Archive for August, 2007

Teri’s Fresh Apple Streusel

Contributed by: Teri LaFerney

Teri is a great cook and even though her recipes never have eggs in them (because of her son’s egg alergy) her dishes are always big hits at family get togethers.

Streusel topping:

  • 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 3 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

    • Cake:

  • 2 Cups whole-wheat flour
  • 2 Cups all-purpose flour
  • one-half tsp. salt
  • one-half tsp. baking soda
  • 1 Tbsp. baking powder
  • one-half tsp. ground cloves
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3/4-cup vegetable oil
  • 1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
  • 6 large egg whites
  • 1 4 one-half oz. jar applesauce
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 one-half cups chopped fresh apple (3)
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray.

    In a small bowl, mix ingredients for streusel topping until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over the bottom of prepared Bundt pan and set aside.

    In a large bowl, sift together flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves & cinnamon. Mix until evenly distributed. Set aside.

    In another large bowl, mix oil, brown sugar, egg whites, applesauce and vanilla with an electric mixer until fully blended and smooth.

    In a small bowl, mix together apples and lemon juice. Add the flour mixture and apple-lemon mixture alternately to the liquid mixture beginning and ending with the flour. Fold nuts into the batter being careful not to over mix.

    Pour batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake on middle rack of oven for 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out moist but not wet. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.

    Jones :: Aug.21.2007 :: Desserts :: No Comments »

    Teri’s Fruit Pizza


    Contributed by: Teri LaFerney

    Teri is a great cook and even though her recipes never have eggs in them (because of her son’s egg alergy) her dishes are always big hits at family get togethers.

    Cookie Crust:

  • 1 Stick Margarine
  • one-half Cup White Sugar
  • one-half Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. Vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • one-half tsp. Salt
  • 3 Tbsp. Water
  • 1 one-half cups All-Purpose Flour

    • Filling:

  • 1 8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1 one-half Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. Vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp. Butter or Margarine, softened

    • Cream margarine and sugars with vanilla and vinegar in an electric mixer. Add water and blend until creamy. Slowly add all other dry ingredients until smooth and well blended. Very slightly spray a round baking stone or pizza pan and place dough in the center. Mash cookie dough to a cookie shape about 1 inch thick and about 6 inches in diameter. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until it is set in the center. Let it cool completely then make filling and spread to the edges of crust.

    Decorate the top of the “pizza” with whatever fresh or canned fruit you prefer. I like to use Kiwi, Blueberries, Strawberries, Pineapple, Mandarin Oranges, and Grapes. Arrange the fruit in designs, or just place on top. Refrigerate for best results.

    Jones :: Aug.21.2007 :: Desserts :: No Comments »

    Simple Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing

    This is a simple easy (also cheap) classic dressing that works well with all kinds of fresh vegetable salads.

    Dressing for about 2 1/2 quart salad bowl

    1. 3 Tablespoons Sugar or Splenda
    2. 1 teaspoon salt
    3. ½ teaspoon pepper
    4. Toss before adding the last two ingredients
    5. 1/8 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
    6. Toss again before adding the vinegar
    7. 1/8 cup vinegar (any variety will work, I like red wine, or rice especially well)
    8. Toss one last time

    Put all of your veggies in the bowl first, and add the dressing ingredients right on top. As noted, toss after adding the dry ingredients, and then again after adding the oil, and one last time after adding the vinegar.  This method does a good job of distributing everything and for some reason keeps it from separating.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Recipe for about 8 servings.

    Jones :: Aug.17.2007 :: Salads :: No Comments »

    Fresh Summer Salad

    Here in the sunny south you can’t really grow salad greens once summer gets in full swing, but you can get great vine ripened tomatoes, cucumbers and squash all summer long. The key to this dish is the word fresh, use whatever is fresh and in season at the time, even if all you have is tomatoes or squash, it will be delicious the light dressing brightens the flavors without overpowering them.

    Any or all of the following cut into bite sized chunks pealed or otherwise prepared as needed:

    • Tomatoes
    • Cucumbers
    • Tender green beans (raw or lightly sautéed)
    • Summer Squash any variety – raw and sliced like a cucumber
    • Broccoli
    • Olives (ripe or green)
    • Sweet peppers (in moderation)
    • Onions (probably not best alone)
    • Avocado
    • Walnuts, Pecans or other nuts
    • Apples
    • Grapes
    • Carrots
    • Salad greens when available
    • Whatever you like, use your imagination

    Dressing for about 2 quarts of veggies

    1. 3 Tablespoons Sugar or Splenda
    2. 1 teaspoon salt
    3. ½ teaspoon pepper
    4. Toss before adding the last two ingredients
    5. 1/8 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
    6. Toss again before adding the vinegar
    7. 1/8 cup vinegar (any variety will work, I like red wine, or rice especially well)
    8. Toss one last time

    As noted, toss after adding the dry ingredients, and then again after adding the oil, and one last time after adding the vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Recipe makes about 8 servings.

    Jones :: Aug.17.2007 :: Salads :: No Comments »

    Chocolate Sheath Cake

    Contributed by: Donna Jean Wheatley (LaFerney)

    Source: Mom (Esther Jean LaFerney)

    One of my enduring memories of growing up was how it felt on Saturday afternoons when the housework was done, I had rolled Mom’s freshly shampooed hair, and she was baking a Chocolate Sheath cake for dessert at Sunday dinners. This is, perhaps, Earl’s number one favorite Grandma LaFerney recipe, although he thinks of it as brownies, instead of cake. (Truth to tell, he would never miss the cake, he loves the frosting so much.) The original recipe came from Daddy’s sister, our Aunt Louise. She can cook too!

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

    In a large mixing bowl, stir together:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups flour

    • In a saucepan, mix together:

  • 1 stick margarine,
  • one-half cup shortening,
  • 1-cup water,
  • and 4 Tablespoons of cocoa.
  • Bring mixture to a boil.Pour cocoa mix over the sugar and flour, and mix until smooth. (I always mix this cake by hand with a wooden spoon.)Add:
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-teaspoon baking soda
  • 1-teaspoon cinnamon

    • Pour into pan and bake at 375 degrees. Mom always used a 9″ x 13″ baking pan, but over the years, I started baking it in a 15″ x 11″ jellyroll pan. It makes a thinner cake, but you get equal amounts of frosting and cake this way. It takes 20 to 30 minutes to bake in the jellyroll pan.


    Frosting for Chocolate Sheath Cake
    Bring to boil in a saucepan:

  • 6 Tablespoons milk, 1 stick margarine, 4 Tablespoons cocoa - Remove from heat and stir in one-pound box of confectioner’s sugar and 1 cup of chopped pecans. Pour hot frosting over warm cake.

    • Jones :: Aug.15.2007 :: Desserts :: No Comments »

    Teri’s Sourdough Quick Bread

    Contributed by: Teri LaFerney

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees:

  • 3 Cups Self-Rising Flour
  • Almost 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 16 oz. Sour Cream (Not light or fat free)
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Pkg. Rapid Rise Yeast, dissolved in 1/2-cup hot waterStir all bread recipe ingredients together until moistened and well blended. Mixture will be sticky, and just a bit lumpy. It may be stirred by hand, or with an electric mixer. Spray 1 loaf pan with cooking spray and bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing.

    • Jones :: Aug.14.2007 :: Bread :: No Comments »

    Teri’s Broccoli Cornbread

    Contributed by: Teri LaFerney

  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 (10 oz.) pkg. chopped broccoli, thawed
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 12 oz. carton cottage cheese
  • 1 can Mexican corn, drainedMix all ingredients well and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, using 15″x11″ or 9″x13″ pan.  This recipe makes about 12 servings of corn bread.

    • Jones :: Aug.14.2007 :: Bread :: No Comments »

    Shirley’s Home Made Bread

    Contributed by: Shirley LaFerney

  • 5 Cups all purpose Flour
  • 2 Tablespoons Oil
  • 6 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 2 Cups Warm Milk
  • 2 Packages Active Dry yeast
  • 1 Pinch of saltMix all ingredients together and cover bowl with a towel. Let stand at room temperature 1 hr. Divide into 2 greased bread pans. Let rise at room temperature about 1 hour uncovered until double in size. Bake in preheated 325-degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

    This recipe makes 2 loaves. 

    • Jones :: Aug.14.2007 :: Bread :: No Comments »

    Granny Wilmoth’s Easy Scratch Biscuits

    Contributed by: David LaFerney

    Source: Granny Wilmoth (Sally Almer Wilmoth (Stockton) - Shirley LaFerney’s (Maxwell) Maternal Grandmother

    I think Granny Wilmoth made a batch of these biscuits every single day, and they were eaten hot at breakfast and then stayed on the table to be eaten cold all day long, with any leftovers fed to the chickens. It’s a shame that such a simple thing has almost become a lost art.

    Method #1 for all of us amateurs:

  • 2 Cups of self-rising flour
  • 4 Tablespoons of shortening
  • 1 cup of milkPreheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the flour in a mixing bowl and add the shortening. Mix until it looks like crumbs. Make a depression in the middle and add the Milk, and mix just until the loose dough comes together, but no longer, than you have to. Over mixing will make your biscuits tough.

    Method #2 for Grandmas and other experts

    Mixing bowl 1/2 full of flour

    4 Tablespoons of shortening (experts don’t need to measure they just know)

    1 cup of milk (again measuring is for sissies)

    Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Make a depression in the middle of the flour. Put the shortening and milk into the depression. Use your fingers to gently mix the liquid around in the depression, you don’t want to mix it with all of the flour in the bowl just work the liquid around there in the middle until a loose dough forms. When it is solid, enough for you to pick it up you are done.  There isn’t really a set recipe, you just have to know what it is supposed to look like.

    Turn out dough onto a floured surface and sprinkle flour on top of the dough with your hands so that you can work with it without it sticking to everything. Use your floured hands to pat the dough out into a thin layer about 1/2 thick. Using a Campbell’s soup can with both ends cut out, cut your biscuits out by pressing straight down through the dough and then twisting after the cutter bottoms out. Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet or iron pan with the sides just touching.

    Bake in a 450-degree oven until golden brown.

    Tips:

  • 1) Always preheat the oven before putting any recipe in it.
  • 2) Word on the street is that buttermilk will make lighter biscuits, but I never tried it.
  • 3) If you place the biscuits on the sheet 1/2 inches apart, they will cook up wider and brown on the sides.

    • Jones :: Aug.14.2007 :: Bread :: No Comments »

    Grandma LaFerney’s Sour Dough Bread

    Contributed by: Donna LaFerney Wheatley

    Source: Esther Jean LaFerney (Crocket)

    For a number of years, Mama’s Women’s group at the church would make this bread recipe and sell it to folks for their dinner as they left church on Sunday. The recipe originally came from Aunt Priscilla LaFerney, who is the youngest of Dad’s sisters, and one of the best cooks on the planet, though not as good as Mama, of course.

    First, you have to have a “Starter”:

    Starter for Sourdough Bread

  • 3/4-cup sugar
  • 3 T dry potato flakes (or buds)
  • 1-cup bread flour
  • 1-cup very warm, but not hot, water
  • 1 pkg. (2 1/4 t) yeastNever use a metal spoon or store the starter in a metal bowl! Mix and let stand at room temperature 8 to 12 hours in a covered container. Refrigerate. Give it a stir with a wooden spoon, everyday (or when you think of it).

    Use the starter, or feed it every five days or so. Always leave at least a cup of starter to start the next batch.

    When it’s time to feed the starter, use the above ingredients, but leave out the yeast. To share your starter with a friend, give them at least one cup of the starter and the recipe for feeding it and making the bread. (It makes a fun wedding or housewarming gift to put a loaf of the bread into a new loaf dish, and include the recipe and a cup of the starter with it.)

    Okay, now you have your Starter, here’s how to make the bread.

    Making the Sourdough Bread

  • 1-cup starter
  • 1/2-cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups very warm water
  • 1/2-cup corn oil
  • 1 T. salt
  • 6 cups bread flour. Mama’s original recipe said you could use all-purpose flour, but I don’t recommend that. I have found over the years, that bread flour is important. They’re all the same, unless you can find “King Arthur” brand bread flour. It makes a noticeably superior loaf. For whole wheat bread, you can use 4 cups of white bread flour and 2 cups of whole-wheat flour.Mix all the above ingredients well. Mama uses her big KitchenAid Stand Mixer. When I have made it, I mix all the ingredients, except the flour, together first, and then add the flour a cup or so at a time with a wood spoon until it gets too stiff. Then I turn out the dough and knead it, adding flour a cup or so at a time, until all the flour is mixed in. The dough will be smooth and elastic and not be sticking to your fingers (to the point of adhering to your skin) when there’s enough flour in it. Place the dough into a greased glass bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let it set at room temperature all day or all night (8 to 12 hours).

    Then, punch it down and knead it again for 2 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces, roll each piece out into a kind of rectangle, roll the rectangle up, starting at the narrowest end, and tuck the ends of the rolled dough under to make it into a loaf, with the ends of the roll in the bottom of the pan. Place each loaf into a greased glass or corning ware loaf pan and brush the top with butter. Cover the loaves with tea towels again and let stand another 8 to 12 hours (all day or night).

    THEN bake them at 325 degrees for 25 minutes if you made 3 loaves, 30 minutes if you made two. If the tops start to get too brown, lay a piece of foil over the top in the oven.

    This sounds like a bunch of work, and it is, but it is the most heavenly divine bread you will ever put in your mouth!

    • Jones :: Aug.14.2007 :: Bread :: No Comments »

    « Prev - Next »