When inviting guests over to your home, but you don't know what to make, here are a couple of quick and easy dinner and dessert recipes. In 1937 it’s getting hard to buy food because all of the crops are not getting produced as fast and stores are not profiting enough to keep their stores open. These recipes don't need many ingredients and you might even find these things in your pantry.
Here are two side dishes that you may like:
Amish Buttermilk Biscuits-
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk
Directions:
Combine the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix in the shortening until the mixture is crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix just until combined. The dough will be sticky. Turn out the dough on a floured surface. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut about 10 biscuits, rerolling the dough as needed. Place biscuit on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
Hungry Hobo Beans-
Ingredients:
2 pound hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 can pork and beans, with juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 can large butter beans, drained
1/2 can of lima beans
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
Directions:
Brown bacon in skillet; drain and remove.
Brown hamburger in skillet; drain.
Saute onion then remove hamburger from skillet and place in non-stick casserole dish.
Add pork and beans, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, chili powder, salt, pepper, kidney beans, sugar, butter beans, ketchup and mustard and stir.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour.
Main Dishes are very important in party or a small get together so here are some of my personal favorites.
Good Ol’ American Beef Stew-
Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons oil
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 cup beef bouillon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 carrots, peeled and sliced or quartered
1 cup sliced celery
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into eighths
12 small white onions
2 medium turnips, peeled and quartered (optional)
4 cups water
1 cup cooked okra (optional)
Directions:
Coat meat with flour; set excess flour aside.
In large skillet or slow-cooking pot with browning unit, heat oil. Brown meat on all sides.
In slow-cooking pot, combine browned beef, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, chopped onion, bouillon, pepper, salt, sugar and vegetables. Pour water over all. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours.
Turn control on high. Thicken with flour left over from coating (about 1/4 cup) dissolved in a small amount of water.
Add okra if desired. Cover and cook on high 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Dessert is a good way to end a nice home cooked meal here are some that you may like.
Grandma’s Great Depression Cake-
Ingredients:
2 cups cold water
2 cups raisins
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Powdered sugar for serving (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325º degrees F. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang.
pIn a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine water, raisins, brown sugar, vegetable oil and the spices. Bring to a boil and, stirring constantly, boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool 10 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the baking soda and salt in water and stir until completely dissolved. Combine flour and baking powder and toss with a fork to combine.
After raisin mixture has cooled, add soda and salt mixture – it will bubble up, so stir well. Add the flour mixture and stir until a stiff dough has formed and raisins are well distributed. Spoon into prepared pan, smooth the top and bake 55 minutes.
Remove cake from oven to a cooling rack and let cool 5 minutes, then use overhanging foil to remove cake from the pan and allow to cool completely.
Serve slightly warm as dessert or with morning coffee. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving if desired.
Little Old Lady Lemon Pound Cake-
Ingredients:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs at room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
For the Glaze:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk, half & half, or buttermilk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In an electric mixer, cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Keep th mixer on low and add eggs one at a time. Add lemon juice and zest and combine well. Add flour, salt and vanilla. Mix until well-combined, but be careful not to over mix.
Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Let cool for about 5 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely.
To make the glaze, stir together powdered sugar and milk until you get the desired consistency. For a thicker glaze, use less milk.
Once cake is cooled, drizzle glaze over the top.
Written By: Kathleen O