Recipes

We've included some of our favorite recipes in Paper, Scissors, Death: A Scrapbooking Mystery (ISBN: 0-7387-1250-7). But here are a few more.

Remember: If you send us a recipe, and we use it in a Kiki Lowenstein book, we'll name the recipe after you and send you a signed book. So send your recipes to us at joannaslan@aol.com. Just be sure to put "Recipe" in the subject line.

Mike Hutts' Snickerdoodles
BLT Salad
Hoosier Daddy Kidney Bean Salad
Oriental Salad with Ramen Noodles
Margaret's Heavenly Chocolate-Walnut Banana Bran Bread
Joanna's Crustless Quiche
Teresa's Spanish Rice
Kiki's Stovetop Cookies
Susan's Fool's Toffee
Marjorie's Lemon Poke Cake
Lemon Oatmeal Cookies
Lemon Icing
Orange Chicken
Corn and Bean Salad

Mike Hutts' Snickerdoodles

1 C. sugar
2-3 T. cinnamon
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. Land O' Lakes margarine
1/2 C. Land O' Lakes butter
2 eggs
2 3/4 C. flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Pre-Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Reserve.
3. Mix 1 1/2 C. sugar, shortening, butter and eggs in a large bowl.
4. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
5. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture to coat.
6. Put in freezer and wait 10-15 minutes.
7. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes.

BLT Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce
3 ripe tomatoes
6 slices of bacon
1/2 C. Miracle Whip
Fresh ground pepper

1. Fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on a paper towel and let cool.
2. Rinse the lettuce and let it drain. Knock the stem against a hard surface and remove it with your fingers. Tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces.
3. Core the tomatoes and cut into wedges from top to bottom.
4. Mix together lettuce and tomatoes. Crumble the bacon over the salad and mix together. Add Miracle Whip and mix. Add more Miracle Whip if desired.
5. Grind fresh pepper over the top and mix well.

Note: This tastes best if the flavors have a while to mix, but if it sits too long, the lettuce will get soggy.

Hoosier Daddy Kidney Bean Salad

1 can red kidney beans
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1 small onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1 egg, hard-boiled and diced

Mix all ingredients well. Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.

Note: What is that weird juice in the kidney bean can? This is one of life's perpetual questions, and the answer is, "No one knows and, frankly, you don't want to know either." But, if you drain all that juice off, your salad will be dry and yucky. We're warning you!

Oriental Salad with Ramen Noodles

Part I - Prepare the dressing.

1/2 C. vinegar
1/2 C. sugar
3/4 C. canola oil
2 T. light soy sauce

Mix and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool.

Part II - Prepare the salad.

1 head iceberg lettuce (prepare as in BLT salad)
2 bunches green onions, sliced, with some of the green, too
1/2 C. sesame seeds
1/2 C. slivered almonds

Part III - "Toast" the noodles

2 packages Ramen Noodles
3 T. margarine

Discard the seasoning packet. Melt margarine in skillet, add noodles and stir until browned.

Pour dressing over salad and top with noodles.

Margaret's Heavenly Chocolate-Walnut Banana Bran Bread

1 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. bran cereal
1 1/4 C. mashed bananas (the riper the better-black skin is good)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C. stick margarine, room temperature
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. chopped walnuts
1/2 C. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix bran cereal, bananas, eggs and vanilla. Let stand until cereal softens, about five minutes.
3. Mix first four dry ingredients with fork and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat together margarine and sugar with mixer on medium speed until thoroughly combines. Add flour mixture and cereal mixture alternately. Mix until well combined then add walnuts and chocolate chips.
5. Spread evenly in greased loaf pan.
6. Bake about 45 minutes-but less is better than more because bread will dry out.

Note: If you make muffins, bake this less time depending on the size of your muffin pans and how much you fill them. Again, less is more. You can test muffins or bread with a toothpick but remember too long in the oven will make this too dry.

Joanna's Crustless Quiche

Skimp on calories but not on taste. This crustless quiche has everything I like in a quiche minus the fat. And yes, you could pour it into a pie crust if you wish.

1 link (3 oz.) sausage (turkey) or 4 oz. bacon
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese or 2/3 C. other cheese grated
1 T flour
3 eggs and 1 egg white
1 1/2 C evaporated milk
1 tsp. Italian herbs
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 C broccoli
1/2 medium onion sauteed

1. Toss cheese with 1 1/2 T. flour to coat.
2. Beat together eggs and milk. Add spices.
3. Grease a pie pan. Sprinkle in broccoli and onions and cheese.
4. Pour in liquid.
5. Bake 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Teresa's Spanish Rice

My sister Jane takes this to work as a meal. It is all inclusive-veggies, starch and meat!

1/2 C. green beans, cut up into 1" chunks
1 onion, chopped.
4 slices of bacon (or more to your liking)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 C. rice
1 3/4 C. chicken broth
2 C. tomato puree
Butter, margarine or Pam
1/2 tsp. cumin

Brown the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon. Add onions, green beans, and garlic-plus butter, margarine or Pam if the pan is too dry--stir until softened. Remove. Add rice and stir all until browned.

Put all ingredients into a rice cooker or into a pot on the stove. If pot on the stove, bring to a boil, then turn back to simmer, cover and stir frequently.

Kiki's Stovetop Cookies

The best of the stovetop recipes. Actually this is fudge with a little oatmeal thrown in.

1 C brown sugar
1/4. C butter
1/3 C evaporated milk
1/4 C peanut butter
1 C chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C quick rolled oats

Stirring constantly, cook brown sugar, evaporated milk, and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Continue to cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter, chocolate, and vanilla. When melted, stir in oats. Drop cookies by spoonful onto waxed paper and let cool.

Susan's Fool's Toffee

I can't resist this-and always eat too much! Susan has perfected this recipe.

Pam Cooking Spray
Original Saltine crackers
1 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1 bag Hershey's chocolate chips
1 bag Reese's Peanut Butter chips

1. Prepare a 12" x 18" cookie sheet. Cover it with foil and spray with Pam Cooking Spray.
2. Lay out Original Saltine crackers end to end.
3. In a sauce pan, melt 1 C. butter.
4. Add 1 C. brown sugar. Boil hard for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Mixture will become frothy looking. Pour it over the crackers and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
5. Bring the cookie sheet out of the oven and pour one bag of Hershey's chocolate chips and one bag of Reese's Peanut Butter chips evenly over bubbly crackers.
6. Use a wooden spoon to spread the chips around until you have a gooey, yummy mess of peanut butter and chocolate. Put the pan back in the oven for 3 more minutes. (Lick the spoon! It's a mandatory part of the cooking process.)
7. Pull the cookie sheet out of the oven and put it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
8. When hard, break into fist-sized sections and put them on a plate. They won't be there for long!

Marjorie's Lemon Poke Cake

My grandmother's recipe. I love the crusty edges. A perfect summertime cake!

1 pkg. lemon Jell-O mix
1 C. boiling water
1 pkg. lemon cake mix
3/4 C. vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 lemons (juiced) or 4 T. and 1/2 tsp. lemon extract
3 T. grated lemon peel
1/2 C. powdered sugar

1. Mix lemon Jell-O with boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Let cool. Set aside.
2. Mix lemon cake mix with oil.
3. Beat in the four eggs.
4. Add cooled Jell-O, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice and grated lemon peel to mixture.
5. Bake batter in large greased pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
6. While cake is baking, mix together 1/2 C. powdered sugar and 4 T. lemon juice.
7. Remove cake from over. Poke cake with fork from top to bottom layer. Pour lemon juice and powdered sugar mixture over entire cake to saturate.

Lemon Oatmeal Cookies

2 C. All-purpose flour
1 tsp. each baking powder and salt
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
8 T. butter or margarine at room temperature
1 1/2 C. sugar
8 tsp. lemon peel
2 tsp. each vanilla extract and lemon juice
4 large egg whites
2 C. quick oats

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar.
3. Using a mixer, beat together butter, sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice, vanilla extract and egg whites. Blend well.
4. With a wooden spoon, add flour mixture to egg mixture. Stir until combined.
5. Add oats. Stir until combined.
6. Use a melon ball scoop and place cookies 2" apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. I prefer using a silk liner on a cookie sheet.
7. Bake until light gold for 11-12 minutes.
8. Cool completely and transfer to wire rack with wax paper underneath. Drizzle icing over cookies.

Lemon Icing

2 C. powdered sugar
2 T. each lemon juice and water

Mix sugar and liquids until smooth.

Orange Chicken

1 T. vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips (I use kitchen scissors to cut this.)
1/2 C. sliced onions
1/3 C orange marmalade
3 T soy sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Cook chicken in oil until no longer pink inside.
2. Remove from pan.
3. Stir in onion slices and cook until soft.
4. Mix in marmalade, soy and pepper.
5. Cover and reduce heat to low.
6. Cook 10 minutes or until done.

Corn and Bean Salad

One or two 15 oz. cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
One 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 C. finely chopped red onion
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 T. olive oil
4-6 T. lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Mix.
2. Cover.
3. Let sit overnight and serve.