A Second Helping of Murder and Recipes: A Hot Dish Heaven Mystery (24 page)

Recipes from the Story

Carrot Bars

(the corrected version of the recipe from the first book)

2 c. white sugar

4 eggs

3 sm. jars baby-food carrots

¾ c. vegetable oil

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1½ tsp. cinnamon

1 c. chopped walnuts

Mix together the sugar, eggs, carrots, and vegetable oil. Add the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Stir well. Pour into a greased and floured 12” x 18” pan. Bake at 350º in a preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Use the toothpick test to determine when they are done for sure.

Frosting:

3 T. margarine

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese

½ tsp. vanilla

3½ c. powdered sugar

Cream together the margarine and the cream cheese. Stir in the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and beat with an electric beater until creamy. Frost only after bars have cooled.

Frosted Banana Bars

½ c. butter or margarine, softened

2 c. white sugar

3 eggs

1½ c. mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

Pinch of salt

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar, using an electric beater. Then beat in the eggs, bananas, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. Pour the batter into a greased, 15” x 10” x 1” pan. Bake at 350º, in a preheated oven, for 25 minutes or until done per the toothpick test. (It’s done if you stick a toothpick in it, and the toothpick comes out clean.) Cool.

Frosting:

½ c. butter or margarine, softened

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

4 c. powdered sugar, sifted

2 tsps. vanilla extract

For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl, using an electric beater. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating the mixture with an electric beater. Add the vanilla and beat some more. Then spread over the cooled bars.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Bars

½ c. butter

1¾ c. powdered sugar, sifted

1 c. creamy peanut butter

¾ c. finely crushed graham crackers

¼ c. butter

½ c. milk chocolate chips

Line a 9” x 9” baking pan with foil, leaving enough foil to hang over the edges. Butter the foil and set the pan aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter noted in the upper left column. Remove the pan from the heat. Add in the powdered sugar, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Then add the peanut butter and cracker crumbs, again stirring until the mixture is smooth. Pour that mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing it out to the edges.

Next, over low heat, melt the butter noted in the second column. Add the chocolate chips, removing the mixture from the burner and stirring until the chocolate is melted. Pour the chocolate mixture over the peanut butter mixture, gently spreading the chocolate over all the bars. Refrigerate the bars for at least 30 minutes so they can set. Finally, using the excess foil, lift the bars from the pan. Cut them with a pizza cutter. Store them in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Vegetable Hot Dish Express

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 c. cubed carrots

1 c. fresh peas

4 potatoes, sliced

1 can of tomato soup

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the meat and onions. Drain the grease. Add the carrots, peas, potatoes, and tomato soup. Stir. Add seasoning. Bake at 325º for two hours. Now, if you’re busy, you can substitute a can of peas and a can of carrots (16-oz. size of each), both drained, along with a bag (16 oz. or so) of frozen hash browns. Then you only need to bake it for 40 minutes or so. And that’s when you add “express” to the end of the name.

Sauerkraut Hot Dish

2 lbs. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 lbs. sauerkraut

3 c. uncooked wide egg noodles

1 can cream of mushroom soup cheese

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1½ c. of shredded cheddar

1 tsp. pepper

Brown the beef and the onions together. Drain off the fat. Layer one-half of the beef mixture in a 9” x 13” pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover the beef mixture with the sauerkraut and top with the remaining beef mixture. Place the uncooked noodles on top of that. Combine the soups and pepper. Gently spread soup mixture over the uncooked noodles. Bake the dish for 45 minutes at 350º, in a preheated oven. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for another 20 minutes. This dish is great when you’re having German relatives over for dinner.

Overnight Hot Dish

2 c. macaroni, uncooked

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

½ medium onion, chopped drained

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 c. cubed cooked chicken noodles

2 c. milk

1 4-oz. can mushroom pieces

8 servings of chow mien

Combine all of the listed ingredients—except the chow mien noodles—in a large casserole dish. Cover. Place in the fridge overnight or for several hours. Then, cover and bake the hot dish at 350º in a preheated oven, for one hour. Remove the cover and bake for another 30 minutes. Serve over chow mien noodles. Makes 8 servings, fewer if you’re feedin’ farmers. It goes great with homemade bread or rolls.

Easy Sauerkraut Hot Dish

2 lbs. ground beef, cooked

2 cans cream soup, any variety

2 c. uncooked egg noodles

1 soup can of water

Raw sauerkraut

Place cooked ground beef in a greased casserole dish. Layer sauerkraut over it. Sprinkle uncooked noodles over that. Mix soup and water and pour that mixture over the noodles. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees in a preheated oven. Stir it all up and bake it—covered—for another hour.

Grandma’s Lemon Meringue Pie

Juice of one lemon

3 egg yolks (save the egg whites for the meringue)

3 T. cornstarch

1 c. water

2 T. butter

1 c. sugar

¼ c. sugar (for the meringue)

Put lemon juice, egg yolks, as well as the cornstarch, water, and butter, in a kettle. Cook until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Stir constantly. Remove kettle from the heat. Add the one cup of sugar. Stir some more. Finally, fill an already-baked pie shell.

For the meringue, beat the three egg whites you saved. Beat them until they are stiff. (Cold beaters help.) Add the ¼ cup of sugar. Beat a little more, until the sugar is mixed in. Spread the meringue over the lemon-filled pie crust and, for fun, make curls using the back of a spoon. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees in a preheated oven. Watch closely. Do not bake too long. The tips of the curls should just turn light brown.

Lime Jell-O Dessert

1 3-oz. package of lime Jell-O

1¾ c. boiling water

¼ c. lemon juice

1 c. evaporated milk, chilled

1 c. sugar

3 c. crushed Graham crackers

Cool Whip

Mix gelatin powder, water, and lemon juice. Let the mixture cool until it begins to set. Then whip it with an electric beater until frothy. Clean beaters and, in a separate bowl, whip the evaporated milk until it stiffens. Add the sugar to the evaporated milk. Mix well. Combine gelatin and milk mixtures. Gently stir before spooning the combined mixture into a 9” x 13” pan lined with crushed graham crackers. Refrigerate until firm. Spoon or cut from pan. And, of course, you can never go wrong by topping it with Cool Whip.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Sift together the following—

1½ c. flour

1 c. sugar

¼ c. cocoa

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

Then add the following to that mixture—

1 c. water

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1 T. vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat the fully combined mixture above with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. Then fill 24 large cupcake papers one-third full.

Next, cream 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with an electric beater. Then, add to it, the following—

1 small egg

1/3 c. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

Beat this mixture with a mixer before stirring in one
6-oz package of regular chocolate chips.
Place about one soup spoonful of this cream-cheese mixture on top of each unbaked chocolate cupcake. Finally, bake the cupcakes at 325º for 30 to 35 minutes in a preheated oven.

For something extra special, make approximately 60 mini cupcakes by using mini-chocolate chips instead of the regular-sized ones. Then into each mini cupcake paper, spoon 1½ tsp. of the chocolate mixture and ½ tsp. of the cream-cheese mixture. Then bake at 325 degrees, in a preheated oven, for 17 minutes.

Pudding Shots

White Russian

Whisk together—

1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix

¾ c. milk

Add in and beat with an electric beater until smooth and creamy—

¼ c. vodka

½ c. Kahlua

8 oz. Cool Whip

Portion and freeze and top with strawberries before serving.

Banana

Whisk together—

1 pkg. banana instant pudding mix

¾ c. milk

Add in and beat with an electric beater until smooth and creamy—

¼ c. vodka

½ c. Banana Schnapps

8 oz. Cool Whip

Portion and freeze and top with strawberries before serving.

Pumpkin

Whisk together—

1 pkg. pumpkin instant pudding mix

¾ c. milk

Add in and beat with an electric beater until smooth and creamy—

¾ c. Captain Morgan

8 oz. Cool Whip

Portion and freeze and top with Cool Whip before serving.

Chocolate

Whisk together—

1 pkg. chocolate instant pudding mix

¾ c. milk

Add in and beat with an electric beater until smooth and creamy—

¼ c. vodka

½ c. Bailey’s Irish Cream

8 oz. Cool Whip

Portion and freeze and top with Cool Whip before serving.

Chicken Dumpling Hot Dish

3-4 c. cooked shredded chicken

½ c. butter

1 c. self-rising flour (original style)

1 c. milk

2 c. chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

Melt the butter and pour it into the bottom of a 9” x 13” pan. Place the cooked shredded chicken on top of the butter. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the milk and flour and slowly pour it over the chicken, taking care not to move the chicken. Next, whisk the broth and soup together and slowly pour that over the flour and milk mixture. Do not stir! Bake uncovered in a 400º, preheated oven, for 35 to 45 minutes or until the top is a light, golden brown. A can of mixed vegetables could also be added if you want to be really healthy.

Gluten-Free Rhubarb Bars

1¼ c. gluten-free baking mix

½ c. gluten-free oats

½ c. light brown sugar

½ c. cold butter

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1½ c. diced rhubarb (if frozen, let thaw and drain. Don’t squish)

2/3 c. white sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. cinnamon

1 egg, slightly beaten

Combine the gluten-free baking mix, oats, and brown sugar in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter until it makes a coarse meal. Set aside one cup of this mixture to use as the topping later. Press the rest of the mixture into a greased, 9”-square, baking dish. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and white sugar with an electric beater until smooth. Add the vanilla, salt, and cinnamon and beat until well mixed. Then add the egg and beat until that’s mixed in too. Finally, stir in the rhubarb and pour that mixture into your 9” pan. After that, crumble the remaining oat mixture on top.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a 350º, preheated oven or until the mixture doesn’t jiggle like an old lady’s upper arm when she’s waving. Let the bars cool on the counter for one hour. Then refrigerate them for at least two more hours before serving.

Peaches and Cream Pie

9-in. unbaked pie crust

4 fresh peaches, skinned and sliced

2/3 c. sugar

4 T. flour

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 c. cream

Place the fruit in an unbaked, 9”, pie crust. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the fruit. Bake the pie at 400º for 35 to 40 minutes in a preheated oven.

Rhubarb Meringue Pie

3 egg yolks (reserve the whites)

½ c. cream

½ c. milk

1 c. sugar

2 T. flour

2-3 c. chopped rhubarb

Mix all the ingredients. Pour the mixture into a 9”, unbaked, pie crust. In a preheated oven, bake the pie for 55 minutes (10 minutes at 425º and 45 minutes at 300º).

For the meringue, beat the three egg whites you reserved until they are stiff. Fold in 3 T. of sugar. Spread over the pie. Bake in a preheated, 350º oven for about 10 minutes or until the meringue tips brown slightly. Watch closely!

I’m Not Kidding Beef Fudge

1 c. ground beef, browned well

¾ c. butter

3 c. sugar

2/3 c. evaporated milk

1 12-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 7-oz. jar marshmallow crème

1 tsp. vanilla

½ c. chopped nuts, optional

Brown the ground beef, crumble it fine, and paper-towel it dry to remove the excess grease. Then put it in a blender or food processor to chop it up even more. After that, set it aside in the refrigerator.

Lightly grease a 9” x 13” pan. Mix the butter, sugar, and milk in a heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for approximately five more minutes on medium heat, until mixture reaches 234º on a candy thermometer. Stir all that time to prevent scorching. Remove the pan from the heat. Slowly stir in the chocolate chips until melted. Then stir in the marshmallow crème and vanilla until well blended.

Remove the beef from the fridge and add to mixture above. Finally, pour the final mixture into the greased pan. Don’t spread with a spoon or knife if you can avoid it. (It causes the “shine” to disappear.) Instead, simply tilt the pan to allow the fudge to run into the corners.