Some of Our Best Recipes!

Oatmeal Cake 1 1/2 cup boiling wate r1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal 1/2 cup wesson oil 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cup self-rising flour 1 tsp. cinnamon

Pour hot water over oatmeal and let stand 20 minutes. Mix oil, brown sugar, white sugar and eggs; add to oatmeal and beat. Add flour and cinnamon and mix again. Pour batter into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.

Topping:

1 stick margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
3/4 cup coconut, optional

Mix brown sugar, milk and margarine in a saucepan; cook 5 minutes. Add coconut
and/or pecans, if desired.

Chuckie's Homemade Vegetable Soup

1 Lb. Ground Beef
2 cans of tomato soup
4 small potatoes (diced or quartered)
1 can of whole kernel corn
1 can of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 quart jar of canned tomatoes
1 can of original Veg-All

In a large boiler, mix the canned tomatoes, corn, 2 cans of tomato soup (mixed with 2 cans of water)can of diced tomatoes and Rotel. Stir throughly, and put on stove with low heat. In another boiler, break up the ground beef, cover with water, and boil till cooked. When cooked, drain throughly.(This gets rid of most of the fat content.) Add ground beef to the large boiler. In a small boiler, put the diced or quartered potatoes and cook till almost done. Drain and add to the large boiler. Cook on low to medium heat for 2 hours. Salt to taste. Serves six people.

Fresh Apple Cake

1 cup wesson oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups chopped apples, (tart)
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix together by hand and pour into a greased tube pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Hershey Cake

CAKE:
1 stick margarine --- 1 c. sugar
4 eggs, break one at a time
1 c. flour --- 1 tsp. baking powder
1 (16-oz) can Hershey's Chocolate syrup

Mix margarine, sugar and eggs together. Sift in flour and baking powder. Blend in Hershey's syrup. Mix all together and bake for 35 minutes at 350 in a 9 x 13 pan. Cool 10 minutes before icing.

ICING:
1 stick margarine
2/3 c. evaporated milk
2 cups suga
1 (6-oz) bag chocolate chips

Boil margarine, cream and sugar for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Beat well and pour over cake in pan.

Low Sodium Chili

4 - 6 ounce cans Contadina Tomatoe paste (20mg sodium per serving) 10 - 6 ounce cans of water (2 1/2 water to each paste used) 2LBS - Ground Chuck (65mg sodium per 1/4 lb.) (ALL CAN PRODUCTS ARE "NO SALT ADDED") 2 - small cans mushrooms (20mg per serving) Fresh is Better! 1 - 12 ounce can DelMonte diced tomatoes (50mg per serving) 2 - small or medium onions 1 each -  red and yellow bell pepper 3 - stems of celery 1 - large clove of garlic

1 - 16ounce bag GOYA Red Kidney beans (NOT CANNED 20mg Sodium Serving)
1 packet - Williams Tex Mex Style Chili Seasoning (You may substitute for another low sodium mix)

RECIPE

1) Boil the Kidney beans in 8 cups of water (water not in list above) for 2 - 3 minutes. Set the beans aside in the hot water for at least one hour.  You may also soak the Kidney beans overnight per the package directions.

2)In a little water, sautee the peppers, onions, mushooms and garlic till they start to soften, do not overcook or cook till they are browned. If this is the same pan you use to fry the ground chuck, pur the vegetables into a bowl set aside until the ground chuck is fried.

3) Break up and Brown your ground chuck and pour off any grease. After the ground chuck is cooked, pour back in the vegetables and mix together. Pour the packet of  Williams Tex-Mex style seasoning mix across the top of the meat and vegetables and mix well together.

4) Put the meat and vegetable mixture into a 6 quart pot and begin adding your paste and water. For each can of paste you put in, pour in 2 1/2 cans of water, using the same size can to measure the water. You can adjust the water and paste to the desired thickness of chili you like. Stir in the water and paste well an simmer over a medium heat.

5) After boiling and soaking the beans the specified time, they should have softened enough to add to the chili. If not, microwave the beans in water for about another 5 minutes and let soak a little longer. When the beans are done, stir in the desired amount of beans. I don't use the whole bage, but most of it, you may like to use them all.

6) Simmer your chili over a low to medium heat for at least another 30 minutes and enjoy!

Making The Perfect Turkey Trussing the Bird Carving it Up Roasting Times Basting the Bird Turkey Gravy Stuffing the Turkey The three-fold requirements for successful poultry cooking are: A LOW SODIUM BIRD 1. Choosing a high-quality bird for the method of cooking intended. For a "LOW SODIUM" turkey it is best to get a FRESH bird that hasn't been frozen in the store. The turkeys that are kept in storage can sometime be loaded with brine. WATCH THEIR SODIUM CONTENT! 2. Careful and thorough cleaning and storage. 3. The correct cooking method and attractive service. BASICS Choosing the poulty is of first importance, for the finished bird as it comes to the table can never be of any higher quality than the quality of the original poultry. It is essential that every chef know how to recognize prime quality so that s/he can avoid the disappointments which result from a poor or mistaken choice. High quality poultry should be well-shaped, with a broad full-fleshed breast, and a creamy white or yellowish skin which is glossy, soft, and slightly waxy to the touch. There should be few if any bruises and abrasions, no tears in the skin of the breast, and none in the back that are not sewed up, no broken wings or legs, and practically no pinfeathers. Both the skin quality and the presence of pinfeathers depend largely upon the manner of killing and dressing. The highest grade of poultry, U.S.Special or U.S.Grade AA, permits absolutely no pinfeathers of down to be left on the bird and no tears or bruises anywhere. If a bird falls short of these standards, it may still make good eating, but its quality is less dependable. The quality of the dressed bird is the result of the breeding, the care and feeding of the live bird. To develop a tender, meaty, sweet-flavoured bird, a good diet and regular feeding are important. Poultry raisers and packers are becoming more and more careful to feed their birds a diet which will ensure good flavour in the meat. In addition, the practive of confining the birds a week before slaughter to finish-feed them is becoming common. The effect of this is the same as that of "finishing" steers and other meat animals by a similar method; it improves flavour and results in a "marbling" of fat through the lean meat of the poultry. Prime quality poultry is always fed in this manner. Years ago turkey was available only during the holiday season and there was little or no demand for it at other times, and the cost was unusually high. Today turkey is available throughout the year, and costs no more than chicken. Very meaty turkeys are now produced so that a 10 to 12 lb bird generously serves 5 for two meals -- roast turkey one day and turkey hash the next, with the carcass still making a delicious soup. In addition to developing smaller, meatier birds, turkey growers are marketing broiler-fryers, 12 to 14 weeks old, weighing from 4 to 8 pounds, for frying and broiling. Enormous mature Tom turkeys weighing 45 to 50 lbs are also being grown. These are sold in halves, quarters, turkey-burgers, steaks or any desired part. For years there have been dried and smoked turkeys available in some markets. Whole turkey may be purchased ready-to-cook (eviscerated), frozen or unfrozen; or dressed with head and feet on, plucked but not drawn. A Frozen bird is usually injected with brine adding much sodium to your meal. A hen turkey has more meat in proportion to its weight than a Tom because of its thick, plump breast. Hen turkeys weigh from 13 to 15 pounds. Estimating exact cooking time of a turkey has always been guesswork because the time depends on size and age, and age is not always easy to ascertain. However, a simple guide for roasting time can be found the day before the turkey is roasted. The gizzard holds the secret. Put gizzard, heart and neck in a saucepan, barely cover with cold water, heat to boiling, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until gizzard can be pierced with a fork as easily as cold mush -- this may require 3 to 4 hours. Now, add one hour to the time it took to cook the gizzard tender, and that will be the approximate time required to roast the turkey. The liver cooks tender in about 10 minutes, so add it when the gizzard is nearly done. Transfer cooled giblets, neck and cooking water to a bowl, cover; store in refrigerator. Use broth to make gravy or in dressing. Chop giblets to add to gravy or dressing. Trussing: Trussing consists simply of binding the legs and wings closely to the body of the bird so that it will cook more uniformly, brown more evenly and have a more symmetrical appearance than a bird that is not trussed. A sturdy needle (6-8 inch upholstery needle is best) and a strong slender cord about a yard long are the only equipment required. Special trussing needles are also available at most department stores. 1. Lay the unstuffed bird on its back with the tail to your right. Lift the legs so the drumsticks make right angles with the body (straight up), and insert the needle into the body, guiding it to come out at the corresponding place on the opposite side. 2. Fold the wings to the tips lie under the back, turn the bird around (tail to left). Insert the threaded needle down through the angle formed by the wing at your right; then across the back and up through the angle of the other wing. (You should now have a loop from one leg, through body, around other leg, around wing, under back, around other wing). Tie string ends together; bringing thighs close to breast. 3. Stuff the bird, lace opening together with toothpicks. 4. Tie drumsicks to tail opening, thus closing the vent opening. 5. Fold neck skin to the back and tuck it under the cord and the wing tips. Fasten securely to the back with toothpicks. Carving: "To do the honors of a table gracefully, is one of the out-lines of a well-bred man; and to carve well, little as it may seem, is useful twice every day, and the doing of which ill is not only troublesome to ourselves, but renders us disagreeable apt ridiculous to others." --- In "The Art of Carving", by the Reverend John Trusler, 1788, quoting Lord Chesterfield. According to Chef Steve Holzinger... of the eGG, carving a turkey is an art form that contributes to the meal as much as the cooking. 1. Insert knife between leg and body and cut through the skin. 2. Lift the leg and cut through the joint, removing the leg. 3. Run the point of the knife into the pelvic joint to release thigh bone. Twist the knife to free the thigh. 4. Place the thigh skinside down on the board. Observe the direction of the bone. Cut on either side of the bone to release the thigh meat. 5. Slice the smaller piece the long way. The larger piece of thigh may be cut in either direction. Serve skin side up. Serve the bone with some meat on it. 6. Remove the first wing joint. Remove and discard the wing tip. 7. Make a deep cut parallel to the board just above the wing joint. 8. Cut parallel to the breast bone to release slices of the breast. 9. Continue slicing the breast until the keel bone is reached. Roast Turkey Buy the right sized turkey: 1.25 to 1.5 lb per person if for one meal, 2 lb per person if two leftover meals are the aim. Clean thoroughly: remove pinfeathers with care, singe, wash thoroughly and drain well. Remove fat from gizzard; render. Cook giblets until tender; cool and store in refrigerator. Meanwhile, pull neck skin of turkey back as far as possible, rub 1 tbsp salt into breast flesh, 2 tbsp inside bird. Rub outside with fat. Cover with wax paper then with a cloth; store in fridge. The day before cooking, prepare and combine all stuffing ingredients, except onions, celery and liquids. Put dry stuffing ingredients in plastic bag, close and leave at room temperature. When ready to stuff, prepare and add onion, celery and liquids to stuffing. Remove bird from fridge. Pack stuffing into neck and body cavities lightly, then truss and stuff. Start roasting immediately (if refrigerated, warm to room temperature for 2 hours). Fold enough cheesecloth 4 times to cover bird completely. Dip folded cloth into melted shortening and lay over bird. Place bird on rack, breast-side down in a pan large enough for bird to fit in comfortably; one too large lets juice spread out over exposed pan to burn and give gravy a scorched flavour; one too small lets juice drip into oven to burn. Roast according to chart: Weight ready Oven Cooking time for oven Temperature min per pound Total 8-10 lb 325 oF 25-20 3-3.5 hours 10-14 lb 325 oF 20-18 3.5-4 hours 14-18 lb 300 oF 18-15 4-4.5 hours 18 lb 300 oF 15-13 4.5-5 hours 20 lb 300 oF 15-13 5-6 hours Baste Bast with 1/2 cup rendered turkey fat or butter and 1/2 cup hot water. When cooking time is half gone, turn bird on back, rearrange cheesecloth to cover well and baste again. To baste, remove turkey to top of stove, closing oven so it won't cool. Spoon basting liquid over cloth to coat skin of bird. Return to oven. Repeat basting every 20 minutes. Cover breast and thighs browing too fast with alumimum foil. To baste, lift foil then replace. When done, lift bird to hot platter; cover to keep hot while making gravy. To serve, remove trussing cords neatly. Garnish platter simply with loose bouquets of crips parsley leaving enough room for carver. Turkey Gravy You can make only so much fine flavoured gravy. The amount depends on the savory juices left in the roasting pan. First, drain off all fat and juice from the pan into a glass measurng cup. Let stand for fat to float, then pour off all but 1/3 cup of fat if turkey weighed 14 pounds, or correspondingly less amount for smaller turkey. Return remaining fat and juice to roasting pan. Add 1/3 cup flour and stir and scrape until flour blends smoothly and residue in pan is loosened. Add 2.5 cups giblet broth or 2.5 cups broth and milk. Place over low heat, stir constantly. Boil 5 minutes. If gravy is too thick, add more liquid to obtain right consistency. Season with a salt substitute and pepper. For pan-gravy, skim all but 2 tablsepoons of fat from pan juices, add 1 cup of broth, place over heat and stir and scrape until residue dissolves. Add 1/2 cup of cooked, mashed unsalted chestnuts for delicious variation. Makes 2.5 cups. Stuffing Although turkey may be roasted without dressing, most folks anticipate the dressing as eagerly as the turkey. Allow 1 cup of dressing per pound of dressed weight, or 1.5 cups per pound of ready-to-cook weight. Rub salt substitute seasoning in the cavity of the bird 6 to 8 hours before stuffing to give the bird better flavour. Do not pack dressing in too tightly for it becomes firm and compact during baking and it may burst the skin as it expands. If outside of the turkey is rubbed with fat, never sprinkle with salt as this causes the skin to blister. When these blisters break, the exposed flesh loses juice.   Adapted and adjusted from : Karen Haigh Source: Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking, 1953

Stack Cake

3 cups self-rising flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ginger
1 Tablespoon allspice
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup wesson oil
1 cup molasses
4 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix flour, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Set aside. Mix together the sugar, oil and molasses. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Then add dry ingredients. Mix again. Spoon the batter into 9-inch round cake pans. Be sure to make a very thin layer of batter in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Makes 10-12 layers. Cool. Stack with apple butter or cooked dried apples.

Perfect Meringue

3 egg whites
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. powdered sugar
Beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until stiff and glossy; do not underbeat. Put on cream pie (any flavor); be sure to seal all the edges. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Cool. (This meringue will not run and cause your pie crust to get soggy.)

Perfect Chocolate Pie

1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk
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3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp. margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
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Stir to blend the 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, flour, cocoa, salt and 1/4 cup milk. Add egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar and 2 cups milk. Cook, stirring, until thick. Remove from heat. Add margarine and vanilla. Pour into baked pie shell. Top with meringue.