Fast Eddie's Sloppy Joes

This recipe is from Ed Coy. He's the one who is in charge of "the sauce". When I was traveling for my jobs and the kids were home with Ed - this was one of his favorites to make! I would come home from a trip and ask the kids what they wanted to eat - "no more sloppy joes, Mom" was usually their answer! It's still one of our favorite Saturday night dinners!

Submitted by K. Coy for Ed Coy

Ingredients
1 pound ground round
1 large diced onion

1 cup catsup
2 tablespoons apple vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Several large dashes of Worchstershire Sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
3-4 tablespoons brown sugar - or to taste

Directions
Brown ground round with onion. Drain well.
Mix ingredients of sauce together and add to ground beef - just enough to make the meat moist. Simmer for 5 minutes,

Rahmapfelkuchen (Apple and Rum Custard Cake)

Again - another Aunt Dorothy Koch recipe. This was always reserved for the Holiday time! Outstanding recipe!
Submitted by K. Coy

Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/2 cups flour, Unbleached, Unsifted
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemons, rind of, Grated
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

Filling
1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, Melted
4 cups apples, Tart, Sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup raisins (Soak raisins in 1/4 cup rum for 1/2 hour before using.)
1/4 cup rum
3 large eggs, Beaten
1/3 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups milk

Crust
To make crust, mix flour, sugar, and lemon rind.
Cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add egg yolk and 1 T of milk; mix gently to form a dough.
Pat into bottom of a 10-inch Springform pan that has sides only greased.
Press dough up sides of pan for 1 inch.

Filling

Toss together bread crumbs and melted butter.
Spread evenly over pastry crust.
Toss apple slices, lemon juice, and 1/4 c of sugar.
Spread apples over crumbs.
Drain raisins, reserving rum, and sprinkle raisins over apples.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 15 minutes.
Beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored.
Stir in milk and reserved rum.
Pour custard over apples and bake for 45 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees F.
until custard is set.
Cool completely before serving.
Do NOT remove springform pan until cool.

Apple-Raisin French Toast Casserole

The best! Great for Christmas morning!

Submitted by K. Coy

Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1 (1 pound) loaf French baguette, cut into 1 inch slices
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, mix together brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix in melted butter. Stir in apples and raisins until evenly coated. Pour into prepared pan. Arrange bread slices in an even layer over apples.
In the bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Pour over bread, making sure every slice is fully soaked. Cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerated overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Remove dish from refrigerator while the oven is heating. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Remove cover, and bake 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Pretzels

Original German recipe from Aunt Dorothy Koch

I made these with Aunt Dorothy on several occassions - usually the holiday time. This recipe was translated for her by her first husband, Gus Dettinger - who was from Germany. Be careful! This recipe uses lye - which will ruin any good clothes, spoons, etc.

I'm not even sure if you can buy "lye" anymore. I remember that Aunt Dorothy brought hers back in cake-form from her trips to Germany - and it was quite a procedure to dilute it to the proper strength. I think she got it from a German bakery while she was overseas. So - this recipe might be more of "interest" than practicality!

Dissolve 1 ounce cake yeast in 1/2 cup warm water.
Add 4 cups flour to the yeast/water mixture and mix.
Add pinch of salt to the flour mixture.
Add lukewarm water - a little at a time until dough is stiff.
Cover and let rise in warm place for 1/2 hour.

Form pretzels and let rise another 20 minutes.
Cut on the back of the pretzels with a sharp knife 1/2" deep by 2" long.

Put lye in a ceramic bowl and (use slotted spoon) quickly dip each pretzel.
Place pretzels on floured cookie pan, salt and bake at 375 degrees until brown.

Breakfast Casserole - Bayou Bend Brunch

Bayou Bend Brunch Casserole

2001 winner of Good Morning America's Pie of Emeril's Eye Contest

From K. Coy

Ingredients
1/2 large loaf day old french bread, torn into small pieces
3 tbs. melted butter
1 lb. Montery Jack cheese, shredded
1/4 lb. genoa salami, julienned (Beth uses more, usually 1/3 lb.)
10 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (whole)
1/3 cup white wine
3 large green onions, minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. coarse ground black pepper (I use more, usually 1/4)
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (Beth uses more, 1/4 tsp.)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (Beth uses fresh)

Directions:
1. In a well greased 9x13-inch casserole dish, spread bread pieces over bottom and drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with Montery jack cheese and salami pieces.
2. Beat together eggs,milk,wine,green onions,mustard and black and red pepper until mixture is frothy. Pour mixture over bread mixture. Cover casserole with foil and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake covered, at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
4. Uncover, spread with sour cream and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Rahmapfelkuchen (Apple and Rum Custard Cake)

Inspired by Aunt Dorothy's German cooking - I have made this and it is GREAT!

K. Coy

This is a traditional German dessert - not a "sweet" dessert - but LOTS of good packed into a wonderful cake!

Crust:

1 1/2 cup flour, unsifted

1 tablespoon lemon rind, grated

1 large egg yolk

5 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup butter or margarine

1 tablespoon milk

Crust:

Mix flour, sugar, and lemon rind. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles coars crumbs. Add egg yolk and 1 T of milk, mix gently to form a dough. Pat into bottom of 10-inch springform pan that has sides only greased. Press dough up sides of pan for 1 inch.

Filling:

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

4 cups apples, tart, sliced

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup rum

2 tablespoons butter or margrin,melted

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup raisins - Soak raisins in 1/4 cup rum for 1/2 hour before using.

1/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

1 3/4 cup milk

Filling: Toss together bread crumbs and lemon juice, and 1/4 cup sugar - pour over crust.. Spread apples over crumbs. Drain raisins, reserving rum, and sprinkle raisins over apples. Bake in a preheated 350 degree for 15 minutes. Beat eggs and 1/3 cup sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Stir in milk and reserved rum. Pour custard over apples and bake for 46 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees F until custard is set. Cool completely before serving. Do NOT remove springform pan until thoroughly cool.

Black Bottom Pie

Blanche Burkhart's recipe

What would a New Year's Eve dinner be without Blanche's famous Black Bottom Pie? I believe she found the recipe and originally baked this for their "Dinner Club" group.

Crust:
(Use a non-stick pie pan)
1 cup crushed ginger snap cookies
1/2 stick butter - melted
Mix crushed cookies and melted butter and pat into pie pan
Bake at 435 until you see the crust "bubble" WATCH CLOSELY! Burns easily!
Cool crust completely before adding the custard.

Custard:
Scald 2 cups whole milk. Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch. Add a little of the scalded milk to the sugar/cornstarch mixture - stir and then add/whisk the sugar/cornstarch mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the scalded milk. Beat and add 4 egg yolks in a separate bowl. Take a little of the custard mix and add to the egg mixture - and whisk (so as not to have "scrambled eggs"). Take this egg mixture and slowly add and whisk into the scalded milk mixture in the saucepan. Cook over a low fire - stiring all the time - until the mixture begins to bubble.

Take out 1 cup of the custard mixture and add 1 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate (that has been melted) - and stir well. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla to the chocolate mixture and pour into cooled pie shell.

Rum Top:
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin in 2 tablespoons cold water. Add this to the remaining vanilla custard and cool (to a finger test). When the custard is cool to the touch - (in a separate bowl) beat 4 egg whites until stiff, add 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons of rum (or more depending on taste) to the egg white mixture. Fold this into the cool custard and pour on top of chocolate layer. Put into refrigerator and chill for a few hours.

Topping:
Whip 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1 tablespoon of sugar until stiff. Put on top of custard. Grate chocolate over the top and chill again for an hour or so.

Aunt Dorty's Spatzle

Aunt Dorothy Burkhart Koch's recipe

4 cups flour

Big pinch of salt

4 - 5 eggs (4 if large)

Some water

Mix flour, salt and eggs - add about 4 oz. water in to start. Use heavy spoon to mix. Add more water until VERY stiff dough. Have a large kettle of boiling water ready (add salt to water). Use spatzle noodle press or cutter - or simply roll in your hands to make small round noodles - drop into boiling water. The noodles are done when the water begins to foam and the noodles float to the top. Rinse noodles and return them to a pot of very hot water while you make more noodles. HINT: only make a handfull of noodles at a time - otherwise, they may not all be cooked.

Obviously - this recipe is hardly "precise" - this recipe was given to me over the phone by Aunt Dorothy. Another great way to fix left-over spatzle is to fry it in butter - (not margarine!) until you get a nice crust on the noodle. Use a non-stick skillet. This is great for breakfast! Some people like to scramble an egg in this - or add a grated sharp cheese on the top.