In the Kitchen With Claudia Kingston

 in Favorite Recipes / Now Magazines by

These recipes were contributed by Claudia Kingston, a Southwest resident, and originally appeared in the SouthwestNOW August 2015 issue.

LaLa’s Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes 1 dozen biscuits.

  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1-2 cups buttermilk
  1. Mix first 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut butter into tiny cubes; blend into flour with a pastry cutter. When mixture is crumbly, slowly add buttermilk, mixing together using a fork. Mixture should form a ball when completely combined.
  2. Turn ball out onto a floured countertop; roll out and cut biscuits. Place biscuits on greased pan and bake at 425 F for 20 minutes.

 

No Chili Powder Pinto Beans

  • 4 cups dry pinto beans
  • 16 cups water (divided use)
  • 1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
  • 4 garlic pods, chopped
  • 12 oz. salt pork, scored criss-crossed
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  1. Place beans in a large Dutch oven. Sort through and remove any bad beans. Add 6 cups of water and quick boil. Drain in a colander and return beans to pot. Cover with 8 cups water and cook on high until boiling. Add onion, garlic and salt pork to pot; reduce heat to medium and cook 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently.
  2. Continue adding water as needed. About 2 hours into the cooking, add peppers, tomatoes and seasonings. Continue cooking 3-5 hours.

 

Gran Gala Cake

Cake:

  • 3/4 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 yellow cake mix
  • 1 5.1-oz. plain or French vanilla instant pudding mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 cup Gran Gala Triple Orange Liqueur

Sauce:

  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup Gran Gala Triple Orange Liqueur
  1. For cake: Preheat oven to 325 F. Flour Bundt pan and sprinkle bottom with pecans. Blend remaining ingredients with an electric mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes.
  2. For sauce: Combine all ingredients. Pour over cake while cake is still in pan. 
  3. Cool cake an additional 45 minutes before removing from pan.

 

Mimi Marguerite’s Fruit Cocktail Cake

Cake:

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 15.25-oz. can fruit cocktail
  • 2 tsp. Mexican vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

Icing:

  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. Mexican vanilla
  1. For cake: Mix sugar, eggs, juice from fruit cocktail and vanilla until smooth. Blend together salt, flour and baking powder. Combine with wet ingredients.
  2. Add fruit cocktail; mix thoroughly. Fold in pecans and pour batter into greased 9×13-inch pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 350 F for 30-45 minutes.
  3. For icing: Mix milk, butter and sugar in a saucepan; boil for 5-8 minutes. Add vanilla. Pour over cake while icing is still hot.

 

Broccoli Salad

Salad:

  • 6 cups broccoli florets
  • 2 1/2 cups Ocean Spray Craisins
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • 7 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing:

  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend
  • 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
  • 4 Tbsp. milk
  1. For salad: Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
  2. For dressing: Whisk all ingredients until smooth. Spoon over salad and chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

 

Corn Casserole

  • 1 8.5-oz. box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
  • 1 15-oz. can whole-kernel sweet corn
  • 1 15-oz. can cream-style corn
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 2 sweet red peppers, chopped
  • Several green onions, chopped (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Add ingredients in order, mixing well with each addition. Place in a 2-quart casserole dish. 
  2. Bake for 30-60 minutes (when fork is inserted and not much is pulled out, cooking is completed).