Treating You Like Family!

Our Favorite Recipes


Honey-Baked Pizza Crust

Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine first three ingredients and let set for 5 minutes. Mix 2 cups flour, salt and Italian dressing mix. Combine honey mixture with flour mixture. Add warm water and oil. Mix well. Stir in remaining flour until dough is smooth and elastic. Knead for five minutes. Set aside and cover for 45 minutes. Roll out pizza dough with corn meal dusted over well-greased pizza pan. Cover with 1 cup pizza sauce and favorite toppings. Be careful not to overload crust with toppings so the crust can bake all the way through. Bake 20-25 minutes. Brush crust with melted butter. Let set for five minutes before serving.

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Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

Yield: About 4½ dozen

Preheat oven to 300° F. In medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Mix well with wire whisk. Set aside. Blend sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add butter and mix until grainy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed until smooth. Add the flour mixture, craisins, and chocolate chips. Blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 1 ½ inches apart. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer cookies immediately to a cool, flat surface using a spatula.

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Grandma's Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Sift together first five ingredients above in a large bowl and set aside. In another bowl, cream sugar and butter. Blend in eggs and vanilla until well mixed. Add dry mixture alternately with mashed bananas until just moistened. Coat pecans with remaining flour and stir into batter. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

You make a mix by combining all dry ingredients into a bag. On baking day, melt the butter and add eggs & vanilla. Then add to dry ingredients. Finish off by adding the banana to the mixture and baking.

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Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Mix oatmeal & buttermilk. Add eggs. Combine dry ingredients & mix them into oatmeal mixture. Stir in butter. Batter is ready to pour on griddle. Cook on a hot griddle, adding blueberries as desired. Flip and cook other side until golden brown.

Makes 12 pancakes.

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Black Bottom Cake

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk, butter and cocoa. Pour into greased 9x13-inch pan. Mix together 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar and 4 tablespoons cocoa. Sprinkle over batter, then add 2 cups boiling water. Bake at 375° F for about 35 minutes.

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Overnight Oven-Baked French Toast

In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened. Pour into the bottom of a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Arrange bread on top.

Beat milk, eggs, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Pour over bread, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Remove cover from pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until set and golden brown. Serve immediately.

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Apple Oatmeal Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350° F. Mix dry ingredients together in 2 quart batter bowl. Add remaining ingredients; mixture will be quite thick. Pur into deep dish baker (spritzed). Bake for 35 minutes.

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Banana Splitsville

Basic Caramel Software:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Caramel Sauce Software:
1 batch caramel
2 cups heavy cream

Banana Brulee Software:
4 bananas
Sugar for coating

Additional Splitsville Software:
Ice cream of your choice

Hardware:
Small, heavy saucepan
Clean soup spoon
Candy thermometer (technically optional, but we suggest you use one until you get the hang of things)
Parchment paper
2 sheet pans or other heatproof surface
Aluminum foil
Cooling rack
Butane torch (available at most hardware stores -- darned handy)
Safety goggles (see above)
Plastic squirt bottle (available at most grocery stores)

Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small, heavy saucepan and place over high heat. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, heat your thermometer under warm tap water (to prevent thermal shock) and attach to side of pan, making sure that the bulb is completely submerged. Do not stir the mixture or agitate the pan at this stage.
When the mixture reaches 230 degrees, reduce the heat to medium and allow the sugar to color gradually. As the temperature approaches 300 degrees the color will start to turn to amber. At this point, it's safe to swirl the pan gently to help distribute the heat evenly. As the caramel heads towards 340 degrees, it will reach a deep amber color.

Remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir with a metal spoon, allowing it to cool until the caramel falls from the spoon in a solid stream, like a string. When it does, it's doodad time.

Form doodads by holding the spoon 12 to 16 inches over the caramel and drizzling the patterns on the parchment. (Hint: allow the spoon to unload into the pan for a few seconds before attempting doodad. This will allow a narrower stream.) Quick back and forth motions or side to side movements are best. It's all in the wrist. Allow doodads to cool for 15 minutes then peel the paper off (not the other way around). Stack in an airtight container with wax paper between each piece.

After making 15 to 20 doodads, you should have sufficient caramel remaining to move on to the sauce phase. So, return the remaining caramel to medium high heat and continue cooking until you see the first sign of smoke. Immediately remove from the heat, and add the cream, all at once, at arms length. (It will boil furiously.) Once the mixture calms down, return to medium heat and boil 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature, move to squirt bottle and refrigerate for up to a week.

To make the bananas brulee, quarter the bananas (peel on) and rub into sugar to coat thoroughly. Remove peel and place on cooling rack over several layers of foil. (Don't try this on your dining room table.) Don your safety goggles and fire up your torch. Hold the torch so that the very tip of the flame barely touches the banana, and move quickly back and forth until the sugar melts, turns brown, and bubbles. As soon as it looks like caramel, move on. You know you've got it down when a solid, glasslike sheet of gold (no graininess) has formed on the banana.

To do the split (so to speak), squirt a pattern of caramel sauce on a chilled plate, top with 4 banana pieces (Lincoln log style), top with the ice cream of your choice (we like our peachy vanilla from Churn Baby Churn), and finally, a doodad.

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Bananas Foster

Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

OR

Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, allspice and nutmeg and stir until sugar dissolves. Add banana liqueur and bring sauce to simmer. Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking. Remove bananas from pan to a serving dish. Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the rum. If the sauce is very hot, the alcohol will flame on its own. If not, using stick flame, carefully ignite and continue cooking until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. If sauce is too thin, cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it is syrupy in consistency. Add orange zest and stir to combine. Immediately spoon the sauce over bananas and serve. Serve with waffles, crepes, or ice cream.

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Dr Mary's Barbequed Baby Back Ribs

Heat oven or electric skillet to 450° F. Put olive oil on thawed baby back ribs. Then rub with garlic salt & cumin.

Place in roaster or electric skillet & seal with aluminum foil.

Cook on 450° F for 12 minutes. Turn oven or skillet to 250° F & cook for another 6 hours.

Take out of oven & allow to cool completely. They save in the refrigerator for 2 days or freezer for several weeks.

On final cooking day cover with your favorite barbeque sauce. I like KC Masterpiece original or honey teriyaki or my own mixture using ketchup, a little mustard, molasses, brown sugar, chopped cooked onions & a little vinegar. Grill to caramelize at about 400° F.

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Dr Mary's Addictive Crunchy Carmel Corn

Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in a sauce pan. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat. Then add ½ teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon vanilla. It foams. Pour over the popcorn in a large roasting pan and stir.

Bake for 1 hour at 250º F, stirring every 15 minutes. It will be crunchy when cool.

It seems like a lot of corn, but it magically disappears!

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Dr Mary's Best Beans Ever! from Aunt Burnita

Cook meat and onion. Drain and transfer to a greased 2½ qt baking dish. Add all beans. Mix/combine remaining ingredients and add to rest.

Bake at 350° F for 45 minutes covered and then 15 minutes uncovered.

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7-grain Pancakes

Mix egg yolks, milk, soda, brown sugar & vinegar. Add flour, mix well. Stir in butter, fold in egg whites. Original recipe called for buttermilk in lieu of milk, I believe. Great for making artistic pancakes.

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Sand Art Brownies -- for gift giving

Place ingredients in a 1 qt jar. Place the directions on the jar.

To make, mix contents of jar with:

Pour into a greased 9x9 pan. Bake at 350° for 27-35 minutes.

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Bread -- for bread machine

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Mary Hartwig's Lady Fingers

Melt margarine, add sugar, salt & vanilla. Add nuts and coconut, then flour. Mix well. Shape small bunches into finger shapes. Place on un-greased cookie sheet, bake at 350° for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool, toss in bag of powdered sugar to coat.

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Dr. Mary's BBQ Meatloaf Recipe

I love this recipe and my daughter, Stefi, can almost eat one of the loaves all by herself! I always think that I'll freeze one loaf and eat the other. But, somehow the second one never makes it to the freezer. This is easy and fun to make with kids.

Mix together all but the bacon and pat into two loaf pans. I use ceramic pans and usually warm up the loaf and pan in the microwave before placing it into the oven. Then I only have to bake them for about 30 minutes. Crumble bacon over the top for the last few minutes of baking. If you don't heat up the pans, you'll have to bake longer. You can also place all of this into one pan and bake for one hour. Serve with BBQ sauce and a smile.

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Harvey Wallbanger Cake Recipe

 --  contributed by Robbi Royce

This easy, traditional recipe made the rounds during the 70’s, and the origin is uncertain.  It takes the potent flavors of the Harvey Wallbanger cocktail and puts them into a deliciously moist cake.  Look for the small single-serving bottles of the liquors if you do not keep them on hand.  Instructions are also given for muffins.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 1 box (about 18.75 oz) yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup oil
  • 4 eggs
  • ¼ cup Galliano liqueur
  • ¼ cup vodka
  • ⅓-oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
  • ¾ oz orange juice
Glaze:
  • 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon Galliano liqueur
  • 1 teaspoon vodka
Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

Place cake mix, oil, eggs, liqueur, vodka, pudding mix and orange juice into a large mixing bowl.  Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.

Pour evenly into Bundt pan, and bake for 45 - 50 minutes.

For the glaze, mix powdered sugar, orange juice, liqueur and vodka until smooth.  Drizzle over the warm cake and let cool to room temperature for glaze to set. Yield: 1 Bundt cake -- about 10-12 servings.

For Muffins:

Fill mini-muffins and/or muffin paper-lined tins ¾ full.  Bake mini-muffins for 10 minutes or 20 minutes for regular muffins.  Drizzle glaze over cooled muffins or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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Good Eats Roast Turkey

OK, here it is. This is the wonderful turkey recipe featured at the GeekAmI website. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, also featured in Food Network Magazine

Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep Time: 7 hr 0 min
Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 gallon vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
  • 1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

  • 1 red apple, sliced
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • cinnamon stick
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 sprigs rosemary
  • 6 leaves sage
  • Canola oil

Directions

Click here to see how it's done.

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

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Make Ahead Rich and Creamy Hot Chocolate

Makes 10 chocolate balls, enough for ten 1-cup servings

1 (12-ounce) bag (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon salt

Microwave chocolate, cream and salt in a large bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.  Roll 3 tablespoons chilled chocolate mixture into ten 2-inch balls.  Individually wrap balls in plastic wrap and transfer to zip-lock bag.  Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.  To make 1 cup of hot chocolate, combine 1 unwrapped chocolate ball and 1 cup whole or low-fat milk in large mug.  Microwave, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Enjoy!

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Starbucks Outrageous Oatmeal Cookies

I am addicted! This is THE actual recipe for the cookies you get at Starbucks. The recipe makes 24 DELICIOUS cookies.

  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup dark raisins
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 tablespoons dark raisins, for topping
  • 4 tablespoons golden raisins, for topping
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Blend oats, flour raisins, cranberries, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg, cinnamon, and vanilla; beat until combined.
  4. Gradually add oat mixture to butter mixture; beat until combined.
  5. Combine raisins for topping in separate bowl and set aside.
  6. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart onto two lightly greased baking sheets.
  7. Place 1 mounded tsp of raisins on top of dough.
  8. Bake about 12-16 minutes, until cookies are golden brown, but still soft. Cool on sheets before serving.
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Butterflied, Dry Brined Roasted Turkey with Roasted Root Vegetable Panzanella

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2011

Ingredients

Turkey:
  • 3½ tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1½ teaspoons rubbed sage
  • 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1¼ teaspoons whole black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon whole allspice berries
  • 1 13 to 14 pound whole turkey, neck and giblets removed and reserved for Giblet Stock
Panzanella:
  • 1½ pounds parsnips, peeled and cubed into ½-inch pieces
  • 1½ pounds rutabaga, peeled and cubed into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • ½ pound red onion, diced into ½-inch pieces
  • 8 ounces medium Brussels sprouts, shredded on the thin slicing blade of a food processor
  • 8 ounces hearty sourdough or multigrain bread, cut into ½-inch cubes and staled
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
For the turkey: Four days before service, place the salt, sage, thyme, black peppercorns, and allspice into a spice grinder and pulse until the peppercorns and allspice are coarsely ground, 5 to 6 pulses. Set aside.
Set the turkey, breast-side down, on a large cutting board with the tail closest to you. Use an electric knife or heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut up one side of the backbone. Turn the bird around and cut back down the other side of the spine. Reserve the backbone for Giblet Stock. Discard any fat pockets or excess skin found inside the turkey. Turn the turkey breast-side up and use the heel of your hands to press down on both breasts, until you hear a cracking sound and the bird has flattened slightly.
Rub the seasoned salt on both sides of the turkey. Place the turkey on a parchment paper lined half sheet pan, breast-side up with legs running with the long side of the pan. Store, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 4 days.
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
For the panzanella: Place the parsnips and rutabaga in a large nonstick roasting pan, toss with vegetable oil and set aside.
Place one rack in the middle of the oven and a second one far enough below so the roasting pan will fit. Heat the oven to 425° F.
Place the turkey directly on the middle rack of the oven with the legs perpendicular to the metal bars of the rack. Place the roasting pan with the parsnips and rutabaga on the rack below the turkey and roast both for 30 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 350° F. Add the red onion to the roasting vegetables and stir to combine. Continue to roast both the vegetables and the turkey until a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155° F, an additional 40 to 50 minutes.
Remove the turkey from the oven onto a cooling rack set inside a half sheet pan and rest for 30 minutes.
Add the Brussels sprouts, bread cubes and garlic to the roasting vegetables, stir to combine and roast for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven and immediately transfer to a serving bowl. Pour the apple cider vinegar in the warm roasting pan, stir and scrape off any browned bits from the pan. Pour the vinegar mixture over the salad, add the thyme and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Carve the turkey with an electric knife and serve with the panzanella.

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