Popeye's Honey Pecan Chicken Salad

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup relish
2 T. minced onion
1 T. honey
1 1/2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1/4 t. white pepper
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1 1/2 pounds chopped cooked chicken (about 4 cups)

Combine the mayo, relish, onion, honey, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Stir in celery and pecans. Fold in the chicken. Chill. Serve.

I like this on a bed of lettuce. You can serve it on buns also.
I use about 1/4 cup of relish.

It is the perfect chicken salad. Yum.

The recipe is from Longaberger's Fresh From the Pantry Recipes for Every Day

Red Cake

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 T. cocoa
2 oz. red food coloring
1 t. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening and sugar well, add eggs. Cream until fluffy.

Make paste with cocoa and food coloring-add to mixture.
(I use one oz. red food coloring and fill up the same bottle with water for the second ounce :o)

Mix vanilla/salt with buttermilk. Add to mixture alternately with flour.
(Start and end with flour)

Mix soda and vinegar and fold into the batter.
Do not beat.

Bake 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Frosting for Red Cake

5 Tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook 5 T. flour and 1 cup milk over a low flame-stirring constantly- cool.
Cream 1 cup butter add 1 cup sugar and 1 t. vanilla.
Add cold flour mixture.
Beat this on high for 15 minutes.
Stop and scrap every five minutes.

It will look like whipped cream.

Perfection!

Mandarin Salad by Miz Crocker

1/4 C sliced almonds
1T + 1 tsp sugar
1/4 head lettuce
1/4 bunch romaine
1 C celery chopped
2 green onions thinly sliced
11 oz can mandarin oranges, packed in juice

Sweet and Sour dressing;

1/2 C oil
4 T sugar
4 T vinegar
2 T snipped parsley
1 tsp salt
Dash pepper

Cook almonds and sugar over low heat, stir until sugar is melted. Careful not to burn. Cool and break the almonds apart. Set aside.
Place lettuce/romaine celery and onions in a plastic bag. Pour in dressing and orange segments and shake, shake, shake,....shake, shake, shake,...shake your salad,
shake your salad, yeah.
Add almonds. Serve.

Esther's Spaghetti Sauce

Esther's Spaghetti Sauce

1 pound ground beef
onion
2 16 oz. cans Hunts tomato sauce
1 small tomato paste
1 can whole tomatoes (with their juice)
oregano
basil
bay leaves
salt and pepper
sugar
water

Finely chop some onion. Add onion to ground beef and cook. Salt and pepper the beef.
Spoon off extra grease. Add sauce, paste and whole tomatoes. Add 1 cup of water especially if you plan on letting this simmer for many hours.
Sprinkle oregano and basil over the top of the sauce. Probably less than a tablespoon each. Add two bay leaves, @ a teaspoon of salt, 1/4 t. pepper and a tablespoon of sugar. (This cuts the acid)

Cook for about two to three hours.

We usually had spaghetti noodles and they are my husbands favorite. I am fond of mostacolli. Don't ask me why. No reason :o)

Potato Soup

6 potatoes
2 stalks celery (chopped)
1 carrot (shredded)
1/2 onion (chopped)
2 c. water
2 cubes chicken bouillon
salt, pepper
2 c. milk
1/3 c. flour
cheese (real cheese or 4-8 pieces of American cheese slices)
bacon (as much as you like)
a little sour cream on top

Boil veggies in the water until soft with the bouillon. Add 1 2/3 cups of milk and make a paste out of the other 1/3 cup of milk and flour. (I don't always do the flour thickening)
Add cheese and bacon. Heat through.
Sour cream and chopped scallions are yummy plopped and sprinkled on top too.

Butterballs

Butterballs

Cream-
1 pound butter
1 cup confectionery sugar

add

3 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 cups chopped nuts

Shape into one inch balls. Place on ungreased pans.
Bake about 10 min. at 350 degrees.
While still warm roll in powdered sugar.

Pumpkin Dip

Pumpkin Dip

4 c. powdered sugar, sifted
2 - 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1 can (30 oz) pumpkin pie filling mix
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 teas. ground ginger

Cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Serve with apple slices and ginger snaps.

Donna's Simple Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1 can Brooks Chili Hot Beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin

Brown beef. Add the rest of the ingredients.
Simmer. Serve with a slice of cheese on top.

This recipe only makes enough for 4 1/2 bowls around here. So double or triple as needed :o)

Mexican Chicken & Barley Chili

This recipe is on the box of Quaker Barley

1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon veg. oil
2 cups water
3/4 cup Quick Quaker Barley
One 16-ounce can tomatoes, undrained, chopped
One 16-ounce can tomato sauce
One 14 1/2 ounce can chicken broth
One 4-ounce can chopped greed chilies, drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups, cooked chicken

Cook onion and garlic.
Add remaining ingredients except chicken.
Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer 10 minutes.
Add chicken, simmer 10 more minutes or until chicken is warm and barley is tender.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 pound fresh spinach
1 pint strawberries
1/2 C. pecans, browned
1 1/2 T. butter

Dressing:
1/3 C. red wine vinegar
1 t. salt
1/2 C. oil
1 t. dry mustard
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 T. poppy seeds
1 1/2 t. minced onion

This is fresh and delish!

Fitchburg Beans

This is the one and only Bean recipe I prepare. I am the only one in the family who will eat it. It lasts for a long time since it makes a big batch. It is very yummy.

8 bacon strips fried, diced
2 small onions quartered
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. gr. mustard
1/2 t. garlic powder
2 cans baked beans (16 oz)
1 can kidney beans (16 oz)
1 can butter beans (16oz)
1 can cut green beans (14 1/2 oz)

Rinse and drain beans. Cook bacon, saute onion in drippings. Stir in brown sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard, garlic. Simmer uncovered 15 min. Combine beans in a slow cooker. Add onion mix and bacon. Cook 6-7 hours.

Recipe from Cinde Winquist from Fitchburg.

For your crockpot...

I am a simple girl and my family likes simple food.
So here are my simple crock pot recipes.

Chicken with Soup

4 frozen Chicken Breasts
1 can of creamed soup (mushroom, celery, chicken)

You can stop right there if you want.

You can also add;

1/4 a cup of white wine
Swiss cheese
Pepperidge farm herb dressing sprinkled on top

Cook all day.

Shredded Pork

1 thawed pork roast
1/2 a cup water
A little salt and pepper

Cook all day!

One hour before serving shred the meat and pour in one or two bottles of your favorite barbecue sauce.
Serve on buns.

Italian Beef

1 thawed rump roast
1 package Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing mix
1 bottle pepperoncinis
Water...1/2 way to the top of the meat

Cook all day. Shred the meat. Pull out little pepperoncini stems.
Serve on nice crusty French bread.

Donna's Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Donna's Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

4 chicken breasts
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1-2 stalks of celery
a little onion
some carrots
medium egg noodles
Water, up to the top

Put everything but the noodles in the crockpot.
Cook all day. One hour before serving, shred the chicken and toss in a big hand full of noodles. Finish cooking and serve.

*Parsley would be nice...if I ever had it in the house.

Chinese Coleslaw

1 pkg coleslaw
1 bunch of green onions
1 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. toasted almond slivers
1 pkg beef ramen noodles-crumbled

Mix together little packet from the noodles,
1/2 c. sugar, 1/3 c. vinegar, 1/2 c. oil.
Pour over dry ingredients and mix.

Easy and yummy!

Barefoot Contessa's Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Barefoot Contessa's Sour Cream Coffee Cake

12 T. Butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 C. Sugar
3 XL Eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/4 C. sour cream
2 1/2 C. Cake Flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. kosher salt
-----------
Streusel

3/4 C. light brown sugar, packed
1/2 C. all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. kosher salt
3 T. butter
3/4 C. walnuts (I do not use these)
----------

Preheat 350*.
Use a 10 inch tube pan.

Cream butter and sugar 4-5 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time...add vanilla and sour cream.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
Mix together with wet ingredients.
_______
Make Streusel
_________

Spoon 1/2 into the pan...Sprinkle 3/4 c. streusel on to that...
Spoon on the rest of the batter...scatter the remaining streusel on top.
Bake 350* for 50-60 min.

Donna's Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cup salad oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups raw carrots finely grated

- Combine and beat well the oil and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time on high. Add flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold in carrots. Grease and flour pan. Pour into pan :o)
Bake in 9x13 pan at 350 for 35-40 min.

Icing

1 package cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
1 pound powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix Well. Ice when the cake is cool.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

This recipe is from the book Cooking from Quilt Country by Marcia Adams. I have altered her recipe by adding cauliflower for some variety.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

1 bunch broccoli
1 head cauliflower
10 slices bacon
1/3 cup raisins
1 large red onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds

Chop up broccoli and cauliflower. (Eight cups all together.) Fry bacon and set aside. Chop onion. Combine broccoli, cauliflower, onion, raisins and bacon. Whisk together mayo, sugar, vinegar, and pepper.
Pour dressing over vegetables. Refrigerate. Top with sunflower seeds.

Hope you like it!

Neiman Marcus Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, slightly crushed (I use 1 teaspoon of instant coffee instead)
8 ounces chocolate chips (I use less)

Directions

1. Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract.
3. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
10 to 12 minutes for a crispier cookie. Makes 12 to 15 large cookies.

There you have it :o) Espresso powder...who would've thunk it?
Yum.