A Second Helping of Murder and Recipes: A Hot Dish Heaven Mystery (25 page)

Fork and Pan Cake

3 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. soda

1/3 c. cocoa

¾ c. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 T. white vinegar

2 c. water

In a 9” x 13” greased, cake pan, mixing with only a fork and never beating, mix the five dry ingredients listed first above. Next, make three wells in this dry mixture and pour into each well the oil, vanilla, and vinegar, respectively. Then, over everything, pour the water. After that, mix with your fork until all the lumps are gone, making sure you mix well along the edges and in the corners. Finally, bake for approximately 35 minutes at 350º in a preheated oven. The toothpick test should work. That is, when a toothpick is poked into the cake and comes out clean, the cake is done.

Breakfast Pie

1 lb. pork sausage

1 c. shredded or cubed hash browns

½ large, yellow onion, chopped

1 c. fresh spinach

4 eggs, whisked

¼ c. milk

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. ground paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

1 T. butter

Press the thawed sausage into a 9” pie plate, including up the sides. Bake it in a 375º, preheated oven, for 18 to 20 minutes. (Place a baking sheet under the pan to catch drips.) The meat doesn’t need to be cooked completely through, although it should be close. Remove any excess oil that has formed on the top of it.

While the meat crust is baking, place
2 T. of butter
in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion. When the onions are translucent, sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Add the spinach and cover. After a minute or two—once the spinach has wilted from the heat—place the onion-spinach mixture in a bowl. When cool, add in the eggs, milk, cheese, hash browns, garlic powder, ground paprika, and a bit more salt. Mix well. Finally, pour the mixture onto the meat crust.

Bake the filled pie for 25 to 30 minutes in your 375º, pre-heated oven. It’s done when the middle bounces back a bit when you poke it.

Orange Jell-O Salad

1 3-oz. box tapioca pudding

1 large can fruit cocktail

1 can mandarin oranges

1 3-oz. box orange Jell-O

2 bananas

¾ c. whipped cream

Drain the juice from the can of fruit cocktail and the can of mandarin oranges into a large measuring cup. Set the fruit aside. Add enough water to the measuring cup of fruit juice to make 1½ cups of liquid. Cook the tapioca pudding powder in this liquid. Let the pudding cool. Make the Jell-O as instructed on the box and allow it to set only partially. Then, when the Jell-O is thick but not set and the pudding has cooled, mix them together. After that, add in the fruit (fruit cocktail, mandarin oranges, and sliced bananas). Finally, whip the cream and fold that in. If you’re in a hurry, you can substitute Cool Whip for the whipped cream.

Mushroom Wild Rice Hot Dish

1 c. wild rice, washed

½ c. butter

2 T. green pepper, chopped

2 T. onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

½ c. slivered almonds

2 cans sliced mushrooms

3 c. chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Meanwhile, sauté the rest of the ingredients in a pan until the onions turn yellow. Add the chicken broth. Then, place the entire mixture into a casserole dish and bake it for 1½ hours at 325º in a preheated oven.

Pumpkin Roll

¾ c. flour

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground cloves

½ tsp. baking powder

3 large eggs

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. canned pumpkin

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric beater until thick. Add the pumpkin and beat some more. Finally, fold in the flour mixture.

Meanwhile, line a jelly-roll pan with wax paper. Grease and flour the paper. Then spread the prepared mixture onto the paper and bake in a preheated oven at 375º for 13 to 15 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched. Do not over bake!

As soon as you take the pan out of the oven, turn the cake over onto a cloth towel sprinkled with powdered sugar and gently peel off the wax paper. Immediately roll up the cake—roll the towel up with the cake—starting with the narrow side of the pan. Cool the roll on a wire rack.

Frosting:

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

6 T. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

With an electric beater, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl until the mixture is smooth. Carefully, unroll the cooled cake, remove the towel, and spread the cream cheese mixture over the cake. Reroll the cake—without the towel, of course. Wrap the roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before slicing and serving.

Dog Treats

1 pkg. dry yeast

3 T. warm water

2 c. flour

½ c. whole wheat flour

¼ c. wheat germ

1 tsp. salt

1 c. cooked ground meat (e.g., beef, turkey)

4 T. vegetable oil

1 egg

¾ c. milk

Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Combine the flours, wheat germ, salt, and cooked meat. Stir in the yeast mixture, the vegetable oil, the egg, and the milk. Roll the resulting dough to a ½” thickness. Cut into dog-bone shapes—or simple strips if you prefer—and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 375º for 20 minutes. Cool. Store in the refrigerator for seven to ten days or freeze for much longer.

Strawberry Pretzel Squares

2 c. pretzel crumbs, finely crushed

½ c. sugar (will be divided)

2/3 c. butter, melted

1½ pkg. (12 oz.) cream cheese, softened

2 T. milk

1 c. Cool Whip, thawed

2 c. boiling water

1 6-oz. pkg. strawberry Jell-O

1½ c. cold water

4 c. fresh strawberries, sliced

Mix the pretzel crumbs,
¼ cup of sugar
, and all the butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 13” x 9” pan. Bake for 10 minutes, at 350º, in a preheated oven. Cool.

Meanwhile, with an electric beater, beat the cream cheese, the remaining sugar, and the milk until well blended. Gently stir in the Cool Whip. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until firm.

In a large bowl, add the boiling water to the Jell-O powder and stir for two minutes or until the powder is completely dissolved. Stir in the cold water and refrigerate for 90 minutes. At that time, fold in the berries. Spoon the mixture over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for at least three hours or until the squares are firm.

Pumpkin Bars

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

¾ c. vegetable oil

1 15-oz. can pumpkin

½ tsp. salt

3 tsp. cinnamon

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

Cream sugar, eggs, oil, and pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients and mix together. Pour into a greased bar pan (appr. 12 x 15 inches) and bake for 20 minutes at 350º in a preheated oven. (Use the toothpick test to determine when the bars are done for sure.)

Frosting:

1¾ c. powdered sugar

½ c. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3-oz. pkg. of cream cheese

Mix thoroughly and spread over bars after they have cooled.

Lazy Cabbage Roll Hot Dish

2 lbs. hamburger

2 large onions, chopped

2 T. seasoning salt

1 T. black pepper

1½ c. white rice (uncooked)

1 large head cabbage, chopped

2 pints real cream

Brown the hamburger with the onions. Stir in the seasoning salt and pepper, followed by the uncooked rice. Then stir in the chopped cabbage. Place this mixture in a large casserole dish, pouring the cream over the top. Cover the casserole dish and bake for 1½ hours in a 350º, preheated oven. While this dish is baking, occasionally check to see if the rice has soaked up all the cream. That will happen sometimes, depending on the type of rice you use. If the dish seems to be drying out, simply add a bit more cream.

Crouton Hot Dish

1½ lbs. hamburger, browned

7 oz. of croutons

¼ lb. butter

1 c. celery

½ c. chopped onions

1 c. water

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

Layer the croutons over the cooked hamburger, which you have placed in a greased, 9” x 13” pan. In a saucepan, heat the butter, celery, onions, and water until the butter is melted. Pour over the croutons. Mix the soups together, and then spoon that mixture on top of the croutons. Bake the hot dish in a preheated oven for one hour at 350 degrees. Turn off the oven but leave the pan in it for another 15 minutes.

Creamy Chow Mein Hot Dish

2 cans of cream soup, any variety

1 stock of celery, chopped

½ white onion, chopped

1 c. chicken, cooked and cubed

4 T. soy sauce

¼ c. milk

White rice

Mix all of the above ingredients. Place them in a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the celery is slightly soft. Serve over white rice.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

1 can cream of chicken soup

1-1/3 c. water

¾ c. regular, long-grain white rice (uncooked)

½ tsp. minced onion

¼ tsp. black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut into 1-in. cubes)

½ c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Stir together the soup, water, uncooked rice, onion, pepper, and vegetables. Place in a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle the cubed meat on top. Cover the dish and bake at 375º in a preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until chicken is done and rice is tender. Mix chicken in. Stir in cheese. Let stand for 10 minutes. Then serve.

Beef Stroganoff Hot Dish

1 large yellow onion

4 T. butter

4 T. all-purpose flour

1½ lbs. beef sirloin, sliced thin

2 c. beef broth

¼ c. red wine

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

1 c. sour cream

2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet browning and seasoning sauce

Egg noodles, cooked

Cook the onions in the butter until soft and lightly brown. Add the flour. Cook for one to two minutes. Scrape this mixture out of the pan and set it aside. In the same pan, cook the beef strips until no longer pink. Don’t overcook them. Add the broth, wine, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer this mixture for 15 to 20 minutes—longer for
less
tender meat. After that, add the onion and flour mixture prepared earlier, cooking it until the sauce thickens. Finally, add the sour cream and the Kitchen Bouquet. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

To make the hot dish version of this dish, fill a large casserole dish half full of cooked egg noodles. Spoon the final meat and sauce mixture over the noodles. Then, bake the finished dish in a 325º, preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Buttermilk Salad

1 20-oz. can crushed pineapple

1 small can Mandarin oranges, drained

3 T. sugar

1 6-oz. package Jell-O (lime, lemon, or orange)

2 c. buttermilk

8 oz. Cool Whip

1 c. walnuts or pecans

In a saucepan, mix the pineapple, including the juice, along with the sugar. Bring it to a low boil. Immediately add the Jell-O, stirring it until it’s dissolved. Set aside until cooled to room temperature. Then, stir in the buttermilk. Fold in the Cool Whip, oranges, and nuts. Pour into a 9” x 13” pan and refrigerate until set. Cut into squares and serve.

Super Rhubarb Bars

1½ c. raw, diced, rhubarb

1 c. dark brown sugar

½ c. white sugar

1 egg

½ c. butter (do not substitute with margarine)

1 c. applesauce

2 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

2 c. flour

Cream together sugars, egg, butter, applesauce, and vanilla. Add salt, soda, and flour and stir. Fold in rhubarb. Spoon into a 9” x 13” greased, baking pan.

Sprinkle with the following mixed topping:

½ c. white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Bake at 375º in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Blueberry Bars

1¾ c. sugar

1 c. butter

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 reg. can blueberry pie filling

Ground nutmeg

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat till smooth. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in gently. Spread half of this mixture in an ungreased jelly-roll pan. Carefully spread pie filling over the mixture in the pan. Sprinkle with a little ground nutmeg. Drop the rest of dough mixture on top of the blueberries, using a teaspoon. Bake at 350º in a preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes.

Pineapple Cheese Hot Dish

2 large cans pineapple chunks (in own juice)

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. sugar

6 T. flour

3 dz. Ritz crackers, crushed

1 stick butter, melted

Drain the pineapple. Mix together the pineapple chunks and the cheese. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and flour. Then add it to the fruit-cheese mixture. Spread this mixture in an 8” x 11” or 9” x 12” casserole dish. Sprinkle crushed crackers over the top. Pour the melted butter over everything. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350º in a preheated oven. Let cool and serve. Tastes good warm or cold.