Tuesday, April 10, 2007

GRANDDAD JACK'S PEACH COBBLER

REDNECK RITA'S RECIPE FOR
'GRANDDAD JACK'S PEACH COBBLER'
Mix up some pie dough, no need to measure stuff, just stir in some flour, lard & water
Fill a loaf pan to the top with fresh peaches right off the tree
Pour in at least 3 times too much sugar
Lay dough on top
Dot with several sticks of butter
Bake in 500 degree oven until it boils over and burns
(it's ready when the smoke alarm goes off)
Scoup out the center and eat that.
The one who takes the last serving has to scrub the pan
Sorry I don't have a picture for this recipe, I just couldn't bare to go mess up the oven. Our two sons loved Granddad Jack's peach cobbler. Poor kids~

BREAKFAST TACOS


REDNECK RITA'S CRISP BREAKFAST TACOS

This is great breakfast that will knock their socks off. I always keep cooked red (pinto) beans in the freezer so I can jump start this meal. Cook up a big pot of beans and freeze pint size portions to use later.
Get ready for the raves, this breakfast will get you points, BIG TIME~



CRISP BREAKFAST TACOS
4 eggs scrambled
8 corn tortillas hard fried
1 cup grated longhorn cheddar cheese
small onion choped
sour cream dressing
cilantro
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans
two avocados mashed with a fork
lettuce, chopped
3 chopped Roma tomatoes
Jalapeno peppers (leave whole)
To assymble,lay four hard tortillas on plates
Spoon on about 2 heaping tablespoons mashed beans
Lay another tortilla on
Add 2 heaping tablespoons scrambled eggs
Then the shreded cheese
Next comes the lettuce onion & tomato
Avocado, spoon on a generious mound
Top with a big dollop of sour cream dressing
Sprig of Cilantro on top (Mexican Parsley)
Dress the plate up with a jalapeno pepper, eat at your own risk
This is easy to put together, just a little prep work beforehand makes it easy and fast.
A real TEX-MEX kind of dish. It looks beautiful and eats like a dream.

Monday, April 9, 2007

APPLE BROWNIES

REDNECK RITA TAKES A BREAK
This is a recipe for delicious apple brownies. They are made with tart Granny Smith apples
, they have toasted pecans and white raisins in there too. It is unbelievable how good something so simple to make can be.
No mixer, no mess. Lots of raves though.



Apple Brownies
2/3 c butter (soft but not melted)
1 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cored and chopped tart apple (Granny Smith) leave the peel on
1 c coursly chopped pecans (toast in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stir several times, watch closely not to burn.
1/2 c white rasins
1 1/2 c flour
Heat oven to 350 degrees, spray Pam in a 7X11 baking pan, or about that size.
Mix butter and sugars, add vanilla and eggs and beat with spoon. Mix flour, salt, baking powder together and add to first mixture. Stir until mixed, then add apples, rasins and pecans.
Pour batter in pan, bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until done in the center. Check center with tooth pick, it should come out clean.

ICING
3/4 c powder sugar
Juice of one lemon

Mix together and drizzle over top of warm brownies.
Let them cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then cut into squares and remove from pan with spatula. They will crumble a little but you can lightly press them together and when they cool they will be neat looking. Let cool completely on a rack. These freeze well. I always double the recipe because they will go fast.

PEANUT PATTIES

You see those Peanut Patties in the stores, three for a dollar. Hard to resist, they are pink, bulging with penanuts, they just grab you. Now you can make your own, only these will be better than any you have ever tasted. They are easy but you have to be quick moving when you are spooning them out on the the wax paper. They can get stiff in the pan. If this happens, you just add a few drops of hot water and stir, and they will soften up enough to finish.
Always serve the nicest things to your friends and eat those that aren't so perfect. Put your best out there for the world to see.
WOW, these things are good!

Peanut Patties

3 c. sugar

4 c. raw Spanish peanuts

1 c. white corn syrup

1 c. water

1/8 tsp. salt

5 T. butter (real butter, always)

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp. red food coloring

Mix all ingredients (except butter,

vanilla and coloring) in large heavy sauce-

pan and cook to hard ball stage

(260 degrees on candy thermometer)

Remove from heat, add butter ,

vanilla and coloring. Beat until candy begins

to look creamy. Quickly drop by

spoonfuls onto waxed paper. If mix-

ture gets too firm, add a few drops

of hot water and beat, then spoon out

the rest of it.




MEAT LOAF DINNER

REDNECK RITA'S FANCY MEAT LOAF DINNER
This is a great dinner, good enough for a company feast. Easy to make. You can cook up the red beans in the crock pot the night before, and you're ready to go. Here we have mashed potatoes, pickled beets, red beans, tomato wedges with parsley and a slice of onion. This meat loaf may be the best you ever had~ any left-overs makes wonderful meat loaf sandwiches.

OH MY MY MY~

Meat Loaf

2 slices of bread, broken up
1 cup milk
Pour the milk over the bread pieces
2 lbs
lean ground beef
1 nice size onion, cut up
2 or 3 carrots grated
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 eggs (beat slightly before adding)
2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
Mix all of this together with the milk/bread mixture and
form into a nice loaf shape that is flat on top, and place on a heavy baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam.

Meat Loaf Sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
3 T prepared mustard

Spread sauce on top
Bake in 325 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours.
Cool for 10 minutes before slicing it.

Now, this is what you do with leftovers. Good, soft FRESH bread, spread with mashed potatoes, thin slice of onion and a slice of meat loaf. It's as fine as it gets!

CHERRY PIE FROM SCRATCH

REDNECK RITA'S FAMOUS CHERRY PIE
This is a prize winning recipe for one of the best pies ever made. The pie crust recipe is from www.myhomecooking.net. You need to start with canned sour pie cherries, they are in the canned fruit section at the super market. (Don't use canned Cherry Pie Filling, that is for the ho- hum cooks). We go for the real stuff. You know~ old timey cooks who crave praise and attention. Here we go!


Flaky Pie Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour I teaspoon salt
1 T sugar
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Mix flour, salt, and sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter and shortening.
Stir in cold water, careful not to overwork. Form into ball, wrap in
plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for several hours.
Divide dough in half, roll out and place in pie pan.
Roll out second ball and cut in narrow strips.

CHERRY PIE (preheat oven to 400 F.)
Note, use
RED PITTED TART PIE CHERRIES in water , NOT Cherry Pie Filling!
2 c sugar
3 T flour
2 cans Red Tart Pie Cherries (drain juice from one can and discard)
In bowl, mix sugar with flour. Add cherries and JUICE from one can only. Pour into pastry lined pie pan. Weave dough strips on top to make lattice. Finally, cut up 2 T butter and put on top crust. Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon mixture (¼ tsp cinnamon mixed with 4 T sugar) on top. Bake 45 minutes, the last 15 minutes place foil over top to keep from gettin too brown, needs to be a golden color. Cool on wire rack before cutting. (Fire up that coffee pot boys and girls, you're in for a treat)




PEANUT BRITTLE



REDNECK RITA'S FAMOUS PEANUT BRITTLE


This one's easy. The secret is to cook it in a very heavy pan and watch it every second at the last or it will
scorch.
That is a BIG OOPS~Don't ever double the recipe, if you want more, just wash pan and start over on the next batch.

Peanut Brittle
2 c. sugar
4 c. raw peanuts
¾ c. white Karo syrup
¼ c. water
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp soda (
DON'T add soda until the end)
(Right now is a good time to prepare the pan you will pour
the candy out on later, butter a big cookie sheet and set aside.)

Mix sugar, peanuts, syrup, water
and salt. Cook in large heavy sauce-
pan on
medium heat, stirring constantly,
to hard crack stage. (300 degrees on
candy thermometer) Watch carefully the last few minutes,
it will get there FAST. Just as it reaches almost 300 degrees, GET
IT OFF THE BURNER RIGHT THEN!
add soda and stir quickly for about 10 seconds.
Pour onto well buttered cookie sheet
And spread as thin as possible.
When completely cool, bind cookie sheet slightly and
the candy will pop loose, then break into large chunks.
Be generous, no itty bitty pieces, not from this kitchen!

Roast Beef Hash


Redneck Rita's
Famous Beef Hash


I am going to share my old family recipe for one of the all time favorites. It is hearty, easy to make, and can feed a crowd. It freezes well too.

Get ready for the raves, this is a wonderful meal.
Serve it with cornbread or hot rolls and a little salad on the side.

HASH
5 lbs. roast beef
5 med. potatoes
1 onion
1/2 cup corn oil
6 cups chicken broth
1 c strong coffee (this ads flavor and color)
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup flour

Prepare the roast for baking by dredging in flour, salt and pepper. Sear in heavy baking pan with 1/2 cup of oil, turning to brown on all sides. Bake in 325 degree oven for 2 or 2 1/2 hours, or until tender. Save the meat drippings to add to the hash. (skim all that grease out first)
Cut meat into cubes and put in large cooking pot. Cut onions into chunks, add garlic, salt, pepper, meat drippings, chicken broth and coffee.
After it begins to boil, turn heat to med. low, cover with lid
and cook for about 45 min, or until the meat is tender.
Peel and cube potatoes, these will be added the last 15 minutes
of cooking.
Finally, mix 1/2 c. flour and 3/4 c water to make paste. Add several tablespoons
of the hot hash liquid to this mixture and stir quickly. Add another few tablespoons
and stir. (if you just add the flour/water mixture to the hot hash, it will turn into lumps, don't do that~) Then slowly pour this mixture back into the pot of hash, letting it thicken until it is the right consistancy for the gravy. (You may not have to use the entire flour/water mixture.)
Cook for 5 more minutes.
Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Apricot-Orange Loaf Cake




OK~ AT LAST
REDNECK RITA GETS FANCY
This recipe makes three loaves so you can share with your friends. It also freezes well.
Get ready for a great treat, this is one of the best cakes I have ever eaten, try it and you will remember it forever.
Yee Ha~

APRICOT-ORANGE CAKE
1 - 11 oz. box dried apricots
2 cups sugar
4 T butter (always use real butter)
2 eggs
½ cup water
l cup orange juice
4 cups sifted flour
4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup pecans, chopped (toast pecans in microwave for about one minute, stir halfway though and watch closely so they don't scorch)

Cut apricots in ¼ inch pieces and soak in warm water to cover for 30 min. Drain.
Cream sugar, butter, and eggs; stir in water and orange juice.
Stir in dry ingredients.
Blend in nuts and apricots.
Cut wax paper to cover bottom of 3 loaf pans and then spray with Pam.
Pour in batter and let stand for 20 min.; then bake 55 to 65 min. at 350 degrees or until done.

Mix 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup orange juice and spoon over top while loaves are still warm.

Baklava / Greek Pastry


REDNECK RITA GOES GREEK

Hello, this is one of my favorite desserts. Pretty fancy huh~ It is easy to make and will impress anyone you share it with. Go to a nice super market and ask for Fillo pastry leaves or Greek pastry leaves. It's in the freezer section with pie dough and strudel dough.

OH MY STARS, THIS STUFF'S REALLY GREAT~



BAKLAVA (Greek Pastry)

Number of Servings -- 20-25

2 lbs. chopped walnuts

1 tsp. powdered cinnamon

½ tsp. powdered cloves

¾ lb. Butter (a stick and a half of real butter)

1 lb. Pastry sheets (FILLO /PHYLLO) Dough

Syrup

2 cups honey

¼ tsp. lemon extract

1 lb. Sugar

Juice of ½ lemon

Grated rind of lemon

Combine walnuts and spices. Melt butter. Brush bottom of 10x14 pan with melted butter, and place 1 pastry sheet over this. Brush with melted butter. Repeat this process until 4 pastry sheets line the bottom of the baking pan. Brush fourth layer with melted butter and sprinkle with nut mixture. Repeat this until nut and spice mixture is all used. End with 4 top layers brushed with butter. Cut into diamond shapes. Bake at 300 degrees until lightly golden. Do not over cook. While pastry is baking, prepare syrup. Boil syrup ingredients together.
Pour very slowly over baked Baklava. Wrap pieces in Saran wrap when completely cooled.




Saturday, March 24, 2007

My Doggies, Granddoggies, and Babies


This is Spook McWhorter. We found her on the road in 1981 when she was about 6 weeks old and she lived with us for almost 19 years. She was the most wonderful baby on earth. She was smart and sweet. What a treasure. When I die, I want to go where she went. It will be heaven.















This is Spook with her mama. She will always be the Number One Dog.









Meet Missy, she was another give away dog that we were lucky enough to adopt. She has been with us for 12 years. She goes to the nursing home twice a week with me to visit with our friends.
What a perfect little dog she is.







Schatzie Kay was my granddoggie for 13 years. She was a special little pound puppy adopted in 1988. She owned the house and yard on Ridgecrest. She was a precious baby. Her trick was to sit up and patty cake~for as long as dinner lasted. She loved Christmas and opening her stocking. Sometimes she would start on it early~She wore a red and white stripped tee shirt when it was chilly.
Her papa made her a Santa Claus suit and she wore it at Christmas when they delivered gifts to friends. There will never be another like Schatzie. She was complete and purest love.




Little Sweet is another granddoggie, she lived in Albuquerque with ZZ, Paul and Anna. She knew how to hide a treat. What a beautiful little dog she was. She went to heaven in 2006. I can't remember ever being so heartbroken.






Missy with Little Sweet









Marci Mallow is another give away baby. The Mallows had her for a year and a half, then Blake was born, and Marci couldn't give up her spot in the family and wouldn't accept the new baby. We were so lucky to be given this beautiful little Shih Tzu. We had puppies in 2005, that was the most wonderful thing in all the world. She had five. I gave them to close friends who loved their pets just as much as I do. Thank you Marci. GOOD GIRL


What would our world be without Kobi Joe~ He was adopted from the pound, he is a bichon, king of the castle. He is another granddoggie.

He was lonesome during the day so the family got him a little sister, Molly. She came from North Texas.

Molly and Kobi have their own leather chair (from Sam's Club). It's sitting in a bay window where they watch the world go by. They have Christmas stockings and give nice gifts.





Here's Molly. This little girl is a mama's baby. She is

the sweetest of all. She can 'roll over' and can 'jump into

her mama's arms'. She likes to take naps in someone's lap on the sofa.





This is their Easter picture. You would love these two~















Lucy Harrington. She hunts everything from pheasants to honey bees. She is either running full speed or sound asleep. She has a sister, Kate, who was found on the riverbank. She is a fine dog, she loves her mama~ She is my great- granddoggie.




Katy Mae, one of the wonderful ducks who lived in the yard at Ridgecrest. Their papa built them their own pond. There was Sarah Kate, Katy Mae, and Algerita. They all had Christmas stockings too. They got to come into the kitchen from time to time. They liked big long fat earthworms from Wal-Mart. They helped their mama in the garden.


Kippy Koo lived with us for 15 years. He weighed 23 lbs. so he was a lazy cat. He had a fine place on the screened porch where he lived with Mary Kitsy. He walked down the road with Daddy, he stayed a few feet behind him but he was always there. What a life~






Kitty Girl is our Manx cat, she came across the road to live with us after she decided her family had too many other cats. Sorry Jay, she is ours now~

"Cat in garage, Door down"




Blue Boy, ruler of the house. He is my grand-birdie. He makes a joyful noise.

Here are some of his best lines~

Stretch your tiny wing blue boy.

Bob White, and then he whistles the bob white tune

Paul Jackson (his papa's name)

Tweet tweet tweet baby bird

Gimmie a kiss blue boy

Whatcha doing, blue boy

Jitter Joey

Bad Bird

He can whistle the tune 'Deep in the Heart of Texas'

He purrs, screeches, kisses and oh how he can bite. He is great!


Thank you for looking at my pet site. There have been so many wonderful babies in my life besides the ones I have written about. Five Blue Boys, three Joes, two Suzies, two spooks, Little Bit, Rascal, two Jitter Joes, Hank, Elizabeth turtle, Elvis,Koi Fish, Bud, and best of all a great family of humans too.
Rita McWhorter


Monday, March 19, 2007

Marci's & Gizmo's Quintuplets

Birth Announcement

Marci Mallow McWhorter & Gizmo G. Crittendon
are proud to announce the birth of their quintuplets
on Friday, February 18, 2005
two fine boys and three beautiful little girls
arriving between the hours of 5:25 am and 6:36 am
in Eldorado, Texas



This is Gizmo Crittendon ~ he is a cowboy of sorts, here he is in his truck. Poor little guy lost his right eye while playing with his big brother. He came to see Marci in December of 2004. First visit, he sat in my lap on the sofa, played with Kitty Girl, liked Missy, didn't notice Marci at all. The next two visits, he came to party~







Here's Marci Mallow McWhorter, she is the girl who stole his heart. She knew it was love on the third date.














And here's the family, Jitter Joe stayed home to live with his mama and his aunt Missy, Daisy went to live with the Cravens in White Oak, Tootsie moved out to the Pfluger Ranch, Little Elmo and Ginger moved to Albuquerque with the Paul McWhorter's but they have all moved back to Texas. Each baby was given to a family with a long and loving relasonship with a Shih Tzu before.




Marci decided we needed to keep one of her puppies~Guess Who~ this is Jitter Joe



Add Image











Jitter Joe McWhorter~ some call him a sissy boy but he just too wonderful for words. He has no faults, he is perfect


















Tootsie Pfluger lives on a ranch north of Eldorado. She and Jitter Joe have always been close, they are like twins. They get to play together often. She is a little sweetheart. She lives with Schatzie P and Dennis, they all have a wonderful mama who loves them very much.










Daisy lives in White Oak, Texas with all the Cravens. Daisy was the last born and the big surprise. X-ray showed only four puppies, but then here came Daizy. She comes back to see her family often. She is adored and loved by Madlyn, Natalie and Clay. She has a Boston Terrier brother named Tuffy.
She is a doll.








Here are Little Elmo and Ginger. They went to live in Albuquerque but are back in Texas with their famly living on the river, barking at the varments. Elmo fell out of the baby stroler when he was tiny, it took a long time for him to recover from the scare. He is 'Show Dog' handsome, Ginger is beautiful and terribly sweet. They have a bird named Blue Boy. They were Little Sweet's worst nightmare.








We have had Missy for many
years. She was a give away doggie in the paper. Who knew there was a beautiful Shih Tzu under all of the dirty matted hair, flees and ticks. She won me over in a heartbeat when she rolled over on her back for me to pet her rusty little tummy. How lucky for us! For twelve years she visited the nursing home twice a week with me. She is a precious baby girl.She is sitting in a patch of bluebonnets in front of our home. She is my dream girl.





Most wonderful gifts


At some time when the Lord was creating this earth, He must have
noticed there was something missing.
There was a need to fill the emptiness in a mother’s heart once her children were all grown up. If she could only have a special little creature to love and cherish and to nurture, then she could have a baby all her life. And so God created a most treasured gift for the world,
a sweet, loving, and faithful little dog.
It would never go away to first grade, or summer camp, or college. It would be beside her in the car, in the kitchen, on her bed, always right there for her hand to reach out and touch when she needed a baby to love
Thank you Lord

by Rita McWhorter

Redneck Rita's Homemade Cinnamon Rolls~YUMMMM

Cinnamon Roll Recipe:
welcome to the best cooking site on the internet, winner of countless awards, world famous. FABULOUS I am starting you on your road to success by giving you one of my favorites: CINNAMON ROLLS I will guide you through each step, I will show you pictures to inspire you. Here we go~




Ingredients:
One can of Parade Brand Cinnamon Rolls. These can be found in any high class supper market. These were bought at Super S. Be sure to check the expiration date on bottom of the can. Anything older than 2003 should be left alone. It will probably taste ‘off’.
also pecans and raisins can be added.


This is an important step, get the rolls out of the package. We have noticed when they are out of date, in other words, ‘old’, they seem to really pop out. The older, the bigger the explosion. Turn head away when carrying out this step, protect eyes and lay one ear on top of shoulder.





Choosing the right pan is important. This is one of our favorites, a 1950s baking sheet made of metal.









Getting to the good part, separate the rolls, pull them apart, roll them back up. They will be sicky. Be sure to remove all metal parts of the can and don’t leave that little packet of icing on the baking pan. You will be using it later.




Here you start getting creative. Do you still have old left over pecans* from last Christmas? This is a great way to get rid of them. Chop them and sprinkle on top of rolls. If they are they are from two years ago, use less.
NOTICE! pecan is pronounced ‘pah-kon‘~ one word, NOT ‘pee-can‘. That is something altogether different~



Same with your raisins. Fresh ones are better, always check for 'movement' in raisin box. Most people will pick them off and leave them on their plate anyway, so whatever you have will do.








Bake for 10 to 35 minutes in 100 to 400 degree oven. Timing is critual. Don’t let them burn on bottom. If they do, cut off that part and don’t mention it. Smells YUMMY, sort of like pork roast~










Now for the icing (frosting) Break open the little packet of icing (frosting) and drizzle over the hot cinnamon rolls










Serving Suggestions, from the casual to the elegant, let your creative juices flow. Delight your friends with the best of the best. Reap the rewards of your efforts,

they will remember~
Icy cold milk, cinnamon roll with whipped cream, add your own decorative touches




~Or break out the fine stuff, here is beautiful plastic ware, holding your cinnamon roll, hot coffee served in an enemal cup, the weekly paper~ what could beat this treat~






Thank you for visiting my site. Coming soon to this site are many new recipes. Snow Cones, Peanut Butter and Crackers, Chocolate Chips, Ketchup Sandwiches, and the old favorite, Pop Corn and pickles.