Charlotte’s Kitchen

Archive for May, 2008

Ingredients:

1/4        cup solid vegetable shortening

1            cup white sugar

4            bananas, mashed

1            egg

2            cups all-purpose flour

1            teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan.  Cream together the shortening and sugar.  Add the bananas and the egg and stir to combine.  Sift together the flour, soda and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir just until combined.   The batter will be lumpy.  Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Ingredients:

1        pound lean hamburger

1        egg

1/2    cup bread crumbs

1/3    cup parmesan cheese

1        teaspoon Watkins Garlic Powder

1/2    medium onion, chopped…plus 1/4 onion minced

Watkins Pepper and Salt to taste

1        carrot, chopped

1        stalk celery, chopped

2        garlic cloves, minced

2        tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2        pinches Watkins Nutmeg

3        15 ounce cans chicken broth

1/2    cup small pasta

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine meat, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic powder, 1/4 cup of the minced onion, salt and pepper.  Form 1/2 inch meatballs and place on a rack.  Bake about 12-15 minutes.

While meatballs are baking, saute 1/2 cup chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic in olive oil over medium heat (in a soup pot).  Sprinkle vegetables with nutmeg.  Cook 5 minutes. Add broth and turn heat to medium high.  When broth boils, drop in pasta.  Reduce heat to simmer, drop in meatballs, and cook until pasta is done.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecans

10 ounces spinach leaves

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced

Poppyseed Dressing:

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon poppyseeds

1 teaspoon Watkins Dry Mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion, grated

1 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

Directions:

Spread pecans in shallow pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until toasted. Lightly salt and cool. Combine pecans, spinach and cranberries/strawberries in a large bowl. Serve with Poppyseed Dressing.

For Poppyseed Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a jar. Cover tightly and shake vigorously. Chill. Makes 1 1/2 cups. Use about half for the salad listed above.

Ingredients:

3/4        cup vegetable oil

4            eggs

1            can (15 ounce) pumpkin

2            cups white sugar

1/4        cup orange juice

3 1/2     cups all-purpose white flour

2            teaspoons baking powder

2            teaspoons baking soda

1            teaspoon Watkins salt

1/2        teaspoon Watkins Ground Cloves

1            teaspoon Watkins cinnamon

1            teaspoon Watkins Nutmeg

1 1/2    cups chopped nuts

Glaze:

1            cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4        teaspoon Watkins Cinnamon

1/4        teaspoon Watkins Nutmeg

1/3        cup orange juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pans.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the oil, eggs, pumpkin and sugar.  Stir in the 1/4 cup orange juice.  In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cloves, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon nutmeg.  Combine with the pumpkin mixture and mix well.  Fold in 1 cup of nuts.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.  Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling.

Combine all the glaze ingredients.  Drizzle over the bread while it is still warm (but not hot).

Ingredients:

1        28 ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes

1        15 ounce can corn, undrained

1        15 ounce can hominy, undrained

1 – 2    pounds cooked hamburger, drained

1        can condensed tomato soup, optional

1        packet taco seasoning

1/2    teaspoon Watkins Salt

Shredded cheese, sour cream and crushed Doritoes

Directions:

Simmer 20 – 45 minutes.  Serve with shredded cheeese, sour cream and crushed Doritoes.

Freezes Great.  Doubles, triples or quadruples great.  I usually make a triple batch in my 20 quart stock pot and divide  it up to freeze.

Note, you can substitute 2 cans of corn to avoid the hominy or 2 cans of hominy to avoid the corn.

Ingredients:

1 1/2        cup sour cream

1               can cream of mushroom sup

1               pound hamburger

1               medium onion, chopped

1               medium green pepper, diced

1               package taco seasoning mix

1               small can mushrooms, diced

1               (16 ounce) can refired beans

1               package soft tortilla shells

4               cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Mix sour cream and mushroom soup.  Put 1/2 of mixture in bottom of 9×13 pan.  Fry hamburger, onion and green pepper.  Add mushrooms, taco seasoning and beans to hamburger; heat.  Divide mixture onto tortilla shells.  Roll up shells and place on top of cream mixture in pan.  Top with remaining sour cream mixture and soup mixture.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Makes 8 to 10 burritoes.