Pineapple Upside Down Cake...

This is by far my father's favorite cake....he asks for it often. Using a cast iron skillet caramelizes the brown sugar, fruit and nuts. It's okay to using a baking pan too...but the top just isn't as crisp.
1/2 Cup Butter
8 Slices of Pineapple
11/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Pecans, halved
1/2 Cup Raisins (optional)
Melt butter in the skillet, sprinkle brown sugar and arrange pineapple, nuts and raisins. Set aside.
Batter-
4 Egg Yolks (reserve egg whites)
11/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Boiling Water
11/2 Cup Cake Flour
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking Powder
4 Egg White, stiffly beaten
Beat egg yolks until thick, add remaining ingredients in order. Gently fold in egg whites. Pour over pineapple and bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Sugar Cookies...

These are super soft sugar cookies...a family favorite.
1 Cup Butter, softened
3/4 Cup Shortening
2 Cups Sugar
Cream the above ingredients.
Add the following ingredients in order.
4 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
4 Tsp Vanilla
7 Cups Flour
Mix thoroughly and chill at least 1 hour.
Roll dough onto lightly floured surface and use cookie cutters dipped in flour to create cookies. Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes.

Caramel Syrup...

Such a yummy treat for breakfast pancakes or waffles.
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
11/2 Cup Butter
2 Tbl Corn Syrup
1 Tsp Baking Soda
11/2 Cup Sugar
Combine all ingredients in a 4 quart pan. Bring to boil stirring constantly for 3 minutes...reduce heat to a slow boil for another 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
1 Tsp Vanilla
Let cool and serve warm...this syrup is easily stored in the refrigerator and warmed when needed.

Mississippi Roast...

This is the absolute best roast I've ever had...it's so easy to drop in the crock pot and let it do it's thing all day. We serve it with the traditional mashed potatoes, gravy and veggies....but our favorite version is Philly Steak & Cheese. We grill up onions, peppers and mushrooms....shred the roast serve in a roasted bun with provolone cheese and grilled veggies. The gravy then serves as a dipping sauce.
1 3-4 lb Chuck Roast
1 oz pkg Ranch Dressing
3-4 Packets of Au jus Mix
1 Cube of Butter
1 Cup Water
6 Pepperoncini Peppers
Place the roast in crock pot, add water, sprinkle dressing and gravy mixes. Add butter and pepperoncini peppers. Cook on low for 8 hours... Enjoy the many ways you can serve this very versatile roast.

Chicken Pot Pie..

If you like pot pies...you will love this recipe. You can really add any veggie you want to...experiment with spices until it's perfect for you. Sometimes when time is an issue, I pick up a cooked whole chicken and pull the meat off for this recipe.
3 lbs Chicken, cooked and cut into bite size pieces
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Large Carrots Cut in half and then cross pieces
1 Large Onion, chopped
1/2 lb. Mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 Celery Stalks, cut into pieces
2 Bay Leaves
Place cooked chicken, veggies and bay leaves in chicken broth, bring to boil and turn down to simmer for 30 minutes.
1/4 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Flour
1 Cup Half and Half
In a separate skillet melt butter, add flour and wire whip into a rue...adding half and half until thick. Gradually pour into chicken and veggies....stir constantly until well blended.
1 Tsp Poultry Seasoning
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
1 Cup Frozen Peas
Add these to chicken mixture, remove the bay leaves and pour into a medium size baking dish.
I use this recipe to make the pot pie crust topper....but you can use it to make biscuits if you prefer.
11/2 Cup Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Milk
Stir baking powder and salt into flour, then cut shortening into flour until small chunks appear. Stir milk into mix and form into a ball. Roll out on lightly floured surface the size of your baking dish. Gently fold the dough in half and half again. Place it on the pot pie filling and gently unfold. Seal the edges by folding dough against the edges of the dish. Bake at 400* for about 20 minutes or until the crust in golden brown.

Pumpkin Dessert...

Truly a fabulous pumpkin dessert. We love this very flavorful fall dessert anytime of the year.
Crust-
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Quick Oatmeal
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter
Combine all ingredients and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350* for 15 minutes and cool.
Filling-
2 Cups Pumpkin, canned
1 Can Evaporated Milk
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Ginger
1/4 Tsp Cloves
Mix and pour over crust.
Topping-
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter
Combine and sprinkle over filling.
Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes.

Chocolate Layered Dessert...

Okay...so this is one of my personal favorite desserts. It's so creamy and full of flavor. You can create so many different versions using cherry pie filling and vanilla pudding. Lemon pudding with blueberry or raspberry combinations. This one is my favorite.
Crust-
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Walnuts or Pecans, chopped
Cut butter into flour and add nuts...press into 9x13 baking pan. Bake a 350* for 20 minutes and cool.
1st Layer-
1 Cup Cool Whip
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
Whip these ingredients and spread over crust.
2nd Layer-
2 Bananas
Slice over cream cheese layer.
3rd Layer-
1 Box Chocolate Pudding
3 Cups Milk
Combine and spread over bananas.
4th Layer-
3 Cups Cool Whip
Spread over pudding.
5th Layer-
1/2 Cup Walnuts or Pecans, chopped
Sprinkle over Cool Whip.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies...

Sugar cookies are always a family favorite...baking and decorating cookies for the different holidays through out the year was a fun experience for me and my children. So many sweet memories can be made in the kitchen together.
1/2 Cup Shortening
1 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
22/3 Cup Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
Cream shortening, sugar, egg and vanilla...add sour cream. Sift all dry ingredients. Alternate wet and dry ingredients. Refrigerate for a couple hours. Roll cookie dough out on lightly floured surface. Dip cookie cutters in flour before cutting into the dough. Place each cookie on a baking sheet. (I use parchment paper to protect cookies from sticking to pan.) Bake at 425* for 8-10 minutes...until edges are lightly golden. Store in an airtight container for freshness. These cookies freeze beautifully.

Chocolate Cake...

I've made this cake so many times and it is moist and delicious.
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Warm Water
1 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tsp Baking Soda
3 Tbl Cocoa
11/4 Tsp Vanilla
Sift all dry ingredients together. Cream mayonnaise and sugar add vanilla. Alternate dry ingredients with warm water. Spray 9x13 pan with Baker's Joy. Pour cake batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake at 350* for 35 minutes. Cool and frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.
My Favorite Chocolate Frosting
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1 Egg
1/2 Tsp Vanilla
2-3 Tbl Cocoa
Combine and mix well...this frosting is light and so tasty. You can control the chocolate flavoring easily...just adjust the amount of cocoa you use.