Recipes from "Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood" - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

Spoon Rolls

My cousin on my daddy's side of the family Peggy Leach shared this really easy recipe. Mix the batter to keep in the refrigerator, and you can have hot rolls at a moment's notice.

makes 5 dozen mini rolls

¼ ounce (1 packet) active dry yeast

2 cups warm (100°F) water

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, melted

¼ cup sugar

1 large egg

4 cups self-rising flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Mix the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the egg. Add the yeast and mix well. Gradually stir in the flour, until smooth. Pour into a 2-quart, greased, airtight bowl. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease miniature muffin tins.

Spoon the dough into the muffin tins and bake the rolls for 18 to 20 minutes, or until browned.

The batter will rise in the refrigerator. Do not punch down. Just dip by large spoonfuls to fill muffin cups. Any remaining batter can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple more days.

The batter may become thinner on the second day. Just stir it and add a bit more flour if needed.

Crockpot Chocolate Candy

My cousin Donna Paulk is a great cook. She's kindly given us several great recipes for this collection, including chicken soup, macaroni and cheese, beignets, and this candy. I love this kind of recipe: the candies look so pretty and appear really hard to make. People will think you're a genius cook, which is almost embarrassing considering how easy they are to make. Just layer everything in the cooker and wait!

makes 30 to 40 pieces

2 pounds (36 ounces) salted dry-roasted peanuts

4 ounces (4 squares) German's sweet chocolate

1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

2½ pounds white almond bark

Put the peanuts in the bottom of a 4-quart slow cooker. Layer the chocolate over the peanuts, beginning with the sweet choco­late, followed by the chocolate chips, and then the almond bark. Set the temperature on low and cook for 3 hours. Do not stir the mixture.

After 3 hours, stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth. Drop the candy into cupcake pan liners using about 2 tablespoons per liner. Allow the candy to cool completely before removing the cupcake liners.

If you can't find almond bark, substitute white chocolate chips.

This is a fun recipe to make with your children. They can put everything in the slow cooker, and drop the candy into the cupcake liners, too.

Key Lime Cake

We had a big birthday party for my daddy when he turned seventy. He was a pretty humble guy and was embarrassed that so much attention was being focused on him, but he ultimately loved visiting with all of his friends, some he hadn't seen in a long time. Over two hundred friends and family signed the guest book that night; that's a testament to the man. I think of him when I make this cake because we served it that night. I miss my daddy, but there are always things to remind me of how much fun we had as a family.

serves 12

CAKE

1 3-ounce package lime-flavored gelatin

1¹⁄3 cups granulated sugar

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

5 large eggs, slightly beaten

1½ cups vegetable oil

¾ cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup Key lime juice (from about 25 small Key limes or 4 large regular limes)

½ cup confectioners' sugar

CREAM CHEESE ICING

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

1 1-pound box confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the gelatin, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to mix well. Add the eggs, oil, orange juice, lemon juice, and vanilla. Divide the batter evenly among the 3 pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Test for doneness by lightly touching the tops of the layers or inserting a toothpick.

Cool the layers in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto racks.

While the layers are still hot, mix the lime juice and confection­ers' sugar and pour it over the layers on the racks. You can pierce the layers with a fork to allow the glaze to soak in better. Allow the layers to cool completely as you prepare the icing.

Cream the butter and cream cheese. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is smooth and easy to spread. Spread the icing between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake.

The cream cheese icing is optional. This cake is beautiful and tastes great with just the glaze poured over it.

Key limes can be hard to find. Substitute regular lime juice for key lime juice without sacrificing flavor.

This is a very moist cake. It can also be baked in a 9 x 12 x 2-inch pan to be easily served in squares.

This recipe comes from family friend Angela Spivey. She uses whichever variety of lime is available in the local grocery.

Sweet and Saltines

After a meal, my mama will always say, "I need a little something sweet." If she has dessert, she will inevitably follow it up with, "Now I need a little something salty." It's become a joke at our house. These crackers are so good, you will just keep eating them, and Mama has her sweet and salty thing covered. Beware, they're really addictive.

Serves 20

40 saltine crackers

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup light brown sugar

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1¹⁄3 cups)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large jellyroll pan with alumi­num foil and the saltine crackers.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly. Put the jellyroll pan into the oven and watch closely. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes, or until just bubbly. Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with a knife. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until completely cold. They will form one big sheet. Break up into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Substitute graham crackers for the saltines for a sweeter snack. Use 1 stick of butter instead of 2 for a crunchier, saltier cracker.

Use anywhere from 35 to 45 saltine crackers, depending on the size of your pan.

I used milk chocolate chips instead of semisweet once because that's what I had on hand. They tasted great, too.

Pork Medallions

The combination of ginger and orange makes this a tasty recipe. The little medallions, garnished with orange slices, are pretty, too. The tenderloin cooks quickly. The only thing you have to remember is that you need to marinate the pork the night before you want to serve it.

Serves 8

½ cup teriyaki marinade

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons minced garlic

¼ cup ginger sauce

¼ cup orange juice

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

¼ cup V8 juice

¼ cup honey

¼ cup orange marmalade

2 oranges

Mix the teriyaki marinade, vinegar, garlic, ginger sauce, and orange juice. Pour this mixture over the tenderloins in a roasting pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and put them, along with the chopped onion, in the hot oil. Sear the meat on all sides. Return the pork and onion to the marinade in the roasting pan. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Mix the teriyaki sauce, V8 juice, honey, and orange marmalade. When 20 minutes are up, remove the pork from the oven, remove the foil, and with a very sharp knife cut deep slits into the meat. Pour the honey sauce into these slits and over the meat. Slice the unpeeled oranges into ¼-inch crosswise pieces and arrange on the top and sides of the tenderloins. Return the meat to the oven and bake, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes, or until the orange slices begin to curl. Remove the meat from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing into medallions. Transfer to a platter to serve.

Baked Spaghetti

This dish meets all the requirements for the perfect potluck take-along. It's a crowd pleaser, it's big enough to feed a crowd—and it's easy to transport. Beth takes this to church suppers, but I just make it for Garth and the girls. We never have any leftovers!

serves 12

6 slices bacon

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper

3 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes with liquid

1 2.25-ounce can sliced ripe black olives, drained

1–2 tablespoons dried oregano, according to taste

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained

12 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked and drained

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (5 ounces)

1 10-ounce can cream of mushroom soup

¼ cup water

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13 × 2-inch baking dish.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until slightly crisp, then cut it into smaller pieces. Remove the bacon and sauté the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in the bacon drippings until tender. Add the tomatoes, olives, oregano, bacon, and the cooked beef. Simmer this mixture, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Place half of the spaghetti in the prepared pan. Top the spaghetti with half of the vegetable-beef mixture. Sprinkle this layer with 1 cup of Cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers. Mix the canned soup and water until smooth, and pour over the casserole. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until heated through.

Asparagus Bundles

I went through my entire childhood thinking I hated asparagus. I remember telling my mom I didn't like it, and I remember her asking, "Have you ever even tried it?" I can feel heads nodding right now. Of course I never tried it! It was green. I was a kid. Need I say more? I was over thirty years old before I finally tried asparagus. I'm making up for lost time now. I love it any way that it's prepared. These bundles make it look almost too pretty to eat.

Serves 6

2 pounds fresh asparagus, ends trimmed

12 slices bacon

½ cup light brown sugar

½ cup (1 stick) butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon garlic salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Divide the asparagus spears into 12 bundles. Carefully wrap 1 piece of bacon around each bundle, starting about ½ inch from the bottom of the tips. Secure the bacon-wrapped spears with a toothpick. Lay the bundles in a low-sided casserole dish.

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, soy sauce, garlic salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the asparagus bundles. Transfer the dish to the oven and roast for 25 minutes, or until the spears have begun to wilt and the bacon looks fully cooked. Remove the toothpicks before serving.