Recipes for Real People

Cucumber Salad Recipe

2012-01-04T16:57:00.000-06:00

I've never pretended to understand grocery store prices, especially prices in the produce department. Take yesterday. I was shopping for salad ingredients and came across cucumbers for 38 cents each. In January. In winter! Now, one might think that local cucumbers would be cheap during the growing season (in my part of the country that means summer) but I can't remember paying less than 78 cents apiece for cucumbers last summer, and that would have been a sale price. I blamed it on our extremely hot weather, but who knows. Never dreamed I'd be buying cucumbers in January for just 38 cents each.

These are U.S. cucumbers, so if you're a cucumber farmer in whatever state grows cucumbers in December and January, I congratulate you on (apparently) having a great crop. Now I can treat my husband to one of his favorite summer recipes, Cucumber Salad, in January.

Chris's Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Dill

2 to 3 cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 small onion (red or yellow) thinly sliced and divided into rings

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

freshly ground pepper to taste

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp dried dill weed (or 1 tsp fresh dill, snipped)

Scrub the cucumbers; peel if you prefer or leave the peel on. Slice very thin. Slice onion very thin and divide into rings. Whisk together sour cream, vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, and dill. Gently stir into cucumbers and onions in a bowl. Serve well chilled.

Need New Recipes for the New Year?

2011-12-27T11:23:00.000-06:00

Meal planning can be a challenge and it's certainly easy to fall into a rut. That's why this year I'm going back to E-Mealz. In fact, I bought a gift subscription to E-Mealz for my daughter-in-law for Christmas and she's very excited about being able to easily plan her meals, quickly prepare her meals (she works long hours), and to save money with the grocery list provided with her menus and recipes for the week.

I've mentioned E-Mealz before as I used the service for several months last year. Due to "life" circumstances, I stopped my subscription for awhile, but I'm very happy to have it back. Since it's a paid service (you'll save the price of the service multiple times over on groceries, though) I can't share specific recipes with you, but I'll just tell you that for dinner today I'm having something different that is a true comfort food recipe and sounds delicious. I don't expect that we'll be disappointed, either. In fact, we loved almost every e-Mealz meal we had last year. We lost weight, too, as I was using the low carb meals for two plan. I was happy to see that there's now a new whole foods menu plan now, too.

You can see sample menus and check out all the plans on the E-Mealz website. The link is an affiliate link, but you will benefit far more than I do if you sign up.

Have you tried E-Mealz? I'd love to know which plan you use and how you like it!

Wordless Wednesday: Green Beans and Red Potatoes Recipe on a Greeting Card

2011-12-07T08:19:00.012-06:00

Wordless Wednesday: Loco Moco Recipe on a Mug

2011-11-30T10:15:00.001-06:00

Chilly Weather Cheeseburger Chowder

2011-11-09T10:37:00.001-06:00

Found this recipe on my favorite email list, Recipe du Jour, submitted by a reader named Willie. There are lots of variations of Cheeseburger Chowder online, none of which I've tried before, but the timing was perfect the day I saw this version.

Cheeseburger Chowder, or any soup as far as I'm concerned, is perfect on a chilly day, and on the day I made this the colorful fall leaves were flying and it was definitely chilly, bordering on downright cold!

Willie's Chilly Weather Cheeseburger Chowder

2 lbs Ground Beef

1/2 cup celery chopped

1 green pepper chopped

1 onion chopped

4 cups potatoes, diced

3 beef bouillon cubes

3 cups Water

6 tablespoons flour

4 cups milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown beef in a large soup pot. Drain off grease and add potatoes,

green peppers, onions, celery, bouillon cubes and water. Bring to a

boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Whisk

flour into milk and then slowly mix into meat and veggies. Stir until

slightly thickened. Mix in cheese and stir until melted. Makes a nice, big pot of soup.

We added a bit of salt and pepper to taaste. Serve your Chilly Weather Cheeseburger Chowder with something soothing and cool, like our family's 5-Cup Salad. Yum!

P.S. Willie, I tried to email you to ask permission to use your recipe, but the email bounced!

Photo copyright Susan Deppner and Recipes for Real People, all rights reserved

Sausage Potato Soup: This Time With Cabbage

2011-10-27T11:04:00.001-05:00

Some time back I posted my Sausage Potato Soup recipe. It's a simple but tasty main dish soup, very quick and easy to prepare, perfect for the fall weather we've been having.

When I first posted the recipe I commented that next time I'd try adding some cabbage if I had any on hand. Well, a few days ago I made a pot of this yummy soup and I happened to have some coleslaw mix on hand, the green and red cabbage with carrot mixture in a package that's already shredded for you, and I remembered to add a couple of handfuls. As I suspected, the soup turned out even better with that extra cabbage flavor. It looked pretty, too, with a touch of purple cabbage and the shredded carrots adding a bit of color and leaving behind a touch of their sweet tastes as well.

Here's a picture that I remembered to take before the soup was gone. Makes me hungry all over again just looking at it!

I hope you'll try the Sausage Potato Soup recipe both ways and let me know which way you prefer it, with or without the cabbage. Enjoy it, whichever way you choose!

Susan's Chicken Sesame Salad

2011-10-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

Our family recently suffered a house fire in which we lost everything except our pets, our cars, and our lives. Yes, it's sad to lose family pictures and keepsakes, but we are thankful for the circumstances - we were home and able to get the pets out - and the blessings we've experienced as a result.

But I lost all my cookbooks! Thankfully (another blessing) many of our family recipes are here on this blog and easy to retrieve. And my mother pointed out that a few of my recipes were printed in our local Friends of the Library cookbook several years ago, a copy of which I had sent to her. Guess what. She just sent that copy back to me, so now I have one to start my new cookbook collection!

In the back of the book Mom had jotted down several of the recipe names that she liked. One of her notations said, "Susan's Salad." When I turned to the page number she had noted, indeed there was a recipe with my name on it, but it was one I hadn't made in years and barely recognized. I remember it, though, and know it was a good one. I'm going to make it again soon. Here's a copy of the recipe for you.

Susan's Chicken Sesame Salad

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces and chilled

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1 medium head lettuce, torn in pieces

3 green onions, cut in 1 1/2-inch strips

2 medium tomatoes, cut in thin wedges

2 Tablespoons toaasted sesame seed

Oil and vinegar dressing (below)

Sprinkle chicken with ginger. Toss gently with remaining ingredients. Serve.

Dressing:

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 Tablespoons vinegar

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Shake all ingredients in a tightly covered container.

I don't remember where this recipe came from the first time, but I won't forget where and how I got it back this time. If you make it, I hope you'll leave a comment and let me know how you like it!

Easy Soup Recipe: Sausage Potato Soup

2011-05-03T10:40:00.000-05:00

Looking for easy soup recipes? This has to be one of the easiest ever. I found it in a community cookbook and fixed it for the first time last week on one of those rainy, perfect-for-soup days. Here's my version of the recipe with (believe it or not) a little more detail than there was in the original.

Easy Sausage Potato Soup Recipe

potatoes - as many as you want (I used three or four)
onions - as many as you want (I used one)
a 1-pound roll of your favorite ground sausage
salt and pepper to taste

Scrub and roughly dice the potatoes (leave the peel on) and dice the onion. Place in a dutch oven. Add water to cover plus an inch or two more. Bring to a soft boil. Add pinches of the sausage to the soup. Let simmer until potatoes are done. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

That's all there is to it. I simmered mine for about an hour. Make more or less depending on your family size; the two of us ate this for two meals and it was quite delicious for being such a simple recipe. Next time I'll add some cabbage if I have some.

Really, it would be hard to find a soup recipe easier than this one. If you have one, include it in a comment below!

Aunt Nancy's Three-Bean Salad Recipe

2011-04-26T14:27:00.000-05:00

I've been looking for this recipe! Finally found it stuck inside my Betty Crocker cookbook. I'm almost positive I got this recipe from my Aunt Nancy many years ago. I'm definitely positive that I've had three-bean salad on my mind for a few weeks now. There's something about springtime that makes me hungry for beans prepared in this tangy vinegar marinade. I'm going to make these again very soon.

Aunt Nancy's Three-Bean Salad Recipe

1 16-ounce can red kidney beans
1 16-ounce can cut green beans
1 16-ounce can cut wax beans
1 can shoepeg corn (optional)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped green or red bell pepper

Marinade:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Drain beans and corn. Rinse well and drain again. Combine with onion and bell pepper in a large, non-metal bowl.
Stir together marinade ingredients in another container (I use a large glass measuring cup). Add to bean mixture; gently mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least eight hours. Stir and serve.

This is great picnic food, perfect with sandwiches made from your leftover Easter ham, and it makes a nice afternoon snack.

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Recipe for a Crowd

2011-04-01T09:00:00.022-05:00

Here's a recipe for large family gatherings. Invite the whole gang over and tell them to bring their friends!

Elephant Soup

1 medium elephant

brown gravy, enough to cover the elephant

2 whole rabbits (optional)

Cut elephant into bite-size pieces. This will take about two months. Add brown gravy to cover elephant meat; about 40 barrels will probably do the job. (Recruit as many able-bodied men as possible to help with this task.) Cook elephant about 4 weeks at 450 degrees. This recipe should feed about 3800 people. If more people should come for dinner, just add the rabbits. Do this only if necessary, though, for most people don't care for "hare" in their soup.

That's all there is to it!

P.S. Happy April Fool's Day!

Potato Candy

2011-03-31T07:04:00.047-05:00

Potato candy is something I don't make very often, but my boys love it when I do. One son requested it some time back, so I might just have to make a batch to take to him on our next visit to his house.

Stephen's Potato Candy

1 small potato
1 pound confectioners sugar (approx.)
peanut butter

Cook the unpeeled potato until tender. Peel then mash the potato in a large bowl. Mix the sugar into the potato. Keep adding sugar until the mixture is well blended and forms a ball. Sprinkle a long sheet of waxed paper with confectioners sugar. Sprinkle the ball of candy with confectioners sugar then use a rolling pin to roll the candy into a rectangle. Spread the rectangle with peanut butter then roll up like a jelly roll. Chill, then cut into slices and store in an airtight container, or leave in a roll and slice as you go.

A little potato goes a long way in this recipe. It tastes a lot better than it may sound. Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

Five Cup Salad

2011-03-29T08:11:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for an easy fruit salad recipe, well this one just couldn't be any easier. We've always called it Five Cup Salad, but in our family's recipe book it's written up as Sour Cream Fruit Salad. It would be a nice addition to an Easter menu, but it works well anytime since it goes together so quickly.

Our Family's 5 Cup Salad

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 can crushed pineapple or fruit cocktail (or both), drained

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup sour cream

Gently stir together all the ingredients in a bowl. Chill a few hours or overnight before serving. Serves 8.

I often serve this nice, cool fruit salad with chili, but it works equally well with a fancier meal. Enjoy!

Recipe for Pie Crust

2011-03-18T16:04:00.000-05:00

Looking for a simple recipe for pie crust? If you're afraid to make a pie crust from scratch, stop worrying and, instead, try this one:

My Recipe for Pie Crust

2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup shortening
4 to 5 Tbsp ice water
Wax paper and freezer wrap (Tip: Make one for now and freeze one for later)

Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until mixture become crumbly. Add ice water, 1 T at a time. After each addition, toss with a fork. Push moistened ingredients to the side so that you just add the ice water to the dry ingredients. Continue adding the ice water 1 T at a time until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Dough should be just moist enough to hold together, not sticky.

Divide dough in half and roll each half into a ball. To save until later, wrap each ball with wax paper then wrap tightly in freezer wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to use bring to room temperature and roll out as desired.

This is a great pie crust to have ready and waiting in the freezer for the next time you want a wonderful, fresh, homemade from scratch pie. It's much cheaper than buying frozen pie crusts from the grocery store, too. Try it and let me know how you like it!

Where I Get Easy Low Carb Recipes

2011-03-02T14:34:00.000-06:00

We're not on a diet at my house, but I have been trying to serve more low carb menus just for our general health and to try to keep from gaining weight, an uphill struggle at my age. If you have similar concerns, let me share with you my source for easy low carb recipes.

A few months ago I joined an online subscription menu service called e-mealz. It's $5 a month, so very affordable, and if I follow their weekly menu plans I easily save that much or more in groceries, so it's well worth the price for me. The part that I love about it is that e-mealz offers multiple menu plans, depending on the size of your family and any special diet needs or desires (i.e. gluten free, vegetarian, points system). In my case, I chose to subscribe to the Low Carb Meals for 2 plan - and I love it!

All the weekly meal plans include a grocery list and, in fact, for most of the plans you can choose a version that uses foods specifically from the grocery store where you shop (several store choices are available, including Wal-Mart).

The terms of the program say that I'm not allowed to share the recipes with you, and that's only fair, but I will mention the name of a few of the easy low carb recipes that I've prepared from the plan in the last couple of weeks. Today, for instance, we had a fabulous Mandarin Chicken Salad. Earlier this week I fell in love with Crustless Mexican Spinach Quiche with Corn Pepper Relish. Last week's low carb menu plan for two included a Mexican Casserole and this week's plan that I just printed includes a One-Pot Pork and Pear Bake that sounds awesome. I can't wait to try it!

If you're looking for meal plans that include low carb recipes, I'd highly recommend that you check out e-mealz. If you have other dietary needs, or if you're just looking for a great weekly online menu service that will help you save money on your grocery bill, check it out. They have sample menus available for each of the plans so you can choose the one that suits your family the best. I've been happy with my first choice so I can't personally vouch for any of the other recipes or menus, but I can tell you that we've been eating some mighty good, healthy, low carb meals around our house for the last few months and I plan on using the service even more exclusively in the future.

For full disclosure, if you click on a link and end up subscribing to one of the e-mealz online recipe plans I will receive credit for your purchase, but that won't affect the cost of your subscription in any way. It's free to check it out, so why not click here and give one of their sample easy low carb menus, or another menu plan, a try. I'd love to know if you like it as much as I do!

Susan's Navy Bean Soup Recipe

2011-02-17T12:25:00.001-06:00

This is my navy bean soup recipe, one I don't fix nearly often enough. This soup is a good way to use a leftover ham bone from Christmas or Easter dinner. Or make it without meat; it's great either way and it's good for you, too!

Navy Bean Soup

2 cups navy beans or other small white beans

6 cups water to start, add more later

1 meaty ham bone or leftover ham OR 2 tsp instant chicken bouillon

1 small to medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 rib celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 potato, diced (I leave the skin on)

a clove of garlic, minced, or a generous shake of garic powder

1/2 tsp pepper or to taste

salt to taste

Wash and sort the beans. Cover beans with water in a dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then boil for two minutes; cover and remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for one hour. Add the remaining ingredients and up to 6 cups more water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer two or three hours until beans are tender. Remove the ham bone, cut off ham pieces and add back in to the soup. Optional: Use a potato masher to gently mash some of the beans. This makes the broth a bit thicker and more flavorful. Makes about 10 servings.

At our house you can't have bean soup without cornbread, so pick up one of the little box mixes or, better yet, a package of corn meal and make your own using the recipe on the box. It's easy and, as you know, homemade is always better!

P.S. Click on the picture above or here to see this recipe on a note card.

Kindle Recipes for Holiday Baking

2010-12-18T13:59:00.001-06:00

For those of you who love to read more than you love to bake, but want something special to create in the kitchen this holiday season, here's a must-have to add to your library. The Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking 2010 Special Issue is available exclusively in the Kindle store. It's also the latest addition to my personal Kindle library and I'm so excited.

This book (really a magazine) is an entertaining read that makes my heart race and my stomach growl. The recipes and accompanying articles are precise, but not at all stuffy. It's a perfect choice for someone like me, a reader first and a cook second, especially when I want to reverse that preference and create a guaranteed masterpiece in the kitchen. I absolutely love their style even though (and maybe especially because) I'm a pretty laid-back, casual cook who needs specific, and prefers simple, directions when it comes to baking.

This special holiday baking issue contains over 30 recipes, each with the background of its creation (the interesting and informative read) and a guarantee that each recipe will work. I've chosen Date-Nut Bread as the first recipe I'm going to try, and Red Velvet Cake likely will be the second. Or maybe it'll be Blueberry Struesel Muffins since I probably have all those ingredients on hand (I haven't read about that recipe yet).

If you're looking for a new, perfect recipe for cookies, tarts, pies, cakes, or other baked goods, give this book a try. Currently, it's less than five dollars in the Kindle store, quite a bargain and definitely a good investment. This would also make a wonderful gift for a reader who also loves to bake, especially since it's so much fun to read.

Remember that you can gift any Kindle ebook to anyone who has an email address. They (or you) don't even have to have a Kindle to read it. Learn more about all of the free Kindle reading apps right here.

If you choose Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking, please come back later and let me know how you liked it and which recipes you tried. I'd love to hear about your favorite!

P.S. For more e-cookbook recommendations, check out Cooking With Kindle.

Cooking With Kindle, Part 2

2010-12-11T09:22:00.000-06:00

'Way back in March 2009, I wrote a post about Cooking with Kindle where I talked about one particular cookbook that I had on my Kindle ebook reader. Since that time, there have been some major advances and it's definitely time for me to post an update.

First, the selection of cookbooks for Kindle has increased from hundreds to multiple thousands, including Kindle versions of many traditional-version bestselling cookbooks. Also, many public domain cookbooks have been converted to ebook format and can be found in the Kindle store for free or very cheap. Additionally, there are now free reading apps so that you don't even have to own a Kindle to read Kindle books, including cookbooks!

Secondarily, though of note to "real" cooks who sometimes get a little messy while they're working in the kitchen, there are also waterproof and splashproof covers for Kindle, a handy accessory for those of us who use Kindle cookbooks.

I've actually constructed an entire page online called Cookbooks for Kindle where I detail the information above, and more. If you're interested in trying recipes on Kindle, I'd encourage you to do so by checking out that page first. If you're in a hurry and would like just one Kindle cookbook recommendation, I'd suggest Julia's Kitchen Wisdom. It's a staple that should be in every cook's kitchen and translates very well to the ebook edition. Check it out and let me know how you like it.

Do you cook with Kindle? I'd love a recommendation of your favorite e-cookbook. Let us know in a comment below!

Loaded Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

2010-11-08T16:28:00.000-06:00

We love pumpkin cookies around our house and I have a few recipes, but this one has become my favorite. The batch I baked today turned out perfectly and really hit the spot. I'm not going to claim that they're totally healthy, but oatmeal, pumpkin, nuts, raisins, and even the chocolate chips all have at least some nutritionally-redeeming value. Feel free to substitute or mix and match the add-ins depending on your family's preferences. A handful of coconut would go well, too, I think.

Loaded Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup oats (quick or old fashioned)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

In a large bowl, cream butter. Add granulated and brown sugars gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Alternately add flour mixture and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips, nuts, and raisins.

Lightly grease cookie sheets. Drop dough by tablespoons onto cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 13 to 15 minutes or until just brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes before removing from the cookie sheets. Store covered. Makes four dozen very delicious cookies.

Cookie baking tip: Even though it takes slightly longer overall, my cookies turn out much better if I bake just one cooke sheet-ful at a time. It's much easier to do it that way than to rotate cookie sheets halfway through the baking time, which also makes the oven lose heat. So, put the first sheet in and let the cookies bake. When they're ready, remove them from the oven and put the cookie sheet on a cooling rack, then put the second sheet of dough in. After five or six minutes the baked cookies are cool enough for the cookie jar and the cookie sheet is cool enough to wipe off and use for the next batch, which you'll have ready to bake when the second batch is done. Simple and efficient, especially for a small kitchen.

Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles Recipe

2010-10-05T15:45:00.001-05:00

There's a chill in the air and, finally, fall is actually here. Time for warm, hearty, comfort food. This crockpot stew beef and noodles recipe is one of my husband's absolute favorites any time of year, but especially when it's chilly outside. In fact, I have some in my slow cooker that I'm smelling right now, almost ready to dish out and put on the table.

Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles

1 small onion, sliced in slivers
1 package stew beef (or lean beef cut into small cubes) about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
garlic powder and pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 to 1/2 cup sour cream
noodles

Put the onion and beef in the slow cooker. Add garlic powder and pepper to taste. Top with the cream of mushroom soup (undiluted). Stir together just enough to separate the pieces of beef. Cover and cook on low for about four hours. When done, stir well then stir in the sour cream. Serve over prepared egg noodles.

I fix this recipe in a small (4 quart) slow cooker for the two of us. For a larger family, double or even triple the recipe and use a larger slow cooker. Cooking time may vary depending on the age of your slow cooker; older models cook at lower heat and will take longer.

I was looking at Amazon.com to find the model closest to my 4-quart slow cooker and found something new that I hadn't seen before and absolutely love. It's a Hamilton Beach 3 in one slow cooker with three different sizes of crocks, 2, 4, and 6 quart. Love it! Added it to my wish list, too. Take a look and leave a comment to let me know what you think. Would you use a slow cooker with three sizes of crocks or would you rather have a couple of cookers of different sizes?

Chicken Noodle Casserole - Comfort Food Any Time of the Year

2010-07-28T19:10:00.000-05:00

It's July and we're having our typical mid-south hot weather. Temps in the low 100's are the norm. Yesterday, though, there must have been a cloud because we only got up to 98. Time for some comfort food!

While I usually serve a lot of salads and hot-weather dishes this time of year, there comes a time when only comfort food will do. Besides, I was running out of groceries and didn't want to make a trip to the store. Here's what I decided to do with the one frozen chicken breast half that was in my freezer and the staples that were in my pantry.

Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole with Broccoli

1 chicken breast half, thawed
8 to 12 ounces of noodles, uncooked
frozen chopped broccoli, thawed (or cook in the microwave until almost done)
1 can cream of chicken, mushroom, or celery soup
1 cup milk
pepper to taste
bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until done. Remove the chicken, but save the water in the pan. Add enough water, if needed, to cook the noodles and bring it to a boil while you dice the cooked chicken. When the water comes to a boil, add the noodles and cook as directed on the package. When done, drain the noodles in a colander then return to the warm saucepan. Stir the diced chicken, thawed broccoli, cream soup of your choice, milk, and pepper into the noodles in the saucepan. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish that you've sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Top with a sprinkling of bread crumbs (I used the Italian-seasoned variety) and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve.

Feel free to adjust the amounts if you need more. One chicken breast half actually goes a long way in a casserole. I use frozen broccoli from a large bag; use as much or as little as you like, but the more broccoli, the healthier the result. If you use more noodles, use two cans of soup and two cups of milk.

Now, don't you feel comforted?

Kids' Favorite Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2010-07-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

You may have guessed that the two little guys in the picture on the right, "My Favorite Helpers," are my two sons. That picture was taken many years ago as #2 son watched #1 son prepare a batch of their favorite chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies.

Recently my daughter-in-law, wife of #1 son, commented on the picture and told me that, unfortunately, #1 no longer bakes cookies and rarely, in fact, gets involved in the kitchen. (I do remember a report from said daughter-in-law about a meal that #1 surprised her with some months ago using a new recipe - after he had inquired of a friend, "What's a saucepan?" But I digress.)

These easy but chewy and delicious cookies are still a favorite, no matter who does the baking. Here's the recipe.

Kids' Favorite Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Let butter or margarine soften at room temperature for about 30 minutes before starting the cookies. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter. Add egg, flour, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and baking soda. Beat on medium speed until well mixed. With a spoon, stir in oats and chocolate chips. Use a teaspoon to drop dough about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until brown. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Makes three dozen or a little more.

P.S. Cooking with your kids is very educational (think math), but you don't have to tell them that! Always supervise children closely in the kitchen, especially when working with knives, electrical appliances such as mixers, or around the stove.

Healthy Taco Salad Recipe

2010-07-20T08:22:00.005-05:00

If you've been searching through taco salad recipes to find one that might be more on the healthy end of the scale, you might like this idea.

For years, I've made taco salad using ground beef seasoned with the taco seasoning packets that are so easy and convenient to pick up at the grocery store. But the packets often contain chemicals and additives and I'm really trying to avoid those things in our diet. For a while I made my own taco seasoning mix, but I was never really happy with the end result. Recently, I ran across a recipe from my friend Carmel, the wellness coach. Instead of using seasoning, she simply added salsa to season the meat. That method sounded worthy of a try, so try I did and now I can't believe I didn't think of it myself. It's perfect! Now it's my method and my recipe of choice for making a very flavorful and healthy taco salad.

Another substitution I've made is to use leafy green lettuce instead of the traditional shredded iceberg lettuce. Again, not only is the resulting taco salad much more flavorful, we get nutrients that we definitely were missing before. And the salad looks absolutely gorgeous and tastes great.

Healthy Taco Salad

Ingredients:

lean ground chuck or ground sirloin, about 1/4 pound or less per person
chunky salsa from a jar or (better yet) homemade
leafy green lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into pieces
shredded Mexican blend cheese
tomato, chopped
black olives, sliced (the texture and taste are much better if you buy them whole and slice them yourself)
avocado, diced (see how to dice an avocado here)
reduced fat sour cream
jalapeno slices

Brown the ground beef and, if necessary, drain the fat. Add chunky salsa to taste (maybe one cup per pound of meat) and heat through. Arrange the lettuce on serving plates. Top with the ground beef mixture and some shredded cheese. Arrange tomatoes, olives, and avocado on the salad. Top it all off with a dab of sour cream then crown with a few jalapeno slices. Serve and enjoy!

Of course you can substitute ingredients or add beans for additional fiber and flavor. Amounts of each ingredient are up to you, but go easy on the meat and dairy and heavier on the vegetables and fruits to make your family's taco salad a healthy meal choice.

P.S. Click to buy this recipe on a note card (pictured above). Look for matching stamps and more recipe greeting cards in The Green-Eyed Cat Gift Shop.

How to Skin Chicken

2010-06-09T17:11:00.003-05:00

If you're wondering how to skin chicken the easy way, here's the answer in two words: paper towel. I learned from a friend years ago that it's easy to pull skin off a piece of raw chicken if, instead of using bare fingers, you grasp the skin with a paper towel and pull. Wow, that makes it so much easier!

This is one of those priceless tips that I might not have discovered on my own. I'm still glad my friend shared it with me, so now I'm sharing it with you.

Here's a quick demonstration, courtesy of Good Housekeeping.

Crunchy Sweet Snack Mix Recipe

2010-04-25T16:31:00.007-05:00

I was looking through some pictures on my computer this morning and ran across some yummy-looking photos of the Crunchy Sweet Snack Mix I made back around Christmas time last year.

This recipe would be great for a party or for the kids any time of year. I'm really glad I found the pictures as well as located the recipe that goes with them. Now I can't wait to make it again!

Crunchy Sweet Snack Mix

1 12-ounce box crispy corn and rice cereal
5 ounces slivered almonds
6 ounces chopped pecans, toasted
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 1/2 cups brown sugar

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spray a large roasting pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, mix cereal, almonds, and pecans. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in corn syrup and brown sugar. Pour this mixture over the cereal/nuts mixture. Stir thoroughly to coat the cereal and nuts, then pour snack mix into the roasting pan.

Bake one hour, stirring about every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and spread on wax paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

P.S. I liked the pictures so much, I used one of them to make a recipe note card to add to the series of recipe cards in my Zazzle store. You'll find the entire set in the Recipes category at The Green-Eyed Cat gift shop.

How To Cook BBQ Ribs

2010-04-08T16:26:00.003-05:00

There are 1.74 million BBQ rib recipes online (I'm not exaggerating), but mine is the best BBQ rib recipe. How do I know? Because my husband loves these!

I use meaty country-style pork ribs which I usually buy on sale, although they're pretty reasonably priced most of the time. For the two of us I use one package, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds. If you're cooking for a bigger family, just buy more and use a bigger pan.

Start by placing the ribs in a roasting pan (I use a small Granite Ware roaster) in a single layer if possible (just don't pile them up too much). Cover the pan, then place in a 200 degree oven and bake for about two hours or until the ribs are nice and tender.

When the ribs are nice and done, remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully drain off the liquid. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. While the oven is heating, pour a generous amount of your favorite BBQ sauce over the ribs. Recently I've been using KC Masterpiece Honey Barbecue Sauce because it's nice and thick and we love the flavor.

Leave the roasting pan uncovered and return the ribs and sauce to the oven. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce is good and hot and has "glazed" the ribs. If you prefer, this step can be done on the grill. Just place the cooked ribs on the hot grill and baste with the BBQ sauce.

Serve with your choice of side dishes. Potato salad or coleslaw and baked beans or corn on the cob are great choices.

Try these oven-baked BBQ ribs and let me know if you agree with my husband that this is the best BBQ rib recipe around. I know you'll agree that it's the easiest. Enjoy!

Tim's Zesty Sausage and Beans

2010-01-19T15:39:00.003-06:00

I'm really not sure where this recipe originated, but I provided it for my mom to include in a family cookbook that she put together several years ago. She wanted everyone in the family represented, so she put my #2 son's name on it. This will be supper tonight.

Tim's Zesty Sausage and Beans

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 16-ounce jar thick and chunky salsa
1 15 1/2-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained

Combine all in a large skillet. Bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes (or until hot). Serve over rice. Top with sour cream.

Now, it just doesn't get any better or any easier than that, a three-ingredient comfort food recipe!

Brownie Mint Pie

2009-10-13T11:12:00.004-05:00

This recipe is from today's issue of "Dessert Du Jour," the dessert version of the daily recipe newsletters from the Recipe du Jour family. I've subscribed to to these newsletters for years and always enjoy reading what's up with Rich and Tim, the editors. Rich lives in Virginia Beach, where I used to live, and Tim lives near Lake Gaston, not far away. I love it when they write about their boyhood friendship in Norfolk, Virginia, and about their lives today. Makes me feel like I'm back home again.

Oh, and the recipes. Tried and true, real-people style recipes. The kind of recipes I love and you probably do, too, since you're visiting this blog.

Back to today's recipe. It's called Brownie Mint Pie. I had to laugh when I got to the last line, "nutritional info not available." There are some things you just don't want to know.

Brownie Mint Pie

1 (4.6-ounce) package chocolate mints (such as Andes)
1 (15.8-ounce) package brownie mix
1 unbaked (9-inch) deep-dish frozen pastry shell
Vanilla ice cream
Hot fudge topping

Chop chocolate mints; set aside 3 tablespoons. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, stirring remaining chopped mints into brownie batter. Pour into pastry shell.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until done; cool slightly. Serve with ice cream, hot fudge topping, and 3 tablespoons chopped mints. Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie.

(nutritional info not available)

If you enjoy good conversation with your home-cooked meals, subscribe to the free daily recipes from Recipe du Jour. Then, when you become hooked like I am, consider supporting Rich and Tim's efforts with a donation.

Pork Shish-Kebab Recipe for the Grill

2009-07-26T15:57:00.007-05:00

"Shish kebab" literally means "skewered grilled meat" in Turkish. The "shish" part refers to the skewer; the kebab part refers to the grilled or broiled meat. There are dozens of variations of kebabs (sometimes spelled kebap, kabab, kebob, kabob, kibob, kebhav, or kephav), but the one I want to tell you about is the pork shish kebab we grilled at our house last night.

It all started with the fresh pineapples that we saw when we went shopping the day before. Feeling in a rather tropical mood, we decided to buy one. Wanting something a bit different for dinner, we decided we'd use part of the pineapple alongside some pork and some good, fresh veggies and fix kebabs.

You don't need a formal recipe for shish kebabs, but here's how I fixed ours.

Grilled Pork Shish Kebab

Teriyaki sauce (I used a bottle of the store brand which was excellent)
One small sirloin end pork roast (ours was about 1.3 pounds)
Fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
Red bell pepper, cut into chunks
Zucchini, washed, ends trimmed, cut into chunks
Green onions, cut into 3 to 4-inch pieces
Four metal skewers

Using a large knife, carefully cut the pork roast into chunks about 2 x 2 inches in size. Put the chunks in a non-metal bowl and pour teriyaki sauce over top. Cover the pork and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or two. (I didn't completely cover the pork with the teriyaki sauce, so I turned the pork pieces over about halfway through the marinating time.)

Carefully thread the meat, pineapple, and vegetables onto the skewers while you're preheating the grill. When the grill is ready, place the kebabs on the rack. Cover and grill for about five minutes, then turn the kebabs over and grill for another five minutes or so or until the meat is done. Carefully remove the shish-kebabs to a platter. Serve over a bed of your favorite rice.

The picture above shows our kebabs just before they went on the grill. I intended to take a picture of the finished product, but we were hungry and ate them right away. They looked even prettier when they were cooked! Of course you can substitute chicken or beef for the pork and choose your own combination of fresh vegetables, but do take the little bit of extra time to prepare shish-kebabs for your family. They're fun, they're pretty, and they taste fantastic!

UPDATED: I made them again and I took yummy pictures! Click here for shish kabob pictures, recipe variations, skewer recommendations, and more.

Cooking with Kindle

2009-03-15T11:06:00.005-05:00

Got Kindle? I'm referring to the Kindle wireless reader from Amazon.com. If you watch Oprah, you might have seen hers when she unveiled it as her new favorite gadget back in October. Well, I have one and I agree that it's my favorite gadget as well. I love my Kindle!

So, what does a wireless ebook reader have to do with cooking? How about a cookbook, in fact a cookbook library, for Kindle? How about getting it free? You might be familiar with Cook's Illustrated magazine or its related show, America's Test Kitchen. Each issue of the magazine features best ways to prepare favorite American dishes, best (and worst) cooking equipment, best brands, and best cooking techniques. What the magazine doesn't have is advertising, so you get your money's worth on every page of each bimonthly issue.

Now, for Kindle, there's Cook's Illustrated How-to-Cook Library: An illustrated step-by-step guide to Foolproof Cooking. Long title, also a very long cookbook. I got it for my Kindle because it's being offered free, and I'm very glad I did. (Note that the Amazon.com page says it's available for preorder. I preordered mine on February 14 and got my download a few days ago. Also note that I don't know how long this cookbook will be offered free of charge.) The cookbook translates very well to the wireless format. Even the line illustrations come across well and are quite helpful in demonstrating the techniques that are taught along with the recipes.

I'm loving this cookbook! How does "Spinach and Avocado Salad with Chili-Flavored Chicken" sound? That's the first recipe I plan to try, and I'm sure it won't be the last. I'll try and remember to take a picture of it and post it here later.

I'm far from a techie wizard, though my geek side does seem to be showing some lately, but incorporating ebook technology in my kitchen is something I'm very happy to do if it provides me with an awesome collection of great recipes. Off to go buy spinach and avocados. Happy cooking!

My Recipe Lensography

2009-03-01T09:43:00.003-06:00

Whoops. If you're not familiar with Squidoo, you might be wondering, What in the world is a lensography? The pages that we make on Squidoo are called lenses and sometimes, to organize our lenses by topic, we make another lens to list them all and call it a lensography. Make sense?

Since I make recipe lenses on Squidoo (among other topics) I recently created a recipe lensography, gathering all of my recipe lenses on one page. Additionally, I included a plexo, a section where other lensmasters on Squidoo can add their recipe lenses. Already I have a huge collection of some of the best recipes from real people on Squidoo!

If it seems like I'm writing in a foreign language, that's okay. Don't worry about the terminology, just think "new recipes." I hope you'll check them out soon.

Fanny's Hearty Reuben Bake

2008-11-06T12:37:00.004-06:00

Need something different for dinner? Here's a good choice, another one of our favorites, one I don't fix often enough. Let me give you the recipe, then I'll tell you where it came from.

Hearty Reuben Bake

1 c. Bisquick
1/4 c. water
2 pkg. corned beef (see note 1)
8 oz. sauerkraut, drained
1/2 c. Thousand Island dressing
2 c. shredded Swiss cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch pan. Combine Bisquick and water until soft dough forms. Beat vigorously for 20 strokes. Pat in pan with floured hands. Arrange corned beef slices evenly over dough. Mix sauerkraut and dressing. Spoon over corned beef. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes. Garnish with dill pickles. Serves 4. (See note 2.)

Note 1: Use the little 2 ounce packages of pressed, dried corned beef from the packaged deli meats section.

Note 2: The original recipe says it serves six. I changed it to say four. In reality, my husband and I rarely have any leftovers when I serve this for dinner for just the two of us, so plan accordingly.

I believe this recipe came from Bisquick as I have seen it elsewhere online, but I got it years ago from a recipe book that my mom's bowling league put together. You know how projects like that go. Everyone's supposed to contribute several recipes, but it's usually just a few people who have to take up the slack and end up contributing a boatload of their own recipes to make the cookbook nice and "meaty." That was the case with this cookbook and, rather than having the same contributors' names appearing over and over again, those few hard workers who made the book gave some of the heavy contributors names like Franny Five-Pin, Tillie Ten-Pin, and Fannie Frame, whose name went on this recipe. Thus, Fannie's Hearty Reuben Bake!

Easy Eggplant Parmesan

2008-08-31T13:46:00.004-05:00

I don't remember when I first got past the odd name "eggplant" and started eating Eggplant Parmesan (or is it parmigiana?), but I'm certainly glad I did. If you love Italian food and haven't tried this delightful dish, it's time for you to find some of this lovely purple fruit (yes, it's a fruit, cooked like a vegetable) and give this easy recipe a try. Actually, I don't use a written recipe, but I'm going to type this out just like I make it, and I promise that it's simple and probably quicker to make than it's going to sound.

Susan's Eggplant Parmesan

1 medium-sized eggplant
1 egg
Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
cooking oil (olive oil if you're careful, corn or canola oil if you tend to burn things)
1 can Hunt's spaghetti sauce
8 ounces sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese
grated parmesan cheese

Wash the eggplant, cut off the ends then slice into about half-inch thick slices. Crack the egg into a bowl big enough to fit an eggplant slice; beat the egg with about a teaspoonful of water. Pour some of the breadcrumbs into another similar bowl. Begin to carefully heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip an eggplant slice into the egg and coat, then follow with a nice dip into the breadcrumbs (I use tongs to do this). Move the coated eggplant to the skillet and brown. (I prefer to use olive oil, but just watch and make sure it doesn't get too hot. You want it browned, not burned.) Repeat with more eggplant slices, enough to fit the skillet. Brown for a few minutes on one side, then turn and brown on the other side. When nice and golden and the eggplant has softened, remove to a paper towel. Repeat, adding oil as needed, until all the eggplant is browned.

Next is the casserole step. Pour about a quarter of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish. Top with a single layer of the browned eggplant. Pour a little more of the spaghetti sauce over top. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese followed by a good shake of parmesan. Repeat, making three or four layers, depending on how much eggplant you have. End with plenty of cheese.

Cover the casserole with aluminum foil then bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, longer if the casserole is bigger. I bake until it smells done and looks nice and bubbly. Let cool for about five minutes then cut into serving-size portions, serve and enjoy.

Certainly you can double this recipe, just use a bigger casserole dish. I don't know how "official" this recipe is, but I can promise you that it's very, very good. In fact, I just might have to fix this for dinner tonight. If you make it, please come back and let me know you liked it!

All-American Italian Pasta Salad

2008-05-23T16:10:00.006-05:00

This is Memorial Day weekend and it seems fitting to serve good ol' American home cooking, so at our house we're going to start off the weekend with Italian Pasta Salad, made in my good ol' American kitchen.

Here's my recipe.

All-American Italian Pasta Salad

16 ounces rotini pasta
8 ounces mozarella cheese chunk, cut into small cubes
4 ounce can sliced black olives, drained
2 small zucchini, cut into chunks
1 package pepperoni; cut slices in half if they're big
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 bottle of your favorite Italian-style dressing

Cook the pasta as package directs. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain well. Combine all the ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. Add about three-quarters of the bottle of dressing and stir well. Cover the bowl and chill for at least a couple of hours for flavors to blend. Before serving, add the remainder of the dressing and toss. (The pasta tends to absorb the dressing, so it's nice to save that last little bit for serving time.) Makes a nice, main dish pasta salad. Serve with garlic bread.

During this Memorial Day holiday weekend, don't forget to fly the flag to honor those who have died in service to our country. If you need to review a little history to remember what Memorial Day is supposed to be all about, I would suggest this page from history.com.

Have a wonderful red, white, and blue weekend!

Do Not Adjust Your Set, or When to Serve Jell-O by Candlelight

2008-05-12T17:19:00.003-05:00

I was hungry for fruity Jell-O the other day and found fruit cocktail on sale while shopping at the local grocery store. I happily grabbed a couple of cans, looking forward to soothing my craving, then headed to the gelatin aisle.

Now, fruit cocktail just screams “red Jell-O” to me, and that was going to be my dilemma, deciding from among the various red flavors. Would I choose cherry, the perennial favorite, or would raspberry win out? And what about the strawberry, or even the cranberry if it were in stock this time of year? I rounded the corner of the gelatin aisle and, lo and behold, what did I see but a sale sign. Sales are good and their accompanying signs always catch my eye. This one was no different but, interestingly, there was only one sign and it was below the lime Jell-O, the only flavor on sale. Well, now I had a dilemma. It’s pears that scream “green Jell-O,” but I had chosen the fruit cocktail. Do I mix and match instead of color coordinate, or do I return to the canned fruit aisle and pick up pears? Was the sixteen-cent markdown on the green Jell-O enough to justify going against tradition and altering my usual fruit/Jell-O pairings? Not surprisingly, the sales won out and fruit cocktail with green Jell-O it would be.

This afternoon, as I began to prepare the fruity Jell-O to accompany the chicken and noodle casserole for dinner tonight, I opened the cans and knew even before I added the boiling water to the gelatin that I had a mis-match situation on my hands, but the decision had been made, the cans were open, and my anxious taste buds (which don’t have eyes) had made up my mind to go for it.

It’s the little cubes of orange peaches that clash the most, I think, but I know that even though it’s going to look a bit unusual, even teetering on the edge of unappetizing, my Jell-O fruit salad is going to taste just fine. I think we will dine late tonight, and by candlelight.

Snacks for Cub Scouts (and other kids)

2008-04-04T13:39:00.006-05:00

When my younger son was Cub Scout age, I was the den mother for his little den of Cubs. In one of my cookbooks is a piece of paper that I obviously copied for the boys, labeled "Easy Snacks for Healthy Cub Scouts." Here are a couple of the recipes that I included.

Snack on a Handle

Spear cheese cubes, meat, or fruit (pineapple, grapes, strawberries) on straight pretzels.

Apple Pinwheel

Core an apple. Stuff the opening with peanut butter, cream cheese, or cheese spread. Chill. To serve, clice crosswise.

Both of those still sound really good. The apple pinwheels would require a lot of adult help for little guys, but the snacks on pretzel handles would be a great "recipe" to use to show children how to prepare a nice plate of snacks for family or friends - or maybe for a Blue and Gold banquet!

Here's a book I found from Family Fun Magazine that's inexpensive and full of terrific snack ideas for kids of Cub Scout age. I like the Apple S'Mores recipe. Click to take a look inside the book, to get a "taste" of the recipes inside!

The Best Easy Banana Pudding Recipe

2008-03-25T11:38:00.004-05:00

I love banana pudding. Mmmm. Made some for Easter dessert and it's almost gone. I may just have to make another batch! Here's the recipe. It really is easy quick and easy, and the result is absolutely delicious!

My Best Easy Banana Pudding Recipe

2 boxes Jello vanilla instant pudding
3 cups cold milk
3 bananas
about half a box of vanilla wafers
1 carton Cool Whip

In a mixing bowl, prepare pudding by whisking the pudding mixes into the milk. Peel and slice the bananas and stir into the pudding. Gently fold in about half of the carton of Cool Whip. Cover the bottom of a pretty glass serving bowl with the vanilla wafers and stand a few wafers upright around the edges (so they show from the outside). Pour in about a quarter of the pudding mixture. Add another layer of vanilla wafers and stand a few up around the edges. Pour in about half of the remaining pudding and repeat a layer of vanilla wafers. Pour in the rest of the pudding, add some vanilla wafers around the edges and then top with the remaining Cool Whip. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably a few hours or overnight. Serve.

This is so very creamy and rivals homemade banana pudding. You can substitute the cooked version of the pudding if you prefer; just cool a bit before adding the bananas and the Cool Whip. You could also use a pie crust of your choice (graham cracker or a regular baked pie crust), leave out the vanilla wafers and make an easy banana cream pie instead.

Let me know how you like it!

Spring Ahead to Easter

2008-03-08T16:13:00.004-06:00

Seems like we just had Leap Day, now tonight we "spring ahead" for an extra-early daylight saving time. Easter is sneaking up on us quickly, too, so it's time to mention my Pink Pickled Eggs recipe again. Have you tried it? If you or your kids can't get past the "pickled" part of the name, call these gorgeous pinkish-purple eggs something else, like Real Pretty Pink Easter Eggs That Taste Good, because they are!

Have you planned your Easter menu yet? Will you have Easter brunch or a big Easter dinner? If the thought of planning makes you want to tear your hair out, you probably could use this guide to A Stress Free Easter Holiday. Lucky for you (and me) it's an e-book, instantly downloadable, and, as one of those cute little marshmallow peeps might say if it could talk, it's "cheep!"

And, if you need a special activity to help your children understand the importance of Easter, consider making Resurrection Cookies with them the night before Easter Sunday. It's a great way to teach them why Easter is really cool, and the cookies are good, too.

Easy Crockpot Stuffed Peppers Mexican Style

2008-02-15T08:45:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, so I wanted to have something red for our dinner. Turns out my favorite grocery store had red bell peppers on sale, two for a dollar, and that is what I chose. I needed to fix something that would be ready when my sweetie got home, and his schedule is very unpredictable these days, so I chose to stuff the peppers and prepare them in my handy-dandy slow cooker. Here's what I did.

Easy Crockpot Stuffed Peppers Mexican Style

two red (or green or yellow) bell peppers
about a pound of lean ground beef
about half of a medium onion, diced
about a cup of frozen cut corn, thawed (or use a can of Mexicorn, drained)
one can enchilada sauce

Wash the peppers and cut them in half; remove seeds and the white membranes. Mix the ground beef, onion, and corn together. Use the mixture to stuff the peppers, then place in the crockpot or slow cooker, setting them upright. Pour the can of enchilada sauce over the peppers. Cover and cook until done. I have a small slow cooker, so I let them cook for about three hours on high then reduced the temperature to low until we were ready to eat (about another half hour). Of course you can increase the number of peppers and use a larger crockpot or slow cooker to feed more people. This was more than enough for the two of us.

With the enchilada sauce I expected this to be rather spicy, so I did not add spice to the meat. We were surprised that it turned out rather mild. Next time, if I'm in a spicy mood, I might add some chili powder to the mixture. Even without the spice, they tasted as good as they looked!

Dump Cake, Our Favorite

2008-02-05T19:07:00.000-06:00

I have a dump cake in the oven and it's almost ready. I can tell because it's starting to smell really, really good. It just occurred to me that I hadn't posted the recipe here on the blog and there may be people who don't remember the details of the recipe or others who haven't discovered how easy and good this cake is. So, here's my favorite quick, easy, very tasty dump cake recipe.

Dump Cake

1 can crushed pineapple
1 can cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter or margarine
chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open and dump the can of pineapple into a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Use a spoon to even it out in the pan. Open the can of cherry pie filling and gently use the spoon to dump it evenly on top of the pineapple. Open the box of cake mix and gently distribute the dry mix evenly on top of the fruit. Don't stir. Now, either melt the butter and pour it evenly over the dry cake mix or you can do as I do and cut the butter into little chunks and place the little chunks of butter evenly on top of the cake mix. If using, add the nuts on top. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until the cake is bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm (not hot) or at room temperature with or without a scoop of ice cream on top. I promise, it tastes as good as it smells!

You can use two sticks of butter if you want it to, but one works just fine if you distribute it carefully. That's why I prefer the chunk method to the melt-and-pour method; the "crust" comes out better that way for me.

When 9 x 13 is more than I need, I make a smaller version by using just the pie filling and a one-layer cake mix in a 9 x 9 inch pan, more or less converting the recipe to cherry cobbler.

Mine's done and looks absolutely beautiful. Wish I would have bought the ice cream after all, but even a plain dump cake tastes pretty fancy.

Super Fast, Super Good Supper

2008-01-19T14:28:00.000-06:00

I love Woman's Day magazine. I've subscribed for many, many years and always look forward to receiving a new issue in the mail. On the cover of the February 1 issue, one particular "teaser" caught my eye - "50 Ten-Minute Meals." Now, ten-minutes meals I can really get into. Here's the first one I tried. It doesn't have a name but was number 25 on the list.

Super Fast, Super Good #25

Brown ground beef in large skillet, stir in canned chunky tomatoes and green chiles, tomato sauce and chili seasoning mix. Simmer until slightly thickened; stir in canned corn and rinsed beans. Heat through.

Now, that's my kind of recipe; leaves a lot of room for individual preferences and doesn't dirty up the measuring cups. I used frozen corn that I had set out earlier to thaw and I used a can of black beans. We had one tasty meal and it was on the table in a big hurry, which is my usual, normal speed. Perfect!

Easy Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

2008-01-19T12:46:00.000-06:00

I got this Bisquick recipe from the Betty Crocker site, but when I made it I changed it a little bit. First the original version, then I'll tell you what I did.

Cheese-Garlic Biscuits

Prep Time: 5 min
Start to Finish: 15 min
Makes: 9 biscuits

2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Heat oven to 450ºF.
2. Stir Bisquick mix, milk and cheese until soft dough forms. Drop dough by 9 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Stir together butter and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits.

Now, that sounds really good and resembles the biscuits they serve at Red Lobster. When I made these to go with a big pot of soup the other night, my cheese grater was in the dishwasher waiting to be washed. Lazy me, I didn't want to take time to mess with that and didn't have pre-shredded cheese, so I grabbed the big container of parmesan cheese and used that instead!

Clever, huh? You know what? We loved the biscuits with the parmesan cheese! They turned out very light and fluffy, exceptionally so for drop biscuits, and tasted great with our homemade chicken/turkey noodle soup. I will be making that variation again, and very soon. Let me know if you try it.

Ham and Bean Soup

2008-01-06T13:08:00.000-06:00

Got leftover ham? Here's a perfect recipe to help you use up that ham as well as warm your insides on a chilly, wintery day.

Win-Win Ham and Bean Soup

1 bag dry navy beans (2 cups)
6 cups water
1/4 lb ham, cubed (throw in the ham bone if you have it)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup diced celery
1 carrot, diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 tsp instant chicken bouillon
salt and pepper to taste (there's enough salt in the ham and the bouillon for our tastes)

Sort and wash beans, cover with water and bring to a boil; boil 2 minutes, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 1 hour. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 or 3 hours until tender. Remove the ham bone and pull off the bits of ham and return to the soup. (Those bits are my favorite part.) Add 6 cups of water during cooking. Serve with cornbread.

You already know that beans are good for you, and this is such a flavorful bean soup, so those two things make this a win-win recipe in my book. We love it.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2007-12-30T10:23:00.000-06:00

Like to save money? Frugality begins in the kitchen and, with that in mind, I recently purchased a great course, "Supermarket Savings 101," which contains a cookbook called "Simply Centsible Suppers." That cookbook (it's an e-book) contains a couple of extra recipes that aren't necessarily for supper, but they're quick, easy, and inexpensive to prepare. In fact, as I type this I have a batch of Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins in the oven, the last recipe in this wonderful little cookbook. This recipe has become a favorite, so I thought I'd share it here with you.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp each baking soda and salt (I use just a pinch of salt)
1 egg
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
3 ripe bananas, mashed (2 large bananas work fine)
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Beat egg in small bowl. Stir in Miracle Whip. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Stir in bananas. Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin tins. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

This is a great recipe for me because I usually have everything on hand. Chocolate chips are certainly optional, but if you've never tried chocolate with bananas you're missing a great treat. Fix these for breakfast or for snacks. Then fix some more 'cause everyone's going to love them!

There's the timer. Time to go and enjoy some muffins!

Lumpy Mattress Cake

2007-11-09T16:57:00.000-06:00

This cake is absolutely delicious, but I think it looks like a lumpy mattress. More about that following the recipe.

Susan's Lumpy Mattress Cake

1 box angel food cake mix
1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Stir angel food cake mix and the cherry pie filling together. Pour into cake pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool and enjoy.

I made this last night and it was so good we had seconds, but I had to laugh when I took it out of the oven, and especially after it was cool. The cake pulled away from the sides of the pan, it was pink, and the cherries created "lumps" in the cake. It reminded me of a pink, lumpy mattress, so I decided that Lumpy Mattress Cake would be a good name.

With just two ingredients, you won't find a simpler recipe. Note that the cake mix I used contained two separate envelopes of ingredients; yours may contain just one. I just dumped them both into the bowl then added the pie filling. Dress up the slices with a dollop of whipped cream if you like, or serve plain.

Cabbage Soup - and the Diet

2007-09-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of the Cabbage Soup Diet? It's been around for 10 years or so now and probably isn't in the top ten of popular (or fad) diets anymore, but the cabbage soup recipe is still a good one. I've been hungry for cabbage soup for a while and, since fall has officially arrived, it's soup season once again and I'm anxious to make a pot. I eat the soup because I like it. Haven't tried the diet, but I'm actually thinking about doing that, starting soon. More about the diet later but, first, here's my mom's version of the recipe.

Cabbage Soup (of Cabbage Soup Diet fame) - Mom's Version

6 large onions
1/3 to one whole head of cabbage
2 green peppers
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bunch celery
1 package Lipton onion or beefy onion soup
2 cubes bouillon
Season to taste - pepper, Mrs. Dash, parsley, etc. (we use lots of pepper)

Simply chop the vegetables and combine in a large pot with about 12 cups of water, or V8 and water. Boil gently for 10 minutes. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Eat as much as you like. It won't add calories.

You can vary the recipe some, such as adding carrots and mushrooms. The diet is one that promises to help you lose up to 10 pounds in a week, and apparently it does work. I figure I can stick to just about anything for a week. Rest assured, you do eat more than just cabbage soup every day, but the soup is what keeps you from getting hungry. There's a different group of foods that you eat with the soup each of the seven days. Rather than reprinting the entire diet here, I'll refer you to this website which gives the official version of the recipe, explains the seven-day plan, and discusses the pros and cons.

If you try the cabbage soup diet, or if you have tried it in the past, leave us a comment and let us know how it worked for you.

Hubby's Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

2007-09-22T10:55:00.000-05:00

My husband loves these oatmeal cookies with raisins and I love how quick and easy they are to mix up and bake.

Favorite Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick), softened
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips or craisins or other dried fruit

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put softened butter in a large bowl. Using mixer, beat for about 30 seconds. Add the egg, flour, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and baking soda to the margarine. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until well mixed, scraping sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in oats and raisins, chocolate chips, or dried fruit (or a combination) with a wooden spoon. Use two teaspoons to drop the cookie dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until brown. Makes about 40 small cookies. (I make mine a bit bigger and get 24 to 30, baking about 12 minutes.)

This recipe is a variation of one from one of my favorite cookbooks, New Junior Cookbook (Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen) which my son is using in the picture up in the corner of my blog (an older edition). I like recipes that are easy enough for a kid cook!

Supermarket Savings 101

2007-09-03T13:27:00.000-05:00

(UPDATE: The offer described below has expired, but Supermarket Savings 101 is still a great bargain - lots of content for the price, including lots of good recipes. I encourage you to check it out!)

I'll admit it. This isn't a recipe; it's an advertisement. It's such a great deal, though, I had to share. Read on - and read fast because time is running out on the special. (If you miss it, the course will still be a great bargain at the regular price.)

Early Bird Special! The sooner you order, the less you pay! The retail price of this package is going to be $17.97, but Crystal is starting it out at the rock-bottom price of $5.97 on Monday, September 3, 2007. Every 24 hours until Friday, September 7, 2007, she will raise the price by $3.00 until it is up to retail price. So hurry! Read more here.

Would you like to know how to significantly cut your grocery bill without spending hours each week doing so? If your answer is "yes," then Supermarket Savings 101 is for you!

Written with busy moms in mind, this course would also be excellent for an older daughter, a newly-married woman, or even a grandma! It would make a great addition to your homeschool home economics class, too!

Though this course is specifically geared towards beginners - those who know very little about frugal shopping - it would be beneficial to anyone who is desiring to save money on groceries. Click here to learn more.

Mawie's Raisin Bran Refrigerator Muffins

2007-08-27T09:08:00.000-05:00

Mawie gave me this recipe years ago and it's certainly a keeper. I mixed up a batch yesterday early morning and baked a half dozen for the two of us both yesterday and again today. An easy way to have fresh-baked muffins on any busy morning!

Mawie's Raisin Bran Refrigerator Muffins

1 1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 qt. (2 cups) buttermilk
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 1/2 c. Post Raisin Bran cereal

Mix all ingredients in large bowl; stir to mix well. Bake in greased muffin cups sprayed with non-stick spray or paper-lined cups, oven at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until brown. Dough will keep two weeks in the refrigerator or indefinitely in the freezer.

Mom's Bow Tie Pasta Salad

2007-08-17T14:56:00.000-05:00

This is a new recipe from my mom, one that she has really enjoyed this summer. We enjoyed it, too, at her surprise birthday party when we saw her in July. She didn't know the get-together was going to be a birthday party, so she truly was surprised.

If you’ve never tried a fruity, nutty pasta salad, you might be surprised, too, by the great flavor of this very simple, very tasty recipe.

Mom's Bow Tie Pasta Salad

16 ounce package bow tie pasta
3 cups green grapes
8 ounce package dried cranberries
1 small package sliced almonds (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken
1 small bottle Ken's Vidalia Onion salad dressing, such as this one

Cook pasta as directed. Add all other ingredients, mix well, cool and serve. Recipe may be halved.

That's it. Very simple, very tasty. Our store didn't have the Ken's dressing, but they did have Creamy Vidalia Onion Vinegarette Dressing from Golding Farms. I halved the recipe above and used half of a 16-ounce bottle of the dressing and it was wonderful!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2007-08-10T08:43:00.000-05:00

I had a birthday earlier this week (I know, I know. I don't look a day older than I did last week.) and I've been trying to get around to baking myself a cake. Our weather has been hot, in the low 100s, all week so I didn't want to do any baking in the afternoons and I've been busy each morning. Finally today, before the heat of the day, I got my cake baked.

Although I absolutely love chocolate and a German chocolate cake is often my birthday cake of choice, this year I decided on something different. I hadn't had pineapple upside down cake for a long time, and that sounded good.

My mom, of course, makes the best pineapple upside down cake, baking it in an iron skillet. There's just something about the iron skillet method that amplifies the goodness of the cake. However, woe is me, I don't even own an iron skillet. So, I resorted to the 9 x 13 pan and, I must say, this cake looks pretty good and I'm sure it's going to taste great. It's cooling as I write this, but I'll try a piece shortly.

I used the recipe on the back of the Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme cake mix, but it's certainly a simple recipe. Just melt a stick of butter in the pan (I did that as I was heating the oven), then carefully sprinkle a cup of brown sugar over the butter. Place pineapple slices over top; the can had 10 slices and it worked out very well. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box then pour the batter carefully over the pineapple. (Oops, I left out the maraschino cherries. If you have them, drain and halve them and place them in the centers of the pineapple and in between the slices if you want. They make the result even prettier and I would have used them, but I didn't have any. I thought I did, but I didn't.) Bake the cake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes or so then invert onto the serving platter. (I just covered a cookie sheet with foil.) Cool a bit longer, then serve.

I finished baking and turning it upside down before the temperature reached 85 degrees this morning, but I haven't completed that last instruction - serve. It's time for that now, belated birthday pineapple upside down cake for breakfast.

Enjoy yours!

P.S. I just looked on amazon.com and found this skillet that I think would be perfect for baking a pineapple upside down cake or for anything else you can do with an iron skillet. I like the square shape - perfect for french toast. I really like the extra handle; that would make it extra easy to invert the pan and turn your perfectly-baked pineapple cake upside down!

WD's Asian Shrimp Salad

2007-08-06T07:38:00.001-05:00

Here's a new one from my all-time favorite magazine, Woman's Day.

Asian Shrimp Salad

24 peeled raw jumbo shrimp (about 1 lb)
2 medium summer squash, cut in 32 bite-size chunks
1 bag Asian Supreme Complete Salad with Sesame Orange Dressing

Serves 4
Active: 20 min. Total: 25 min.

Heat outdoor grill. Thread shrimp and squash on eight 12-in. skewers, soaked in water first if wooden. Mix 1 Tbsp Sesame Orange Dressing with 1 Tbsp. oil. Brush on skewers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill 5 minutes, turning once, until shrimp are cooked through and squash are crisp-tender.

Slide shrimp and squash off skewers into a large bowl. Add salad and remaining dressing; toss to mix and coat.

Per serving: 344 cal, 27 g pro, 23 g car, 3 g fiber, 16 g fat (2 g sat fat), 172 mg chol, 840 mg sod

I fixed this last night and it was outstanding, even better than we had expected it to be. I used zucchini (next time I may use both yellow summer squash and zucchini) and I had to improvise the salad because our store didn't have the Asian salad mix. Premium Romaine salad and Sesame Soy Ginger salad dressing worked perfectly, although the Sesame Orange dressing sounds wonderful and I'd really like to try that. I also used frozen large shrimp (partially thawed), which weren't even terribly expensive. Yes, this recipe is definitely a keeper.

Susan's Super-Simple Farfalle & Tomatoes

2007-08-04T15:28:00.001-05:00

I love tomatoes; they're my favorite. From fresh sliced tomatoes with cottage cheese to spaghetti sauce and chunky salsa, if it's made from tomatoes, I'll take it. I don't have a lot of time to garden, but this year I did plant two tomato plants. This is a picture of the first of our Better Boy crop. Umm. It was good!

Besides tomatoes, I also love simple recipes. Here's one that I prepared this week, not with fresh tomatoes but with one of the wonderful canned varieties that are available now.

Super-Simple Farfalle Pasta & Tomatoes

8 ounces farfalle (bowtie) pasta (I like Barilla brand pasta)
1 to 2 cloves garlic, diced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano

Cook pasta as directed on the package. When it's almost ready, spritz a 10 or 12-inch skillet with olive oil. Saute the garlic for a minute or two, just enough to bring out the flavor and aroma. Add the can of tomatoes (undrained); gently heat until pasta is done. Drain the pasta then add to the skillet with the tomatoes. Stir together briefly then serve. Top with grated parmesan or romano cheese if desired.

This recipe is fast and easy to prepare and tastes great. I added the extra garlic because we like plenty, but I found that the canned tomatoes were seasoned very nicely and the end result would have been fine without the extra. This, along with a nice green salad, made a perfect summer evening meal, light but filling.

(Try this for spritzing the olive oil: Misto Gourmet Brushed Aluminum Olive Oil Sprayer)
(Like my tomato picture? Click here to see it on a note card, a mug, even a mouse pad.)

Aunt Emma's Shoo-Fly Pie

2007-05-04T14:17:00.000-05:00

This another old favorite from From the American Heart Association Cookbook. Haven't fixed it in a while, but it came to mind recently and I remember it as being really, really good. It is billed as a Pennsylvania Dutch delight, and I hope you find it delightful when you try it!

Aunt Emma's Shoo-Fly Pie

pie pastry for a 9-inch one-crust pie
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup margarine
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. clove

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie pan with pie pastry. Combine flour with brown sugar and salt. Cut in the margarine until the mixture resembles corn meal. Pour 1/3 of the crumbs into the pie shell.

Add baking soda to the hot water, stir in the dark corn syrup and spices, and pour 1/3 of the mixture over the crumbs in the pie shell. Continue alternating layers, ending with crumbs on top, and bake 35 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Yield 8 servings. Approx. calories/serving: 395 (or 315 in 10 servings)

Bird in a Pot Chicken

2007-04-24T22:22:00.001-05:00

This morning I was trying to decide what to fix for supper, thinking that something with black beans and corn sounded good. I came across this recipe from Chet Day and, realizing I also had some leftover cooked boneless chicken on hand, I decided to revise the recipe just a bit and see what happened. The result hit the spot.

Bird in a Pot Chicken

The corn and black beans make this traditional easy chicken recipe a classic and one sure to be used often.

2 cans niblets corn
4 chicken breasts, uncooked, cubed
2 cans black beans, drained
1 jar chunky salsa
1 cup grated, sharp cheddar cheese

Lighly spray crock with Pam. Put corn in bottom of pot, followed by chicken cubes, salsa, beans. Lightly stir beans and salsa. Start on high to get chicken going, turn down to low and cook 8-9 hours. Add the cheese just before serving. Serve over rice.

Since I had cooked chicken available, I just used that and heated everything together only for about three hours in the crockpot on low. The flavors blended beautifully. I made a batch of brown rice to go with it and topped everything off with a dollop of sour cream instead of adding the cheese, which I totally forgot about but didn't even miss.

We'll have this one again soon.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

2007-04-19T17:22:00.000-05:00

We always look forward to St. Patrick’s Day. We’re not Irish, but we sure enjoy eating corned beef and cabbage. Too bad St. Patrick’s Day only comes once a year.

I was grocery shopping a few days ago, though, when I saw packages of corned beef with a sale price; the after St. Patrick’s Day markdown sale, I guess. The price was certainly right, so I bought a package. As I type this, I can smell it cooking and, boy oh boy, does it smell good!

If you haven’t tried this flavorful dish, check the stores now and see if your grocer’s meat case still has packages of corned beef. Maybe you’ll find a markdown sale, too.

St. Patrick’s Corned Beef and Cabbage

one package corned beef with seasoning packet
potatoes
cabbage, cut in wedges
carrots (I love to use baby carrots)

Remove the meat from the package; rinse. Place it in a dutch oven and cover with water. Add the contents of the seasoning packet. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer. Cook, covered, for about 2 ½ hours or until tender. Add washed and quartered potatoes and the carrots to the pot. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until almost done. Add the cabbage wedges to the pan; cover. Simmer another 5 to 10 minutes until cabbage is crisp-tender. Remove corned beef to a platter and slice across the grain. Serve with the vegetables.

Kathy's Mexican Casserole

2007-04-14T10:50:00.000-05:00

We certainly enjoyed our warm, spring weather while it lasted. Now that spring has been interrupted by winter weather again, I'm taking advantage of that while I can, fixing some of our favorite oven meals. I got this yummy recipe many years ago from one of the ladies in our Bible study group. It's been nearly 16 years since we moved away, but I still miss those wonderful ladies and the rest of our great Virginia Beach church family.

Kathy's Mexican Casserole

1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce (mild)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 bag Dorito chips
cheddar cheese

Saute hamburger and onion; drain. Mix in the enchilada sauce and cream soups. Arrange chips in a 9 x 13 x 1" pan. Pour Mexican mixture over chips. Grate cheddar cheese over top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

2007-04-07T09:20:00.000-05:00

I always wonder why companies change tried-and-true recipes that they've printed on their label for years. I can understand updating ingredients to improve the nutrition of the recipe, but changing the method alone has always puzzled me. This is the Libby's pumpkin pie recipe as I copied it off the pumpkin can label years ago. This method is the simplest and still makes the pumpkin pie that my kids love best.

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

2 eggs, slightly beaten
16 oz. can pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
12 ounce can evaporated milk

Combine ingredients in order given.

For two 9" frozen pie shells: Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes on pre-heated cookie sheet.

For one 9" homemade pie shell: Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 45 minutes longer.

Pie is done when table knife inserted off-center in the pie comes out clean.

Resurrection Cookies

2007-04-05T12:43:00.000-05:00

My long-time homeschool friend, Peggy, sent a link today to these very special cookies, perfect for teaching children the story of Easter. Make these with your children on Saturday night. Each ingredient and each step of the recipe is used to explain, simply, how Jesus suffered, died, and rose again, demonstrating His love for us.

Peggy also pointed out that if there is a nut allergy issue, you can substitute chocolate chips for the pecans in the recipe. I've made them this way and they taste great.

Be sure to read and review the recipe before beginning. I have copied the recipe below, but you can find it at this link, which includes some very nice music.

Resurrection Cookies

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Ingredients:
You need:
1 cup whole pecans
Mixing bowl
3 egg whites

Wooden spoon
1 cup sugar
Bible
1 tsp. vinegar
Zipper baggy
1 pinch of salt
Wax paper

Cookie sheet

Tape

Place pecans in the baggy and let the children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read - John 19:1-3 to them.

Let child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read - John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life for our life. Read - John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand let them taste it then brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that represents the salty tears shed by Jesus followers,and the bitterness of our own sin. Read - Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of this story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read - Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with mixer on high speed for 11-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read - Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by tsp.onto waxed paper-covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus body was laid. Read - Matt. 27:65-66

Put cookies sheet in the oven. Close door and turn oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the door. Explain that Jesus tomb was sealed. Read - Matt. 27:65-66

Go to bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read - John 16:20 and 22

On Resurrection Morning open the oven and give everyone a cookie! Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow ! On the first Resurrection Day Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read - Matt. 28:1-9

He Has Risen ! Hallelujah ! ! ! ! !

Pink Pickled Eggs

2007-04-03T11:08:00.000-05:00

If you hurry, you can have these ready for Easter Sunday. That's our tradition.

Pink Pickled Eggs

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup beet liquid (I also add the beets to the eggs in the jar)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
4 whole cloves
shredded lettuce or greens

Place peeled eggs (whole) in a bowl or jar. Mix vinegar, beet liquid, sugar, salt, onion, and cloves; pour over eggs. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 days. Slice eggs and serve on a bed of lettuce or greens.

Super Easy Fruit Salad

2007-03-18T17:09:00.000-05:00

This is another recipe I got from Linda Larsen at about.com's Busy Cooks site. I knew this sounded good, but I was surprised that it was really, REALLY good. Another recipe I don't make often enough. Great for a potluck.

Super Easy Fruit Salad

You can use any nice fruits that are in season in this easy recipe. You could even change the flavor of canned pie filling; the combinations are endless.

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups green grapes
3 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
3 bananas, peeled and sliced
21 oz. can peach pie filling

Preparation:
In large bowl, combine strawberries, grapes, kiwi fruit, and bananas. Gently mix in peach pie filling. Chill for 1 hour before serving. 10 servings.

Phyllis Breakfast and Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes

2007-03-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

I fixed my husband a Phyllis breakfast this morning. You probably haven't heard of it, but if you've ever watched Arkansas Outdoors on the Arkansas educational TV network then you probably know what I'm talking about.

Phyllis Speer is with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and provides my favorite segment of the weekly Arkansas Outdoors program (Tuesday nights at 6:30 on AETN). She does the cooking. And since this particular program deals with the outdoors, a lot of times Phyllis does her cooking outdoors. Our favorite meal to watch her cook is breakfast, which oftentimes consists of a one-skillet meal similar to what I fixed this morning.

You don't need a recipe to make a Phyllis breakfast, just a skillet and ingredients such as some chopped onion, a baked potato, some cooked sausage, bacon, or ham, and a few eggs. Leftovers work perfectly for this breakfast when you make it at home. This morning I used a potato that I quickly "baked" in the microwave and some cooked bacon that I had in the refrigerator. I put a couple tablespoons of butter in the skillet, heated it up nicely, added the chopped onion then the diced potato (include the skin) and the bacon (cut it up with kitchen scissors), cooked those together for a minute or two then added three eggs. Next I sprinkled on a generous amount of pepper and stirred everything together, scrambling the eggs into the onion/potato/bacon mixture. The entire process took less than five minutes and I had a nice, hot breakfast on the table in no time. Feel free to top the mixture with some salsa or shredded cheese. Be creative; Phyllis is never afraid to be creative.

Of course I fixed this meal indoors, but it tastes even better when it's cooked outside. Phyllis cooks indoors, too, and sometimes sneaks in a delicious dessert like this one, which I found on the AG&FC website.

Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes

1 box brownie mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp. water
12 caramels
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine brownie mix, eggs, oil and water. Spoon 1/2 mixture into lined muffin tin. Place a caramel in each cupcake. Cover with remaining half of mix. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of each cupcake. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Spring Ahead Cherry Smoothie

2007-03-08T17:54:00.000-06:00

This weekend it's time to "spring ahead," meaning we're going to lose an hour of sleep time. Yuck.

I read an interesting article today that explains how cherries have been found to be a great source of melatonin, which helps to regulate our bodies' sleep-wake cycle. Sounds like this weekend would be a great time to try this cherry smoothie recipe, courtesy of www.ChooseCherries.com.

Sounds good to me!

Cherry Smoothie
A refreshing pick-me-up anytime of day

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen tart cherries
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 cup cherry juice blend (or other juice)

Directions:
Put frozen cherries, banana and cherry juice blend in container of electric blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Serve immediately. Makes 4 (8-ounce) servings.

Nutrition Info:Nutrition Facts per 1-cup serving: 86 cal., 0 g total fat (0 g sat. fat), 21 g carbo., 0 mg chol., 1 g pro., 2 g fiber, 14 mg sodium. Daily RDA values: 8% vit. A, 8% vit. C, 2% calcium, 4% iron.

Chicken Enchiladas My Way

2007-03-01T16:28:00.000-06:00

This is a recipe that I put together a couple of years ago and it went over well.

Chicken Enchiladas My Way

chopped yellow onion, as much as you like
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Ro-Tel
1 to 2 cups leftover cooked chicken, diced or shredded
flour tortillas, eight or so
2-3 cups shredded cheese, monterey jack, cheddar, or a combination of your favorite

Brown the chopped onion in the butter or margarine. Cook until barely soft. Add can of cream of chicken soup and can of Ro-Tel. Add chicken. Cook together briefly until warmed through. Place a portion of the mixture on each tortilla along with some grated cheese. Fill the tortilla pretty full. Fold and place in a shallow casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray. (The first time I made this I used seven tortillas for the mixture because that was how many I had, and I put the little bit of leftover mixture on top.) Cover with foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees until almost bubbly. Uncover, add more grated cheese on top. Bake until cheese is melted and the filling is nice and hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips and salsa and a salad.

My boys tended to be picky eaters growing up and preferred their food separated rather than combined in a casserole or a dish such as this one, so it does this mom's heart good when number two son requests this dish, as he has done more than once when he's been home on leave.

Linda's Chewy Gooey Bars

2007-02-24T16:30:00.000-06:00

There are hundreds of recipe sites online, but I can always count on finding recipes that I like on the about.com specialty recipe pages. I found this one on Linda Larsen's Busy Cooks site back around Christmastime and knew it would be a hit. Indeed, everyone loved it. The bars are gooey and a little bit messy to eat, but we didn't care. The boys, especially, made sure these didn't last long!

Chewy Gooey Bars

20 oz. package refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough (or make your own)
2 cups miniature marshmallows
12 oz. package semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup caramel fudge ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice cookie dough into 1/2" slices and arrange in 15 x 10" pan. Press evenly into pan using floured fingers so dough covers bottom of pan. Bake crust at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes until light golden brown.

Sprinkle crust with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Return to oven and bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until marshmallows are puffy and light golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle caramel topping evenly over bars. Cool completely and cut into bars. 32 bars.

Broccoli Couscous

2007-02-24T13:10:00.000-06:00

Couscous isn't something I grew up eating. I've seen it mentioned on menus before and always meant to try it, and finally just recently I did try it. We really like it! What a great side dish that's super quick and easy to prepare. Here's the recipe I've been using.

Broccoli Couscous

10 ounce package frozen broccoli, thawed & drained
14 1/4 ounce can chicken broth
1 cup couscous
salt & freshly ground pepper

Pour the chicken broth into a saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the couscous and the broccoli. Cover, remove from heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving.

I've been serving this with Lily's Easy Greek Fish Fillets, making an entire meal that's quick, tasty, and nutritious. Look for couscous on the grocery shelf near the rice.

Pink Stuff

2007-02-13T08:29:00.000-06:00

Want a tasty treat for Valentine's Day? This makes a fun after school snack.

Pink Stuff

1 large carton small curd cottage cheese
1 small box strawberry jello
1 small carton Cool Whip
1 can crushed pineapple, drained

Stir the cottage cheese and jello together until smooth. Stir in Cool Whip and pineapple. Chill and serve.

You can change the flavors and colors to suit your tastes. How about lime jello to make Green Stuff for a St. Patrick's Day dessert or snack, or make Orange Stuff for Halloween (add a can of mandarin oranges).

Coconut Cream Cake

2007-02-05T17:17:00.000-06:00

Don't tell my sweetie, but this is what I'm planning to fix for him on Valentine's Day.

COCONUT CREAM CAKE

1 box of white cake mix
1 can Eagle Brand Milk
1 can cream of coconut
1 bag of coconut flakes
1 large container of Cool Whip

Bake cake according to package directions, adding half of the bag of the coconut flakes to the cake mixture. As soon as cake comes out of the oven, spray a wooden spoon handle with a cooking spray. Poke holes in cake about a half inch apart. Mix the cream of coconut and the Eagle Brand Milk together and pour evenly over the top of the cake. Cool cake completely. In the same bowl, mix the entire container of Cool Whip with the remaining bag of coconut flakes. Top cake with Cool Whip mixture and spread evenly. Refrigerate immediately.

Doesn't that sound wonderful? My sweetie loves coconut cake and pie, macaroons, anything with coconut, so I think he'll enjoy this. (So will I!)

Sausage Macaroni and Cheese

2007-02-01T16:18:00.000-06:00

This is my number one favorite comfort food recipe. We're snowed in today - and having this for supper tonight.

Sausage Macaroni & Cheese

1 pound roll sausage
8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook macaroni as directed; drain. Pan fry sausage; remove and drain. Put sausage and macaroni in a 2-quart casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Prepare sauce: Melt butter, blend in flour and cook for a minute or two. Stir in milk and seasonings. Bring to a boil, stirring. Boil for 1 minute; remove from heat. Add cheese and stir until blended. Pour sauce over casserole mixture and bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with peas and baby carrots.

I use J.C. Potter Lite Country Sausage. It cooks up with no grease, no mess, no need to drain and it's much lower in fat than regular pork sausage, plus it's absolutely delicious.

I use the pan that I cooked the macaroni in to make the cheese sauce, adding the butter to melt while the pan is still hot from the macaroni water (no need to wash). While the casserole is baking, I can wash up that pan and the skillet that I cooked the sausage in, so most of the dishes are done before we even sit down to eat. Nice!

Gracie's Classic Roast Beef

2007-01-29T11:56:00.000-06:00

Gracie Allen's Roast Beef

1 large Roast of beef
1 small Roast of beef

Take the two roasts and put them in the oven.
When the little one burns, the big one is done.

I just ran across this recipe on the web and had to share the laugh with you (although I think the recipe would really work!).

In case you're not old enough to know who Gracie is, you can read about her and her husband, George Burns, here.

Red Beans and Rice

2007-01-22T17:33:00.000-06:00

Did you know that red beans are the best antioxidant source of any food? (Here's some information about antioxidants and why they're good for you.) Red beans with rice also falls into my definition of great comfort food, perfect for the wintery weather that we've been having lately. I fixed a variation of this recipe over the past cold, wet weekend and it warmed us up nicely - and tasted great, too! (I didn't have access to a smoked turkey wing, so I used more traditional smoked sausage. I suppose it wasn't as healthy that way, but it still tasted good - and I used brown rice to help make up the difference.)

Red Beans & Smoked Turkey

1 lb (500g) dried red beans
1/2 cup (120mL) chopped celery
1 cup (120mL) chopped onion
1 Tbsp. (15mL) Mrs. Dash® Extra Spicy Seasoning Blend
1 Tbsp. (15mL) Mrs. Dash® Mesquite Grilling Blend™
1 Qt. (1L) cold water
1 lb (500g) smoked turkey wing (1 medium wing) or drumstick
3 cups (750mL) rice

Sort and wash beans. Place beans in 4 Qt. (3L) Dutch oven; cover with water 2 inches above beans. Soak for 30 minutes or overnight. Drain.

Add celery, onion, Mrs. Dash® Seasoning Blends, turkey wing and water to a 4 Qt. (3L) Dutch oven. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, cook over low heat 2 to 3 hours or until beans and turkey are tender. Remove turkey wing; cut meat from bone; mix meat into beans.

Cook rice. Toss rice with 1 Tbsp. (15mL) Mrs. Dash® Extra Spicy if extra spice is desired.

To read the recipe with its complete nutritional information, go to the Mrs. Dash website. I love Mrs. Dash® seasonings and now there are so many variations, there's bound to be one that's perfect for whatever you're cooking.

The smoked turkey sounds wonderful, so if you prepare this with the turkey, please leave a comment here and let me know how you liked it!

Our Favorite Sloppy Joes

2007-01-13T17:25:00.000-06:00

I have an old American Heart Association cookbook that contains the 1975 version of this recipe. The updated version, reprinted here, leaves out the salt and recommends healthier, whole grain buns. I've fixed this many, many times and we love it. Serve these with some crunchy baby carrots for a nice, cool contrast.

Sloppy Joes

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons chili sauce
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
6 whole-wheat hamburger buns

Brown meat and onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour off fat.

Add all other ingredients except buns, mixing well. Reduce heat and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, uncovered.

Spoon onto hamburger buns and serve immediately.

Calories: 270
Protein: 21 g
Carbohydrates: 26 g
Total Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 55 mg
Sodium: 519 mg

From the American Heart Association Cookbook.

Gators' Florida Sunshine Shake

2007-01-09T07:04:00.000-06:00

The sun is shining in Florida today. I haven’t checked the weather forecast, but it has to be true after our SEC conference champion Florida Gators chomped up those Ohio State Buckeyes last night, becoming the college football national champions! Despite my ties to Columbus and Ohio State, I’m an SEC fan and since Florida beat our Arkansas Razorbacks for the SEC title, last night our family was cheering for Florida all the way. What a fantastic game it was!

So, wash down those Buckeyes with this healthy recipe from www.floridajuice.com and let some of that Florida sunshine shine down on you today!

Florida Sunshine Shake

1 cup Florida Orange Juice
1/2 cup Florida Grapefruit Juice
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth. Pour into glass, and serve immediately. Makes two 8-ounce servings.

Woody's Buckeyes

2007-01-06T15:57:00.000-06:00

My son recently requested that I fix these for him. I'll admit, I haven't done it yet, but Monday night is the Ohio State vs Florida national championship bowl game, so the timing now is perfect. We'll be rooting for Florida (gotta stick with the SEC), but these Buckeyes would make a great game night snack.

Buckeyes

1 box powdered sugar
1/4 lb butter or margarine
1 10-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1 12-ounce package chocolate chips
1 ounce paraffin

Combine sugar, margarine and peanut butter until mixed well. Roll into small balls and chill. Melt chocolate chips and paraffin over double boiler and dip buckeyes, leaving a small spot on top uncovered so the candy resembles the nut for which it is named.

Tracey's Artichoke Dip

2006-12-31T14:08:00.000-06:00

This is a popular recipe that we first tried when my long-ago friend Tracey made it. It has become our New Year's Day traditional snack, though we try to remember to fix it whenever we're in the mood for a yummy, warm dip. We'll be "pigging out" on this tomorrow while we watch the Arkansas Razorbacks play in their bowl game. Woo, pig, sooiieee!

Artichoke Dip

14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 4-ounce can green chiles, seeded and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup parmesan cheese

Mix everything together, pour into a small casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips or triscuits.

Crockpot Creamy Cream Cheese Corn

2006-12-26T18:47:00.001-06:00

The dishes have been cleaned up and put away, the candles blown out. Christmas dinner 2006 is gone, but not forgotten.

We had a wonderful dinner with good food and great fellowship. Mandy's Potatoes and Green Beans recipe lived up to its reputation; everyone loved it. The ham was just right, the marshmallows on the mashed sweet potatoes were browned to perfection, the rolls were fresh and hot. We had both pumpkin and pecan pies as well as a wonderful cake. We all enjoyed everything, including this new recipe, which my nephew Scott in particular really liked.

Crockpot Creamy Cream Cheese Corn

1 stick butter or margarine
6 to 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
4 to 6 cups frozen corn, thawed
Melt butter and cream cheese in the microwave. Add to corn in the crockpot or slow cooker; stir. Cook on low for 2 hours. Stir well and serve.
Trust me, it tastes as good as it sounds.

I hope your Christmas dinner was as good as ours was and that you were blessed with family around you, as were we. From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Chris's Spaghetti with White Clam Sauce

2006-12-19T08:23:00.000-06:00

This may well be my husband's favorite meal.

Spaghetti with White Clam Sauce

2 flat cans minced clams
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped (or more, see below)
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 package (8 ounce) spaghetti, cooked and drained.

Drain clams, reserving 3/4 cup liquid; set aside. Slowly heat olive oil and butter in medium skillet. Add garlic; saute until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stire in reserved clam liquid and parsley; bring to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add clams; simmer 3 minutes or until heated through. Serve hot over spaghetti.

One night many years ago, a day or two after I came home from the hospital after giving birth to our first child, my dear husband decided he would fix dinner. He chose this recipe, one of his very favorites. Of course I was taking it easy, but (fortunately as it turns out) I stayed close by for consultation.

We had garlic as well as the clams, the spaghetti, and all the other ingredients on hand, so the stand-in chef began preparations. It wasn't long before he consulted me, box of garlic in hand. (You know those packages of garlic that you find at the grocery store, the ones containing two heads of garlic? That's what he showed me.) "Do we have anymore garlic?" he asked. "The recipe calls for three cloves and we only have two." Oh, my goodness. Stand-in chef didn't know the difference between a clove of garlic and a head of garlic!

The story has a happy ending. Stand-in chef got a lesson in garlic, he did a wonderful job preparing the recipe, and we had a very nice meal. Plus we had a new family story that has been repeated many times, mostly by the main character himself, and that I still smile about whenever we enjoy a nice meal of spaghetti with white clam sauce.

Good Guacamole!

2006-12-17T13:56:00.000-06:00

This recipe is for my mom, who has just recently become acquainted with the insides of the avocado.

Guacamole

1 medium tomato, peeled (I usually don't bother to peel it)
2 ripe avocados, black or green skin (about 2 lb)
3 Tbsp finely chopped, canned green chili peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Cauliflowerets, celery sticks, carrot sticks, or chips for dipping

In medium bowl, crush tomato with potato masher. Peel avocados, halve crosswise and remove pits. Slice avocados into crushed tomato. Crush with tomato until well blended. (We like ours a little chunky.) Add chili peppers, onion, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Refrigerate, covered, until well chilled, at least one hour. Serve guacamole with vegetables or chips for dipping, or use it to top a salad of shredded lettuce.

I've made this recipe for years, but until last week my mom had never prepared anything with an avocado. I was explaining to her on the phone what to do with it, the best way to take out the pit ("It's as big as a baseball!" she said), and that you can use toothpicks to suspend the pit with its end in a jar of water and let it grow pretty leaves ("How could you get toothpicks into those things?").

You know, you're never too old to try something new. I've never eaten a pomegranate, but now I am inspired to figure out exactly how to do that. I hear they're pretty good!

How to grow an avocado tree
How to eat a pomegranate

Banana Bread and Box Tops

2006-12-16T14:59:00.000-06:00

Did you see my banana bread recipe post? Just wanted to give you an update - and make you an offer.

I bought flour and baked my banana bread, just a day later. I baked it during suppertime, cooled it, then wrapped it up and put it in the refrigerator for breakfast the next morning. Oh, my was it good! My husband spread a bit of cream cheese on his. Like icing on the cake, that topped it off perfectly and he highly recommends it. We had some again the next morning, too, and it tasted even better. That's the secret to banana bread; let the flavors ripen for a day or two and it gets even tastier.

When I was measuring the flour for the banana bread, I first used the tiny bit that was left in the old bag. As I was flattening the bag to throw it away, I noticed a pretty pink little coupon on the back that said "Box Tops for Education." Oh, good. A Box Top for Kellie. My friend Cheri is collecting Box Tops for Education for her granddaughter Kellie's class. In fact, Cheri has set up a web page asking for your help in collecting the Box Tops and, the best part, Cheri is offering to send you, as a thank-you for your Box Tops, a free scrapbooking item.

Cheri is into scrapbooking big time and has a scrapbooking blog with oodles of great ideas and resources. She also has lots and lots of scrapbooking embellishments. If you would like a free embellishment that you can use for your scrapbook, just visit Scrapbook for Box Tops and read how to go about making the connection with Cheri. Even if you're not into scrapbooking, Kellie would be thrilled to receive your extra Box Tops for Education, so contact Cheri through her website. If you're a scrapbooker like Cheri, visit her scrapbooking blog, Scrapbook Layout Ideas.

Then go bake some banana bread.

Peanut Butter Jam Gems

2006-12-15T20:27:00.000-06:00

My brother e-mailed last night to let me know he had an urge for my peanut butter "jim jams." I remember the recipe as "jam gems" but no matter what you call it, they sure taste good!

Peanut Butter Jam Gems

1 tube "pop-n-fresh" biscuits
peanut butter
jam or jelly, your favorite flavor

Preheat oven as directed on the tube of biscuits. Pop open the can, remove and separate the biscuits and place on baking sheet. Flatten each biscuit slightly. Place a small dollop of peanut butter just off center on each biscuit; follow with a dollop of jam. Fold the biscuit over and press the edges to seal. Bake as directed, until done. Be careful when you serve these as the peanut butter and jam are very hot!

I first made this recipe in home economics class in junior high school. I brought the recipe home and everyone enjoyed it, so we prepared it often. Apparently it made an impression on my brother since he fixed it for himself last night and wrote to remind me about it.

Occasionally we varied the recipe by using some cinnamon and sugar in place of the peanut butter and jam. Mmmm, mmmm! I do need to fix this again soon. Thanks, brother dear, for the reminder!

Randy's Mother's Banana Bread

2006-12-12T20:39:00.001-06:00

This recipe is from our former church's cookbook, put together years ago before we moved away, another one of those wonderful community cookbooks with "real" recipes. I've made this one many, many times and have never been disappointed.

Randy's Mother's Banana Bread

1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 bananas, mashed

Cream shortening; add sugar, then egg. Combine flour and soda. Fold in mashed bananas. Dust with powdered sugar. Bake in greased loaf pan for 1 hour at 325 degrees.

I was planning on baking a loaf of this tonight, while supper was cooking. It's so quick and easy to mix together and pop into the oven. I have the bananas, perfectly ripe and ready, and even bought sugar when I went to the grocery store earlier since I knew I was running low. Guess what. I'm out of flour. I can't believe I ran out of flour. I never run out of flour! Well, no banana bread for breakfast tomorrow. I guess the bananas will wait another day.

I started a new grocery list tonight. First item on the list: flour. (Sigh.)

Janis' Famous Fudge

2006-12-10T15:07:00.000-06:00

My sister and I make this recipe, which is a variation of an old Hershey's Cocoa recipe that is actually rather hard to find now, so I keep my copy safe for those times when I just have to have really GOOD fudge.

3 cups of sugar
2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 big spoonful peanut butter

Butter 8 or 9-inch square pan. (I have been known to use a pie plate.) Set aside. In heavy 4 quart saucepan combine sugar, cocoa, and salt; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat stirring consistantly until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Boil without stirring to 234 degrees F (soft-ball stage is my method). Remove from heat, add butter, peanut butter, and vanilla. DO NOT STIR! Cool at room temperature to 110 degrees F. Beat with wooden spoon until fudge thickens and loses some of its gloss. Quickly spread into prepared pan; cool. Cut into squares.

There just is no better fudge than this, at least that's the opinion of our brother, the fudge expert, and the rest of us agree. We used to make this a lot when we were teenagers. In fact, when I had to call my sister for the recipe one time we were discussing it and she told me she usually pours hers into a glass pie pan. I do, too! Why, you'd think we grew up in the same kitchen!

This recipe is perfect any time of the year, but our family just can't have Christmas without it! Don't let the soft ball stage part intimidate you; it's really not difficult to make, and it's well worth the time.

Mandy's Potatoes and Green Beans

2006-12-08T08:11:00.000-06:00

This is my dear daughter-in-law's recipe, very much a family favorite. It's also how she gets her husband, my son, to eat his vegetables, and she's much more successful at that than I ever was. He absolutely loves this dish!

Mandy's Potatoes and Green Beans

red or new potatoes, as many as needed
green beans, fresh or frozen
salt and pepper
garlic - fresh or powdered
pinch of sugar

How to do it . . .
Wash potatoes and slice or leave whole. Combine all other ingredients to taste and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are soft.

This is a great side dish or meal, especially in the cold! ENJOY!

Stephen and Mandy got engaged last Christmas, so it was the first year I had an almost-daughter to help me in the kitchen - and it was wonderful - so I'm really looking forward to this year, now that she's "official." In fact, from now on I think I'll make it her official duty to bring Potatoes and Green Beans for Christmas dinner. Yes, I really like that idea. Mandy, are you reading this? I'll bake the pumpkin pies if you'll bring the Potatoes and Green Beans!

Karen's Goodie Balls

2006-12-05T14:09:00.000-06:00

My healthy friend Karen asked if I'd like one of her recipes for my blog. You betcha! Here's what she sent (it sounds wonderful!):

Here is one of our favorite snack recipes that also happens to be healthy and fun to make. I find that if you involve kids in making a recipe, they are much more likely to try it out. This was the favorite lesson too when I taught a healthy cooking class for our homeschool group.

Goodie Balls

This is a very versatile recipe and a great way to get extra Omega-3’s and veggie protein into your kids. If you are “marketing” them to teens, you could rename them “Power Balls!”

½ c each:
flaxseed meal
raw almonds or other raw nuts
raisins or dates
¾ c rolled oats

Chop the nuts, oats and raisins or dates by either blending in a strong blender or using a hand chopper or food processor. The younger the children you are serving it to, the more finely ground you want this mixture. Put in a bowl and add:

½ c peanut butter (natural without added sugar or hydrogenated oils best)
½ c honey

Mix well until mixture sticks together. Roll into small (less than 1” diameter) balls and then roll in either sucanat, wheat germ or oat flour. May be stored in the refridgerator in airtight container.

Feel free to adjust ingredients to taste. You can double the recipe but get help rolling out the little balls! I adapted this from a recipe in Whole Foods for the Whole Family. It had cream cheese and dry milk which was tasty but my family didn’t need the dairy.

~Karen Davis
Indian Trail, North Carolina
www.juiceplusrevolution.com
juicepluslady@carolina.rr.com

Pawie's Favorite Dessert

2006-12-03T13:03:00.000-06:00

This isn't much of a recipe, but it's a great memory of my Pawie.

1 scoop vanilla ice cream (we like Breyer's best)
Hershey's chocolate syrup

Put a big scoop of vanilla ice cream in a bowl. Top with Hershey's syrup. Enjoy!

I don't know if Pawie ate this every night before bedtime, but he did when we were visiting and, of course, we grandkids had to have some, too. To this day, when I have a simple chocolate sundae like this one, I think of my Pawie.

We always liked it when Pawie would "beard" us. That's when he rubbed his face against ours, scratching us with his whiskers. Pawie had hair on his face, but not on his head. My brother, who is now a "Pawie" too, has a head like that but he just says he's taller than his hair. I guess that's one way of looking at it!

We have so many memories from Mawie's and Pawie's house and Pawie's Favorite Dessert is one of the tastiest!

Nut-Cracker Sweets

2006-11-28T11:48:00.000-06:00

I mentioned before that our oldest son enjoyed baking when he was younger. This recipe is one he used to prepare from a children's cookbook that he received as a gift when he was seven-years old.

Nut-Cracker Sweets

Equipment: Measuring cups, ruler, foil, 15x10x1-inch baking pan, small saucepan, wooden spoon, hot pads, cooling rack

Ingredients:
1/3 cup margarine or butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
12 graham crackers
2/3 cup chopped nut topping

1. Turn the oven to 350 degrees. Tear off a 15-inch piece of foil. Line the baking pan with the foil. Save until Step 3.

2. Put the margarine or butter in the saucepan. Put the pan on the burner. Turn the burner to low. Heat till the margarine melts. Turn off the burner. Remove the saucepan from the burner. With the wooden spoon, stir in brown sugar. Mix well. Save until Step 4.

3. Arrange graham crackers, side by side, in the foil-lined baking pan.

4. Stir the brown sugar mixture. Spoon the brown sugar mixture over the graham crackers. Sprinkle the crackers with the nut topping.

5. Put the pan in the oven. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or till the topping is bubbly. Use hot pads to remove the pan from the oven. Turn off the oven. Put the pan on the cooling rack. When crackers are cool, break each cracker into four pieces along the lines in the crackers. Store crackers in a tightly covered container. Makes 48.

The cookbook this recipe came from is the Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book, the 1989 version. We've prepared several recipes from this cookbook, including the one above which, as the name implies, is perfect for this time of year!

This recipe isn't in the current version of the cookbook, but the new book does include many other delicious-sounding recipes, all presented in detailed style to help children learn to cook step by step. If you have a child in your life, consider the Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book an investment in their future - a perfect birthday or Christmas gift! Here's a link to the most recent version.

Stephen's Pumpkin Cookies

2006-11-26T11:11:00.000-06:00

Our oldest son has always enjoyed baking. This is one of his, and our family's, favorite recipes.

Great Pumpkin Cookies

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 lb. can pumpkin
2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 cup raisins (we substitute chocolate chips - yum!)
1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sugar, shortening, eggs, and pumpkin thoroughly in a large bowl. Sift dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Blend well. Add raisins and pecans. Drop batter by teaspoonsful on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, and lift off with a pancake turner. Makes about 6 dozen.

I remember one day when my husband and I had to be gone for an afternoon and the boys stayed home. When we got back, the guys were very anxious for us to come to the kitchen, which was spotlessly clean. They had washed the dishes - yippee! But, that wasn't all. They insisted that we open the cookie jar and, lo and behold, it was filled with pumpkin cookies! They had baked their favorite cookies while we were gone and cleaned up every crumb of evidence. What a great surprise for mom and dad! I can still remember their faces with the huge grins. How proud they were, and how proud we were of them. We have the best boys in the whole world! I thought that then, and I still believe it today.

Got Leftovers? Fix Curry in a Hurry

2006-11-24T08:01:00.002-06:00

Do you have leftover turkey today? Doesn't everybody?? Here's one of my favorite recipes to use up my turkey leftovers. It calls for chicken, but we love it with turkey, too.

CHICKEN (OR TURKEY) CURRY - IN A HURRY

2 cups cooked diced chicken or turkey
1/2 pound thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon oil or margarine
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons flour
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup finely chopped apple
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3/4 cup skim milk
1 cup water

In a large skillet, saute chicken, mushrooms, and onions in oil until chicken is lightly browned on all sides. Stir in flour, bouillon cube, salt, and curry powder. Add apple and parsley, then pour in milk and water. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes or until apple pices are tender-crisp. Serve over rice.
Yield 4-6 servings, approx. calories/serving 235 (or 335 with 1/2 cup rice)

This recipe is from an old American Heart Association Cookbook that I've had for years, copyright 1975. When I make this, I double the amount of curry powder the recipe calls for and I use a Granny Smith apple. We garnish the curry with Major Grey chutney, raisins, cashews or peanuts, and more diced apple.

When our boys were little, I'd separate out some of the chicken or turkey for them, before I added the curry powder, since I had picky little eaters. They enjoyed garnishing theirs with the raisins, nuts, and apple, too.

My husband absolutely loves this recipe. How about your family? Have you ever served curry? If not, this would be a great recipe to try. It's fast, easy, and it's really, really good!

Thanksgiving Planning Guide

2006-11-21T17:34:00.001-06:00

Is your Thanksgiving dinner all planned? Have you cleaned the house? Have you done your shopping? Is your grocery list ready? Still have lots left to do??

Yeah, me too.

No need to worry. If you still have planning, shopping, cooking or even cleaning to do, don't get stressed out! Instead, get this GREAT Thanksgiving Planning Guide. It truly is a guide for planning the perfect Thanksgiving. You will find information on planning a family get-together, dealing with holiday stress, cooking the perfect turkey, decorating your house for this special day, and more. The authors have also included enough healthy recipes to feed your family this Thanksgiving. Just incorporate a few family favorites and you'll be ready to have a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.

So, don't put it off any longer! Get busy and take just a few minutes to read about Planning a Healthy Thanksgiving. It may just save your life, or at least your sanity, this Thanksgiving.

UPDATE: This resource is no longer available, but I found another free Thanksgiving Planning ebook for you. Click the link to access the easy PDF download.

Mawie's Chicken Nuggets

2006-11-20T16:06:00.000-06:00

I remember the first time Mawie fixed this meal for me: chicken nuggets, parmesan noodles, and peas. Since then I've fixed this recipe dozens of times for my family and we all love it.

3 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Cut breasts into pieces about 1 1/2 inches square. Combine crumbs and parmesan cheese. Dip nuggets in melted butter, then in crumbs. Place on foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (watch that the bottoms don't burn).

I've actually simplified Mawie's recipe by using store-bought seasoned bread crumbs instead of adding the thyme, basil, and salt to unseasoned crumbs, as called for in her original recipe. Simple is nice!

More often than not, I serve these with the parmesan noodles and peas, like she did. For the noodles, I just cook egg noodles as directed on the package, drain, then add a good-sized dollop of sour cream and a good sprinkling of parmesan cheese and stir it all in. If I don't have sour cream on hand, I just stir in some butter and the cheese. To borrow a phrase, ummm, ummm, good! Kid-approved, too!

Rebecca's Easy Cinnamon Rolls

2006-11-19T15:36:00.000-06:00

1 3/4 cups Bisquick
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons margarine, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Place Bisquick and milk in a small bowl. Mix with fork until combined. Knead the dough eight to 10 times. Roll into a 10 x 8-inch rectangle. Spread margarine thinly over dough. Mix together sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Starting at the 8-inch end, roll the dough tightly, sealing ends slightly. Cut into eight 1-inch slices. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake in 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 8 rolls.

Our whole family loves these cinnamon rolls and I can tell you that I've learned to always make two batches because they certainly don't last long around here! Our niece Rebecca submitted this recipe, among others, to her church cookbook. Don't you just love church cookbooks? I have several and enjoy them all. You just can't go wrong with their "real recipes," the kind of food that "real people" love to eat!

Anselma's Broccoli Salad

2006-11-18T09:33:00.000-06:00

2 to 3 heads broccoli, flowerets only
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. bacon bits
1 small red onion, chopped

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. sugar

Whisk together the dressing ingredients, then pour over the salad ingredients. Gently mix and toss everything together. Chill for an hour or longer. Serve.

I was just working on my grocery list for my contributions to Thanksgiving dinner and thought I'd share this recipe, one of our long-time favorites.

This recipe came from a church friend many years ago. It's one of my husband's tried and true, never fails to please, all-time favorites. I don't make it often enough! It will be on our family's Thanksgiving table this year for sure. I'm thinking about substituting sunflower nuts for the cashews this time; it just sounds really good.

There are many similar recipes around. Do you have one? What substitutions do you make? Leave me a comment - I'd love to hear about it!

Lily's Easy Greek Fish Fillets

2006-11-17T13:46:00.000-06:00

1 pound blue hake fish fillets or other firm white fish, about four pieces, partially thawed
1 to 2 tablespoons Athenos Greek with Feta Cheese salad dressing (one good squirt right out of the bottle)

Squirt the salad dressing into a 10 inch sauté pan. Begin heating over medium heat. Add the fish fillets, turning to coat the fish and spread the dressing around in the pan. Sauté for about three minutes then carefully turn, further coating the fish. Continue cooking for another three to five minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with a lemon wedge.

This recipe is fast and simple – only two ingredients – yet so clever and oh, so tasty! It's my favorite way to fix fish. I get the blue hake from Schwan’s. Do you ever see those big yellow trucks with the blue swan on the side that bring ice cream and other frozen goodies directly to you? They have great products (try their frozen vegetables – they’re second to none!). I order online at www.schwans.com and my order is delivered to my door every other Monday. Now that’s how I like to shop!

Athenos is a Kraft company and I find this wonderful salad dressing, one of our favorites, on the shelf next to the Kraft dressings. The seasoning is just perfect with the fish and you don’t need to add anything else. If you can’t find this brand, certainly another oil-based dressing would work, so choose your favorite and sauté away! Remember that fish is good for you and you should try to serve it at least weekly.

If you try it, leave me a comment and let me know how you liked it. Enjoy!

Mammaw's Carolina Delight

2006-11-16T21:05:00.000-06:00

My secret to success with this no-bake, top of the stove cookie recipe is the margarine. I use Fleischmann's. Works perfectly every time.

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 stick margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal

In a 3-quart pan, mix sugar, cocoa, milk, margarine. Put on medium heat and cook until mixture starts to boil, then boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Add the vanilla, salt, peanut butter, and oats. Stir well. Drop by teaspoonfuls on waxed paper. Cool at room temperature. Serve and enjoy.

A lot of people make this recipe, but my Mammaw made it best. I remember HUGE cookies, and plenty of them! I remember my Mammaw's smile as she watched us enjoy these, washing them down with a nice glass of milk. Mammaw's been gone for a long time, but I think of her every time I make these wonderful chocolate treats for my family. My boys love them. Even my husband enjoys them and he's not the biggest chocolate fan in the house (that would be me!).

Do you have a favorite recipe from your grandmother? Have you tried this recipe? Tell me about it. I'd love to read your comments!