Grandma Bailey's Fry Bread

Crisp and tasty and WAY better than the junk you get at the fair, Grandma's Fry Bread is delicious and so versatile!  You can top these little breads of goodness with cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, honey or all three for a tasty breakfast or dessert. You can also make them a little bigger, and top them with beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes... you name it... for a yummy -and cheap- "Navajo Taco" dinner. My Uncle Bud remembers Gram making them for breakfast when he and Mom were little. We had a fun time making (and eating) them when he and my Aunt Lorie visited this weekend.  Good times!


Grandma Bailey's Fry Bread
4 cups of flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup dry, powdered milk
2 cups water
Mix dry ingredients. Add water. Mix with hands, adding more flour if necessary. Pinch off pieces of dough & flatten with hands. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Heat 1 cup of oil or shortening in a heavy skillet or pot to about 375 degrees. The oil should be about 1" deep or so. Pat down dough again into large or medium circles about 1/4 in' thick. (I am a cheater, we used a floured rolling pin.)

Brown on both sides in the hot oil. Drain. (I used a small pot so I wouldn't have to use so much shortening.) We just fried them one at a time.)

Again, you can top these lovelies with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or honey for a sweet treat.  Or you can make it a meal by using it for a base for beans, cheese, even shredded beef.

Makes 2 dozen- 5" rounds, but we halved the recipe yesterday, and it worked great.  A half recipe made 9 of these 6" babies, which was perfect for an afternoon snack! 

Em had fun cooking with Uncle Bud!!


When I taught 4th Grade.. (oh... 10 years ago???) ... Mom and I made up the several batches of the dough, rolled it into 150 balls and covered them with greased wax paper. The next day I took them to school for Arizona Day.  We had a fry bread station and let the kids flatten them and Mom helped with the frying. They loved it!!!

Mrs. Tomasi's Playdough

Two doors down we had a neighbor, Mrs. Tomasi.  She always had neat things for us to do.  One of my favorites, was making Playdough.  This is her recipe.  I have jazzed it up a bit by adding glitter and using the Kool-aid packs*, but I think she'd approve!







Playdough Recipe
Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until mixture begins to pull away from pan:
     1 cup flour
     1 Tablespoon oil
     1/2 cup salt
     2 teaspoons cream of tartar
     1 cup of water

Add food coloring, or powdered Kool-Aid and knead.  I like the Kool-Aid.  It is easy to pour, and makes the dough smell good, too.  Knead in some glitter, too if you like!  

Look how bright the colors are!

New York Cheesecake

Who doesn't like a creamy, yummy cheesecake? One of two of Mom's cheesecake recipes, this is one is easy to prepare, and yields a result that I think rivals many restaurant cheesecakes.

New York Cheesecake
Crust:
     1 cup graham cracker crumbs
     1/4 cup sugar
     1/4 cup melted butter
 







Blend together in a small bowl, and press in the bottom of an 8" un-greased spring-form pan.

Batter:
     1-1/2 cup sour cream
     1/2 cup sugar
     2 eggs
     2 teaspoons vanilla
     1 pound cream cheese, broken into small pieces
     2 Tablespoons butter, melted

     Blend the sour cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a food processor*  for 1 minute.  Add the cream   cheese. Blend until smooth. Pour butter through the top of the machine, and blend.

 Pour into the spring-form pan.

     Bake in the lower third of a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes. When baking is finished, remove from oven, and turn oven over to broil.  Broil the cheesecake just until top begins to show attractive spots of brown.**

     Refrigerate 4 hours, preferable overnight, before serving.

*I highly recommend you use a food processor with the metal blade attachment.   I have made it in my Kitchenaid, but even with the paddle attachment, it seems to still whip in too much air, and the consistency isn't quite the same.
**The broiling is optional, but it adds some color.  You could also use a chef's torch, if you have one.

Orange Kiss-Me Cake

This coffee cake-ish retro recipe I found in both Mom & Grandma's recipe boxes.  When I researched the recipe, a very similar recipe came up and was the 1950 Pillsbury Bake-off Winner. ( I think that is pretty cool.)  I can totally picture my Grandma making this in her little kitchen in Sunnyslope in the late 50's.  It is a super easy recipe, and we loved it!  The cake is super moist and would be great for breakfast or brunch.  We aren't big raisin fans, so I left those out. 

Orange Kiss-Me Cake

3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 milk
2 eggs
1 cup raisins (optional)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 13x9 pan. Combine 1/2 cup of the OJ concentrate with remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend at the lowest speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Drizzle remaining OJ concentrate over warm cake; sprinkle with topping. (below)

Sugar-Nut Topping-
Combine in a small bowl. 
     1/4 cup sugar
     1/4 cup chopped walnuts
     1 teaspoon cinnamon

Callie's Favorite Sugar Cookies

This is our all time favorite recipe for cut-out cookies.  Mom and I tried several through the years, and by far this is my favorite. The dough is pretty forgiving, and the baked cookies freeze beautifully for decorating later.  (This is what I did at Christmas for Emily's Gingerbread Party. Huge time-saver!)   I prefer a buttercream recipe flavored with almond extract.  It just makes them different enough for people to stop and think... "Hmmm, What is this?" But you could even used canned frosting.  Mom and I made these ever since I was little, and now Emily helps me mix, cut and sprinkle.  (HER specialty!) Mom would be so proud. 


Sugar Cookies
Combine:
     3/4 cup shortening
     3/4 cup of butter or margarine (I use unsalted butter.)
     2 cups of sugar
Add:
    4 eggs
    1 teaspoon of flavoring  (I prefer almond, but you can use vanilla or lemon, too)
  
Add and mix in:
     5 cups flour
     2 teaspoons salt
     2 teaspoons baking powder

Chill for 3-4 hours or overnight.  I usually place it in a ziplock bag and throw it in the fridge.

When chilled, roll and cut cookies on a floured suface.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes, just until they start to barely get brown on the edges.  Let sit on pan for 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack.  Cool completely then decorate or freeze in freezer bags.

Yummy!

Sharon Flack's Chicken, Cheese and Broccoli

This casserole full of yumminess comes from mom's cousin Sharon (Flack) Hall.  We first had it while visiting Sharon at the "camp" in Fair Haven, New York.  The house has been in the Flack family for longer than I know, and is nestled dreamily on Lake Ontario.  The view is out of this world beautiful, and is one of my favorite places on Earth.

Another tidbit about this one-dish wonder is that my niece, Brynn actually competed in the Kids' Pillsbury Bake-Off with this recipe here in Phoenix about 10 years back.  There were about 12 kids or so who competed.  She didn't win, but this recipe is a winner in our family ever since!


Sharon's Chicken, Cheese, and Broccoli
3 packages frozen broccoli (drained)
3 cans of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
3-4 cups (or so) SHARP cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix soup, mayo, and 2 cups of cheese.
Place broccoli, and chicken in the bottom of oblong casserole dish.
Spread mixture on top, and sprinkle with
remaining cheese.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly.

Notes: uh... this ISN'T  a low fat recipe, so don't kid yourself.  Also,  I use cream of chicken, and cut the mayo down to 1 cup. Also, spray your dish w/ Pam, and make your life easier.

Murphy's Tortilla Soup

Mom was a big fan of Murphy's Restaurant and the Gurley Streel Grill in Prescott, Arizona.  This recipe was in her collection, and is actually printed on their letterhead.  Not sure how she got it, but it is so, so yummy!  I made it last week during our rainy spell, and it hit the spot. The leftovers were good, too.

Murphy's Tortilla Soup

1 cup fresh corn kernels
2 Tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic- minced
1 cup onion- diced
1/2 cup carrots- diced
1/2 cups celery- diced
1/2 cup Anaheim chili pepper- seeded and chopped fine
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1-1/2 Tablespoons  chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1-1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1-1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1-1/2 Tablespoons coarse salt  (I just salted to taste...)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups tortilla chips- broken into small pieces
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese- grated

Cut raw kernels off corn cob with a sharp knife. In a large saucepan, melt butter over moderate heat add the onion, celery, corn, carrots, garlic, and Anaheim chili and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, and oregano and continue stirring another minute to toast spices. Add the tomatoes, stock, cilantro, and chicken.  Bring mixture to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, distribute the broken tortilla chips equally in the bottom of the soup bowls, ladle the soup over them, and garnish each bowl with cheese.

*Notes:  I am a cheater pants.  I used frozen corn, and a can of diced tomatoes, but it was still great, and had delicious flavor.  I've also thrown in a can of diced green chilies when I couldn't find an Anaheim, and yep it was still gooooood.

Crumb-Topped Banana Muffins

Make these tomorrow morning and make your family happy.  You can use those old bananas that are sitting on your counter turning black. (Those are the best for baking anyway!)  This is an old, old recipe from mom's stash.  I have made them for breakfast functions, and about once a month or so for the family.  Kam's kids LOVE them, and she says they are the pickiest eaters on earth. 

Crumb-Topped Banana Muffins
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix in a large bowl:
   1-1/2 cups flour
   1 teaspoon baking soda
   1 teaspoon baking powder
   1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix in a smaller bowl, then add to dry ingredients:
    3 mashed bananas
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 egg
    1/3 cup butter, melted

Spoon into 12 paper lined muffin tins.

Make topping in another small bowl:
     1/3 cup brown sugar
     2 Tablespoons flour
     1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
     1 Tablespoon butter
     Cut butter in until mixture is crumbly and resembles cornmeal.  Sprinkle over muffin batter.

Bake @ 375 for 18-20 minutes.   Awesome.  :-)

Crumb-Topped Mac N' Cheese

I think this was another 80's creation since it calls for the use of a microwave.  The best part of this is the topping. It changes up the flavor of the plain ol' mac and cheese. I used this recipe when I taught home economics, and the kids loved it!

Mac N' Cheese
2 cups elbow macaroni (can use other cuts if you like*)
2 cups milk
1/3 cup flour
4 Tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
salt and pepper, to taste

Topping:
1/2 seasoned bread crumbs (I'm using panko crumbs & adding 1 tsp. Italian seasoning these days...)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Bring large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta and cooked per package directions. When done, drain and set aside.

While macaroni is cooking, make the topping.  In a frying pan, melt the 1/4 c butter for topping, add crumbs, and seasonings.  Stir with a wooden spoon until lightly browned.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine milk, flour, and salt and pepper to taste; whisk till smooth.  Add butter and cheese.  Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes and whisk until smooth.  Microwave additional minutes (one at a time) if not thickened. Add cooked pasta, and stir.  Place in serving dish.  Sprinkle with topping, and serve.

*NOTE:  When I used rotini, I used a full pound.  It is larger, and must just measure weird.  :-)

Infamous Chocolate Mousse

So... believe it or not I was a bit of a control freak growing up.  Hard to imagine, I know.  I think around 6th grade or so is where I really started to cook independently.  I found this here chocolate mousse recipe in one of Mom's old cookbooks.  It was a big hit in the family, and especially with my best friend and neighbor, Christy.  Now getting back to the control freak part... I wouldn't share the recipe with her, and it caused a HUGE feud between us.  Well, I have grown since then and here it is Christy.  Just for you! By the way, I was thinking about you the whole time I was eating my third bowl!


Chocolate Mousse
1 cup Hershey's chocolate syrup
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
few grains of salt
2 cups heavy cream, whipped
2 egg whites, stiffly whipped

Combine together the chocolate syrup, condensed milk, vanilla and salt, blending well. Chill thoroughly.  Add whipped cream,  and whip until spongy. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.  Freeze in a square (8x8") pan. After mixture has frozen for an hour, scrape the sides and stir.  Finish freezing.

Notes:  You can cut it into squares, but I decided to scoop it out like ice cream.  I thought that looked prettier.  I also remember that I use to put chocolate sprinkles on it to "garnish" but it doesn't really need it.