Sharing the Goodness, Evelyn’s Favorite Recipes

 Hello, Darlings

Today, after running through my recipe file, I have decided to post a few of my favorite recipes that we have enjoyed for years, and some of which were especially created for two. I hope you will try and enjoy them as we do.

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Betty Crocker Pancake Recipe for Two

Ingredients

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon regular baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/8 cup rice milk, regular or unsweetened 
• 1 tbsp. cooking oil
• Margarine or butter
• 1 egg 

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt
2. In another  medium bowl or mixer add  milk, cooking oil and egg, mix until blended
3. Stir into flour mixture just until moistened
4. If the mixture is too thick add a little more rice milk
5. For each pancake, pour ¼ cup mixture onto preheated 350°F to 365°F nonstick-coated electric skillet
6. Add some butter, margarine, or cooking spray
7. Flip when bubbles form on the surface
8. Cook until golden brown

 
Makes 6 pancakes

Adapted from recipe in Betty Crocker’s 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook 

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Wine Spices for Storing

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cinnamon stick ( about 3 or 4cm long)
• 1 teaspoon crushed anise seed
• 1-1/2 - 2  teaspoon grounded cinnamon
• 1 teaspoons ground  cloves
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, whole
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (allspice can be substituted)
• 2  teaspoons sugar or brown sugar, for additional taste (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried orange peel

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to blender and blend to a find powder.
2. Store standard in size seasoning jar
3. Use ½ to ¾ teaspoon per cup of wine or can be increased for one full bottle.
4. Store in standard size spice jar or small air tight mason jar

 

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Recipe@2026

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Greaseless One Pounder Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 6 to 8 small mushrooms caps. or 2 large mushrooms sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed

Equipment

• Oven
• Rachael Ray Bakeware Meatloaf/Nonstick Baking Loaf Pan with Insert or similar for greaseless meatloaf. 

Topping

1. ½ cup ketchup
2. ¼ cup brown sugar
3. 2 tsp Dijon mustard
4. 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, onion, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Knead and mix thoroughly.
3. Transfer beef mixture to a greaseless meatloaf pan and smooth the top. Press mushrooms into the top and coat with olive oil. Place meatloaf pan in oven.
4. Bake meatloaf in oven 40 minutes.
5. While meatloaf is cooking, prepare glaze by combining ketchup, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard. When there is about 5 minutes left on your timer, spread glaze over meatloaf
6. Remove and allow meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. 

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Recipe@2026

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Old-Fashion Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 9 slices pineapple in juice drained
• 9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg

Direction

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven.
2. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter.
3. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar.
4. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.
5. In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.
6. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
7. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
8. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over.
10. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm.
11. Store cake loosely covered.

 

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Recipe@2026

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Evelyn's Quick and Easy Frozen Blueberry Pie

Ingredients

• 2 chilled 9 to 10 inch deep dish or roll out pie crusts

Filling for 9 inch pie:

• 2 cups frozen blueberries, don't thaw them
• One 21oz can blueberry pie or topping filling

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. 
2. Add the can pie filling and frozen blueberries to a large bowl and mix well.
3. Pour the blueberry mixture into the pie crust and spread it out evenly.
4. Spread out the second pie crust dough over the blueberry filling. Tuck the outside of the dough under, and use a fork to flute the edges. Cut 6 to 8 slits in the top of the crust.
5. Lightly brush the top with egg wash, optional.

Bake the Pie:

1. Bake the pie about 90 to 120 minutes until the crust is golden and the pie is bubbling in the center.
2. To keep the pie from running, let it completely cool to room temperature before serving.

TIP: Check the pie around the 45-minute mark and then every 10 minutes after. If the crust starts to turn golden before the pie bubbles in the middle, cover the pie with a piece of aluminum foil.

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Recipe@2026

Their PDFs are:

·         My Fish and Shrimp Gumbo

·         Betty Crocker Pancake Recipe for Two

·         Homemade Mulled Wine Spices for Storing

·         Greaseless One Pounder Meatloaf

·         Old-Fashion Pineapple Upside-Down Cake’

·         Evelyn's Quick and Easy Frozen Blueberry Pie

 

w  Well. that's all, until next time.

C                Chow, Darlings

My 15 Bean Soup Recipe

Hello, Darlings

Yesterday I ran into an unexpected problem with a bag of 15 bean soup. After cooking the beans on the stovetop in my usual way, and serving them, we immediately notice that all of the beans were hard. Now one would think that after two plus hours of cooking that the beans in the soup would be tender, with maybe a few under cooked Garbanzo beans, but no. All of the beans were hard. My only guess was that the beans were very old.

Now I have never been one to soak beans overnight, so the problem surprised me. However, after viewing and reading a few resources online, I discovered that the beans were indeed old, but still editable, if prepared properly with baking soda. I also discovered that not only did I not have to resort to soaking the beans overnight, but that I could follow my usual recipe and just add the baking soda right into the cooking pot.

What a release!

While yesterday’s dinner was ruined by the harden bean soup, the same pot of beans were a delicious winner tonight. For those who were neither unaware of the “old and hard beans” problem, nor it solution, I share with you my new and improved 15 bean soup recipe.

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My 15 Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients

•     One 20 oz. package HamBeens® 15 BEAN SOUP® with the ham seasoning packet
•     6 to 8 cups water
•     1 smoked ham hock or leftover ham or smoked sausage
•     1 can of red kidney beans
•     1 onion diced
•     2 cloves garlic minced
•     15 ounces diced tomatoes with juice
•     1 package McCormick Tex-Mex Chili Seasoning Mix
•     1 tablespoon lemon juice
•     1 packet of ham favoring
•     1 ½ teaspoon salt
•      ½ teaspoon black pepper

Cooking Directions 

1.  Rinse beans and drain. Sort any unwanted debris and set seasoning packet aside.
2. Separate the Garbanzo (Chickpea) from the rest of the beans, and then pre-cook them in the microwave for 45 minutes with a 1 teaspoons of baking soda and 2 of the 6 cups of water.
3. Once soften, pour the Garbanzo beans and hot water into the cooking large pot with the cut ham, garlic and onion, and add with the remaining water. Cook to a rolling boil for1 hour.
4. Add the remaining beans and cook uncovered at a boil for an hour, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until beans are tender.
5. Stir in salt, and pepper, tomatoes, McCormick Tex-Mex Chili Seasoning Mix, and lemon juice.
6. Simmer uncovered for an additional 30 minutes or until thickened.
7. Stir in the seasoning packet from the beans and season with salt & pepper to taste. Simmer 1 minute more.

Slow Cooker Hard Bean Soup Rescue:

If the Garbanzo beans or all beans are still hard before adding the McCormick Tex-Mex Chili Seasoning Mix, tomatoes and lemon juice, transfer them with the onion, the garlic and the meat to the six quart slow cooker.

1. Add then McCormick Tex-Mex Chili Seasoning Mix, tomatoes and lemon juice.
2. Also, stir in the seasoning packet from the beans and season with salt & pepper to taste.
3. Cook on high for 7 to 8 hours.
4. Stir occasionally, and add more water when necessary.
5. Serve with a slice of cornbread on the side.

Note: 15 bean soup freezes very well. Add to airtight containers or freezer zip lock bags. Freeze for up three months.

Note 2: For all other beans and to soften, prevent gas and bloating: Cook beans with a tsp of baking soda as usually cooked with meat and seasonings. 

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I hope you will enjoy it as we do.

Until next time,

      Chow, Darlings

Download the PDF

Related: You think my old bean were surprising. Check out the video below.

Cooking 20 Year Old Beans

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Recipe@2026

Evelyn’s Crockpot Short Ribs and Cabbage

Hello, Darlings

I hope this first month of the New Year has treated you well. Yes, darlings I am still alive, a bit slower but alive.

Last night, just as I was on the brink of sleep, I remembered an old recipe for short ribs and cabbage. Luckily, I found that I had all the ingredients on hand; so before I made my morning cup of coffee, I started dinner. This recipe is an old family favorite, one in which I usually cooked on the stove with a half pot of water. However, today, I want to savor the flavors of the meat and vegetables by cooking in them a crockpot. 

Evelyn’s Crockpot Short Ribs and Cabbage

Ingredients

• One pack of boneless short ribs
•  ½ cup water
• 3 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
• 3 large carrots, chopped2 medium red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 medium or ½ large cabbage
• ½ to ¾ bag baby potatoes, whole
• ½ large onion, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• ½ teaspoon dried chives
• ¼ teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon bacon grease
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Directions

1. Microwave chopped carrots and baby potatoes for 25 minutes
2. Rinse and pat dry short ribs; cut in ribs in half
3. Seasons ribs salt and pepper in all sides
4. Heat garlic infused olive oil in large skillet
5. Add short ribs and brown each piece on all four sides
6. Remove ribs from skillet, save the drippings and deglaze the skillet with 2-3 tablespoons of water.
7. Add ribs to a six quart or more Crockpot
8. In a large mixing bowl add chopped celery, onion, cabbage, and bell peppers
9. Add save the drippings, water, bacon grease, dried chives salt, crushed red pepper and ground black pepper to mixing bowl. Mix well
10. When easy to pierce add drained potatoes and carrots and discard water
11. Add drained potatoes and carrots into the large mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
12. Mix ingredients well to coat everything with short rib drippings and bacon grease.
13. Then add on top of short ribs in crockpot. Set crockpot on high for four hours;
14. After the first hour stir short ribs vegetables together.
15. After  about 45 minutes pull ribs on top on the vegetable
16. Cook for another 45 minutes, then cook every 45 minutes but in the last 45 minutes or so, stir short ribs in with vegetable again and cook until short ribs are tender.
17.  Enjoy with fresh baked yellow corn muffins 

Despite not having any corned beef in it, this recipe would still make a great meal for Saint Patrick’s Day.

Down the PDF

Until next time,

          Chow, Darlings

 

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Recipe@2026