I'm allergic to fruit...FRUIT! Mock Apple Pie / In honor of Raising Hope

I make this every time we watch a new episode of Raising Hope. It makes for a great viewing party!

Jimmy's Pie (I'm allergic to fruit....FRUIT! Mock Apple Pie

1 Box of ready made pie crust (you'll need both sheets)
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, slightly broken
1 3/4 cups of water
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

According to package directions, roll one pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan. Set the other aside. Put cracker pieces in the bottom of the pie crust, sit aside.

In heavy sauce pan, add water, sugar, and cream of tartar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let cool.

Pour cooled mixture over crackers, dot with margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon. Put the other crust on top, crimp the edges to seal and put a few small slits in the top so the steam can escape. Bake about 25 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Enjoy!

The Best Apple Cake You'll Ever Make

This recipe, like many others, are from my grandmother. I bake one every year for the holidays. Simple, but take it to a potluck and everyone will want your recipe!

Mamaw Ashby's Apple Cake

1 cup vegetable oil (you can use melted butter as long as it's one cup)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups chopped apples
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (you can use just 1/2 teaspoon of each if you want a milder taste)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9x13 pan.

Mix wet ingredients together. Sift the dry ingredients, taking a teaspoon of the dry mix and tossing with the apples and nuts (this will make sure the apples and nuts don't sink to the bottom of the cake.) Mix the dry ingredients with the wet just until combined, then fold in the apples and nuts. Pour into greased pan, bake at 350 degrees about 40 - 45 minutes, or until the cake bounces back in the middle when you touch it, or a toothpick comes out clean.

You can let it cool, but it's incredible served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or my grandmother's favorite, a scoop of buttered pecan. Yum!

Holiday Pumpkin Quick Bread

The one thing that makes me so proud is the legacy I have from my Mother, my Grandmother, and my Aunts. They put love in everything they did. If they put their arm around you, the love was there. If they lectured you, the love was there. And if they presented you with a dish that was your favorite, the love was there.

My Grandmother was born in 1899 - that's just unreal when you think about it. What she lived through, she had an amazing life. I especially feel blessed to have all of her recipes. Today I was looking for her Banana Bread recipe and I came across one for Pumpkin Bread. Now, recipes are pretty much all the same, but I noticed something I had never seen - she put a 'heaping' spoonful of the jelled cranberry sauce in the batter. I went right to the kitchen and it was in the oven in less than 10 minutes. It is delicious - easy to make and perfect for the holidays. I like to bake different breads, wrap them in the festive cello paper, tie with a bow and give them as gifts. I always have a box ready at the holidays in the refrigerator so if someone pops in, I can give them a gift to take home.


Finding this recipe today was the best gift I could have hoped for. It's like my Grandmother letting me know she's still looking out for me. What more could I ask for?


Mamaw Ashby's Pumpkin Bread


1/3 cup melted cooled salted butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
2 1/3 cups Bisquick
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I grate mine fresh)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon jelled cranberry sauce



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan, I use a 9x5x3. I also layer the bottom of my pan with parchment paper because I like the bottom of my bread to look as pretty as the top.


Stir wet ingredients together, then add the dry ingredients. Beat until combined but don't over mix. At this point, if you'd like you can add 1/2 cup of raisins, or walnuts.

Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for about 45 - 55 minutes, but check after 30 minutes in case you want to turn the pan. When a toothpick inserted comes out clean, it's done.

After cooling about 10 minutes, run a knife around the sides to loosen the loaf, remove and let cool on a wire rack. You should let it cool completely before slicing - sometimes it doesn't make it that far at my home!

For extra decadence, spread your slice with a generous smudge of cream cheese.

Make some memories today, bake something with your family. Let the scents of the holidays fill your home!

A Raising Hope menu!

I don't know about you, but my family is in love with the new sitcom Raising Hope!

One of the most popular things I've done is create a menu for things that mean the most to our family. We've been enjoying "Christmas Story" dinner for years, eating Meatloaf-Smeatloaf Double-Beatloaf.

I've tried to envision what they might eat. So here is your first menu for watching Raising Hope. Enjoy!

Your Father's Home, Come Eat Tator Tot Casserole

2 lbs ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 cup milk
1 bag of tator tots
1 - 8 oz bag shredded mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In large skillet over medium heat, brown hamburger. Remove from heat, drain grease then add 1/2 tsp salt, sprinkling of pepper, onion, soup, (and make sure you buy the right thing. someone has been putting the soup cans upside down) half the bag of cheese and milk, stirring until combined. Pour mixture into a grease 9x13 greased pan. Top with remaining cheese, then top with tator tots until casserole is covered. Bake for about 1 hour (check it after 40 minutes and make sure it's not bubbling over. )

I'm Allergic to Fruit...Fruit! Mock Apple Pie

Box of ready made pie pastry (there should be 2 in the box, you'll need both of them)
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, broken slightly
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons margarine
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out one pastry in a 9 inch pie pan. Put cracker pieces in crust and set it aside.

In a saucepan, bring water, sugar and cream of tartar to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let cool.

Pour cool mixture over crackers, dot with margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon. Put the other crust over the top, crimp at the side to seal. Put a few small slits in the top. Bake about 25 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven to cool.

The Best Mashed Potatoes you'll ever make

All of us like mashed potatoes. A good bowl of mashed potatoes can pull any meal together, regardless of what leftovers you have in your refrigerator.


But let's be honest; a nice pan of homemade mashed potatoes can be very daunting. But before you reach for that packet of instant potatoes just imagine if you made one big pan of mashed potatoes and saved them for later in the week. That's what I do, and it's a quick and easy way to pair with sliced ham and cole slaw for a nice dinner. With your potatoes already prepared you have have dinner on the table before the pizza delivery car pulls in the drive-way.


Ducky's Best Mashed Potatoes


One 5 lb bag of yukon gold potatoes
1 cup milk
2 sticks butter
2 tbs kosher salt


Peel potatoes and cut in either cubes or discs. Cut them about the same size for even cooking. Rinse in a colander and put them into a heavy saucepan (you'll need a fairly good size pan) and cover potatoes in cold water. Over high heat, bring potatoes to a boil. Reduce heat just slightly, and boil for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, you should be able to put a knife through a potato. If there is a little resistance, you can continue to boil for 5 minutes but any longer and they'll turn to mush.


Drain potatoes and return to the pan. This will ensure any water left in the potatoes will dry out since the pan is still hot. In the meantime, warm the cup of milk and 1 1/2 sticks of butter until warm and butter is melted (reserve the other 1/2 stick to top potatoes.) Set liquid aside.


The best way to mash the potatoes is using an old fashioned potato masher. Mine has a round end and looks like a grid. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of kosher salt over potatoes, and mash the entire pan. This is going to take you a few minutes but it's worth it. After mashing for a few minutes, use a wooden spoon and stir potatoes, then mash again. Once you have a smooth mash, start adding the liquid/butter slowly, stirring after each addition. Remember, you can add more but it's hard to take away. As soon as all the liquid and potatoes are incorporated, stop stirring. Taste for additional salt and if you like, add pepper. Smooth the top (making sure there are some indentations for the pools of butter) and then using the last 1/2 stick of butter, distribute in small pats all over the top.

In normal circumstances, you should have 20 + servings of potatoes. You can go ahead and package up half the potatoes now because trust me, these potatoes are so good they'll go quick.

If you do this once a week, you have a great side dish for anything. If you are at the deli of your grocery store, the rotisserie chickens make a great entree, and if you have the potatoes at home then all you have to do is grab a container of cole slaw, or cottage cheese and you have a meal. Much better than burgers or pizza. Cheaper too.

Best Pineapple Upside Cake recipe you'll ever need

This is like eating a slice of fresh pineapple. I bake mine in a 9x13 pan because I have a Tupperware container that fits it perfectly. You will love it, trust me.

My Mother's Table Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Glaze
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 - 20 oz cans of crushed pineapple (drained, reserve liquid)
12 maraschino cherries

Cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup reserved pineapple juice
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 large eggs, slightly beaten, room temperature

Heat oven to 350 degrees. It doesn't hurt to spray the baking pan, even though there is butter in the recipe. Every little bit helps.

To make the glaze
Place butter in 9x13 pan and place in oven just until butter is melted. Remove from oven, tip pan so butter covers pan. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter, then spread pineapple. Add cherries (they should be pressed down in order to touch bottom of pan so they show when you turn out the cake.) Set aside while you make the cake.

Making the cake
Mix together sugar, flour and baking soda until combined. In a small sauce pan, bring butter and reserved pineapple juice to a boil. Cool 5 minutes. Add slowly to the flour mixture. Mix well. With mixture running on slow, add buttermilk, vanilla and eggs. Mix just until combined. Pour over pineapple in cake pan. Drop pan on on counter once or twice to remove bubbles. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, or until top feels firm (depending on your oven, I'd check the cake after 30 minutes just to be sure. You can always bake longer but you can't take it back if you over bake.) When done, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then flip cake on a serving dish.

This cake serves 12 people, but it's very rich yet refreshing. So in my home, we get at least 18 servings. If you take it to a pot luck, it will go very fast!

Funeral Potatoes?

How did I not know the name of this recipe was Funeral Potatoes! From the time I can remember we called the dish Hashbrown Casserole. They are amazing! Uh, unlike funerals.

Hashbrown Casserole

2 lb package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed (I use diced but shredded is good)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 stick butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp dried minced onion
topping optional (and for some, here is where it gets authentic)*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole dish (I use a nice 7x11)

In a large mixing bowl, combine soup, sour cream, cooled butter, milk, cheese and onion until creamy. Add thawed potatoes, mix gently until potatoes are coated. Pour into greased dish, bake until bubbly (about 45 minutes.)

*The topping is optional, and very controversial evidently. I usually top mine with just cheap old bread crumbs that I've sauteed lightly in butter. I put mine on the potatoes after they've baked for 45 minutes, then I return to the oven for 15 minutes. You can also use Ritz crackers, but they aren't always around. Authentically? You use crushed corn flakes. I've done it, but I tossed them with a little melted butter because they browned better.

These are the best potatoes in the world, I don't care what anyone says. If you take them to a pot luck, take the recipe. Everyone will want it.