It has been so long since I have sat down to grace you with my cooking goodness. Don't think that I haven't thought of you, because I have, a lot. Every time I try a new recipe and it's a hit, I think, I have got to get that on my blog! But, alas, time is precious these days with school in session and many miles to travel a day. I need to find an app that will take my speech and type it up for me. Then all I have to do is post it and viola, you are graced! And I have no doubt that there is an app out there for it, because there is an app for EVERYTHING!!!
Well, because it has been so long, I wondered what recipe I should start with first. There have been so many and let me just say that there really were some great ones and in time they will all be posted for posterity. But which one recipe out of all of those should come up first to say, hey, I've been busy, but look what I have to show for it? Drumroll, please...
Spanish Rice Burritos
1 package spanish rice
1 lb hamburger
cheese and tortillas
Brown hamburger and set aside. Make spanish rice according to directions and then mix in hamburger. For a little extra, you can add in corn or beans or whatever else you desire. Add as much shredded cheese as you desire and melt. Using warmed up tortillas (you warm them so that you can close the ends without them tearing!), spoon in your mixture and add whatever you feel like adding...cholula sauce, lettuce, more cheese.
These are a HIT at my house. Even the Man of the House thinks they are great and can it really get any easier than this? I used this recipe first just so you know that I really have been busy and these kinds of recipes are a premium at my house-fast, easy and ingredients you can have on hand! LOVE IT!
I promise that I will get better and just to entice you until my next gracing, my next recipe will be a crock pot one...it was SO good and the leftovers were just as amazing! And when it cools down some, one of my and my kids' favorite soup. Oh the agony of waiting!
I should ask you if I need to sing you the "Patience" song...how many of you know that one??? My kids HATE it when I start to sing it. Let me know if you remember it!!! "Have patience, have patience. Don't be in such a hurry. When you get impatient, you only start to worry. Remember, remember, that God has patience, too. Just think of all the times when others have to wait for you!"
I'm pretty sure that my mother used to sing that one to me and I started singing it to my nephews. And now my oldest is a SENIOR!!! Just looked at his senior pictures last month and my has he grown into a fine young man! I even got to enjoy seeing pictures of him in the local newspaper cleaning up the town in preparation for his last Homecoming. Hmmm...I wonder if he will sing the song to his kids...
PS-I just looked over this post to spell check and realized how spacy I sound! I was told one day at a summer school workshop that this is called ADDOSS...Attention Deficit Disorder-Oh look Something Shiny!!! HaHaHa I personally like my sister's better-ADDS-Attention Deficit Disorder Squirrel! If you haven't seen the Disney movie Up, go watch it and then come back to that quote!
Please don't think badly of me; I know that ADD is a very serious problem for people and I am not trying to make light of it. I'm a teacher...I know.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Too Hot to Cook...But It's Got To Be Done
The official lazy days of summer have hit me BIG TIME! I'm finding it hard to do anything, especially cook. Even worse, it is so miserably hot that I cringe at the mere mention of turning on my oven. That's where I was at about an hour ago when I was pondering supper. That is, until an idea struck me!
My sister gifted me a Pampered Chef Grill Basket for my birthday last week AND I just went to the store and scored some really awesome looking peppers-red, yellow and green! Why oh why didn't I think to pick up mushrooms, because this marinade is THE BEST for them.
Anyway, my sister came up with this amazing marinade that she used with veggies a couple of weeks ago and I'm trying it on my steak tonight, too. Stay tuned...
Marinade
2 TBSP lemon juice
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TSP brown sugar
2 TBSP olive oil
1 clove garlic
Mix all together in a plastic bag until sugar dissolves.
For the veggies, I used red, yellow and green peppers, an onion fresh out of the garden, and curse me Perry the Platypus but I had no mushrooms to add to the mix. Yes, the kids are having a hard time with the lazy summer days, too, hence we have lots of Phineas and Ferb!
I am just about as excited as my lazy body can get about supper tonight because these veggies are amazing grilled. I could actually care less about the meat, which for me, is unusual! I'm sure you could make kabobs out of this as well, but my grill basket is just a little lazier side step, so I'm going for that!
Man, I feel like a slug...
My sister gifted me a Pampered Chef Grill Basket for my birthday last week AND I just went to the store and scored some really awesome looking peppers-red, yellow and green! Why oh why didn't I think to pick up mushrooms, because this marinade is THE BEST for them.
Anyway, my sister came up with this amazing marinade that she used with veggies a couple of weeks ago and I'm trying it on my steak tonight, too. Stay tuned...
Marinade
2 TBSP lemon juice
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TSP brown sugar
2 TBSP olive oil
1 clove garlic
Mix all together in a plastic bag until sugar dissolves.
For the veggies, I used red, yellow and green peppers, an onion fresh out of the garden, and curse me Perry the Platypus but I had no mushrooms to add to the mix. Yes, the kids are having a hard time with the lazy summer days, too, hence we have lots of Phineas and Ferb!
I am just about as excited as my lazy body can get about supper tonight because these veggies are amazing grilled. I could actually care less about the meat, which for me, is unusual! I'm sure you could make kabobs out of this as well, but my grill basket is just a little lazier side step, so I'm going for that!
Man, I feel like a slug...
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Ode To My Crock Pot
An old college friend of mine messaged me today wondering if I had ideas for a get-together without warming up the house with the oven. Instantly, as would anyone else, I asked about a grill. Darn it, no grills allowed, so my next question was crock pot. She replied she was afraid of her crock pot. OHHHHHH THE HORROR!!!!! To be afraid of your crock pot is a sadness upon my heart, my dear. I myself have a love/hate relationship with my crock pot. Love it because I can come home during the school year to a warm already made meal and hate it because the darn thing just won't fill itself! HA! Or wash itself for that matter. I know, I know, they make those crock pot liners, but that just goes against my frugal tendencies that come from my mother who still washes and reuses her plastic bags...now that's another story for another day, and really, you can't blame her, because I think she learned it from her mother!
For a vast majority of my crock pot cooking, I use the Fix It And Forget It crock pot cookbook. Tons of great recipes-get one. Which one, you say...crock pot, cookbook? Get one of each, I say. But really, who doesn't already have a crock pot. Everyone received one as a wedding gift. It's just a matter of finding it for some of us!
But now, my favorite crock pot recipes. I'm not sure you can even call it a recipe it's so easy.
Shredded Ham Sandwiches
Warm up ham roast in crock pot. Shred it. Mix in appropriate amount of taco seasoning for size of roast. Taste it-you'll figure it out. Put in crock pot to stay warm. Serve on homemade hamburger buns (I say homemade because they are the best...do I usually use homemade hamburger buns??? Are you kidding me-do you really think I have that much time or patience in my life???)
And this recipe is SO versatile. Watch this.
Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Cook beef roast in crock pot (I use pretty much anything but a chuck roast-I hate chuck roasts and chuck roasts hate me-I think they multiply in my freezer...) Shred it. Mix in appropriate amount of Italian seasoning for size of roast. Taste it-you'll figure it out. Put in crock pot to stay warm. Serve on homemade hamburger buns (see above notation regarding homemade hamburger buns...)
I would elaborate more on my love for my crock pot, but alas, it's like 100 degrees out and I'm a crock pot soup and stew kind of girl and it's just putting me off right now. Just wait a few months and I'll be poppin' those crock pot recipes out like none other!
For a vast majority of my crock pot cooking, I use the Fix It And Forget It crock pot cookbook. Tons of great recipes-get one. Which one, you say...crock pot, cookbook? Get one of each, I say. But really, who doesn't already have a crock pot. Everyone received one as a wedding gift. It's just a matter of finding it for some of us!
But now, my favorite crock pot recipes. I'm not sure you can even call it a recipe it's so easy.
Shredded Ham Sandwiches
Warm up ham roast in crock pot. Shred it. Mix in appropriate amount of taco seasoning for size of roast. Taste it-you'll figure it out. Put in crock pot to stay warm. Serve on homemade hamburger buns (I say homemade because they are the best...do I usually use homemade hamburger buns??? Are you kidding me-do you really think I have that much time or patience in my life???)
And this recipe is SO versatile. Watch this.
Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Cook beef roast in crock pot (I use pretty much anything but a chuck roast-I hate chuck roasts and chuck roasts hate me-I think they multiply in my freezer...) Shred it. Mix in appropriate amount of Italian seasoning for size of roast. Taste it-you'll figure it out. Put in crock pot to stay warm. Serve on homemade hamburger buns (see above notation regarding homemade hamburger buns...)
I would elaborate more on my love for my crock pot, but alas, it's like 100 degrees out and I'm a crock pot soup and stew kind of girl and it's just putting me off right now. Just wait a few months and I'll be poppin' those crock pot recipes out like none other!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Little Kid Kind Of Salad On A Lazy Day In Summer
Just in case you had forgotten, I'm not much of a salad maker. After pondering why this is, I think it's because I'm not much of a salad eater. If I don't eat it, why would I make it, right? Growing up is good for the palate, however, and I do find myself enjoying more and more salads in life. But this one, I would have loved even when I was little and the idea of something crunchy or even mushy in my mouth was revolting!
I'm again, not sure where I rounded this recipe up, but it is a keeper!
Ranch Potato Salad
2 lbs potatoes, cubed into bite-sized pieces
8 oz Ranch Dressing
1 cup cheddar cheese
2.8 oz bacon bits
onion powder and garlic salt to taste
Cook the potatoes until they are just tender. Don't cook too long or they will fall apart! Run cool water over potatoes until they are cool.
In the meantime, mix the rest of the ingredients together. Once the potatoes are cool, mix they in with the rest. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. Don't judge the taste until you let it cool for a while!
How easy is that??? It's a salad, but there's nothing in there that is offensive to the little ones-well, unless you are Bubba who doesn't like Ranch dressing. What's up with that? What kid doesn't each Ranch dressing? Mine, apparently!
As a variation that I haven't tried yet, instead of using the 8 oz of Ranch dressing, use 1 cup of sour cream and one package of dry ranch dressing mix.
My sister just let me know that her family called the salad a hit, too, and was sad that I brought it home with me last night! Hooray for me! Hooray for me what, though-for making a salad that everyone likes or hooray for me for bringing it home so now I can eat it for lunch myself! :)
As an aside, can you believe the hot weather? I went out to feed and water the animals this morning and by the time I was done I had pretty much decided that that was about all I was going to do today. That's why they are called the "lazy days of summer", right?! Heat indexes of 108 degrees are not my idea of good, well, pretty much anything, weather. On my way back to the house, I stopped by the mini garden patch to check out the peas and saw that the rhubarb plant was in need of being baked, so I pulled about 4 cups worth of stems. I was in need of a good Rhubarb Crunch fix anyway. But when I got back to the house and cleaned and cut them all up I realized that now my oven is going to have to be on for a WHOLE HOUR???!!! What was I thinking??? Oh well. I guess when the crunch comes out of the oven, I'll just have to have a bowl topped with nice, cold ice cream to overcome the heat! :)
Stay cool everyone!
I'm again, not sure where I rounded this recipe up, but it is a keeper!
Ranch Potato Salad
2 lbs potatoes, cubed into bite-sized pieces
8 oz Ranch Dressing
1 cup cheddar cheese
2.8 oz bacon bits
onion powder and garlic salt to taste
Cook the potatoes until they are just tender. Don't cook too long or they will fall apart! Run cool water over potatoes until they are cool.
In the meantime, mix the rest of the ingredients together. Once the potatoes are cool, mix they in with the rest. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. Don't judge the taste until you let it cool for a while!
How easy is that??? It's a salad, but there's nothing in there that is offensive to the little ones-well, unless you are Bubba who doesn't like Ranch dressing. What's up with that? What kid doesn't each Ranch dressing? Mine, apparently!
As a variation that I haven't tried yet, instead of using the 8 oz of Ranch dressing, use 1 cup of sour cream and one package of dry ranch dressing mix.
My sister just let me know that her family called the salad a hit, too, and was sad that I brought it home with me last night! Hooray for me! Hooray for me what, though-for making a salad that everyone likes or hooray for me for bringing it home so now I can eat it for lunch myself! :)
As an aside, can you believe the hot weather? I went out to feed and water the animals this morning and by the time I was done I had pretty much decided that that was about all I was going to do today. That's why they are called the "lazy days of summer", right?! Heat indexes of 108 degrees are not my idea of good, well, pretty much anything, weather. On my way back to the house, I stopped by the mini garden patch to check out the peas and saw that the rhubarb plant was in need of being baked, so I pulled about 4 cups worth of stems. I was in need of a good Rhubarb Crunch fix anyway. But when I got back to the house and cleaned and cut them all up I realized that now my oven is going to have to be on for a WHOLE HOUR???!!! What was I thinking??? Oh well. I guess when the crunch comes out of the oven, I'll just have to have a bowl topped with nice, cold ice cream to overcome the heat! :)
Stay cool everyone!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Battle of the Desserts
Last week, we had two family get-togethers within like two days. The first night, my sister made a dessert. It was amazing, absolutely fine restaurant style that one would easily pay $10 for. Homemade New York Cheesecake with Rhubarb Sauce. Supposedly, the Rhubarb Sauce was a recipe of our Mommy's, but I don't ever remember tasting it before and trust me, I would have remembered. Let's see if I remember the recipe:
Rhubarb Sauce
3 1/2 cups cut up rhubarb
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 package cook and serve vanilla pudding mix
frozen strawberries
Combine the rhubarb, water and sugar and cook on stove until rhubarb is tender. Add pudding and mix until thick. Add strawberries if you wish to the mixture and then cool.
My sister is the cheesecake queen. She makes THE most beautiful cheesecakes you'll ever see this side of a restaurant. And not only are they pretty, but they are GOOOOOOOD!!! I can make a cheesecake, but my excuse is that we live so far out in the country that by the time I get my cheesecake to town, the roads put big huge craters in the middle of my cheesecakes. Yep, that's my excuse and no one's going to change it!
Anyway, my sister's New York Cheesecake is to die for. I'm not even sure I should give you the recipe because even if you make it, it probably won't taste or look like hers anyway!
My Sister's New York Cheesecake
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 TBSP sugar
3 TBSP butter, melted
5 - 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP flour
1 TBSP vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Mix crumbs, 3 TBSP sugar, and butter. Press onto bottom of 9 inch spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes.
Mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and vanilla with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition, just until blended. Blend in sour cream. Pour over crust.
Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Okay, so I can MAYBE see why mine don't turn out like hers. As I am guffawing the preciseness of the directions, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, "hmmmmm, do you think if I actually did some of these things, my cheesecake might just work???" No, it couldn't be because I just turn my mixer on and blow caution to the wind...medium speed, low speed, does it really make a difference? Really, do I have to go find a knife or metal spatula and then DIRTY IT to loosen the cake? What is a metal spatula anyway??? Okay, okay, so maybe my sister's "attention to detail" does work out for the best...
Well, so after devouring a wonderful meal at my sister's house of steak kabobs and cheesecake with rhubarb sauce, we began to talk about the next family get-together meal. Now remember, I was irritated with myself for saying I would bring a salad to our first get-together, so by golly I wasn't going to make that mistake again, and I hurriedly said I would make the dessert. Whew-that disaster was averted!
That is, until the next day when I started to think about what to make for dessert. WHAT WAS I THINKING??? How can you offer to make a dessert after everyone just had my sister's New York Cheesecake with Rhubarb Sauce??? HOW DO YOU TOP THAT??? I swear there was a cold sweat on my skin-have you ever read books that talk about a "cold sweat"? Well, this is what I best imagine that as...
I went through recipe after recipe after recipe to no avail. I googled the top ten recipes of all time-nothing. How am I ever going to top my sister? True, I did beat her that night at the card game "Up And Down the River", so that should account for something, right? Well, I gave up. I couldn't think of anything that could top my sister's cheesecake, so I just pulled out a recipe-wait, cream puff? Chocolatey cheesecakey puddingy layer of goodness? Chocolate and caramel drizzled on whipped cream with toffee sprinkles and mini chocolate chips? Have I just stumbled upon the one dessert that might just bring my dessert making to my sister's level???
Cream Puff Dessert
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Filling:
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups cold milk
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 package instant cheesecake pudding mix
Topping:
1 8 oz carton whipped topping
chocolate and caramel ice cream topping
toffee bits
mini chocolate chips
In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool completely.
Beat cream cheese, milk and pudding mix until smooth. Spread over cooled cream puff. Refrigerate for half an hour. Spread with whipped topping and drizzle and decorate with topping ingredients of your choice.
Yummy! Now I'm not going to say that my dessert in any way topped my sister's cheesecake with rhubarb sauce, but it was good. I felt like I put in a gallant effort to top her. And even better, while I didn't win at the card game that night, neither did she! :) Love ya, Sis!
Oh wait, there was a surprise player in our Battle of the Desserts that we weren't expecting that night. My Aunt also made a dessert and oh my goodness, was it ever delish! Don't have a recipe for you, but imagine Symphony Bars baked in the middle of decadent brownies. Yep, I can hear you moaning in delight already! Which leads me to another recipe-has anyone ever tried a Milky Way Cake? There are like 10 full sized Milky Way Bars baked into this cake? I have never, but The Pioneer Woman Blog and the pictures she adds with it SO makes me want to try it!!!
Rhubarb Sauce
3 1/2 cups cut up rhubarb
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 package cook and serve vanilla pudding mix
frozen strawberries
Combine the rhubarb, water and sugar and cook on stove until rhubarb is tender. Add pudding and mix until thick. Add strawberries if you wish to the mixture and then cool.
My sister is the cheesecake queen. She makes THE most beautiful cheesecakes you'll ever see this side of a restaurant. And not only are they pretty, but they are GOOOOOOOD!!! I can make a cheesecake, but my excuse is that we live so far out in the country that by the time I get my cheesecake to town, the roads put big huge craters in the middle of my cheesecakes. Yep, that's my excuse and no one's going to change it!
Anyway, my sister's New York Cheesecake is to die for. I'm not even sure I should give you the recipe because even if you make it, it probably won't taste or look like hers anyway!
My Sister's New York Cheesecake
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 TBSP sugar
3 TBSP butter, melted
5 - 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP flour
1 TBSP vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Mix crumbs, 3 TBSP sugar, and butter. Press onto bottom of 9 inch spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes.
Mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and vanilla with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition, just until blended. Blend in sour cream. Pour over crust.
Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Okay, so I can MAYBE see why mine don't turn out like hers. As I am guffawing the preciseness of the directions, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, "hmmmmm, do you think if I actually did some of these things, my cheesecake might just work???" No, it couldn't be because I just turn my mixer on and blow caution to the wind...medium speed, low speed, does it really make a difference? Really, do I have to go find a knife or metal spatula and then DIRTY IT to loosen the cake? What is a metal spatula anyway??? Okay, okay, so maybe my sister's "attention to detail" does work out for the best...
Well, so after devouring a wonderful meal at my sister's house of steak kabobs and cheesecake with rhubarb sauce, we began to talk about the next family get-together meal. Now remember, I was irritated with myself for saying I would bring a salad to our first get-together, so by golly I wasn't going to make that mistake again, and I hurriedly said I would make the dessert. Whew-that disaster was averted!
That is, until the next day when I started to think about what to make for dessert. WHAT WAS I THINKING??? How can you offer to make a dessert after everyone just had my sister's New York Cheesecake with Rhubarb Sauce??? HOW DO YOU TOP THAT??? I swear there was a cold sweat on my skin-have you ever read books that talk about a "cold sweat"? Well, this is what I best imagine that as...
I went through recipe after recipe after recipe to no avail. I googled the top ten recipes of all time-nothing. How am I ever going to top my sister? True, I did beat her that night at the card game "Up And Down the River", so that should account for something, right? Well, I gave up. I couldn't think of anything that could top my sister's cheesecake, so I just pulled out a recipe-wait, cream puff? Chocolatey cheesecakey puddingy layer of goodness? Chocolate and caramel drizzled on whipped cream with toffee sprinkles and mini chocolate chips? Have I just stumbled upon the one dessert that might just bring my dessert making to my sister's level???
Cream Puff Dessert
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Filling:
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups cold milk
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 package instant cheesecake pudding mix
Topping:
1 8 oz carton whipped topping
chocolate and caramel ice cream topping
toffee bits
mini chocolate chips
In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool completely.
Beat cream cheese, milk and pudding mix until smooth. Spread over cooled cream puff. Refrigerate for half an hour. Spread with whipped topping and drizzle and decorate with topping ingredients of your choice.
Yummy! Now I'm not going to say that my dessert in any way topped my sister's cheesecake with rhubarb sauce, but it was good. I felt like I put in a gallant effort to top her. And even better, while I didn't win at the card game that night, neither did she! :) Love ya, Sis!
Oh wait, there was a surprise player in our Battle of the Desserts that we weren't expecting that night. My Aunt also made a dessert and oh my goodness, was it ever delish! Don't have a recipe for you, but imagine Symphony Bars baked in the middle of decadent brownies. Yep, I can hear you moaning in delight already! Which leads me to another recipe-has anyone ever tried a Milky Way Cake? There are like 10 full sized Milky Way Bars baked into this cake? I have never, but The Pioneer Woman Blog and the pictures she adds with it SO makes me want to try it!!!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Long Time Summer
Wow! It's been since June 16th that I last posted??? Time flies during the summer, doesn't it? There has been so much going on that I just haven't taken the time to sit down and blog a thing! But don't worry, in that time, I have come up with some really great recipes to share. I went camping and there will definitely be some camping recipes coming up, but first I'm going to share this recipe that I just made this morning for our family gathering tonight.
First off, let me say, what in the WORLD was I thinking telling my sister that I would make a salad for tonight??? I don't usually even eat the salads, let alone make them or make them well! I have just a few tried and true salad recipes that I'm not sure I would really deem salads-they are more like desserts but called salads just so you can get dessert afterwards, too! :) That's the arsenal I went for today. I knew it was going to be hot today and I really didn't want to turn on my oven either, so that left me with one choice-Aunt Carol's Frozen Salad. See how I added that "Salad" at the end? That makes it okay to have the homemade New York Cheesecake with Rhubarb Sauce that my sister said she was also making after supper!
Aunt Carol's Frozen Salad
1 carton whipped topping
1 can cherry pie filling (I put mine in the food processor and chop it all up)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
little bit of almond flavoring for taste
Mix it all up and place in a square pan. Freeze well.
I have this Tupperware container that is like 6 x 8 or something really odd like that and I have absolutely nothing to put in it ever, so several years ago it was dubbed the Aunt Carol's Frozen Salad pan.
Now how did I come up with this recipe. That is a really good question, because for the life of me, I do not remember eating this when we visited Aunt Carol and Uncle Don, but I was young then and WAY more interested in the Dairy Queen they ran instead of the salads that Aunt Carol made!
Enjoy this perfect summer SALAD fare!
First off, let me say, what in the WORLD was I thinking telling my sister that I would make a salad for tonight??? I don't usually even eat the salads, let alone make them or make them well! I have just a few tried and true salad recipes that I'm not sure I would really deem salads-they are more like desserts but called salads just so you can get dessert afterwards, too! :) That's the arsenal I went for today. I knew it was going to be hot today and I really didn't want to turn on my oven either, so that left me with one choice-Aunt Carol's Frozen Salad. See how I added that "Salad" at the end? That makes it okay to have the homemade New York Cheesecake with Rhubarb Sauce that my sister said she was also making after supper!
Aunt Carol's Frozen Salad
1 carton whipped topping
1 can cherry pie filling (I put mine in the food processor and chop it all up)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
little bit of almond flavoring for taste
Mix it all up and place in a square pan. Freeze well.
I have this Tupperware container that is like 6 x 8 or something really odd like that and I have absolutely nothing to put in it ever, so several years ago it was dubbed the Aunt Carol's Frozen Salad pan.
Now how did I come up with this recipe. That is a really good question, because for the life of me, I do not remember eating this when we visited Aunt Carol and Uncle Don, but I was young then and WAY more interested in the Dairy Queen they ran instead of the salads that Aunt Carol made!
Enjoy this perfect summer SALAD fare!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Church Recipes Rock!
So last night my church catered a meal out at the Riverview Lodge. WOW! That is all I can say-that place was beautiful and I am ready to move in for good. If you haven't seen it, check out the pictures. WOW! If you don't live in the area, you should definitely take a trip and stay at the Lodge, preferably in the Event Center because those rooms are to die for! The ambiance out there was more than you can imagine-a waterfall, a fire pit, piped music outside. To die for!
Back to the meal and more specifically the salads, the church ladies just made whatever salad they wanted to bring out. There was this Grape Salad that looked a little iffy if you know what I mean, so I thought I should test it before we put it out, just to make sure it was safe for others consumption, you know. Oh my goodness. If you have ever had Caramel Apple Salad, that is exactly what this tasted like, but with really good grapes instead of apples. WOW! You have to make this salad.
Grape Salad
8 cups red seedless grapes
8 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
1 TSP vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
Wash and dry grapes. Mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar. Once mixed well, add it to the grapes and stir until mixed. Top the salad with the pecans and brown sugar and chill.
YUMMY!
Back to the meal and more specifically the salads, the church ladies just made whatever salad they wanted to bring out. There was this Grape Salad that looked a little iffy if you know what I mean, so I thought I should test it before we put it out, just to make sure it was safe for others consumption, you know. Oh my goodness. If you have ever had Caramel Apple Salad, that is exactly what this tasted like, but with really good grapes instead of apples. WOW! You have to make this salad.
Grape Salad
8 cups red seedless grapes
8 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
1 TSP vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
Wash and dry grapes. Mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar. Once mixed well, add it to the grapes and stir until mixed. Top the salad with the pecans and brown sugar and chill.
YUMMY!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Quick and Easy Breakfast
I knew this day was coming. I tried and tried to come up with something intelligent to make for breakfast, but when you have no eggs, milk, bacon, or bread, among many other things, your breakfast arsenal is greatly diminished. I believe that I had a post about this not too long ago about chocolate cake mixes, but believe me, this is way worse!
It's not like I haven't been to town, because I have. It's just that I am always in town with the kids. There is nothing worse than taking kids grocery shopping. It doesn't matter if they are starving or exhausted or so full that I'm pretty sure they are going to puke-it is still a miserable experience. My kids aren't bad kids. They don't throw fits if they are told no, they listen when I say they can't have something. I don't know what it is. Maybe because I hate shopping, so when I start out hating shopping and then I have to tell the kids no five bajillion times, and yes, bajillion is a word in my vocabulary because I've had to say no that many times-I counted-maybe that's what the problem is.
Ugh, so anyway, it's just not fun for me and now today we have to make that dreaded trip to the grocery store where we may just have two grocery carts full. I couldn't just run in more often with the kids and make it easier on myself. NO...I put it off and put it off until the experience will seem to last a lifetime inside that store. Why oh why oh why do I do this to myself???
Getting back to breakfast, I think that I learned this recipe from my sister, but I'm not totally clear on that. I may have just come up with it one of the many other times that I put myself in this situation...
Voila...you have a quick and easy and fairly edible breakfast that no one will complain about. Well, except that we don't have milk to go with them...
It's not like I haven't been to town, because I have. It's just that I am always in town with the kids. There is nothing worse than taking kids grocery shopping. It doesn't matter if they are starving or exhausted or so full that I'm pretty sure they are going to puke-it is still a miserable experience. My kids aren't bad kids. They don't throw fits if they are told no, they listen when I say they can't have something. I don't know what it is. Maybe because I hate shopping, so when I start out hating shopping and then I have to tell the kids no five bajillion times, and yes, bajillion is a word in my vocabulary because I've had to say no that many times-I counted-maybe that's what the problem is.
Ugh, so anyway, it's just not fun for me and now today we have to make that dreaded trip to the grocery store where we may just have two grocery carts full. I couldn't just run in more often with the kids and make it easier on myself. NO...I put it off and put it off until the experience will seem to last a lifetime inside that store. Why oh why oh why do I do this to myself???
Getting back to breakfast, I think that I learned this recipe from my sister, but I'm not totally clear on that. I may have just come up with it one of the many other times that I put myself in this situation...
Quick Breakfast Rolls
1 roll refrigerator biscuits
1/2 stick of butter
bowl of cinnamon and sugar mixed together
Preheat oven to whatever it says on the refrigerator biscuits package.
Melt the butter. Dip biscuit in butter and then roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place on cookie sheet. Bake just a bit longer than the package says.
Voila...you have a quick and easy and fairly edible breakfast that no one will complain about. Well, except that we don't have milk to go with them...
Monday, June 13, 2011
Spring Fair
Yesterday I was able to snag a bunch of asparagus from my Mommy's house. Apparently they are tired of the never ending supply of the stuff and are now getting ready to begin the age old "if you leave you car door unlocked, you might just find a garden treat inside" small town custom. Luckily, this time of year, it's a good custom for me. Now when it gets to cucumber and zucchini season, I'm going to start locking my car doors. Man, I hate that stuff! I don't care how it's cooked. There's not enough breading and butter in the world to make zucchini taste good...
Anyway, back to my asparagus I scored. Asparagus is tasty when you just boil it, but let me give you a new recipe to try out. For those of you who don't live in small town, or who don't live near Lisco...why live near Lisco? Did you know that people drive for over an hour every year to go to the pastures by the Lisco river bridge to pick the wild asparagus that grows there? In fact, one time we heard some of these people who drive over 60 miles to come actually complain because it isn't fair. By the time they get there to pick the asparagus, the "locals" have already picked most of it. Amazing-like it's our right and/or privilege or something to pick something that grows in our hometown...hmmm...
Again, back to my asparagus from my Mommy. Here is a recipe that will have you less privileged folk running to the grocery store in hopes of a good batch of the long green stems...
Oven Asparagus (that's what I'll call it until I have a better name)
Line asparagus on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and dust with your favorite seasoning (ie garlic salt, seasoning salt, whatever toots your horn). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place in preheated oven at 325-350 degrees and bake until at your desired eating style.
I'm one of those people who doesn't like their asparagus to crunch, so I leave mine in longer than others might like. Just use a fork and test it every once in a while until it's how you like it.
This is so good that we nearly had a family meal revolt. It was the first time we had tried this and we didn't make much of it just in case it didn't taste so good (how could we have thought that???) The rest we just boiled (how boring, right?) My sister and her family were late getting to the meal and there were only four pieces of this oh-so-yummy recipe left, and I was just going to eat them. If they didn't see the empty plate, they would never know that they missed anything, right? But NO, my Daddy said I had to leave some for my sister to try. I say, you snooze, you lose. Daddy obviously isn't into the "you snooze, you lose" mind frame, so needless to say, I had to leave it, and my sister got to eat the rest. But I am happy to say that I have trumped her this time...I got to take ALL the asparagus from the patch yesterday...nanner nanner nanner! :)
Anyway, back to my asparagus I scored. Asparagus is tasty when you just boil it, but let me give you a new recipe to try out. For those of you who don't live in small town, or who don't live near Lisco...why live near Lisco? Did you know that people drive for over an hour every year to go to the pastures by the Lisco river bridge to pick the wild asparagus that grows there? In fact, one time we heard some of these people who drive over 60 miles to come actually complain because it isn't fair. By the time they get there to pick the asparagus, the "locals" have already picked most of it. Amazing-like it's our right and/or privilege or something to pick something that grows in our hometown...hmmm...
Again, back to my asparagus from my Mommy. Here is a recipe that will have you less privileged folk running to the grocery store in hopes of a good batch of the long green stems...
Oven Asparagus (that's what I'll call it until I have a better name)
Line asparagus on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and dust with your favorite seasoning (ie garlic salt, seasoning salt, whatever toots your horn). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place in preheated oven at 325-350 degrees and bake until at your desired eating style.
I'm one of those people who doesn't like their asparagus to crunch, so I leave mine in longer than others might like. Just use a fork and test it every once in a while until it's how you like it.
This is so good that we nearly had a family meal revolt. It was the first time we had tried this and we didn't make much of it just in case it didn't taste so good (how could we have thought that???) The rest we just boiled (how boring, right?) My sister and her family were late getting to the meal and there were only four pieces of this oh-so-yummy recipe left, and I was just going to eat them. If they didn't see the empty plate, they would never know that they missed anything, right? But NO, my Daddy said I had to leave some for my sister to try. I say, you snooze, you lose. Daddy obviously isn't into the "you snooze, you lose" mind frame, so needless to say, I had to leave it, and my sister got to eat the rest. But I am happy to say that I have trumped her this time...I got to take ALL the asparagus from the patch yesterday...nanner nanner nanner! :)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Tasty Little Noodle Dish
Last night I went looking for something that everyone would eat. I knew the men would be hungry and after a day of swimming, I knew the kids would be, too. I plowed through recipe book after recipe book and settled on this Beefy Noodle Bake. It was easy to make and while the recipe says that the leftovers taste even better, I will never know, because the whole thing was gone-picky Bubba even went back for seconds!
I made a few tweeks a la Allison to make it easier and I say to make it taste better, too. I have never figured out the whole layering business when it comes to this type of recipe. If you layer it, you end up with parts of the noodles that are dry because you missed them with the mixtures and you're unhappy. Just mix it all together and everything is mixed with everything else and we're all happy! It's must faster, too! BONUS!!!
It was so creamy and delish, I might have to make it again just so I can have leftovers and try them!
I made a few tweeks a la Allison to make it easier and I say to make it taste better, too. I have never figured out the whole layering business when it comes to this type of recipe. If you layer it, you end up with parts of the noodles that are dry because you missed them with the mixtures and you're unhappy. Just mix it all together and everything is mixed with everything else and we're all happy! It's must faster, too! BONUS!!!
Beefy Noodle Bake
1 pound hamburger, browned with onion
1 TSP salt
1/2 TSP pepper
2 TSP sugar
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese
4 oz noodles, cooked and drained (I used wide egg noodles)
1 cup cheddar cheese
Combine hamburger, salt, pepper, sugar and tomato sauce. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add sour cream and cream cheese to meat mixture and melt cream cheese and mix it all together. Add noodles to this mixture and mix well. Grease a casserole dish and put mixture in. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for around 45 minutes.
It was so creamy and delish, I might have to make it again just so I can have leftovers and try them!
Monday, June 6, 2011
I Love Breakfast...
I love breakfast and breakfast loves me. If you don't believe it, just look at me! :) Seriously, this morning, Bubba asked for pancakes-I LOVE it when they ask for pancakes because that means I get pancakes, too! So I whipped out the "tried and true" pancake recipe from my best friend and it, as usual, pleased!
Like Amanda says, double this or triple it so you have leftovers. You will want leftovers, trust me! You are about to change your usual pancake recipe...
'Manda's Perfect Pancakes
1 1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
1 heaping TSP baking powder
1 TSP baking soda
1/4 cup cooking oil
pinch of salt
Mix all together. Pour batter by spoonfuls onto a hot non-stick pan or griddle. Flip when edges appear to harden. They will turn out golden brown.
Like Amanda says, double this or triple it so you have leftovers. You will want leftovers, trust me! You are about to change your usual pancake recipe...
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Clarence Orr Cake and a Story
So this morning I have been up for a while, quite a while actually and for some reason the story of this cake was in my mind, so I thought I would share not only the story, but a really good recipe, too.
So, first let it be said that for some reason, I am a glutton for punishment. When I have to take a food item somewhere, I never seem to pull from my "tried and true" recipe arsenal. I always dig up something that I'm sure will be wonderful, but I don't really know because I haven't ever made it yet. Or I choose something that never seems to work quite right, because I'm pretty sure that this time it's going to work. Why, oh why, do I always seem to put that unnecessary pressure on myself??? See above-"glutton for punishment".
Let it also be said that if a cake will fall or get stuck in a bundt pan, it will happen to me and during one of those "glutton for punishment" times when I'm really needing that stupid cake to come out because I'm on a schedule. I have learned one thing through the years that may surprise some of you. Don't make a bundt cake unless the Man of the House, aka my husband, is around to flour the pan. For some reason, he has the touch and if he flours that pan, the cake will come out perfectly EVERY time. He is quite, ummm, well, let's just say he gloats about it and not quietly, I might add! Unfortunately, the Man of the House isn't usually too thrilled to be called away from his horse and cattle to flour a pan for me!
With all that being said, I decided to make a Clarence Orr Cake to take to a church supper one day. What a perfect cake to take, I thought, since that is where it got its name. My mom made this cake and took it to a church function and Clarence Orr, now long passed, loved it and that's been its name ever since. And I must admit, it is a wonderful cake.
So off I went to the kitchen and had my two round cakes cooled and ready to split and layer with the aromatically dreamlike filling. Those cakes just didn't seem to want to stay on top of each other. I worked and worked at it until I thought that they might stay, even though the Man of the House and his father were both pretty sure they were going to get to eat it because it was going to fall apart. With the job done, I took off to ready myself and the kids for church. As I rounded the corner back into the kitchen, what do you suppose I see but my father-in-law's finger PUSHING OVER THE TOP LAYER OF MY CAKE!!!!!! I cannot even begin to tell you the words that wanted to come out of my mouth-well, let's just say they weren't worthy of the church I was getting ready to attend!
Keep in mind here that I wasn't sure that the cake was going to stay upright on its own anyway. Well, my father-in-law swears to this day that he was just helping my cake to its eventual fall anyway. What do you do? I'll tell you what we did. We went to the silverware drawer and we all dug in-why waste a good cake?! And I'm not really sure what I took to church in place of my cake!
Nowadays when I plan to make this cake, I ask where the Man of the House and his father will be first just to make sure I won't have any "help"-like I need any help ruining a layer cake!!!
So, first let it be said that for some reason, I am a glutton for punishment. When I have to take a food item somewhere, I never seem to pull from my "tried and true" recipe arsenal. I always dig up something that I'm sure will be wonderful, but I don't really know because I haven't ever made it yet. Or I choose something that never seems to work quite right, because I'm pretty sure that this time it's going to work. Why, oh why, do I always seem to put that unnecessary pressure on myself??? See above-"glutton for punishment".
Let it also be said that if a cake will fall or get stuck in a bundt pan, it will happen to me and during one of those "glutton for punishment" times when I'm really needing that stupid cake to come out because I'm on a schedule. I have learned one thing through the years that may surprise some of you. Don't make a bundt cake unless the Man of the House, aka my husband, is around to flour the pan. For some reason, he has the touch and if he flours that pan, the cake will come out perfectly EVERY time. He is quite, ummm, well, let's just say he gloats about it and not quietly, I might add! Unfortunately, the Man of the House isn't usually too thrilled to be called away from his horse and cattle to flour a pan for me!
With all that being said, I decided to make a Clarence Orr Cake to take to a church supper one day. What a perfect cake to take, I thought, since that is where it got its name. My mom made this cake and took it to a church function and Clarence Orr, now long passed, loved it and that's been its name ever since. And I must admit, it is a wonderful cake.
So off I went to the kitchen and had my two round cakes cooled and ready to split and layer with the aromatically dreamlike filling. Those cakes just didn't seem to want to stay on top of each other. I worked and worked at it until I thought that they might stay, even though the Man of the House and his father were both pretty sure they were going to get to eat it because it was going to fall apart. With the job done, I took off to ready myself and the kids for church. As I rounded the corner back into the kitchen, what do you suppose I see but my father-in-law's finger PUSHING OVER THE TOP LAYER OF MY CAKE!!!!!! I cannot even begin to tell you the words that wanted to come out of my mouth-well, let's just say they weren't worthy of the church I was getting ready to attend!
Keep in mind here that I wasn't sure that the cake was going to stay upright on its own anyway. Well, my father-in-law swears to this day that he was just helping my cake to its eventual fall anyway. What do you do? I'll tell you what we did. We went to the silverware drawer and we all dug in-why waste a good cake?! And I'm not really sure what I took to church in place of my cake!
Clarence Orr Cake via my Mommy
Prepare a white or yellow cake. (1/2 TSP of almond flavoring and 1/2 TSP of lemon flavoring added to white or yellow cakes make for a good flavor.) Bake in 2 round layer pans. (Grease and flour and cover bottom with waxed paper for ease in removing cake from pan.) When cool split layers and fill with Lemon Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 TBSP corn starch
1/4 TSP salt
3/4 cup water
1 TBSP butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
Mix sugar, corn, starch, and salt. Add water and bring to a boil in microwave. Boil 1 minute. Remove and add butter and lemon juice. Cool before filling cake.
Frosting for Clarence Orr Cake:
1/2 cup butter
2 1/2 TBSP flour
1/4 TSP salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 TSP vanilla or almond flavoring
2-3 cups powdered sugar
Melt butter. Blend in flour and salt. Stir in milk. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Beat until thick enough to spread. Spread over cake. Can top cake with coconut if desired.
Nowadays when I plan to make this cake, I ask where the Man of the House and his father will be first just to make sure I won't have any "help"-like I need any help ruining a layer cake!!!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Man of the House Special
A couple of days ago my husband, the Man of the House, semi-created a new recipe and, my, was it ever good! Definitely man food, but very good. He sat down on the counter in front of me some leftover deli sliced roast beef, some con queso cheese sauce, and green pork chili and says to me, "can't you just whip something up in a quesadilla with this stuff?" Hmmmmm.
So I started the griddle on the stove to heating and warmed up the tortillas. Then I sprayed the griddle with a little olive oil spray so that the tortillas aren't so crispy hard and started making my quesadillas. I warmed up the pork chili before, too. I layered the roast beef first on the tortilla, then plopped on the con queso cheese and the pork chili and smoothed it all together and placed the top tortilla on. Let them warm up on low to medium heat, then flip to crisp up the other side of your quesadilla. Flip it on a plate and then dab a little pork chili on the top and, voila.
Unfortunately, you have to use a fork for these delectable yummies, but the fork is well worth it! Enjoy. I'm off to prep my car for the arrival of my new camper! Camping recipes to come soon!
So I started the griddle on the stove to heating and warmed up the tortillas. Then I sprayed the griddle with a little olive oil spray so that the tortillas aren't so crispy hard and started making my quesadillas. I warmed up the pork chili before, too. I layered the roast beef first on the tortilla, then plopped on the con queso cheese and the pork chili and smoothed it all together and placed the top tortilla on. Let them warm up on low to medium heat, then flip to crisp up the other side of your quesadilla. Flip it on a plate and then dab a little pork chili on the top and, voila.
Unfortunately, you have to use a fork for these delectable yummies, but the fork is well worth it! Enjoy. I'm off to prep my car for the arrival of my new camper! Camping recipes to come soon!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Caramel Chocolate Bliss in a Bar
This morning I was trying to come up with something yummy and wonderful to pack in a picnic lunch and instantly thought of my sister's Rich Chocolate Caramel Brownies. I was so excited because I just happen to have Kraft Caramels sitting on my counter waiting for something tasty to go in. I found my recipe and went to get my chocolate cake mix and...no chocolate cake mix. Is that even possible? How can I not have a chocolate cake mix? I have nine million of every other kind of cake mix, but no chocolate cake mix! Brownie mixes, but no cake mixes. This brought a childhood picture to mind that many of you probably have never had if you didn't live in the boonies.
When I was growing up, we lived, well not as bad as I do now because now I'm in the middle of nowhere, but we lived a fair distance from town. Once a month or so, the family would head to Scottsbluff for groceries. We'd walk in the door and grab not one, but TWO carts and take off. By the time we were through the store, we would have BOTH carts clear full or overflowing and the checkers would all cringe and hope that we didn't go to their lines. My mom would always complain about that because what difference is there between one family with two carts or two families with one cart each? I totally agree-I guess we just looked daunting with our two heaping full carts in the line! Anyway, as the checker would be ringing our things through, we would look at us funny when she got to our four gallons of milk. My mom would say, "it freezes just fine." Sorry, the milk thing always stands out in my memory and I just had to share it! It really has no bearing on my story. :)
Anyway, that picture came to mind because no matter how organized I try to be with my groceries, I always seem to run out of stuff and I never remember Mom saying she had run out of anything. If only I had remembered that silly chocolate cake mix...
Well, hopefully some of you out there will have a chocolate cake mix to make these:
Enjoy these while they last and if you happen to be nearby, share them with us, please! :)
When I was growing up, we lived, well not as bad as I do now because now I'm in the middle of nowhere, but we lived a fair distance from town. Once a month or so, the family would head to Scottsbluff for groceries. We'd walk in the door and grab not one, but TWO carts and take off. By the time we were through the store, we would have BOTH carts clear full or overflowing and the checkers would all cringe and hope that we didn't go to their lines. My mom would always complain about that because what difference is there between one family with two carts or two families with one cart each? I totally agree-I guess we just looked daunting with our two heaping full carts in the line! Anyway, as the checker would be ringing our things through, we would look at us funny when she got to our four gallons of milk. My mom would say, "it freezes just fine." Sorry, the milk thing always stands out in my memory and I just had to share it! It really has no bearing on my story. :)
Anyway, that picture came to mind because no matter how organized I try to be with my groceries, I always seem to run out of stuff and I never remember Mom saying she had run out of anything. If only I had remembered that silly chocolate cake mix...
Well, hopefully some of you out there will have a chocolate cake mix to make these:
My Sister's Rich Chocolate Caramel Brownies
1 chocolate cake mix (that I don't have)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup undiluted evaporated milk, divided
35 Kraft Caramels, my sister says "unwrapped" (really, shall I put them in the mix still wrapped...silly sister)
1 6 oz package chocolate chips
Combine cake mix and melted butter. Stir in 2/3 cup of evaporated milk; your batter will be very thick. Spread half of batter into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Combine "unwrapped" :) caramels and remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Cook in microwave until caramels are melted-be careful not to overcook them.
Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked layer; drizzle caramel mixture of the top. Drop remaining batter by heaping teaspoons over caramel mixture. Return to 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Top layer will still be soft when taken out of oven. Cool completely before cutting into bars.
Enjoy these while they last and if you happen to be nearby, share them with us, please! :)
Monday, May 30, 2011
Not Your Everyday Pancake
This morning I woke up all alone in the house and it was late-I don't think I've slept that late since before I had children! And instead of just enjoying the peace and quiet, I sat and thought of what I would make for breakfast if there were anyone around to eat it. Quite sad, really.
What I came up with are these pancakes that my sister makes. You don't even have to have syrup to put on them, they are so sweet and if your family is the size of mine, you have leftovers for later. I know, I know, you're saying "leftover pancakes?" Yes, I say leftover pancakes. Anything can be a leftover, oh, except for true Mexican food. I tried that once. My Mexican neighbors brought us some sort of wonderful concoction once and there was so much that I decided that it would make THE best lunch at school the next day and I would make all my co-workers jealous. What I didn't know was that when left together, that stuff gets even hotter than it was to begin with, if that is even possible. Needless to say, I went fairly hungry at school that day and my co-workers were pea green with laughter and not envy as I had hoped!
Anyway, back to pancakes:
As a side note, I never combine all the dry ingredients and then put them with the wet ingredients. I'm sure that cooking experts can give me all these reasons why it is important to do that, but can any of that evidence trump the fact that then I don't have to wash another bowl? I don't think so.
While I will admit that I love to cook, I HATE TO WASH DISHES!!! Hate it, hate it, hate it. At my mom's house, dishes never get left more than thirty minutes after a meal time. You clean up and do the dishes and then go relax. Sometimes you even do what dishes there are BEFORE the meal so there isn't so much to clean up afterwards. Don't get me wrong, I completely see the merit in this train of thought-I was even part of that train for the years I lived there and when I return now. My excuse, because of course, I always have one of those, is that there are always people around at my mom's house to help with the dishes. My dad does the dishes. Let me repeat that-MY DAD DOES THE DISHES. I know, right?
And, yes, I do have young'uns at home that should be learning how to do chores like that, but sometimes it's just easier to do them yourself. Maybe that will be my summer goal-teach Bubba and Nannie to do the dishes...
What I came up with are these pancakes that my sister makes. You don't even have to have syrup to put on them, they are so sweet and if your family is the size of mine, you have leftovers for later. I know, I know, you're saying "leftover pancakes?" Yes, I say leftover pancakes. Anything can be a leftover, oh, except for true Mexican food. I tried that once. My Mexican neighbors brought us some sort of wonderful concoction once and there was so much that I decided that it would make THE best lunch at school the next day and I would make all my co-workers jealous. What I didn't know was that when left together, that stuff gets even hotter than it was to begin with, if that is even possible. Needless to say, I went fairly hungry at school that day and my co-workers were pea green with laughter and not envy as I had hoped!
Anyway, back to pancakes:
My Sister's Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes
1 egg, beaten
2 TBSP oil
1 cup buttermilk (1 TBSP vinegar in one cup and fill rest with milk, let sit for a minute)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 TSP baking soda
1/2 TSP salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP quick-cooking oats
Combine egg, oil, and buttermilk. Combine flours, baking soda, salt, and sugar; add to egg mixture. Stir in oats. Pour by 1/3 cupfuls onto lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles forms on tops of pancakes.
As a side note, I never combine all the dry ingredients and then put them with the wet ingredients. I'm sure that cooking experts can give me all these reasons why it is important to do that, but can any of that evidence trump the fact that then I don't have to wash another bowl? I don't think so.
While I will admit that I love to cook, I HATE TO WASH DISHES!!! Hate it, hate it, hate it. At my mom's house, dishes never get left more than thirty minutes after a meal time. You clean up and do the dishes and then go relax. Sometimes you even do what dishes there are BEFORE the meal so there isn't so much to clean up afterwards. Don't get me wrong, I completely see the merit in this train of thought-I was even part of that train for the years I lived there and when I return now. My excuse, because of course, I always have one of those, is that there are always people around at my mom's house to help with the dishes. My dad does the dishes. Let me repeat that-MY DAD DOES THE DISHES. I know, right?
And, yes, I do have young'uns at home that should be learning how to do chores like that, but sometimes it's just easier to do them yourself. Maybe that will be my summer goal-teach Bubba and Nannie to do the dishes...
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sweet Simplicity
Have you ever stopped to ponder the simple things in life? Today I ponder the sweet simplicity of a graham cracker filled with creamy store-bought chocolate frosting. So simple, there is no name really, yet so delicious that your mind simply clears and you just taste the deliciousness of it all for those few moments that it lasts. The crunchy sweetness as you bite into the cracker and then the pure bliss as you get to the center where the creamy chocolate awaits. Mmmmmmm.
And speaking of store bought luxuries, I heard someone talking about taking me to Perkins. And to me, that means someone else is making me breakfast. Now that's sweet simplicity found in the simple things in life!
And speaking of store bought luxuries, I heard someone talking about taking me to Perkins. And to me, that means someone else is making me breakfast. Now that's sweet simplicity found in the simple things in life!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Painter's Delight
Memorial Weekend is upon us and while many people are off to travel, I am off to paint instead. The last time we all painted together, there were yummy bakery donuts and fast food deli meat and store bought salads, and it just plain made me feel bad! I could have done SOMETHING so that they didn't have to feed everyone so expensively. So this time, I am righting the wrong. Maybe I'm the only one that will care, but at least I'll feel better! It's what my mom would do and that to me is as good as gospel!
First I started with cinnamon rolls. This recipe comes from my sister, who like me learned to cook from our mother. You CANNOT have a better teacher when it comes to cooking. It seems, however, that we each learned different things from our mother or at least we adapted what we are good at and made it better. My sister is artistic and learned decorating cakes and cookies and the art of presentation and precision. You cannot cook with my mom and sister without measuring everything, and I mean, everything, very carefully. Sometimes you even have to get out THE KNIFE. Many of you, I'm sure, know the "proper" way to measure something is to level it off with THE KNIFE. Seriously, they don't like to cook with me. Not only do I not use a knife, but much of the time I don't use measuring utensils. A little extra of something never hurt anyone, I think. Anyway, we all are careful when cooking together-I try to wait until their backs are turned and I don't measure-they wait until my back is turned to use THE KNIFE for precision. It all works out quite well, actually!
Anyway, back to my sister's recipe for the best cinnamon roll goop ever. And, yes, I just called it goop...do you have a better word?
This recipe is already doubled and if you promise not to tell on me, I'll let you in on a little secret. Sometimes I triple it even-those rolls are so gooey and yummy and I'm sure do wonders for any diet that you might be on at the time.
Next I have a roast in the crock pot. When it's cooked, I will shred it and add a package of dry Italian seasoning to it and put it back in the crock pot. If I were truly listening to my mother, I would also tell you that I made homemade hamburger buns to put the meat on, but alas, I did not. I am a firm believer that too much of one thing can be bad for you and five years ago, I made all of the hamburger buns for my sister-in-law's wedding reception. Trust me, that was too much of a good thing. I don't think I've made them since!
Probably somewhere in here, I'll figure out some sort of salad to add to this, but I just haven't decided what yet. You can't take a meal like this without a salad, you know. Thanks, mom, for always subconsciously reminding me of what's appropriate!
Have a great Memorial Weekend everyone-be safe and happy travels. As for me, I'll paint happily!
First I started with cinnamon rolls. This recipe comes from my sister, who like me learned to cook from our mother. You CANNOT have a better teacher when it comes to cooking. It seems, however, that we each learned different things from our mother or at least we adapted what we are good at and made it better. My sister is artistic and learned decorating cakes and cookies and the art of presentation and precision. You cannot cook with my mom and sister without measuring everything, and I mean, everything, very carefully. Sometimes you even have to get out THE KNIFE. Many of you, I'm sure, know the "proper" way to measure something is to level it off with THE KNIFE. Seriously, they don't like to cook with me. Not only do I not use a knife, but much of the time I don't use measuring utensils. A little extra of something never hurt anyone, I think. Anyway, we all are careful when cooking together-I try to wait until their backs are turned and I don't measure-they wait until my back is turned to use THE KNIFE for precision. It all works out quite well, actually!
Anyway, back to my sister's recipe for the best cinnamon roll goop ever. And, yes, I just called it goop...do you have a better word?
Patty's Cinnamon Roll Goop
2 sticks butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 TBSP milk
2 TSP flour
Melt the butter and then mix it all together and split between two 9 x 13 pans.
This recipe is already doubled and if you promise not to tell on me, I'll let you in on a little secret. Sometimes I triple it even-those rolls are so gooey and yummy and I'm sure do wonders for any diet that you might be on at the time.
Next I have a roast in the crock pot. When it's cooked, I will shred it and add a package of dry Italian seasoning to it and put it back in the crock pot. If I were truly listening to my mother, I would also tell you that I made homemade hamburger buns to put the meat on, but alas, I did not. I am a firm believer that too much of one thing can be bad for you and five years ago, I made all of the hamburger buns for my sister-in-law's wedding reception. Trust me, that was too much of a good thing. I don't think I've made them since!
Probably somewhere in here, I'll figure out some sort of salad to add to this, but I just haven't decided what yet. You can't take a meal like this without a salad, you know. Thanks, mom, for always subconsciously reminding me of what's appropriate!
Have a great Memorial Weekend everyone-be safe and happy travels. As for me, I'll paint happily!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Fast and Cheap Cheese Sticks
Bubba, my son, is probably the pickiest eater I have ever met. One time, I chopped up mushrooms into the tiniest pieces imaginable and added them to my hamburger, and this is what I got-"Mom, what are all the rubbery pieces in the meat?" as he tried to pick out each and every one of them. Oh, brother!
Anyway, imagine my surprise when my pickiest eater loved this recipe and my daughter, Nannie, who will literally eat anything, didn't like it! Some days you just want to give up, you know what I mean?
I think that I got this recipe out of a Taste of Home magazine, but I'm not sure. I wonder what the copyright laws on recipes are???
The recipe said to serve with marinara sauce. Come on, people. If you are cheap enough to make your own cheese sticks, do you think we have marinara sauce just laying around the house??? I used cheap spaghetti sauce instead. Bubba actually asks for these on a regular basis now! And I have to admit, they are pretty tasty for a homemade cheese stick fix!
Anyway, imagine my surprise when my pickiest eater loved this recipe and my daughter, Nannie, who will literally eat anything, didn't like it! Some days you just want to give up, you know what I mean?
I think that I got this recipe out of a Taste of Home magazine, but I'm not sure. I wonder what the copyright laws on recipes are???
Cheese Sticks
Egg Roll Wrappers
Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (string cheese)
oil to fry with or a deep fat fryer (if you don't have a deep fat fryer, shame on you-that's what my husband would tell you, at least!)
Roll the cheese stick up in the egg roll wrapper and seal with a little water. Don't drench it. Just get your finger wet and dampen the edges, then seal. Fry in oil until golden brown.
The recipe said to serve with marinara sauce. Come on, people. If you are cheap enough to make your own cheese sticks, do you think we have marinara sauce just laying around the house??? I used cheap spaghetti sauce instead. Bubba actually asks for these on a regular basis now! And I have to admit, they are pretty tasty for a homemade cheese stick fix!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Rhubarb Season
I have ONE rhubarb plant, but that ONE rhubarb plant is a MONSTER! That plant produces like crazy all summer long-I love that plant! Now let me be honest and tell you that my rhubarb never gets used for anything other than Rhubarb Crunch and Strawberry Rhubarb jelly-that's it. Why mess up a good thing, right?
Today I picked my first of its crop and made Rhubarb Crunch for dessert. Yummy. I was SO hoping that the rest of the adults in my house would continue their "I don't eat sweets" kick so that my daughter and I could enjoy the whole pan for ourselves, but NO. By the time we were done, there was a measly half of a serving left. :( Oh well, at least I have a good rhubarb plant.
4 cups rhubarb, chopped of very very small
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use a metal pan to make this. There is something in the rhubarb that reacts with the metal in the pan and it makes the dessert taste terrible. You will have to throw away the whole batch. It happened to me once...I cried-seriously, I did!
Today I picked my first of its crop and made Rhubarb Crunch for dessert. Yummy. I was SO hoping that the rest of the adults in my house would continue their "I don't eat sweets" kick so that my daughter and I could enjoy the whole pan for ourselves, but NO. By the time we were done, there was a measly half of a serving left. :( Oh well, at least I have a good rhubarb plant.
Rhubarb Crunch (via my Mommy)
4 cups rhubarb, chopped of very very small
1/2 cup sugar
2 sugar free strawberry jello packets
1/2 of a yellow or white cake mix
1/3 cup butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray and then pour in rhubarb. Spread it out evenly, then sprinkle with the sugar, then the jello, then the cake mix. Melt the butter and then pour it over the top. Bake for 1 hour and then enjoy!
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use a metal pan to make this. There is something in the rhubarb that reacts with the metal in the pan and it makes the dessert taste terrible. You will have to throw away the whole batch. It happened to me once...I cried-seriously, I did!
Welcome!
Welcome all to what I hope will be if nothing else, a great place for me to store my favorite recipes! I want to share my love of cooking and hope that others will share their love of cooking, too.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)