January 2011 Hot Fudge Pudding Cake from the kitchen of Mary Holman This recipe is for the true chocolate lover! Hot fudge on a cold winter day (it was cold and snowing in Kentucky the day I made this) seemed like just the right idea for our January newsletter; this one is so easy, and requires no exotic ingredients. A friend from Bible study group gave me this recipe and it received rave reviews from our employees and all 4 grandchildren who ate the one I made for the photo shoot. Hope you and your family enjoy this easy-to-make chocolate-lover's delight! SIFT TOGETHER IN MIXING BOWL: 1 C flour, 2 t baking powder, ¼ t salt, ¾ cup sugar, 2 T cocoa. Stir in ½ cup milk 2T melted shortening or vegetable oil. Blend in 1 C chopped nuts. Pour into an oiled 9X9 baking pan and spread. SPRINKLE WITH: mixture of 1 C brown sugar and 4T cocoa. Pour 1 ¾ C hot water over batter. BAKE: 45 minutes at 350 degrees. During baking, cake mixture rises to top and chocolate sauce settles to the bottom. Serve warm with or without vanilla ice cream.
February 2011 Brag Cake from the kitchen of Mary Holman We chose this recipe for February because it has red cherries (red for Valentine's day; cherries for Washington's birthday), because it's so easy, and because it's delicious. We can thank Lorie Dunn of our Production Department who contributed the recipe - hope you enjoy making it as much as I did - something so easy to make isn't often found in your everyday ordinary cookbook; it was a sure winner with my grandkids. 1 yellow cake mix 1 can cherry pie filling 1 can crushed pineapple 1 stick butter melted 1 c chopped walnuts Spread pie filling In the bottom of a13x9 baking pan. Spoon crushed pineapple, juice and all over the cherry filling. Sprinkle cake mix over the layers of fruit and pat the cake mix down. Sprinkle chopped nuts over the dry cake mix and pour melted butter over the entire surface. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until cake mix begins to brown. Best served warm.
March 2011 Easy and Scrumptious Chicken Breast from the kitchen of Mary Holman My nephew is a great cook and often cooks for large assemblies, especially church groups. This is a tried and true recipe from his vast collection; he prepared this for us when we visited in his home at Christmas time. This is low fat, low carbs, and is the sort of dish you can easily have ready for dinner - even after a busy day at the shop. 1 large chicken breast Kroger Grill Time Seasoning for Chicken-or your favorite meat rub Pam (or your favorite brand) cooking spray Digital Meat Thermometer Oven proof stainless steel skillet Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let chicken sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, and rub meat with grilling mix. Spray skillet with Pam, and lightly brown the meat on medium heat. When both sides of the breast are browned, insert digital thermometer probe in the fleshiest part of the meat, set alarm for 164 degrees F and roast in oven until alarm goes off. Allow meat to rest for 5 minutes; slice diagonally across the grain of the meat, and serve. Mmmmmm good!
April 2011 Cherry-O-Cream Cheese Pie This delicious and easy cherry cream cheese pie recipe was given to me by one of my Bible study friends. It's a good plan-ahead dessert for family or for guests; I took it to a potluck Wednesday, and it was quickly devoured. Filling 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature 15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk) 1/3 C fresh or bottled lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 can (1 lb. 6oz.) cherry pie filling 1 crumb crust (see recipe below) Crust 1 ½ C graham cracker crumbs (18 crackers) 3 T sugar 1/3 C butter, melted A prepared crumb crust may be substituted for this do-it-yourself variety if you're in a hurry (who isn't?) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix crust ingredients, press into the bottom of a 9" baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. While crust bakes, whip softened cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add condensed milk until well blended. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract and blend well. Pour into cooled crust and chill 2-3 hours in refrigerator before garnishing with pie filling.
May 2011 Delicious and Moist Apple Walnut Cake from the kitchen of Mary Holman This is another one of my nephew's recipes. He prepared this for us when we visited in his home at Christmas and we thought it most worthy of sharing with our newsletter readers. ½ C oil ½ C applesauce 1 ½ C sugar 3 eggs 2 C self-rising flour 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 3 C apples, peeled and diced ¾ C walnuts - black walnuts are very good but English works fine too. 2 C confectioner's sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix oil, sugar, apple sauce and eggs using a wire whisk. In a separate bowl combine flour and spices and add to first mixture. Fold in apples and nuts; pour into oiled 13x9 pan and bake for 35-45 minutes until toothpick comes out slightly moist. To prepare glaze from confectioner's sugar add just enough water to make it the consistency of thick cream and whip until smooth. Add water a bit at a time - it's so easy to get too much. Pour over cake while it is hot. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream - makes a great potluck dish.
June 2011 Strawberry Pie Nothing says summer like fresh strawberries! This pie is made with berries fresh from the patch and is a delicate sort of dessert in that it doesn't bode well to finish the pie the night before. But when assembled just before eating, it's a delight to the palate of every lover of strawberries. 2 quarts fresh strawberries ¾ C water divided 1 C sugar 3 T cornstarch 1 T butter 1 9" deep dish pie crust Bake pie crust according to directions and cool completely. To make strawberry glaze, place ¾ quart (appx. 3 cups) washed and stemmed berries in a saucepan, add ½ C water, and cook until berries are colorless and the water is deep red. Remove cooked berries from heat; using a colander, strain pulp pressing gently to remove all the juice. Mix cornstarch with remaining ¼ cup water stirring with wire whisk until all the lumps are dissolved and add to juice; place on medium heat stirring constantly until the mixture boils and the juice is very thick. If you don't stir, the mixture will lump. Cool glaze. Wash, stem, and slice remaining berries and chill. When you are ready to serve the pie, fold berries into glaze, and add to crust. Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
July 2011 Easy, Tasty Zucchini Casserole from the kitchen of Mary Holman With summer gardens abounding in zucchini squash, I find myself searching diligently for as many ways as I can find to use this versatile and easy-to-grow vegetable. This recipe is so quick and simple, it's an ideal spur-of-the moment side dish with a special dash. 1 lb. small zucchini 2 T butter, melted and cooled 2 T dry bread crumbs ¼ C grated parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste Scrub zucchini under cold running water. Trim off ends. Preheat oven to 425 degrees; butter a 13x9 inch baking dish. Spread zucchini slices in baking dish overlapping slightly. In a medium bowl, mix together crumbs, cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Sprinkle crumb mixture over the zucchini. Bake for 30 minutes or until crumbs are golden and zucchini is tender. You may vary the volume of crumb mixture ingredients according to your taste. Serve
August 2011 Apple Crisp from the kitchen of Mary Holman I chose this recipe for our August newsletter because it's oooh so easy and it's tasty; it was given to me by one of my Bible Study classmates. Hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed taste testing it in our break room kitchen at The Finishing Touch of Kentucky Preheat oven to 350 degrees, In a buttered baking dish place 4 cups apples peeled and sliced thin; I used Granny Smith. Mix together and stir into apple slices. 1 t cinnamon 3/4 t salt Sprinkle with 1/4c water In electric mixer, blend together and crumble over apple mixture 3/4C flour 1 C sugar 1/3C cold butter Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
September 2011 PIZZA CASSEROLE From the kitchen of Mary Holman With school starting, it is a good thing to have easy-to-prepare meals tucked away in the fridge ready to pop into the oven when the kids get home from school. This recipe is easy to prepare ahead; it received a hardy thumbs up from all 4 of our teen-age grandchildren. Hope you enjoy! INGREDIENTS 1 ½ lbs. ground beef 1 large onion chopped 2/3 lb. rigatoni noodles, cooked until tender 28 oz. pizza sauce 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese 20 large pepperoni slices, cut in half DIRECTIONS Brown meat and onions in skillet; drain. Layer ingredients in 9" X 13" oven-proof casserole dish in the order listed. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, appx. 30-45 minutes.
October 2011 CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE From the Kitchen of Mary Holman Create this moist and tasty cake from the abundance of your garden (or the Farmer's Market). This is truly a chocolate cake for all occasions. ½ C butter, softened ½ C canola oil 1 ¾ C sugar 3 eggs 2 ½ C flour ¼ C cocoa ½ C milk mixed with 1 t vinegar = sour milk 1 t baking soda ½ t baking powder ½ t salt 1 t vanilla 2 C shredded zucchini ¼ c brown sugar ¼ c chopped walnuts ½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips In mixer bowl, combine butter, oil, sugar and eggs and cream mixture until fluffy. Beat in flour, cocoa, and sour milk. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla and mix well. Stir in grated zucchini. Pour batter into a greased 13 x 9 baking pan. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, walnuts and chocolate chips. Sprinkle mixture on top of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 min. or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from oven and set on wire rack until cool. Delicious served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
November 2011 PUMPKIN BREAD From the kitchen of Mary Holman This moist and tasty pumpkin bread was a potluck item at our recent family reunion held at our home in Lexington. My cousin, Mary Ann brought her rendition of this scrumptious sweet bread, and it was such a hit that I asked for her recipe to share with our readers. 2C flour 2C sugar 2 t cinnamon Dash nutmeg 2 t soda 1 t baking powder ¾ t salt 4 eggs 1 Cup oil 1 15oz can pumpkin 1 t vanilla Preheat oven to 350º. Oil and flour 2 loaf pans. Measure first 7 ingredients into a large bowl and combine using a wire whisk. Pour eggs, oil, pumpkin and vanilla into a large mixer bowl and mix on med speed until well blended. Gradually add dry ingredients blending on low speed until all ingredients are well combined. Divide evenly between 2 loaf pans and bake at 350º for approximately 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Nuts and/or raisins are a very nice addition to this recipe.
December 2011 PUMPKIN DIP FROM THE KITCHEN OF MARY HOLMAN My niece brought this easy-to-make pumpkin dip to our family reunion in October. Everyone thought it was so good that I decided to share it with our readers. 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 C confectioners' sugar 1 C pumpkin 2 t pumpkin pie spice 1 8 oz. Cool Whip, or ½ pt. heavy cream whipped 1 package ginger snaps or vanilla wafers for dipping In medium bowl, use mixer to combine cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Fold in confectioners' sugar and pumpkin pie spice until sugar and spices are blended with the pumpkin mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 2 hours). Serve with gingersnaps or vanilla wafers.