Grandma's Favorites

Once upon a time, I was sitting with my grandmother watching television, and this commercial came on. You know the ones, sponsored by some big food manufacturing conglomerate that owns thirty brands and they're showing you how to use all their brands to make a "quick and easy" treat or some such hoo ha.
This particular one featured Cool Whip and Jell-O pudding so it must've been Kraft. In any case, we both kind of went, "mmm, that looks good." So for Grandma's birthday Quinn and I stopped by the assisted living facility and dropped one off. Apparently it was just about the Greatest Thing Ever because she's been talking about it ever since. Like any time anyone mentions birthdays, cakes, desserts, pineapple, Cool Whip or the weather.
And because I always have to think, "wait, what was in that again?" posting it here will save me a precious few minutes of redundant web searching.
You can make it too, I hear it's pretty tasty, especially in the opinion of diabetic grandmothers who shouldn't be eating it anyway.

I'm putting all the brand names in caps because I'm sure KRAFT would (to show their GREAT IMPORTANCE), so you can decide if you'd like to fall prey to the manipulations of the KRAFT machine, or so you can swap 'em out and get whatever brand because I'm sure it doesn't matter one bit. Don't tell KRAFT I said that though please.

Pineapple Cream Angel Food Cake
1 package JELL-O instant vanilla pudding (4 oz)
1 can DOLE crushed pineapple in juice
1 cup COOL WHIP
1 ready to go Angel Food Cake
fresh berries for garnish

Mix pudding and pineapple in medium bowl. Fold in the COOL WHIP.

Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. To make this easy and even, some genius recommended I put the cake in a baking pan/cookie sheet with sides and slice across using the sides as a guide for my knife. Brilliant!
Top bottom layer with 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers 2 times.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Top with berries just before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Travel with it carefully; it's slidey.

I hear she also likes this stuff, which I totally forget how to pronounce, even though my mom just told me not five minutes ago.

Recipe Exchange

I got one of those chain emails, one of the only ones I ever bother to forward on; the recipe exchange email. You know, put your name in the number 2 position and put my name in the number one position and send it out and everyone sends a recipe to the person in the number one position and so on and so forth. Absolutely baffling to some of my less tech savvy relatives, but still a fun way to get some new recipes, or at least get you thinking of variations that you might actually eat.
I think it's hilarious the varied responses I got (from mojitos to random dumpings of things in casserole dishes to actual recipes), and so I've decided to post them here (typos in tact, I don't have time to edit for everyone you know). If you end up making any of them, please let me know! A couple of them frighten me a little, I'll admit. . .

SHRIMP CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

1- can of 46oz. Tomato jucie*
1- can Tomato paste*
1- quart heavy cream*
1/2 bottle cocktail sauce*
3 tablespoons worcester sauce*
3 tablespoons hot sauce* to your taste
1 tablespoon seasalt or table salt* to your taste
1 tablespoon onion/flakes * (optiional)
* bring all above ingredients to boil then simmer.

2 lbs. chop and/or whole shrimp meat
1 lb. imitation crab
1 cilantro bunch chopped
1/2 cup Vin Rose Wine*
Add above ingredients simmer for another 5-10 minutes
Enjoy!

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Let's call these: Stuffin' Meat Muffins, because, well, funny, and they had no name when they were sent to me

1 lb. Lean Ground Beef (Turkey)
1 pkg. (6oz) Stove Top Stuffing
1 C. Water
3/4 C. Shredded Cheese

Mix meat and stuffing mix and water. Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 30 min. Top with a bit for cheese and bake another 5 mins.

Yummy! You can add same salsa before cooking too. Or BBQ sauce.

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Mango Mojitos

1 serving (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients

• 2 lime wedges
• 5 fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup club soda
• 3 tablespoons rum
• 2 tablespoons simple syrup
• 1 tablespoon mango nectar
• Crushed ice

Preparation

Squeeze the lime wedges into a small glass; add wedges and mint to glass. Crush with the back of a spoon for 30 seconds. Add soda, rum, Simple Syrup, and nectar; stir gently. Serve over ice.

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Curried Chicken

This is so delicious, not spicey, sauce is great over rice!!! Oh, and easy...

1/2 cup chutney

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 TBS curry powder

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup golden raisins

2 1/2 cups orange juice

5 pounds chicken, cut up

Add all ingredients to a pot, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for an hour.

Serves 10

Enjoy!!

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Brisket 3-5 lbs

1 bottle chili sauce, by catsup, Heinz is a common brand

I envelope onion soup mix

2 onions-thinly sliced

2 ribs celery-thinly sliced

water

Put brisket in bottom of crock pot. Pour over the chili sauce, then fill up the sauce bottle half way, shake and then add this half bottle of water to the pot. Put in the onions and the celery, sprinkle with the onion soup. Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8. Serve over egg noodles.

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I package angel food cake mix....

1 med. can crushed pineapple

dump cake mix into bowl

dump pineapple into bowl with dry mix and mix by hand

cook in angel food pan as directed on box...

delicious, refreshing, low calorie and easy....

yummy yummy

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More to come as I receive them because, well, why not.




Breakfast Fritata (great for company/easy to make)

Ingredients:
6-8 eggs
one can evaporated milk (low fat)
1 package (30oz) shredded hash browns (frozen)
2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
1 can diced green chiles
1/2 medium onion diced
1 green or red bell pepper diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Beat egg and evaporated milk, stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 13x9x2 pan. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes or until set.

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Chicken Pozole
Serves about 6

1-whole or 1/2 chicken
4-5 cans of chicken broth or make your own
1-can of white hominy-can be purchased at Safeway or small hispanic owned grocery stores in SSF
3-Ancho dried chiles-can be purchased at Safeway or small hispanic owned grocery stores in SSF
1-small cabbage
2 tomatoes
1-lemon or lime
1- onion
1/2 bell pepper
salt
garlic
oregano


1. Make chicken soup:
a. whole cut up chicken, water and or chicken broth, salt and garlic (to taste)
chop 1 tomato , 1/2 onion and 1/2 bell pepper (this is how I make my basic chicken soup)
cook until done.

Add all ingredients below after the chicken soup is done.

2. Ancho chile sauce:
a. In a separate sauce pot place 3 ancho chiles and 1 whole large tomato and let simmer adding water as needed until chiles (they're purchased dry) are soft.
b. Place tomato and chiles in a blender or in a magic bullet puree
c. Pour into stock

3.White Hominy 1 can, 1lb:
a. Open can drain and pour hominy into soup

Bring to a boil chicken soup ancho chile sauce and white hominy.

4. Serve with thin slices of cabbage, finely chop 1/2 onion, lemon and oregano (to taste).