Chili

Ingredients
2 lbs lean ground beef or ground turkey
2 cans of pinto beans, drained (optional)
2 cans of dark red kidney beans, drained (optional)
1 medium size yellow onion
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1-2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small can of tomato paste
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 clove of garlic or 1 tsp. minced garlic from a jar
3-4 T of chili powder
3/4 T salt
1/2 c salsa
garlic salt to taste
pepper to taste
oregano to taste

Directions
Stove top
Cook meat in skillet until brown. Saute vegetables and then add remaining ingredients. Simmer on stove until ready to serve.

Slow cooker
Cook meat in skillet until brown. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours of high for 6 hours.

Gram's Apple Cake

Every Christmas morning for my entire life, I've had this apple cake. Its the only time of the year we have it and it is such a special treat.  Notice, that this is the second breakfast cake recipe from my Gram...welcome to the Henkelman house where we aren't afraid to eat cake for breakfast. :) This is one of those recipes that our grandchildren will make one day...its a classic.


Ingredients
2 c. white sugar
1½ c. oil
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
3 c. peeled, chopped Granny Smith apples
1½ c. chopped nuts
2 T. lemon juice
1 tsp salt
3 c. flour
1 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions
Combine sugar, oil, vanilla, lemon juice, eggs. Mix well. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Then add fruit and nuts. Batter will be very thick, but mix thoroughly. Pour into prepared bundt pan. (spray with Baker’s Joy or Pam)

Bake at 325 for 1 ¼ hours. Let cool before turning onto cake plate.

Gram's Coffee Cake

In our family, this is possibly the most requested recipe of all time. Simply put, its amazing. My Gram made it and then my Mom made it and now my brother, my husband and I make it. Did I mention its amazing?

Ingredients
1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix (My Gram said Duncan Hines was the best and we believe her.)
4 eggs
1/2 c sugar
1 c sour cream
3/4 c oil
4 T brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c nuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 9x13 or bundt pan with Pam or Baker's Joy.

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix the last three ingredients together.

Pour 1/2 of batter into pan.
Sprinkle 1/2 of the nut mixture, then the remaining cake batter, and lastly the remaining nut mixture.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake plate or pedestal.
Sprinkle with white sugar or powdered sugar, if desired.

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

My friend Emily Horner made these for one of my wedding showers and they were amazing. They are perfect for company because you can mix up everything and put them in a pan to rise overnight and all you do is pop them in the oven in the morning. People always think the dough is homemade - ha!

20 - unbaked frozen dinner rolls (Rhodes)
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c instant vanilla or butterscotch pudding
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 c butter, melted
3/4 c raisins (optional)
3/4 c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

The night before
1) Grease 10 inch bundt or monkey bread pan.
2) Place 10 rolls in pan and sprinkle 1/2 of dry mix over.  (Dry mix = brown sugar, pudding mix, cinnamon)
3) Place remaining 10 rolls on top sprinkle remaining 1/2 of dry mix on top.
4) Pour melted butter over rolls.
5) Cover with clean, damp cloth and leave overnight at room temperature (When its cold outside, I put it in the oven (turned off obviously) so the rolls will rise.)

In the morning
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. (Sometimes the rolls on top will brown faster so I put foil on top for the last half of the baking time.)
3) Turn rolls out onto a serving plate or cake pedestal.

Egg Casserole

There are two of my Mom's recipes that are the most requested by friends and family, and this is one of them. (The other is my Gram's coffee cake - to be posted later.)  This is a fabulous, "make ahead" dish for weekend company so you can spend time with your company in the morning instead of cooking.  I'm not sure we've ever served this without someone asking for the recipe.  Its everything you love about breakfast in one dish! I've tried making other egg casserole recipes, some with biscuit crusts, and they don't come close to this recipe.

Step 1
1/2 cup melted butter
1 package shredded potatoes
Mix together and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

Step 2
Brown 1 or 2 pounds of hot sausage; drain the grease off.
Crumble sausage over the potatoes.
On top of the sausage layer 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese.
Beat 9 eggs with 1 cup of milk and pour over the cheese.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.