Butter Cream Icing

½ cup solid vegetable shortening
½ cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups sifted confectioners sugar
2 tablespoon milk

In a large bowl, cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all the sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until you’re ready to decorate. For best results, keep icing in refrigerator when not using it. Icing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week. Rewhip before using. Makes 3 cups.

Note: To use the above recipe to ice cake smooth, add an extra 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or light corn syrup to make icing easy to spread.

Chili

Brown:
1 lb. hamburger (do not drain grease)
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small garlic clove

In large saucepan combine:
1 28-oz. can of tomatoes
1 28-oz. can of tomato sauce
2 cans kidney beans (juice and all)
¼ c. chili powder
¼ c. parsley
crushed red pepper to taste

Combine with meat mixture. Bring to a boil. Add a stick of butter. Simmer for 1 hour.

CINNAMON ROLLS

Cream:
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup sugar

Add:
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
1 cup warm mashed potatoes (or 1 cup boiling water and 1 cup potato flakes)

Dissolve:
1 package or 1 TBL yeast with
1/2 cup warm water

Add to first mixture:
Dissolved yeast
1 additional cup of warm water

Add:
6-7 cups flour, one at a time, mixing each cup with a fork

Let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, punch down

Roll dough 1/4 inch thick and sprinkle with half of the following mixture:
1/2 cube melted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 TBL cinnamon

Roll the dough into a long roll; cut into sections. Place on a greased pan; let rise 40 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or just until golden brown. Top warm rolls with medium glaze of powdered sugar and a small amount of water and some vanilla mixed together.

Great Chili Beans

2 cups dried pinto beans
2 cloves of fresh garlic (pressed through garlic press)
1 onion chopped
1 - 29 oz. can tomato sauce
1 - 30 oz. can of tomatoes (sliced)
1 lb lean ground beef
1 TBL salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 1/2 TBL chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 TBL brown sugar
1 tsp cumin

Cook beans until soft, about two hours. Drain. Cook ground beef, onion, and garlic. Add beef mixture and all other ingredients to the cooked beans and simmer for at least an hour or longer if you want thicker chili.

Chili and Cinnamon Rolls Recipes Needed

Hi all, Neal and I are hosting a dinner soon and we wanted to make chili and cinnamon rolls. I have only ever made each of these once and though I think they turned out okay, I can't remember what recipes I used. I was wondering if any of you had great recipes that you would love to pass on. Thanks.

Best-Ever Beef Stew

Finally, my first food post! I am not a great cook so I am mostly enjoying the benefits of you all being good cooks. This recipe is so easy, but the best part is, you can put it in the crockpot, go to church, and when you get home, it is ready. Now that is my kind of recipe.

2 lbs. stew meat, cubed
4 carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
4 potatoes, cubed
1 can cream of mushroomm soup
1 can water
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 Tbsp. quick tapioca (optional for thickening)

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-7 hours. Stir once an hour to avoid sticking on the bottom.

Yummy Banana Crumble Muffins!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon butter

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease muffin cups,or line with muffin papers.
2.In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3.In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 Tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4.Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Firehouse Sunday Biscuits and Gravy

1 (12 ounce) package maple flavored sausage

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

salt and pepper to taste

Refridgerated Buttermilk Biscuits (cook according to directions on package)

Place sausage in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Add flour to sausage and stir. Gradually whisk in milk and cook until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. If gravy becomes too thick, stir in a little more milk.

Hint: Only use maple sausage. Anything else will change the taste of this recipe!

Rainy-Day Chicken Rolls

1 ¼ cup flour
½ cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp. milk
1 cup cooked, diced chicken
½ cup (or more) minced celery
½ tsp. salt (watch other salts added--I omit this)
2-3 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp minced parsley
1 can cream or chicken soup

Place flour in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening. Combine egg and milk. Add to flour mixture. Stir until dough forms a ball. Chill dough.

Combine chicken , celery, parsley, salt (opt.), soy sauce and half of the soup. Mix well.
Note: can be made into two smaller rolls, or one large roll. Roll dough (or ½ of the dough) into a rectangle. Spread with chicken mixture. Roll like a jelly roll, sealing ends.

Place on a cookie sheet (may grease). Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Combine remaining soup and ½ can water in sauce pan, stir over low until blended and hot. Slice chicken roll and serve, serving with sauce (soup) over top.

Makes 8 (1”) servings

Triple Berry Cheesecake Tart

Nilla wafer or graham cracker crust
1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup thawed cool whip
2 cups mixed berries (defrosted)
3/4 cups boiling water
1 Pkg lemon gelatin
1 cup ice cubes

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Arrange berries over cream cheese filling. cover and refrigerate.

Stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in medium bowl for 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add ice cubes; stir until ice is completely melted. Refrigerate about 15 min or until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Spoon gelatin over fruit in pan. Refrigerate 3 hours.

Makes about 10 servings ( i think that it makes 8 maxium.)

Ko’s Chow Mein

½ lb. pork or chicken
3 Tbs. oil
1 c. celery, cut diagonal
½ c. onions, sliced
2 tsp. salt (or less)
1 can mushrooms
1 c. chicken or beef broth
2 Tbs. corn starch
¼ c. water
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 can bean sprouts
chow mein noodles

Place oil in fry pan. Fry meat. Add vegetables after meat is browned. Add salt to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add broth. Cover pan. Cook 5 minutes. Blend together cornstarch, water and soy sauce. Add. Stir until thickened. Serve over chow mein noodles.

Ko’s Sweet & Sour Chicken

3 lb. chicken breasts, cut in bite-size pieces (or 1 chicken, cut in regular pieces)
¼ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. Accent (optional)

Sprinkle over chicken, set aside for 1 hour. Roll pieces in corn starch, dip in beaten egg, fry until golden brown, drain. Put in baking pan, cover with sauce (recipe following).

Sauce:

¾ c. sugar
½ c. chicken stock or broth
½ c. vinegar
¾ Tbs. ketchup
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. Accent (optional)
dash salt

Heat sauce until sugar is dissolved, and pour over chicken in baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Turn once while baking. Sauce will thicken.

Ko’s Fried Rice

Cook quantity of rice desired, chill. Chop bacon and fry until very crisp. Fry eggs in bacon grease until hard, and then chop. Combine rice, bacon, eggs, and any other meat (ham or chicken) desired. Season with beef bullion (dry), soy sauce, sprinkle of sugar, and salt. Heat the mixture in a small amount of bacon grease and fry until the desired brown appearance.

Poppy Seed Chicken

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken
2 can cream of chicken soup
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
8 oz. sour cream
2 cups grated cheese
2 Tablespoon butter
Roll of Ritz crackers

Boil chicken, and then cut into bite-size pieces. Spread chicken over the bottoms of an oven-safe pan. Mix soup, sour cream, and cheese together. Spread mixture over the top of chicken. Then sprinkle with poppy seed. Crush the roll of crackers and mix with butter. Spread over the top of mixture in pan Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Serve over rice.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Pizza Dough (see below)

¼ cup flour
1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
5-6 cloves garlic
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 jar Alfredo sauce
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ chopped green onions

Roll out pizza into circles. Grill one side then place sauce and toppings on the grilled side. Return to grill and cook until cheese is bubbly.

Pizza Dough

1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon oregano or rosemary
2 Tablespoon olive oil
5 cups flour

This is a very quick and easy recipe. I like to use the griddle instead of the grill. We like to make individual pizzas and sometimes we use whatever pizza toppings we want.

Sweet and Sour Pork Roast

1 boneless pork roast
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 can undrained crushed pineapple
½ cup water
½ cup chopped green pepper
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch
½ teaspoon dry mustard or 1 teaspoon mustard

In a skillet brown pork roast on both sides in hot oil. Drain fat. Transfer to crock pot. In a bowl, combine pineapple, green pepper, water, brown sugar, ketchup, cornstarch, soy sauce, and dry mustard. Pour over pork roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Serve over rice if desired.

Mel’s version
I use 1 cans crushed pineapple, like it says and the juice of 1 can tidbit pineapple. Save the tidbits to top when you serve. (We like the taste of fresh pineapple better.) I also like 1 cup chopped green peppers and add 1 cup dried cranberries to the sauce before cooking. With about 30 minutes left of cooking time, shred meat to let the flavors absorb more.