Category Archives: Recipes

Granny Cake

This is a Facebook find from 12 Tomatoes that has been a huge hit with the family and community. It is easy and quick to throw together and is the perfect coffee cake! It is a cake that will have them coming back for seconds and trust me, if you get home with any leftovers you will relish the moment you can sit quietly and take in the moist, smooth flavors of this simple yet luscious cake.

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, WITH juice
  • 1 to 1 ½ cups brown sugar

Icing:

  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, begin making the cake by whisking together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs and crushed pineapple (along with the juice) and stir until well mixed. Pour the batter into your baking pan and top with an even layer of brown sugar. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Before the cake is finished baking begin making the icing by combining the evaporated milk, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour over the hot cake after it has finished baking and has been removed from the oven.

Let the cake cool about an hour or two so it absorbs all of the icing, then enjoy!

NOTES: It may seem like you have an abundance of icing when you’re pouring it over the cake. Pour it all on as that is what helps to make this cake so delicious and the cake will soak it up like a sponge. Refrigerate leftovers (if there are any leftovers).

Caramel Pecan Rolls

These are a “melt in your mouth” wonder that will be a hit at the table! The dough recipe I used is my Rise While You Sleep Overnight Dinner Rolls, which was perfect for having warm rolls at the morning coffee table, however they could also be easily made with my Sweet Dough (Cinnamon Rolls) recipe if you wanted a later-in-the-day serving.

Ingredients for the Topping:

  • 2 cups packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Combine the brown sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Pour evenly into two greased 9×13 inch baking pans. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the caramel sauce and set aside.

Ingredients for the filling:

  • Butter (softened)
  • Brown Sugar
  • Granulated Sugar (white sugar)
  • Cinnamon

Preparing the Rolls:

Turn the dough onto a floured board and lightly knead until smooth. Divide in half, setting one half aside while you work with the other half. Roll the dough into a 12×15 inch rectangle (as well as you can, mine always look more like ovals). Top the dough with a generous layer of butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Starting with the long edge, roll up the dough from one side to the other, pinch seams and turn ends under. Cut the roll into 12 one-inch slices (you may get more than twelve so have a small baking pan ready for the extra rolls and/or ends). Place each of the slices, cut side down, into the baking pan. Each pan should easily hold 12 rolls. Repeat for the other half of the dough to fill the second pan, then cover the rolls and let rise in a warm place until they have doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool for 2-3 minutes before inverting them onto a serving platter (I use a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil as it is larger than the baking dish and makes it easier to flip the pans, plus the foil makes clean-up a cinch!) Enjoy!

The Pink Stuff (Salad)

Once in a while a recipe becomes a great fall back when in a pinch.  This salad is one of those and is well liked.

“The Pink Stuff,” named as such by our Springs First Singles’ group several years back, can actually be any color, depending on your choice of Jell-O mix.  I usually chose strawberry, cherry, or black cherry, thus the reason it became “the pink stuff.”

Ingredients:

  • 1 3-oz. pkg. Jell-O Mix (any flavor)
  • 1 20-oz. can crushed pineapple (drained)
  • 1 11-oz. can mandarin oranges (drained)
  • 1 8-oz. container Cool Whip
  • 1 16-oz. container Cottage Cheese

Directions:

Mix Jell-O of your choice with the cottage cheese and cool whip, allowing the Jell-O to dissolve and combine well.  Add pineapple and oranges.  Mix well.  Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cornflake Peanut Butter Cookies

This is the best way to eat cornflakes!  These are quick, yummy, and a crowd pleaser.  If you don’t have time to drop them onto waxed paper, dump them into a 9×9″ baking pan and make bars out of them.    I bet you can’t eat just one!!

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups Cornflakes (Frosted Flakes work well too)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy – it’s your pick)

Directions:

In a large saucepan, mix sugar and corn syrup together.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until well blended.  Add cornflakes and stir until flakes are well coated.  Drop by spoon full onto waxed or parchment paper.  Let set, then dig in!

This recipe is easy to double and should be considered if you want any extras to share.  Smiling Sunflower

Honey Oatmeal Loaves

This was a new recipe that I tried about a year ago and was instantly hooked!  It is a heavy dough, but sweet and buttery.  Sadly, I could make a meal out of it!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup softened butter
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 pkg. yeast
  • 5 cups flour

Directions:  

In a saucepan, boil 1 cup water.  Stir in oats, butter, honey, and salt.  Mix well and allow it to cool.  In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 cup warm water with the 2 packages yeast and allow it to dissolve.  Add the cooled oatmeal mixture and egg to the flour to make a stiff dough.  Spread the dough into two greased loaf pans, smoothing out the top of the loaves (dough will be like a thick batter).  Cover and let rise until double in bulk.  Bake at 375º for 50-55 minutes.  Remove from pans and brush with melted butter.  Slice and serve.

Sweet Dough (Cinnamon Rolls)

Nothing smells or tastes better than cinnamon!  This sweet dough makes the best cinnamon rolls, but it is also good just made into two loaves of bread.  I even had an owner of a restaurant inquire as to what my recipe consisted of because they had heard so much about my cinnamon rolls.  I laughed.  They were well known for their own cinnamon rolls so it caught me a bit off guard.  Next to my name, that probably will be the only claim to fame I can own.

Sweet Dough Ingredients:

  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 envelopes yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 4 eggs (beaten)
  • 4 ½ cups flour

Combine milk, sugar, salt and vegetable oil in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add to milk mixture and mix well.  Add 2 cups flour and beat until smooth.  Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make a soft dough.  Turn out on a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth (about 5 minutes).  Add flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.  Spray the inside of the bowl with a cooking spray, then place the dough back into the bowl.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until it is double in bulk (approximately 1-2 hours).  When ready to make into loaves or rolls, punch the dough down and knead lightly.  Shape into two loaves, dinner rolls, or cinnamon rolls.  Let rise until double in size.  Bake at 375º for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

For cinnamon rolls:  Divide the dough into 2-3 parts and roll it out to about ¼ inch thick.  Using a soft butter, spread butter over the entire dough area, cover generously with cinnamon and sugar (add raisins or nuts if you prefer), and roll dough into a tube like shape.  Slice dough into 1 ½” slices and place them cut side down on a cookie sheet or in a 9×13″ pan.  Allow them to rise before baking.

Frosting for cinnamon rolls:

  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 8-oz. cream cheese
  • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • milk

With mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until well blended.  Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.  If you’d like to make the frosting more like an icing, add a little milk to thin it down.  Four onto warm cinnamon rolls and allow it to melt down over the sides.  Ooo…la..la!

Rise While You Sleep Overnight Dinner Rolls

I love bread, but it is the greatest downfall in my life!  Here is one of my favorite recipes that you mix up before going to bed and let rise while you sleep.  Roll the dough into crescent type rolls first thing in the morning and enjoy hot rolls with your lunch at noon.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkg. yeast (dissolved in ½ cup warm water)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 4 cups flour

Once yeast is dissolved, mix it together in a large container with the sugar, beaten eggs, warm water, vegetable oil, and salt.  Add flour and mix well.  Cover and let sit overnight (the dough may overflow the container if it isn’t large enough so be sure to set it in a place where the overflow won’t hurt anything, including the dough).

The next morning, sprinkle your work area with flour, divide dough into three parts and roll each part into a circle like a pie or pizza crust (does not have to be perfectly round).  Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 8 triangular pieces.  Beginning at the wide end of each piece, roll the dough up like a crescent roll.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rise (about 2-4 hours).  Bake at 375º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Yields 36 rolls.

Barbecue Meat Balls

These meatballs became a hit with our family several years back, and are requested often by family and friends. I highly recommend them!

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs. ground beef
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 2 cups quick rolled oats (can substitute with 2 sleeves finely crushed crackers)
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 1 cup onion, finely chopped (optional)
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • 2 tsp. chili powder

Directions:

With the exception of the ground beef, mix all ingredients together to allow oats (or crackers) to absorb the milk.  Add ground beef and mix well.  Shape into balls the size of a ping-pong ball.  If you find it difficult to get the meatballs to form well because they are too sticky, add a few finely crushed crackers.  Place meatballs on a cookie sheet in one layer and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350º.  After the meatballs are done, place them in a crock-pot and pour the sauce (recipe below) over them.

Sauce:

  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1 ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp. liquid smoke
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ cup onion, finely chopped (can also use minced onion)

Mix all ingredients together until brown sugar is dissolved.  Pour over meatballs, making sure they are well covered.  Cook on high for 1 hour, or on low for 3-4 hours.  Yields about 36-40 meatballs.  If you don’t need that many for one meal, freeze the meatballs after you have baked them.  When ready, place frozen meatballs in crock-out, add sauce, and cook on high for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until well heated and gooey.