Free Recipes

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

by LeAnn Ralph on in Cookies

This recipe can be used to make cut-out cookies or you can roll teaspoons of dough into balls, dip in sugar, and then flatten with the bottom of a water glass dipped in sugar. I like to use an old sherbet glass that belonged to my grandmother because it has a pretty pattern on the bottom. See you what you can find in your cupboard to make pretty sugar cookies. . .

– 1/2 cup of butter, margarine, or other shortening
– 1 cup sugar
– 2 eggs
– 1 tablespoon of cream (or Half & Half)
– 2 1/4 cups of flour
– 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
– 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
– 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon extract (I have also used lemon juice; if you want a less lemony taste to the cookies, use lemon juice)

Cream together shortening (butter or margarine), sugar, eggs and cream. Mix in the dry ingredients and the lemon extract or the lemon juice. Work the dough with your hands for a minute before rolling out the cookies.

Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

A single recipe makes about three dozen cookies.

Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Recipe

by LeAnn Ralph on in Chicken, Main Dishes

We’ve all made chicken and rice on the stove or in the oven. Here’s how I make it now in the Instant Pot.

BTW – this recipe works for both frozen and thawed chicken.

Add 2 cups of water to the Instant Pot and place 4 chicken quarters on the Instant Pot trivet. Sprinkle on each piece of chicken a generous amount of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, a dash of lemon pepper, and a generous amount of garlic salt.

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Rhubarb Coffee Cake

by LeAnn Ralph on in Cakes, Desserts

When I was a kid, we used to go to another farm owned by some friends to cut rhubarb. When my mom and dad retired from farming and built a house at the back of the farm, Dad planted several Canadian Red rhubarb plants. Today nearly 40 years later, the Canadian Red rhubarb is still growing. My husband and I moved it out of the horse pasture and planted it up by the barn, and it is thriving. Canadian Red works well in this cake and makes it more colorful.

  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup sweet milk to which you have added 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 1/2 cups raw rhubarb cut up into fine pieces

Topping

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons flour

Measure the sugar and shortening into a mixing bowl. Cream together. Beat in the egg. Add the buttermilk/sour milk, baking soda, salt and flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in the rhubarb.

Spoon batter into a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Measure the brown sugar, cinnamon, chopped nuts and flour into a small mixing bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle on top of cake batter.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.

Baked Oatmeal Supreme for Breakfast

by LeAnn Ralph on in Breakfast

Made with oatmeal, raisins, walnuts and milk, Baked Oatmeal Supreme is a heart-healthy — and delicious! — way to start your day (makes an excellent in between meals snack, too). Serve warm or cold with whipped cream, frozen vanilla yogurt or another topping that you like.

2 cups dry oatmeal (I like to use old-fashioned oatmeal)

1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar (1/2 cup makes it very sweet)

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup walnuts (or slivered almonds)

1/2 cup raisins

Use a fork to mix all ingredients together thoroughly in a mixing bowl. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees in a greased 8×8 inch casserole dish or an 8×8 inch cake pan. Serve with milk if desired.

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Cheesecake Parfait

by LeAnn Ralph on in Desserts

This recipe is not especially heart-healthy — or any kind of healthy. But, if you are looking for a sumptuous dessert (maybe to serve for a special occasion) that is “Died and Gone to Heaven” good, this is it.

Low-Fat Alternative: you can make a lower-fat version of this recipe using low-fat cream cheese, low-fat topping, and use skim milk with the instant pudding.

Bottom layer:
2 sticks butter
3 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix the butter, flour and walnuts as you would for pie crust, pat into a 9×13 pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

Second layer:
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (softened)
2 cups of powdered sugar
2 cups of Cool Whip (or another similar topping)

Measure into a mixing bowl and whip at high speed until smooth. Spread over the first layer.

Third layer:
2 3-ounce packages of instant pudding (any flavor — chocolate, lemon, butterscotch, vanilla, pistachio — whatever you like)
3 cups of milk

Pour instant pudding into a mixing bowl, add the milk, and whip at high speed for several minutes until thick. Spread over the cream cheese layer.

Fourth layer:
Spread on enough Cool Whip (or another topping) to cover the pudding. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and coconut.

Chill the dessert in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Old Fashioned Hot Chocolate

by LeAnn Ralph on in Beverages

Now that it’s turned cold and winter is upon us, a homemade cup of hot chocolate would really hit the spot.

When I was a kid growing up on our farm, before there were such things as instant cocoa drink mixes, this is how my mother made hot chocolate.

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups water
4 cups milk
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in water. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, and boil for a couple of minutes. Gradually stir in the milk. Heat to almost boiling but do not boil. Stir in the vanilla.

Beat with a hand beater before serving.

If a sweet drink is desired, stir in another teaspoon of sugar after it has been poured into a cup.

Mothball Christmas Cookies

by LeAnn Ralph on in Christmas, Cookies

As mentioned in the story “Good Things Come in Small Packages” from LeAnn’s book, Christmas in Dairyland

These cookies have a rich, buttery flavor, but they are not overly sweet.

– 1 cup of butter
– 1/4 cup of powdered sugar
– 1 teaspoon vanilla
– 2 cups flour
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 2 cups chopped walnuts

Combine ingredients.

Chill one hour.

Form into small balls.

Place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 250 degrees for one hour.

Roll in powdered sugar while still warm and again when cool.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

by LeAnn Ralph on in Breads, Cinnamon Rolls, Muffins

If you love cinnamon rolls but do not have the time or the inclination to make traditional cinnamon rolls with dough that has to raise twice before the cinnamon rolls are baked, try this easy variation.

1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar added to it
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
soft butter
sugar
cinnamon

Pour milk into a measuring cup and add the lemon juice or vinegar.

Measure the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla and egg into a mixing bowl. Add the milk. Add the flour. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two.

Roll the dough into a 12-inch by 24-inch rectangle. Spread with butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Roll the dough into a log beginning at the wide side. Stretch the log slightly. Cut into two-inch pieces and put the pieces into greased muffin tins or muffin tins lined with cupcake papers. (I like to use the cupcake papers because the papers make cleaning the muffin tin that much easier!)

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes and then remove them from the muffin tins.

Recipe makes 1 dozen cinnamon roll muffins.

Caramel Apple Pie

by LeAnn Ralph on in Desserts, Pies

Caramel Apple Pie Recipe

(Please note: this recipe is not in the Rural Route 2 Cookbook)

4 or 5 fresh apples (cut into small pieces) or 4 cups of frozen apples
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (depending on how well you like the taste of cinnamon)

Pie Crust:
3 cups of flour
2/3 cup cooking oil (I like to use Grapeola)
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar

10 to 15 carmel candies (Kraft caramels or whatever brand you like)
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar

Wash the apples and cut into small pieces and put them in a medium saucepan. Add water, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook over low to medium heat until apples are cooked down and the mixture becomes thick. (Depending on the apples, this will take maybe a half hour or so. I like to use Macintosh apples in the recipe but use whatever cooking apples you like or have available.)

When the filling is cooked, set aside and mix up the pie crust.

Measure out the flour, cooking oil, water, salt and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and work the mixture together with fork. If the mixture seems a little too moist, add flour by the tablespoon and work it in until the mixture is more crumbly. Use half the mixture to line a 10 inch pie plate. Pat the dough down on the bottom and on the sides. Spoon the pie filling into the pan.

Cut the caramel candies into small pieces and sprinkle over the pie filling. (You don’t have to chop them fine; cutting them into quarters is all that’s necessary). Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top of the caramel candy pieces.

Mix a quarter cup of brown sugar with the remaining pie crust and mix in thoroughly. Sprinkle the crumble crust on top of the pie filling, caramel pieces and walnuts.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (or until the crumble crust is golden brown).

Allow to cool (at least somewhat!) before cutting. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

A Different Kind of Glazed Carrots

by LeAnn Ralph on in Side Dishes

My husband loves this recipe for glazed carrots. Instead of brown sugar and butter, it uses fruit juice. Serve as a side dish with your favorite meal.

4 cups of cooked carrots (either fresh or frozen carrots; fresh carrots = 4 to 6 medium to large)

1 cup fruit juice (any kind of juice — pineapple, orange, cherry, apple, grape, cranberry, apricot; I have used V-8 Splash fruit juice, too.)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon sugar (if you are using cranberry juice, you might want to make it 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of sugar)

*1/4 teaspoon salt

Cook the carrots. Drain. Mix the cornstarch with a quarter cup of fruit juice and stir until smooth. Add the remaining juice. Stir in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Pour over the carrots and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Cherry or Blueberry Blintzes

by LeAnn Ralph on in Breakfast, Desserts

Crepes
~~~~~~

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Measure all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer or a rotary beater to beat until smooth.

Use a pastry brush to coat the bottom of a cast iron or Teflon-coated 8-inch frying pan. Heat the pan for a minute or so on medium to medium-high heat.

Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet, and rotate the skillet to spread out the batter across the bottom. Cook until light brown (30 seconds to a minute), turn and cook until light brown on the other side. Stack crepes on a plate. Makes about a dozen crepes. Brush pan with shortening before cooking each crepe.

Filling
~~~~~~~~

1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can of cherry or blueberry pie filling (I have also used homemade jam, such as blackberry jam or strawberry jam)

Measure the cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla into a bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.

Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling on the middle of a crepe. Fold over the sides of the crepe and then roll up. Brush the skillet with shortening again. Place crepes seam side down in the skillet. Cook over medium heat until heated through.

Serve warm with a couple of tablespoons of cherry (or blueberry) pie filling on top of each crepe.