Paul and Penny

I love this!!

A large handful of fresh spinach
a few frozen blueberries
a few frozen raspberries
a little bit of very cold water/crushed ice ( just enough to make the blender move the food around)
splash of cream ( this is optional, but I love it)
splash of Torani vanilla syrup ( I use sugar free)

Blend…..YUM!

2 lbs chicken breast, cooked and deboned OR 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb Eckrich style sausage cooked and browned and drained.

1/2 onion

1 T minced garlic

2 T chili powder

2 t cumin

1 c chicken broth

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (8oz) tomato sauce

salt and pepper

2 T cocoa or dash of cinnamon

1 can corn, drained

1 (4oz) can mushrooms, drained

Brown onion and garlic in oil. Add rest and simmer 15 minutes or longer. Serve with shredded monterey jack or other cheese and sour cream or Mexican cream

Penny’s fast and easy low carb cheese cake (loved!) great flavor! 08/07

#1

2 (8 oz) cream cheese

2/3 cup Splenda

1/3 cup Whey Low     www.wheylow.com

2 eggs

1/8 cup water

1/8 cup cream

1 t vanilla

Mix all with electric mixer and pour into a large pie plate and make at 325 until done.

#2

4 blocks cream cheese

1 ¾ c Splenda

2 scoops Somersweet

¼ c whey low

2 tsp vanilla

¼ cup water

¼ cup cream

4 eggs

Mix all with electric mixer, bake in a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with Pam, at 350 for about 40 minutes, will puff real high and then fall.

Sauté one bunch of fresh broccoli, chopped into flowerettes in a little olive oil until it browns but, is still very firm. Melt some butter with minced garlic in microwave, pour over broccoli, stir to coat, dust with grated parmesan cheese. Serve Warm.

I’ve never met a pound cake I didn’t like! but, here on our site, I narrow it down to 4 that I absolutely love and here is my #1 all time favorite. 

I like all my pound cakes heavy and dense, so I always take them out half way through cooking and shake it down to make it more dense and then finish baking.–Penny

Penny’s Cherry Chocolate Chip Cake

Makes 2 9x 5 loaves or 1 large bundt cake

1 (18.25 oz) box cherry chip cake mix (this is getting hard to find, but I use Betty Crocker’s cherry chip cake mix with pudding in the mix)

1/4  to 1/3 cup milk (omit if using cake mix without pudding in the mix)

1 small (4 serving size) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 cup sour cream ( I use sour cream)

4 eggs

1/3 c vegetable oil

1 c chocolate chips

1 c chopped pecans (opt)

Topping ingredients (original recipe called for this topping, but, I never use a topping on this cake)

¼ c sugar

¼ c chopped pecans

1 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix, dry pudding mix, oil, eggs, and sour cream in large mixing bowl.  With mixer on low, blend til just moistened, scraping sides of bowl often.  Then beat it at medium speed for 2-4 minutes. (I usually do it for 2).

Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts if using) and pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.

Combine topping ingredients (if using) and sprinkle over batter. Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for a few minutes before inverting and then remove to rack and completely cool.

#3…..Chocolate Chip Coffee .

-I like all my pound cakes heavy and dense, so I always take them out half way through cooking and shake it down to make it more dense and then finish baking.–Penny

½ c butter, softened

1 c sugar

2 eggs

1 c sour cream

1 t vanilla

2 c flour

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

½ t salt

¾ c semi sweet chocolate chips ( I use 1 c)

Topping ( I never use this)

½ c flour

½ c brown sugar

1 ½ t cocoa

¼ c cold butter

½ c chopped pecans

¼ c choc chips

Cream butter and sugar til fluffy, beat in eggs, add sour cream and vanilla; mix just til combined, Set aside. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet, stir in choc chips. Pour into a greased bundt pan. (or a greased 9 inch square pan-Bake 45-50 min).

For topping combine sugar add cocoa, cut butter in until resembles coarse crumbs, Stir in pecans and choc chips. Sprinkle over batter. Bake 350 for 55-60 minutes until cake tests done. Cool in pan 20 minutes before removing to cool on rack.

This was the traditional breakfast in our house for Christmas morning when my kids were growing up. We always served it with Coca Cola! What a treat!

Update: 12/2008-Hannah made this for her family for the first time this year and they all loved it. Noah and Neriah asked for seconds! She said it brought back so many memories for her. It’s now a hit for three generations!

2 loaves Rhoades frozen bread

1 lb Jimmy Dean regular sausage, browned and crumbled and drained

1 lb mozerella cheese

garlic salt to taste

1 stick Parkay margarine, melted

“Southern” Defined:

Per Wikipedia: The Southern United States-commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South-constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States.

As defined by the United States Census Bureau, the Southern region of the United States includes sixteen states and the District of Columbia (with a total 2006 estimated population of 109,083,752.) Thirty-six percent of all U.S. residents lived in the South, the nation’s most populous region. The Census Bureau defined three smaller units, or divisions:

-The West South Central States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas .

-The South Atlantic States: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Delaware

-The East South Central States: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee

My sister, Emily, and I were both born in Oklahoma because our parents lived where dad’s job was at the moment and mom always went back “home” to Oklahoma to give birth.  After I was born, my parents were off to Muskogee, Oklahoma but, just for a few months, and then we were off to Comanche, Texas to live for the next three years. Emily was born about 3 years later and mom and daddy brought her back to Comanche but, not for long. In a few short weeks, dad’s job would take the family to Forrest City, Arkansas. Three years of life in three Southern states! We lived in Arkansas until I was 11 and Emily was 8, then unfortunately, mom and dad divorced and it was back to Oklahoma for mom and kids. I lived in the Norman area until I was 35 years old and then I went back to Texas and have planted some roots here and am probably here to stay. Emily remains in Oklahoma still and is not far from our old stomping grounds. All three states we have lived in are considered “the south”. Our parents were born and raised in Oklahoma (mom is Spiro and Daddy in Rushsprings) with the exception of mom living some of her younger years in Arkansas. We still have family in Arkansas and have lots of southern memories from there. Many are from our home town of course, but we have even better ”southern” ones from our Aunt Martha’s farm in Marvel, Arkansas. Now *that* place is Southern! We would go there and shuck corn, shell peas, snap beans or even dig potatoes, just depended on the season. Not only were we raised in Southern states, we were raised by a Southern mother. One who cooked almost everything in a cast iron skillet! Mom raised us on fried chicken, dumplings, fried potatoes, biscuits, creamed gravy, and corn bread served up with a pot of beans. It was good. It was real. Food never came from a box at our house. Never. Anyway, the whole point of all that information is to show how Emily and I became southern women, know how to cook southern food, have real southern manners and even have an eclectic southern accent! Lots of our family recipes are southern and our kitchen wouldn’t be complete without an old fashioned, well seasoned, iron skillet! I have one of mama’s that she gave me and I will never let go of it until it passes to one of my kids.

Following you will find a recipe for southern cornbread made by our mom. Enjoy!

Mom’s Southern Cornbread

1 3/4 cup yellow corn meal

1/4 cup all purpose flour (mom always uses Gold Medal)

6 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp salt

1 egg or 1 egg white

2 cup buttermilk

Some water (enough to thin the batter if it gets too thick)

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in an iron skillet in the oven on 400 for about 10 minutes, remove using a heat pad and scrape the mixture into the pan; it should sizzle when it hits the hot oil. Spread evenly and bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes or until done and golden brown on top.

Brown 1 lb hamburger meat with about 1/4 onion and 1/4 green bell pepper until meat is brown.
Add 1- 8 oz can of (Hunt’s) tomato sauce and 1/2 small can of tomato paste plus a tad of water if needed to thin it some plus about1 T of sugar.
Boil 1 10-12 oz package of spiral noodles until just barely done, let their be a little firmness to them when you drain them.
Shredded Mozzarella, lots! (maybe 3 cups).
1 small ricotta cheese or cottage cheese, add 1 egg (optional), basil, parsley, pepper, and garlic powder and salt or just a few shakes of Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Mix well.

Layer in an 8 x 9 inch pan, sprayed with Pam, a tiny bit of sauce (just enough to barely cover), 1/2 the noodles, half the cottage cheese mixture (this will not spread so just glop a few spoons of it all around and slightly spread it a little-some places won’t be completely covered and that’s OK, 1/2 the shredded cheese, then repeat ending with shredded cheese. cover with foil bake 400* til cheese melts all through.
NOTE: If you want to do this faster then, forget the homemade sauce and just brown your meat and pour in a large can of Hunt’s Spaghetti sauce, add a T of sugar and viola! Your done!

Penny’s Sangria

6 cups of wine (white, red or a mixture)

1 c brandy or apricot brandy

1 c frozen peaches

1 c frozen cherries

A handful of sliced fresh strawberries (optional)

1 orange (don’t macerate-skin is too acidic)

½ simple syrup or apricot nectar

1/2 c mixture of juices (orange and pineapple or cranberry something red would be nice)

Macerate all the fruit except the orange in the brandy for 24 hours.

Next day add wines, apricot nectar, mixture of juices and orange slices.

Mix and serve.

Some lime juice may add flavor-Optional

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Recipe for one bottle of white wine:

2/3 c brandy

2/3 frozen peaches

2/3 c frozen cherries

1 bottle wine (4 glass bottle)

3/8 c simple syrup or apricot nectar (1/4 cup plus half of  ¼ cup)

3/8 c orange or pineapple juice (1/4 c plus half of  ¼ c)

1 orange

Small handful of sliced strawberries-opt

Squirt of lime juice-opt.