Coffee Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tbs. canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 tbs. ground cumin
1 tbs. chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 tsp. paprika
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbs. Dijon mustard

Directions:

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion 5 minutes, or until soft.

Add cumin, chili powder, garlic, and paprika, and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Stir in remaining ingredients and 1 cup of water. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

 Strain into bowl, and discard solids. Refrigerate overnight to let flavors mingle.

Mom's Apple Pie

Crust Ingredients:

2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling Ingredients:

5-7 tart apples; peeled and sliced thin

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Dash of salt

4 tablespoons of butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large cooking pot, combine all the filling ingredients and cook until very soft.

In the pie baking dish, mix flour, sugar, and salt.

In small bowl, whip oil and milk together and pour over the flour mixture.

Mix together with fork until the four is all damp and ingredients are combined completely. Reserve 1/3 of dough to crumble over the filling for crust top.

Press rest of dough to the bottom of the pie baking dish evenly and up the sides; crimp edges.

Add filling and top with the reserved flour; crumpled. Dot with butter

Bake for 30-40 minutes; until top is brown and filling is bubbling.

Easy Mac & Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, olive oil and salt; set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook for about 8 minutes, it should still be a little firm. Remove from the heat, drain and return to the pot; stir in the butter and egg until pasta is evenly coated. Reserve 1/2 cup of the sharp Cheddar cheese and stir the remaining Cheddar cheese, milk, and mozzarella cheese into the pasta. Spoon in to the prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle the reserved cheese and the bread crumb mixture over the tops.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the topping is nicely browned. Allow for the muffins to cool for a few minutes before removing from pan. This lets the cheese set and they will hold their muffin shape.

Spice Cake in a Jar

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon shortening, melted

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush five sterilized canning jars with melted shortening. Place jars on a baking sheet; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, all-spice, and salt. Stir in pecans and raisins. In another bowl, combine milk, butter, honey, sour cream, egg, and vanilla; whisk until smooth. Combine milk mixture with flour mixture, stirring to combine well. Evenly divide batter between jars, filling each jar approximately half full.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Using kitchen towels, remove one jar at a time form the oven; carefully place lid and ring on each, screw lids on tightly. Cool jars on counter top. Once jars have sealed (popped!), store in a cool place for up to one year.

Chile Cheese Squares

Ingredients:

1 pint (16-oz) cottage cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
10 eggs
2 small cans (4-oz) of diced green chiles
1 small jar of diced pimentos
1 pound of jack or cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put the cottage cheese in the bowl and stir to smooth it out. Add butter, flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, chiles, pimentos, and cheese. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

Pour into baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 35 minutes.

Let stand at room temperature until cool, then cut into 1x1.5" squares. Or cover and refrigerate overnight and then cut before serving.

Ranch-Flavored Oyster Crackers

Ingredients:

1 box (16 oz.) oyster crackers

1/4 cup olive oil

1 packet of Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix (use buttermilk if you can find it)

Directions:

Place crackers in the mixing bowl.

Pour oil over crackers and toss to coat.

Add Ranch Mix and toss again until coated.

Bake at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until toasty brown.

Orange Cranberry Preserves

Ingredients:

3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

2 cups orange marmalade

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir orange juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved.

Add in remaining ingredients: bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low to simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture is reduced to about 3 cups (takes about 15-17 minutes).

Cool to room temperature. Place in glass jar and refrigerate up to a week or so.