Oven - Fried Chicken

 Heat your oven to 425 degrees

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine

2/3 cups Bisquick baking mix

1 1/2 teaspoon of paprika

1 1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pound fryer chicken cut up ( you can buy it already cut up )

Melt margarine in a rectangular 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan in the oven.

Mix baking mix paprika, salt and pepper. Coat each piece of chicken with the mix and place skin side down in the pan.

Bake 35 minutes, turn each piece over and bake another 15 minutes or until done. 

This is always a great easy dish to make on Sunday. It gives me time to get some other things done while it baked. Serve with a baked sweet or white potato, and a vegetable of choice and you have a perfect dinner.   

Rum Balls

 1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs ( about 50 cookies)

1/4 cup Bacardi dark rum ( 80 proof )

1/4 cup honey

2 cups ground ( finely chopped) walnuts

Confectioner's sugar

Combine all ingredients, except sugar. Blend thoroughly. Shape into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Roll in sugar. Store in a tightly covered container or tin. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

I make these at Christmas and they are such a big hit.  

Clam Dip

 1 8 ounce can minced clams

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 8 ounce package of softened cream cheese

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon horseradish

Drain clams reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid. Combine clams, liquid cream cheese and remaining ingredients mixing well. Chill for 3 hours.

Enjoy with chips or crackers!

Mom's Shrimp Dip

1 can of tiny or medium shrimp drained

1 8 ounce pack of cream cheese ( softened)

2 T of finely diced onion

1/2 teaspoon of barbeque spice or old bay

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients well and put in fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.

Enjoy these with chips! 

 

Dee's New York Cheesecake

 This Cheesecake is delightful! Very versatile as you can add any topping you choose. 

2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 stick of butter

1 cup sugar, divided

2 pounds of cream cheese ( softened)

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon of good vanilla extract

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sour cream

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.

In a bowl place graham cracker crumbs, butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar; blend well. Reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish. Press remaining mixture onto bottom and sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Chill in freezer while preparing filling.

In a mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining sugar until sooth and light. Beat in eggs, vanilla and cornstarch just until blended. Stir in sour cream. Pour mixture into prepared crust and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 200 degrees and bake 45 minutes. Turn oven off, allow to cool with the door open slightly for 3 hours. Remove sides from pan, sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture and chill. Makes 12 servings.

Cook's note:

Try topping with cherry pie filling, or apple pie filling, or a sweetened pineapple topping. Some people like sour cream mixed with sugar as a topping too. I personally love it plain. It's one of the best cheesecakes I've had. 

Enjoy!

Mom Mom Puff's Carrot Cake

This is an amazing Carrot Cake that my Mother-in-law makes. And I will tell tell you I love this Woman with all my heart! How lucky am I to have just the best Mother in Law!  I made the one in the picture, but hers was a lot more fancy. She told me she used to make this back in the day and sell it for $50.00. It was my first time making it and normally the tops and sides are covered with the frosting. I had left over pecan filling and that is why you see it on the top. Now I just cover the entire cake with the frosting. I was never a carrot cake fan until I tasted hers. It is a labor of love for sure as there are so many steps, but well worth it. 

The cake:

1 1/4 Cups of corn oil

2 Cups Sugar

2 Cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1 pound of grated carrots, she leaves skin on after washing the carrots.

1 Cup chopped pecans

1 Cup raisins

The filling:

1 Cup sugar

1/4 Cup flour

1 Cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 Cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons of vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounce packaged of cream cheese

8 ounces of butter

1/2 pound of 10x sugar, use the whole box

1 teaspoon of vanilla

4 ounces of shredded coconut ( toasted for 10 minutes)

This cake will weigh almost 10 pounds when completed.

Be sure to use a deep 10 inch tube pan

NOW LETS MAKE THE CAKE!

The Cake:

In a mixing bowl, blend oil and sugar. In another bowl Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Sift half of the dry ingredients into the oil/sugar mixture. Blend. Sift the remaining dry ingredients into the oil/sugar mixture alternating with the eggs. Mix well. Stir in grated carrots, pecans and raisins. By this point you may want to use the dough hook of your mixer as this is so heavy.

In your prepared tube pan (greased and floured) put the cake batter. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool upright. Separate cake from pan. Lengthwise cut the cake into 3 layers. ( cutting across the cake) Starting with the bottom layer, spread the pecan filling , in-between each layer. Now that the cake is assembled, spread the top and sides with the cream cheese frosting. Pat the sides with the coconut. 

Pecan filling:

Combine sugar and flour, gradually stir in the heavy whipping cream. Add butter and salt. Bring to a simmer. Then add pecans and vanilla. Allow to cool just a bit. This is what you will spread in-between layers of cake. 

Cream Cheese Frosting :

Soften cream cheese and add butter, then add vanilla and the 10x sugar. Beat until creamy. Spread over top and sides of cooled cake.

Oh my! I really need to make this soon!