SOFTEN UP THE SKIN ON BAKED POTATOES – Do you like to eat the skin along with your baked potatoes? Make it soft and delicious by rubbing the outside of your potatoes with some vegetable oil before placing them in a hot oven. Add a little butter and sour cream – even some shredded cheese if you like – and you have a perfect side dish!
Another way of cooking snakes in Texas – cut the head off, skin and gut it, poke a stick into the neck, wrap the snake loosely around the stick and roast over a camp fire.
To extinguish a fat fire, throw handfuls of salt on the base of the fire.
Be sure all utensils are completely dry when cooking with fat. Any water on things will cause splattering.
To clear bacon fat for further use, pour while warm, not hot, into a can containing cold water. Burned portions will drop to the bottom. Clean fat can be skimmed off.
Frying oil can be reused several times if you add a quartered, unpeeled potato to it and heat for a few minutes. Fish is the only taste that may not be completely removed. Strain through cheesecloth.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to butter when frying. It will keep the butter from burning.
Never put too many pieces in a frying pan when frying. You will steam instead of browning.
When deep frying, be sure fat is at least 4″ deep. Allow 2″ to 3″ between fat and top of pan to prevent bubbling over.
Have food to be fried in deep fat at room temperature before cooking. If it has been chilled, remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before frying.
To flour food easily for frying, such as chicken or fish, place flour and seasonings in a plastic bag, add a few pieces of food at a time and shake hard. Food will be evenly floured. Good also for flouring stew meat to be browned.
For perfect breaded foods that are to be fried, roll food in crumbs, then dip into egg mixture and roll a second time in crumbs. Use one hand for breading, the other hand for dipping – your hands will not get sticky. Bread foods at least 1/2 hour before frying.
If fried food should be served hot, place cooked food on a baking pan covered with paper toweling and pace in a 300 degree oven while frying remaining food. Bring fat back to desired temperature before cooking the second batch of food. Skim off any loose food particles to prevent smoking.
1/3 cup butter OR margarine, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 (29 oz) can peach halves
1/4 cup shredded coconut
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
pour butter into a 9″ round baking pan; sprinkle with brown sugar. drain peaches, reserving 6 tablespoons of syrup. arrange peach halves, cut side down, in a single layer over the sugar. sprinkle coconut around peaches; set aside. in a mixing bowl, beat eggs until thick and lemon colored. gradually beat in sugar. add extract and reserved syrup. combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. pour over peaches. bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. cool for 10 minutes; invert cake onto a serving plate. serve warm.
6-8 servings
1 lb pork sausage (you can use mild OR hot)
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese
2 (10 oz) pkgs ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chilies (regular, mild OR hot)
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
1/2 tsp minced garlic (optional)
brown sausage, onion and garlic in a skillet and drain. while sausage is cooking, put cream cheese and tomatoes in a crockpot on HIGH. add browned sausage to crockpot and let cook until cheese is melted and dip is hot. serve with nachos, chips, or crackers of your choice.
1 (3-4 lb) boneless pork loin roast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp peper
1 tsp rubbed sage
1 (16 oz) can tart red pitted cherries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
12 whole cloves
1 (3″) cinnamon stick
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs butter OR margarine
3-4 drops red food coloring, optional
rub roast with salt, pepper and sage; place in an ungreased shallow baking pan. bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees to 170 degrees.
meanwhile, drain cherries, reserving liquid. set cherries aside. add water to cherry liquid to measure 3/4 cup. pour 1/2 cup into a saucepan. add sugar, vinegar, cloves and cinnamon. bring to a boil. reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. remove and discard the spices. in a small bowl, combine cornstarch and remaining cherry liquid until smooth; add to saucepan. bring to a boil; cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. stir in lemon juice, butter, cherries and food coloring if desired; heat through. let roast stand 10 mionutes; slice and serve with the cherry sauce.
8-10 servings
1 box red velvet cake mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup chocolate chips
preheat oven to 350 degrees.
with an electric mixer, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
mix until a dough forms.
fold in the chocolate chips
roll into balls and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
makes approx 24 cookies
4 pineapple slices
8 tsp brown sugar
2 tbs butter OR margarine
4 slices pound cake
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
cinnamon
place pineapple slices on a broiler pan. top each with 2 tsp brown sugar and 1 1/2 tsp butter. broil 4″ from the heat for 3-5 minutes, or until the sugar is bubbly. place each slice on a piece of pound cake, top with vanilla ice cream, and sprinkle with cinnamon.
serve immediately.
4 servings
8 lg baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tsp butter, divided
1/2 cup milk, or as needed
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs beef sausage (I’ve always used pork sausage)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 (.75 oz)) pkg dry brown gravy mix
1 cup water, or as needed
preheat the oven to 350 degrees. place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. drain; mash with 1 tsp of butter and enough milk to reach your desired creaminess. continue mashing, or beat with an electric mixer until smooth. season with salt and pepper.
in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until heated through. remove from the pan and set aside. add remaining teaspoon of butter to the skillet and fry the onions over medium heat until tender. mix gravy mix and water as directed on the package, and add to the skillet with the onions. simmer, stirring constantly, to form a thick gravy.
pour half of the gravy into a square casserole dish so that it coats the bottom. place sausage(s) in a layer over the gravy (you can butterfly the sausages if you wish). pour remaining gravy over them, then top with mashed potatoes.
bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until potatoes are evenly browned.
8 servings
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips
1 1/2 cups white chips
preheat oven to 350 degrees.
in a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.
using a mixer, mix butter and both sugars for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
add eggs and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
add flour in two additions, scraping down the sides in between. mix until thoroughly combined.
mix chips together in a large bowl and stir into the cookie batter.
cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
using a 1.5″ scoop, place cookie batter 2″ apart on the baking sheet.
bake for about 10-12 minutes.
makes 5 dozen cookies
