Monday, May 24, 2010

Mandarin Orange Cake Recipe

This cake is a favorite of my younger brother, I cannot bake it without thinking of him. My sister-in-law Michele used to make this often, making it a family favorite. I appreciate her sharing her recipe, so now we can enjoy it often at our house! I baked this cake to be served at tonight's Mission 1250 meal, a new Feeding Ministry in Willard, Ohio.

Mandarin Orange Cake

2 eggs
2 11oz. cans mandarin oranges, well drained
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 T milk
2 T butter

Beat eggs. Add oranges & dry ingredients. Beat 4 minutes with electric mixer on slow speed until oranges flake through the batter. Pour into greased 9" x 13" cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Cake will get quite dark. Before removing from the oven, press top with finger tip to see if it bounce back. If it doesn't, bake a bit longer, taking care that it doesn't burn.

While cake is baking, prepare topping by combining topping ingredients and bringing to a rolling boil.

Remove cake from oven. Pour topping over. Return cake to oven and bake 5 minutes longer.

Enjoy!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Sweet & Spicy Kielbasa Recipe

This is a recipe that is so simple to put together and is perfect for freezer cooking. Over pasta, potatoes or rice this can make a super main dish, and would also make a nice appetizer or tailgate party recipe. The sausages make a yummy sandwich on a hearty roll with a bit of the sauce drizzled over them, too. Choose the sausage of your choice...kielbasa, polish sausage, smoked sausage, turkey smoked sausage or kielbasa, summer sausage, etc. I heard a German sausage can be quite yummy too? :-) Enjoy!

Sweet & Spicy Kielbasa

2 pound Kielbasa Sausage, smoked
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Spicy mustard
1/3 cup Onion, finely chopped

Cut sausages into 1 inch lengths. Combine brown sugar, mustard & onion in an electric crock-pot or slow cooker and stir well to combine. Add the sausages and stir well to coat them with the sauce. Cover the crock pot with its lid and cook on low for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to re-coat the sausages with the sauce.

To Freeze:
cool the sausages & sauce. Store in freezer containers or freezer bags and freeze. to serve, thaw & reheat in the microwave, on the stove on low heat, or in covered dish in a 350 degree oven for about 350 minutes. Since the dish is already fully cooked, you just need to reheat it.