LEMON BARS

Base:  2 cups flour, 1 Cup softened butter, 1/2 Cup powdered sugar.  Blend butter with flour and sugar.  Press into pan.  Bake at 325 deg for 20 minutes until very lightly browned around the edges.

While crust is baking, mix the following:  2 Cups sugar, 4 eggs slightly beaten, 4 T fresh lemon juice, 2 T lemon zest, 4 T flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt.

Pour over crust.  The crust does not need to cool, just pour this on it as soon as the crust is done baking.  Bake at 350 deg for 30 minutes.  Once they’re cool, sift powdered sugar over the top.

Tip:  For a new twist, use Limes instead of lemons, following the same recipe.  I always add 1 drop of green food coloring to the filling to give it a more “limey” look.

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

3-4 Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded,   2-8 oz blocks cream cheese, 1 C shredded cheddar, 1 C ranch dressing, 1/2 C Franks Original Hot Sauce.

Soften cream cheese in the microwave.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Serve warm.

I thought that it might be really good to try Bleu Cheese dressing in place of the ranch.   Doesn’t that sound good too?  Enjoy.

CHINESE BEEF AND BROCCOLI

1# Flank Steak, 2 T soy sauce, 1 T dry sherry (see note), 1/2 tsp cornstarch, 1# broccoli, 1 clove garlic minced, 1 slice of minced ginger, 2 T peanut oil, salt.

Slice steak very thin against the grain.  Combine soy through cornstarch.  Pour over the steak and marinate 15 minutes.  Slice brocc on diagonal.  Mince garlic and ginger.  Heat wok 30 sec.  Add oil.  Wait 20 seconds.  Add garlic and ginger.  Fry 20 seconds.  Add beef.  Stir fry 1 minute.  Add broccoli.  Stir fry 4-6 minutes.  Serve hot over Jasmine Rice.

Be sure and don’t buy the Sherry in the grocery store that is found with the vinegars and other condiments.  That’s called cooking sherry and it’s loaded with salt to make it undrinkable so that anyone can buy it without being carded.  It’s unpallateble.  Buy your dry sherry where you buy other liquors.  It’s not too expensive.

Tonight I made a delicious pork roast that I quickly prepared before church, and it was ready for dinner.  What makes this especially good, is not only the spices but the fact that you top your shredded pork off with homemade cole slaw, all within a bun.  It’s really good, and the pork and sweet cabbage are a perfect marriage.  I’m certain your whole family will love it.  Give it a try!

CROCK POT PORK ROAST

2 onions, quartered,  2 T br. sugar, 1 T paprika, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 3/4 C cider vinegar, 4 tsp worcestershire, 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 tsp white sugar, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 3# or more pork butt with bone (or no bone).

Mix all of the seasonings in a bowl.  Set aside.  Place pork in crockpot and pour over the vinegar and worcest and onions.  Pour seasonings over the meat.  Set crockpot on low setting and let it go all day.  It will be done when it is easily shredded.  Once that is done, place meat on buns and top meat with a dallop of cole slaw,placing top bun over that.  It’s messy, but I’ve always felt that the best food is!  Now, if you want an easy and delicious recipe for cole slaw, read on:

COLE SLAW

Shred your desired amount of cabbage, and you can mix green and red if you wish.  Add a shredded carrot, chopped onion, and chopped pepper of any color.  Then, and this is the really hard part, add as much Marzetti’s Cole Slaw (original) dressing as you like.  We like plenty.  This is the best slaw dressing out there.  I do not add any spices in addition, it’s good enough as is.  Chill.

Stuffing

In a skillet, melt 1 stick of real butter.  Chop up 2 ribs of celery and a whole onion.  Saute til nicely cooked and tender.  Place a 1# bag of stuffing, either from Pepperidge Farm or Oroweat in a large bowl.  I always buy the Herb flavor, the bag is usually green.  Anyway, add to this the celery mixture and enough HOT water to loosen it up a little.  You don’t want the stuffing to be too dry.  Just add water about 1/2 cup at a time until it’s a looser consistency.  You may want to salt and pepper a bit.  Go ahead and taste to be sure.  If you want, you can add mandarin oranges, or cherries.  Bake at 350 covered for at least 45 minutes, but it could go an hour.  Merry Christmas!

PECAN BALLS

1/2 lb butter, 4 T sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 C flour, 2 C chopped pecans.

Mix together in Mixmaster.  Form into balls, about the size of a ping pong ball.  Place on cookie sheet and bake at 370 degrees (yes I said 370).  Bake for 10 minutes.  While hot, roll in powdered sugar.  Then do it again when they’re cool.

POTATO BACON SOUP

8 slices chopped bacon, 1 C chopped onion, 2 Med. cubed potatoes, 1 C water, 1 C sour cream, 1 1/2 C milk, 1/2 tsp salt, ground pepper, 1 can cream of chicken soup (10 1/2 oz), 2 T fresh chopped parsley.

Saute bacon and onion in your soup pot  and pour off fat ( if you wish, but I don’t).  Add potatoes and water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes until tender.  Stir in soup and sour cream.  Gradually add milk.  Add salt pepper and parsley.  Heat to serving temp, but DO NOT BOIL.  Serve with bread and you’re done.  Call ‘em down for dinner!

When you buy your turkey, you’ll find cavities at both ends.  In one end is the neck, in the other are the giblets.  Place all of these in a medium saucepan and cover with water.  Generously sprinkle in garlic powder, salt and pepper.  I usually start simmering this about the same time I place the turkey in the oven.  I loosely cover it and let it go.  It’ll reduce which is what you want.  You can turn it off after you think the liquid is full of flavor, at least one hour, or hour and a half.  If low enough, it can go 2 hours.  Be watchful of it.  When done, just turn off and let sit awaiting the rest of the drippings, or you can go ahead and make gravy out of it if need be.  It’s so full of flavor and your house will smell even more amazing with those giblets simmering in those spices.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

SUGAR COOKIE CUT OUTS

4 C flour, 4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt.  Mix these together.

Add 2 C brown sugar and 3 sticks butter.  Cut butter in to mixture until pea size.  Mix in 1 egg,  2 Tbls milk, and 1 Tbls vanilla. I do this in my mixmaster.  Don’t over do it though, it might make the dough tough.  Chill dough overnight.  Be sure it’s well wrapped so it doesn’t dry out.

Roll out on lightly floured surface.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes  depending on their thickness.  Once cool, decorate as you wish.  Merry Christmas!