Wacky Cake

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
6 tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. oil
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. cold water

Mix together and bake in greased 9"x13" cake pan or two 8" layer pans 350 F for 30 minutes.

Anna Mae's Icing

1 egg (or just the white)
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. margerine
2-3 tbsp. milk
1/2 c. cocoa (for chocolate icing)

Beat egg and 1 cup powdered sugar for 1 minute. Add other ingredients and beat until light and fluffy.

Red Lake Chicken Marinade

1/2 c. vinegar
2 tbsp. margerine
2-3 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. water

Bring to a boil and let cool. Marinate chicken thighs and legs for several hours or overnight. Grill chicken, basting with marinade.

HT: Merle Schantz

Mom's Molasses Crinkles

4 1/2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cloves
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. vegetable shortening
2/3 c. molasses
2 eggs
white sugar for dipping

Cream sugar, shortening, molasses and eggs thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Shape into 1" balls, dip into sugar, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes. Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

Spinach, Pesto & Cheese Lasagna

3 c. ricotta cheese
1 c. shredded parmesan cheese
1 lg. egg
20 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
7 oz. prepared pesto
4 c. chunky pasta sauce
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (8 oz pkg is a little more than enough)
2 c. grated fontina cheese

Blend ricotta and parmesan in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper; stir in egg. Blend spinach and pesto in another medium bowl. Brush 9x13 baking dish with oil. Spread 1 c. pasta sauce in dish. Arrange 3 noodles side by side, atop sauce. Spread 1 1/4 c. ricotta cheese mixture over noodles in thin layer. Drop 1/3 of spinach mixture over by spoonfuls. Repeat layering with sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, and spinach mixture 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and 1 c. sauce. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover lasagna with foil. Bake 35 min. Uncover, sprinkle with fontina cheese. Bake lasagna until heated through, sauce bubbles and cheese on top is melted, about 15 min. Let stand 10 min. Serves 8.

My notes: I used mozzerella cheese instead of fontina. This is so good that no one will even miss the meat! Also, it's in the Nisly cookbook, but for those who don't have that...

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

Mix together:

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour (hey, they’re healthy!!)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¾ tsp ginger

½ tsp cloves

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

Cream together:

¼ cup softened margarine or butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

Add:

¼ cup sour cream (may use low fat…told you they were healthy!)

¼ cup milk (soy or regular…again, your choice for health: use soy or low-fat! :)

1 ½ cup pumpkin (all that beta-carotene!)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Mix two mixtures together just till combined. Makes 12 large muffins. Bake at 350 for 20ish minutes.

This recipe is aptly named. They are heavily spiced. They are really good, but if I make them often I will likely cut down on the spices just a bit, especially the cloves and ginger. The texture and flavour of these muffins is really good, but just wanted to warn you about the spices. :)

Buttermilk Drop Donuts

Mix:

2 cups flour

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp soda

Add:

¼ cup oil

¾ cup buttermilk (or plain yogurt)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Stir together well. Heat oil to deep-frying temperature and drop dough into hot oil by spoonfuls. Fry for 3-4 minutes or till golden brown. Remove from oil, drain for several minutes on paper towels and then roll in cinnamon-sugar, icing sugar or glaze. Makes about 20, I think. We rolled ours in cinnamon-sugar and they were good! The kids thought we had Timbits in Madagascar! :) They are a teensy bit like the sour cream donuts at Timmy’s.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

(from allrecipes.com, with minor changes)

Crust:

1 ½ cup flour

½ - 1 cup finely chopped nuts

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ cup margarine

Mix till crumbly. Reserve 1 ¼ cup crumbs. Press the rest into 9x13” pan.

Pumpkin filling:

15 oz pumpkin (slightly less than 2 cups)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp each cloves, nutmeg, ginger and salt

Mix well and pour over crust in pan.

Mix reserved crumbs with 1 Tbsp flour. Sprinkle over pumpkin. Bake at 375 for 30ish minutes or till lightly browned. Cool several minutes, cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

I took these to a potluck the first time I made them. I thought we would be able to bring leftovers home, but they were such a hit that the pan was nearly licked clean. :) The combination of the crust and filling is a winner for sure. I know I’ll make these again because a) I get to lick the lid of the sweetened condensed milk can and b) they taste like pumpkin pie without making pie crust. It’s a win-win situation.

Rhubarb Sticky Muffins

Cut ¼ cup cold butter or margarine into ½ cup packed brown sugar. Stir in 1 cup chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen). Spoon evenly into 12 greased muffin cups.

Cream together 1/3 cup softened butter or margarine and 1/3 cup sugar. Beat in 1 egg. Combine 1 ½ cup flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp cinnamon. Add alternately to creamed mixture with ½ cup milk.

Spoon dough over rhubarb mixture. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes, then invert pan on serving plate. Serve warm.

These are totally delicious when they are warm! If you wanted to make a dessert out of them and put ice-cream with them, that would really be good. When they are cold, they are still good, but not as good as fresh out of the oven. Also, you want the rhubarb to not be in huge pieces. Maybe ¼” slices?

(June 2013 - I'm editing this recipe to say that instead of the ingredients listed in red, I now use 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and a generous 1/2 cup buttermilk. So much better than all baking powder, which leaves my teeth feeling funny. :) )