Recipes-Tried and true!

[Laura's Babies]

It has been requested that I share some of my recipes that I use on the boat. Not all of them are on my computer so I will have to type them and that will take me awhile so I will post the ones I have on my house PC, then come back and edit in the rest so check back often for new additions.

I am only posting the ones I use on the boat for my crew and their favorites.
so these have been tried and tried and tried and approved by the men I work with.

Light chocolate cake

1 box of chocolate cake mix, baked according to directions on the box in 2-9 inch cake pans) Let cool

A family size cool whip
2 large boxes of instant chocolate pudding
1 can cherry pie filling

Baked ths cake according to directions on the box in 2 -9 inch cake pans. Let cool.

Put cool whip in mixer and add 1 box of the pudding mix, blend.. The second box is to get it to spreading consistancy so keep adding until it is spreadable and will stay where you put it. Then, Ice the cake and make a edge around the top.

Put cherrie pie filling on top.

Keep cold

(this is one that I came up with on my own just for something different and it has been a big hit because of how light it is on top of a big meal)


Easy Fudge
Recipe
15 servings 15 min 5 min prep

1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
16 large marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans, chopped
< 15 mins Fudge
Combine the sugar, milk, butter, and salt in a pan; bring to a boil and cook for five minutes stirring constantly.
Add chocolate chips and continue to heat until chips are melted.
Remove from heat and add marshmallows, vanilla and the nuts.
Pour into a 8-inch pan and cool.
When cool you can cut into squares.

Chocolate Eclair Cake II Recipe
10-12 servings


2 (3 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (16 ounce) package chocolate-covered graham cracker cookies
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and 3 cups milk; mix well.
Fold in whipped topping and beat with mixer for 2 minutes.
In a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish, spread a layer of graham crackers on the bottom of the dish.
Spread 1/2 of the pudding mixture over crackers, then top with graham crackers.
Spread remaining pudding over crackers; top second pudding layer with another layer of crackers.
To make topping: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1/4 cup milk, cocoa and sugar and allow to boil for 1 minute; remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.
Mix well and cool.
Pour sauce over graham cracker layer and refrigerate until set; serve.



My Captains favorite that he can not get enough of first!

Cake Mix Italian Cream Cake Recipe
12 servings time to make"1¼ hours 20 min prep

Cake
1 (18 1/4 ounce) white cake mix
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups water
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, etc
2 cups flaked coconut
Frosting
3 tablespoons butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1-2 tablespoon cream
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixer bowl add the cake mix, vanilla pudding, water, eggs and oil.
With electric mixer, beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.
Fold in the chopped nuts and coconut.
Pour the batter into a 9 x 13 inch pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or lightly greased and floured.
Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted off center comes out clean.
Cool completely before frosting.
In a medium sized mixer bowl, blend the butter and cream cheese.
Add the confectioners' sugar and enough cream to make it a smooth spreading consistency.
Frost cake with frosting and sprinkle with coconut.

His second favorite

Pineapple Paradise Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting Recipe
20 servings 35 min 10 min prep

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, reserve 1/4 cup
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring
For Coconut Cream Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon coconut flavoring
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
For cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a slotted spoon, set aside 1/4 cup pineapple for frosting.
In mixing bowl, combine remaining pineapple and juice with flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, vegetable oil and coconut flavoring.
Beat at medium speed 2 minutes.
Pour into greased and floured 10-1/2 x 15-1/2 x 1 inch baking pan.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Let cool completly.
To make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla and coconut flavoring until smooth and creamy.
Add powdered sugar; beat until frosting is a spreadable consisency.
Stir in coconut and reserved 1/4 cup pineapple.
Use to frost cake.

The guys love this

Taco Soup Recipe
12 servings

2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes, diced
1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (16 ounce) can black beans, undrained
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies or Old El Paso tomatoes & chilies
1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
2 (7 ounce) cans white shoepeg corn, undrained
2 envelopes taco seasoning mix
taco cheese, Finely shredded
tortilla chips, crushed
I have had to give several of them this recipe to take home to their wives and everyone eats when I make this....(including the Captain and engineer who normally skip supper)

Chicken and Tortilla Dumplings Recipe
6 servings
time to make"1½ hours 30 min prep

6 chicken legs (5 pounds)
8 cups water
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 (15 ounce) package 8-inch flour tortillas
Bring first 7 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken, reserving broth in Dutch oven. Let chicken and broth cool. Skin, bone, and cut chicken into bite-size pieces; set aside. Skim fat from broth. Add soup to broth; bring to a boil.
Cut tortillas into 2- x 1-inch strips. Add strips, 1 at a time, to briskly boiling broth mixture. Add chicken, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent dumplings from sticking.
Quick Tip: Substitute 8 cups chicken broth for water; omit bouillon cubes; reduce salt to 1/2 teaspoon. Proceed with recipe using 3 to 4 cups chopped cooked chicken.
NOTE: I bake my chicken ahead of time and debone it when it is cooled. I also add milk or water as needed besides the 8 cups called for... remember I am feeding 8 to 9 grown hungry men!(I use 2 cut up chickens.)

Got to get on my laptop now and will be right back.

[Laura's Babies]

This one I had to make because so many asked me for my recipe for my Gumbo.. I didn't have one so I had to start measuring and writting it down. I rode with one Captain last year that said something about how good my Gumbo was and I had never rode with him before so I asked him how he knew it was good. Seems my recipe is being passed around all over the river!

GUMBO (Laura's)

1/2 cup oil
1 cup (AP) flour
3 quarts water (may need more)
4 cups (total) chopped green onions, white onions, bell peppers, clelery. (use the most of what you like best)
1 1/2 pounds Smoked Sausage
5 pounds peeled green shrimp
1 can crab meat (or preboiled crab claws)
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1+ 1/2 teaspoons crab boil
1 +1/2 garlic granules (or 2 to 3 fresh cloves)
3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (more if want spicier)
kitchen boquet- to get the color you like
Gumbo file' ( when done to in pot, or as served)

Brown flour in the oil until a dark chocolate color, add 2 quarts of water. Saute' seasonings in skillet until tender and add to gravy, cook 15 minutes. Chop sausage and add to pot and boil. Add rest of seasonings to pot, salt, pepper ect. all but file' and the kitchen bouquet at this time. Add shrimp and let boil until shrimp is done. Add water throughout cooking as neeeded to get the thickness or watery consistancy you prefer. Turn off and add file' at this time, stir well. Eat over rice and serve with crackers.

Can use chicken and leave out shrimp if you want just a chicken and sausage gumbo.. Can add chicken to the shrimp, just adjust all seasonings to get the right taste..


Mexican Burrito CasseroleEnough for a 9 X 13 inch pan

Another of my orginals that is a big hit

2 cans refried beans (may use can chile beans mashed, with juice)
3 - 3 pounds taco meat with seasoning
1 pack 10 inch flour tortillas (cut into strips)
Sour cream (as much or as little as you like)
Cheese
Black olives

Layer pan in this order
1- refried beans
2- Meat
3 sour cream
4-Olives
5-cheese
6- tortillas, do 2 layers, one on top of the other
Repeat, leaving off the last layer of the cheese. Bake at 400* until heated through. Add the last layer of the cheese and put in oven until the cheese is melted.

Garnish with Picante sauce, taco sauce, diced tomatoes, more sour cream, whole kernal corn or whatever you like when serving.

Kool Aide Pie

1 package unsweetened Kool Aid
1- 14 ounce can condensed milk
1- 8 ounce cool whip
1- graham cracker crust

Combine first 3 ingredients well and pour into the pie crust. Refrigerate. This is very sweet when first made so make it the day before so it can sit.

Frozen Peanutbutter Pie

½ cup peanut butter ½ cup milk
1 cup powdered sugar 9 ounces cool whip
8 ounces cream cheese graham cracker pie crusts

Whip cheese until soft and fluffy. Beat in peanut butter, sugar and slowly add the milk. Bland well. Fold in the cool whip and pour into crusts. Freeze until firm, serve frozen. To kick it up that knotch, pour chocolate syrup about the size of a fifty cents pices on the plate and sit the pie in it. My guys do this themselves now and I laugh everytime I see them do it.

Chalopa bread
Mix well or sift together 4 cups flour,
1 tsp salt, and
4 tsp baking powder.
Cut in 1/4 cup shortning (can be hard because there is lots of flour and it will not look crumbly). Ad 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups water, slowly, stirring to form a stiff dough. Knead until smooth. Roll out THINLY (about 1/8 inch thick); when it cooks, it will puff up. Can roll in two ways...1) take a ball of dough (about 1/4 cup) and roll into an oval shape OR 2) roll out all the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper and cut out circle shapes with a coffee can or a bowl. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat (325 to 350 degrees). Fry shapes as long as you like...the more the crisper but also the less flexible and the more puffy. (I did about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side...experiment with the first one, because it depends on how hot your oil is.) Be sure to flip over to brown the other side. Drain on paper towels and add meat and other toppings.

Microwave Peanut Brittle

1 cup of sugar
½ cup white corn syrup

Combine in a 1 ½ quart casserole dish, stir together. Microwave on high for 4 minutes.

¾ cup roasted, salted peanuts. Stir in, microwave on high 3 to 5 minutes, until light brown.

1 teaspoon Butter}
1 teaspoon vanilla} Add and blend well, microwave on high 1 to 2 minutes

1 teaspoon Baking Soda, add and gently stir. Mixture will turn light and foamy.

Pour into a lightly greased cookie sheet and let cool ½ to 1 hour. When cook, break into pieces and store in airtight container.

*Microwave cooking times may vary so watch your for the best results in your microwave.

*(To clean bowl, let cool completely and soak in hot water, completely covered in the water. Let soak until all cooked on candy had melted. If you set in water while hot it will bust!) I have had to give the crew copies of this onme too!


Crispy Parmesan Chicken Strips Recipe

3 servings
time to make"35 min 20 min prep
1 1/2 cups seasoned croutons (whichever kind you like)

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon parsley

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon water

1 lb boneless chicken breasts

ranch dressing
Cut the chicken breast into strips--the size is your choice.
Crush the seasoned croutons and place in a dish.
Add the Parmesan cheese, parsley, and garlic salt--mix well.
In a separate bowl wisk the egg whites and water together.
Dip the chicken into the egg wash and then into the crumbs.
Place on sprayed pan and bake at 450 degrees for 14-16 minutes.
Serve with Ranch Dressing.
(I do this with fish and it comes out so good!)

Chocolate Covered Cherries Recipe

1 batch -time to make"3 hours 3 hours prep
2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pinch salt

maraschino cherries, drained
Milk dipping chocolate
Combine the first 5 ingrediants until well blended and smooth and place in fridge until firm.
Meanwhile spread out the drained cherries on a cookie sheet and freeze for at least 1 hours.
Scoop out about 1-2 teaspoon of filling and form into a ball around a cherry.
Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hr after you have formed them all.
Melt dipping chocolate and using your hands dip each cherry placing it on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and chill in fridge until chocolate is solid.
Remove cherries carefully as not to break them open and loose the center.
Place in an airtight plastic container and keep in a cool dry place for up to 1 month.

Note; I make these when we work for Christmas and have had to give some of the guys this recipe also. If you like the ones in the store, you will LOVE these! They are well worth the effort to make them. DELISH!)

Forgot this one...

Bread pudding

5 eggs, pre beaten
1 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 tbsp. Cinnamon
1tbsp. Vanilla
2 cups bread crumbs
¼ to ½ cup raisins

Pre-beat the 5 eggs, add sugar & cinnamon and beat until blended. Add vanilla, rasins, and milk, blend well. Stir in breadcrumbs. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Grease a deep pan and pour all into the pan.. Bake at 400* for about 1 hour.


For anymore, I will have to dig my cookbook out of my luggage and type in and that will take me awhile.

[slick]

2 (7 ounce) cans white shoepeg corn,

What's this??? I've never heard of shoepeg corn. Can I just use yellow corn niblets???

[Laura's Babies]

Shoepeg is littler kernals of corn, look in the store for it. I have went nuts over it but any corn will work.

Easy dump cobbler
1 cup self rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk

1 stick margarine or butter melted

2 cans sliced peaches

Blend flour and sugar, add milk. Open fruit and pour in pan or casserole dish and pour butter over it, then pour the flour/milk mixture. Bake @ 400* until set in the middle.

You can use any can fruit, I have even used blackberries and that is to die for!!!

[gini]

You have made me so hungry it is ridiculous!

[lvpets2002]

Oh My my Good Lordy Laura you have got my Chops a watering.. I am printing every recipe.. Many Thanks

[DrKym]

I am SOOOOOOo printing this............................. Thanks Laura!

[lizbud]

You have made me so hungry it is ridiculous!

Oh gosh, me too. Should never read a recipe thread before dinner.

How many do you cook for?( I noticed 5 lb shrimp in one recipe.)

They each sound great to me.

[kuhio98]

My mouth is watering! Keep 'em coming!

[Laura's Babies]

lizbud-I usually have 8 men that I cook for, with the Jr. Engineer, I have 9 and sometimes we have a "guest" on for a few days and that can be 1 or 2 extra and e-v-e-r-y now and then a 6 deck crewman. Left overs are no problem, they do watch change at midnight and eat more and some will even put some up for breakfast the next morning.

Notice most of the recipes I have posted so far are desert ones? Most of the main dish ones are in my head and not on paper.

Snickerdoodles Recipe ....(I LOVE these!!!!!)

25 cookies
25 min 15 min prep
1 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Coating
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix the cinnamon with the sugar in a bowl and set aside.
Mix the margarine, sugar and eggs.
Add the dry ingredients and form small balls.
Roll the balls in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Place on a cookie sheet 5 centimeters apart (they spread as they bake).
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius (375 F).
Remove from the tray immediately.
( I added a teaspoon of rum flavoring to kick it up a notch! Mmmmmmm!)
************************************************** ****
This next one I have a funny story about. This is not a pretty looking dish to serve. Newcomers will take a look, turn up their noses and ask " WHAT IS THIS?" I tell them "Mexican Casserole! Don't judge how it looks, you better taste it...." So they will take about a tablespoon and go sit down and taste, they get up and all but run back to the kitchen and put a pile of it on their plate! I have had to make copies of this one too, to give them to take home.
Dorito Mexican Casserole
Estimated prep and cook times.
6-8 servings
1 hour 30 min prep

2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 3/4 cups milk
1 bag plain Doritos
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown together ground beef and onion until beef is brown and onion is tender; drain well.
Add the mushroom soup, cheddar cheese soup, Ro-tel tomatoes and soup can of milk to beef/onion mixture; stir until well mixed.
Line a 13x9 baking dish with the Doritos.
Cover with the meat/soup mixture and sprinkle completely with the cheddar cheese.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
************************************************** ***
This one I do not have written down, it is one of those I figured out on my own..

Chicken on a stick

You need to do everything ahead so once floured, they can sit a couple of hours! (VERY Important)

Boneless, skinless chicken breast (1 one breast per stick but cut in 3 to 4 chunks)
Bell pepper... Cut in chunks
Onion....cut in chunks
Potatoes (I use red, cut in chunks)
Sliced dill pickles

With all in chunks, get kabob sticks and alternate layering them on the stick to fill it up.

Then mix up all purpose flour with 1 tsp to 1 tablespoon of salt, per cup of flour(your taste judges that amount, add black pepper, cayanne pepper, garlic granules, onion powder to taste and blend real good. ***Make 2 to 3 times more than you think you will need!

Roll each in the flour mix and leave laying in the flour for several hours. As your oil heats to deep fry them, re-roll in the flour and re-roll each as you get ready to fry.

I fry at 350*
Note; you can change the veggies I use to any you like squash, egg plant, anything. My Captain wants these EVERY first Sunday we are back.

[shais_mom]

What's this??? I've never heard of shoepeg corn. Can I just use yellow corn niblets???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoepeg_corn

[critters]

Simple mocha recipe (from Heloise)

1/2 C instant coffee
1 C sugar (or equivalent artificial)
1 C powdered milk (or creamer)
1 t cocoa powder (I prefer more)

I keep it in an empty coffee jar, but it can also be handy to use the ingredients in spoon-measured fashion when I'm between recipes.