Welcome to my Kitchen

Recipe requests make up a large part of this column. This week brings four recipes that have been requested over the last five months. To start with, we have Jason Schaal’s baked bean recipe, submitted by Charlene Kagele. She had made this recipe for a graduation party early this past summer. Charlene states she is not sure what title Jason has given the recipe but she named it Jason Schaal’s Beans. It makes about a gallon of beans and is super easy to prepare, a great recipe to keep ingredients on hand for last minute meals.

Jason Schaal’s Beans

1 can (7 pounds, 5 ounces) Bush’s Original Recipe Beans

4 cups drained pineapple tidbits

14 to 16 ounces little smokies sausages, cut in thirds.

Stir all ingredients together and bake.

Charlene used Voise Sausage “little smokies” sticks, cut up.

Jason didn’t specify cooking temperature or time, but 350 degrees for one hour was what I used for a smaller version of the recipe. One 28 ounce can of the beans, 3/4 cup drained pineapple tidbits and 3/4 cup cut up little smokies, makes a 4-5 serving recipe.

Mrs Ryan (Debbie) Walter made Lemon Bars as part of her donation to the Museum Old Fashioned Bake Sale during Deutschesfest. Several people requested the recipe, and Debbie, always punctual, got the recipe to me right away. Since I can’t get every recipe in all at once, this one seemed good to match up with several others to create a column of good recipes to have on hand for holiday meals and gifts.

Lemon Bars

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 2 cups of the flour and the confectioners sugar together. Cut in the butter (a pastry blender is useful for this step). Mix until dough resembles pie dough consistency. Press into a 9x13 inch greased baking pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Beat together eggs, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup flour, lemon juice and lemon zest for about 1 minute. Pour over baked crust.

Bake the bars another 20 minutes or until lemon topping is set.

Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool completely. Then sprinkle with additional confectioners sugar and cut into bars. Yield: about 2 1/2 dozen bars.

Mid-summer when blueberries came into season, Vicki Strang made muffins, with accommodation for a sugar free diet. When I asked for the recipe, she said she based it on a Taste of Home recipe, Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins, attributed to Tory Ross of Cincinnati, Ohio. The recipe seems to work well substituting reduced sugar blends and reduced calorie baking mixes.