Fresh Tomato Sauce

Fresh Tomato Sauce

 

Ingredients

○ 4 pounds fresh tomatoes, chopped
○ 1/4 cup olive oil
○ 2 onions, chopped
○ 2 green peppers, chopped
○ 6 cloves garlic, minced
○ 4 TBS. dried basil leaves
○ 2 TBS. dried oregano leaves
○ 1 TBS. Italian seasoning
○ 2 TBS. sugar
○ Dash of salt
○ One small package mushrooms, sliced
○ One package pasta

Recipe

1 - In large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high.
2 - Place chopped onions, peppers, and garlic and sauté until  onions and peppers are soft.
3 - Stir in tomatoes, basil leaves, oregano leave, Italian seasoning, sugar, and salt.
4 - Bring mixture to boil, then turn heat down to low and allow to simmer until thickened, about 2 hours.
5 - In last few minutes of cooking, heat oil in a pan and sauté mushrooms until soft. Add mushrooms to sauce.
6 - Cook pasta according to package directions.
7 - Serve sauce over pasta.

Rum Cake

Rum Cake

Ingredients

Cake
○ 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
○ 1 small (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
○ 4 eggs
○ 1/2 cup water
○ 1/2 cup vegetable oil
○ 1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum

Glaze
○ 1/2 cup butter
○ 1/4 cup water
○ 1 cup sugar
○ 1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum

Recipe

1 - Preheat oven to 325°. Generously grease and flour 8 inch bunt pan.
2 - Mix cake ingredients together in mixing bowl and mix with electric mixer on high for 2 minutes.
3 - Place mixture in bunt pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean when inserted, about 45 minutes to an hour.
4 - Take cake out and allow to cool in pan, about 20 minutes.
5 - While cake is cooling, prepare glaze. Place butter, water, and sugar in sauce pan and heat until butter is melted and then stir to combine the sugar.
6 - Heat mixture until just boiling, then add rum and cook for 2 minutes more, constantly stirring. Remove from heat.
7 - Invert cake onto plate and prick with fork in several areas. Then invert cake back into bunt pan, being careful to line the cake up with the mold.
8 - Drizzle glaze over cake, making sure to get plenty of glaze down the sides.
9 - Let cake sit and absorb glaze for 20 minutes, then invert back onto plate and serve.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 TBS. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
• 6 TBS. butter
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Dash of salt

Recipe

1 - Preheat oven to 425°.
2 - Mix dry ingredients together.
3 - Cut butter in with pastry blender (alternatively, use a fork) until the mixture resembles corn meal, about 3 minutes.
4 - Make a well in the middle and pour buttermilk in well. Stir in buttermilk until the ingredients are just moistened. Be sure not to over-mix.
5 - On a clean, dry surface, sprinkle flour.
6 - Pour dough ingredients onto surface and lightly knead about 12 times.
7 - Roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.
8 - Cut biscuits using a biscuit cutter or rim of a cup.
9 - Place biscuits on baking sheet. If you want softer biscuits, place biscuits together so that they barely touch. If you want harder biscuits, place biscuits farther apart from each other.
10 - Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Mint Lemonade

Mint Lemonade

Ingredients

○ 10 lemons
○ 4 cups water
○ 1 cup sugar
○ 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Recipe

1 - Place mint leaves in blender and blend until mint leaves are ground up.
2 - Juice lemons.
3 - Add lemon juice, water, and sugar to blender and blend until well combined.
4 - Place in fridge until chilled.
5 - Shake or stir before serving. Best served with ice.

Tomato-Basil Pizza

Tomato-Basil Pizza

Ingredients

○ 1 to 2 packages of pizza dough mix
○ 1 16 oz. package mozzarella cheese, grated
○ Several small tomatoes, such as cherry tomatoes
○ Several fresh basil leaves
○ 1/4 cup dried oregano
○ 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
○ Dash garlic powder
○ A few teaspoons of olive oil
○ Dash of salt

Recipe

1 - Preheat oven to 350° or to temperature specified on pizza dough mix box.
2 - Prepare pizza crust according to package directions. For a smaller pizza or thinner crust, use only one package of pizza dough mix. Shape dough into pizza crust on a pizza pan.
3 - Toss tomatoes in olive oil and salt.
4 - Roast tomatoes in oven until tomatoes begin to burst and skin is dried and is browned in some spots.
5 - Top pizza with 3/4 of the mozzarella cheese, then place roasted tomatoes and fresh basil on top. Squish the tomatoes with a fork so that they pop and leak some tomato juice onto the crust. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese, dried oregano, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder.
6 - Bake according to package instructions or until crust is browned and cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Serve hot.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

○ 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
○ 1 1/2 cups flour
○ 1 1/2 cups sugar
○ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
○ 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
○ 2 large eggs
○ 3/4 cups buttermilk
○ 3/4 warm water
○ 3 TBS. vegetable oil
○ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
○ Dash of salt

 

Recipe

1 - Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin tin with 18 to 20 standard baking cups.
2 - Combine cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and dash of salt into mixing bowl.
3 - Raise mixing speed to medium and add liquid ingredients. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
4 - Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
5 - Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
6 - Cool slightly in muffin tin, and then gently remove cupcakes and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.
7 - Once cooled, generously frost cupcakes with frosting or chocolate ganache.

Banana Bread

 

Banana Bread

Ingredients

○ 3 to 4 over-ripe bananas, peeled

○ 1 1/4 cup sugar
○ 2 eggs
○ 1/2 cup milk
○ 1 tsp. baking soda
○ 1 tsp. salt
○ 2 1/2 cups flour
○ Chocolate chips (optional)

Recipe

1 - Preheat oven to 350°

2 - Mash bananas in mixing bowl.
3 - Add all ingredients but flour and chocolate chips, and mix until smooth.
4 - Mix in flour and chocolate chips until just combined.
5 - Spray and flour bread pan.
6 - Bake 45 minutes to an hour, or until firm and toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

Macaroni & Cheese

 

 

Macaroni & Cheese

 

Ingredients

○ 1 14 oz. pacakge elbo macaroni

○ 2 to 3 cups cheddar cheese
○ 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
○ 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
○ 1 cup milk
○ 2 tsp. melted butter
○ 1 onion, finely chopped
○ 2 eggs, beaten
○ Dash of salt

Recipe

1 - Preheat oven to 350°

2 - Cook macaroni until al dente (just fully cooked)
3 - Meanwhile, mix all ingredients together, reserving some cheddar cheese for the top.
4 - When macaroni is finished cooking, mix it in with other ingredients and transfer mixture to casserole dish.
5 - Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
6 - Cover and bake for 30 minutes.