Martha's Blueberry Dessert

Martha's Blueberry Dessert

9 x 13  casserole dish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2 cans of Blueberry Pie Filling
1 cup of fresh or frozen Blueberries (optional)
1 can crushed Pineapple
1 box yellow cake mix
2 stick of butter cut into small pats
Small container of Cool Whip for topping


1. In the casserole dish, gently mix together the Blueberry Pie Filling and the crushed Pineapple.

2. Spread dry cake mix evenly over the pie filling and pineapple.  If you want, you can use a fork to gently swirl the filling up into the dry cake mix, being careful to not mix it together.  The cake mix makes a cobbler like topping for the fruit mixture.

3. Evenly spread the butter pieces over the top of the dry cake mix.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

5. Allow to cool and then spread the Cool Whip evenly over the top.  Chopped nuts can be sprinkled over the top of the Cool Whip.

Note:  The cake mix gives this dessert a very sweet topping.  You can also do a drop biscuit or a cobbler topping for it that would be a bit less sweet.

Free clipart courtesy of Dover Clipart

Blueberry Muffins

Photo courtesy of Doc Watson

Blueberry Muffins
shared by Cris Watson

Makes 6 regular muffins or 12 mini-muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup flour *
½ tablespoon baking powder *
1/4 teaspoon salt *
1/4 cup sugar (you can add a little more if you want 
          them sweeter)
1 egg, beaten
½ cup buttermilk †
1/8 cup oil, melted shortening, or melted butter (I do not 
          use margarine because it doesn't give the batter 
          the fat it needs)
1 cup fresh blueberries (you can use frozen or canned.  
          If using canned berries, drain them completely or 
          the batter will be too thin)

* If using self-rising flour, omit baking powder and salt.

 † If you don't have buttermilk, you can use regular milk 
but you will not get the rise in the batter that buttermilk
will give it.


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Mix well and make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl, combine egg, oil, and buttermilk.

4. Mix into the dry ingredients only enough to moisten the dry ingredients.  You don't want to over work the batter.

5.     Fold in the blueberries.

6.     Divide batter evenly into each of the muffin cups.

7. Bake 18 - 20 minutes (14 - 16 minutes for mini-muffins).

8. Cool slightly before serving as the berries will be 
very hot!

Enjoy!

Free clipart courtesy of Dover Publishing

Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients, before baking, after baking.

Recipe shared by our brother, Chuck and his wife, Tina.  Both great cooks and adventurous in trying new food combinations!  Thank for this one!   Cris 



Chuck and Tina's Shrimp Scampi

Dinner done in one baking sheet!


Ingredients:

1 to 1 ½ lb raw shrimp, deveined and shelled
1 pkg Italian dressing mix
1 sliced lemon
3/4 cup garlic butter
1 tsp grated garlic
2 to 3 sprigs of fresh Rosemary

½ lb. Fresh Broccoli crowns (optional)

A large baking sheet

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a shallow baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Spread the shrimp in a single layer on the pan.

Put butter in the middle of the pan.

Spread the lemon slices over the shrimp.

If cooking the broccoli with the scampi, place the raw broccoli in the pan.

Sprinkle the dry Italian dressing mix over everything.

Sprinkle the grated garlic over the shrimp.

Place the sprigs of fresh Rosemary on the shrimp.

Cover the pan with another piece of aluminum foil, sealing the edges.

Place in the pre-heated oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and enjoy!  

Free clipart from Dover

Soft Drink Cakes

I've seen this come up on facebook in various forms.  Every post says these cakes are delicious and easy to do.  One poster even said that she uses diet soda and there is no artificial sweetner taste.  If you try one of these, please let us know what you think!    

               Cris 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the facebook post shared by
Cindy Diane

"Soda-cake - no eggs, no oil. Just add a can of soda to the cake mix. and bake per directions on cake box. That's it... Done.." 

Sissy's Taco Soup

Sissy's soup served in a bowl kept warm by her home-made bowl Cozie!

shared by "Sissy" Martha Walker

Ingredients
1- 2 lbs lean ground beef or ground turkey     
1 pkg ranch dressing 
1 pkg taco seasoning mix       
1 can beef broth                 
1 can rotel tomatoes, mild or hot (do NOT drain)             
2 cans diced tomatoes (do NOT drain)
1 can pinto, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained                                     


Directions
1.  Cook ground beef until well done.
2.  In a large pot combine broth, taco sauce, 
      and ranch dressing.  Mix well.
3.  Add all other ingredients and mix well.
4.  Simmer over medium heat for about 10 mins.
5.  Ready to eat.  

Great with corn bread!

Note:  For a more "taco" experience, the bowl of soup can be garnished with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, and chopped green onions and served with tortilla chips.  

Courtesy of FreeClipart

Cabbage with Sausage and Bacon.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

6 strips of lean bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces.
1 small head of cabbage, chopped or shredded
1 medium onion (yellow or red) chopped 
2 medium carrots peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 lb kielbasa or Italian Sausage, cut into bite size pieces.
1 cup water (you can use low-sodium chicken broth if you prefer)
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions:

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain off the excess grease.

In the same pan, cook the kielbasa or sausage until the meat is done.

Place the cooked meat on ti the paper towels with the bacon.

Drain off the excess grease from the skillet.  Do NOT wash the pan or wipe it clean.

In the skillet, add a small amount of cooking oil (or you can use the grease drained from the meat) and cook the carrots for about 5 minutes.  

Add the cabbage and cook until both veggies are fork tender.

Add the onions and salt and pepper and cook until the onions start to get tender.

Add in the water or broth and cooked sausage.  Simmer about 10 minutes.  Don't over cook or the carrots will get too soft. 

When ready to serve, add the crispy bacon and toss to combine.  Transfer the cooked meat and vegetables to a serving dish.

This dish is great with cooked rice.

We had Spanish Rice and Black Beans with our main dish.

Our Family's Version of Good-ole Goulash

Good-ole Goulash

Goulash is a great meal and a good comfort food.  This dish is quick and easy to make and so versatile!  But you can ask every cook in our family and each will have a different version of how to make it.  I'm sharing below the way we make it in our home.
            Cris 

My husband prefers his Goulash heavy on the meat.

I prefer my Goulash heavy on the pasta.

Makes about 6 servings (or less - depending on how hungry they are!)



Ingredients

2-3 cups cooked elbow macaroni (prepare according to package directions)

1 lb. very lean ground beef (you can substitute ground turkey if you want)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes (drain off the liquid and set aside)
½ to 2/3 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp. McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning mix
½ tesp. dried Basil
½ tesp. pepper
½ tesp. salt
½ tesp. Texas Pete (optional)

Directions

In a large skillet, sprinkle the ground beef with the Montreal Steak seasoning and cook until the meat is almost done, breaking it up into little pieces as it cooks.

When the meat is about done, add in the chopped bell peppers and chopped onions.  Saute until the vegetables start to get tender. 

Add in the diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and Basil.  Stir to combine.

Stir in the cooked macaroni.  (Use as much or as little as you prefer for the meat to pasta ratio.)  

Over low heat, simmer the goulash for a few minutes to get everything hot.

If the mixture seems too dry, add in the liquid drained from the canned tomatoes.

When ready to serve, stir in the Texas Pete.


If you do not have or don't want to use the Montreal Steak seasoning, you can season with a little paprika and garlic powder.

Also, you can use red, yellow, and/or red sweet bell peppers with or in place of the green bell pepper.

Fresh tomatoes can be used in place of the canned tomatoes.  Remove the stems and skin from the tomatoes and dice them.  You will not have as much liquid as from the canned tomatoes so add a little more tomato sauce.

Free clipart courtesy of Dover Clip Art

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

     My brother-in-law, Charlie Walker, has become quite a cook since he retired!  Here is one of his latest recipes.  Cris 


Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

Shared by Charlie Walker


4 or 5 lb pork tenderloin
1 pkg low sodium bacon or regular, your choice
Honey
Apple cider vinegar and Apple juice

RUB:
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tbs chili powder
2 tbs mustard powder
2 tbs onion powder
2 tbs garlic powder
2 tbs lemon pepper
2 tbs cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients for Rub together and mix well.

Rinse pork loin and dry as much as you can.  

Inject mixture of apple juice and apple cider vinegar throughout the meat.

Take your Rub and apply on top and bottom and the sides of the meat covering well. 

Then wrap your Bacon around the meat with each slice slightly overlapping the other. 

Then drizzle Honey over the top and spread with basting brush.

Cover and put in fridge at least 2 hr or better overnight. 

Take out and let set until it reaches room temp.

Pre-Heat oven to 400 and put in for 2 hr. 

Looking for internal meat temp of 145. 

Take out of the oven and let meat rest about 30 min before cutting to allow juices to absorb back into the meat.

free clipart by Dover Clip Arts

Sugar-less, Egg-less Snack

This recipe was shared on facebook. 
I made these -- they're pretty good!  See my notes below
         Cris

Since there weren't any instructions, just the ingredients, this is how I made them.  I also added about 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts for a little crunch 

Photos of my cookies are below, too.

Mash the bananas until there are no big lumps.
Add the apple sauce, milk, and vanilla.
Mix to combine the wet ingredients.
Add in the oats, raisins, and cinnamon.
Add the nuts if you are using them.

Spray a cookie sheet lightly with a non-stick spray.

Drop by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet.  Mine were about 2 inches across.  

NOTE:  the cookies do not spread out but hold their shape.  You can put them close together.

My batter was a bit wet (I think my apple sauce was a little thin) so I baked my cookies for the full 18 minutes.

Cool for a few minutes before taking them off of the cookies sheet.

This made 24 cookies approximately 2 inches across.

They are very moist, so I stored mine in a container in the refrigerator.


If you tried these and made any variations, please let me know!  
Thanks!  

              Cris