Praline Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 cups corn syrup
  • 3 Tblsp flour
  • 5 ounces evaporated milk
  1. Toast pecans (300F for 15 min.)
  2. Melt butter.
  3. Add brown sugar, corn syrup and flour.
  4. Boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
  5. Cool to lukewarm.
  6. Gradually stir in evaporated milk and pecans.
  7. Serve warm.

Hot Chocolate Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups cocoa, sfited
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  1. Heat cream in butter, bring to a boil. Add sugars, stirring until dissolved.
  2. Cool for 5 minutes. Add sifted cocoa and salt. Whisk until smooth.
  3. Keep warm in double boiler until ready to serve.

Cocktail Meatballs

  • 2 12 oz jars Heinz chili sauce
  • 32 oz grape jelly
  • 1 bag meatballs ( 80 – 96, plain or italian)
  1. Combine sauce and jelly. Add to meatballs in crockpot. Cook until hot.

Blondies

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoons salt
  • 1 stick butter
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  1. Line a 13″x9″ pan with foil. Set oven to 350°.
  2. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
  3. Melt butter. Stir brown sugar into butter. Stir in eggs and vanilla.
  4. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Spread in pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and press in slightly.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Cheesy Corn Bread

  • 3 ounces mild or sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons sliced scallion greens
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 box (8 ½ oz) cornbread mix
  • 1/3 cup skim milk
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup frozen kernel corn
  • 2-3 drops hot pepper sauce
  • vegetable oil spray
  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Melt butter and place in medium bowl. Add cornbread mix, milk and egg, stirring just until evenly blended. Do not overstir. Stir in cheese, scallions, corn and hot pepper sauce. Spray a pie plate with vegetable oil spray and spread mixture evenly in the pie plate.
  3. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5-10 minutes before slicing.
  4. Yields 8 servings.

Chili for a Crowd

From my friend Cathy Cozens:

  • 3 lb ground beef
  • 2 cans (28oz ea) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 4 cans (15oz ea) kidney, pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 lb smoked kielbasa, sliced and halved
  • 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2 cans (8oz ea) tomato sauce
  • 2/3 cup hickory flavored barbeque sauce
  • 1½ cups water
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 bell peppers, seeded and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon sage
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  1. In dutch oven, brown beef, drain; add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
  2. Yields 20-24 servings.

Coffee Fudge

  • 1 cup coffee
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 T cream
  • 1 T butter
  • 1/8 t salt
  • ¼ t cream of tartar
  • ½ t almond extract
  • ½ t cinnamon
  1. Boil coffee and sugar. Remove from heat and add cream, butter, cream of tartar and salt. Bring back to a boil. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove cover and cook to 240F. Remove from heat and cool to 110F. Add almond extract and cinnamon. Beat until thick and quickly turn into a buttered dish.

Cranberry Fruit Punch

  • 3 quarts water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups strong tea
  • 12 oz frozen lemonade, thawed
  • 2 quarts cranberry juice
  • 1 quart apple juice
  • 2 cups orange juice
  1. Heat water and sugar to boiling, until sugar is dissolved. Cool.
  2. Prepare tea using 1 Tbsp loose tea or 3 tea bags and 2 cups boiling water. Cool. Refrigerate all ingredients.
  3. Just before serving, mix in large punch bowl.
  4. 60 servings, about ½ cup each.

Lemon Mousse (or Orange, or Lime)

  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 ½ teaspoons gelatin
  • 6 large eggs
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup lemon juice (or orange juice, or lime juice)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest (or orange, or lime)
  • ½ cup sugar
  1. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small bowl.  Set aside until the gelatin softens.
  2. Separate the eggs whites into a bowl for whipping and the yolks into the top of a double boiler (not on the heat yet!).  Whisk ¾ cup sugar into the yolks.  Then whisk in the lemon juice and zest.
  3. Put the yolk mixture over moderately bubbling water and cook, whisking continuously about 6 to 8 minutes, until it reaches 170ºF.  It should get foamy and thicken somewhat, nearly tripling in volume.
  4. Remove the pan from the double boiler, add the softened gelatin, and stir until the gelatin has dissolved.  Pour into a 2- to 3-quart mixing bowl, and set over a larger bowl of ice water, whisking occasionally until the mixture becomes syrupy and cooler than room temperature (about 6 minutes).
  5. Beat the eggs whites until foamy.  Gradually add the ½ cup sugar.  Whip until stiff, glossy peaks form.
  6. Whisk the cooled lemon mixture until it is smooth.  Fold about 1 cup of the meringue into the lemon mixture.  Then fold in the remaining meringue.  Pour into cups or bowls.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours.
  7. For garnishing, I liked using a small dollop of whip cream with a tiny wedge of lemon (or orange, or lime).

Pumpkin Roll

Cake

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  1. Line a 15×10 jelly roll pan with foil and grease. Set aside.
  2. Beat eggs at high speed until thick and pale. Gradually add 1 cup sugar and beat 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice.
  4. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg. Gradually stir into pumpkin mixture.
  5. Spread batter evenly in 15×10 jelly roll pan; sprinkle with 1 cup pecans, gently pressing into batter. Bake at 375º for 12 minutes.
  • 1 to 2 Tblsp powdered sugar
  1. Sift 1 to 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in a 15-x10-inch rectangle on a cloth towel.
  2. When cake is done, immediately loosen from sides of pan, and turn out onto sugared towel. Starting at narrow end, roll up cake and towel together; cool completely on a wire rack, seam side down.

Filling

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  1. Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl at high speed; gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until blended.
  2. Unroll cake, and remove towel. Spread with cream cheese mixture, and carefully reroll.
  3. Place cake on plate, seam side down.
  4. Garnish, if desired, with sweetened whipped cream or chopped pecans. Store in refrigerator.
  5. Yield: 8 servings.