Laurie's Kitchen

Miss J's German Potato Salad

2012-02-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

Some of the best cooks in the world are found in church kitchens. That would be true of my friend Miss J. She works hard to make meals for church dinners and blesses people through sharing her cooking skills. Recently she shared this recipe with me for German Potato Salad. It is something my husband likes, but I have never really learned how to make. I thought it would go great with the spare ribs he requested for Game Day 2012.

Miss J's German Potato Salad
(Just as she wrote it)

1/2 lb. bacon
1 med.onion chopped fine
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tlbs. water
3 tlbs sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4lbs small white potatoes
parsley

This makes enough for 2 or 3 people
For a large 5-6 quart crock pot (used for serving) you would have to double and triple the vinegar, water and sugar.
Double everything else.
Fry bacon until crisp and can be broken into pieces.
Remove bacon, keeping the drippings in the pan.
Add onions and simmer until soft, then add vinegar,water and sugar.
Cook potatos in the skins just until tender. Peel and slice.
Layer potatoes, bacon salt and pepper, then add liquid and stir.
Serve warm.

(If you don't have enough liquid. I have used oil and vinegar and sugar add to potatoes and stir.)

Deciding is Half the Battle

2012-02-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

I've been planning meals for 32 years, multiplied by 52 weeks, averaging 5 meals a week (with room for leftovers or meals elsewhere than home) and that comes out to about 8,300 meals. Deciding what to have for dinner gets old and we often find ourselves making the same things over and over. I like to try new recipes from time to time. Tasteofhome.com is one of my favorite resources. As my husband and I age and try to watch our diests, I lean more toward the recipes that come from Healthy Cooking, a sister publication of Taste of Home. We aren't hardcore no-fat or no carbs or no salt, but seek to find balance in meals that focus on real foods prepared with good ingredients at home. But again, I don't draw a hardline. I have been known to prepare things with the proverbial cream of something soup and open a package of Betty Crocker potatoes from time to time!

Here are some menu ideas that are coming up on my list. I don't always keep to the list perfectly, but it helps me not to have what my friend Julie calls "the deer in the headlights" look at 4 pm when I realize it is time to make dinner.

February Meals

carrotbroccoli soup, oatmeal muffins
roast beefsandwiches (leftover roast beef)
crispy panko chicken, rice, peas
pizza or outsomewhere, please and thank you
spare ribsbbq chicken German potato salad (Jane’s recipe), veggies and dip
chicken parm with pasta, salad, italian bread
crockpot beef stew, Italian bread from Monday
Spanishrice with chicken
mini meat loaf,baked potatoes, green beans
Frenchtoast
refrigerator options (I plan this in so I make sureto use up leftovers instead of tossing them.)

Menu Planning

2012-01-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have not been my best meal weeks ever. I've thrown together things at the last minute, relied heavily on meals from the freezer and eaten a lot of pasta. I've been reminded time and again over these last days that I work better with a menu. Even if we don't keep strictly to the menu, it helps me to order my days more efficiently, shop more effectively and serve my family better meals.

With the new year, and the need to renew our efforts at healthier eating, I am resolving to get back to menu planning. Here is this week's menus. I do mine on an Excel spread sheet and make notes when I need to plan ahead. Perhaps they will serve as a springboard into new and creative meals, helping you to feed your family well.

Please note, I generally list only entrees, sometimes include sides, but not always... Knowing that i have a least a main dish planned is enough for me.

Monday 9-Jan Vegetable omelets

Tuesday 10-Jan pork fried rice prepchicken and wild rice soup

Wednesday 11-Jan chicken and wild rice soup blueberrymuffins

Thursday 12-Jan Roastchicken, mashed potatoes, corn for Elisa :)

Friday 13-Jan TUMC Prayer dinner Lemon pasta with broccoli and chicken

Saturday 14-Jan hoagies

Sunday 15-Jan pasta with meatballs ormeatball sandwiches

Poultry seasoning

2011-11-20T15:05:00.000-08:00

Some time ago I was frustrated with the fact that I could not seem to remember to buy poultry seasoning when I was at the store. Every time I reached for it I would realize that I forgot to get it. Again. Eventually it dawned on me that I could make my own! I had all the herbs and spices on hand, but I needed some help with the balance. After some internet searching, this is the blend that seemed right to me.

Poultry Seasoning Mix

*1 tablespoon dried rosemary

*1 tablespoon dried sage

*1 tablespoon dried thyme

*1/2 teaspoon celery seed

*1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

*1 tablespoon dried marjoram

*3/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Blend and store in a jar. Use wherever a recipe calls for poultry seasoning or when you want a meal reminiscent of Thanksgiving.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2011-10-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

It's finally autumn here in our state, after a long, wet end to summer. Cool weather always makes us want to have some of our favorite soups that were out of the menu rotation as we enjoyed fresh NJ produce, salads and anything grilled. My first fall soup will be this one. The recipe is a combination of two I found on Taste of Home and it instantly became a family favorite the first time I made it. This is a hearty soup and can easily stand as the main course with some fresh bread or muffins as a side.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

10 Servings

Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

1 celery rib, chopped

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

8 cups Chicken Broth

3 cups cooked wild rice

1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

1/4 cup minced chives

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onion,carrot and celery in butter until tender. Stir in flour untilblended. Gradually add broth. Stir in the rice, chicken, salt andpepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutesor until thickened. stir in milk; cook 3-5 minutes longer. Garnishwith chives. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Three Packet Roast

2011-09-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

The original recipe is from my friend Kathy Havins and canalso be found online in many places. For some reason I forgot that one of the packets was brown gravy mix,and used onion soup mix instead.

1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom or celery soup
1 3-4 lb bottom round roast.
¼ cup water

Put round roast in the crock pot with ¼ cup water. Spread the cream of something soup onthe roast. Dump all the packets ontop. With crockpot on low, cookabout 8 hours.

This is good as a roast with mashed potatoes and shreddd leftoversare great on a fresh roll from our favorite bread bakery, Liscio’s.

A Friday Night Experiment

2011-09-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Savory Chicken

It’s always hard on a Friday night to come up with somethingeasy for dinner, and this particular Friday night I didn’t even feel likeeating. But the other residentshere get a little testy when I don’t cook, so cook I did. This is what I came up with. Served with broccoli steamed in a bagand baked potatoes, it wasn’t tohard to handle after a long week.

Savory Chicken

-Enough boneless chicken for 4 servings. I used chicken tenders, because that iswhat I had in the freezer. You coulduse boneless breast or thighs, whole or cut in bite sized pieces.

Olive oil

-½ teaspoon dried savory

-½ teaspoon dried marjoram

-2 teaspoons dried chives

-a pinch of granulated garlic

-salt and pepper

-about ½ Chicken broth and a splash of lemon juice for deglazing

Mix the herbs together in a small bowl. Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in asauté pan.

Put the chicken in the hot pan and sprinkle with the mix ofherbs.

Cover pan. Cookon medium-low heat until chicken is nearly done. The timing will depend on what kind of chicken you use.

Turn chicken and cook through with the lid off.

Put chicken aside to keep warm and deglaze the pan.

To deglaze a pan pour off most of thefat in the pan There shouldn’t be too much with boneless chicken, but this isthe first step in deglazing a pan. Turn the heat up to high. Add cold liquid to the hot pan—the liquid willcome up to boiling very quickly, bringing up the brown bits on the bottom ofthe pan. For this particularrecipe I used about ½ cup chicken stock and a splash of lemon juice. Using a spoon or spatula, scrapeup the fond as the liquid boils. Once all the browned bits are off the bottomof the panturn down the heat .

Youcan then “finish” the sauce with a little butter or you can thicken it as youwould for gravy.

I am sure aproper chef would cringe at the thought of that, but I cook at home and we’retrying to avoid butter!

Then return the chicken to the pan with the sauceand make sure it is heated to serving temperature.

Cinnamon Toast Cake

2011-08-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

This recipe was shared by a friend who, to me, is the quintessential "older woman." It is an easy snack cake to put together when you are in a hurry, or don't have a lot of ingredients on hand.

Heat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit

Melt 1 stick of butter

Using a spoon, mix together in a bowl:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp. real vanilla
2 Tbsp. of the melted butter (save the rest for the topping)

Spread batter in a greased jelly roll pan

Bake 20-25 Min.

While it’s baking, stir together ½ cup sugar and 1 ½ tsp cinnamon.

While the cake is hot, right out of the oven prick with fork and spread with remaining butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Wheat Germ Breakfast Rolls

2011-04-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is a great make ahead breakfast/brunch treat. The rolls can be frozen after baking and frosted at the last minute. Even with a confectioner's sugar frosting these are pretty low in total sugar. Being bite-sized, people just can't resist one or two or three....

Wheat Germ Breakfast Rolls

1½ c. Unsifted flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup wheat germ

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Cut in 1/3 cup shortening

Add 2/3 cup milk

Stir till blended. Turn out on floured surface. Knead gently about 20 times. Divide in half. Roll out into 7x12 rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up like cinnamon rolls and cut into 12 pieces. Repeat with second half. Place in well greased miniature muffin pans. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze when cool.

Makes 24 miniature rolls.

Recipe x 3= 6 doz.

4 ½ cups flour

4 tablespoons baking powder

¾ teaspoons salt

1 ½ cups wheat germ

1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar

1 cup shortening

2 cup milk

French Silk Pie

2011-04-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

Every year at Thanksgiving I make pies for family and friends. The past few years I have done between 60 and 65 pies on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving.... and then cook dinner.

I get my love of baking from my grandmother, I think. She once owned a small bakery run from her home and even into her 70's baked pounds and pounds of cookies at Christmas.

French Silk Pie is a favorite around here for those who don't like or cannot eat the fruit pies; it is simply chocolate deliciousness. It does contain raw eggs, so if you are one who will not eat them, you may want to look for something like a chocolate mousse pie.

I pie 2 pies

1 c. butter 2 cups butter

1 ¼ c. sugar 2 ½ cups sugar

4 sq. chocolate 8 squares chocolate

4 eggs 8 eggs

2 t. vanilla 4 t. vanilla

9 “ pie shell 2 pie shells

I use store-bought graham cracker crusts for these pies. It can be made with a pre-baked, traditional crust.

Melt chocolate. Allow to cool.

In mixer bowl, cream butter; gradually add sugar, creaming until light.

Blend in chocolate and vanilla.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating 3 minutes after each addition, on medium speed of electric mixer. (1 minute on a Kitchen Aid)

Turn into pie shell.

Chill several hours. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls, if desired.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

2011-04-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

This recipe is originally from Taste of Home, but I changed it up a bit, and drastically reduced the amount of cheese (it called for FIVE CUPS!) It is a great meal to make and share since making two creates the same mess as making one.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Makes 2 13x9 pans, each about 6 servings.

2 packages (6 ounces each) reduced-sodium stuffing mix
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup chicken broth
8 cups cubed cooked chicken cut in ½ inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3/4 pound ham, cut into ½ inch chunks
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1-2 cups mixed vegetables (optional)

Directions

Prepare stuffing mixes according to package directions.

Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.,

Divide into two pans.

Top with prepared stuffing mix.

Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer until stuffing is lightly browned.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through and stuffing is lightly browned.

Crispy Panko Chicken

2011-04-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

I love watching Iron Chef America, and while I don't think I would make most of the dishes they make I did learn about panko bread crumbs. These Japanese bread crumbs give the nicest crunch to chicken or whatever they are used to coat.

Crispy Panko Chicken

6 servings

1 c panko bread crumbs (I use Italian style)
1⁄2 c shredded Parmesan
(2 T olive oil
1⁄2 t lemon pepper
1⁄4 c Dijon mustard
2 T water)
1 1⁄2 lbs chicken breasts, pounded to 1⁄4 inch

In a shallow dish, toss together panko, cheese, olive oil, salt & pepper.

In another dish, combine mustard, & water.

Coat chicken breasts in mustard mixture & dredge in panko mix.

Bake on a sprayed baking sheet 25 30 min @ 400 or until golden brown.

Mud Puddle Cake

2011-04-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is an all-time family favorite. My mom saw the recipe in the newspaper some time in the 70's and we've been making it ever since. It is delicious frosted or unfrosted. And best of all, it is actually better the day after it is made, so it is good for parties when you need to make something ahead of time! I have shaped this and decorated this cake into dinosaur cakes, Lightning McQueen's race track, Hungry Caterpillar cupcakes and lion cupcakes with Crunch and Munch manes. It works for ANY occasion.

Mud Puddle Cake

1 13x9 pan or 2 8x8 pans (make one, freeze one!)

Preheat oven to 350

3 cups sifted flour (I never sift in real life though)
2 cups sugar
½ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking soda.
¾ cup oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon vinegar
2 cups cold water

Mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients and blend till smooth. Bake for 35-40 minutes (test for doneness.)

This is a very moist cake that seldom fails. It goes well with 100 Thousand Dollar frosting.

Yeast Breads

2011-03-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than bread, fresh from the oven, to accompany dinner or as an afternoon snack for those who cannot wait for dinner! Yeast dough was one thing I learned to make as a teen so I could make cinnamon buns for a certain someone, proving the old adage, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach"! It still works and we've been married more than 30 years.

Here are my favorite yeast bread recipes and some tips for making it.

Tips for Yeast Bread

Use water that feels warm to the touch, not hot.
Buy yeast in bulk and store in freezer. It can be purchased at stores like Sam's Club or places like the "Amish Market."
Grocery store packets of yeast are over priced. They contain 2/3 tablespoon of yeast.
If using whole wheat flour, knead for a longer period of time to develop the gluten.

Our Daily Bread

(basic dough for loaves and rolls)

Adapted from LLL’s “Whole Foods for Whole Families”

Makes 2 loaves of bread or 48 rolls.

Oven Temp: 350°

2 cups warm water

1-2 cups dry milk (optional)

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ cup butter

1 ½ teaspoon salt

up to 4 eggs

2 tablespoons yeast

1 cup wheat germ

6-7 cups flour

Mix all ingredients, except for 3 cups flour until batter is smooth. Add remaining flour and knead with dough hook for about 8 minutes by hand. If you are using a Kitchen Aid mixer, knead 4-7 minutes (more for smaller capacity mixers, less for 5-6 quart mixers) Use the larger amount of flour if you use four eggs.

Let rise about one hour. Shape into loaves or rolls. This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread or 48 rolls. Let rise about 1 hour ( a little less for rolls.) Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes for bread; 30 minutes for rolls.

Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from LLL’s “Whole Foods for Whole Families”

Makes 48 cinnamon rolls.

Oven Temp: 350°

2 cups warm water

1-2 cups dry milk (optional)

1/2 cup brown sugar

½ cup butter

1 ½ teaspoon salt

up to 4 eggs

2 tablespoons yeast

6-7 cups flour

Topping for one 13x9 pan

4 tablespoons melted butter

about ½-3/4 cup brown sugar

about ¼ cup light Karo syrup.

Place brown sugar evenly in 13x9 pan. Drizzle with melted butter and Karo Syrup.

Mix all ingredients, except for 3 cups flour until batter is smooth. Add remaining flour and knead with dough hook for about 7 minutes. Use the larger amount of flour if you use four eggs. This is a soft dough.

Let rise about one hour. Divide dough into fourths. Roll each portion of dough into a rectangle. Spread about 2 additional tablespoons of melted butter over dough. Sprinkle with sugar (I use a handful or two. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Add raisins if desired. Roll from long side. Slice rolled dough into twelve 1 inch sections. Place in prepared pans. Let rise about 20 minutes. Bake at 350° forabout 30 minutes. Immediately turn rolls out onto a foil or parchment lined tray (or be prepared for lots of scrubbing.

These freeze well. Thaw overnight before serving. Reheat individual servings in microwave 10 seconds per roll or a whole pan in the oven till soft and warm.

Italian Bread

Makes 2 large loaves

Oven Temp: 400°

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

6 cups bread flour

Mix all ingredients except 2 cups flour. Beat with flat beater until smooth. Add remaining 2 cups of flour and knead with dough hook for about 8 minutes. Let rise one hour. (this amoint of time can be increased or decreased by ½ hour as your schedule dictates.) Shape into two long loaves. Let rise 30-60 minutes. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes.

This dough can be rolled out and used for pepperoni bread. Roll out in long rectangle. Cover with ¼ lb. thinly sliced pepperoni. Sprinkle with 8 ounces of Italian blend cheese. (We like 6 cheese blend.) Roll rectangle from long edge. Pinch seam to seal tightly. Place on parchment paper lined baking tray,seam side down. Make 5 or 6 slits in the top to allow steam to escape.Lt rise about 20 minutes. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes. Cool on wire rack. If side splits open, place loaf on the other edge to allow cheese and pepperoni to slide back in.

Herb Bread

Makes 4 one pound loaves

Oven TempL 350°

1 c. warm milk or water

1 egg

2-4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ 1 teaspoon dried dill

¼ teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 – ½ cup freshly chopped onion

3 ½ cups bread flour

1 tablespoon yeast ( a package is not a tablespoon.)

Mix all ingredients, knead till dough is elastic and smooth. Rise till doubled. Punch down and shape into small loaves. Rise until doubled. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so.

I never make this the same way twice, so don’t be afraid of messing up the herbs. It always tastes good no matter what I seem to put in. Measurements for herbs can be adjusted to personal taste. 1/4 c. Pamesan cheese is also a nice addition.

Creamy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole.

2011-01-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

I like to cook, but I am not a purist and have been known to stock a variety of cream of something soups and the like in my cupboards. Sometimes you just need the convenience that these types of things afford. Sometimes on a Friday night, after a long week, you just need to be able to throw something together without a lot of fuss.

The following recipe is a take-off of a recipe on a Stove-Top Stuffing box.

1 box of Stove-top stuffing prepared as directed (but I never really put the margarine and no one cares!)
4-6 boneless chicken breasts
1 can of cream of chicken soup (could be cream of anything)
1/3 cup onion dip (because I had that, and not the sour cream called for.)
1/2 teaspoon chervil
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/3 teaspoon celery seed.

Mix all the soup, dip, and herbs. Place chicken in a baking dish. Top with soup mix. Then top with stuffing. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until chicken is tender and cooked through and stuffing is nicely browned.

Some Cookie Recipes

2010-12-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

My grandmother was an amazing cookie baker. She baked and sold cookies during the holidays and it was always a treat to get a box of her assorted varieties. Here are a couple of favorite recipes that others have asked for recently.

Grandmom called these cookies "Crescents" when she rolled them in a crescent shape and then coated them with powedered sugar. Others call the Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes or "Those Little White Ones". Whatever you call them, they are delicious!

Mexican Wedding Cakes

1 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups finely chopped or ground pecans (walnuts can also be used)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and water until light.
Blend in flour, salt and nuts. Using the lowest speed of the mixer, blend until well mixed.
Using about 1 teaspoon dough, shape into a ball (or use a cookie scoop.)
Place on ungreased cookie sheet. These can be spaced closely, as they do not spread much. (I fit 70 on a half sheet pan.) Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes. When cool, roll in confectioner's sugar.

Pressed Butter Cookies

Gertrude Young

2 C Butter

4 eggs

2 ¼ C sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp almond extract

5 1/3 C flour

Cream butter and sugar until very light.

Add extract.

Add eggs, 2 at a time.

Continue beating until thoroughly creamed.

Reduce Mixer speed to lowest speed & add flour and salt.

Do not over mix.

Put through press in a variety of appropriate shapes.

Bake in preheated 400° oven for 9 minutes. T

he cookies should be lightly browned on bottom and around edges. Yield: about 3 lbs cookies.

Some hints for pressed cookies

1. Do not chill dough unless recipe calls for it (few do).

2. Decorate before baking with candied fruit, cherries, nuts or colored sugars.

3. Decorate after baking with thin icing [confectioners sugar and water] & assorted toppings or chopped nuts.

4 Use butter instead of margarine because butter improves in flavor in storage.

5. Flavoring can be changed to suit (ie: Vanilla, lemon, etc.).

6. Food coloring can be added as desired. I add mine during creaming if I’m just making one color.

Apple Crisp

2010-10-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Apple Crisp is a recipe that has been around for ages. My recipe comes from my classic Betty Crocker Cook Book, circa 1979, the source of many great time-tested recipes.

For a 9x13 pan

Fill pan 2/3 full with 6-8 cups peeled and sliced tart apples. My favorite apples are Staymans for baking.

Mix the following ingredients until crumbly

1 cup - 1 1/3 cups brown sugar (depending on tartness of the apples)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
2/3 cup butter (10 tablespoons)

Spread on top of sliced apples and bake at 375 degrees for 45 -60 minutes until apples are tender when pierced with a cake tester. and top is a toasty brown.

Peach Salsa

2010-08-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

This recipe for peach salsa comes from Great Salsa Recipes. It was amazing.

-2 cups ripe peaches, chopped
-1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
-3 Tablespoons lime juice
-1 clove minced garlic
-1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
(or 1/2 tablespoon dried cilantro)
-2-3 tablespoons chopped jalapeno peppers
-1/2 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and chill at least two hours before serving.

For a marinade, I pureed this mixture (minus the jalapenos) and marinated pork chops in it for grilling. I am sure it would be just as nice with chicken.

Lasagna Casserole

2010-08-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from a "Quick Cooking" cookbook and may be a lot like something you already fix, but we liked the flavors. It feeds 8-10 people easily and is great for sharing with a friend in need if you are feeding fewer people.

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 - lb ground beef
1 tsp. crushed garlic
26-32 oz. spaghetti sauce (to taste)
1 lb. medium shell pasta (We also like Piccolini miniature bowtie pasta in this)
15 oz. container cottage cheese
3 cups Italian blend cheese or mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
1/2 tsp oregano*
1/2 teaspoon basil*

(*or 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning)

Brown chopped onion with 1 lb of ground beef and garlic to taste. Add 26-32 ounces of spaghetti sauce (depending n how much sauce you like.)

Boil medium shell pasta till just tender (I've also used campanelle curly pasta; it is fun). Drain. To pasta add 15 ounce container cottage cheese and 2 cups grated Italian blend cheese (or mozzarella), 1/3 cup parmesan and 2 tablespoons parsley flakes. Mix well. Stir in sauce. Pour into greased 9x13 pan (which will be very full) or two smaller casserole dishes. Cover and bake about 45-50 minutes till hot and bubbly. Add remaining grated Italian blend cheese to the top and heat till melted.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake

2010-07-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

This is a lovely, rich pound cake with the taste of brown sugar melded with butter- what could be better? It's a great cake to take to events, or to make for a bake sale since one recipe can make two loaf pans or one bundt pan.

1 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 lb. brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt pan or two 8" loaf pans.

Cream butter, shortening, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Beat just until all ingredients are blended.

Put batter in the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour, to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Test for doneness. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes before turning out to cool.

This cake is so rich it needs no frosting!

Lucy's Pancakes

2010-06-01T05:23:00.000-07:00

1 ¼ cup flour

1 tablespoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Blend dry ingredients. Beat in wet ingredients until batter is smooth. Use about ¼ cup batter for pancakes (size can be adjusted to preference. Pour batter hot griddle, over medium heat. I use a cookie scoop to measure the batter out. It helps keep the size even. Cook on the first side till bubbles appear and begin to pop on the uncooked surface. Flip pancake and cook till second side is nicely browned.

I almost always double this batch to feed the family and a have a few leftover for snacking.

It is easy to prep this ahead. I mix the dry ingredients in a zip top bag and with a permanent marker write the liquid ingredients on the bag. I do a bunch of these and keep it on hand for quick pancakes.

If you want to add things to your pancakes, we have found that stirring chocolate chips ( or blueberries or whatever) into the batter helps to distribute the ingredient more evenly and keeps it from burning on the griddle.

Creamy Garlic Shrimp

2010-04-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

One day we couldn't decide on scampi or alfredo, so I blended both ideas and came up with the creamier than scampi-lighter than traditional alfredo shrimp dinner. Like most entrees with shrimp, it is very quick to prepare! I think this would also be good with frozen peas thrown into the pasta in the last minutes of cooking.

Creamy Garlic Shrimp with Pasta

6- 8 servings

1 lb. fettucine
¼ cup butter
1-2 tablespoons mnced garlic (I buy it in a jar for convenience)
2 lbs peeled, deveined shrimp (I prefer the jumbo shrimp
2 cups room temp. chicken broth
3 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook fettucine according to package directions.

While the fettucine cooks, melt butter in a large sauté pan and then sauté garlic on a low heat until it is fragrant. Sauté shrimp until just pink.

Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Whisk flour into cold chicken broth until it is smooth. Pour into sauté pan.

Add herbs and lemon juice.

Cook on medium hat, stirring constantly until broth is thickened.

Whisk in heavy cream and heat to boiling. When it boils, reduce heat to a slow simmer until pasta is ready.

Just before pasta is done return shrimp to sauce and heat through, being careful not to overcook the shrimp.

Drain pasta and toss with parmesan cheese. Add sauce and shrimp and stir until pasta is evenly coated. Let pasta stand briefly so the sauce soaks into the pasta.

Ina Garten's Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp

2010-04-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

This was a great recipe from "The Barefoot Contessa", Ina Garten. I think we could be kindred spirits. I would live barefoot if it was socially acceptable and didn't make my back hurt so much!

This is a great meal that is quick and easy to prepare. It takes about as long to make as it does to boil pasta. It actually takes longer for the pasta water to heat than it does for the whole meal.

Some variations we might try would be to make this with leftover grilled chicken, or to make the pasta with sauted summer vegetables for a light meal when the heat and humidity soar. I also wonder if it might be good cold as a pasta salad, but we haven't tried that yet. It's a good recipe to use as a springboard for creativity!

This recipe serves 6.

Shrimp

2 pounds (17 to 21 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

Good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pasta

1 pound angel hair pasta

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cip olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 medium sized lemons, zested and juiced (about 1/3 cup juice)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the shrimp on a sheet pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss well, spread them in 1 layer, and roast for 6 to 8 minutes, just until they're pink and cooked through.

Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add the angel hair, and cook al dente, about 3-6 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Quickly toss the angel hair with the melted butter, 1/4 cup olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and about 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Add the shrimp and serve hot.

Since I had frozen, cooked shrimp on hand I simply thawed the shrimp and added it to the pasta for a minute of heating through (be VERY careful not to overcook if you are using pre-cooked shrimp). Then I tossed it with the pasta and some Parmesan cheese. A hint of garlic might be a nice addition too...

Basice Stir-Fry Sauce

2010-02-24T13:17:00.000-08:00

2/3 c. soy sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons rice wine or 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

¼ - ½ teaspoon dried basil (optional; add to dish just before serving )

1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dry ginger or 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Heat a pan over high heat; add the cooking oil, swirling to coat; add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Add the soy sauce mixture; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 minute.

Cool before using as marinade.

I use about ½ of this mixture to marinate meat for stir fry.

To thicken sauce:

1- 2 tablespoons cornstarch ( 1 T. if you hve used 1/2 the stir fry sauce for marinade)
¼ cup pineapple juice or water

Dissolve cornstarch in cold liquid.

Add the cornstarch solution to stir fry and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens.

Pour thickened sauce over lightly stir fried meat and vegetables. Simmer till vegetables reach desired doneness.

This can be used with a variety of vegetables and meats. Stir fry is an excellent way to be creative with leftovers. You can vary the flavors by using more pineapple juce or orange jucie in place of chicken broth, add some spice with red pepper flakes, or add and subtract ingredients to suit your family's preference.

Gingersnaps

2009-12-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

These are my favorite cookie... Caleb's too!

From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1979

Oven Temp: 375°

¾ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
2 ¼ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon salt

granulated sugar

When measuring spices for this recipe I use generous measurements for a spicier cookie.

Cream butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses. Add spices, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Add flour and blend well. Chill dough 1 hour. Roll about 1-2 teaspoons dough in a ball and roll in granulated sugar or gourmet sugar (large sugar crystals.) and place on ungreased baking tray or parchment lined trays. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes. Remove from trays immediately and cool on wire racks.

Cinnamon Rolls

2009-12-27T11:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning always means cinnamon rolls at our house. I once suggested that we don't have them and choose another sweet treat for Christmas and you might have thought I suggested that the world stop spinning. So every year I make cinnamon buns and they are a rich, buttery, cinnamon-y treat just right for the late morning breakfast we enjoy as parents of adult children... they were just right when the kids were small too!

When my kids were little I was often up late baking and making a terrible mess in the kitchen on Christmas eve so we could have fresh-from the oven cinnamon buns. Now I make them in advance and freeze them so I can enjoy the morning more. I am glad Kelly is carrying on the tradition at her house now and thank her for sharing her picture. I am posting this here so we can both remember how many cinnamon buns this recipe is supposed to make. I can never remember!

Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from LLL’s “Whole Foods for Whole Families”

Makes 48 cinnamon rolls.

Oven Temp: 350°

2 cups warm water
1-2 cups dry milk (optional)
1/2 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 ½ teaspoon salt
up to 4 eggs
2 tablespoons yeast
1 cup wheat germ (optional)
6-7 cups flour
additional butter, sugar and cinnamon for inside the rolls.

Topping for one 13x9 pan

Recipe makes 4 13x9 pans

4 tablespoons melted butter
about ½-3/4 cup brown sugar
about ¼ cup light Karo syrup.

Place brown sugar evenly in 13x9 pan. Drizzle with melted butter and Karo Syrup.

Mix all ingredients, except for 3 cups flour until batter is smooth. Add remaining flour and knead with dough hook for about 8 minutes. Use the larger amount of flour if you use four eggs.

Let rise about one hour. Divide dough into fourths. Roll each portion of dough into a rectangle. Spread about 2 tablespoons of melted butter over dough. Sprinkle with sugar (I use a handfulor two. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Add raisins if desired. Roll from long side. Slice rolled dough into twelve 1 inch sections. Place in prepared pans. Let rise about 20 minutes. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Rolls will be golden brown and you will se the brown sugar bubbling around the edges.

Immediately turn rolls out onto a foil or parchment lined tray. Wait a minute or two before removing the the pan from the rolls so all the sugary goodness can melt down onto them.

Snickerdoodles and Variations

2009-12-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

The dough for Snickerdoodles (really WHO thought of that name?!) is very versatile. Here is the recipe and three variations. The final one, is made with a specialty flavoring called Fiori Di Sicilia which is available from It tastes like a Creamsicle cookie! I was very pleased with the experiment!

Snickerdoodles and Variations
Recipe from Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1979
Oven Temp: 375°
5 doz. Cookies.

1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups sugar
2 ¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

¼ c sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, baking soda and cream tartar.Beat well. Blend in flour until well mixed.

For traditional snickerdoodles
Mix ¼ cup of sugar and tablespoon of cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
Roll 1 inch balls of dough into mixture and place on cookie sheet about 2” apart.

Bake 9-11 minutes until cookies are lightly browned.

For sugar cookies add

1/2 teaspoon almond extract along with vanilla.

Roll dough in gourmet sugar or sanding sugar and bake 9-11 minutes.

For Citrus sugar cookies add:

2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon lime juice
½ teaspoon lime zest

Roll in gourmet sugar or sanding sugar.
Bake 9-11 minutes until cookies are lightly browned.

For Fiori Di Sicilia Cookies, replace vanilla with ½ teaspoon Fiori Di Sicicilia flavoring (available from King Arthur Flour Co. )
Roll in gourmet sugar or sanding sugar.
Bake 9-11 minutes until cookies are lightly browned.

Pumpkin Waffles

2009-11-29T17:03:00.000-08:00

Kelly recently shared a recipe for pumpkin waffles, which we tried and everyone loved. However, I found the waffles a little difficult to get thoroughly done without being burnt on my waffle iron, so I adapted my favorite waffle recipe. The recipe below is doubled from the original so some waffles can go in the freezer, but the way the pumpkin ones disappear I have not yet frozen ANY!

Yeast Raised Waffles

3 ½ c. warm water or milk
1/3 c. oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted wheat germ
4cups flour
½ c. brown sugar
6 eggs
2 tablespoons instant yeast

For Pumpkin waffles add:

2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cup canned pumpkin

Beat all ingredients until blended well. Raise at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Stir down. Bake in waffle iron for about 4 minutes.

Carrot Broccoli Soup

2009-10-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

A family favorite...

2 tablespoons finely minced onion
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 tablespoons flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 cups milk
4 cups canned chicken broth (broth made with bullion cubes makes it too salty)
10 oz package chopped broccoli (or 2 cups fresh chopped broccoli)
2 cups grated carrots

Cook broccoli and carrots in chicken broth until just tender. Set aside. Saute onion in butter. Add flour and salt. Mix to smooth past. Gradually add milk and just bring to a boil to thicken. When ready to serve blend broth mixture with milk mixture and reheat if needed. Be careful not to boil as soup will separate and not look as attractive. It will still taste good though.

The Joys of Multi-generational Living

2009-09-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

The late summer brought a lot of changes to our household as we mourned the loss of my father-in-law, welcomed my mother-in-law, as well as our son, Scott, his wife Meg and their son, Timothy into our home and brought Elisa home from a summer at Delanco. Scott and his family will be staying with us until they go to Uganda, East Africa, as missionaries with World Gospel Mission in about a year. My mother-in-law is with us indefinitely. and Elisa is home until another camp season or until she leaves for college, whichever comes first!

One of the joys of lots of people in the house is sharing the cooking. It's nice after nearly 30 years of marriage to have someone take a turn as head chef. Meg served will in that role at a recent dinner party for 10. She made a great Chicken Florentine recipe from "Simple and Delicious", a Reiman publication. Served with bread hot from the oven and a salad brought by a guest, the meal was just right! The recipe, with Meg's adaptations is below. You can get the original recipe at Taste of Home

SERVINGS: 6

CATEGORY: Main Dish

METHOD: Other stovetop

TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon sherry or chicken broth+ up to 1 cup additional chicken broth
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Flatten chicken to 1/2-in. thickness. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons butter for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Remove and keep warm.
In the same skillet, saute onions and garlic in remaining butter for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Gradually add flour and salt; stir in milk and sherry or broth until blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in spinach and cheese and sour cream, thinning the sauce as needed with additional chicken broth; heat through.
Remove from the heat. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and serve. Yield: 6 servings.

Peach Muffins II

2009-08-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

Some time ago I developed an allergy to cinnamon, which is kind of sad since many of the best recipes include this fragrant spice. I've adapted one of our favorites, Peach Muffins, so that I can still enjoy them with the family.
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 400 °

½ cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
½ cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup finely diced peaches

Preheat oven to 400 °. Grease bottoms of 12 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter), spray with cooking spray or use foil or silicone muffin cups. Fruit muffins stick to paper muffin cups.

Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl.In a mixing bowl, beat egg well. Stir in milk and oil, Mix in dry ingredients just until flour is moistened. Gently stir in peaches. Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. I use the largets cookie scoop for evenly sized muffins. Bake 20-25 mminutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Garlic Grilled Shrimp

2009-08-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorites to order in a restaurant. Today I thought that I would try and imitate it so I made a simple vinaigrette and went from there. It was every bit as good as the restaurant and I fed three people shrimp, fresh Jersey corn on the cob and French bread for less than the price of one restaurant meal!

Garlic Grilled Shrimp
Marinate 6-8 jumbo shrimp per person (16-21 shrimp per pound) in a vinaigrette made from:
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon crushed or minced garlic.

Marinate at least one hour. While they are marinating, soak wooden skewers in warm water.

Thread shrimp on soaked skewers. Grill 3-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

Our Daily Bread

2009-06-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

There is nothing lovelier than walking into a kitchen that is rich with the aroma of fresh bread. I bake bread often, but not every day. At our house we prefer a bread rich in wheat germ, but based on white flour. This is my favorite recipe... I dump everything in the kitchen aid and mix it up.

(basic dough for loaves or rolls)
Adapted from LLL’s “Whole Foods for Whole Families”
Makes 2 loaves of bread or 48 rolls.
Oven Temp: 350°

2 cups warm water
1-2 cups dry milk (optional)
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 to 4 eggs
2 tablespoons yeast
1 cup wheat germ
6-7 cups flour

Mix all ingredients, except for 3 cups flour until batter is smooth. Add remaining flour and knead with dough hook for about 8 minutes. Use the larger amount of flour if you use four eggs.

Let rise about one hour. Shape into loaves or rolls. Place in baking pans. This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread or 48 rolls. Let rise about 1 hour ( a little less for rolls. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes for bread; 30 minutes for rolls.

Cooking for Two

2009-06-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

Before our house fills up again in September Dave and I will experience a season practicing for an empty nest. Jack has his own apartment, Elisa, Scott, Meg and Tim will all be at camp and we will be home alone! It has its good points as well as the bad.

One drawback I have discovered is that after feeding a family for 28 years I don't know how to cook for two. Nor do I have any casseroles or baking dishes that are right for two portions. I tried to make a casserole today and it looks like we will be having wild rice and chicken at lunch for a while! I was wanting something warm and creamy for dinner since here on the 4th of June it is 62 degrees F! So with the ingredients I had on hand, this is what I came up with.

Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole

1 package of wild rice mix
1/2 cup long grain rice
3 1/2 cups water
1-2 cups cooked chicken
1 package steamer vegetables
1 8 oz. package grated Swiss cheese
1/4 tsp. dill

Microwave rice mix, seasoning and rice 12 minutes on high power, then 20 minutes on 50% power.

Microwave one package of Steamer veggies of your choice. I used a broccoli, carrot, edamame mix.

Mix the hot rice and vegetables with some cooked chicken, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup chicken broth, dill and 8 oz. grated Swiss cheese. Top with buttered bread crumbs if you like them. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes until the sauce us bubbly.

This makes enough food for 4-6 people... definitely overestimated on that one! But it is a filling dish that stretches a little bit of chicken.

Allspice Muffins

2009-04-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

Kelly shared this recipe with me a while ago. I m not sure where it came from, but here is is with my modifications. These are very sweet dessert type muffins, not everyday breakfast fare, but absolutely delicious!

For the streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
5 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

For the muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 lemon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Center a rack in the oven. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

To make the streusel topping, put the flour, brown sugar and allspice in a small bowl. Sift together with a fork. Add the bits of cold butter and toss to coat, then use your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until you’ve got irregularly shaped crumbs. (I would do this in the mixer or food processor.) Set aside in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice and salt. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps. Stir in the lemon zest.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla together until well combined.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently but quickly stir to blend with the whisk or a rubber spatula; the batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle some streusel over each muffin, then use your fingertips to gently press the crumbs into the batter.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins to the wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-04-22T10:57:00.001-07:00

These cookies are always a favorite any time for any crowd. This is a double recipe and makes about 10 dozen cookies. They freeze very nicely so I just make the mess once and freeze the rest.
To me, the key to the success of this recipe is real butter, real vanilla and chocolate chips that have real vanilla (not vanillin). It just makes them taste better. They can be made with or without toffee bits (which I get at a local candy supply place).

Preheat oven 375° small cookies/ 350° for very large cookies
10-12 minutes/13-15 minutes

2 cups butter
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 ½ cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 2/3 cups flour
1 cop toffee bits

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Blend in baking soda and salt. Add flour, chocolate chips and toffee bits and mixuntil well blended. Be sure to scrape the bowl all the way to the bottom to make sure eveything is well mixed.

Drop by teaspoon or tablespoon on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 9-12 minutes. The longer you bake them the crispier they will be.

If you want large coffee house style cookies, use 1/4 cup dough and press it gently until the dough is in a circle about 1/2" thick. Bake at lower oven temp for about 15 minutes. You can fit 6 cookies on a regular cookie sheet.

Cake Frostings

2009-03-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

One Hundred Thousand Dollar Frosting

1 c. milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup Crisco
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook milk and flour together ntil it is thickened. Cover tightly and allow to cool completely. When the milk mixture is cool, cream butter Crisco and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add cooled milk mixture and continue to beat until fluffy.

This makes a nice, not-too-sweet frosting that resembles whipped cream.

This also makes a lovely coffee flavored frosting by adding 2 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso powder to the milk mixture after it thickens.

A little of this coffee flavored frosting piped onto a mini-brownie bite (packaged brownie mix baked in miniature muffin pans) makes an very elegant, but easy dessert!

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting
Frosts 1 13x9 pan or 2 layers

1//3 cup soft butter
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
about 2 tablesoons milk or water

Blend butter and sugar. Add vanilla and milk. Beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. If needed, add additional liquid about ½ teaspoon at a time until frosting is spreadable. This is a VERY sweet frosting. Flavorings may be substituted as desired.

For three layers use ½ cup butter , 4 ½ cups confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and about 3 tablespoons milk or water.

Adding a bit of maple flavoring or maple syrup to this makes a marvelous frosting for spice cakes.

Chocolate Butter Frosting
Frosts 1 13x9 pan or 2 layers

1/3 cup butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
about 2 tablespoons milk or water

Blend butter, melted chocolate and sugar. Add vanilla and milk. Beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. If needed, add additional liquid about ½ teaspoon at a time until frosting is spreadable. Flavorings may be substituted as desired.

For three layers use ½ cup butter , 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, 3 cups confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and about 3 tablespoons milk or water.

French Silk Frosting
2 2/3 cups confectioners suar
2/3 cups soft butter
2 ounces melted chocolate, cooled
¾ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

Blend butter, melted chocolate and sugar. Add vanilla and milk. Beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. If needed, add additional liquid about ½ teaspoon at a time until frosting is spreadable.

Snack Cakes

2009-03-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

With people of all ages floating through my house at various times for various reasons, it is always good to have a quick to fix snack cake recipe.

Here are three of our favorites.

Mud Puddle Cake

1 13x9 pan or 2 8x8 pans
Preheat oven to 350

3 cups sifted flour (I never sift in real life though)
2 cups sugar
½ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda.
¾ cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 cups cold water

Mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients and blend till smooth. Bake for 35-40 minutes (test for doneness.)

This is a very moist cake that seldom fails. It goes well with 100 Thousand Dollar frosting.

Oatmeal Spice Cake
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook
Makes 1 13x9 cake
Oven Temp: 350°

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup butter or shortening
1cup water
2 eggs
2 tablespoons dark molasses

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 13x9 pan or spray with cooking spray. Measure all ingredients into mixing bowl. Blend ½ minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center comes clean.

Applesauce Cake
This recipe is from the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook, but is similar in most aspects to the Applesauce Cake in the Richwood Cookbook. The only real difference is in how the cake is leavened.
Makes 1 13x9 pan or two 8x8 pans

2 ½ cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¾ - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon allspice
1 ½ cups applesauce (smooth or chunky)
½ cup shortening or butter
½ cup water
2 eggs
(Optional: 1 cup raisins)

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour pan(s) or spray with cooking spray. Measure all ingredients into mixing bowl. Blend ½ minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan. Bake 13x9 cake 60-65 minutes, 8x8 pans about 50-55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center comes clean. Cool completely if you are going to frost this cake.

The Basic White Sauce

2009-03-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

Today has been a day for recipe requests. This is the second recipe that's been requested today. I am always up for those quick calls for help from someone in a grocery store or in the middle of a new recipe!

White Sauce is a basic recipe that every good cook should know. It is the base for things like cream gravy, macaroni and cheese and carrot broccoli soup. This recipe can have as many variations in flavor as there are ingredients. It can be made into cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, an herb sauce or a cheese sauce.

For a medium thick sauce to be used in things like sausage gravy, or creamed chipped beef.

4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk.

In a small sauce pan melt the butter. When melted whisk in flour. Whisk until this is very smooth. Let it bubble for a little bit- 30 seconds or so. Add milk and then stir until sauce thickens and bubbles. Stir in (sausage, dried beef, cheese for mac and cheese) or use in recipes calling for a white sauce or cream of something soup.

If you are making something like cream of mushroom or cream of celery, saute these ingredients in the melted butter before adding flour.

To make macaroni and cheese add the following to the white sauce after it has thickened and been removed from heat.

1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon mustard (more or less to taste
1-2 cups sharp cheddar or cheddar-jack blend.

Pour this cheese sauce over 1/2 pound hot macaroni, cooked and drained.

Bake macaroni and cheese in oven till bubbly, about 20 minutes. This is a great recipe to double for freezer meals. We often freeze it in individual portions for those random times when someone needs and easy meal.

German Potato Salad

2009-03-25T17:11:00.001-07:00

I can't say I've ever made this because I don't especially care for it, but it is a big favorite at family picnics every summer. My sister, Kay, makes it best- or so I am told by my husband who wishes I would make it.

2 lbs. red potatoes boiled and sliced thin
1 med. onion sliced thin
4-5 slices bacon
2 piece of celery sliced thin
1/2 c. vinegar
1/4 veg. oil
1 Tbs. minced parsley

Fry bacon until crisp, drain off most of the fat. Add vinegar, oil and a little sugar if too sour.
Combine remaining ingredients and add bacon mixture.
Toss lightly to mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This is good served warm or cold.

Lemon Bars

2009-03-19T13:05:00.001-07:00

Here is another recipe from my favorite Betty Crocker Cookbook (circa 1978). It is a tried and true favorite. They made a lovely ending to a lunch of salad, carrot-broccoli soup, wheat bread and conversation with a dear friend.

Begin the lemon bars preheating oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl mix:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

until it holds together. Press mixture into an 8x8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While the cookie base is baking beat

2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Pour over hot crust. Bake about 25 minutes longer or just until no imprint remains when touched lightly in center. Cool, cut in squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Wheat Germ Breakfast Rolls

2009-03-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

Someone was looking for a treat for a church coffee hour and these little rolls are perfect finger food for that kind of event. The recipe was originally found by my mom on the back of a wheat germ jar. I get my wheat germ in bulk at the Amish market. Always buy toasted wheat germ for baking.

Below the original recipe is are the proportions for making these in bulk.. they go quickly!

1½ c. Unsifted flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup wheat germ
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk

Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse meal I do this in my kitchen-aid!) Add milk. Stir till blended. Turn out on floured surface. Knead gently about 20 times. Divide in half. Roll out into 7x12 rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up like cinnamon rolls and cut into 12 pieces. Repeat with second half. Place in well greased miniature muffin pans. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. These don't get really brown, so don't over bake.

Dip in powdered sugar glaze when cool.

Makes 24 miniature rolls.

Recipe x 3= 6 doz.

4 ½ cups flour
4 tablespoons baking powder
¾ teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups wheat germ
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup shortening
2 cups milk

Cream Puffs

2009-02-24T15:54:00.000-08:00

Cream puffs are always a very special dessert... a little time consuming, but not especially difficult for as impressive as they look. The filling recipe is one I came across in a magazine years ago, and nothing really beats it for a fabulous cream puff.

For a shower or special luncheon, the cream puff shells can be filled with chicken salad, egg salad etc. It makes an elegant finger food.

Cream puffs are like potato chips- you can't eat just one. Ask Joanna and Scott how many they ate once.

Making Cream Puffs

1 cup water
½ cup butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

In a saucepan heat water, butter an d salt to a full rolling boil. Reduce heat and quickly stir in flour. Mix vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of the pot. Place mixture in mixing bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time beating 20 seconds after each addition, until dough is smooth again. After all eggs are incorporated, beat 15 seconds at medium speed.

Drop dough onto parchment lined or greased baking sheets.. about 1 tablespoon dough for small cream puffs. I put dough in a large ziplock bag and pipe it out onto the tray, small Hershey-kiss-like dollops.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 25 minutes more until puffs are golden brown and dry looking. Cool completely on wire racks.

This dough for cream puffs does not double well; it needs to be baked right away and cannot sit waiting for the first batch to bake. I just make 2 or 3 consecutive batches when I need lots and lots of cream puffs.

For filling a single recipe of dough use:
8 oz. cream or small container of cool whip
1 cup milk
small box of pudding
and some vanilla to taste

Filling for two recipes of dough:
16 oz. heavy cream whipped and lightly sweetened (or large container of coolwhip)
1 large package of instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

To prepare filling:
Whip heavy cream and sweeten lightly. Set aside. Mix pudding, milk, and vanilla for two minutes until thickened. Fold in whipped cream . Chill while baking cream puff shells. I usually chill it right in the ziptop bag I am going to use for filling the cream puffs.

To fill cream puffs, slice a small portion of the top off. Fill cream puffs and replace top. Dust with powdered sugar.

To make eclairs: Pipe dough into lines about as long as, and slightly thicker than your finger. Bake and fill as for cream puffs. Top with your favorite fudge frosting or ganache.... I am still looking for the perfect ganache recipe.

Nothing like a warm muffin on a cold winter day

2009-01-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

Today I had occasion to make muffins for a friend, so I thought I would post my muffin recipes. I think peach muffins in the summer are the best, but you can make them with canned peaches if you must. We freeze blueberries just so we can have blueberry muffins in the winter.

Muffins make a gret breakfast on a frosty morning or a nice addition to a simple meal. Whenever they are served, muffins are best served warm. To make it easy to prepare breakfast muffins I often mix the dry ingredients the night before and put the liquid ingredients in a jar in the fridge. In the morning I preheat the oven, mix the wet and dry ingredients and pop them in the oven. I can usually be done in the shower by the time the muffins are ready. This helped greatly when i had to have breakfast ready for the triplets by tbe time they arrived in the morning.

Sweet Muffins
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1979 (out of print)
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 400 °

½ cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 1/2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Optional ingredients:

1 cup blueberries
1 cup finely chopped apples + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 °. Grease bottoms of 12 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter), spray with cooking spray or use foil or silicone muffin cups. Fruit muffins stick to paper muffin cups.

.Beat egg well. Stir in milk and oil, Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened. Gently stir in optional ingredients. Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. I use the largets cookie scoop for evenly sized muffins. Bake 20-25 mminutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Oatmeal Muffins
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 400 °

1 egg
1 cup milk soured with 1 tablespoon vinegar or 1 cup buttermilk
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 cup quick oats or 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon b aking soda

Preheat oven to 400 °. Grease bottoms of 12 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter) or spray with cooking spray. Beat egg well. Stir in soured milk and oil, Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 mminutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Make this recipe into a quick mix by measuring dry ingredients for several recipes into ziplock bags. List additional needed ingredients on the bag with a permanent marker.

French Breakfast Puffs
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 350 °

1/3 cup shortening
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 °. Grease bottoms of 15 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter) or spray with cooking spray. Cream shortening, sugar and eggs. Stir in milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes. Mix ½ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a bowl. Dip baked muffins in melted butter and then roll in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

Peach Muffins
Original recipe by Anne Marie Huste
Adaptations- Laurie Rambo
Makes 12-15 muffins
Oven Temp: 400°

1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
¼ c. melted butter
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 c. sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup peeled and diced peaches.

Blend all liquid ingredients together. Add dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Gently fold in peaches. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Don't overfill! Bake 20-25 minutes. Makes 15 average sized muffins.

Chicken Salad

2009-01-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

I am often asked for my chicken salad recipe. All the credit goes to the Joy of Cooking cookbook, circa 1979 which offers these guidelines that I have adapted into a recipe of my own.

The basic guideline is to use twice as much chicken in your salad as all other ingredients combined. I often make this for a crowd, so here is how I do it.

Simmer boneless chicken breasts (3-4 lbs) in enough water to cover the completely. I season this chicken well by adding

2-3 carrots
a large coarsely chopped onion,
2 stalks of celery
a few cloves of garlic or a spoonful on prepared minced garlic
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
about 1 tsp. salt,
about 1 tsp thyme
about 1/2 tsp oregano
3-4 peppercorns,

sometimes I add some rosemary or dill, depending on the mood and most of the ingredients can have more or less depending on your taste, or what is on hand.

Simmer the chicken until it is tender.

When the chicken is done, strain the broth and save for another use. Cool chicken.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, coarsely chop the chicken. I usually chop about half in the food processor into small bits and chop the other half by hand to have larger bites in the salad. Make sure the bits of chicken are small enough to stay on a sandwich.

To make the salad:

8 cups chopped chicken
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
about 1 cup grated carrot
about 1 cup chopped celery
about 2 cups red grapes, quartered.

You can add any combination of ingredients, so it equals 4 cups altogether.

to the salad add

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste.

Blend into chicken mixture and refrigerate a couple of hours before serving to blend flavors.

Chicken salad is delicious served on home made wheat bread.

Chewy Coconut Cookies

2009-01-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

These cookies are very nice too. We have found that even people who don't like coconut like these cookies. Elisa, after eating one fresh from the oven one day said "These are like a soft, warm cloud of coconutty goodness melting in your mouth." From my dear one who doesn't really care for cookies anymore, that was the ultimate compliment.

The recipe is from the Land o' Lakes butter site.

CHEWY COCONUT COOKIES

Loaded with coconut and butter, these chewy cookies are bound to become family favorites.

Preparation time: 30 min Baking time: 9 min
Yield: 5 dozen cookies

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
30 red or green candied cherries, halved

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Beat until well mixed. Stir in coconut by hand.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Press 1 cherry half onto center of each cookie. Bake for 9 to 13 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove from cookie sheets.

Recipe Tip
Proper storing keeps cookies at their best. If you will not be eating your cookies within three days, freeze them. Make sure the cookies are completely cool before placing them in storage containers. Otherwise, they’re likely to stick together. Keep soft or chewy cookies separate from crisp ones.

Gingersnaps

2009-01-14T15:06:00.000-08:00

These are my all-time favorite, Caleb's too!

Gingersnaps
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook
Oven Temp: 375°

When measuring spices for this recipe I use generous measurements for a spicier cookie.

¾ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
2 ¼ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
granulated sugar

Cream butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses. Blend in spices, salt and baking soda. Add flour. Chill dough one hour. Roll teaspoon sized balls of dough in granulated sugar or gourmet sugar. If making cofffee shop style cookies, flatten the cookies to about 1/2 inch. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-12 minutes, for teaspoon sized cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes if making large coffee shop type cookies

Herb Bread

2008-11-20T05:06:00.000-08:00

Herb Bread
Makes 4 one pound loaves
Oven TempL 350°

1 c. warm milk or water
1 egg
2-4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ 1 teaspoon dried dill
¼ teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 – ½ cup freshly chopped onion
3 ½ cups bread flour
1 tablespoon yeast ( a package is not a tablespoon.)

Mix all ingredients, knead till dough is elastic and smooth. Rise till doubled. Punch down and shape into small loaves. Rise until doubled. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so.

I never make this the same wy twice, so don’t be afraid of messing up the herbs. It always tastes good no matter what I seem to put in. Measurements for herbs can be adjusted to personal taste. ½ c. Pamesan cheese is also a nice addition.

A New Grandbaby

2008-11-20T04:52:00.000-08:00

As I've made meals this fall I have tucked containers of this and that into the freezer for Scott and Meg. I think Elisa could check a cooler of food as luggage when she flies to Mississippi in December so they could have easy meals. If they were here I would take them dinner as often as possible. Things like Potluck Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie or a nice roast beef dinner with twice baked potatoes. I'd add some wheat rolls or herb bread to go along with the meal.

Here is my basic recipe for wheat bread, or as Elisa call's it "Mom Bread."

(basic dough for loaves or rolls)
Adapted from LLL’s “Whole Foods for Whole Families”
Makes 2 loaves of bread or 48 rolls.
Oven Temp: 350°

2 cups warm water
1-2 cups dry milk (optional)
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 ½ teaspoon salt
up to 4 eggs
2 tablespoons yeast
1 cup wheat germ
6-7 cups flour

Mix all ingredients, except for 3 cups flour until batter is smooth. Add remaining flour and knead with dough hook for about 8 minutes. Use the larger amount of flour if you use four eggs.

Let rise about one hour. Shape into 4 one pound loaves loaves (small foil pans) or two larger loaves (regular sized bread pans) or 48 rolls. Let rise about 1 hour ( a little less for rolls. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes for bread; 30 minutes for rolls.

This freezes nicely, so I often make a big batch and package the rolls in dinner sized portions.

Online price book tool

2008-11-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

This online price book can be really helpful when you are trying to figure out the best places to shop. It helps you know if you really are saving money at Sam's or doing better by shopping local sales or stores like Save-a-Lot and Aldi's. I hope you find it useful.

Online pricebook

http://www.uncommonwaytowealth.com/excel-finance-spreadsheet s/grocery-savings-spreadsheet-price-book/

Meal Planning Ideas

2008-11-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

Menu Planning

A Facebook note inspired me to post some ideas on menu planning. It really helps to save money, time and effort! Since I have been cooking dinner for almost 29 years now I have learned a little about fighting the eternal 4 o'clock question, "what's for dinner???"

Different Ideas for Menu Planning

1. Rotation

When I babysat triplets and had to have a cooked breakfast ready at 8:30 every morning we followed a regular plan. We had muffins on Monday, Toast with peanut butter on Tueday, Waffles on Wednesday, Thursday we had scrambled eggs and French toast was served on Fridays. Pancakes were made now and again when we got tired of the routine. Mornings were so much easier when I knew what was coming up and I could do some prep work the night before, like mixing all the dry ingredients for pancakes or muffins, and storing them in a ziplock. Wet ingredients were measured and stored in the fridge in a maons jar for easy mixing he next day.

The same idea can be applied to dinner by designating one night chicken night, another night beef, vegetarian, pork, casserole or whatever. When chicken night comees around you only have to consider what chicken dish you want to make, not ponder the whole spectrum of what could be for dinner.

Other families I know have an Italian night, Chinese night, Mexican night, Pasta night, Soup night etc. Depending on how your family likes to eat this can be useful and gives variety.

2. Master Lists

Once upon a time I had a list of all the recipes we liked to eat sorted by main ingredient. I would go through the sale flyers and then choose recipes from the list for the week.

3. Long Range planning

I cook and shop most effectively when I plan for a month at a time. This way when something is on sale and I know it is coming up in the menu I can purchase what I will need for the weeks to come. It also helps me reduce the number of shopping trips I make because I can buy some things in bulk.

I use an excel spreadsheet for my 30 day menus. Some things I have learned about long range planning:

Don't plan big meals every single night. Put in those easy favorites your family loves now and then.

Don't try new recipes too many nights in a row.

Cook once and eat twice ideas are easy to plan with long range planning. For instance if you cook a roasting chicken, put the rest of the cooked chicken in the freezer for a stir-fry meal or for quesadillas. I am thinking the whole cook once eat twice idea should be another post one day.

Remember to plan days for leftovers or eating out when you know life will be hectic.

Do your long range planning (even your weekly planning) with a calendar in hand so you are not planning an elaborate meal on a day you have a really busy afternoon of errands or meetings.

Although it does take time, menu planning ultimately saves you time and stress. Remember that your plan is just that, a plan, and very often plans change. It is a tool to serve you, not to enslave you.

2008-11-11T03:33:00.000-08:00

Sweet Muffins
From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1979
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 400 °

½ cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Optional ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup finely chopped apples + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 °. Grease bottoms of 12 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter) or spray with cooking spray. Beat egg well. Stir in milk and oil, Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened. Gently stir in optional ingredients. Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 mminutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Each summer I freeze blueberries just so I can make blueberry muffins all winter. I generally freeze 24 pints at least. If I do more I can occasionally make blueberry buckle. a great streusel topped coffee cake.

Creamy Bacon Cheddar Hash Browns

2008-11-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

Creamy Bacon Cheddar Hashbrowns

2 lbs shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed and drained
1/2 onion, chopped and sauteed
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken (or something) soup
8 ounces sour cream
3/4 cup bacon bits
2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
3 tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, bacon bits and ranch dressing mix. Add cheddar cheese, onions and hashbrowns.
• Place in greased 9x13 pan.
• Bake 35 minutes or until bubbly.

While not something that can be eaten often, this is a great side dish for a crowd!

Carrot-Broccoli Soup

2008-10-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

2 tablespoons finely minced onion
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 tablespoons flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 cups milk
4 cups canned chicken broth (broth made with bullion cubes makesittoo salty)
10 oz package chopped broccoli (or 2 cups fresh chopped broccoli)
2 cups grated carrots

Cook broccoli and carrots in chicken broth until just tender. Set aside. Saute onion in butter. Add flour and salt. Mix to smooth paste. Gradually add milk and just bring to a boil to thicken. When ready to serve blend broth mixture with milk micture and reheat if needed. Be careful not to boil as soup will separate and not look as attractive. It will still taste good though.

I remember making this for a dinner party in honor of Kelly's 21st birthday. Now she is asking for the recipe to prepare it for her son Seth's baptism. It is a family favorite that works well for so many occasions. I especially like it as a light dinner with toasted cheese bread.

Elsie's Lasagna

2008-10-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law is an amazing woman. This is her recipe for lasagna that I have adjusted to suit our family's tastes.

Life always takes some adjusting as we've always known, but now, as we enjoy grandchildren and deal with the realities of aging parents it seems like ever bigger adjustments are needed.

How truly wonderful it is to be able to rely on God's all-sufficiency when things that need adjusting seem just too big. He is so faithful to give all that is needed in every situation, no matter if it is motivation to wash the dishes or wisdom to make decisions for parents who no longer seem able to make decisions.

Here's the recipe. Soon I will post the fabulous bread that goes so very well with this!

Elsie’s Lasagna
Makes two pans of lasagna . (I use foil casserole pans that are about 13x9, but deeper than a cake pan.

1-3 lbs ground beef (I use one)
1c. chopped onions
2 cloves minced garlic
1 32 oz. can tomato puree
1 quart water
3 tablspoons parsley
(3 tablespoons sugar)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons oregano

Brown ground beef. Saute onions and garlic until tender. Add other sauce ingredients and simmer uncovered for one hour.

2 lbs. Cottage cheese (Ricotta will work)
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ pounds grated mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
(2 teaspoons salt)
2 teaspoons oregano

Mix filling ingredients well.

Bring a large pot of water and about a tablespoon of oil to a boil. Boil lasagna noodles and then chill with cold water. Leave the in water so they do not stick together. Usualy I don’t add oil to water for pasta, but this is one time it is needed.

Put some sauce in the bottom of the lasagna pan. Layer noodles, cheese and more sauce in three or four layers. End with noodles, top with a little more sauce and additional Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45- 60 minutes.

This dish freezes well and it is just as much trouble to make 4 pans of lasagna as it is to make two

Shaker Bars

2008-10-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

I've been asked for this recipe and others a time or two, so I thought I would create a blog that focuses on recipes well-loved by family and friends.

This recipe for Shaker bars comes from my grandmother who never really baked them herself, but had her housekeeper do it for her. My mom used this recipe when teens were running rampant through her house and now I use it to feed hungry teens here.

Shaker Bars

1 1/3 cups sugar

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/3 cups self rising flour

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix eggs and sugar. Blend in oil and vanilla. Blend in flour till just moistened. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with choclate chips. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until lightly browned.