BAYOU CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE STEW

This recipe reminds me of things our good friend's mother would make when we visited them along the gulf coast almost fifty years ago.

8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lb.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
6 oz. andouille sausage (about 2 links), sliced (1 inch)
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (14-oz.) can lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 small yellow summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces

1. Pat chicken dry; sprinkle with salt. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot. Cook chicken in two batches, skin-side down, 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Place in Dutch oven.

2. Drain all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add sausage; cook over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Add to Dutch oven.

3. Cook bell peppers and onion in skillet 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables start to soften. Sprinkle with flour; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in broth until blended. Stir in tomatoes and thyme. Pour over chicken.

4. Bring chicken mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes. Add zucchini; cook 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and vegetables are tender.

Yield: 4 servings

LEMON PUDDING CHEESECAKE

I just love these old recipe clippings. Glad my late mother saved so many of them.

I know the recipe is hard to read so here it is:

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

2 cups milk

1 package Jell-O Lemon Instant Pudding

1 8-inch graham cracker crust

Soften cream cheese, blend with 1/2 cup of milk. Add 1 1/2 cups milk and the pudding mix. Beat slowly with egg beater just until well mixed, about 1 minute. (Do not overbeat.) Pour at once into graham cracker crust. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs lightly over top. Chill about an hour. Serve to 8 delighted people - a real party dessert that you can whip up so easily, thanks to Jell-O Instant Pudding!

CREAMY CHEESE PUDDING

This is from my little JELL-O Pudding booklet from the 1970s.

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 cups cold milk
1 package (4-serving) Jell-O instant pudding - lemon, butter pecan, coconut cream, vanilla or pineapple cream flavor

Beat cream cheese until very soft. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the milk and blend until smooth. Add the remaining milk and pudding mix. Beat slowly with rotary beater or at lowest speed of electric mixer until well blended, about 2 minutes. Pour immediately into individual dessert dishes and chill. Top each serving with a spoonful of jam, or sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

SHOO FLY PIE

A great old recipe clipping from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

LAYERED ORANGE SPONGE CAKE

This recipe is one that gets handed down from generation to generation per Joyce Speerbrecher of Grafton, Wisconsin.

8 eggs, separated
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tbsp grated orange peel
1 cup + 2 tbsp flour, sifted twice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a bowl, beat egg yolks and 2/3 cup of the sugar on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Add the orange juice and peel. Fold in the sifted flour.

In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar on medium until soft peaks form. Add the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high to form soft glossy peaks.

Fold 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the batter then fold in the remaining whites mixture.

Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake 45-55 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool in pan for 1 1/2 hours.

FROSTING:
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tbsp flour
2/3 cup orange juice
3 tbsp grated orange peel
2 eggs
2 cups whipping cream, whipped
1 cup chopped pecans

In a saucepan, whisk, sugar, flour, orange juice and peel. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until thickened. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Slowly whisk 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the eggs; return to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Pour into a clean bowl. Cool for 30 minutes then press plastic wrap onto the surface; refrigerate until chilled.

Fold the whipped cream into the orange mixture. Cut cake into 3 layers; fill and frost with the frosting. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top.

Yield: Serves 12.

SOUTHERN SWEET POTATO CAKE

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups (approx. 2 medium) shredded peeled sweet potatoes
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Frosting:
1 pkg (8-oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla until well blended.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt; gradually beat into the egg mixture. Stir in the sweet potatoes and walnuts.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake at 350 degrees 40-45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool cake completely in the pan on a wire rack.

To make frosting:
In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until blended.  Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until mixture is smooth. Spread over the cooled cake.

Leftovers should be refrigerated.

Yield: 20 servings
Per serving: 519 calories, 36 g fat (8 g sat), 47 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein, 67 mg cholesterol, 276 mg sodium

This very tasty cake is one I got some time ago from a TOH magazine. I believe it was a lady from Maryland.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Another old recipe from a well used recipe card:

BAKED CARAMELIZED CHICKEN LEGS

2 1/2 lbs chicken legs
1 2/3 tablespoons olive oil (to keep from sticking to the pan)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 2/3 tablespoons ketchup
3/4 cup honey
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to suit taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Combine other ingredients and pour over the chicken. Bake for 1 hour or until caramelized.

EARLY 1900S WOODEN WASHING MACHINE

Not a recipe but I love this and wanted to share. I love history and when I saw this on facebook I knew I had to save it to this blog. Can you imagine doing your laundry in this? This was probably a fantastic appliance for the homemaker of that era.

From Paula Surgener: "I found this a few weeks ago. I couldn't resist. It is a early 1900s wooden washing machine"

CHRISTMAS BELLE CAKE

This is a good old-fashion cake recipe anytime of the year. I love these old clippings and I am so glad my mom was a recipe-clipping pack rat. 

I realize the picture is hard to read so here is the recipe:
2 1/2 cups sifted Swans Down Cake Flour
3 1/4 teaspoons Calumet Baking Powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
4 egg whites, beaten to meringue with 1/2 cup sugar

Combine sifted flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 1/2 cups sugar in sifter. Stir shortening just to soften. Sift in dry ingredients. Add 1/4 cup of the milk and the flavorings and mix until all flour is dampened. Then beat 2 minutes. Add meringue and remaining milk and beast 1 minute longer.

Pour batter into two round 9-inch pans lined on bottoms with paper. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) 30 minutes, or until done. Cool. Frost with...

Yuletide Frosting and Filling. Cream together 6 tablespoons butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add 2 unbeaten egg whites. Then add 3 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, alternately with 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, beating well after each addition. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon or lime rind and beat until of right consistency to spread. Tint a delicate green.

To 1/2 cup of the frosting, add 2 tablespoons each chopped raisins, nuts, candied cheeries, and citron; spread between layers. Then cover top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Decorate with silver dragees and tiny red candies.

SUNKIST PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEMON

This is another of the old recipe clippings from my late mother's shoebox recipe collection. Click on picture to enlarge for easier reading.

DRIED APPLE CAKE

I have lived in Texas for the past 33 years so I love coming across old Texas recipes. This 1914 recipe is so simple and they didn't have modern ovens with temperature settings.

Dried Apple Cake

The following recipe was transcribed ver batim from 

The Dallas Morning News

Dallas, Texas

March 22, 1914

One cup dried apples. Soak overnight and then chop fine,  Simmer slowly two hours in a cup of molasses. Cream one-third cup butter with one cup sugar; add one egg one teaspoon cinnamon, one teaspoon cloves, one-half teaspoon nutmeg,, a few grains of salt, two cups flour. Beat this mixture thoroughly and then add the apple and molassas.