My Daughters' Cookbook

  Poppy Seed Muffins   3 eggs 2 ½ cups sugar 1 1/8 cup oil 1 ½ cups milk 1 ½ t. salt   1 ½ t. baking powder 1 ½ T. poppy seeds 1 ½ t. vanilla 1 ½ t. almond extract 3 cups flour   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil. Add in milk, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds, vanilla, almond extract, and flour. Mix well. Bake in paper-lined muffin cups for 15 to 20 minutes. Tops should be browned, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Make glaze. In a saucepan over low heat, combine ¾ cup sugar, ¼ cup orange juice, ½ t. vanilla, ½ t. almond extract, and 2 T. butter. Warm in pan until the sugar is dissolved. Remove muffins from pan while still warm. Dip tops in glaze. Cool.

  Hills and Valleys (Gma's Recipe)   6 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup flour ¼ t. salt 5 T. butter   Whip eggs until thick and lemon colored. Add milk, flour, and salt. Place butter in 9x13” pan and heat in 350 degree oven until melted. Pour batter into the melted butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve with butter and syrup, jam, or powdered sugar.

Frothy Orange Drink   1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate 1 cup water 1 cup milk ½ cup sugar 1 t. vanilla 8 to 10 ice cubes   Combine all ingredients in a blender. Cover and process until drink is thick and slushy.   Yield: 4 cups  

  Egg Casserole   16 oz. frozen, cubed hash browns ½ cup butter, melted 1 cup grated cheddar cheese 1 cup grated jack cheese ½ cup evaporated milk 5 eggs ¼ t. seasoned salt   Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9x9” baking dish. Press hash browns into bottom of pan. Pour butter over hash browns. Bake 25 minutes. Remove pan and reduce heat to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, and seasoned salt. Set aside. After removing pan from oven, sprinkle cheese evenly over potatoes. Pour egg mixture over cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.

  Creamy Dreamy Syrup   ½ cup butter ½ cup buttermilk 1 cup sugar 1/8 t. baking soda           Place ingredients in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in ½ t. vanilla. Serve over pancakes, waffles, or Gma's Hills and Valleys.

    Mac ‘n Cheese   1 lb. small shells pasta 1 lb. grated cheddar cheese 1 cube butter 1 T. minced onions ½ cup flour 4 cups milk   Fill soup pot half full with water. Put on stove over high heat with lid. In saucepan, melt 1 cube butter. Add minced onions. Cook 1 minute, stirring. Add flour and mix well. Slowly add milk. Mix well. If mixture seems lumpy, whisk to break up lumps and make a smooth sauce. Keep stirring until the sauce starts to boil and thicken. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese and stir to melt. Add salt and pepper to taste. While making the sauce, watch the water. When it boils, add pasta. Stir to separate pasta. When the water starts to boil again, reduce heat to medium-high. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into colander to drain. Return pasta to pot. Pour sauce over pasta and stir to coat.  

    Baked Potato Soup   6 large potatoes, peeled and diced 1 cube butter or margarine 2 T. dry minced onions ½ cup flour 2 cups half-and-half 2 cups milk 1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese 1 ½ cups sour cream 6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 T. liquid smoke Salt and pepper to taste Grated cheddar cheese Sliced green onions for garnish   Cook the potatoes in just enough water to cover. While they cook, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the minced onion. Cook half a minute. Add flour and cook 1 minute; stir. Gradually add the half-and-half and milk, whisking until smooth. Cook and stir until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Stir in Romano cheese until melted. Add sour cream and stir to combine. When the potatoes are tender, use a ladle to remove as much cooking liquid as possible and reserve. Use a potato masher to break up the potatoes slightly. Pour the cheese-and-sour-cream mixture into the potatoes and stir to combine. Us...