Cream Puffs (shrimp puffs)

Puff Pastry

set oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (mom never used parchment paper, but she might have sprayed the sheet with baking oil)

combine in a saucepan:

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of butter, cut up

bring to boil.

turn to medium low

Add:

1 cup of flour

stir until it creates a ball of dough that pulls away from the sides of the pot

remove from heat and continue to stir to cool down.

Add four eggs one at a time, stirring after each egg, until the mixture is smooth and velvety.

Pipe the mix onto baking sheets in mounds about 2 inches wide and 1 inch tall. Leave at least 1 1/2 inches between each. you can use either a pastry bag, or just a ziploc baggie with the tip cut off. I believe mom even just spooned the batter on a time or two.

Dampen your finger with cold water to press down the peaks

Bake for 30 minutes

When they are cool, you can cut the tops off to insert the filling, or you can add the filling with a special tip on a piping bag.

Filling:

Mom always filled hers with a shrimp/cream cheese filling where she used one package of cream cheese, and one small can of baby shrimp(drained).

You can also make any pudding you happen to have or that you want

 

If you want to make eclairs, instead of making mounds, make longer, more eclair shaped shapes on the baking sheet.

No Bake Cookies

Ok, so this isn’t moms recipe that I know of, but it is one that we have loved.

2 c. sugar

1 stick margarine (or butter)

1/2 c. milk

4 T Cocoa

3 c. oatmeal

1 T peanut butter, heaping it (i usually add extra)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

put oatmeal, peanut butter and vanilla in a large bowl.

Combine sugar, margarine, milk and cocoa.  Stir constantly over med hi head and bring to a boil.  allow to boil 3 minutes.  Add to oatmeal mixture and mx well making sure to mix the peanut butter in and allowing it to melt.  Drop on waxed paper.  Let set until cold.

Tuna biscuit casserole

This is one of moms go to meals when we were poor.  (which was always…lol)  but my kids love it.

Mix in a bowl 2 cans of cream of chicken soup (i prefer cream of mushroom for added flavor, but have also used cream of brocolli, or cream of celery), 1 1/2Can of milk (use the can from the soup for measurement) and 1 can of tuna, drained.  Stir well and put in a cake pan.

 

baking powder biscuits:

2 1/2 cups flour

4 tsp baking Powder (not soda….it is nasty, don’t ask how i know)

1/4 cup sugar

dash of salt (optional)

mix well:

cut in 2/3 cup of shortening (use a pastry blender or a fork and continue to mix in the shortening until is in small pea size pieces)

slowly add 2/3 cup milk

Mom used to actually roll this dough out and cut biscuits.  I prefer to take this step out and just do drop biscuits.  My dough is pretty sticky but it is easy to drop biscuits and then I don’t have the mess on the counter.  If the dough is sticky and you prefer to roll out the dough just add another 1/2 cup flour.

 

bake at 400 until biscuits are brown on top.

 

 

 

Dinner Rolls

So these famous dinner rolls that mom made don’t really have specific measurements.  I will write up the instructions as I know them, but just know that if you remember differently it is probably also right.

 

Scald 2 cups of milk.  (cook on the stove until a slight skin forms on top of it.  Also, you can look to the sides for small bubbles.)  Pour over 1 stick of butter and allow the  milk to melt the butter.

Add 2 eggs and about 1/3 cup of sugar.   Stir well.   In a small bowl put about 1/2 cup of warm water.  Stir in 2 packets of yeast and allow it to sit for a minute.  While the yeast is “growing”  add about 2 to 3 cups of flour to your milk mixture and stir well.  Before the mixture is too thick go ahead and add the yeast mixture and mix well.  Now start adding flour one cup at a time until it is difficult to stir with the spoon.  At this point I put flour on my hand and a little more in the bowl and begin to knead the bread by hand until it is the desired thickness.  It should be a little bit sticky, but not too sticky to handle.  the amount of flour you add might be as little as 4 more cups, but as much as 6 more.  (since i never measure the milk or the water, that is what makes the difference for me.  so if you measure carefully, it should be a total of 6 cups of flour.  but you will learn as you go)

Once you can pick up the ball of bread take it out of the bowl and put it in a slightly oiled bowl to rise.  (I usually set it aside and wash out the bowl i made it in, then oil that bowl and use it again.)

After about an hour the dough will have doubled in size and you can form it into rolls, loaves, hamburger buns, or whatever you want.  i do this by shaping the item, then dipping in butter and turning into a pan.

Allow to rise again for a while.  Then bake at 375 until golden brown.

 

Good luck and feel free to post pictures or questions and we can refine these recipes!

Chocolate Pudding Cake

2 Cups Flour

3 Cups Sugar, Divided

4 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 C. Cocoa, Divided

1 C Butter, Melted (but cooled, it shouldnot be too hot)

1 C. Milk

2 Tsp. Vanilla

3 C. Hot Water

 

Preheat oven to 350.  In a 9 x 13 pan, combine flour, 1 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup cocoa.  Mix well.  Add the butter and mix again.  Add milk and vanilla, mixing with a fork until well blended.  Use some muscle to get out the lumps as best you can.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, and remaining 1/2 cup cocoa.  Sprinkle this mixture over the batter in the pan.  Pour 3 c. hot water over the entire pan. Do not stir.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven:  Allow the cake to set for 10 minutes.  (it will finish baking outside the oven).  The cake forms a cakelike crust on top with a puddinglike fudge layer underneath.  Serve hot with vanilla ice cream on the side.

Popcorn Balls

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup Karo syrup

1 stick butter

2 cups brown sugar

 

cook on stove over medium heat stirring frequently.  cook to soft ball stage.  Pour over popcorn that has been separated from kernals.  Mom used a really big silver bowl, or her insert to her turkey roaster.  I like my popcorn balls a little gooier, so the amount of popcorn is really up to you.  You might just make a few batches to determine how much you like.

 

Once you stir the carmel and the popcorn up you use a little bit of cold water on your hands so you can manipulate the popcorn into balls with out burning your hands, but not so much that you make your popcorn balls soggy.

 

Gingerbread

 

2 1/2 cups flour

1 TBSP baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup oil

2/3 cup molasses

 

Mom always just dumped all of these ingredients into the bowl and mixed.  She would also use the same measuring cup for the oil and the molasses.  Do the oil first, then the molasses just slips out and doesn’t stick to the cup.  Obviously they are different measurements so sometimes I measure the oil in a 1/2 cup first and then put it in the 2/3 cup but sometimes I just guess.  Also, sometimes it seems to need a little bit more flour.  (probably those times i guess on the oil…) don’t be afraid to add a little bit more.

 

Generously oil a cookie sheet and spread the gingerbread out into it trying to make as even as possible.  Mom would cover the gingerbread with wax paper and use a rolling pin on it.  This makes it easier to not have crease marks on the gingerbread.

bake at 300* for 30 minutes.

Cut as soon as it comes out of the oven

royal frosting:

2lb bag of powdered sugar

6 egg whites.

mix until the shine starts to go away and you can have a stiff peak form without it drooping down.

this makes enough for at least two gingerbread houses so if you are only making one just cut the recipe in half.

Fudge

4 Cups of Sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

dash of salt  (i never put in salt, but mom always did…..but sometimes she                          would have salty fudge, and i never have…go figure….lol)

Mix well and add:

2 cups of milk

Stir constantly on medium heat until it comes to a boil.  Once it is boiling, stop stirring and turn to low- DO NOT STIR AGAIN!

Keep on low checking periodically for soft ball stage.  This is when you drop a small amount into a cold bowl of water.  if you can pick up the “ball” and it stays in a ball shape but doesn’t get hard..  Also, at this point put the ball in your mouth and if it is slightly sticky it is ready.  Another indicator is that the bubbles will be very slow like the mudpots at yellowstone, not fast with a lot of bubbles.  i don’t start testing until i can see that the mixture is thicker and stickier.  it might take a good half hour to 45 minutes before you start testing.  it all depends on your altitude and your stove.  you can also use a candy thermometer to determine soft ball stage.

 

At this point remove from heat and put a stick of butter in and then two “glugs” of vanilla.  very specific.  let sit to cool for a while .  mom always tested the readiness at this stage by sticking her finger straight to the bottom of the pan and if she could hold it there for a second without burning her finger then she would stir it and pour it into the buttered pan to set.