1/2 cup), seeded
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro


1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. In another bowl whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, milk, and beaten eggs. Add the dry ingredients, and just combine. Then fold in the corn kernels, cheddar cheese, scallions, jalapeno, and cilantro.
4. Pour the mixture into buttered loaf pans 1½ by 1½ by 3 inches, filling them two-thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Can bake in a muffin tin, a single loaf pan, or preferably in a cast iron skillet, pre-heated and well-seasoned.

Could add a small can of herdez salsa as well.