Baking with Betty

This week’s column is dedicated to Vivia Andrews – a real Southern Belle.

Cinnamon Candy Applesauce

10 to 12 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

3/4 cup hot cinnamon candies

1/2 cup apple juice or water

Combine apples, candies and apple juice in Crock Pot slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours or on high 4 hours or until desired consistency. Serve warm or chilled.

Orange Coffee Cake

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup orange juice

1 egg

2 tablespoons shortening, melted

Mix above ingredients and pour into a greased 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan.

Mix: 1/4 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons softened butter and 1 tablespoon grated orange rind in a small bowl. Sprinkle over top of batter in pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Hot Italian Sausage and Clam Soup

1/3 cup olive oil

6 ounces bulk hot Italian sausage or case sausage, cut open

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 cups tomato sauce

1 1/3 cups clam juice

1 teaspoon basil

2 teaspoon minced parsley

2 (5 ounce) cans chopped clams, drained

Saute sausage, onions and garlic in oil; drain. Add remaining ingredients, except clams, and simmer 30 minutes. Add clams and heat through. Jill Whittles.

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust: 2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs, about 32 (to easily crush the cookies, place in plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin, unless you have a blender or food processor.) 1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling: 4 packages (8 ounce each) cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease a 9 inch spring-form pan with shortening or cooking spray. Wrap foil around pan to catch drips. In small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter. Press crumb mixture in bottom and 1 inch up side of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed just until smooth and creamy; do not over beat. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Spoon 3 cups of the cream cheese mixture into pan; spread evenly. Stir pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg into remaining cream cheese mixture; mix with wire whisk until smooth. Spoon over mixture in pan. Bake 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until edges are set but center of cheesecake still jiggles slightly when moved. Turn oven off; open oven door at least 4 inches. Leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven; place on cooling rack. Without releasing side of pan, run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Cool in pan on cooling rack 30 minutes. Cover loosely; refrigerate at least 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake again; carefully remove side of pan. Place cheesecake on serving plate. Store cheesecake covered in refrigerator. Serves 16.

Our thought for the week: “Kindness is the oil that takes the friction out of life.”