Mix 'n Match Snack Mix

Animal crackers
Teddy bear graham crackers
Raisins or other dried fruits
M&Ms/Reece's pieces/chocolate chips
Miniature sandwich cookies
Miniature marshmallows
Mixed nuts
Chow mein noodles
Pretzel sticks/miniature pretzels
Popped corn
Fritos/doritos
Goldfish crackers/other small crackers
Rice, wheat and/or corn cereal squares

Some Suggested Toppings:
Butter or margarine
Brown sugar
Chili powder
Hot sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic powder /salt
Onion powder /salt
Parmesan cheese
Light corn syrup
Cinnamon/other spices

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Mix whatever combination of items you chose in a large mixing bowl then put in a 9"X13" pan or a jelly roll pan. Melt some margarine in a small saucepan on low heat. Remove from heat. Add the brown sugar, chili powder, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, or whatever mixture you chose and mix thoroughly. Pour the sauce mixture over snack mixture in the pan. Stir gently. Bake for up to 1-1/2 hours, stirring gently every 30 minutes. Cool.

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This is easy to make and has cream cheese frosting which, in my opinion, makes almost everything taste great. If someone can't have nuts, you can leave them out and add extra coconut if you like. I use my food processor to crush the wafers but you can put them in a ziplock bag and beat them with something heavy like a rolling pin.

Vanilla Wafer Cake

6 eggs
2 sticks margarine
2 cups sugar
1 (7 oz) pkg. coconut
1 box vanilla wafers
1/2 cup milk
1 cup pecans or walnuts
Cream together eggs, sugar and margarine.

Add milk, coconut, nuts and crushed vanilla wafers. Mix well. Bake in greased and floured tube pan at 350° F. for 50 to 60 minutes or until done. You can add a couple of tablespoons of cocoa to the crumbs if you like before mixing in the egg mixture. Frost with cream cheese frosting. _____________________________________________________________________

If you are like me, you stored sweet potatoes for the winter and still have quite a few. Here's an easy way to make something good. Instead of a corned beef hash with regular potatoes, try this:

Sweet Potato and Ham Hash

2 med sweet potatoes
1 lb ham, finely chopped
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter or margarine
Poached eggs
4 tbsp sour cream

Preheat oven to 250F. Wash but don't peel the sweet potatoes. Shred potatoes with a hand shredder or food processor, place in bowl and add ham. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Make four patties of the mixture. Cook about 5 minutes. Flip the patty and cook another 5 minutes, add more butter if necessary. Place 1 or 2 poached eggs on each patty. Garnish with sour cream. This also goes well with a little maple syrup or homemade brown sugar syrup drizzled over the patties or you could mix some in the sour cream to sweeten it up.

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St. Patty's Day is a great time to cook good, simple Irish food. This is a dish that people made year round. Traditionally it was made with Kale but can be made with cabbage as you see it below. You can also use regular white potatoes and for more richness, some cream can be added along with the milk. Another great addition would be fried bacon or chopped ham. I have never tried it but you could probably also put some cheese in at the last minute when mashing.

Red Potato Colcannon

1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced
6 cups cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1/2 head)
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place potatoes in a steamer basket and steam, covered, until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Set aside in a bowl, cover to keep warm. Cook onion in butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, about 2 minutes. Add cabbage and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to brown. Turn heat to low. Stir in milk, salt and pepper, cover and cook until the cabbage is tender. Add the cabbage mixture to the potatoes. Mash with a potato masher or a large fork to desired consistency.

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Woodford Pudding

Woodford Pudding originated in Woodford County, Kentucky over 100 years ago. It is a spongy baked pudding made with blackberry jam and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and can be topped with a sauce. It's a different version of the jam cake that everyone loves so much.

3/4 cup sugar
4 tbsps butter, softened
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice or nutmeg
1 cup blackberry jam
3 tbsps buttermilk or sour milk

Beat sugar and butter until well blended then beat in eggs. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into an 8- or 9-inch baking dish and bake at 325 for 35 to 45 minutes, or until browned.

Typical Hard Sauce:

1 cup sugar
2 tbsps cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups boiling water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter

In a small pan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 15 minutes until smooth, thickened and clear. Remove from the heat, stir in vanilla and butter. Serve warm over cake. Yield: 1 cup

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Everybody's busy nowadays but that's no reason not to cook. With a little planning, you can make an easy and good tasting meal without a lot of work. Toss this together in a crockpot in the morning and you will have the main ingredient for a tasty meal. Add a vegetable, maybe some rice or a baked potato in the microwave and that's all you need.

EZ Crockpot Chicken

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1-2 cups V8 juice or equivalent
Salt & pepper
3 pounds chicken pieces, any mixture

Pour the soy sauce, brown sugar and juice in the bottom of the crockpot. Add salt and pepper to taste, remember that the soy sauce has a lot of salt so taste before adding any salt. Add the chicken. Cook on lowest setting all day. You can add other spices if you like, add a cut up an onion or some chopped celery. You can do more to this, depending on how much time you want to spend on it.

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Here's an interesting recipe my sister in law sent me from Arizona. You will love the name. This is easy for kids to make with supervision. You can leave out the nuts if you have nut allergies.

Cocoa Toots

1 15oz can black beans
2/3 cup melted butter
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped, toasted nuts

Line an 8x8" pan with waxed paper or plastic wrap or parchment paper with the ends extending over two sides. Puree beans with butter in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add cocoa, sugar, crumbs and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture is well blended. Mix in half the nuts, reserve the other half to go on top. Spread evenly in prepared pan, sprinkle on the remaining nuts. Place the extended ends over the top and place in refrigerator until chilled and firm. Cut into 2" squares. Makes 12 squares. Wrap individual pieces with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container. You can replace the black beans with pinto beans if you like.

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One of our favorite cakes is one that a friend of mine sent me many years ago. I love anything with cream cheese frosting, but this one is especially good. I have also made this and added half a cup of shredded coconut with the pecans. You can make it either way.

Hummingbird Cake

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped bananas
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl then add eggs and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup pecans, and the bananas. Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake; sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans on top. Store in refrigerator.

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With strawberries coming in, a few people asked me how to make freezer jam. If you buy a package of pectin, which you will need to make it, it will have the directions in the box but here's one for a LOW SUGAR* freezer jam.

Low Sugar Freezer Jam

2 1/2 cups cleaned strawberries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup Splenda
2/3 cup orange juice
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 package Fruit Jell - No Sugar Needed Pectin
2/3 cup water

*Note - this still contains sugar, be sure you take that into consideration if it is a problem for you. Crush berries in a large bowl with a potato masher. Add sugar, Splenda, orange and lemon juices. Stir thoroughly for at least a minute then let it sit for 10 minutes. In smallpan, whisk powder pectin into water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil while stirring for a full minute. The texture should be similar to a thick white sauce. Pour pectin into strawberry mixture, and continue stirring for at least 3 minutes. Pour into freezer containers and refrigerate for at least Refrigerate for at least one day. then put in freezer.

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A friend of mine asked me recently for a chocolate cake recipe that was good but easy. This is the one I like to make. I think buttermilk cakes are rich and moist and you can't beat chocolate can you? Rich Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

1 3/4 cups flour
2 c sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong, cold, black coffee
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp real vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1/2 cup margarine, softened
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsps milk
2 tsps vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9 inch or one 9x13 pan cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes for a 9x13, or 30-35 minutes for two pans. Make frosting and spread on cooled cake(s).

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Sweet English Peas are in and this recipe is one of my favorite ways to eat them. It calls for frozen peas, but you can use fresh peas if you want.

Creamed Peas With Mushrooms and Onions

2 tbsps butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
6 ounces thinly sliced mushrooms
2 tbsps flour
1/4 cup water or chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 pkg frozen peas, cooked*
salt and pepper to taste

*You can use 2 cups cooked, fresh peas if you want.

Melt butter over medium-low heat in small pan. Add the mushrooms and onions and saute, stirring, until mushrooms are golden and onions are tender. Stir in flour until well blended. Add the chicken broth and milk. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the hot cooked and drained peas and seasonings. Serves 4.

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Blueberries and June apples are in. This is a different twist to apple butter using both. You can also use other spices if you like such as cloves. This can also be diabetic friendly by using sugar substitute.

Blueberry Apple Butter

1 lb cooking apples (about 6 med.) peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup sugar or equivalent sugar substitute
2 tbsps apple cider
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp butter

Combine everything except the butter in a 1 quart covered casserole dish, microwaving on high power until the fruit is tender, about 10 minutes. Then uncover and let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes. Add butter and fruits in a food processor or blender and puree, about 5 seconds. Great warm or chilled, especially on pancakes, waffles or french toast. Store covered in refrigerator for up to a week, makes about 2 cups.

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Someone asked me if I had a recipe for 7 day pickles. I have several recipes for various pickles, here is the one he requested.

7 Day Pickles

1/2 gallon water
1 cup Kosher or canning salt
1 gallon cucumbers, sliced
1/2 gallon water
1 tablespoon powdered alum (optional)
1/2 gallon water
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
1 quart vinegar
6 cups sugar
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon

Scrub cucumbers. Discard any with blemishes or bad spots. Bring one half gallon water and one cup salt to a boil. Pour this brine over 1 gallon sliced cucumbers in a crock or other nonreactive container. Select a dish to fit the top of the crock in order to weigh down the cucumbers and keep them under the solution. Place a clean towel over the container and allow to stand for 4 days. On the fifth day, drain brine from the cucumbers, rinse well and drain again. Boil another half gallon of water, adding alum. Pour mixture over cucumbers and allow to stand for another day. On the sixth day, drain again. Boil another half gallon of water, adding powdered ginger; pour mixture over cucumbers. On the seventh day, drain again. Boil 1 quart vinegar, sugar, celery seed, cloves and cinnamon. Bring mixture to a boil; add cucumbers. Seal in hot sterilized jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

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It's been awful hot and what better recipe can I come up with than one that is cold and easy enough for kids to make. You could add some chunks of fruit to this if you want. Peaches would be good as well as berries.

Easy Kool-aid Ice-cream --- No Ice-cream Machine Needed

2- 1/2 pkgs unsweetened Kool-Aid, any flavor
2 cups sugar
1 -1/2 cups whipping cream
4 cups milk

Beat all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved.
Place in a 9x9" dish
Freeze until firm, about 4-5 hours. Scoop into a covered container and store in freezer.

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There's lots of people who love to grill out on the BBQ in the summer. If you'd like to try something a little different, here is a sauce made with watermelon. You can get liquid smoke at most grocery stores.

Watermelon Barbecue Sauce

1 six lb seedless watermelon
8 oz tomato paste
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp liquid smoke

Cut the melon into chunks and place in a saucepan. Cook it uncovered over medium heat until the melon is the consistency of applesauce (approximately 2-3 hours). Stir it occasionally. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 2 hours to thicken. Use like any other bbq sauce. Makes about 2 cups

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For a different taste this summer, try this salsa instead of the usual one made with tomatoes. Cantaloupes are easier to seed and peel and are delicious in this.

Cantaloupe Salsa

1/2 med red or green sweet pepper - cut in pieces
1/3 cup fresh cilantro or Italian parsley leaves
1 jalapeno chile pepper - seeded & quartered
1 sm onion, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cubed
salt; optional lime juice; optional

In a food processor, combine sweet pepper, cilantro, chile pepper, onion, mint leaves, lime juice, and salt. Process until finely chopped. Add cantaloupe and process just until cantaloupe is coarsely chopped. Before serving, drain excess liquid. Add additional salt and/or lime juice to taste. Makes 1 2/3 cups.

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There have been plenty of butterbeans at the market lately. Here's a great way to fix them.

Southern Style Butterbeans with Chicken

3 cups fresh butter beans, shelled
1 small chicken, cut up
1 cup minced onion
1 chopped bell pepper
2 tbsp corn oil
4 tbsp prepared roux*
1/4 tsp each salt amd pepper or to taste
1 1/4 cup water (more if needed)

Roux - pronounced "roo" - is used to thicken sauces etc - *2 tbsp each butter and flour, stir flour into melted butter and cook slightly for a couple of minutes. Set aside. Lightly brown chicken parts over medium heat in a heavy pot. Remove the chicken pieces and refrigerate while completing the beans. Saute onions and bell pepper in same pot until tender. Add butterbeans and water, cook for about 20 minutes. Add the roux, chicken, salt and pepper. Cook slowly until chicken and beans are tender. Add more seasoning, if desired.

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Here's an old fashioned cake that is very rich and good. You can substitute 3/4 cup Splenda for one cup of the sugar if you like. You can also add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with the flour if you like. Many varieties of apples are now coming in at the market, fresh off the tree. They smell so wonderful when they are fresh and you can't beat the taste.

Apple Dapple

1 1/4 cups oil
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
3 cups peeled apples, chopped
Topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 stick butter or margarine

Mix oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla with flour, salt and soda. Fold in pecans and apples. Pour into a greased tube pan and bake for 1 hour at 350F. Topping: Mix together brown sugar, milk, and butter. Boil for three minutes. Pour butter sauce over hot cake. Let stand 2 hours in pan.

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I made this cake a few weeks ago and it came out really moist and rich but it was not hard to make.

Chocolate Bundt Cake With Dark Chocolate Glaze

Cake:
2 sticks butter or margarine
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa*
3/4 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Dark Chocolate Glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Grease and flour a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°. Melt butter over low heat and add cocoa, stirring until smooth. Stir in the water and remove from heat. Add the sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and eggs then beat until smooth. Add the flour, soda, and salt then beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until it feels firm to the touch and has slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool in pan on a rack for 20 minutes. Carefully loosen the cake with a knife and invert onto a large plate.

Prepare the glaze: Chop chocolate and put in a small bowl, set aside. Combine remaining the heavy whipping cream, corn syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Cook the mixture, stirring, until mixture boils. Pour over the chocolate and beat until smooth. Let cool to room temperature then spoon over the cooled cake. If too thick, thin with a little more cream. Serves 10 to 12. *If you're using a standard baking cocoa (not Dutch-process or high-quality) add 1/2 teaspoon more of baking soda to the dry ingredients.

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Sweet Potato Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups cooked, mashed fresh sweet potatoes
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup raisins
powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350°F.

Beat together butter and sugar until blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in sweet potatoes and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in another bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in pecans, raisins and coconut. Spray Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, pour in batter. Bake in 350°F oven 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Cool in pan 10 minutes, turn over onto plate. Dust cake with powdered sugar or drizzle with glaze, below. Glaze - use instead of powdered sugar. Mix together 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Drizzle over cooled cake. I added a pinch of cinnamon to this also and used vanilla instead of the almond, which I think is too strong but some people like that.

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Pears aren't used nearly as much as they should be and they are very good this year. However, if you don't have fresh pears, this recipe calls for canned pears which can be replaced with a pound and a half of fresh pears. Simply peel, core, cube and cook lightly in a small amount of water with a tiny bit of sugar or Splenda. You can also replace half the sugar in this recipe with Splenda if you wish.

Pear Pudding Cake

1 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
16 oz Pears, canned, drained, and chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Topping:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup boiling water
Ice cream or Cool Whip - optional

In large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add milk, beat until smooth. Stir in pears and pecans. Pour into an ungreased 2-quart casserole.

In bowl combine brown sugar, butter and boiling water; pour evenly over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve hot with ice cream or whipped cream

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Most people only think of cranberries at Thanksgiving but they can be used in many things. You can often find them marked down after Thanksgiving, too. That's a good time to buy them and pop them in the freezer for recipes such as this:

Cranberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Topping:
3/4 cup quick oats, uncooked
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Cake:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup quick oats
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 - 8 oz. container sour cream

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries. Heat oven to 350F. Spray 13x9" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine all topping ingredients, set aside. Combine dry ingredients for cake, except sugar, mix well and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately beat in dry ingredients and sour cream, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Gently stir in cranberries. Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle evenly with topping, pat down gently. Bake 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown and wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack, serve warm. Makes 15 servings

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The Barren County Farmers' Market wishes everyone a wonderful Christmas and a Blessed New Year. These are easy cookies to make for Christmas for your family or to give as gifts. You can use margarine in place of butter but the butter makes them so much better. If you use cherries and give these as Christmas presents, you can use both green and red.

Cream Cheese Drop Cookies

1 cup butter
1 - 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla 1 egg

2 tbsps milk
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup toasted coconut*
pecan halves and/or halved candied cherries

Cream together the butter, cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add egg and milk and beat well. Stir in the flour and toasted coconut. Drop cookie batter from a teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet then press a pecan half or cherry half into the top of each. Bake at 325° for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove cookies to a rack to cool. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

*To toast coconut in the oven, spread coconut on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 325°, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

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This is a wonderful dessert on a cold winter day. Serve it warm with whipped cream if you like. Baked Apple Butterscotch Pudding

Syrup:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup butter
1 cup water
Batter:
1 1/3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups sliced apples mixed with 1/3 cup brown sugar

Combine 1 cup brown sugar, cornstarch, 1/4 cup butter and stir in 1 cup water/ cook over low heat until thickened. Pour into a lightly buttered 2 quart baking dish. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Blend in 1/4 cup melted butter and the 1/2 cup milk, stirring just until dampened. Stir in the sliced apples mixed with 1/3 cup brown sugar. Pour apple batter over syrup in baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

From the Barren County Farmers' Market - we hope that you all have a New Year full of God's blessings.

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