Charles Plemons' Blog

• 2 cups very hot water
• 1 pkg dry yeast*
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Crisco
• 4 cups self-rising flour (such as White Lily)

In a large bowl, place dry yeast and Crisco. Add the hot water and mix. Add egg and sugar, then stir in flour. Store covered in refrigerator at least 1 hour for best results (batter can be kept up to three days). Spoon into greased muffin pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

* 1/4 oz Fleischmann’s active dry yeast – NOT rapid rise

• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 pkgs instant pudding mix (same flavor)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 stick margarine
• 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cup whipped cream
• 2 1/2 cup milk

Mix flour, sugar, margarine and pecans and mash into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven and let cool before adding layers.

1. Layer One – Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 cup of whipped cream. Spread over cooled crust.
2. Layer Two – Mix instant pudding and milk. Whisk until thick liquid. Pour and spread over layer one.
3. Layer Three – Cover surface of layer two entirely with whipped cream.

Chill in refrigerator until pudding sets. Keep chilled for storage.

Any flavor pudding can be used. Both pistachio and chocolate flavors have proven popular.

• 4 thin sliced pork tenderloins
• 2 cans (11 to 15 oz) pork & beans
• 3 slices bacon
• ketchup

Bake tenderloin in a casserole dish for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Add cans of pork & beans. Top with bacon slices and ketchup (in lines or streaks over the top, not a solid layer). Bake another 30 minutes.

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 3/4 cup uncooked oats
• 1/4 cup chopped onion or 1/8 cup dried onion flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1 egg, beaten

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Pack firmly into an non-greased baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. If desired, a thin layer of ketchup can be spread on the top before or after cooking. Let stand for 5 minutes after removing from oven before slicing or serving.

• 3 chicken breast fillets
• 2 cups Minute rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 pkg Lipton Recipe Secrets – Onion
• 1 can cream of chicken soup

Cut chicken into cubes and bake in a casserole dish at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring rice and water to a boil, remove from heat, and cover for 5 minutes. To cooked rice, add onion package and soup and stir well. After the chicken has baked, add the rice mixture into the casserole dish and stir with chicken. Bake another 15 minutes.

• 2 cups pretzels, chopped or crushed
• 3/4 cup margarine, melted
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups whipped cream topping
• 2 3-oz packages strawberry gelatin
• 2 10-oz packages frozen strawberries, thawed

Mix pretzels and margarine in a bowl and then press into 7 x 11-inch baking pan to form a crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow crust to cool. Mix and beat cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until fluffy and mix in whipped cream topping. Spread mixture over cooled crust. Chill in refrigerator. Dissolve strawberry gelatin in 2 cups boiling water, pour in a bowl and stir in strawberries. Pour over chilled cream cheese layer. Chill in refrigerator until gelatin sets. Keep chilled before serving.

Note: Depending on the size and depth of your baking pan and how precise you are on all measurements, you can sometimes overfill the last layer. If you get the gelatin too close to the edge of the pan, it will be hard to move into the refrigerator without sloshing or spilling. Also, if the shelves in your refrigerator are not completely level, the gelatin can run over one of the sides. Leave yourself some room for the gelatin to move about until set, which may mean you don’t use all of the gelatin you made.

Also, don’t make the mistake of measuring out 2 cups of pretzels and then crushing them; you won’t have enough. Crush the pretzels and measure out 2 cups of those.

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups beef bullion
• 1/4 cup dice onions
• 1 1/2 cups Minute rice
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 small can of whole kernel corn
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. salt

In a large skillet, brown the beef and drain off the fat. Mix in the onions and let them brown briefly. Mix in the beef bullion, salt, chili powder and bring to boil. While that heats up and boils, mix in the corn and tomatoes and bring back to boiling. You don’t have to use the entire can of corn or tomatoes, depending on your tastes. Mix in the rice and cover for 5 minutes. Uncover and serve.

Variations: Add Diced Green Pepper (1/4 cup or to taste); use Garlic and Onion Diced Tomatoes or other flavor instead of regular Diced Tomatoes; use Chicken instead of Beef (cook completely before adding other ingredients!).

• 8 oz. package of spaghetti noodles
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 16 oz. spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 4 oz. package mozzarella cheese
• 4 oz. package cheddar cheese
• package of sliced pepperoni
• dash of salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pan of water to boil and add package of spaghetti noodles. Brown ground beef with onions. When beef is browned, add a dash of salt and pepper and spaghetti sauce. Simmer beef in sauce for 10 minutes. Once noodles are soft and sauce has simmered, mix the noodles and sauce into a baking dish. Top with pepperoni and cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.