Yummy Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups Boiling Water
1 cup Uncooked Oats (regular or quick)
1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Sifted All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Soda
3 tbsp Cocoa
German Chocolate Frosting (below)

Pour boiling water over oats, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Uncover, stir and let stand 10 minutes more. Beat butter until fluffy; add sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add eggs and oats mixture and mix well. Sift together flour, salt, soda, cocoa, and add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans, pour mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before frosting.

German Chocolate Frosting
1 cup Evaporated Milk
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Egg Yolks, Beaten
1 Stick of Butter
1 cup Chopped Pecans
1 cup Flaked Coconut

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT nuts and coconut in saucepan and cook for 12 minutes, stirring constantly (usually my job when a kid and my mom made this). Add nuts and coconut and beat until mixture is of spreading consistency. Spread on cake when ready.

Scalloped Potato-Onion Bake Recipe

1 can (10 3/4 oz) - Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Cream of Celery may be substituted to add a bit more of an edge to the taste)
1/2 cup - Milk
Dash of Black Pepper to taste
4 Medium sized potatoes, about 1 1/4 lbs. Thinly sliced.
1 1/4 cup - Onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp - Butter, cut into small pieces
Paprika
Grated cheese

Mix soup, milk and black pepper in a small bowl. Layer half of the potatoes, onion, soup in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Add some grated cheese to the top. Repeat. Top with butter pieces. Sprinkle with paprika.

Covered, bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

2 pkgs - Boneless Chicken Tenders. They're quicker and easier to cut up! Who says I don't look out for you?
1 tsp - Salt
1/3 cup - butter or margerine
1 cup - Chopped Onions. Hold the tears.
1 cup - Chopped Celery. What to do with all the rest of the celery you bought is up to you.
1 cup - Chopped Carrot. Can use baby carrots, already cleaned and pealed though costs more. Still need to chop them though.
1 small - Potato (I usually leave this out. Enough carbs as is).
1 cup - Frozen peas, thawed. Optional but give whirled peas a chance.
1/2 cup - All-purpose flour
1 cup - Half-and-half
1 tsp - Salt (yes, another teaspoon)
1/2 tsp - Pepper (I like to add a little more).
1 pkg - Refrigerated piecrusts (Pillsbury -- contains 2 piecrusts). Or you can make your own, but I won't tell you how.

Bring Chicken to boil in large pot with the first 1 tsp salt. I usually throw in a couple of dashes of Cavender's Greek spices or something similar --- it goes great on chicken and fish, just FYI! After boiling, simmer until thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken, save 2 cups of chicken broth for later. Pour some over cat's dry food, she'll love you for it.

Melt butter in large skillet. Add onion, celery, carrots potato, and peas (if you please!); stir constantly while cooking for 10 minutes or until are tender. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually add reserved broth and half-and-half. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in chopped chicken, the second tsp of salt and pepper.

Unfold 1 piecrust and press out fold lines and shape int a rectangle as best you can (true cooks will have a rolling pin they can use for this, the rest of us just have to make do the best we're able). Place in bottom of a lightly greased (PAM) 11x7x1 1/2 inch baking dish, fitting piecrust into pan by pushing up sides, etc) Pour filling mixture into pan.

Repeat first sentence of last paragraph with other piecrust.  Lay it on top of mixture. Fold sides under and crimp where possible. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

** Sometimes, when feeling especially lazy and don't want to do a lot of chopping or knowing that I really don't have any plans for the vegetables left over after the recipe... I mean, just how much celery do you really need at any given time? Anywho, I will hit the grocery store's salad bar and use it to get my chopped vegetable ingredients. Already chopped, cleaned and ready to go.

Make-ahead layered salad

1/2 -1 head of lettuce torn

5 stalks of celery chopped

1 green pepper chopped

1 small red onion chopped

1 pkg frozen green peas

9 slices bacon cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup cashews chopped

1 pt of mayo  (kraft of course)

3 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp salt

6 oz parmesan cheese grated

In clear glass bowl, place lettuce until bowl is 2/3 full.  sprinkle next 6 ingredients on top in in layers.  Mix the mayo, sugar,oregano, and salts in small bowl. spread over mixture in bowl.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Cover and enjoy.

Best if it is made a day ahead. A favorite at family gatherings, little ever left over.

Strawberry Trifle

1 quart strawberries hulled*

2 Tablespoons  confectioners sugar

1 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

1 package (3 3/4 oz) vanilla instant pudding

1 package (10 3/4 oz) pound cake frozen

4 tablespoons sherry or orange juice

1 cup heavy cream

2 table confectioners sugar

Slice strawberries transfer to a bowl & combine with sugar.

Add milk, sour cream and pudding mix.  Do not over mix. Should  thicken in about 1 minute.

Slice pound cake into 1/4 inch slices.  Position  half the slices into the bottom  and partially up sides of a 3 qt casserole or trifle bowl. Slices may overlap slightly.

Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons sherry.  Cover with half of the pudding, and then half of the strawberries. Repeat layers using remaining cake slices, sherry, pudding and fruit.

In small mixing bowl combine heavy cream and confectioners sugar. Using mixer, whip cream until stiff. Decorate surface of trifle with large dollops of whipped cream or flute through pastry tube.  (I just put on top and decorate with some strawberries).

Refrigerate until ready to serve.   Makes 12 ( 3/4 cup) servings

*Peaches, blueberries or various combinations may be used  Do not slice blueberries.

Hot Holiday Punch

1 large bottle Cranberry Juice
1 large can Pineapple Juice
1 large bottle Apple Juice
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp cloves
4 or 5 Cinnamon Sticks
1 quart Water

Pour all liquids in percolator. In basket of said percolater, put brown sugar, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Perk at 15 minutes. Longer it perks, the better the punch. Unless all liquid steams out, then the worse the gunk.

Fireside Coffee

2 cups Instant Cocoa Mix
1 cup Instant Coffee
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
2 cups of Coffee Creamer
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 1/2 cup or less of Sugar (according to preference)
Mix together. Use 3 - 4 tsp per cup of boiling water. Guaranteed to warm the spirits on a wintery day.