Birthday Cake (no recipe)

We had a birthday gathering at our home to celebrate a few of the March birthdays in our family. The names on the cake belong to Charles (my dad), Chris (my husband), Derek (my future son-in-law) and Carmen (myself). I did not bake the cake. I bought it from someone who does wedding cakes, etc. It was beautiful and delicious.

Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Everyone in the family loves this sandwich! I got the recipe from my mother. I would have to say this is a no-fail recipe...easy to prepare and delicious. You should probably get 15 or more sandwiches from this recipe, depending on bun size.

Ingredients

3 lbs. chuck roast
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons paprika
2 cups chopped onion (I use less...probably a cup or so)
1 cup water
1 cup catsup
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions

Brown chuck roast and place in roasting pan or dutch oven.
Mix all other ingredients and pour over roast.
Bake covered at 325 degrees for 3 - 4 hours until meat is tender and shreds easily.
Shred with a fork and serve on buns.

Note: I adjust ingredients based on how many pounds of roast I use. Sometimes I will use 4 lbs. and just increase the other ingredients accordingly.

Peach Pie

Everyone who tries this pie seems to really like it. My husband says it is one of his favorites, along with apple pie.

Ingredients

5 cups sliced peaches (approx. 6 large peaches)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice, bottled

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons flour

1 1/2 Tablespoons corn starch

1 pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 crust pastry recipe (see Jean's Pie Crust)

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour into a pastry lined pie pan.

Place a vented pastry crust on top of filled pie pan and crimp edges.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until crust is nicely browned.

Note: I brush the top pie crust with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar before baking.

Chocolate Cream Pie

This is my daughter Cara's favorite pie. I make it for her at Thanksgiving since she doesn't care for Pumpkin Pie.

Ingredients

1 pre-baked pie shell (see Jean's Pie Crust Recipe)
2 boxes Jello Cook and Serve Pudding (4 serving size)
1 small container whipped topping
Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

Follow pie filling cooking instructions on Jello Pudding box.
Pour pie filling into a baked pie shell.
Chill for 3 to 4 hours.
Spread whipped topping on top of pie filling.
Decorate with chocolate sprinkles, if desired.

Jean's Pie Crust

Jean is a co-worker who makes wonderful pies. And in my opinion the best pie crusts I've ever tasted.

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/8 cups Crisco

1 extra large egg

5 Tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vinegar

Instructions

Mix flour, salt and Crisco until crumbly.

Add egg, water and vinegar.

Work all ingredients just until they come together.
Divide into 4 flattened balls.

Roll out each section of dough thinly, to fit pie tin.

Yield: 2 double crust pies

Note: I have a hard time rolling out the dough thin enough for 4 crusts. I usually just get 3 crusts out of this recipe...but Jean does get four!

Chop Suey

My mother-in law taught me how to make this dish. Of course my husband loves it and I must admit it is pretty tasty. This recipe makes a lot. I would say it serves 8 or more, so unless you have lots of people to feed, or want leftovers, you may want to cut this recipe in half. And like many of the dishes I prepare, the measurements are not exact and really should be seasoned to your personal tastes.

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless pork loin, trim all fat and cut in narrow strips
1 medium onion, chopped
6 ribs celery, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup soy sauce
Water
2 (28 oz) or 4 (14 oz) cans or chop suey vegetables
1/2 cup corn starch mixed with 1/2 cup water
Cooked Rice ( 8 servings)
Chow Mein noodles

Instructions:

Put the pork strips in a Dutch Oven coated with cooking spray (Pam). Salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium high heat to brown. Add onions. Add celery and cook until liquid is gone. Add soy sauce and toss until meat is lightly browned. Fill pan with water and simmer for an hour or two. When ready to eat, add the cans of chop suey vegetables and bring to boil. Slowly stir in the corn starch/water mixture and thicken. You may not need to use all of the thickening mixture. Serve over a bed of cooked rice. Top with chow mein noodles and soy sauce.

Cake Mix Cookies

This is the first time I have made this recipe. I mentioned to one of my co-workers that I liked cookies with a cake-like texture. She prepared these and passed along the recipe. She used a devil's food cake mix and I made mine with a dark chocolate cake mix. It is certainly easy to prepare and quite tasty as well.

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix with pudding (any flavor)

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs
Sugar

Instructions:

Mix first three ingredients in bowl with electric mixer.

Roll into balls (measure a heaping tablespoon)
Roll balls in sugar.

Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Makes 24 - 30 cookies.