1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
8 oz. block cream cheese
3 eggs
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cream style corn
1 large can chopped green chilies
1 box Jiffy mix cornbread/muffin mix

Preheat oven to 350*.

In a microwave safe mixing bowl, heat butter and cream cheese till very soft. Beat in the eggs. Mix in the corn and green chilies, then add the cornbread mix and mix well.

Spray a 9x13 baking pan or dish with cooking spray and add the mixture. Bake for 40 minutes for a softer texture pudding, or 50 minutes for more cornbread-like texture.

Serve piping hot, and refrigerate any leftovers.

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1-3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
3/4 cup self rising flour
3/4 cup self rising cornmeal mix, either white or yellow
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2-1 cup diced onion - green onions, white, yellow or mixed, your choice
dash salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
minced jalapeno pepper to taste, optional

Beat egg and buttermilk together in a medium sized bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Dough should be thick enough to hold its shape when mounded on a spoon. Add more meal or buttermilk if necessary to get the right consistency. Drop by slightly rounded teaspoons full into hot oil. Brown on both sides and fry until done. Drain on paper towels or metal rack. Makes around 2 dozen. Recipe may be doubled.

2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. good vanilla
1/2 cup oil
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped nuts


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together with mixer the eggs, oil, vanilla, sugar and buttermilk. Add the mashed bananas and blend well. Sift together all dry ingredients except nuts. Stir dry ingredients by hand into creamed mixture until blended, then stir in nuts. Pour into 2 or 3 greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks in pans for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pans and finish cooling on racks. Serve or wrap well for later.

This is the best banana bread I have ever had, bar none. This freezes beautifully if well-wrapped.

2 cups buttermilk
½ teaspoon baking SODA
4-5 cups self rising flour, divided
2 tablespoons bacon grease or oil,
plus additional to grease tops of biscuits

Preheat oven to 425º.

Grease a cookie sheet or 9x13 baking pan with 2 tablespoons bacon grease or oil; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, baking soda and about 3 cups of flour. Stir until combined and mixture is stiff enough to knead on a board, adding additional flour to reach kneading consistency.

Generously flour a bread board or countertop; scrape dough out onto floured board and knead 8-10 times, turning dough on last kneading, smoothing and patting out with your hand until it's about 1 inch thick, no thicker.

***Don't overwork the dough; better to under knead than to over work. The less you work the dough, the more tender the biscuits will be and the higher they will rise.***

Using a biscuit cutter or a tomato sauce can with both ends cut out, cut biscuits and place into greased baking pan with sides touching. Knead trimmings and pat out dough, cutting more biscuits. As before, handle the dough as little as possible.

After all biscuits are in the pan, grease the tops of the biscuits with bacon grease or oil and place in hot oven. Watch carefully as different ovens get hotter, bake differently, etc.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, watching carefully. When biscuits are golden brown on top, check for doneness by lifting the corner on one of the middle biscuits. If the top lifts and the inside is fluffy but not sticky, biscuits are done.

Remove from oven and dump biscuits onto a wire rack, cloth lined bread basket or onto a clean kitchen towel to cool a bit, then serve hot.

This recipe yields about 2 dozen biscuits according to the size and thickness of your biscuits.

Enjoy!

This is the same "recipe" for biscuits that my Mama made every day when I was growing up and until she died in April 2005 at the age of 76. Mama never had a recipe and I learned to make these biscuits by watching her, not from a recipe.

2 tbsp. oil or bacon grease
1 lb. hamburger
1 pkg. taco seasoning, optional
1 egg, beaten
1½ cups buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix
1 can whole kernel or cream style corn
½ cup diced onion
1 small can chopped green chilies
½ cup diced bell pepper, optional
diced jalapeno peppers, optional
8 oz. shredded cheese, cheddar or colby


Preheat oven to 350º.

Grease a 9x13 baking pan or dish with the 2 tbsp. oil and set aside.

In a skillet, stir and cook hamburger meat until brown and done; drain grease. If using taco seasoning, prepare as directed on package and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together beaten egg, buttermilk, cornmeal mix and baking soda.

If using whole kernel corn, drain corn and add to batter; if using cream style corn do not drain, add entire contents of can to batter.

Add diced onion and green chilies, diced bell pepper and jalapenos if used, and shredded cheese, reserving a handful to sprinkle over the top of the cornbread. Add hamburger and stir well to combine.

Pour into greased pan and sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes, checking after 30 minutes. Cornbread should be moist but not gooey in the center when done, and should be golden brown on top. If baked in a smaller but deeper pan it may take up to 60 minutes for the cornbread to get done.

If prepared with cream style corn it will be moister than if whole kernel corn is used, so allow for that when testing for doneness.

3 eggs
1 cup oil
1½ cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini, peel included
1 tsp. good vanilla
2 cups plain flour, sifted
¼ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 325º.

Grease and flour 2 (8x5x3) loaf pans. Set aside.

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in oil, sugar, zucchini and vanila.

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Stir into egg mixture until well blended. Stir in raisins and nuts. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans and bake one hour or until center springs back when touched with fingertips. Don't over bake.

Cool in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pans to wire rack to cool completely.

Yields 2 loaves. Freezes well when sealed in foil and plastic wrap or zip top bags.

3 eggs
3 cups plain flour, or 3 cups PLUS 6 tbsp. cake flour
1½ cups milk
1½ tsp. good vanilla
1½ tsp. butter flavoring
1½ tsp. almond extract
1½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. poppyseed
1 1/8 cup oil

Preheat oven to 300º-325º.

Grease and flour a Bundt pan, angel food cake pan, 2 loaf pans or muffin pans. Set aside.

NOTE: This makes 2 loaves of bread. You may have to have a muffin pan(s) prepared for the batter that won't fit into the loaf, Bundt or angel food pans.

If you're making muffins, it will take SEVERAL muffin pans. I'd guess that this recipe will make at least 3 dozen muffins, probably more. Obviously, muffins will get done a lot faster so plan accordingly.

DIANE'S HOMEMADE YEAST ROLLS


6 cups bread flour
2 envelopes yeast, or 5 teaspoons bulk yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 cups warm water, test on wrist like formula for a baby (110-115 degrees for the obsessive people)
5 tbsp. sugar ( 1/2 cup for cinnamon rolls)
1/2 cup melted butter, stick margarine, or oil (obviously, the butter gives the best flavor, or use 1/4 cup each butter and oil)

In a LARGE bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the sugar, salt and butter or oil; mix till sugar is dissolved. Add 3 cups of the flour; mix well. Stir in 2 more cups of the flour, reserving the last cup of flour for kneading. Mix well, and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. According to the weather, it may take a little more or less flour for kneading. After kneading, place in an oiled bowl big enough to contain the dough after it doubles in size, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. (I usually put mine on the top rack of my oven and put a pan of warm water on the bottom rack. This really speeds up the rising process.) Punch down and form into rolls, loaves or cinnamon rolls, (directions follow.) Place into greased pans (2 loaf pans or a 9x13 pan for rolls), and let rise again covered loosely with plastic wrap until doubled in size. Remove plastic wrap and preheat oven to 350-375 degrees. Bake loaves for 30-35 minutes or until brown and done. Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes. According to the size of the rolls and loaves and differing ovens, the baking time and temperature may vary quite a bit and have to be adjusted for those variables. If the loaves or rolls start to get too brown before they are done in the center, you may have to cover loosely with foil. Cool rolls and loaves on wire racks for 10 minutes or so, then carefully turn out onto racks to finish cooling. Run a knife around the sides to loosen if necessary. I butter (yes, real butter!) the tops of the rolls and loaves as soon as they come out of the oven. Good luck, I hope they turn out well for you.



CINNAMON ROLLS
Filling:
1/2 cup softened real butter or stick margarine, more or less, to your taste
1/2 cup sugar, more or less, to your taste
2-3 tablespoons cinnamon, more or less to your taste

Prepare the dough recipe above to the point of making into rolls, loaves or cinnamon rolls. Halve the dough. Set one half aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough in a rectangle to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread half the butter over the dough, to 1 inch of the long sides. Sprinkle with half the sugar and half the cinnamon. Carefully roll up, starting with the long side. Pinch the dough closed, making a seam. Seam side down, cut with a sharp knife into 1 inch thick pinwheels. Place in one or two greased 9x13 pans, 1 inch apart. Repeat with second half of dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove wrap. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown and done. Don't let them get too brown, cover loosely with foil if necessary. Cool on wire racks.

Prepare Glaze:
1 tsp. good vanilla
1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
2 tbsp. butter, softened
small pinch salt, just a few grains
about 4 cups powdered sugar
whipping cream or canned milk to obtain consistency desired for glaze--about 3-4 tbsp. maybe

In a medium bowl, place butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. With the back of a spoon, press the sugar into the butter, mixing well. Add the salt, flavorings and the rest of the sugar. Mix well, then begin adding whipping cream or milk till desired consistency is reached. Use a wire whisk if necessary to beat out lumps. Drizzle or pour over cinnamon rolls. Serve hot if at all possible.

DIANE'S SOUTHERN CORNBREAD

Preheat oven to 400*.

Put a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet on a burner over medium heat, and add about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease or oil. Watch this as you're mixing up your dough to make sure it doesn't get too hot and flame up. It needs to be smoking hot but not blazing.

Beat one whole egg in a medium size bowl, then add about 2 cups of buttermilk and mix well. Using self-rising flour, add about 2 cups of flour, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Mix well, then add more flour to make a fairly stiff dough, like you were making biscuits to pat out. You'll get the hang of it after you make it a few times.

Add the dough to the hot skillet, smoothing the top with the spoon as best as you can. Bake until golden brown and crispy on bottom and a sharp knife inserted in the center is clean. If your oven bakes a little too hot you may need to turn the heat down to 375* and bake a little longer.

Turn out immediately onto a plate, bottom side up. Slice and serve, or just tear off a hunk.

If you don't get enough flour in the dough it can be gummy in the center, and if you get a little too much it can be a little tough, but either way it will still be edible unless you just flat burn it up. I have gotten busy and forgot it and burnt it slap dab up, LOL!

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
¼ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
2 3-lb. frying chickens, cut in half


In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except chicken; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Set off heat and cool to room temperature. Reserve ½ cup for basting. Cover and refrigerate. Carefully loosen skin of the chicken; brush remaining sauce under skin of each chicken half, distributing sauce equally among chicken halves. Place chicken on grill rack; grill, uncovered, over indirect medium heat for 20 minutes. Turn; grill 20-30 minutes longer or until juices run clear, basting occasionally with reserved sauce. Or, place chicken on foil-lined baking sheets and bake at 375° for 45-60 minutes, covering loosely with foil to keep from over-browning if necessary. To reduce the sugar content for diabetics or for dieters, use diet cola.




1 small onion, chopped
6 boneless chicken breasts
garlic salt to taste
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
black pepper to taste
1 8-oz. carton sour cream

Wrap bacon around chicken and secure with toothpick. (To reduce fat, use skinless chicken breasts.) In a bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, onion, garlic salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken in the bottom of slow cooker. Pour soup mixture over chicken; cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Good served over rice. Serves 6.




¼ cup chopped celery
6-8 slices bread, toasted, torn into pieces
2 cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
4 eggs
2 cans chicken broth or 3 cups broth from cooking chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 ½ tsp. sage
2 tbsp. margarine
1 small frying chicken, cut up-
Or- 3 large chicken breasts

Boil chicken; reserve broth. Let chicken cool; bone and discard skin, fat and gristle. Tear into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except chicken. Add chicken and mix gently. Add to crock-pot and cover; cook on low 6 hour or high 4 hours. More of the reserved broth may be added as needed to moisten as desired.



2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts 4-tbsp. teriyaki sauce
1 bell pepper 4 tbsp. stir-fry sauce
1 onion 3 tbsp. oil
1 small can sliced water chestnuts, drained 3 cups hot cooked rice
1 dried red pepper, or to taste soy sauce





1 ½ lbs. boneless round steak OR boneless skinless chicken breast
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup water
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. oil
1 ½ cups diagonally sliced carrots
1 ½ cups diagonally sliced celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. corn starch
2 cups hot cooked rice

Partially freeze steak or chicken; slice across grain into 3x1/4 inch strips. Combine next 5 ingredients; pour into a shallow dish and add steak or chicken. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally. Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large skillet, coating the sides and heating medium high until hot. Add carrots, celery and onion; stir-fry for 4 minutes. Remove vegetables from the wok and set aside; keep warm.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the wok; drain the steak or chicken, reserving the marinade. Add the steak or chicken to the wok, stir-fry 2-3 minutes, just until browned. Combine reserved marinade with cornstarch; mix well and stir into steak or chicken in wok. Stir constantly until thickened. Combine hot vegetables and hot rice, tossing gently. Place on platter or serving dish. Pour steak or chicken and sauce mixture over rice and vegetables. Yields 4-6 servings.





4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
½ cup butter or stick margarine
1 cup sour cream
1 box top of stove stuffing mix

Boil chicken till tender. Reserve 3 cups broth. Melt butter and mix with stuffing mix, sour cream and soup. Place half of stuffing mixture in a greased baking dish and lay chicken on top; spoon remaining stuffing mixture over chicken. Pour 3 cups broth over all. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 1 hour.



2 tsp. paprika
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 (4-oz.) can mushroom pieces, drained
1 envelope onion soup mix
½ cup half-and-half

Rinse and pat dry chicken. Tear off 4 pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil. On each piece of foil, place 1 teaspoon butter, 1 tablespoon soup mix and ½ teaspoon paprika. Place chicken quarter in center of foil; repeat with remaining 3 chicken quarters. Sprinkle any remaining soup mix over chicken packets. Spoon 2 tablespoons half-and-half over each chicken packet and divide mushrooms among packets. Bring foil up and over chicken and seal each packet tightly. Grill over medium-hot coals about 45 minutes or until tender, turning packets every 10 minutes. Or, place on a large baking sheet and bake in a 400° oven for 45-60 minutes, or until chicken is tender.



¼ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups self-rising flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
melted butter (optional)

DIANE'S CHICKEN AND DUMPLIN'S

1 whole chicken or parts of your choice
water to cover
salt to taste

6 cups plain flour
2 tbsp. baking powder (yes, tablespoons)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
black pepper to taste
2 1/2 - 3 cups HOT water, OR hot broth from chicken


Place cut-up chicken or parts in a large Dutch oven or pot. Cover with water and salt to taste. Cover and boil until tender. Remove chicken from broth and cool. Remove skin and debone chicken. Add black pepper to taste to broth. Have broth at a medium boil and prepare dumplings. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, shortening and baking powder. Cut shortening into flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with 2 butter knives, or I just usually use my hands to combine well. Add hot water or broth to obtain a medium-stiff dough. On floured surface, knead a little until the dough has a smooth texture. Pinch off about one fourth of the dough. Roll out on a floured surface to about 1/4 - to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into squares with a floured pizza cutter or sharp knife. If possible, remove squares to a large surface lined with waxed paper or foil, in a single layer, until all dough is rolled and cut out. Working quickly, add dumplings to broth, pushing dumplings beneath the boiling broth with a spoon as necessary as you add more dumplings. After all the dumplings have been added, CAREFULLY stir the dumplings occasionally to keep them separated and to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pot and sticking. Dumplings are done when they cut easily with a fork and are translucent and are no longer doughy in the center. Carefully add the boned and torn chicken to the dumplings. Cook just until heated through. Serve piping hot, with additional black pepper on the side. I like a lot of black pepper on mine - if you can still see the dumplings, there's probably not enough pepper on them, LOL. Makes a large Dutch oven of dumplings.


DIANE'S HOMEMADE YEAST ROLLS

6 cups bread flour
2 envelopes yeast, or 1 tbsp. bulk yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 cups warm water, test on wrist like formula for a baby (110-115 degrees for the obsessive people)
5 tbsp. sugar ( 1/2 cup for cinnamon rolls)
1/2 cup melted butter, stick margarine, or oil (obviously, the butter gives the best flavor, or use 1/4 cup each butter and oil)

In a LARGE bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the sugar, salt and butter or oil; mix till sugar is dissolved. Add 3 cups of the flour; mix well. Stir in 2 more cups of the flour, reserving the last cup of flour for kneading. Mix well, and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. According to the weather, it may take a little more or less flour for kneading. After kneading, place in an oiled bowl big enough to contain the dough after it doubles in size, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. (I usually put mine on the top rack of my oven and put a pan of warm water on the bottom rack. This really speeds up the rising process.)

Punch down and form into rolls, loaves or cinnamon rolls, (directions follow.) Place into greased pans (2 loaf pans or a 9x13 pan for rolls), and let rise again covered loosely with plastic wrap until doubled in size. Remove plastic wrap and preheat oven to 350-375 degrees. Bake loaves for 30-35 minutes or until brown and done. Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes. According to the size of the rolls and loaves and differing ovens, the baking time and temperature may vary quite a bit and have to be adjusted for those variables. If the loaves or rolls start to get too brown before they are done in the center, you may have to cover loosely with foil. Cool rolls and loaves on wire racks for 10 minutes or so, then carefully turn out onto racks to finish cooling. Run a knife around the sides to loosen if necessary. I butter (yes, real butter!) the tops of the rolls and loaves as soon as they come out of the oven. Good luck, I hope they turn out well for you.

CINNAMON ROLLS

Filling:

1/2 cup softened real butter or stick margarine, more or less, to your taste
1/2 cup sugar, more or less, to your taste
2-3 tablespoons cinnamon, more or less to your taste

Prepare the dough recipe above to the point of making into rolls, loaves or cinnamon rolls. Halve the dough. Set one half aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough in a rectangle to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread half the butter over the dough, to 1 inch of the long sides. Sprinkle with half the sugar and half the cinnamon. Carefully roll up, starting with the long side. Pinch the dough closed, making a seam. Seam side down, cut with a sharp knife into 1 inch thick pinwheels. Place in one or two greased 9x13 pans, 1 inch apart. Repeat with second half of dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove wrap. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown and done. Don't let them get too brown, cover loosely with foil if necessary. Cool on wire racks.

Prepare Glaze:

1 tsp. good vanilla
1/2 tsp. butter flavoring
2 tbsp. butter, softened
small pinch salt, just a few grains
about 4 cups powdered sugar
whipping cream or canned milk to obtain consistency desired for glaze--about 3-4 tbsp. maybe

In a medium bowl, place butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. With the back of a spoon, press the sugar into the butter, mixing well. Add the salt, flavorings and the rest of the sugar. Mix well, then begin adding whipping cream or milk till desired consistency is reached. Use a wire whisk if necessary to beat out lumps. Drizzle or pour over cinnamon rolls. Serve hot if at all possible.