CHERRY YUM YUM

3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1-1/2 sticks melted margarine
1-8 oz. package cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 packages Dream Whip
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2
2 cans cherry pie filling

Mix crumbs and margarine together.  Spread half the mixture in bottom of 9 x 15 baking dish.  Blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.  Fold in Dream Whip which has been made with the 1/2 and 1/2.  Pour half the cream mixture over the crumbs.  Top with the cherry pie filling.  Add remaining cheese mixture and remainder of crumbs.  Chill overnight.  Cut into 15 servings.

First of all, this has a cool name, so I had to try it!  It's very attractive and easy to make.  I couldn't find Dream Whip.  This could be something they don't make anymore, so I used 8 oz. Cool Whip instead of the Dream Whip mixed with 1/2 and 1/2.  I still have a lot left over, so maybe not as good as I wanted it to be.  It's pretty sweet.  You could gain five pounds just looking at a piece of it.....

CHILES RELLENOS BAKE

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2- 4oz cans green chiles cut in inch wide strips and seeded
6 oz. sharp natural cheddar cheese, shredded (1-1/2 cups)
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 t. salt
dash of pepper
4 beaten eggs
several dashes bottled hot pepper sauce

Brown beef and onion.  Drain off fat. Sprinkle meat with 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper.  Place half of chiles in 10 x 6 x 1-1/2" baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Top with meat mixture.  Arrange remaining chiles over meat.  Combine remaining ingredients.  Beat till smooth.  Pour over meat-chile mixture.  Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted just off center comes out clean.  Let cool five minutes.  Serves 6.

The recipe is good, especially for kids, not too spicy, just a little.  My grown boys all had seconds.  It was easy to make too.  Not for a fancy dinner but a great family casserole.

FRUIT FILLED OAT BARS

3/4 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 cup uncooked oats
1/2 cup chopped nuts
10 oz. strawberry preserves

Beat margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add combined dry ingredients; mix well.  Stir in oats and nuts.  Press half of oat mixture into greased 13 X 9 inch baking pan; spread with preserves to within 1/4 inch of edge.  Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture.  Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.  Cool and cut into bars.  Makes 28 square bars.  (Recipe from the TV Guide apparently)

This recipe is pretty good and also pretty easy.  I was anxious to try it because I thought it would be a good way to get rid of all those half-used odd flavors of jam I had left over in the fridge, so I made half peach preserves, part cherry jelly, and part strawberry preserves.  Bam, got rid of two jars just like that!  Everybody liked them, and some of the kids went back for seconds.  Not the most fabulous recipe, but good in a pinch I think.

TEXAS BAR B Q BEANS

1 lb. Dry Pinto Beans
1 medium chopped onion
1 cup cubed baked ham
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup Kraft Hickory Smoke Flavored barbeque sauce

Soak beans 24 hours. Pour off all water. Rinse in fresh water. Add some water. Put all ingredients in pressure cooker. Process 25 minutes after cooker reaches high point. Turn off heat & let it cool down.

Okay, this didn't work out so well. After I set the timer for 25 minutes, I went to do some other things, and soon I started smelling smoke. Actually, my house has been smelling like burnt beans for 24 hours now, not good! I thought if I opened the pot and added a little more water, a little more BBQ sauce and cooked a little more it would be okay, but no, that was my downfall.  I have to throw out this pressure cooker now as well as this recipe. There's no way that's ever coming off! Hmmmm, not off to a very good start but still optimistic!

First blog

My mother loved to cook. She constantly tried new recipes over her long lifetime even making her own ketchup, root beer, peanut butter, and yogurt! I now have in my possession her recipe card file meticulously typed on cards from an old-fashioned Smith Corona typewriter, which makes me wonder.... these have to be good if she took the time to type them, right? Well, I thought it would be a fitting tribute to her to try all these out (not in a time limit or everyday basis as I do work!), but the best I can and hopefully I'll find some hidden gems in here. She always shared her recipes with her friends, so in these modern times of Internet blogging, I think she would really appreciate that her cards didn't just go to waste, and all that typing wasn't for nothing. I'll also try to get a picture of each one too, so let's see what's in this file.......