Applesauce Spice Cake

I made this as a "healthy" alternative for Lacey's birthday cake. It uses apple juice concentrate instead of refined sugar. Lacey liked it, except for the dates. I doused mine in caramel sauce and topped it with vanilla ice cream. It was pretty yummy that way, too.

3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 1/2 cups ground almonds (optional)
2 Macintosh apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 9 x 13 baking pan.

Beat the eggs until they drop like ribbons from the beaters. Continue beating and add the oil in a thin stream. Beat in the 1 cup applesauce and the 1 cup unsweetened apple juice concentrate then mix in the flour gradually until well blended. Add the baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground almonds, dates, and apples. Fold together until well mixed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F about 40 minutes or until the cake tests clean with a knife or toothpick. Cool completely before frosting.

Frog Eye Salad

I seriously could eat this all day. I'm pretty sure I have before.

1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons flour
1 3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
16 oz acini di pepe
1 (9 oz) container cool whip
2 (20 oz) cans pineapple tidbits (drained)
2 cans mandarin oranges
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 teaspoon oil
2 teaspoons salt.

In a small sauce pan, combine sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, egg yolks, flour, pineapple juice, and lemon juice. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Cool completely. Meanwhile, Boil acini de pepe, oil, and slat for 10 to 20 minutes. Drain. Cool. Mix with sauce. Add fruit, marshmallows. Stir in cool whip. Allow to set in refrigerator overnight.

Bayou Chicken Pasta

This is originally an Emeril recipe, but I simplified it to something that I would actually make. Yummy! Pretty much any cajun or creole seasoning will work.

1 pound linguine
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons cajun or creole seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or evaporated milk
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
Parmesan cheese

Set a large 1-gallon stock pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Place the linguine in the pot and stir until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender, but with a bit of resistance (al dente), about 12 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and add the chicken to the pan. Sear the chicken until well browned on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions to the pan and saute until the onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, remaining 1 tablespoon of seasoning, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, linguine and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook, tossing to incorporate for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and add Parmesan and toss to blend. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Pie

One of our favorites--full of fresh fruit deliciousness.

2 cups water
1 package cook-n-serve vanilla pudding
1 package strawberry gelatin (sugar free, if desired)
4 cups Strawberries
graham cracker pie crust

Bring water and pudding mix to boil, take off stove, add pkg. jell-o and stir up. Let cool.

Clean and slice the fresh strawberries. Line the pie crust with strawberries. Pour cooled pudding mixture on top. Allow to set in refrigerator for at least one hour or until firm.

Egg-free Cornbread

I went looking for this recipe because I wanted cornbread, but I discovered that I had no eggs. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this recipe is. If you like your corn bread less sweet (as so many southerners do) just reduce the amount of sugar. I actually increased it from the original recipe (which called for 2 tablespoons) because my husband likes his cornbread sweet.

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and the oil, and stir until just blended.
Spread the batter into a nonstick or lightly oil-sprayed 9-inch square baking dish, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serve hot.

Crockpot Pork Chops

My husband has requested that I make these again. That's a compliment!

8 pork chops (or fewer)
salt & pepper
2 onions, chopped (or dried onion)
2 stalks of celery, chopped (unless you don't have any)
1 green pepper, cut in strips (unless...)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour over the meat and veggies in a crockpot.
Cook on low for six hours.
YUM