April Recipes

Baked Beans
Southern Living

4 bacon slices, crisp cooked, reserving fat
1 small onion, diced
4 (15-oz.) cans pork and beans in tomato sauce, drained
1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar
½ C ketchup
½ C molasses
1 ½ t Worchestershire sauce
1 t dry mustard

Saute onion in 1 T bacon drippings 7 min. or till tender. Combine with all ingredients except bacon. When well stirred, pour into a lightly greased 11x7 baking dish. Top with bacon slices. Bake at 350 for 45 min. or until bubbly.

Classic Fried Catfish
Southern Living

1 C yellow cornmeal
1/3 C flour
1 ¼ t ground red pepper
½ t garlic powder
2 ½ t salt
12 catfish fillets (about 3 ¾ lbs.)
vegetable oil

Combine first 4 ingredients and 2 t salt in large shallow dish. Sprinkle catfish evenly with ½ t salt. Dregde in cornmeal mixture, coating evenly. Heat 2 inches of oil in Dutch oven to 350. Fry in batches, 5-6 min. or till golden, and drain on paper towels.

Biscuits and Gravy

Please note--there’s a typo in The Busy, Frugal Gourmet. The biscuits call for 2 t baking powder, not baking soda, and ½ t baking soda.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Potatoes
Southern Living

1 med. onion, sliced
4 med. new potatoes, cut into ¼-in. thick slices
2 C baby carrots
1 ¼ t salt, divided
½ t pepper, divided
¼ C chicken broth
¼ C white wine
1 t minced garlic
½ t dried thyme
1 t paprika
6 bone-in, skinned chicken thighs
Garnish: lemon slices

Place onion in a lightly greased slow cooker; top with potatoes and carrots. Combine ¾ t salt, ¼ t pepper, broth, and next three ingredients. Pour over vegetables. Combine paprika and remaining salt and pepper. Rub evenly over chicken, and arrange over vegetables.
Cover and cook on low 8 hours or till done. Garnish, if desired.

Coffee Coffee Cake
Better Homes and Gardens

1.5 C strong brewed coffee
1 C sugar
2/3 C cooking oil
½ C honey
2 T vinegar
1 t vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 C flour
¼ C unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
½ t ground nutmeg
1 C finely chopped hazelnuts, toasted
1 recipe Coffee-Hazelnut Syrup
¼ C chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan. Whisk together coffee, sugar, honey, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Add eggs; whisk until combined. In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk together with coffee mixture. Add 1 C hazelnuts; pour into pan.
Bake 1 hour or till toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 20 min. Transfer onto serving platter. Brush with some syrup. Cool 30 min. Brush with remaining syrup.

Coffee Hazelnut Syrup: In saucepan, combine 1 C packed light brown sugar, 1 C powdered sugar, 2 T butter, and 1 C strong brewed coffee. Boil, stirring occasionally for 25-30 min. uncovered. Mixture will thicken and reduce to about 1 1/3 C. Remove from heat, and stir in 2 T hazelnut-flavored liqueur.

Loaded Potato Soup
Southern Living

4 lb. new potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼-in. thick
1 sm. onion, chopped
28 oz. chicken broth
2 t salt, or to taste
½ t pepper
1 pt. half-and-half
Toppings: shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, sliced green onions

Layer sliced potatoes in a lightly greased 6-qt. slow cooker; top with chopped onion. Stir together broth, salt and pepper; pour over potatoes and onion. Cover and cook on high 3-5 hours, until tender. Mash mixture with a potato masher; stir in half-and-half. Cover and cook on high 20 more minutes, or till thoroughly heated. Ladle into bowls, and serve with desired toppings.

Maple Soda Bread

Blend:
1.5 C buttermilk
¼ C pure maple syrup
Sift together:
4 C flour
1 t baking soda
½ t salt

Make a well in flour mixture. Pour in wet ingredients. Kneed together until just combined. Do not overwork. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Press into a circle about ½ in. thick. Smooth surface of dough with dampened hands. Cut a cross in the top. Bake at 400 for 40 min. or until cooked through. Cool 1 hour wrapped in a tea towel.

Rainbow Finger Jello

1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 small (3 oz.) pkgs. Jello (each a different color)
6 envelopes Knox gelatin

In a small bowl, combine one box of Jello with one cup of boiling water. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan and freeze for 12 min. Meanwhile, in a med. bowl, dissolve 2 pkgs. gelatin in 2 cups of boiling water; stir in milk. Pour 1 cup of milk mixture into pan of Jello. Freeze 8 min. Continue layers with each color, always adding 1 cup of milk mixture between Jello layers and end with a Jello layer. Freeze each remaining layer 8 min. Refrigerate after last layer. Cut into squares when set.