PARMESAN BAKED TOMATOES

4 Tomatoes, halved horizontally
1/4 Cup or more Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Oregano
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
4 Teaspoons Extra-virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450. Place tomatoes cut-side up on a sprayed baking sheet. Top with parmeasan, oregano and salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and bake until the tomatoes are tender about 15 minutes.

RECRISP CHIPS AND CEREALS

If you open up a bag of chips or corn chips or cheetos and don't close them back good we all know they will go stale and not be out of date. To recrisp them put a serving size of them on a plate or in a bowl and put them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds (not minutes). Take out and let them stand for one minute and they will be crisp again. This also works with cereals.

DON'T SALT THE BEANS

We all know that when you want to cook up a big kettle of pino beans you look them, wash them and let them sit in water overnight to reduce the cooking time.
One of my friends wanted to cook a kettle of beans on a gas stove. Now to me gas cooks way quicker than electric. She fixed her beans and cooked them and cooked them and it went around 5 hours and they still was not done. Now this in on a gas stove.
What could have happened, we all know a bean is a bean. We all have our fav. brands of pinto beans. I like Walmart brand or the one that Walmrt sells in the spring that is loose in a big barrel. To me they are the best.
Well, I just wonder if she added her salt while the beans were cooking. That sure sounds like she did.
 You can cook a pot of beans for 10 hours and they still will not get done if you add salt at the beginning of the cooking. Me, I learned the hard way so that is why I know that beans will not cook up done if you add your salt then.
We also put our seasoning in our beans at the beginning of the cook time. Just this past year, I learned from my daughter that you put your sliced salt bacon in around 30 minutes before the beans are done. Now me, I have been cooking for around 35 years. Her, around 10 years. lol. So ole mom can learn something new to. lol.
Add your salt at the end of the cooking. Stir it in good and retaste. Sometimes if it is not stirred good you will add more salt and get them to salty. I also put a stick of Blue Bonnet in mine at the beganing of cooking and just a little oil. Oh, yeah, I know fattening along with the salt bacon.
If you use the chunk of salt bacon then I guess you could put it in at the beginning  as always.
So back to the cooking time. I just wonder if her gas stove is like my sons new one that he got. It has one burner that will not get hot. Oh, he got mad and said it was not working right and called out the service dept. because he had just bought the stove. What did they tell him, The back burner is for simmering and will not get hot as the other five burners, and the one in the middle, is for boiling and gets hotter then all the burners. Maybe we all are not to old to learn new things.
 By the way if you have a self cleaning double ovens, do not stop them in the cleaning cycle as it will mess it up big time also. Guess who done that,,,,, him also. lol. He has been cooking for 20 years. He is one great cook and should have went on and made a chef. But he will not put none of his recipes on here hardly at all. They are most from all our other kin and friends. When you have a big family like ours, someone is always fixing something new and this blog is mosly just to keep them so we wont lose them .  When msn shut down our website we had to create another one to keep up with all of them. Anyone is more than welcome to view them or add them to their blogs. We are just southern country cooks that reallllly love to cook.....

KEEPING GREENS GREEN

When you cook fresh greens sometime they may turn a dark green color. If you will add a small amount of sugar to the water when cooking them they will stay a pretty green color.

PRALINE BISCUITS

Margarine
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon Chopped Pecans
2 Cups Bisquick
1/3 Cup MIlk
1/2 Cup applesauce

Makes 12 muffins. For each muffin cup add 2 teaspoons margarine, 2 teaspoons brown sugar and 2 teasoons chopped pecans. Put in oven on 300 and let melt. Take our of over and then sprinkle with cinnamon. Mix bisquick, milk and applesauce. Equally divide batter on melted topping. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Inver onto cookie sheet or large plate for serving.

PORK CHOP CASSEROLE

6 Pork Chops
1 Can Cream of Celery Soup
1/4 Cup Milk
2 Cans green Beans, drained
Salt and Pepper to tasted


Salt and pepper chops, brown and pour off grease. Blend milk and soup together. Add greeen beans. Put chops on top and cover. Bake in 350 oven until chops are tender. Remove cover and bake for 5-10 minutes more.

VEGETABLE SOUP GOULASH

2 Lbs. Ground Chuck
1(26)oz. Can Vegetable Soup
2 Small Cans Tomato Paste
1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 Lb. Cooked Elbow Macaroni

Cook and drain ground chuck. Add garlic salt, soup, tomato paste and cooked noodles. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

HAMBURGER POCKETS

1 Lb. Ground Chuck
1 Small Head Cabbage, cut up fine or 1 Can Karut,drained
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Pack Hot Roll Mix
1 Small Onion, chopped fine

Brown the ground chuck and drain good. In a skillet fry the cabbage and onion. Add the ground chuck. Prepare the hot roll mix as directed. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll out on a floured board or (a piece of floured alum. foil) in a small circle. Add some of the meat mixture and close by pinching edges together with a fork. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. You can leave off the cabbage and use a can of drained kraut in this, it is good both ways, and makes a quick meal. Let the pockets get golden brown but watch and do not let them scorch on the bottom or top.

SERVING CHEESES

If you are going to be having a party or buffet where you plan on serving cheese. Make sure that you take the cheese out of the ref. in time to let it come to room temp. This will let the flavor come thru more. But make sure you don't let it sit our for hours or overnight.

CHOCOLATE TORT DELIGHT

2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 Cup Soda Cracker Crumbs
1 Stick Butter or Marg, melted

Filling:
6 oz. Pack Chocolate or Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
2 Cups Milk
1 Quart Ice Cream( chocolate or vanilla)
9 oz. Carton Cool Whip
2 Butterfinger Candy Bars, crushed

Mix pudding and milk together. Add ice cream. Pour over crust. Freeze for 2 hours until hard. Put cool whip over it and top with candy bars and left over crumb mixture. You can use vanilla pudding with chocolate ice cream or chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream or chocolate pudding and chocolate ice cream. Any way you would like to mix it. Very good.

JIFFY CAKE MIX CINNAMON ROLLS

4-5 Cups Flour
1(9)oz. Box White Jiffy Cake Mix
2 Packs Quick Rise Yeast
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix 3 cups of flour, cake mix, yeast, salt and warm water. Mix until smooth. Add enough flour to form a soft dough. On lightly floured board, knead dough for 6-8 minutes. Roll dough out 9 x 13 inch size and spread with butter. Sprinkle with sugar cinnamon mixture. Roll up and slice into 1 inch cuts. Put on greased sheet (parchment paper can be used also) and let raise about 15-20 minutes. Bake 15-18 minutes at 350.

QUICK PEACH COBBLER

1Can Peach Pie FIlling
1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
3 Tablespoons Butter or Marg.
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Cinnamon

Place peaches in bottom of greased 7 x10 inch casserole. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top. Drizzle melted butter or marg. on top of cake mix. Sprinkle brown sugar and a little bit of cinnamon over the butter. Bake 35-45 minutes at 350.

OLE' TIME CAKE

2 Cups Hot Water
3 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Cocoa
1 Cup Crisco Oil
4 Teaspoon Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Salt

Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and salt. Add 2 cups hot water and beat. Pour into a 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes Let cake cool completely.

Frosting:
2 Tablespoons Margarine
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Milk
Powdered Sugar

In a pan melt margarine, brown sugar, and milk. Mix well. Let cook just a little. Add powdered sugar to desired consistency. Forst cake.

DORISAL'S PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

4 Cups Sugar
1 Large Can Evaporated Milk
1 Stick Butter
1 Large Jar Marshmallow Cream
11/2 Cups Peanut Butter

Mix sugar, milk and butter. Cook until soft-ball stage on candy thermometer. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and marshmallow cream. Beat until thick enough to pour. Pour into a butter 9 x 13 pan. Cool in ref. When chilled cut into squares and serve. You can also use parchment paper and let it hang over the sides if you had rather then using the butter on the bottom of the pan.Also try cutting the cool fudge with a plastic knife you get in the forks and spoons package. It should give a clean cut.

GRANDMA DESSERT

2 Packs of Dream Whip Topping Mix
2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Milk
15oz. Vanilla Wafers
24 oz. Bottle Chocolate Syrup

In a medium bowl, combine topping mix, powdered sugar and milk. Whip on high speed with hand mixer for 4 minutes or until fluffy. Crush the box of vanilla wafers. In a large glass bowl, layer an 1 inch deep portion of the vanilla wafers, then a inch layer of the whipped topping mixture, then drizzle with the chocolate syrup. Repeat layers ending with chocolate syrup.

MORE TENDER ROASTS

Tomatoes are a acid food. So if you are fixing a roast a can of tomatos added to it will make it more tender. It will also give the roast a good flavor if you use the flavored tomatos like with basil or different spices in them. It helps break down the meat as it cooks or bakes.

BETTER TASTING FISH

We all know that lemon will bring out the flavor of fish. But do you know that putting it on the fish before fixing it will make it taste so much better. Just spread it all over the fish but don't use to much as you do not want it to taste sour. It also makes the fish stay white more when fixing it.

CABBABE CASSEROLE

1/2 Cup Butter or Marg.
1 Medium Sized Head Green Cabbage around 2 1/2 lbs. cored and thinly sliced
1 Large Onion, finely chopped
11/2 Cups Milk
4 Eggs, Beaten
15 Salted Crackers, finely crushed (Walmart Brand or Kroger)
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Heat oven to 325 deg. Spray a 10-cup casserole dish with cooking oil spray. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large pot. Add the cabbage and onion, cook over medium heat until softened around 20 minutes. Stir in milk and bring to boiling. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly so the eggs will not cook when adding them. Gently stir in eggs. Add 1/2 cup crushed crackers and the salt and pepper. Pour into a prepared casserole dish. Dust top evenly with remaining crushed crackers. Bake in the oven on 325 for 30 minutes or until heated through and top is golden brown.

MARSHMALLOW HOT FUDGE CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 Box of Chocolate Cake Mix, made up
1 Jar Hot Fudge Sauce
2(7)oz. Jars Marshmallow Cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare your chocolate cake using the directions on the back of the box, and pour into a greased and floured 9x13 cake pan. Bake cake according to the directions on the box. When cake is almost done, gently warm up the jar of hot fudge until it is pourable. When cake is done, take it out of the oven, and turn up the temperature of your oven to 400. While the cake is still hot, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake, then pour the hot fudge sauce all over the cake letting it soak into the holes. Place dollops of the marshmallow cream evenly over all of the cake then wait  a couple of minutes for the cream to melt a little. Spread the marshmallow cream evenly all over the cake and then place the cake back in the oven. Bake until the marshmallow toppping begins to get browned and toasty. Remove from oven and serve.

CHERRY BROWNIE COBBLER

2(21)oz. Canned Cherry Pie Filling
1 Box Betty Crocker Brownie Mix, larrge size for 9 x 13 pan
3/4 Cup Butter or Marg. melted

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Spread the pie filling in the bottom of the sprayed pan. Sprinkle the brownie mix over the pie filling. Pour the melted butter evenly over the brownie mix. Using a small spatula, spread the melted butter all over the mix. just to cover the dry mix. Bake for 30 minutes or untill the topping is set. Cool 15 minutes to serve this warm. Store leftovers in the ref.

CHENSEY B. CORNBREAD CAKE

4 Eggs, beaten
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 Cup Oil
11/2 Cup Self-Rising Flour
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Flavoring
1 Cup Chopped Nuts (pecans or walnuts)

In a medium bowl mix the eggs and sugar good, Then add the oil and flour and beat good again. Last add the vanilla and chopped nuts. Spray a bunt pan or a loaf pan. Pour mix into pan. Bake at 350 for around 30 minutes or until brown. You can put a vanilla frosting on this but is best eaten without frosting.

CHOCOLATE COBBLER

2 Sticks Butter or Marg.
11/4 Cups Sugar
11/2 Cups Self-rising Flour
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
3/4 Cup Milk

Chocolate Layer:
1 Cup Sugar
6 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
2 Cups Boiling Water

Preheat oven to 350. In a 9 x 13 glass baking dish, melt the two sticks of butter in the oven. In a medium bowl, mix together the 11/4 cups sugar, flour, vanilla and milk. Once the butter is melted, pour the batter over the butter but do not stir it. In a separate bowl mix together the cocoa and remaining sugar. Sprinkle the cocoa/sugar mixture on top of the batter. Do not stir this either. Pour the 2 cups boiling water on top of the batter and do not stir. Bake for 30-45 minutes. Or bake until the crust on top is golden brown. Serve warm and can serve with ice cream.

ORANGE CRUSH FLOATS

3 Scoops Vanilla Ice Cream 1 (16)oz. Bottle Orange SunKist Soda
Put the 3 scoops of ice cream in a tall glass. Then pour in the soda. It may not take all of the soda in one float. The fizz is on top of the float and to me that is what is so good or you can put the soda in first and then put the ice cream on top. If you can find any Jones soda in orange or Orange Cursh soda it has more of a orange  flavor.

CABBAGE PEPPER RELISH

3 Cups Chopped Peeled Tart Apples (Granny Smith)
2 Cups Green Pepper, chopped
2 Cups Red Pepper, chopped
3/4 Cup Hot Banana Pepper, chopped
2 Cups Red Cabbage, shredded
3 Tablespoons Coarse Pickling Salt, not regular salt
11/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Tespoon Mustard Seed
11/2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large non-alum. bowl and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours. Drain well and then sit aside. Combine the next 3 ingredients in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the vinegar. Stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add pepper mixture. Stir. Simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes until apple is starting to soften. Fill 5 hot sterile 1/2 pint jars to within 1/2 inch of top. Wipe rims of jars. Place sterile metal lids on jars and screw on metal bands fingertip tight. Do not over-tighten. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars. Cool.

LIME CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 Box French Vanilla Cake Mix(Betty Crocker)
1 Cup Cold Water
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
1/2 Cup Light Sour Cream
2 Limes, juiced and zested

Frosting:
1 (8oz.) Box Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 Cup White Chocolate Chips, melted in a double boiler or microwave
1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a sheet pan. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients together and mix good. Pour into the sprayed pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Frosting:
Whip all the ingredients together until combined and smooth. Scrape down the edges of the bowl and then rewhip for 2 minutes. Frost the top of the cake and ref. until ready to serve. Ref. any leftovers.

WHEN THE DOCTOR SAYS "THAT'S IT"

With my daughter's birthday being yesterday, my mind goes back to when she was around 3 months old. She got sick and would not take her bottle. I took her to the doctor and he wanted to do some blood work on her. So later that day he called and ask if we could take her to Knoxville. We wanted to know what was wrong and he told us he would talk to us when we got back in the office. So we packed some clothes and went on over to the doctor.
 He told us that she looked like she had a type of whooping cough syndrome. She would cough so hard she would almost lose her breath. She could not keep any milk down and no water. We then went on to Knoxville to the hospital.
They hooked her up to all kinds of monitors and took away her milk and put her on gatorade. She could not keep it down.
They would not let us go out of the room and when they came in they had to wear gowns and masks. So they done more test and then ruled that out. But she still could not eat. She was losing weight and getting weak.
They kept running tests and could not find what the problem was. So on a Sunday moring the dr. came in and talked to me. He told me he did not know what else to do and he had done all he could do for her. Thirty three years ago they did not have all the equipment they have now.
I looked at her, as she was such a pretty baby and thought am I going to lose her. I had packed her some outfits and put them on her each day as I thought if my baby is going to die, then at least she can wear some of her pretty clothes she had got at a shower. I called my mother-in-law and told her what the dr. had just came in and told me. They were having church on Sunday at the church where we lived at. So my mother-in-law got them to pray over a prayer cloth for her.
I had got sick while over there and was running a fever and my throat was almost swelled together. There was no one to stay with her, but me ,as my husband had to work in the mines and we lived a long way. I  did not have any meds to take and could not go get any as I did not have a car with me. There was a big snow on.
So around two that day I was sitting in a chair by the window and was so sick and all at once I felt a warm wind come through the window. I looked to see if the window had come open. It came to me and I felt it as it went from my head to my feet and I thought what was that, and then I looked and seen my daughters dress blowing. It went to her bed and when I looked at her face, there was a glow over her body and you could see it. It went from her head down to her feet and disappeared  at the foot of her bed.
I got to looking and she was waving her arms and going on and gooing. I noticed that my throat was no longer sore and I did no longer have a fever.
My mothr-in-law called and told me they had prayed over a prayer cloth and that my husband was going to bring it over to us. I told her I did not need it because Jesus had already came to the room and had healed me and my baby. I told her what I had seen and what had happened. I started crying as I knew my baby was healed.
So I called to the nurse and told them to bring my baby a bottle. She took it and it stayed down. And later on she drunk another one, it stayed down. The monitors never went off no more. They did not know what to think..
 The next morning the doctor came in and I told him do you believe in prayer, and he said Oh, Yes. So I told him what had happened and he looked at her laying there laughing and going on and he said I sure do believe you and somthing sure has changed. I ask could I go home ,and he said I will write out the orders for you as there as been a miracle in this room. That was the end of it. She is healthy as can be and has been with us now for 33  years.
I know people do not want to say much about Jesus but he loves all of us and he died for us and if it were not for him we would all be dead as who is it that keeps your heart beating.
I have heard the saying that you are only 5 inches from death each day as that is how far, for most of us ,from our mouth down to our heart. God can heal and I am so glad that I know he can and not only that he can do all kinds of things for us.

SOUTHERN CITRUS PUNCH

1 Pack Strawberry Kool-Aid
1 (12)oz. Frozen Orange Juice, pulp free
1 (12)oz. Frozen Lemonade
6 Cups Water
4 Cups 7-UP Soda
5 Cups Pineapple Juice
1/2 Cup Sugar or more to your taste
1 Cup Whole Strawberries
1 Lemon, sliced
Defrost lemonade and orange juice. In a large punch bowl or a 3 gallon container, combine all the ingredients. Stir well. Make sugar sugar is dissolved. Freeze until to becomes a slushy consistency. Add strawberries and lemon slices before serving.