recipe

Homemade Banana Pudding

  • 2 ⅔ cups white sugar
  • 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 12 large eggs, beaten
  • 8 cups milk
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 8 -10 bananas, peeled and sliced
  • 2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafer cookies

Whipped Cream for topping

Layer a large dish with alternating layers of vanilla wafers and thinly sliced bananas.

Whip twelve eggs till well beaten.

Add to all other ingredients except vanilla to large kettle and mix well. Cook on low to medium heat stirring CONSTANTLY to avoid sticking. Frequently scrape bottom of pan to avoid scorching till you bring to full boil. When it starts to thicken, remove from heat and whip in vanilla. Pour pudding mixture over cookie and banana layers. Chill and garnish with whipped cream.

Alternative old-fashioned meringue topping: Separate egg whites and yellows. Use yellows in pudding. Whip whites till stiff. Whip in 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Should form stiff peaks when layered on pudding. Toast under broiler 1-2 minutes watching constantly to brown. Do not walk away. It will burn! Chill

One of my aunts used to make a huge banana pudding in a dishpan when we had a family gathering. I can’t image what her recipe was. One of Bud’s cousins pulled a funny when they hosted a meal at their home. His wife put him in charge of desserts. He asked every woman in the crowd to bring banana pudding. We had plenty!

Easiest Caramel Pie

I get many requests for this pie. It’s very easy but time-consuming.

Ingredients

2 cans sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

Graham Cracker Crust

Take labels of sweetened condensed mild and submerge, unopened in a deep pot of water

Boil 3 hours, adding water as needed to keep submerged. I set my kitchen timer.

Take hot cans from boiling water and let cool exactly ten minutes.

Open with care and pour caramelized sweetened condensed milk into pie crust and freeze. Will not setup if you don’t totally freeze.

Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Well, Black My Eyes!

This post might not make sense to you if you’re not from the South, but I had a near calamity today.  I had a taste for black eye peas, so I got my trusty cast iron pot out and started washing peas.  Bud made a pass through and nearly swooned with true love when he saw how lovely I looked washing peas, and the garlic, celery, and onion waiting on the chopping block.  There would be unhappiness in our home this evening if no peas and ham were forthcoming.  After seasoning and starting the peas, I went to the freezer to find the meaty hambone I’d squirreled back a couple of weeks ago.  I think to a Southern Cook, the hambone is more important than the ham itself, a delicacy to be hidden from nosey freezer plunderers at all costs.  In fact, I have been known to threaten bodily harm when a home-wrecking guest asked Bud, not me, for the hambone after a meal.  I put a stop to that hussy then and there!

At any rate, the precious hambone has to be retrieved at the perfect point of denuding.  Too much meat on the bone is wasteful.  Too little just leaves the pea soup a bit anemic. I knew I had the most darling hambone hidden away in the freezer awaiting its rendezvous with my peas.  I reached in the freezer for my hambone and found………..nothing!  Well, actually I found ground beef and pork, chicken parts of numerous vintages, several kinds of sausage, vegetables and fruit a plenty, but no hambone.  I panicked.  Earlier in the week, I’d asked Bud to get the frozen meat trimmings and scraps to the trash.  God forbid?  Had he mistaken my foil-wrapped hambone for scraps. Worse yet, had he sneaked it out to another woman? I was almost too shattered to look, but finally found my hambone shoved to the back of the bottom shelf behind a bag of ice.  Never has a hambone been so welcome.  The peas breathed a sigh of relief when I dropped the bone in.

Our marriage was saved.

2 1/2 cups black eyed peas
8 cups water
1/2 tablespoon salt or more to taste
1/4 tablespoon black pepper
1 medium onion (whole)

1/4 c diced celery if desired
Nice hambone

1/4 teaspoon vinegar (or pepper sauce)

Simmer all ingredients in large cooking pot on stove top burner on medium heat. Use cast-iron pot if you have one.

Cook 40-60 minutes or until peas are tender. Do not allow water to evaporate entirely. If peas are dry they will burn quickly.

Serve with hot cornbread

Barbie’s Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting


2c flour
2c sugar
1t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1stick margarine
1/2 c peanut butter
1 c water
1/2 c buttermilk
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
Place dry ingredients in bowl. Bring margarine, peanut butter, and water to a boil. Pour over dry ingredients, mix well. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Mix well and pour into greased jelly roll pan. Bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Spread with frosting while cake is warm.

Frosting:
1/2 c peanut butter
1 stick margarine
5 T water
2 t vanilla
1 lb powdered sugar
1 c chopped nuts
Bring water, margarine and peanut butter to a boil. Add vanilla, then stir in sifted powdered sugar. If too stiff, slowly add warm water until spreading consistency,

If you don’t have nuts, use chunky peanut butter. I added 4 oz. Bakers chocolate while bringing frosting to a boil, just because chocolate and peanut butter are best friends.

Barbie’s Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting

We went to a Labor Day reunion in Kansas last weekend. Bud’s cousin Barbie, one of the best cooks I know brought this cake: word must have gotten out ahead of time. I foolishly waited till the end of the line. It was gone on first pass when the crowd went through. I made one for myself today! If a crowd shows up to dinner at my house tonight I’ll cut myself a piece before serving anybody else, cook’s privilege!

I think this cake would do well as 9×13, layer cake, or bundt cake.

Crockpot Apple Butter

I learned to make the easiest apple butter ever. I didn’t even peel my apples, just cored and sectioned them. I was gifted 20 lbs of apples. They went straight into apple butter. 1 lb apples yields about a pint of apple butter. I will use this recipe for pumpkin, peach,pear or whatever produce I come by. Taste as you cook. You may add or decrease sugar or spices to your taste.

5 lbs apples (fills 6 qt crockpot. I heaped them up)

4 cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Core and section apples. Top with sugar and spices. Set crockpot on medium. Cook 12 -18 hours. Blend till smooth with hand mixer. Jar in clean jars with new flats and rings. Cover with water, bring to boil and boil 10 minutes to seal. I did in pressure cooker since I made a lot. Excellent on hot biscuits. This makes an excellent gift!

This is about half my apple butter. The rest is still cooking. The house smells wonderful!

White Chili

  • 4 oz butter
  • 2 sweet onions, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 boneless chicken breast halves chopped (I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
  • 1 or 2 (4 ounce) cans canned green chile peppers, chopped(green chilis optional depending on your taste)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

4 cloves crushed garlic

Chicken broth to cook beans(I use reconstituted salt caution) supplement with water as needed to cook beans.

Cook 1 cup dried Navy beans according to package directions in chicken broth instead of water.) Don’t salt until done. Broth may have enough salt)May use large can of Navy beans if you prefer

Saute onions and garlic in butter till clear. Add chopped chicken breasts. Stir in spices and 1 can green chilis if you’re a sissy like me, 2 if you like spicy. Simmer 10 minutes Mix into prepared beans. Simmer on low( bubbling around edges of pan till flavors blend well.

If you’re feeling wild, you can add cayenne or chopped jalapeños.

Before serving, stir in grated Monterey Jack Cheese. Salt and black pepper to taste.

Great with regular or Mexican Cornbread.

Can double recipe. It freezes well.

Best if made day ahead and you give spices time to get friendly.

Easy Chicken Tetrazzini

The recipe said Easy Chicken Tetrazzini but somebody lied. I took them at their word and cooked up a double batch. Of course, I didn’t stick to their recipe , so here’s mine. It is delicious, a great comfort food. Hubby is eating it right now and looks pretty happy.

Pretty Good Chicken Tetrazzini (Double Batch)

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs(use 6 breasts if you prefer)

2 family size cans cream of chicken soup

8 oz butter

16 oz cream cheese

1 1/2 -2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream if desired

large onion sliced in rings

2 Tbs chopped fresh garlic

2 Tbs fresh parseley

1/4 cup diced celery

1 cup diced mushrooms

1 tsp tajin (spice)

Salt and pepper to taste. I always taste before adding salt with canned soup. It is salty.

16 oz spaghetti

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese mixed with 1/2 buttered cracker crumbs to garnish

Cook 16 oz spaghetti per package directions while you are making sauce.

Saute onions and garlic in butter till clear in Dutch oven sized pan. There will be lots of sauce. Add mushrooms and chicken cut in large chunks. Stir in parsley, celery, pepper, and tajin. Mix in 2 cans of soup, 16 oz cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. Add 1 cup sour cream if desired.

Divide in half if desired. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and buttered cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I froze the 2nd casserole before baking. Allow to thaw before cooking.

Can also be cooked in crockpot on high for 3 hours.

Delicious Food

I’d have to claim a well-prepared steak is the most delicious food ever. I don’t want it that often, but when I’m ready, it’s great. I choose a steak with sufficient fat marbling and sprinkle it liberally on both sides with coarse Kosher salt. I let it sit for 1 to 24 hours. Next, I rinse and dry it with paper towels. It is probably salty enough, so I season it with coarsely ground black pepper and garlic powder. I grill it till medium rare, usually seven minutes on each side. It needs to sit five minutes before serving. It will be tender and moist. Best served with baked potato and salad. Try it!

Don’t Spin Your Greens, Granny!

greens 2

When you live in the South and visit old folks in the country, the first thing you have to do is admire their garden. If you run out of excuses, you’ll come home with a “mess of greens.” I hate dealing with greens. For the unenlightened, greens include turnips, collards, or mustard greens. Boiled down low, with a bit of pork, and garnished with a splash of “pepper sauce,” greens make a delicious meal. A true connoisseur polishes off by sopping up the juice, or pot-liquor with cornbread. If you’re above the Mason-Dixon Line, try a roll. That’s the happy ending.

Now, we get down to the nitty gritty, literally. Greens have to be “looked and washed.” The first step is dispossessing the wildlife who habituate greens. Nobody wants to find half a worm or a cluster of bug eggs in their pot-liquor. You have to give both sides of each rumpled leaf a good look, wash, and then rinse copiously. I’d heard the glorious news that greens could be washed in the washing machine, cutting down tremendously on prep time.

The next time Bud visited an elderly family member, he came back wagging a bag of greens. I didn’t moan like normal, having recently heard the good news that greens could be washed in the washing machine. As usual, the basic information registered, not the total technique. I loaded the washer with dirty greens and detergent and hit the start button. Quite a while later, the alarm sounded, and I went to retrieve my sparkling greens. Alas, no greens remained, just a few tough stems and a few bits of leaves. A follow-up conversation with my friend revealed that I should have only washed them on gentle and not continue on to spend.

Though I hoped he’d forget, Bud came in that night expecting greens. I feigned innocence. “What greens?” It didn’t fly. “The greens I brought in yesterday.” It’s hard to come up with an excuse how precious greens went missing. I gave up and told the truth, though I don’t like worrying Bud stuff with that gets his blood pressure up. I’m considerate that way.

“They went down the drain.”

“How in the Hell did they go down the drain?” I don’t know why he gets all up in my housekeeping and cooking business

“They just did. Now don’t keep asking nosy questions!” “

“Exactly what drain and how did that happen?” “

“The washing machine drain.” I

I hoped if I answered matter-of-factly, he’d move on. I didn’t work. “

“You put greens in the washing machine? What in the Hell were you thinking?” I

I hate it when he apes back what I’ve just said. I’ve told him it gets on my nerves. “It takes forever to look and wash greens. Jenny told me she puts hers in the washer and it works great. I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to put them through spin.”

“Grouch, grouch, grouch @^%&( , #@$%! Don’t ever put )(^%&# greens in the washer, again!”

“Okay, okay. Don’t go on forever about it. I get tired of your nagging” Since then I’ve been careful not to spin them. It works great.