Fruit Crisp

Butter shallow baking dish.

Lay sliced fruit in dish - (canned or fresh) apples, peaches, pears, or strawberry/rhubarb

Top with crumbled mixture of:

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c quick oats

1/2 c flour

1/3 c softened butter

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp nutmeg

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 35 minutes

Notes:

*This is an old recipe that didn't give size of dish or amount of fruit! I normally use 7x11" dish and approximately 6-8 apples depending on size. Dish should not be more than half full of fruit, especially fresh fruit that is hard and needs to become soft as it bakes.

*Recipe works well with gluten free flour blends and gluten free oats.

*If fruit is tart, mix several tablespoons of sugar with fruit - I use raw sugar.

*Topping can be doubled for larger baking dishes.

*For crispier topping, bake approximately 10 additional minutes.

*Best served same day as baked. 

Chicken Fancy

Chicken Fancy (revised)

5-7 boneless chicken breasts (4-6oz each - 1/2-3/4" thick)*

1 stick (4oz) butter**

1 clove fresh garlic

salt & pepper - to taste

Enough corn flakes and potato chips to have 1 full cup each when crushed***

Finely crush potato chips and corn flakes in food processor or use rolling pin and plastic zip bag. Place mixture in shallow dish with sides. Melt butter in small sauté pan on low heat. Use garlic press to mince garlic. Add garlic, salt & pepper to butter and remove from heat. Cover sheet pan with foil. Use paper towel to dry chicken. Dip chicken in butter mixture and then in chip mixture completely coating chicken on both sides. Place on sheet pan with space between each piece. Bake 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Check chicken for doneness by cutting into piece with knife.

Eloise's notes:

*Use chicken breast pieces or chicken tenderloins that are uniform in size. Doesn't work well with large uneven chicken breasts.

**Butter (never substitute!)

***Use equal amounts corn flakes and potato chips. I crush entire bag/box, mix and keep unused chips in air tight container.

Fresh Cranberrry /Orange Relish

Fresh Cranberry/Orange Relish

1 pkg.. (340g) fresh cranberries
1 medium orange
1/2-3/4 cup sugar*

Slice unpeeled orange into eighths; remove seeds. Place half the cranberries and half the orange slices
in food processor container. Process until mixture is evenly chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining cranberries and orange slices. Stir in sugar to *desired sweetness. Store in refrigerator or freezer. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Black Magic Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Black Magic Cake

1 3/4 cups flour*
2 cups sugar
3/4 cocoa
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup strong liquid coffee (room temp)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift dry ingredients together into mixer bowl. Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl and blend lightly with wire whisk. With mixer on lowest speed, add wet ingredients to the dry. Stop mixer to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula, then mix for two minutes on medium speed (mixture will be runny and not look like boxed cake mix). Pour into well greased and floured 9x13" pan. Bake 40-45 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

*For gluten free cake, use same amount GF flour blend (Pillsbury Multi-Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend works well).

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 stick (1/2 cup) soft butter
1 lb. (3 3/4 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla
milk or cream

Mix all ingredients together and beat well with mixer. Add small amount milk or cream if frosting too thick.

Notes:                                                                                                                                                  

• This recipe makes more frosting than needed for 9x13" cake.
• Keep frosted cake refrigerated.

Breakfast Pizza

 (adapted from Pampered Chef recipe)
Crust:
1 - 20 oz. bag frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed & broken apart
1 egg
salt, pepper, onion salt - to taste
1-2 tbsp. finely, chopped onion (opt)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place parchment paper on 15" baking stone. Combine potatoes, onion & one egg in bowl. Spread potatoes on stone into 14" circle. Pat down with back of spoon. Season with salt, pepper, & onion salt. Bake for 20 min.
Egg Topping:
6 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Optional Ingredients:
chopped onions
chopped green or red pepper
sliced mushrooms
bacon, cooked & crumbled
chopped ham
Whisk eggs and milk in bowl. Microwave at 60% power for 3 min. Stir. Cook an additional 3 min. (Microwaves are different - continue cooking until eggs are set but not overcooked.) Stir and spread eggs evenly over baked potato crust. Top with optional ingredients. Sprinkle with cheese and bake additional 10 min. Cut into wedges with pizza cutter. Yield: 6-10 servings.

Monster Cookies (scaled-down version)

1 stick (1/2 c.) butter
1 & 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 & 1/2 c. peanut butter (we use creamy)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. light corn syrup
3 & 3/4 c. quick oats
3/4 c. chocolate chips
1 c. M&M candies
Combine and mix first eight ingredients. Add oats and mix well. Add chocolate chips and M&M candy.  Mix by hand to combine. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 12-13 min. Do not over bake.

Notes:

• Cookie dough is very thick. Mix by hand or use heavy-duty mixer like KitchenAid.
• Always use good quality ingredients: butter, real vanilla, real chocolate chips, etc. Better ingredients = better cookies!
• We use Pampered Chef tablespoon cookie scoop.
• For crunchy cookie, bake slightly longer. For soft and chewy, bake 12-13 min. and remove from oven. Allow cookie to cool on cookie sheet 5-6 min. before removing from sheet. Allow cookies to completely cool on wire racks.
• Freeze cookies after 1-2 days.

Oxtail Soup

I remember eating Oxtail Soup as a very little girl. The name made me think that quite possibly there might be some odd animal's tail at the bottom of the pan. I didn't know what an ox was at the time but I do remember the sweet meat in the soup and the aroma that filled my Grandma Mihojevich's house and my own house when my mom made it. Later I figured out that it was a delicious vegetable soup. We celebrated our Mihojevich heritage last summer at our family reunion and recreated many of my grandmother's recipes.  My sister, Nancy, made wonderful Oxtail Soup for lunch. Recently, a friend gave us some beef from his freezer. He mentioned that he had several packages of oxtails. Would I know what to do with them and did I want them? I was so happy to put them in my freezer and yesterday I had the familiar aroma of Oxtail Soup in my house.

Oxtail Soup

3-4 lbs. meat - oxtail, chuck roast, short ribs, shanks - anything with a bone

Put in crock pot; cover with beef stock.

Add: 1 - lg. can (28 oz) undrained tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. each Italian seasonings & parsley

salt & pepper to taste (be generous)

2-3 med. onions, diced

4 carrots, diced                                                                                             3 lg. stalks celery, diced

1/2 head cabbage, shredded coursely

3/4 c. pearl barley (dry) - leave out for gluten-free

Simmer overnight on low. (If not using crock pot, stovetop 2-3 hrs.)

Pick out bones, skim fat, shred meat & return meat to pot.

Add any combo of the following to cook quickly: frozen corn, peas, green beans, sugar snap peas, lima beans.

Note: My sister, Nancy's secret ingredient: 2-3 tbsp. pesto added to pot.