Favorite Coffee Cake

(Via my Mom; via Betty Crocker)

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
Topping (below)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 inch cake pan. Blend all ingredients except topping; beat vigorously 1/2 minute. Spread in pan.

Sprinkle topping over batter. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden toothpick unserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.

Topping:

Mix 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 3 Tablespoons firm butter until crumbly.

Ham and Peas Casserole

An Everday Corning Ware Serving Solution (as seen in Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine)

Serves - 4
Prep - 25 Minutes
Cook - 45 Minutes

1/2 lb sliced baked ham, torn into small pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
7 oz cornbread, cut into small cubes (2 cups)
1 C frozen peas, thawed
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 C whole milk
3 eggs plus one yolk, lightly beaten
Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly butter a 2.5 Qt baking dish. In a bowl, toss the ham, cornbread, peas & thyme; transfer to the baking dish. In the same bowl, beat together the milk, eggs and yolk and 1/8 tsp salt. Pour into the baking dish. Let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Bake until the custard is just set in the center. 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a green salad.

*Notes: I used more ham; because I love ham. I used cornbread I baked myself which I find to be slightly too sweet...I should've remembered this & made a different recipe. Oh well. It makes the casserole a little too sweet for our tastes - so use that for what it's worth. I used more peas, because I love peas. I skipped the thyme because I forgot to buy it. I used 1% milk instead of whole because it's what we have.

All in all I thought this was good. Different for supper - not really a breakfast dish, but sort of a brunch dish...? I think we'd both like it more with a less sweet cornbread.

Carrot & Ginger Soup

From Meigan

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 lb peeled, sliced carrots
1 can (14.5 oz) whole peeled tomatoes
2 large onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c orange juice, unsweetened
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp salt-free seasoning
Pepper to taste
1 tsp ginger
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup low fat margarine

Place the chicken broth, carrots, tomatoes, onions, garlic, orange juice, parsley, salt-free seasoning, pepper & ginger in a large stockpot. Cover with water & cook until tender (on low - for about an hour). Remove the pot when tender & puree in a food processor. Return to the pot & add the fat-free milk & margarine. Stir & simmer for approx. 10 more minutes. This can be served in a cleaned out pumpkin & heated in a warm ove for about 5 minutes.

8 servings


I usually use about 1/2 as much onion, skip the parsley (because I never have it on hand), up the chicken broth to 1 cup, use salt, cream & butter! I guess I like my soups a bit richer & less healthy! Yummy fall goodness!

Spaghetti Pizza

From my Mom - an all time Rossow Favorite!

1 (14oz) package of thin spaghetti
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 (15 1/2oz) jars spaghetti sauce) *I usually use a 26 oz jar....*
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2-1 cup thinly sliced pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Prepare spaghetti according to pkg directions. Drain. Beat milk & eggs together; toss with spaghetti. Spread spaghetti mixture in greased jelly roll pan (11x18). Top with sauce. Arrange pepperoni slices in rows. Sprinkle with cheese & ground beef. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

*I usually use a 9x13 glass cake pan because I think my jelly roll pan is bigger than 11X18 & the pieces are too thin for my liking! a 9x13 pan makes really THICK pieces. No one makes this recipe better than my Mom. It always tastes better when she makes it!

Homemade Pancakes

via The Food Network

Ingredients

* 1 egg
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together, breaking up any lumps. Pour batter onto a hot griddle. Flip pancakes when the edges appear cooked and the batter bubbles on top. Serve immediately.

Hidden Valley Ranch Oyster Crackers

From my Mom

5 cups (11oz) plain oyster crackers
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Recipe - Original Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1/2-1 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 to 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine Hidden Valley Ranch Mix & oil, add dill weed, garlic powder & lemon pepper. Pour over crackers, stir to coat. Place in warm oven (250') for 15-20 minutes. Stir gently halfway through baking.

Chicken with BLT Gravy

From Rachael Ray's website

* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
* 2 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast, halved across
* 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed up
* Salt and pepper
* 4 slices smoky bacon
* 2 leeks
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 1 cup chicken stock
* 2 small plum tomatoes
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1/2 cup cream
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* Crusty bread, to pass at the table

Preparation

Heat two skillets each with 1 tablespoon EVOO over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the first skillet. Cook the chicken for 12 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile, add the bacon to second skillet. While the bacon cooks, halve the trimmed leeks lengthwise, then slice half-inch thick and vigorously wash in a colander; dry on kitchen towel. Add the leeks to the bacon and sauté to soften, 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the leeks, 1 minute. Stir in the stock and tomatoes and reduce the heat to a simmer.

When the chicken is done, remove it to a platter and deglaze the pan drippings with the wine, scraping up the bits and color for 30 seconds. Pour the drippings into the gravy pan and stir to combine.

Finish the gravy with the cream. Stir to combine, and when sauce comes back up to a bubble, turn off the heat and stir in the Dijon mustard.

Spoon the BLT gravy over the chicken and serve with crusty bread, torn into pieces for mopping.

**This was deeee-licious! I'm making this again!