Betty G’s Country Recipes

“The coffee flavor in these reminds me of my family’s favorite Caramel Cream Cake which we referred to as Coffee Cake.  The combination of coffee and chocolate is divine.”

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp soda
• 3/4 cup (1  1/2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp cooled, double-strength coffee
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
• 1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix flour and soda; set aside.  Beat margarine and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Blend in coffee, egg and vanilla.  Add flour mixture; beat until well blended.  Stir in chocolate chunks and walnuts; cover.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls (or drop them by rounded teaspoons) and place 2 inches apart, on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from baking sheets to wire racks to cool.  About 5 dozen cookies.

“I tried the savory Dutch Baby, but honestly I haven’t tried the sweet one yet.  This recipe would be a good alternative to pancakes.”

• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsps vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp sugar

Adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.  Whisk milk, eggs, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl; vigorously whisk in flour until mostly smooth with a few small lumps; let stand a few minutes and whisk again.  (You can use a blender for instantly smooth batter.)

Bring marmalade, cranberries and 1/4 cup water to a simmer over medium heat; continue to simmer to light syrup consistency, just a few minutes.  Cover and keep warm.

Heat butter in a heavy-bottom 10-inch skillet (iron skillet is preferred) until light golden brown.  Pour milk mixture into skillet.  Transfer to the oven and bake until puffed and golden, 15-17 minutes.  Without removing Dutch Baby from oven, sprinkle with sugar and turn oven to broil.  Broil until very puffy and golden brown, a couple of minutes longer. 

Serve immediately from the skillet and drizzle with sauce.

Serves 4-6

“A Dutch Baby is a new discovery for me, but I was surprised how easy and delicious it is.”

• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup diced onion (or leeks)
• 1/2 cup small-diced ham (about 3 ounces) or bacon
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon (I didn’t have any, so I omitted this)
• 1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.  Whisk milk, eggs and salt in a medium bowl; vigorously whisk in flour until mostly smooth with a few small lumps; let stand a few minutes and whisk again.  (You can use a blender for instantly smooth batter.)

Prepare onion or leeks.  Remember that leeks have lots of sand and grit in them and need to be washed thoroughly several times after quarterng them lenghthwise.  (That’s why I used onion!)

Heat butter in a 10-inch skillet (cast iron works really well) over medium heat.  Add ham or bacon and onion and cook until onion is soft, 3-4 minutes.  Add tarragon and cook a minute or so longer.  Pour milk mixture into skillet and transfer to the oven and bake until puffed and golden, 15-17 minutes. 

Without removing Dutch Baby from oven, sprinkle with cheese and turn oven to broil.  Broil until very puffy and golden brown, a couple of minutes longer.  Serve immediately from the skillet.

Serves 4-6

• 1 (8-oz) package semisweet chocolate baking squares, chopped
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1  1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup chocolate syrup
• 2 tsps vanilla
• 1  1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Powdered sugar, optional
• Garnish:  toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Microwave chocolate baking squares in a microwave-safe bowl at high for 1 minutes and 15 second or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring at 15-minute intervals.  Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating 5-7 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition.  Stir in melted cocolate, chocolate syrup, and vanilla until smooth.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.  Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (14-cup) tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack 10-15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack and let cool completely (about an hour and 30 minutes).  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.  Garnish if desired. 

Note:  “I made the recipe as written above.  An option is to use Mexican chocolate.  Omit the cinnamon if you use Nestle Abuelita Margueta Mexican chocolate.”

“I had never used olives in Tuna Salad until we went to Japan to see Les’ parents who were missionaries in the Tokyo area.  Of course, every day was full of sightseeing, and Hazel Dean made tuna salad sandwiches for our on-the-go lunches.  They were addicting.  I have been making it since that time with a few changes.  I always use the food processor.”

• 1 large can white Albacore tuna (the best you can buy)
• 2 boiled eggs (hdg left these out, but they are essential as far as I’m concerned)
• 1/4 cup green olives
• Mayonaise or Miracle Whip to get the proper consistency

Finely chop the olives in the food processor.  Add the boiled eggs and pulse them until they are chopped.  Add the drained tuna to the food processor and pulse the mixture a time or two.  There is a fine line between getting the tuna broken up into small pieces and turning it into mush.  Pour the mixture into a bowl and mix in mayonaise until moist. 

Sometimes when I don’t have olives, I use dill pickle relish. 

“I met Kalenda and her husband, Jason, at a pastor’s retreat in Comfort, Texas.  Jason is a Methodist Minister.  Kalenda and I have become great friends via email.  She encourages me.”

•  4 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 3 celery ribs, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup orange blossom honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

 Stir together the first 4 ingredients.  Whisk together mayo and next 3 ingredients.  Add to chicken mixture, stirring gently until combined.

Kalenda notes that she serves this with warm soft wheat rolls.

“This is an improved version of the recipe that is in Betty G’s Country Recipes.  You can also use 1 cup chopped apple instead of the chopped peach.  These are so fragrant as they bake in the oven.”

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unpeeled chopped peaches (I chopped them in the food processor)

Beat egg.  Stir in milk, oil, sugar, salt and cinnamon.  Add dry ingredients just until blended.  Do not over mix.  Fold in peaches.  Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 degrees about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

“These are really light and dainty cookies that have a refreshing lemon flavor.  The surprise comes from the texture the oatmeal gives.  When Les tasted them for the first time, he said, “You need to serve these at the next shower you give.”  Great idea, Les!”

• 1 cup butter-flavored shortening
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 egg yolk (save the white for the toping)
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1 1/3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 tsp salt

TOPPING:

• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• sugar
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Cream shortening, cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl.  Add egg yolk, lemon peel and extract and mix well.  Gradually add the flour, oatmeal and salt to the creamed mixture.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet.  (I use a small cookie scoop which makes a rounded-top uniform cookie.  I also line a cookie sheet with parchment paper instead of greasing the baking sheet.)

Beat egg and egg white and brush the tops of each cookie with the mixture.  Sprinkle with sugar and top with a few almonds if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  Yield:  4 1/2 dozen.

“This is a great cold-weather soup that is delicious served with cornbread.  You can be creative with the ingredients and use whatever you have on hand.  I recently used the base of water, onions, and tomato juice and added a leftover diced chicken breast, corn, diced potatoes (I had a large bag that I needed to use), a couple of carrots from the frig and a stalk or two of celery that was about to go ‘south.’ ”

• 1/2 to 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large can tomato juice
• 1 onion, cut in small chunks
• 2 cans mixed vegetables
• Cooked macaroni or rice
• Frozen or fresh okra, if desired

In a large pot, bring to boil 1 quart of water and add onion chunks.  Drop balls of ground beef (about the size of a quarter) into the boiling water.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Skim off any foam that develops at this stage.  Add the can of tomato juice and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add vegetables and simmer awhile to allow the flavors to meld.  Add rice or pasta last or it will get overcooked.  You may need to add more water during the cooking process, according to your preference.

• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 can creamed corn
• 2 cups milk
• Seasoning to taste

Cook potatoes and onions for 10 minutes or until tender.  Add corn and milk and heat to boiling point.

I like to top each bowl of soup with cooked, crumbled bacon and a little grated cheddar cheese.