A 'hodge-podge' of recipes to try

By Susan McClanahan

This week there is no particular theme to the recipes I am sharing with you. All of these recipes are ones that I have just happened upon and they sound like recipes I want to try for my family.

I am so bad about saving recipes and then before long I have a stack of recipes to try or go through and discard. Even though it seems like very few ever get discarded!

Enjoy this hodge-podge of sorts and happy cooking!

Pumpkin Mini Muffins

• 1 can (15 ounces) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 spice cake mix (18.25 ounces) or substitute a yellow cake mix with 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice whisked in

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. For mini muffins, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line 24 mini muffin cups with paper liners or coat them with non-stick spray. (You can also use regular muffin tins for smallish regular muffins.)

Make the batter in a large bowl by mixing just the two ingredients together, ignoring the instructions on the cake mix. This will take some effort and the mixture will be very thick.

Divide the batter evenly among the mini muffin cup tins. Bake at 400 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10- 12 minutes for the mini-muffins. Remove and place on wire racks to cool.

Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2-3 tablespoons milk

Place butter into stand mixer with whisk attachment, mix on high to fluff well. Slowly add powdered sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Add milk as needed to thin buttercream.

Use frosting for cupcakes, cake, graham crackers or use your imagination.

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

• 4 cups marshmallows
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• Pinch of salt (you do not need much)

Melt together the butter and marshmallows in a non-stick pot over low to medium heat. When melted, turn off heat and add in the pumpkin, salt, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in the rice cereal and press into a buttered or sprayed 9x13-inch pan. Let it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Note: These may be a little more gooey than regular rice crispy treats because of the pumpkin.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 bag of chocolate chips
• 1/2 bag of white chocolate chips
• 1 stick of butter, melted

Combine all ingredients well. Press into a sprayed 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees till done or just a little soft in the center. Remove from oven to cool and serve in squares with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Tomato Gravy

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 can or fresh diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in large saucepan. Over medium heat add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook for 1 minute. Add broth and stir till smooth. Add tomatoes, sugar and pepper; cook, stirring often until thickens. Serve piping hot over toast or biscuits.

Pinto Bean Casserole

• 2 cups cooked pinto beans, either canned or cooked from dry
• 1 and 1/2 pounds ground chuck
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 to 2 soup cans of water, about a cup to a cup and half
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Brown meat and mix all ingredients and pour in deep 9x13-inch casserole dish.

Mix up cornbread using:

• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1 can cream style corn
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Enough buttermilk to moisten, won't take much

Combine these cornbread ingredients and pour on top of mixture and bake at 425 degrees until cornbread is brown. Check with toothpick in center to make sure bread is done, about 30 minutes. Serve piping hot with greens, fried green tomatoes or fried okra.

Snickerdoodle Blondie Bars

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the topping:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, spices and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Spread into a greased 9-inch square baking pan.

Mix topping ingredients; sprinkle over top. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until set and golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: about 1-1/2 dozen bars.

Tomato Slab Pie

Dough:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice and kept very cold, plus more for greasing the baking dish
• 1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup ice water, plus more if needed

Filling:

• 3 1/2 pounds tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg, beaten

For the dough: Combine the flour, Parmesan, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until mixed. Add about one third of the chilled butter and process until thoroughly combined (the mixture will be slightly yellow). Add the remaining chilled butter and pulse until the mixture resembles very coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Add the vinegar in a single pulse. Gradually add the ice water through the feed tube pulsing just until evenly combined. Squeeze a handful of the dough together, it should just hold its shape and be a little crumbly. If still very powdery, pulse again, adding up to 2 tablespoons ice water.

Turn the dough out on a work surface. Pat about two thirds of the dough into a square about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Adjust an oven rack to the bottom position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

For the filling: Toss the tomatoes with 2 teaspoons salt in a large colander set over a large bowl. Let stand, gently tossing about every 10 minutes, until the tomatoes release some of their juices, about 30 minutes. Drain the juices from the bowl, add the drained tomatoes and toss with the brown sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion to a medium bowl, stir in the thyme and let cool. Add the pepper jack, mozzarella, parsley, scallions, mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs and the garlic to the onions and stir to combine.

To assemble the pie: Let the dough stand at room temperature for a few minutes until slightly softened to make rolling easier. Place the larger piece of dough between two large pieces of floured parchment; roll into a rough 14-inch square (if the dough gets too soft, pop it in the fridge to firm up and then continue rolling). Roll the remaining dough into a rough 12-inch square.

Transfer the larger piece of dough to the prepared baking dish. Gently press the dough along the bottom and up the sides of the dish. There will be overhang on all sides. Sprinkle the bottom with the remaining 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs; top with the cheese mixture spreading it in an even layer. Then add the tomatoes. Dot with the butter. Put the remaining dough over the filling, lining up the edges with the bottom piece of dough as best you can. Pinch the edges together, trim any excess, then fold and crimp to create a tight seal. Brush the top and edges of the crust with the egg and cut decorative slits in the top of the pie.

Bake until the crust is dark golden brown and the filling bubbles out a little through the slits, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. (If the crust browns too quickly, cover the pie loosely with foil.) Let cool at least 2 hours before serving.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking!