A Taste of Fame (37 page)
Add ingredients into a mixing bowl. Stir with fork until well blended. Pour mix into a resealable container or jar.
To Prepare
Add
1
/
4
cup of mix into a mug. Add hot water, stir, and serve.
Yield: 8–9 servings.
Donna’s Cook’s Notes
Because of the addition of the pudding mix, this stuff dissolves beautifully. It’s just my cup of joe
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Scalloped Potatoes
1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
3
/
4
cup milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1
/
4
teaspoon pepper
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
4 medium potatoes, hinly sliced
1 tablespoon margarine
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine soup, milk, onions, pepper,
1
/
2
cup of the cheese, and potatoes. (Suggestion: put potatoes in the mixture right away so they don’t turn brown.) Mix everything together and pour into a 9-by-13 baking dish. Dot the top with the margarine and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tender when you pierce them with a fork.
Serves four.
Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes
This recipe was given to me when I was in my thirties. I like it because it’s easy to prepare and is perfect for potluck suppers—or any supper, for that matter
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Hony and Soy
Glazed Salmon
2 salmon fillets
2 teaspoons olive oil
Glaze
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1
1
/
2
tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon water
Mix the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over moderate heat. Place fillets in skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden and just cooked through. Transfer salmon to 2 plates. Add honey glaze to skillet and simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Pour the honey-soy glaze over salmon. Serve, eat, enjoy!
Serves 2.
Lizzie’s Cook’s Notes
A perfect fish dish when you are cooking for two, whether at the beginning of your marriage or after you’ve settled in to the empty nest
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Easy Banana Cream Pie
2 bananas
1 cup water with 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1
1
/
2
cups milk
8 ounces sour cream
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 store-bought graham cracker crust
3 ounces cream cheese
1 small package of Cool Whip
Slice bananas and coat with lemon water, then drain well. Mix together milk, sour cream, and pudding mix. Gently fold bananas into pudding mixture. Put bananas and pudding in crust. Next, beat cream cheese until smooth. Fold Cool Whip into cream cheese and spread over pudding. Chill.
Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes
Talk about easy. I could make this pie in my sleep. The nice thing is it tastes so rich and creamy you’ll wonder why you made only one
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Captain’s Stew
1
/
2
medium onion 1 pound ground beef
1 (24 ounce) can V8 juice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 package mixed frozen vegetables
1 bay leaf
Sauté onions and meat in a Dutch oven. Cook until meat is done. Add soups and juice and cook until boiling. Add frozen vegetables and bay leaf. Simmer till the vegetables are warmed through. This stew is best when simmered all day. Transfer from Dutch oven to a Crock-Pot if desired. Keep setting on low.
Goldie’s Cook’s Notes
My mother-in-law gave me this recipe just after I married Jack. It’s always been a favorite in cold weather as well as hot
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Twice Baked Potatoes
10 (8 ounce) baking potatoes
1
/
2
cup melted butter
1
/
2
cup heavy cream, hot
1
/
2
cup sour cream
1
/
2
cup onions, diced fine and sautéed
3 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
3 ounces bacon, fried and crumbled
Bake potatoes at 350 degrees for about an hour. Cut top off and scoop out potatoes. In mixer, cream together butter, cream, and sour cream. Spoon back into potato skins and top with onions, cheese, and bacon. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
Yield: 10 potatoes.
Donna’s Cook’s Notes
If I were to plan a dinner party without the team, I think I would serve these and nothing else
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Happy Trail Mix
2 cups sunflower seeds (without shells)
1 cup dried fruit
1
/
2
cup shredded coconut
1 cup nuts (I like cashews or unsalted peanuts)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
optional: 1 cup chocolate or caramel chips
Mix all of the ingredients together and pack
1
/
2
cup to 1 cup in resealable plastic baggies.
Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes
Actually, this is Lisa Leann’s recipe. That girl sure is handy when you’re hungry and on a trip. Apparently, this is so easy, even I could make it!
Cappuccino Mix
2
/
3
cup instant coffee
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1 cup powdered chocolate drink mix
1
/
2
cup granulated sugar
3
/
4
teaspoon ground cinnamon
3
/
8
teaspoon ground nutmeg
Put the instant coffee into blender or food processor and process into a fine powder. In a large bowl, combine creamer, chocolate mix, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and instant coffee. Stir well and store in covered containers or jars.
To Prepare
Mix 3 tablespoons of powder with 6 fluid ounces hot water. Yield: 16 servings.
Lisa Leann’s Cook’s Notes
Ever since I went to New York, I’ve searched high and low for a good cappuccino. Finally, I experimented with how I could make one myself. I hope you like the results
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Tex-Ranch Dip
16 ounces sour cream
1 package ranch dip mix
1
/
2
cup salsa
1
/
2
teaspoon chili powder
Stir sour cream and ranch dip mix in medium bowl until well blended. Stir salsa and chili powder into prepared dip. Cover and refrigerate an hour. Stir and serve with tortilla chips.
Donna’s Cook’s Notes
This dip recipe has all the ingredients I look for in a recipe: (1) easy; (2) good; (3) party pleasing!
Homemade Protein Bars
3
1
/
2
cups quick oats
1
1
/
2
cups powdered nonfat milk
4 scoops chocolate or vanilla protein powder
2 egg whites, beaten
1
/
4
cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pancake syrup (you can use sugar free)
1
/
4
cup natural applesauce
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in bowl (blend well). In a separate bowl, combine egg whites, juice, vanilla, syrup, and applesauce. Blend well. Stir liquids into dry ingredients until blended. The consistency will be thick and similar to cookie dough. Spread batter on baking sheet coated with nonstick spray. Use a 9-by-13 baking dish if you want a thicker bar. Bake until edges are crisp and browned. Cut into 10 bars and store in airtight container. Can be frozen. If you want a moister bar, add a little more applesauce to the recipe for softness.
Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes
This is one potlucker who was pretty grateful having Lisa Leann’s culinary abilities take the lead on snacks when it came to our NYC trip!
Homemade Danish
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1
/
2
cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 teaspoons preserves or jam
Glaze
1
/
2
cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons milk (can add up to 3 teaspoons)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend first 3 ingredients until smooth. Separate crescent dough into 8 rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal (2 triangles are pressed together to make the 1 rectangle). Spread about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture on each rectangle. Starting at longer side, roll up; press edges to seal. Gently stretch each roll to about 10 inches. Coil loosely into spirals with seam on inside. Seal ends. Make a deep indentation in center of each coiled roll. Fill with
1
/
2
teaspoon of preserves/jam. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 20 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown. While baking, prepare glaze by mixing ingredients together. Drizzle over warm rolls.
Goldie’s Cook’s Notes
Take it from me, you are going to adore this recipe!
Sweet Roasted Almonds
3 cups almonds
1
/
2
cup honey
2 tablespoons butter
1
/
2
teaspoon cinnamon
Mix ingredients and microwave 3 minutes on high. Stir, then heat for another 3 minutes.
Yield: 3 cups.
Lisa Leann’s Cook’s Notes
Ever since I got back from New York, I’ve been experimenting with how to get the great taste of hot New York nuts right from my microwave
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Moroccan Lentil Soup
3
/
4
cup red lentils
4
3
/
4
cups water
1 package Knorr minestrone soup mix
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons cumin, ground
1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1
/
4
cup parsley or cilantro, chopped
Rinse lentils, then drain. In a large saucepan, combine lentils, water, soup mix, garlic, and cumin. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chickpeas; simmer another 5–10 minutes or until lentils are tender. Garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.
Serves 4.
Evangeline’s Cook’s Notes
I’m not sure what recipe the restaurant used, but when I returned from New York, I looked in several recipe books until I found this
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Chicken Potpie
Combine all potpie ingredients and then spoon into one prepared pie crust. Cover with other crust; crimp edges to seal. Slit top crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Lizzie’s Cook’s Notes
You will love this potpie. It is simply delicious. If it got any easier, it’d be the frozen kind you find at the supermarket
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Red Hot Tea Mix
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer
2
1
/
2
cups white sugar
1
1
/
2
cups unsweetened instant tea
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1
/
4
cup red hots
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar, and instant tea. Stir in ginger, cinnamon, red hots, cloves, and cardamom. Pour into sealable jars or containers.
To Prepare
Stir 2 heaping tablespoons tea mixture into a mug of hot water.
Yield: 36 servings.
Donna’s Cook’s Notes
This has a chai-like flavor, but to me, it tastes like love. Every time I have a cup, I think of Sasha and her kindness to me
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Bubba’s Jambalaya
1 dozen medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
4 ounces chicken, diced
5 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
1
/
2
teaspoon paprika
1
/
2
teaspoon salt
1
/
2
teaspoon garlic powder
1
/
4
teaspoon black pepper
1
/
4
teaspoon cayenne pepper
1
/
4
teaspoon oregano
1
/
2
teaspoon thyme
1
/
2
teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1
/
4
cup chopped onion
1
/
4
cup chopped green bell pepper
1
/
4
cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1
/
2
cup chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1
/
4
teaspoon Tabasco
3
/
4
cup instant rice
3 cups chicken broth salt and pepper
In a bowl, combine shrimp, chicken, sausage, paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne, oregano, thyme, and onion powder. Next, heat oil in a large saucepan over high heat, then add onion, pepper, and celery and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. Stir in rice, then add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid, about five to ten minutes. Next add shrimp, chicken, and sausage mixture. Cook about 10 minutes more or until meat is done. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Vonnie’s Cook’s Notes
There’s a lot of chopping that goes along with this recipe, but trust me, it’s all worth it. If you like Cajun food, this is the dish to try
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Caramel Pears
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1
/
8
teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of ground cloves
2 peeled pears, cored and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
cinnamon sticks
Combine juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add pears and cook until tender (about 10 minutes). Divide pears and sauce between 2 dishes. Garnish pears with cinnamon sticks, if desired.
