Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Oatmeal Cake

Last evening at dinner, Randy and I were sitting at the table and since I had devoured my food way before he was finished, as I usually do, I began to tell him about a chicken and rice dish my mom use to make. Getting up to go get the cookbook that I believed had that old chicken rice recipe, I discovered looking through the pages, a recipe that my mom and Aunt Gladys had made too many times to count. I remember always thinking “why did they like that boring cake that didn’t have frosting 3″ thick and no sprinkles or chocolate anywhere close to it” so I really ate too much of it. As I began to read the recipe to Randy, he told me that it sounded pretty good to him, so since I had everything in the house needed to make it, I began to gather the ingredients.

The result was this amazing cake with a baked on topping that maybe is just good to “older” folks that don’t like a lot of sweet gooey frosting. Some of our friends drove their golf cart over this morning early to show off their grandson and took some home. They loved it. Randy has taken a piece overtime he walks through the kitchen, and so do I.

The recipe was from a cookbook put out by the workers from school cafeterias in Corpus Christi back in the 60’s. I never did find the chicken and rice recipe, but will keep looking!

Ingredients: Makes a 9×13″ cake Preheat oven to 350.

1 1/4 cup boiling water

1 cup regular oats

1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 heaping teas cinnamon

1 teas vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teas soda

Pour boiling water over oats in a small bowl and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes.

Cream butter and both sugars. Add unbeaten eggs, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix well and then add oats, flour and soda.

Pour batter into greased 9×13 pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until cake is just done. While cake is baking prepare topping.

Topping:

Combine 4 tables butter, 2/3 cup light brown sugar, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup chopped pecans, 4 tables Eagle Brand Condensed milk and 2 egg yolks. Mix well and pour over cake as soon as you take it out of the oven. Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes. *That is why you just want to bake, just until it is almost finished baking, when you pour the topping over, since it will finish baking those last 10 minutes.

 

Beef · Casseroles · Daily Thoughts · Meats · Uncategorized

Enchiladas…Kiko’s Style

Corpus Christi is where I spent the first 45 years of my life. Back in the early 80’s some friends of ours, Sam & Yvonne Satterfield, introduced us to a Mexican restaurant called, Kikos. We ate there from that point on at least once a week after that. Every trip back to Corpus to see my parents, that was my first stop. Their enchiladas were just so good, with this rich brown-tomato sauce that wasn’t like the typical enchilada sauce that every Mexican restaurant or recipe seems to be. For years, I have tried to copy their great sauce, but to no avail. Every time Randy would be with me he would say, “I think it has cream of mushroom soup in it.” to which I would reply, “of course it doesn’t have cream of mushroom soup, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Well, after 20 years of him saying that and me responding in the same old way, I began to think, “what if he is right and I could have been eating great enchiladas the past 20 years other than when we just go to Corpus.” So last night, I experimented and oh my gosh, we had Kiko enchiladas. I’m not saying that they truly use Cream of Mushroom but I am saying that the sauce I made last night with it tasted the same as theirs. So if you are like us and think that no place else makes enchiladas like Kikos, give this a try. I think you will be pleasantly pleased.

8 white corn tortillas

1  1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 -3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup (10 3/4 oz)

1 small can tomato sauce (small size can)

1 -2 cups water (depending on how thick you like your enchilada sauce) ( I used a little over 1 can).

1 packet of taco or enchilada seasoning

1 lb of hamburger meat

3 tablespoons oil

Lawrys Seasoning Salt

Garlic powder as desired

Grease a baking dish that will hold 8 enchiladas. Set aside.

In a skillet, brown the meat with  about 1 cup chopped onion until meat is no longer pink. Add the garlic and stir until well blended in meat. Add the cup of water ,  1/2 packet of Lawry’s taco or enchilada seasoning, can of mushroom soup and small can of tomato sauce and cook over low heat for about 5 min until it makes a  gravy. If it is not thin enough to your liking, add a little more water, maybe up to 1/2 cup. Set aside. *If this is not spicy enough for you, add more of the Lawry’s Taco seasoning packet. (I like the flavor of the taco seasoning more than the enchilada seasoning)

In a small skillet,  melt about 1 tables butter and saute  the rest of the chopped onion until it is clear. Sprinkle about 1/2 teas Lawrys Seasoning Salt, 1/2 teas garlic powder and a little pepper. Place this onion mixture in a small bowl. In same skillet, add the 3 tables oil. Heat until it is sizzling around the edges. Place corn tortillas, one at a time, in the hot oil about 3-5 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels until you have done all 8 tortillas. When cool to the touch, begin by place about 1 teas cooked onion in the middle of each tortilla. Spoon about 1 tables of the shredded cheddar cheese over the onion and roll up. Place in the greased baking dish. When you have completed all 8, pour the meat mixture over the enchiladas and top with more cheddar cheese, to your liking. Bake ate 350 preheated oven for about 25 minutes, uncovered.