Fun Foods On a Budget!

Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cake Bars with Creamy Lemon Cheesecake Topping

2011-12-14T22:06:00.001-07:00

Can you believe that something with a title like that started out as a simple cake mix?

Today is Jeff's birthday, and he loves lemon-flavored desserts. I didn't feel like baking a whole cake, but naturally had to do something special for the occasion. I used the basic cake mix cookie recipe and changed it around a bit, and came up with these delicious cake bars with a rich, brownie-like flavor, and a light lemon flavor. The topping is my favorite cool whip and cream cheese frosting, flavored with lemon extract.

Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cake Bars
1 box white or yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
Creamy Lemon Cheesecake Topping

Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, lemon juice, and lemon extract. If using white cake mix, you can also add a few drops of yellow food coloring. Mix well. Stir in white chocolate chips. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes. Let cool, then cut into bars and top with cheesecake topping.

Creamy Lemon Cheesecake Topping
1 8-oz package cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 8-oz carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 tsp. lemon extract

Beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Beat in whipped topping and lemon extract. Spoon on top of cake bars.

Seriously, this stuff is freakin' fantastic.

Taste&Create - Min's Pear Pie (but with apples)

2011-12-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

Been a long time since I posted, I'll just jump right into this post and we'll forget about the fact that I haven't put anything up here since, um, September. Yeah.

This is a super yummy pie from The Bad Girl's Kitchen, my partner for November's Taste&Create. Taste&Create is a monthly blog event where you're paired up with another blogger, and you make a recipe form your partner's blog while they make one from yours. I chose to make Min's Pear Pie, because it looked tasty, and simple to make. And I love pie. I made it with apples instead of pears, because that's what we had on hand. I would love to try it with pears next time I make it, because there will definitely be a next time. :)

Pear (or apple) Pie

7-8 large pears (or apples), pared, cut into slices
3 TBL lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
3 TBL flour
1 tsp. lemon zest

Mix all together and spoon into one 9 inch unbaked pie shell

Sprinkle with the following mixture:

[ 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. each ginger & cinnamon
cut in 4 TBL butter until crumbly ]

Bake Pie in preheated 400 oven for about 45 minutes.

Black Forest Cobbler

2011-09-06T22:07:00.000-06:00

I've been really into cobblers lately. After making that peach cobbler, I tried the same recipe but with a can of apple pie filling, and it turned out delicious. Then tonight, in the mood for another fruity cobbler dessert, I created this easy and tasty treat. I simply topped cherry pie filling with cake mix cookie batter. Sweet success!

Black Forest Cobbler
1 box devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 can cherry pie filling

Heat oven to 350. In a bowl combine cake mix, eggs, and oil. Mix well.

Spread pie filling into greased 9x13 baking dish. Drop batter by spoonfuls over pie filling. Bake for 15-17 minutes.

This would be great with ice cream or whipped cream, but even by itself it's super delicious.

Quick Fruit Cobbler

2011-09-04T22:48:00.000-06:00

This is a very quick and easy cobbler recipe, and can use any fruit you have on hand.

Quick Fruit Cobbler
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups fruit (fresh, frozen, or canned)

Combine all ingredients except fruit, mix just until blended. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking dish (I doubled the recipe and used a 9x13). Top with fruit. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. The dough will rise and become a crust on top of the fruit.

The consistency of the cobbler will vary depending on what fruit you use, and how much juice it has. I used drained canned peaches, and am eager to try a variety of other fruits with this easy and yummy recipe.

Watermelon Rind Pickles

2011-07-28T20:38:00.000-06:00

Due to a somewhat extreme case of the lazies during planting season this year, our garden is pretty much nonexistent. But I still get the urge to preserve summer's bounty. So in the absence of homegrown produce, I got creative and used what we had. We bought a watermelon a couple days ago, and after we ate it I got the crazy urge to look up recipes for watermelon rind pickles. Here's the result.

Watermelon Rind Pickles
1 large watermelon
1/2 cup salt
2 1/2 quarts water, divided
2 1/4 cups cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. whole cloves

Cut pulp from watermelon rind, leaving a small amount of red pulp on rind. Reserve pulp for another use (if you haven't already eaten it). Remove hard green outer rind. Cut rind into 1-inch cubes, and place in a large bowl.

Stir together salt and 2 quarts water. Pour over rind. Cover and chill 8 hours. Drain; rinse well.

Combine rind with water to cover in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Combine remaining 2 cups water, vinegar, and next 4 ingredients in Dutch oven or very large saucepan.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture becomes a thin syrup. Add rind, and simmer 5 to 6 minutes or until rind becomes translucent.

Pack hot rind mixture into hot jars, distributing lemon and spices evenly and filling to 1/2 inch from top. Remove air bubbles; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw on bands. Process in boiling water bath 20 minutes.

Whatcha-ma-Crunch

2011-06-28T17:05:00.000-06:00

This stuff is seriously addicting. The kids and I wanted a little snack the other day, so I came up with this very simple candy-like treat. Three ingredients, a little time in the microwave and then the fridge, and they're done. And sooooooo yummy! Crunchy, chocolatey, peanut buttery goodness.

Watcha-ma-Crunch
2 cubes (2 oz. each) almond bark candy coating (I like using 1 cube vanilla and 1 cube chocolate)
3 tbsp. peanut butter
1 1/2 cups bran flakes (or other crunchy cereal)

Melt candy coating and peanut butter together in the microwave. With my microwave, 1 minute on high is usually just right. Stir in the cereal.

Spread mixture onto a foil-lined plate. Chill in fridge until hardened, then break into chunks to serve. Store uneaten candy in the fridge. That is, if there's any left to store...

Easy, Amazing Cream Cheese Pie

2011-06-22T23:28:00.000-06:00

Sorry, no pictures of this one. I can't find my camera...

But this is an incredibly delicious cheesecake/pie. I've actually used this filling recipe as frosting for cake, and it's incredible. I would often eat spoonfuls of the stuff straight out of the bowl, it's that good. So when I saw in a cookbook that it could go in a pie crust, I was super thrilled.

Cream Cheese Pie
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
8 oz. cool whip
9-inch graham cracker crust

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Slowly beat in cool whip. Spread into crust. Chill for at least 3 hours. Serve alone or topped with fruit. We ate it with cherry pie filling, yum.

Happy Pi(e) Day! Brownie Pie

2011-03-14T20:10:00.000-06:00

Sorry it's been so long since I posted - a whole month, wow! But this is definitely a good recipe to come back with.

Today was Pi Day (3/14 = 3.14 = π). However, since I'm not a mathematician, pi is boring. But pie is cool. So we celebrate Pi Day by making pie! And what a pie this is.

Brownie Pie
1 box brownie mix
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Pour brownie batter into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool completely, and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Such simple ingredients, such easy instructions, yet such an incredible dessert! Brownie in a pie crust, does chocoholic life get any better?

The kids are mesmerized by this pie's scintillating essence.

Our Valentine's Dinner

2011-02-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

I love putting together simple yet delicious meals for holidays. Sometimes I like giving them names too, I'm weird like that. This one is called "No such thing as too much shrimp."

Shrimp Appetizer

I posted this recipe last year. But I make it every year for Valentine's Day, so I'm posting it again this year. I love this stuff, it's so delicious!

8 oz. cream cheese
Cocktail sauce
1 can tiny shrimp, drained
Buttery snack crackers (Ritz, Town House, etc)

Place cream cheese on serving platter. Pour about 2/3 cup cocktail sauce on top, and top with shrimp. Serve with crackers.

Garlic Ginger Shrimp

I got this recipe from Angie, The American Homemaker. I attended her cooking class at the Pleasant Grove Macey's last week, and really enjoyed this recipe. I figured it would be perfect for Valentine's Day. It's a little pricier than my usual meals, but not by much. Besides, it was a special occasion.

1 1/2 tsp. ginger
4 cloves garlic (2 tsp. bottled)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 tsp. parsley
2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. salt (this wasn't in the original recipe, but it needed it)
3 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold water
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 package angel hair pasta (I used spaghetti)

Start water boiling for pasta.

In a large skillet, saute ginger and garlic in butter and oil for about one minute. Stir in broth, 1 1/2 tsp. parsley, and basil.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Add to skillet. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; add rinsed shrimp. Simmer for two to three minutes or until the shrimp turn pink.

Meanwhile, cook pasta. Add sauce to cooked and drained pasta. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Salad

Of course, we also had a simple salad, to round out the meal. Five-lettuce mix with chopped oranges and a honey mustard dressing. Colorful and yummy.

Chocolate Almond Pudding Cake

This was a fantastic ending to a delicious meal. It's a slightly healthified version, with less sugar and oil. It was rich and indulgent, but not overly so. Perfect with vanilla ice cream.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 3/4 cups water
Vanilla ice cream, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix flour, granulated sugar, almonds, 1/4 cup cocoa, the baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, oil, vanilla and almond extract until blended. Spread batter in pan.

In 1-quart saucepan, mix brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa with wire whisk. Stir in water; heat just to boiling, stirring occasionally. Pour over batter.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Cool 30 minutes before serving (Haha, yeah right. We at it right away).

To serve, spoon warm cake into individual dessert bowls; spoon pudding from baking dish over cake. Serve with ice cream.

Butter Rolls

2011-02-04T23:57:00.000-07:00

This title is a bit deceptive. These are much richer and sweeter and more delicious than the name implies. I got this recipe from Southern Plate (I love that website!), and like every recipe of Christy's that I try, it turned out fantastic. I admit that it's not the prettiest thing, but yum....

Butter Rolls
2 cups self-rising flour (add 1 tsp. salt and 1 tbsp. baking powder)
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk (we have a dry climate so I had to use 3/4 cup)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Milk Sauce
2 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Cut shortening into flour really well with a fork. Stir in milk. On a floured surface, dump out dough and press together with your hands to form a ball. Roll out into a rectangle (about 7×10 in size). Spread softened butter over dough and then sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon over top. Roll it up like a jelly roll and press it together lightly. Cut into nine slices about one inch thick each. Place into a lightly greased 8×8 baking dish.

In medium sauce pot, combine all milk sauce ingredients. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to bubble lightly. Pour over rolls in pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until rolls are lightly browned on top.

Allow to sit for a few minutes once it is done for the rolls to soak up more sauce. After you put each roll on a plate, spoon more sauce over it.

Holy cow, these turned out so incredible. Though Zaylee took it upon herself after eating to remind me that "too much sugar is not good for you." Yeah, these are definitely not an every day meal. :-)

Christmas Cookie Bars

2010-12-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

These are the cookies we're leaving out for Santa tonight. The kids had fun helping me measure and stir (and taste, of course) these yummy cookie bars. Crushed candy canes add a barely-there peppermint flavor to the bars themselves, and the frosting puts that minty flavor over the top!

Christmas Cookie Bars
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2-3 candy canes, crushed
1 package mini semisweet chocolate chips
Frosting:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. mint extract
Sprinkles, if desired

Cream butter and sugars in a bowl. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Combine flour, salt and baking soda, and beat slowly into creamed mixture. Stir in candy canes and chocolate chips.

Grease a 10x15 jelly roll pan. Spread cookie dough evenly in pan. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pan before cutting into bars.

For frosting: Melt butter or margarine. Beat in powdered sugar, milk, and extracts. Spread on cookie bars. I cut the bars and then spread each one individually, or they could be frosted before being cut. If desired, top with sprinkles. Serve with a big glass of milk or eggnog, and enjoy!

Russian Refresher

2010-12-19T14:38:00.007-07:00

I've had this recipe for quite a while, and we like to make it every winter. It's called Russian Refresher because it's similar to Russian chai, or tea. But this has no tea in it, it's just a spiced citrus punch that is served hot. Jeff and I sometimes like to call it Citrus Cider. This recipe makes about 3 1/2 cups of powdered mix, which you can use to make individual servings of this hot, refreshing drink.

Russian Refresher Mix
2 cups powdered orange drink mix
1 pkg (3 oz) presweetened powdered lemonade mix*
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

*I like to buy a larger container of lemonade mix and just measure out 3 ounces, because it ends up cheaper per ounce. Then I still have most of the container left for making plain lemonade.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well. Put in a 1-quart container. Label as Russian Refresher Mix and store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. Makes about 3 1/2 cups of mix.

RUSSIAN REFRESHER: Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of RUSSIAN REFRESHER MIX to 1 cup hot water. Stir to dissolve. Makes 1 serving.

This mix would make a good last-minute Christmas gift for neighbors or family. I also have several other gift mix recipes that make good gifts; they can be found in this post.

Buckeye Bars

2010-12-12T11:00:00.002-07:00

I love buckeyes - peanut butter balls with chocolate coating. My favorite kind are the ones with graham cracker crumbs, because they add a wonderful texture and richer flavor than the ones loaded with butter and tons of powdered sugar.

However, I don't love quite so much the amount of time it takes to roll all those little balls and dip each one into chocolate. So when I found a recipe for Buckeye Bars, I was excited to see that I could just press my peanut butter filling into a pan and top it with chocolate. Quick and easy! So I used the instructions for that recipe, and the filling from my regular buckeye recipe, and made my own delicious buckeye bars.

Buckeye Bars
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and confectioners' sugar in a bowl or a food processor until smooth. It starts out really crumbly, but keep at it. I like to use my hand and squish it like play dough. It takes quite a while, but it's fun.

Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides.

Press peanut butter mixture into pan evenly. Microwave chocolate chips on high for 1 minute; stir. Microwave 15 to 30 seconds or until chocolate is melted; stir until smooth. Spread over peanut butter layer.

Refrigerate 2 hours. Use foil handles to lift bars from pan before cutting to serve.

My chocolate actually hardened too much to cut. So I just broke off pieces. To make the chocolate softer so you can cut nice little squares, I would stir in some sweetened condensed milk. But it's fun to just eat big chunks!

Chocolate Covered Shortbread

2010-12-03T18:54:00.002-07:00

Jeff wanted to make something similar to Twix just for fun, so he came up with these yummy cookie bars. They don't have caramel like Twix, and the cookies aren't quite as crispy, but they are delicious and are being eaten up rather quickly! I don't think these will last long.

Chocolate Covered Shortbread
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
chocolate candy coating (almond bark)

Heat oven to 350.

Mix butter and sugar in large bowl. Stir in flour. (If dough is crumbly, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened.)

Roll dough 1/2 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into small rectangles, about 1/2 inch by 3-4 inch. Place 1/2 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake about 20 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Melt chocolate coating according to package directions. Dip cookies in chocolate. Let harden, and enjoy!

Green Tomato Pickles

2010-10-30T14:56:00.004-06:00

Yet another green tomato recipe. I made these a few days ago. Normally I don't care for sweet-style pickles very much, I prefer dill. But these turned out quite good. I used this recipe, cutting it in half because I accidentally cut my finger while slicing tomatoes, and didn't feel like doing any more slicing that night. :-} So remember to be careful when you're slicing the tomatoes, don't get lazy and start chopping up your extremities.

Green Tomato Pickles
1 peck (40 small) green tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 cups onions, thinly sliced
Salt
4 cups sugar
4 cups white vinegar
2 tbsp. celery seed
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. ground mustard
3/4 oz. mustard seed
12 whole cloves
8 whole allspice seeds

Alternate layers of tomatoes and onions on a large platter. Shake salt on each layer like you’re salting a meal. Cover platter with plastic wrap and store overnight in refrigerator. Salt will draw moisture from the tomatoes and onions, so place platter on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any water that may spill.

The next day, drain tomatoes and onions in a colander. In a large pot, add the tomatoes, onions, sugar, white vinegar, celery seed, bay leaf, ground mustard, and mustard seed. Place cloves and allspice in a cloth bag, and add to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Spoon into sterilized canning jars and seal (I did 5 minutes in a boiling-water bath).

Green Tomato Relish

2010-10-26T16:03:00.003-06:00

Next in my series of green tomato recipes is this deliciously tangy relish. After cooking this up this morning, I was left smelling strongly of cider vinegar, but I think it was worth it. The relish has a really wonderful flavor, and will be a great accompaniment to lots of future meals! I used this recipe, but instead of refrigerating and then serving right away, we put it in jars to freeze.

Green Tomato Relish
1/3 c. salad oil
3 lg. onions, diced
1 lg. garlic clove, minced
8 lg. green tomatoes (about 4 lbs.), cut into bite-sized chunks
4 med. green peppers, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips
4 med. red peppers, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips
3 c. cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger

About 4 hours before serving or up to 1 week ahead: In 8-quart Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over medium heat, in hot salad oil, cook onions and garlic until tender, stirring occasionally. Add green tomatoes and remaining ingredients; over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens.

Ladle into jars or freezer containers, cool to room temperature, then freeze. Or ladle into sterilized jars and process in a boiling-water bath for 30 minutes.

Green Tomato ... Jam?

2010-10-25T17:59:00.003-06:00

Hello, autumn weather! We had a stormy, windy, frosty night last night, which means it's time to bring in the green tomatoes. Do you have any idea how many green tomatoes you get from 19 tomato plants? A lot more than I currently know what to do with! So far we've brought in three large bowls brimming over with green tomatoes - at least 16 quarts. And that's just from three or four plants.

Anticipating a large green tomato crop, I've been looking up recipes for green tomatoes. This is one I found particularly interesting. Mixing green tomatoes, sugar, and jello to make jam definitely isn't something I would have thought to do, but the recipe had pretty good reviews, so I decided to give it a go.

Green Tomato Jam
4 cups shredded green tomatoes (I just tossed the tomatoes in the food processor)
4 cups white sugar
1 6-oz. box flavored gelatin mix (original recipe calls for raspberry)

Combine tomatoes and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir and cook about 10 minutes. Add the gelatin, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Spoon into hot, sterilized jars and seal; or, pour into freezer containers and freeze.

This turned out similar to the orange pear jam I made last year, which is also made using jello. And it was easy to make; the hardest part was standing there stirring it. I made three batches, using lime jello, strawberry jello, and then orange jello. I ended up with about 8 1/2 pints.

I'm sure I'll be posting a few more green tomato recipes in the near future, I still have a lot of tomatoes to use!

And another picture, just because I think this jam is so pretty!

Mini Winter Squash Whoopie Pies

2010-10-24T13:12:00.006-06:00

Whoopie pies are so fun - cakelike cookies sandwiched with a creamy filling. They are usually a few inches across, but this recipe makes much smaller cookies, about an inch across. Fun, bite-sized cookie sandwiches. This was originally a recipe for pumpkin whoopie pies, but I didn't use pumpkin. We had some banana squash that we purchased on clearance that needed to be used. So we cooked it in the slow cooker, then pureed it and used it in this recipe.

There is a very large variety of winter squash available - acorn squash, banana squash, hubbard squash, butternut squash - that can be used interchangeably in many recipes. We don't usually have pumpkin on hand, so it's nice to have alternatives when it comes to fall baking. The flavor and color will be different depending on what squash you use (my cookies are much more yellow than the original orange of pumpkin cookies), but they turn out equally delicious.

To prepare winter squash for use in baking, simply cut up the squash and remove the seeds, cook in either a slow cooker or the oven until it is soft, remove the skin, and mash the squash into a puree.

Mini Winter Squash Whoopie Pies
Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup winter squash puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

For cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line four baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until springy to the touch. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For cream cheese filling: Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.

Spread a heaping teaspoon of filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with flat side of second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Chocolate Soup

2010-10-13T22:10:00.004-06:00

Every once in a while you just gotta have chocolate for dinner, you know? Tonight was one of those nights. I didn't feel like making a big dinner, it was just me and the kids. So we had some bread, some apples, and a nice steaming pot of chocolate soup.

I actually just used a recipe for chocolate pudding, but by calling it soup, I felt a little more justified in serving it for dinner. ;-)

Chocolate Soup
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla

In a saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and milk. Heat over low, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Since it was really hot but I wanted to serve it right away, I sliced a couple frozen strawberries into each bowl before ladling in the soup. The hot soup thawed the strawberries, and the strawberries cooled down the soup so the kids could eat it without scalding their tongues. They sure were excited to be having chocolate for dinner!

Not only is this good served warm as a soup, it's also good served chilled as a pudding. I had some later tonight with a dollop of whipped topping, yummy!

6 Years

2010-10-09T12:35:00.005-06:00

My sweet husband and I have been married for 6 years, as of yesterday. When Jeff asked if I wanted to go out to eat or make something special here at home, my answer was obvious - I always prefer a great home cooked meal! So here's what we ate for our special meal to celebrate 6 years of marriage.

Pork and Bacon Skillet
Jeff created this dish specifically to use cheap cuts of pork and bacon ends. Since he didn't really measure anything, all amounts are approximate.

Start by cooking about 1/4-1/2 lb. bacon ends. Remove from pan and set aside, leaving bacon grease in the pan. Cut about 2 lb. pork into 3-inch chunks and add to pan. Brown on both sides. Add a sliced green pepper, some sliced green onions, 1 cup beef broth (or 1 cup water and 1 tsp. bouillon), and the bacon, plus salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with rice.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad
A delicious and hearty salad from the new Southern Plate Cookbook (love this book!!!!!!!)

1 head cauliflower, broken and sliced
1 head broccoli, cut up
2 small onions, cut and separated into rings (I used half of a large red onion)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to vegetables and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Anniversary Pie
This pie has become tradition since I created it a couple years ago. I've made it differently each time, but it's always delicious. This time I went for a yummy cinnamon flavor.

1 package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup eggnog
1/2 cup ice cream (fried ice cream flavor - cinnamon ice cream with shortbread chunks and a caramel swirl, yummmm)
1 graham cracker crust, made with cinnamon grahams
Additional cinnamon graham cracker crumbs

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggnog and ice cream. Pour into crust and freeze until firm. Remove from freezer 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to soften the pie. Return any uneaten portion to the freezer. Sprinkle each slice with additional cracker crumbs.

Warm Caramel Apple Cake

2010-09-07T15:38:00.003-06:00

On Sunday I invited some friends over for lunch the next day, Labor Day. I hadn't planned a menu or anything, it was a spur-of-the-moment invite. So after church Jeff and I were planning out what we were going to have for lunch. Hamburgers, hot dogs, fruit salad, potato salad, the typical summer holiday menu. I got stuck trying to figure out what to do for dessert, until I happened to glance at the fridge and see my calendar.

I love my calendar; each month has a different recipe, and they all look so delicious! This month's was Warm Caramel Apple Cake, and I decided right then and there that I had found the perfect thing to make for dessert.

I did do a bit of doctoring to the original recipe, mostly with the topping. Instead of caramel topping and canned frosting, I used some cinnamon caramel apple dip that I got on clearance, and some of my favorite cream cheese frosting. Here's the recipe as I made it for our get-together. It was definitely a big hit with everyone! (click here to see the original recipe)

Warm Caramel Apple Cake
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup milk
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 box yellow cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash each nutmeg, allspice

Topping:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/3 cup sugar
Caramel apple dip or caramel topping

Heat oven to 350°F. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, cook butter, milk, and brown sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Pour into 13x9-inch pan. Sprinkle with pecans; top with sliced apples.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and spices with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Carefully spoon batter over apple mixture.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Loosen sides of cake from pan. Place heatproof serving platter upside down on pan; carefully turn platter and pan over. Let pan remain over cake about 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over cake. Remove pan.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in whipped topping and sugar. Microwave caramel dip about 30-60 seconds, until thin and smooth. Serve warm cake topped with frosting mixture and drizzled with caramel.

Hamburger Stroganoff

2010-08-28T13:18:00.004-06:00

This is one of those meals that we ate a lot while I was growing up. It's quick, it's easy, and it's cheap. And most importantly, it tastes good! Just another great recipe to help stretch your grocery dollar. :-)

Hamburger Stroganoff
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 tbsp. oil
1 lb. ground beef (we usually get away with using less)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream*

Brown onion and garlic salt in oil. Add ground beef, salt, and pepper. Cook until ground beef is browned, then add mushroom soup. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in 1 cup sour cream. Serve over hot cooked rice or noodles.

*If you don't have sour cream, you can use this substitute instead:
Combine 1 cup canned milk with 2 tbsp. lemon juice, and let stand 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup mayonnaise and mix well.

Another Picnic Dish (Recipe: X-quisite Layered Fruit Salad)

2010-06-29T20:48:00.004-06:00

I volunteered to do another dish for the Virtual Picnic, hosted by Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations. To refresh anyone's memory on the rules, each blogger chooses a letter and "brings" a dish that begins with that letter, also including all the dishes brought by the previous bloggers. Okay, here we go!

I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing...

A: Almond Joy Pie
By Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet

B: Baked Beans
By Grub and Stuff

C: Chocolate Picnic Cake
By Dying for Chocolate

D: Dutch Funnel Cake

By Sporadic Cook

E: Easy Blender Chicken Pie
By Simple Recipes

F: Five Bean Salad
By Moveable Feasts

G: Granola Bars

By Fun Foods on a Budget

H: Herb and Cheese Pasta Salad
By Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

I: Incredibly Fruity Raspberry Cakes
By Raspberry and Chipotle

J: Jeweled Picnic Bars
By Rochelle's Vintage and Frugal Recipes

K: Kaltschale (Cold Fruit Soup)
By Kaffeeklatsch (German)

L: Long Island Lemonade Cocktail
By Culinary Types

M: Mushroom Tart
By Gherkins & Tomatoes

N: Nut Roast
By Green Gourmet Giraffe

O: Olive Nut Bread
By Chaya's Comfy Cook

P: Pomegranate Mousse Cake
By More Than a Mount Full

Q: Quiche
By Sweet and Savory

R: Raspberry Chocolate Macarons
By Anne's Food

S: Spicy Glazed Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs
By God's Perfect Promises

T: Turkey and Pear Wraps w/ Curried Aioli
By Girlichef

U: Unoriginal Whole Foods Salad Bar
By Mae's Food Blog

V: Vegetable Things of Spring Salad..Veal Shank with Risotto
..and Viennese Chocolate-Cherry Torte
By Postcards From The Dinner Table

W: White Caramel Popcorn
By One Crazy Cookie

My letter X: X-quisite Layered Fruit Salad (recipe below)
By Fun Foods on a Budget

I invented this exquisite salad tonight specifically for this picnic game! This recipe is partially based on my family's favorite fruit salad recipe, and utilizes the fruits I happened to have on hand. The layering is something I just thought of tonight, and adds a touch of elegance and beauty to the salad.

X-quisite Layered Fruit Salad
1 3.4-oz. box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 cup milk
1 12-oz. carton cool whip, divided
1 16-oz. carton cottage cheese
1 3-oz. box strawberry jello
2 cans fruit cocktail, well drained
4 large apples, chopped
1 lb. fresh strawberries

Whisk together pudding mix and milk for 1-2 minutes. Fold in half of cool whip. Chill while preparing other ingredients. Combine cottage cheese and remaining cool whip. Add jello.

Now it's time to layer. Pour drained fruit cocktail into large glass bowl (about 4 quart size, I think). Top with jello/cottage cheese mixture, then apples, then pudding mixture. Lastly, arrange strawberries on top. Cover and chill until serving.

I think the combination of a fruity jello-flavored sauce layer and a creamy pudding-flavored sauce layer really makes this salad pop. This can, of course, be customized with a variety of fruits and jello flavors. I just used what I had on hand, but I think it would be delicious with more fruits, like bananas, mandarin oranges, grapes, pomegranate seeds, fresh peaches, raspberries, etc. Plus, there's so much sauce in this salad that I think you could really get away with adding a larger amount of fruit (like mixing bananas with the apples before adding the pudding layer). Anyway, get creative! I know I will. :-)

The Picnic Game! (Recipe: Granola Bars)

2010-06-29T09:00:00.001-06:00

When I was a child, we would play games on long road trips to make the time go more quickly. One of our favorites (that I still play with my husband sometimes) was the I'm Going to Grandma's House game. You start with "I'm going to Grandma's house, and I'm bringing [something starting with the letter A]. The next person says, " I'm going to Grandma's house, and I'm bringing [the word that starts with A] and [something that starts with B]. So on and so forth, you work your way through the alphabet, with each person reciting all the previous items before adding their own.

Apparently, there is a game that is very similar, called the picnic game. Same basic rules, just a couple differences. First, you start with "I'm going on a picnic..." And second, when we "went" to Grandma's house, we "brought" all sorts of random things, like aardvarks, umbrellas, and tutu-toting tortoises. For the picnic game, you have to "bring" a food. Actually, half the time our items for Grandma's house ended up being foods anyway, so this is right up my alley.

Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations is hosting a virtual Picnic. In order to participate in the Picnic Game, each blogger chooses a letter and brings a dish that begins with that letter. I love playing this kind of game, so I was excited to be invited to play Louise's virtual Picnic Game. Here goes!

I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing...

A - Almond Joy Pie
By Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet

B - Baked Beans
By Grub and Stuff

C - Chocolate Picnic Cake
By Dying for Chocolate

D - Dutch Funnel Cake

By Sporadic Cook

E - Easy Blender Chicken Pie
By Simple Recipes

F - Five Bean Salad
By Moveable Feasts

And my letter: G - Granola Bars!
By Fun Foods on a Budget

These bars are super yummy and super easy to make. Plus, you can customize them any way you want!

Granola Bars
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ or wheat bran
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup flour - all-purpose or whole wheat
1-2 cups additions - like nuts, dried fruits, and baking chips
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey, corn syrup, or pancake syrup
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, additions, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes for chewy bars, or 30-35 minutes for crunchy bars. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

I have made these several times, doing something different each time. This delicious batch is chewy, made with 1/2 cup each raisins, slivered almonds, and white chocolate baking chips. Yum!

Mrs. Fields Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies - Top Secret Recipes Version

2010-06-26T15:03:00.004-06:00

Jeff and I have several books in the Top Secret Recipes series. We love being able to make copycat versions of foods that we usually wouldn't otherwise get (because we're too cheap to pay for them, haha). This is a recipe from Top Secret Recipes Unlocked; it's a copycat version of Mrs. Fields Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies. I made these for a picnic at the zoo with the in-laws. I have to admit that the star of the meal was my sister-in-law's chicken salad, but these cookies were super good too. :-)

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Top Secret Recipes version of Mrs. Fields cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted these, we don't usually put nuts in our cookies)
3/4 cup white chocolate chunks (I used white baking chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet stuff until blended. Stir in the cranberries, walnuts, and white chocolate.

Spoon 1/4 cup portions 2 inches apart onto a nonstick surface (parchment paper, silicone mat, or Release foil [I just greased my cookie sheet, none of that fancy stuff for me]) on baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are just beginning to brown - the cookies will still be soft in the center. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

These cookies came out very large, a little crispy on the edges, and nice and soft in the middle. Yum!!

Searching...

2010-06-24T23:00:00.004-06:00

...For my camera! I have a couple posts that I need to write and post, but can't really do it until I upload a bunch of pictures. Okay, technically I could write them, but it'll be much more interesting with pictures. Now I know that camera's around here somewhere...

Well, when I find it I'll put up a nice recipe or two. But right now it's late and I really should get to bed. I just thought I'd pop in and let everyone know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth or anything. :-)

Homemade Salad Dressing

2010-06-10T12:31:00.005-06:00

I love salad dressing. Ranch and Italian will always be favorites of course, but I also really enjoy "fancy" dressings. When they go on sale for super cheap we usually pick up several varieties of vinaigrettes and creamy dressings - red pepper, balsamic, bacon ranch, avocado, Greek, Asian sesame, creamy Italian - my mouth is watering.

But these sale-and-stock situations are pretty rare for us. So what do I do when we run out of all our fun salad dressings and I want to have a delicious salad? I make my own salad dressing, of course!

This particular recipe was originally titled Buttermilk & Onion Salad Dressing, but I didn't have buttermilk powder or dried minced onion. So this is basically just a yummy, creamy dressing without a real name.

Homemade Salad Dressing
1/2 cup dry milk powder (or use dry buttermilk powder)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried minced onion (if you've got it, use it)
1 tsp. monosodium glutamate (optional, I didn't add this)
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. dried parsley leaves (yikes, we're out. I substituted Italian seasoning)
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
2 cups mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice (omit if you're using buttermilk powder)
1 cup water

In a large bow, combine all dry ingredients. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and water, and blend thoroughly with a wire whisk. Pour into a 1-quart container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate overnight (skipped this step, we used it right away!). Makes about 3 cups.

This makes a somewhat thin dressing. If you prefer thicker dressing, start with about half the amount of water and add more until you get the desired consistency.

I only made a half batch of this, because we really didn't need a full 3 cups of dressing. Then I served it over a salad made of pasta, green leaf lettuce, tomato, carrot, olives, pepperoni, and Colby Jack cheese. Delicious!

Grandma's Chili-Cheese Casserole

2010-06-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

A few years ago, my paternal grandmother gave me (as well as many of her other granddaughters) a folder containing some of her favorite recipes. This is one of them. It's super simple, and takes only minutes to put together. Like many casseroles, it's not exactly the prettiest thing in the world, but it's yummy.

Here is the recipe exactly as Grandma wrote it.

Chili-Cheese Casserole

Mix together 1 large can chili con carne w/beans and 2 cans cream of mushroom soup. Layer in casserole with large flour tortillas and grated cheese, ending with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

When I made this, I only needed a little bit. Grandma would make this large enough to feed a crowd, but I only had my little family to feed. So I used one regular-sized can of chili and one can of soup, and layered the ingredients in a 9-inch round cake pan, then cooked it for 20 minutes. The soft-taco size tortillas were the perfect size to fit in my cake pan.

Buttercream Syrup

2010-05-03T13:45:00.005-06:00

Here's another delicious and unique pancake syrup. We've been having cranberry syrup almost every time we have pancakes, ever since Jeff came up with it. I still love it, but I was starting to get cranberry-ed out. Time to try something new!

I came across this recipe for Buttercream Syrup a while back, and thought that it looked absolutely delicious. After all, a recipe with nothing but butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and a bit of vanilla has to be good, right? So when Jeff made chocolate chip pancakes this morning, I knew it was the perfect time to try it out.

I admit that my pictures of this are not nearly as lovely as the pictures on Jamie's post with the original recipe. But I was in a hurry to get the picture-taking over with, and dig in!

Buttercream Syrup
1 stick butter (1/2 C)
1 cup sugar
1/2-3/4 can evaporated milk (can be substituted with buttermilk for a different, yet yummy taste)
1 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the sugar slowly and stirring until it is creamy and thick.

Add the milk a little at a time while stirring. Add the vanilla and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes while it thickens further.

Rich? Check. Buttery? Check. Delicious? Check. Diet? .... Not so much. :-)

Hodge-Podge Pudding

2010-04-10T13:34:00.005-06:00

I made a realization the other day - I have yet to ever make bread pudding using actual yeast bread. I've made it with Irish soda bread, with banana bread, and even with biscuits. And every time, it's been really yummy!

Having already done quite a bit of experimenting with the basic bread pudding recipe, I decided to branch out even further and see what else I could use to make a delicious, custardy pudding. This actually came about because I wanted to make biscuit pudding, but found out after mixing up the custard that I didn't have enough biscuits. What to do?

At that point, I went ahead and tossed in the biscuits, then started improvising, tossing in a bit of this and a bit of that. Leftover muffin, graham crackers, cereal crumbs, all were added with the hope that the pudding would at least be edible.

Turns out, I needn't have worried. It was delicious! It had a wonderfully soft, custardy texture and a delightful combination of flavors. Thus Hodge-Podge Pudding was created. Here is a recipe/formula for making this fun pudding, which can be used for either breakfast or dessert. It utilizes foods that you have on hand, and need to use up, so it saves money while creatively using leftovers.

Hodge-Podge Pudding
2 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
5 cups assorted grain foods (at least 2-3 cups should be bread-like: bread, biscuits, waffles, pancakes, muffins, etc. Fill in the rest with stuff like cold cereal, leftover cooked cereal, leftover cooked rice, crackers, etc.)

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 1 1/2-qt. casserole.

Mix milk, sugar, cinnamon, and eggs in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in bread/grains. Pour into casserole.

Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge of casserole comes out clean.

I later made another batch of this hodge-podge pudding (pictured above), this time using biscuits, waffles, saltines, and cereal crumbs, and baked it in a 9x13. It turned out really good.

To make this into a great dessert, try topping it with a dessert sauce as found in any of these recipes: cottage pudding, Woodford pudding, Irish soda bread pudding.

Lime Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce

2010-04-05T09:37:00.004-06:00

Our Easter meal yesterday was so yummy. Jeff and I made Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing (last time we made it we did it in the crock pot, this time we baked it according to the original instructions, it's delicious either way!), Jeff's sister and her family brought homemade rolls and a relish tray with olives and other marinated goodness. It was all wonderfully tasty, but for me the crowning jewel was the dessert.

I'm a HUGE fan of cheesecakes, and this one was great. The cheesecake was rich but not too rich, and the flavors were light and fresh, perfect for springtime. I used this recipe from Southern Living, but used regular lime juice instead of Key lime.

Lime Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind (skipped this, Jeff hates any kind of citrus rind)
1/2 cup lime juice
Strawberry Sauce
1 1/4 cups fresh strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind (substituted lime juice)

Stir together first 3 ingredients, and firmly press on bottom and 1 inch up sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan.

Bake at 350° for 8 minutes; cool.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add 1 1/4 cups sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream, rind, and juice. Pour batter into crust.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 5 minutes; turn oven off. Partially open oven door; let stand in oven 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately run a knife around edge of pan, releasing sides.

Cool completely in pan on a wire rack; cover and chill 8 hours.

Just before serving, make strawberry sauce - process all sauce ingredients in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Spoon sauce over each slice.

Yummmmmm......

Skillet Pizza

2010-04-03T12:22:00.003-06:00

I found this recipe in an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I got at the thrift store a long time ago. I had to adjust it quite a bit, because it called for a pizza mix, which included a crust mix, sauce packet, and cheese. I just made my own crust, used some spaghetti sauce, and my own cheese. Really, it was the concept of the recipe that got my attention. We love making pizza, and it's so fun to find new ways to do it. This pizza, cooked in a skillet on the stove, turned out really good, much better than I was expecting. Crispy crust, gooey melty cheese. The only downside is that it only made 4 servings. Next time I'll double the recipe and have two skillets of pizza going at once - when I make pizza I like there to be a lot of it!

Skillet Pizza
1 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. warm water
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (or add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder to 1/2 cup tomato sauce)
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (preferably mozzarella, but I used cheddar and Monterey Jack because we're out of mozzarella)
Toppings of choice - I used salami

To make crust, combine yeast, warm water, oil, salt, and flour. Knead for a few minutes until smooth. Spread in a cold, greased, 10-inch skillet, pressing onto bottom and a bit up the sides. Cook for 7 minutes over medium-low heat with lid ajar.

Remove lid and spread with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings. Cook for 15 minutes with lid ajar. Remove lid and cook 7 minutes more.

Loosen crust from pan and slide pizza out onto a plate. Slice and serve!

Special Apple Cobbler

2010-03-19T15:10:00.003-06:00

I was sooooo in the mood for a decadent baked dessert today! Jeff pointed out that we had lots of apples that needed to be used, and there were several cake mixes (purchased on sale, of course) in the pantry. I did some quick thinking and, by combining an apple pie recipe with the recipe for cake mix cookies, came up with this totally awesome apple cobbler. It turned out so delicious!

Special Apple Cobbler
5 medium-sized tart apples (we used granny smith)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp. flour
Dash each cinnamon and nutmeg
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 box spice cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9-inch pie pan. Peel apples and cut into small chunks. Mix with sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread apples in the pan, dot with butter.

Mix together the spice cake mix, eggs, and oil. Drop by large spoonfuls onto the apples. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Too bad we didn't have any ice cream, that would have been absolutely perfect.

I think this concept would work well with other fruit and cake combinations. Peach pie filling topped with yellow cake mix, cherry pie filling with chocolate cake mix - yum!!!

Corned Beef

2010-03-17T21:01:00.003-06:00

There's a right way and a wrong way to smoke a corned beef brisket. The right way involves the use of a grill or a smoker. The wrong way involves putting it on the stove to boil, then forgetting about it until the entire upstairs is filled with smoke as the 30-year-old fire alarm emits strange and ethereal gurgles.

Guess which way I did it today.

Well, at least it turned out incredibly delicious anyway.

Though it took me quite a while to clear all the smoke from my lungs.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Biscuit Pudding

2010-03-05T13:18:00.005-07:00

I love biscuits - rolled biscuits, drop biscuits, homemade biscuits, pop-the-can biscuits, all of them are so delicious! Hot and steaming, right out of the oven with butter melting down the sides, ooooohhhh, they're just so good.

But what happens when you don't eat them all right away, and they sit around overnight? They get kind of "blah" and unappetizing. No matter what I try, I haven't found a way to make leftover biscuits taste as wonderful as fresh-from-the-oven biscuits. The texture is dryer, the flavor blander. So usually, if we have leftover biscuits from a meal, they just sit around until they get rock hard and we throw them out.

NO LONGER! This morning I decided that I was going to come up with a way to use the golden brown chunks of used-to-be deliciousness left over from last night, a way to turn them into something absolutely wonderful. And I believe I was successful - I now look forward to having leftovers the next time we make biscuits because I'll be able to make this delicious dish again!

All I did was use a simple recipe for bread pudding, and substitute chunks of day-old biscuit for the cubes of bread. And thus I created Biscuit Pudding, a deliciously soft, moist, and custardy dish that is equally good as a breakfast or a dessert. No more bland leftover biscuits sitting around waiting to be thrown away.

Hooray for the frugality and tightwaddery that runs deep in my veins, that allows me to experiment with breathing new life into old foods.

Biscuit Pudding
2 1/4 cups milk
2 slightly beaten eggs
2 to 3 cups day-old biscuits, torn into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup raisins

Combine milk and eggs, pour over biscuit chunks. Add remaining ingredients, toss to blend.

Spread mixture in a greased 8-inch baking dish. Set dish in a shallow pan on oven rack. Pour hot water around it 1 inch deep. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

2 Years Old!

2010-02-22T10:31:00.003-07:00

Today is Fun Foods' 2-year blogoversary. To celebrate, here is a deliciously dark and dense recipe for flourless chocolate cake. If you like bittersweet chocolate, this is the perfect cake for you! If you prefer your chocolate to be a bit sweeter, you can substitute semisweet chocolate instead of unsweetened.

A great thing about this recipe is that it uses pureed beans instead of fat or flour. It adds lots of protein and nutrients, and keep the cake deliciously dense and tasting fresh. Yummy! And no one will know there's beans in the cake unless you tell them. ;-)

Secret Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake
8 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 cups pinto beans, cooked drained and rinsed
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Optional: sliced almonds, powdered sugar, melted white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan, dust with cocoa powder.

Place the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Combine the beans and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the sugar and the baking powder, and pulse to blend. Pour in the melted chocolate and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. If desired, sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar and/or drizzle liberally with melted white chocolate just before serving.

I might admit to adding more white chocolate on top of the cake after taking these pictures...

Cranberry Syrup

2010-01-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

This has become my absolute favorite syrup for pancakes. It tastes delicious and has yummy chunks of soft, juicy cranberries. Plus, it's really simple to make. Jeff created this syrup several weeks ago, and now I force him to make it again every time we have pancakes, because I love it so much!

Jeff: Yup, I'm awesome. (Jeff hacked into my post and added that. Silly guy.)

Jeff's Cranberry Syrup
1 cup water
2 cups sugar (can be white, brown, or combination)
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
Dash each cloves and cinnamon (optional, but very yummy)
1 tsp. Vanilla (also optional, but also very yummy)
1 tsp. maple flavoring

Combine water, sugar, and cranberries in saucepan. Heat on medium high until water is boiling gently and cranberries begin to pop. Use a fork to mush the cranberries slightly, enough to release the juice, but leaving the cranberries mostly whole. Simmer for about another minute.

Remove from heat and stir in cloves, cinnamon, and maple flavoring. Serve over pancakes, waffles, French toast, etc.

I think this would also be fabulous as a topping for ice cream or angel food cake or other light dessert foods. Maybe with some whipped topping. Mmmmm....

Eggnog

2009-12-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Happy National Eggnog Day, everyone! Oh yeah, and Happy Christmas Eve too. :-)

Eggnog is one of my favorite beverages ever. So rich and creamy, and perfect for holiday sipping. I wanted to buy some the other day when I went shopping, but was appalled to see that a gallon of eggnog cost over $7! However, whole milk was on sale for $1.66/gallon. So I picked up some milk and eggs and determined to make my own eggnog. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. It was simple to make, and turned out so delicious! I won't go so far as to say I'll never buy eggnog again, but I definitely will make this recipe again.

Eggnog
6 eggs
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 quart milk
1/3 pint heavy whipping cream (I cheated and used whipped topping)
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt

Beat eggs; mix in condensed milk, vanilla, quart of milk and salt.

Beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold in to egg and milk mixture and sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve chilled.

Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

2009-12-22T22:21:00.004-07:00

We had my brother and his girlfriend, and my husband's sister and her family over for dinner on Sunday, a nice big turkey dinner with stuffing and rolls and sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows. For a big dinner like that, you need a super yummy dessert to finish off the meal. This brownie bottom cheesecake is what I made, and it was so good! The brownie layer was chewy and moist, and the cheesecake layer was deliciously creamy. It was a big hit.

Brownie Bottom Cheesecake
4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate (I used 4 oz. semisweet chocolate chips)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 1/4 cups sugar, divided (reduced to 1 3/4 cups because of the chocolate chips)
5 eggs, divided
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add 1-1/2 cups of the sugar (here I used only 1 cup); mix well.

Add 2 of the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Add milk and 1 tsp. of the vanilla; mix well. Combine flour and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture, mixing after each addition just until blended. Spread evenly into greased and floured 9-inch springform pan. Bake 25 min.

Beat cream cheese, remaining 3/4 cup sugar and remaining 1 tsp. vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add remaining 3 eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over brownie layer in pan (Filling will come almost to top of pan.)

Bake 55 min. to 1 hour 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. Let stand at room temperature 30 min. before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Chewy Coconut Cinnamon Bars

2009-12-17T16:46:00.004-07:00

I've had this recipe printed out and sitting on the kitchen counter for almost two weeks now, and I finally got around to making these bars today. They turned out so yummy - chewy and sweet and cinnamon-y! The original recipe called for pecans, but I substituted coconut instead (it's cheaper and we already had it in the pantry). I also added some cinnamon baking chips, which bumped these bars from delicious to fantastically delicious!

Chewy Coconut Cinnamon Bars
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup cinnamon baking chips
Powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg; beat until light and fluffy. Combine flour, cinnamon and salt; add to creamed mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in coconut and cinnamon chips. Spread into a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cut into small bars while warm (I cut 16 bars); roll in powdered sugar.

Zaylee waited very patiently for a chance to taste these super yummy bars while I was taking pictures.

Molasses Sugar Cookies

2009-12-06T13:01:00.003-07:00

These took a long time to make. With Audrey needing frequent attention and the other kids "helping" in various ways, this little holiday project spanned two days. But I really wanted the experience of making cookies with the kids and getting into the holiday spirit, and they turned out delicious, so I didn't mind all the little delays and mishaps (like when Thomas dumped all the dipping sugar into the cookie dough). :-)

Molasses Sugar Cookies
1 1/2 cups shortening (I substituted part margarine, since I ran out of shortening)
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt

Melt the shortening in a large pan on the stove, and cool. Add sugar, eggs, and molasses, beat well.

In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together and add to the pan. Mix well and chill 3 hours or overnight (at this point life with three kids attacked full force, and the dough had to wait overnight and much of the next day before moving on to the next step).

Form into walnut-size balls. Roll in granulated sugar (or, in Thomas' case, eat the balls of dough before they get a chance to be rolled in sugar). Place on greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Store in an airtight container to keep from getting overly crisp. If they do lose their softness, an easy way to restore it is to place one slice of fresh bread in the container with the cookies for a couple of hours or overnight and they will be soft again!

The Bun's Out of the Oven :-)

2009-12-01T09:18:00.002-07:00

Audrey joined our family on Saturday, Nov. 28. She and I are both home and doing well.

Hiatus

2009-11-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am on a brief hiatus while we finish moving into our new house. The next little while is going to be quite busy - moving, Thanksgiving, having a baby - so I'll post when (if) I can, and once things settle down I'll get back to posting more regularly.

:-)

Spicy Italian Soup

2009-11-10T13:54:00.004-07:00

I based this off of a recipe for Zuppa Toscana from The Olive Garden. But, being me, I changed and substituted so much stuff that I can't really call it that anymore. So Spicy Italian Soup it is. I made this for a church dinner we had last Saturday, and everyone who tried it raved about it. I was getting recipe requests and compliments all over the place. That always makes me feel warm and fuzzy. :-)

So here's the soup as I made it. Don't be put off by the number of ingredients - they're all cheap.

Spicy Italian Soup
1 lb. ground beef
1 large diced red onion (you could use any color onion here)
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. bacon grease (or oil)
10 cups water
5 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 tsp. ground sage
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (reduce or eliminate if you don't like spicy)
1-2 tsp. salt, to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. sliced potatoes
1 cup milk
3/4 cup powdered milk
1 tbsp. margarine
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

Brown ground beef in large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

In the same pan, saute onions and garlic in bacon grease for approximately 15 minutes, or until the onions are soft.

Mix together the water and chicken bouillon, then add it to the onions and garlic. Add sage, red pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook until boiling.

Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

Combine the milk and powdered milk. Add to soup along with margarine. Cook until thoroughly heated.

Stir in the ground beef and spinach. Heat through.

Caramelized Apples on French Toast

2009-11-06T13:37:00.004-07:00

We got a loaf of French bread on clearance yesterday, and Jeff wanted to use it to make French toast this morning. I'm not going to give a recipe for the French toast, we just do it very basic and everyone has a recipe for basic French toast - milk, egg, some cinnamon, dip the bread, cook the bread, yada yada.

But I am going to post the recipe for the delicious Caramelized Apples we used to top the toast. I found this recipe on Real Mom Kitchen, and it was wonderful! The perfect topping for French toast, pancakes, waffles, or ice cream and other desserts.

Caramelized Apples
3 Tbs unsalted butter (I used margarine)
5 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I just use vanilla flavoring)

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir apples into sugary, buttery mixture until coated. Let apples cook and caramelize, about 15 minutes, stirring every so often (reduce heat as needed). Remove skillet from heat and stir in vanilla. Can be served warm, room temperature, or cold as desired.

Easy and delicious!

Fantastic Fall Casseroles

2009-10-28T16:07:00.005-06:00

I've made a couple delicious casseroles in the past few days. I thought I'd make up for not posting in a while (has it really been a week and a half?) by putting them together into one post.

First up is Harvest Hamburger Casserole. I've made this one several times - we love the combination of flavors. It's a tiny bit similar to Shepherd's Pie, with a beef and tomato layer and a potato layer, but different enough that it's a completely different and unique dish. It's hearty and flavorful, and one of my favorites.

Casseroles are funny things - by that I mean funny looking! No matter what angle I try to shoot at, it just ends up looking like a big blob on a plate. But it's definitely a very tasty blob!

Harvest Hamburger Casserole
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sliced potatoes
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 package (10 oz) frozen corn, thawed
1 package (10 oz) frozen lima beans, thawed (I usually skip this)
1 green pepper, cut into strips (this time I used a combination of green and red)
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded cheese

In a mixing bowl, combine beef, onion, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Spoon into a greased 3-qt casserole. Layer the potatoes, flour, corn, lima beans, and green pepper on top. Bake, covered, at 375 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and continue baking, uncovered, for 30 minutes longer.

Next up is Apple/Sausage/Sweet Potato Casserole. I just made this for the first time today, and it was incredible! I knew as soon as I read the recipe in one of my many little recipe books that I wanted to make it as soon as I could. A layer of sausage, topped with sweet potato and brown sugar, and finished off with apple slices - the delicious definition of a fall casserole!

Apple/Sausage/Sweet Potato Casserole
1 lb. seasoned lean bulk pork sausage
1/4 cup water
1 can (23 oz) sweet potatoes, drained and thickly sliced (I used the equivalent in boiled fresh sweet potato)
1/4 to 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 medium apples (red cooking variety), cored (I used one huge apple)

Form sausage into patties; brown in a skillet and drain. Place patties in bottom of an ungreased 2-qt casserole. Add water. Layer thick slices of sweet potatoes over sausage. Sprinkle with sugar; dot with half the butter. Cut unpeeled apples into 1/2-inch slices; layer over all. Dot with remaining butter. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer.

Oooohhhh, this one turned out so delicious! This flavor combination is so awesome. Between Jeff and the kids and I, we didn't have any leftovers. Thomas particularly enjoyed the apple slices; Zaylee adored the sweet potato. Jeff and I, we just loved the whole thing!

***By the way, today is National Chocolate Day. Go eat some chocolate and celebrate this inspired holiday!!!!***

Salmon Chowder and Irish Soda Bread

2009-10-19T18:35:00.006-06:00

In addition to all the delicious apple and pumpkin goodies that are floating around this time of year, fall is also a wonderful time to make comforting soups and hearty breads. Together these make a delicious and filling meal that warms you right up.

The salmon chowder is adapted from a tuna chowder recipe in an old cookbook I have. The soda bread is from my sister's blog, Fabulous Food! Both turned out delicious, perfect comfort food for a crisp autumn evening. As an added bonus, both were also fairly quick and easy.

Salmon Chowder
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 tbsp. butter or margarine
3 cups diced raw potatoes
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 1/2 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1 (14.75 oz) can salmon, drained, bones and skin removed, broken into chunks

Saute onion, celery, and carrot in butter until tender, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, water, salt, and pepper. Heat to boiling and cook over medium heat about 15 minutes.

Combine flour and milk. Stir into potato mixture. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add salmon. Heat through and serve.

Irish Soda Bread
3 cups wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
2 cups buttermilk or milk soured with lemon juice

Sift the white flour and baking soda together. Add the wheat flour, salt, and brown sugar and mix well. Make a well in the center and add about 2/3 of the buttermilk. Quickly and gently mix the flour in with the milk, use your hands rather than a wooden spoon. If too dry, add some more of the milk. Shouldn't be too firm, keep it a little sticky. Kneading is not necessary, just dust your hands with enough flour so you can shape it without it sticking to your fingers.

Shape into a round loaf and place on a baking tray. Cut two deep slashes across the top, either side by side like a loaf of french bread, or criss cross. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then reduce to 400 and bake another 15. Take out, turn over and tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, it is done. If it doesn't, pop it back in for another 5 - 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Pumpkin Butter

2009-10-16T08:30:00.000-06:00

Another deliciously spiced autumn fruit spread. I've made pumpkin butter once before, but this time I used an actual recipe. It turned out so delicious, just as wonderful as the apple butter I made recently. I made pumpkin pancakes this morning specifically to serve with the pumpkin butter. I won't post the pancake recipe - they were dense and heavy, and not as good as I had hoped. Edible, just not post-worthy. Anyway, the pumpkin butter was the star of the meal, and it shone brightly.

Pumpkin Butter
1 (29 oz) can pumpkin puree (3 1/2 cups if you're using fresh puree)
3/4 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sugar

Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently.

Pack into small, freezer-safe containers leaving 3/4 inch space at the top. Store in the freezer. Makes 2 1/2 pints.

This would be good over regular pancakes, biscuits, bagels, toast, whatever! And it's also good over the pancakes when you add some maple syrup, yum...

Chocolate Butterfinger Bars, and fun ways to use a cake mix

2009-10-11T12:35:00.000-06:00

Part of Jeff's anniversary gift was a bunch of small Butterfinger bars. They're his favorite candy bar of all time, and I usually throw in one of those $1 fun size packs when I give him a gift for whatever reason. We decided it would be neat to use them in a fun way, and since we recently bought a bunch of cake mixes that were super-duper on sale (69 cents a box!), we used an idea from 101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix (checked it out at the library) to create some delicious cookie bars.

Chocolate Butterfinger Bars
1 package German chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
4 fun-size Butterfinger bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.

Mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil until powder is completely dissolved into dough (dough will be stiff).

Chop Butterfingers into tiny pieces, then mix into dough. Press the mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake 14-16 minutes.

The bars were nice and puffed up when I pulled them out of the oven, but deflated pretty flat after a few minutes. That's okay - they were still wonderfully fudgy and delicious!

They were also delicious served warm with ice cream.

This basic formula can be used with any cake mix and any additions, to make either bars or cookies: 1 cake mix, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup oil, plus 3/4 to 1 1/2 cups optional additions. For bars, press into greased 9x13 and bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes. For cookies, drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

You can make any number of delicious bars of cookies using this recipe, by changing the cake mix and the additions. Try yellow cake mix with chocolate chips, lemon cake mix to make lemon bars, white cake mix with 3/4 cup peanut butter added to make peanut butter bars or cookies, use your favorite cake mix and add your favorite candy bar chopped up, make cherry chip cookies by using cherry chip cake mix. The possibilities are endless, and the results delicious!

Our Anniversary Dinner, Yummy!

2009-10-09T18:38:00.005-06:00

Yesterday Jeff and I celebrated five years of marriage. Then today we celebrated more by closing on our house - we get the keys on Tuesday and are so excited!!!!

Anyway, we like to do special homemade meals for special occasions. Yesterday was no different. We had an absolutely delicious dinner of Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing, salad with Basic Vinaigrette, and Anniversary Pie for dessert. It was the same pie I made for our anniversary last year, but I changed it up to include chocolate, teehee. The whole meal was absolutely wonderful.

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

This recipe was based on a recipe I got from my sister a long time ago. The flavors of the pork, the stuffing, and the apple pie filling are absolutely wonderful together. It's delicious just the way it is on her blog, Fabulous Food, but I wanted to give it more of a homemade touch, so I made the apple pie filling from scratch. This is what we came up with.

4 pork chops, about 3/4 inch or thicker
6 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tbsp. lemon juice (only if the apples lack tartness)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 to 1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
1 box stuffing mix

Combine the apples, lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread in the bottom of a crock pot.

Quickly sear the pork chops over high heat on the stove, just until they're lightly browned on the outside. They shouldn't be cooked through. Place on top of the apples in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low until the pork is thoroughly cooked. In our crock pot it took about 8 hours.

Just before serving, prepare stuffing according to directions on the box. Serve with the pork chops and apples.

Next time I might add a bit more flour to the apples - it made a whole lot of syrup because it was in the crock pot instead of the oven. But as is, it was still absolutely delicious.

Salad with Basic Vinaigrette

For the salad, I just mixed together some green leaf lettuce with a bunch of veggies - mushrooms, shredded carrot, tomatoes, fresh chives (from the garden of a wonderful elderly gentleman in our church). Then I topped it with this simple vinaigrette.

1/4 cup oil
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. water
1 tsp. mustard
1/8 tsp. each sugar, salt, and pepper

Combine ingredients and mix well. Store unused dressing in the fridge.

This recipe is really easy to customize and make it however you want. Use flavored oil or vinegar, specialty mustard, or add herbs and/or spices along with the salt and pepper. I made it very basic last night, but it's fun to change things around and make it your own.

Anniversary Pie

Last year I made this with butter pecan ice cream and a plain graham cracker crust. This year we changed it up a bit. I used vanilla ice cream and brown sugar instead of white. I also made a chocolate graham cracker crust, and we topped the pie with an easy chocolate sauce. It was divine!

Crust:
18-20 graham cracker squares (9-10 full sheets)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
6 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Crush graham crackers in food processor. Add sugar and cocoa powder, process until mixed. Add melted butter and process again until thoroughly mixed. Empty into a 9-inch pie plate and press onto bottom and sides. Set aside.

Filling:
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1/2 cup eggnog
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggnog and ice cream. Pour into crust and freeze until firm. Remove from freezer 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to soften the pie.

Chocolate Sauce:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk (approximately)

Melt chocolate and milk slowly, either in the microwave, in the top of a double boiler, or on the stove over very low heat. Add additional milk if it's too thick (I don't really know exactly how much milk I used, I just eyeballed it and stopped adding when it was a good texture). Drizzle sauce over individual slices of pie (I admit that I might have drizzled a bit more on after taking the pictures).

Well, by the time we were done eating, my stomach was very full, but I sure was happy! This was definitely a very good meal for our anniversary. May Jeff and I continue to have many more years of cooking beautiful and delicious meals together.

Apple Butter

2009-10-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

I'm loving all this fall baking and cooking. This is totally my favorite time of year! We got lots of apples and pears for really cheap ($.33/lb) this week, so I was excited to use them to make delicious treats. I'm planning on using the pears to make pear honey, but first I wanted to use up some apples by making delicious apple butter! This was my first time making apple butter, but it won't be the last - this stuff is fantastic. It tastes like autumn itself.

Apple Butter
8 apples - peeled, cored, and chopped
4 cups sugar (my apples were already pretty sweet, so I used three cups, one of which was brown sugar)
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt

Fill a slow cooker with diced apples, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt (I also added a bit of allspice - that stuff goes great with apple dishes). Cover, and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 12 hours, or until thick and dark golden in color.

Pack into small, freezer-safe containers leaving 3/4 inch space at the top. Store in the freezer. Makes 2 1/2 - 3 pints.

So that's what the recipe says to do. But my slow cooker is apparently incredibly slow. After cooking several hours longer than the recipe says, my apples still hadn't thickened into an apple butter texture - they were just pieces of very soft chopped apple floating in a fragrantly spiced syrup. So I whirled the mixture in the blender in batches, leaving a few larger chunks, and was able to get the right texture that way.

This really is so delicious. We served it over homemade biscuits for breakfast this morning - doesn't that look so good?

Apple Betty

2009-10-05T13:42:00.005-06:00

Today is National Apple Betty Day, and what a perfect day for this absolutely delicious dessert! Here in Utah, the temperatures have been dropping, the skies turning cloudy, and fall is definitely in the air. What better way to get warm and cozy than with a delicious spiced apple and crumb dessert?

Apple betty (also called apple brown betty) is a simple dessert featuring apples and a crumb topping. It is thought to date back to Colonial times. So you know it's pretty good if it's stuck around for that long. I found this wonderfully simple and easy recipe on allrecipes.com, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it as our after-lunch treat. I wish we had some ice cream, it would have been super fabulous. But even by itself it was fantastic. I did make a couple changes, using brown sugar for half of the white, and adding some cloves and allspice.

Apple Betty
4 cups thinly sliced apples (peeled if you want, I didn't bother)
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash each cloves and allspice
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie plate.

Mound sliced apples in the pie plate. Sprinkle with orange juice.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugars, spices, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Scatter over the apples.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Serve warm.

This was so delicious. The topping was crisp, and the apple filling was gooey and caramel-y. The spices went wonderfully together; the whole dessert was just so deliciously warm and comforting, the perfect fall dessert.

Pumpkin Bread (Well, Not Really...)

2009-09-29T16:00:00.000-06:00

Here's another delicious autumn-inspired sweet bread. This was originally a recipe for pumpkin bread, but I had some other squash that needed to be used. So I made a crookneck squash/acorn squash bread. I also added raisins and chocolate chips just for fun, and doubled the recipe to make two delicious loaves. I'm really not sure what to call this, so I'll go ahead and keep calling it pumpkin bread, but just know that you can use any pureed squash or combination of squashes and get delicious results.

Pumpkin Bread
3 cups flour
1 tsp. of salt
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups pumpkin puree or other squash puree, canned or made from fresh
1 cup oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1 cup raisins
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the raisins and chocolate chips.

Pour into 2 well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pans and let cool on a rack.

I have two big cans of pumpkin puree and lots of big, shiny apples that are just itching to be used in more delicious autumn goodies. I'll probably wait until this bread is all eaten before making more; gotta ration my overeating, you know. But I'm so excited about fall and getting to make lots of wonderfully and warmly spiced baked goods!

Celebrating Fall with Gooey Apple Bread

2009-09-23T12:31:00.005-06:00

Yay for Fall!!!! Yesterday was the first official day of Fall, my absolute favorite season of the year. We bought some apples yesterday and I made this delicious bread to celebrate. I just used a recipe for apple bread, cooked it in a bundt pan (so I wouldn't have to wash the bread pans after making bread a couple days ago...), and added the gooey butterscotch sauce from Southern Plate's Apple Dapple Cake. It turned out so rich and delicious! More like a cake than a bread, and I'm okay with that. :-)

Gooey Apple Bread
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups diced apples (without skins)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon flour

Mix flour, cinnamon, soda, salt and baking powder together.

Beat eggs and add sugar and oil.

Add vanilla and dry ingredients.

Stir in apples.

Mix walnuts in a tsp of flour and add to batter.

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans (or one greased bundt pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. It took about 1 hour 15 minutes in the bundt.

Gooey Sauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup margarine (1 1/2 sticks)

Mix and cook 3 minutes after it begins to gently boil, stirring constantly. Pour over hot bread while bread is still in pan. Let bread cool completely before removing.

I just LOVE Fall!

Zaylee's Birthday Cake, Fit for a Princess!

2009-09-19T18:13:00.005-06:00

Wow, it's been a while since I posted here. We spent a week visiting family in Idaho, and then I just haven't gotten around to really doing anything special for the food blog. But I'm back, and hoping to get things going again.

While we were in Idaho, Zaylee had her 4th birthday. We had a fun family get-together to celebrate, complete with a fun cake!

This was such an easy cake to decorate, and everyone enjoyed it. I started with a simple yellow cake recipe, making 1 1/2 of the recipe. I made one 9x13 layer, and one 8x8 layer. While those cooled, I made a double batch of one of my favorite frosting recipes of all time. This stuff is so yummy!!!

Cream Cheese and Cool Whip Frosting
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 8-oz. carton frozen whipped topping
1/3 cup sugar (granulated)
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese until softened. Beat in remaining ingredients until combined and creamy. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired.

I would have done all the frosting pink (Zaylee is such a girly girl), but I have a nephew who is sensitive to red dye, so we needed to have at least part of the cake with no red or pink at all. I frosted the 9x13 with white frosting, then dyed the rest pink. I stacked the 8x8 right in the center of the larger cake, and frosted it with the pink frosting.

Then came the fun part. We had paid a visit to the bulk section at WinCo and picked out lots of fun candies - lots of pink, but again making sure to get some things with no red dye. We placed four ice cream cones on the corners of the top layer to act as turrets, then frosted them and added pink jelly beans around the sides. Then we just went crazy with the candies! Lots of pink on the top layer, and all sorts of other candies on the bottom. We used chocolate covered peanuts, yogurt covered peanuts, jelly beans, gumdrops, and those little pastel mint chocolate chip thingies.

Four big red gumdrops sat on top of the ice cream cones to hold the candles, and then we were done!

This really is my favorite way to decorate a cake. I have bags and tips for piping frosting, and am fairly decent at it (or I would be if I practiced...) but I really love to just have a fun concept and then create it with things like candies, cookies, and other fun edibles to make a unique and exciting cake that the kids just love! Here's the other cakes in this style that I've blogged about:

Thomas' First Birthday

Thomas' Second Birthday

Zaylee's Third Birthday

And of course, I can't do a birthday post without a picture the little birthday princess. My family gave her several princess dresses as her birthday gift, and she had such a blast trying them all on, over and over again!

Granola Bars

2009-09-07T13:45:00.000-06:00

I love granola bars, especially the chewy kind. They're delicious, they're healthy (relatively), and they come in so many fun flavors! They are great for traveling too, since they're easy to eat and don't make a mess when you give them to kids. So granola bars were the first thing to come to mind when we started thinking about what snacks to bring when we drive up to visit my family in Idaho this week. Unfortunately, they tend to be a tad bit pricey. We're super cheap, especially since we're in the process of buying a house (hooray!!!!) and need to save aggressively to pay the down payment. So instead of going out and buying granola bars, I decided to find a recipe and make them! After all, I've started making my own granola, it should be easy and fun to make granola bars too. So I found this yummy and simple looking recipe on allrecipes.com and got started. And boy, they turned out so good!

Granola Bars
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ (used wheat bran)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey (used pancake syrup)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges (Reading the recipe reviews, I deduced that this recipe makes kinda crunchy granola bars, so I cooked for only 20 minutes to achieve a more chewy bar). Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

This recipe seems like it would lend itself well to being personalized a bit. You could add chocolate chips, nuts or seeds, coconut, some reviewers used applesauce instead of oil, syrup instead of honey, cranberries or other fruit instead of raisins, one person even said she added canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. I love basic recipes that can be added to in a huge variety of ways! I have a feeling I'll be making granola bars pretty often. :-)

Orange Pear Jam

2009-09-05T11:20:00.003-06:00

This is one of the prettiest jams I've ever made! It gets its bright color and sunshiny flavor by using orange jello instead of pectin. The jam was easy to make and has a soft texture common in fridge/freezer jam recipes. I got the recipe from the Taste of Home Cookbook.

Orange Pear Jam
7 cups sugar
5 cups chopped peeled fresh pears
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 packages (3 oz. each) orange gelatin

In a Dutch oven or large kettle, combine sugar, pears, pineapple, and lemon juice. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat; simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved.

Pour into jars or containers; cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and let stand overnight or until set, but no longer than 24 hours. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks, or store in freezer until ready to use. Yields about 7 cups.

So bright and colorful! It would be fun to experiment with other flavors of jello as well.

Chocolate Mush

2009-09-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

I was making cornmeal mush this morning and suddenly decided it would be fun to change it up a bit. So I added cocoa powder. It turned out really yummy, similar to chocolate Malt-O-Meal, but at a fraction of the cost. The kids and I just ate it up! It makes a fun change to what has become a breakfast staple at our house.

Chocolate Mush
1 cup corn meal
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup cold water
3 cups boiling water

Combine corn meal, salt, cocoa, vanilla, and cold water; pour into boiling water, stirring quickly.

Return to boil, stirring constantly.

Lower heat to medium-low, cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with milk and sugar (we like using brown sugar).

Snickerdoodles!

2009-09-02T12:49:00.004-06:00

I used to not really care for snickerdoodles. It's not that I didn't like them, but I've always been a chocolate chip cookie kind of person, and snickerdoodles were a bit too plain and cake-like for my tastes. But tastes change; I know mine definitely have as I've grown older. I've learned to enjoy a great many foods that didn't interest me when I was younger, especially when I try making them myself. Coleslaw, apple pie, pineapple on pizza, and a variety of other things have become much more appetizing to me this way. And now I can add snickerdoodles to the list.

This is the first time I've made snickerdoodles (I know, a travesty!), and I could not get enough of them! I found that I loved them the best about 5-10 minutes after taking them out of the oven - they were warm, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. And sooooooo delicious!

Snickerdoodles
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400.

Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, shortening, and eggs in large bown with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.

Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet (Zaylee helped me with this step. It was so cute to see her rolling handfuls of dough into balls and rolling them in the cinnamon sugar. She actually did a pretty good job of it! Thomas helped too. He climbed up onto the table and made sure that we didn't have too much dough. I guess he figured that since Zaylee and I were grabbing handfuls out of the bowl, he should be too!).

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Yummmmmm!

Salsa Verde

2009-08-31T17:23:00.003-06:00

Tomatillos were on sale really cheap a while back, so we picked up a whole bunch of them and decided to make green salsa, or salsa verde. We started with a fairly basic recipe from allrecipes.com, adjusting it based on how many tomatillos we had and adding/subtracting a few things. The resulting salsa tasted so fresh and tangy - we really liked it a lot! We didn't have any jalapenos or anything, so substituted hot pepper sauce. But a jalapeno or two would have been a really awesome addition.

Salsa Verde
3 lbs. tomatillos, husked
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (adjust according to how spicy you want it, or use jalapenos)
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in food processor (we had to do two batches, we had a lot of tomatillos!). Using the pulse setting, coarsely chop. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

This salsa is delicious served plain with tortilla chips, or used on anything you would use regular salsa for. I made some simple fajitas and we topped them with the salsa verde. It was so good!

Granola-Topped Maple Banana Bread

2009-08-21T13:00:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been a little while since my last post - over a week! I don't really have a good excuse, except that anything I've made in the last week that's worth posting has already been posted, or I just didn't bother taking pictures and writing it down. Oh well, back on the wagon with a delicious banana bread.

This recipe started as simple Banana Nut Bread from the Southern Plate cookbook. But I decided to get a little creative as I was making it, and came up with a fun and delicious variation. I omitted the nuts because we don't have any (but they would have made a wonderful addition), added maple flavoring, and topped it with granola. Yummy!

Granola-Topped Maple Banana Bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. maple flavoring
3 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup granola

Cream margarine and sugar. Add remaining ingredients (except granola) and mix well. Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans. Sprinkle granola on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

The granola became browned and crispy, and the bread was so sweet and banana-y, with a delicate maple flavor. I'm sure glad it made two loaves, because one just wouldn't be enough!

Upside-Down Shepherd's Pie

2009-08-13T15:11:00.005-06:00

This morning as I talked on the phone with my sister, she mentioned that she had the ingredients for shepherd's pie and would probably make it for dinner. From that moment on, I started craving shepherd's pie - man, that stuff is so good! It's one of those foods that my mom would make sometimes while I was growing up, and I've always loved it so much!

I wanted to make some for lunch, but by the time it occurred to me to start cooking lunch, it was already after 12, so there wasn't time to make the mashed potatoes and the filling and bake it - it would be far too late by the time it was done and we would all be far too hungry. So I came up with this faster version - serving the meat-and-vegetable filling over top of mashed potatoes. No heating up the oven and taking a long time to bake the pie. It ended up being a delicious alternative to the real thing!

Upside-Down Shepherd's Pie
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion
1 can green beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
Mashed potatoes

Cook ground beef and onion until beef is browned and onion is tender. Add beans, tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and heat through. Serve over hot mashed potatoes.

For the potatoes, I just cut up several baking potatoes (I left the skin on because I love it so much!) and boiled them until tender. Then I mashed them up with a bit of milk and mayonnaise (which made it nice and creamy), and salt and pepper.

This turned out so yummy! It had that awesome shepherd's pie flavor that I love so much from childhood, but was so much faster than the traditional version. This little meal is definitely one I'll remember and make again.

By the way, to make this into a regular shepherd's pie, just spread the filling into a baking dish, top with dollops of mashed potatoes (mix in an egg for added sturdiness), and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until heated through and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Whole Wheat Bread

2009-08-07T08:57:00.003-06:00

This is a special wheat bread recipe. For one thing, it comes from my Aunt Kathy, who is famous in our family for being absolutely incredible in the kitchen, so you know it's gotta be good. Plus, not only is it made from 100% whole wheat flour, but it's actually soft! It's not dense, heavy, brick-like, or anything like that. It has all the hearty flavor and chewy texture of a whole wheat loaf, but it's soft like a white bread. Best of both worlds!

Whole Wheat Bread
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup shortening
1 tbsp. salt
5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or however much you can knead in, I usually can't get quite the whole amount in)

Add sugar to warm (not boiling) water, stir in yeast, and add shortening by spoonfuls to allow it to soften. Cover until yeast is dissolved. Add flour and salt, and knead for 5 minutes. Cover and allow to raise for 10 minutes, stir down (I couldn't stir mine, I punched it), and repeat two more times. Shape into two loaves, allow to rise in tins, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

I'm so glad that I finally tried this recipe. It came with great reviews from my mom, who was thrilled that it wasn't dense like other whole wheat breads. And now I can add my rave reviews to hers - it was soft and delicious!

Root Beer Float Cake

2009-08-06T15:30:00.000-06:00

The latest post from Mommy's Kitchen reminded me that today is National Root Beer Float Day. Last year we celebrated by making homemade root beer and faux ice cream and made our own floats. This year I decided to take it in a completely different direction, and invented a Root Beer Float Cake. Root beer flavored cake, spread with root beer flavored custard sauce, and topped with a fluffy egg white frosting. Yummy!

Root Beer Float Cake
Cake:
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. white sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. root beer extract

Custard:
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp. root beer extract

Frosting:
1 egg white, chilled
1 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 c. boiling water
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan, or two 9 inch round pans.

Cream together the shortening and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour, milk, and vanilla, and beat to a soft smooth batter.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Poke holes in warm cake.

While the cake is baking, make the custard:

Bring milk and sugar to a simmer in a saucepan without stirring. Whisk yolk (set white aside in fridge after separating to make frosting) in a bowl until blended, then gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Return to saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens enough to coat back of a wooden spoon. Immediately remove from heat and stir in root beer extract. Pour over warm, poked cake and spread around (hmm, can you tell I used a fork to spread it?).

Cool briefly while custard soaks in a bit. Cover cake with plastic wrap and chill. After the cake is cooled, make the frosting:

Combine egg white, sugar, and cream of tartar in large bowl. Add boiling water. Begin at once to beat with electric mixer. Continue beating on high speed until thick and fluffy and mixture stands in stiff peaks. Add vanilla. Spread over chilled cake (there will be frosting left over).

P.S. It wasn't until I actually started the cake and wrote up the post that I read through the entire Mommy's Kitchen post and realized that she actually mentions root beer float cake! And here I thought I was being super creative and original by inventing one! Well, of course I had to Google it, and was relieved to learn that mine is definitely different from other root beer float cakes out there. After all, I did make it up all by myself!

Biscuit Pot Pie

2009-08-05T18:06:00.004-06:00

Here's a good, cheap meal idea that I made for dinner tonight and thought I'd share. I love having good ways to use leftovers, because otherwise they sit around in the fridge until we forget about their existence, and then they start to "multiply and replenish," growing lots of foul-smelling fuzzy creatures that threaten to take over the fridge ... yuck ...

Anyway, this is a delicious way to repurpose a good thick, hearty soup or stew. Tonight I used some potato soup made with ground beef and shredded carrots. Yum! It would be good with any soup or stew that's thick and chunky - chicken soup, bean soup, minestrone, chowder, hamburger stew, whatever! You could even use leftover casserole - just thin it to the consistency of stew with a bit of milk or broth.

Sorry about the pictures - they were an afterthought, I didn't think to take pictures and post this until after I'd already eaten my first serving and realized how delicious it was. Add the fact that it's evening and I had energy-efficient lighting - yikes.

Biscuit Pie for Leftover Soup
Leftover thick and chunky soup or stew (or thinned casserole)
Biscuit dough (recipe to follow)

Spread soup in a baking pan - you can use a small square pan or pie dish for a small amount of soup, or a 9x13 for a larger amount. You want it to spread to no more than 2 inches thick - the thicker it is the longer it will take for the biscuit topping to cook through. For reference, I had about 2 cups of potato soup and used a 9-inch pie plate.

Drop large spoonfuls of biscuit dough on top of soup, spreading slightly so that they're flat. Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes, or until biscuits are browned and cooked through. If you want, spread some butter or margarine on each biscuit after removing from oven.

Yes, I agree. I really should have used a clean bowl for the picture instead of just tossing it all into the bowl I had already eaten out of. Sorry... But it really is delicious!

Biscuit dough for Pie
Small pan (8- or 9-inch square, pie dish, etc):
1 cup flour (can use part wheat flour)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk

Large pan (9x13 or larger):
2 cups flour (can use part wheat flour)
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry cutter, two crisscrossed knives, or a fork, until the mixture resembles crumbs. Stir in milk with a fork until blended. Drop by large spoonfuls onto soup. For my 9-inch pie plate tonight, I used the smaller batch and ended up with about 7 biscuits. You'd probably get 12 or 13 from the large batch.

*To use this dough for making actual drop biscuits - simply drop dough by large spoonfuls onto greased baking pan and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes.

Voila! A delicious and easy meal that uses up leftovers and can be on your table in half an hour. I love cheap cooking! ;-)

Raspberry Cream Pie

2009-08-02T13:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was National Raspberry Cream Pie Day! Hooray, and all that jazz. I technically didn't miss this particular holiday - I did make the pie last night. It just wasn't ready to eat until after we'd all gone to bed. So the eating and the posting are taking place today.

I sorta made this recipe up. Making the pie was a last minute decision, so I was limited in what ingredients I could use, having to rely solely on what I had on hand. I thought it would be delicious to do a pie with a box of vanilla pudding, some cream cheese, raspberry jello, and cool whip. Unfortunately, I was missing three of the four ingredients, so that idea wouldn't work. Then I hit on the idea of doing a homemade cream pie filling and adding the raspberry jello to that. So that's what I did. This is a simple vanilla cream pie, with a box of raspberry jello added. Easy peasy.

Raspberry Cream Pie
3 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups milk
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
1 small box raspberry jello powder
1 baked 9-inch pastry shell or graham cracker crust

Beat egg yolks with fork in medium bowl; set aside. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils (this is the hardest part, because it takes a long time!). Boil and stir 1 minute.

Immediately stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter, vanilla, and jello. Pour into pie crust. Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top. Refrigerate several hours until set.

Remove plastic wrap. If you want to, top with whipped cream or cool whip, maybe some fresh raspberries, mint leaves, etc. I didn't have any of that stuff, so we left the pie garnish-less. Still delicious!

Here's the pie crust I used. It's the kind that you pat into the pan instead of rolling out - not only does it use oil which is a healthier fat than shortening or butter, but it's great for if you rarely have a clean surface on which to roll out a pie crust...

Pat-in-the-Pan Oil Pastry
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup oil
2 tbsp. cold water

Mix flour, salt, and oil until all flour is moistened. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all water is absorbed.

Gather pastry into a ball. Press in bottom and up sides of pie plate.

Prick bottom and sides of pastry thoroughly with fork. Bake at 475 for 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown; cool on rack. Or if using for a baked filling (like pumpkin pie, single-crust fruit pie, etc.) - fill and bake as directed in pie recipe.

This pie was really the best of both worlds - the creaminess of a pudding pie, with the fruity flavor and sturdy structure of jello. Zaylee has affectionately termed it "yummy pink pie." We decided that this would be a fun pie to experiment with - the variety of flavors you can choose from is as vast as the flavors of jello available. Peach, strawberry, grape, lime, cherry, all would be so delicious in this fun, creamy, fruity pie. :-)

Healthy(ish) Butterscotch Brownies

2009-07-30T14:55:00.001-06:00

I get migraines. Two or three times per week, sometimes more if the weather is bad. At my prenatal appointment yesterday, the midwife suggested cutting out all common dietary migraine triggers for the next two weeks to see if that helps any. This leaves me without: cheddar and other aged cheeses, hot dogs and other foods with nitrites, anything containing MSG, peanuts and peanut butter, sour cream and yogurt ... and chocolate. That's right - no chocolate for two weeks! I can substitute other things - like almond butter for peanut butter, mozzarella or monterey jack for cheddar, etc. And, as is evidenced by my previous post and many other posts, I know that I am perfectly capable of making and enjoying delicious dessert and snack items without using chocolate. But I'm the kind of person where, if you tell me I can't eat chocolate, that's all I think about!

So this is my attempt to curb my sudden intense desire for chocolate by replacing it with something else, to prove to myself that I can satisfy my sweet tooth with something that not only doesn't include chocolate, but also has healthy ingredients too. This recipe (from the More with Less Cookbook) proves to me that yes, I am strong! I can live for two weeks without chocolate! I can survive!

But I don't have to be happy about it.

Healthy Butterscotch Brownies
1/4 cup margarine
1 tbsp. molasses
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. dry milk powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8-inch square pan.

Melt margarine. Add molasses, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir well. Sift in milk powder, baking powder, and salt. Add wheat germ and walnuts. Stir enough only to blend, using no more than 20 strokes. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes.

The verdict? Well, it's not chocolate. And it's not very brownie-like either. The bars are a bit chewy, with a very wheaty flavor and texture. But that said, I like them. They even have almost a cocunutty flavor, though there's no coconut in them. They'd probably be even better spread with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting or sprinkled with powdered sugar or something. But they're pretty good plain too. And they have Zaylee's seal of approval.

But they're just not chocolate. Sigh.

Summer Cherry Cake

2009-07-28T17:50:00.005-06:00

Oh yum. This was so fantastic! I saw this recipe earlier today on My Muffin Thursdays. We just bought cherries yesterday for $.88 per pound and have been eagerly snacking on them. But I knew they needed to be used quickly or they would go bad - we bought them near the end of the sale knowing they only had a couple more days left to go. This cake looked so simple and so delicious that I knew I had to make it!

And I'm so glad I did. This is a very delicious cake. The cherries are soft and moist, and the cake is buttery and tasty, with a crispy and flaky top "crust" that formed as it baked. Oh, it was so yummy!

Summer Cherry Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup flour
2 cup cherries, pitted (sweet, if using sour increase sugar to 1 cup)

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Sift in salt, baking powder, and flour.

Pour batter into a sprayed 8" cake pan (I used a greased 8-inch square pan) and poke cherries through the batter, pushing to all different levels. After this I added a step of lightly spreading the batter over the cherries, since pushing them in had made the batter very uneven and funny-looking on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Oooh, look at that delicious cake! Doesn't it look so beautiful?

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Yeah. REALLY glad that I made this cake, heeheehee...

My Kitchen My World - Ukraine (late...)

2009-07-28T12:30:00.000-06:00

This post is several days late, I think. But I wanted to make these dishes anyway because they looked so delicious and I had the ingredients. So here is my late submission to My Kitchen My World, Ukraine!

Cabbage with Tomatoes
1 small head cabbage, shredded
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter or bacon fat
3 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. butter or bacon fat
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup diced canned tomatoes
1 tbsp. sugar, or to taste
2 tbsp. sour cream
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Saute the onion in a large frying pan until tender. Add the cabbage and water and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender but still slightly crisp.

In another pan, melt the butter or bacon fat. Add the flour, stir to blend, and add the tomatoes and sugar. Cook until the sauce thickens. Add the sour cream and season to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes

Combine the sauce with the cabbage and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

Sour Cream Cucumber Salad
3 medium cucumbers
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/2 cup fresh chopped dill (I cheated and used dry dill)
1 tbsp. white vinegar
Dash white pepper
1/4 cup (add more depending on your taste and size of cucumbers)

Peel cucumbers and slice thinly. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain liquid. Add green onions, dill, vinegar, and white pepper. Toss lightly with sour cream.

Served with some fresh homemade bread, this was a tasty Ukrainian meal (though I do admit it probably would have been more authentic had I made rye bread. Oh well, no one's perfect). I think these are probably more along the lines of adult taste, as my usually unpicky children wanted nothing to do with anything on their plates except the bread. But Jeff and I really enjoyed the cabbage and the salad.

Both of these delicious recipes came from Nash Holos, "a blog about Ukrainian music, musicians, radio, TV, internet, culture and community in Canada, Ukraine and elsewhere." This blog has lots of yummy looking Ukrainian recipes that I would love to try! Especially the many desserts, mmmmm...

Raisin Oatmeal Scones

2009-07-24T09:45:00.001-06:00

I grew up eating eggs and cereal for breakfast nearly every single morning. About the only variation we had was whether the eggs were fried, scrambled, or boiled, and what type of cereal we had available that day. My mom had eight kids, and it was the easiest and fastest way to get breakfast on the table, though on Saturdays we sometimes had a special treat in the form of pancakes or omelets. Now that I'm grown and have my own family, I have departed quite a bit from the typical eggs-and-cereal breakfasts that I grew up with - I prefer variety and don't mind spending a little extra time in the kitchen to achieve it on occasion. I'm sure that as my children get older and we as a family get busier, I'll lean toward the quick and easy breakfasts more and more often, just as my mom did. But for the time being, we enjoy a large variety of breakfast foods (here are some that I've posted about).

This is an example of a breakfast food that's a little more effort-requiring and fun than just eggs and cereal. This recipe for raisin oatmeal scones came from the Tightwad Gazette (I love that book!) and makes an inexpensive and delicious breakfast. These scones are wonderful spread with margarine and jam, and pretty easy as far as "fancy" breakfasts go.

Raisin Oatmeal Scones
1 1/2 cups flour (white or wheat)
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup softened margarine
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup sour milk (milk with 2 tsp. vinegar added)
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400. Mix dry ingredients; cut in margarine and raisins. Stir in enough sour milk just to moisten. Divide the dough in half.

Flour hands and pat dough into two circles on a greased cookie sheet about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into quarters. Bake for 10 minutes. Brush on egg and then bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 more minutes. Serve with honey, margarine, or jam.

I used whole wheat flour in my scones this morning. They were good in a stick-to-your-ribs kind of way, though a bit dense. All-purpose flour will yield a lighter-textured scone. And just a note, like many scones these might be considered kind of bland on their own. They're meant to be paired with something sweet like jam or honey to bring out the flavor. :-)

"Freezing Foods" Article on Allrecipes.com

2009-07-22T14:27:00.005-06:00

Just a quick post - I was on allrecipes.com and found a really great article on there about making freezer meals. It has great ideas, safety guidelines, a best-by chart, and several recipes that would be good for freezing. Just thought it would go great with my little freezer meal series I've been working on. I know I learned a thing or two. Check it out here!

Baked Beans with Hot Dogs - Freezer Meal

2009-07-22T09:30:00.002-06:00

Just a basic Baked Bean recipe that I added hot dogs to. Beans freeze really well, so they make an ideal freezer meal no matter how you cook them! Like with the bean soup, I used half black beans and half black-eyed peas. Other beans or bean combinations can be used; the actual recipe suggests navy beans.

At this point I'm running low on room in the freezer, and bemoaning the fact that I have no room or money for a chest freezer! I may or may not have to go on a freezer meal hiatus after these beans, until I can use up some of the stuff we've got in the freezer and make more room for meals. :-) We'll see how it goes. But I sure am having fun stocking my freezer with all these meals! With these baked beans, there is now a total of twelve meals and twenty burritos in my freezer. Awesome.

Ick, yucky picture. Lighting is all weird lately. Too bright for the bowl, too dark for the beans. Sigh.

Baked Beans with Hot Dogs
1 lb. dry beans
2 quarts water
1/2 cup molasses (wasn't sweet enough for me, I also added 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 package hot dogs, sliced

Soak beans in water overnight or by quick method. In same liquid, bring beans to a boil and simmer until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain, reserving liquid.

Combine beans with remaining ingredients in a 2 quart casserole. Add bean liquid to cover. Bake 4-8 hours at 275, adding liquid occasionally if necessary. Cover during first half of baking time, then uncover.

Or you can do it in the crock pot - I chose to because I didn't want the added heat of running the oven for four hours! Combine beans with remaining ingredients in crock pot. Add bean liquid to barely cover. You won't need as much liquid as if you were doing it in the oven, because the liquid won't cook off. Cook on low overnight.

Freezer Meal: By now you should know the drill - let the beans cool, then spoon into freezer containers, canning jars, or freezer bags. Freeze. To use, thaw in refrigerator and reheat in a saucepan over medium heat.

Bean Soup - Freezer Meal

2009-07-21T12:00:00.001-06:00

Here's the next installment in my freezer meal saga! Going through all my dry beans, I realized that I'm running really low; there was only enough for the refried beans, the chili, and these next couple of bean meals. So this soup and the baked beans (soon to come) had to be made with the only beans I had left - one pound each of black beans and black-eyed peas. I soaked them all together, then used half of that combination to make the soup and will use the rest for the baked beans. And yes, we bought several more pounds of beans when we did our weekly shopping yesterday!

I will take this moment to remind you (or rather, remind myself...) that when you decide to do several large freezer meals in a short period of time, make sure you have all the ingredients necessary. I took it for granted that we would have basics like carrots and onions, because we always have those! But I forgot to take into account that I've been using them in large amounts for the other meals I've done. So when I went to start chopping veggies for the soup, I realized I had only two small carrots and was out of onions. Jeff volunteered to walk to the nearby grocery store and pick up onions (I just can't live without onions), and I added a chopped green bell pepper in place of the third carrot. I could have avoided the need for an extra trip to the store had I made sure that we had all necessary ingredients before we did our shopping yesterday - even the ones that I take for granted!

Bean Soup
2 cups (1 lb) dry beans
2 quarts water
1 ham bone or several polish sausages, sliced (optional, I didn't include this)
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1 quart tomato juice or stewed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak beans overnight or by quick method. Drain and add fresh water, 6-8 cups. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 2 hours or more until beans are tender. Add more liquid if necessary. If you used a ham bone, remove meat from bones, chop, and return to soup.

Freezer Meal: Let soup cool, then spoon into freezer containers or canning jars in meal-sized portions. I don't recommend putting the soup in freezer bags, just because it's so liquidy. Freeze. To use, thaw in refrigerator, empty into a saucepan, and heat over medium heat. Should be good served with a loaf of fresh bread or some corn bread!

I'll probably cook the rest of the beans this evening and do the baked beans in the crock pot overnight tonight. That way I won't heat the apartment too much, which is very important. ;-)

Just a note to myself: I really need to start using more of what's already in the freezer - I'm running out of room to put all these freezer meals! I still have a few more planned and am just hoping that there will be room to squeeze them all in. Fingers crossed!

Bean and Cheese Burritos - Freezer Meal

2009-07-20T14:57:00.004-06:00

I finally got around to assembling the burritos I've been planning on for days. I made those refried beans several days ago, and was totally planning on making my own flour tortillas to wrap the beans in. But I never got around to it, and really needed to assemble these burritos before the beans started going weird... So storebought tortillas it was!

These were super simple, and I think they'll be really good to have around - frozen burritos can be so convenient!

Bean and Cheese Frozen Burritos
Flour tortillas
Refried beans (can be canned or homemade)
Shredded cheddar cheese

Start by heating the tortillas, a few at a time, to make them malleable. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons beans on a tortilla, and top with about a tablespoon of cheese.

Fold in ends of tortilla, and roll up. Place seam-side down in a baking pan.

Repeat with remaining ingredients. When pan is full, cover with foil or plastic wrap and place in freezer. I made two pans of burritos, and have some beans leftover. When the burritos are frozen, remove from pan and place them in a large freezer bag. Be sure to squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible to prevent freezer burn. You can also choose to individually wrap the burritos before bagging them to further protect against freezer burn.

If you want, you could do beef and bean burritos instead. Just substitute taco meat for the shredded cheese.

To heat, I'm not really sure. I would guess you just stick one on a plate and microwave for a couple minutes or until it's heated through. To do several at once, heat in the oven until heated through. Since I've never made these before, that's about as detailed as I can get right now! Maybe the next time we go shopping, I'll peek at the directions on a package of frozen burritos to see what that says. :-)

Next up on my list of things to make and freeze are baked beans with hot dogs, and bean soup. I'll be soaking the beans tonight, so stay tuned for those recipes!

Happy Birthday, Thomas!

2009-07-19T18:00:00.001-06:00

My little guy turned 2 years old today. What a little man! Lately he's been really into growling and roaring and stalking around like a predator. So when someone at work gave Jeff a couple green chocolate alligators, we knew we had the perfect inspiration for Thomas' birthday cake.

So cute, and so easy! I made a 9x13 yellow cake (from a mix, they were on sale for 69 cents a box). Then I frosted it with my go-to decorator frosting recipe (found in this post).

I frosted the cake normally, then I built up the "sand" corner with some extra frosting. I wanted it to be a bit of an incline. I left about 1/4 cup frosting for the water. I dyed that blue and spread it over the "water" corner. Then I crushed up some sandwich cookies and pressed them into the frosting on the "beach" to make up the sand, just like I did for his first birthday cake. Yup, when I find an idea that works, I keep using it! :-)

For the plants, I just bought some aquarium plants, one package of the cheapest kind they had; it was less than a dollar. I figured aquarium plants would work perfectly because they're meant to look aquatic. I stuck a couple pieces of the plant along the edges of the pond, and one more on the beach. Then I just plopped on the chocolate alligators, and I was done!

I really enjoy doing cakes that look special, but are simple to make. My cakes are nowhere near professional quality, but I sure think they're cute!

Picture of the birthday boy, enjoying the goodies!

Sorry for the strange lighting. This apartment can very unforgiving in the lighting department sometimes!

Having recently been given a new (to us) ice cream maker, we decided to make ice cream today after church instead of buying some. We didn't have any cream, but nothing stops me when I put my frugal mind to it!

Ice Cream (the cheap version, lol)
4 cups evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk (made my own, recipe to follow)
2 tbsp. vanilla

In ice cream freezer container, combine all ingredients; mix well. Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze leftovers.

So thrilled to have an ice cream maker! It worked really well. Next time I would let it churn a little longer to let the ice cream thicken a bit more. But it turned out so good!

Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup powdered milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
3 tbsp. melted margarine

Combine all ingredients in blender container. Process until smooth. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. Yields equivalent of 1 can sweetened condensed milk.

Yeah, I'm a tightwad and proud of it! The ice cream turned out fantastic - delicious and creamy. It was the perfect way for us to break in our ice cream maker, and the perfect accompaniment to our alligator cake. Having used homemade sweetened condensed milk and canned evaporated milk, it of course had a different flavor than regular ice cream. But sometimes I like different, it makes things interesting!

Happy birthday to my little guy! It's been such a fun two years!

Home-Style Chili - Freezer Meal

2009-07-17T18:30:00.000-06:00

I love this picture - makes me think of hard life on the trail, eating whatever foods you brought or could hunt up. Foods like chili and other simple one-pot meals topped the menu. This picture is found in the chili section of the book "Where's Dad Now That I Need Him?" The book is a lot more than recipes, but there is a sizable recipe section, including an entire chapter on chili.

This is the first recipe in that chili chapter, and it's super good! Simmering for a really long time, it starts very watery but over the hours it thickens and the flavors blend so deliciously. This is a chili that just gets better the longer it sits! That's also what makes it a great freezer meal.

For this recipe, since it already makes so much, I didn't have to double it or anything. Just made it as-is, and it made enough for 3 freezer meals for my family, plus enough for dinner tonight.

Home-Style Chili
3 cups dry kidney beans plus soaking water
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped celery (I skipped this, as I used up all my celery for the curry)
1 tsp. pepper
4 tsp. chili powder
6 cups water
1 #2 1/2 can tomatoes, pureed in blender (about 2 14-oz. cans)
2 cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp. celery salt

I also added about a cup of squash puree from my freezer, a couple sliced carrots, a seeded jalapeno, and a can of olives, sliced. I like lots of stuff in my chili! I also used TVP in place of some of the ground beef.

Wash beans; cover with water and soak overnight. In a skillet, cook meat and onions until meat is browned and onions are tender. Add to beans in a heavy kettle. Stir in remaining ingredients except celery. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 4 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally. Add more water if necessary to keep chili from scorching. Add celery and simmer 30 minutes more.

This could probably be done in a slow cooker - just toss everything in once you've browned the meat and onion, and cook for several hours.

Mmm, look at that big ole' pot of thick, chunky chili! Yum!

Freezer Meal: Same as with the curry - once chili is finished cooking, let cool and separate into meal-sized portions, into freezer containers, ziploc-style freezer bags, or canning jars. Freeze. To use, thaw completely in refrigerator, and heat in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through. Again, if you use freezer bags, freeze it flat to make best use of freezer space, and to allow for faster thawing.

I did the curry in gallon-sized bags, and the chili in quart-sized. With a fairly small family like mine, either size works fine.

Easy Curry - Freezer Meal

2009-07-17T09:30:00.001-06:00

This is the second freezer meal I've chosen to work on (the first being the burritos for which I made those refried beans). I really love curry. I grew up on the boxed curry, where you cook the meat and vegetables, then add water and those squares of curry paste. It's so yummy, but those boxes are so expensive! I do think that the boxed curry will always be my favorite, but this recipe is a very delicious and inexpensive substitute. It came from the More-with-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre. I love using this book for yummy, inexpensive, practical recipes.

I doubled the recipe and it made enough for three freezer meals for my family. I cooked it up after dinner last night, so I wasn't heating up the apartment by simmering the food during the day. I try to avoid doing anything that will heat up the apartment in the middle of the day - it's already too hot!

Easy Curry
1/4-1/2 lb. chicken or other meat (raw or cooked), finely cut
2-2 1/2 cups water
2 medium carrots
3 stalks celery
1 green pepper
1/2 medium onion
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. curry powder (this makes a medium spiciness - for spicy use more, for mild use less)
1 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp. cornstarch

Brown meat in small amount of fat. Add water. Chop and add vegetables. Add salt, pepper, and curry powder. Blend tomato sauce, milk, and cornstarch, and add.

Simmer 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sauce is thick and glossy. Stir frequently. Serve over rice, noodles, or biscuits.

Sorry for the bad pic, the lighting in my kitchen is terrible! But here you can see all the delicious veggies and the thick, glossy sauce.

Freezer Meal: Once curry is finished cooking, let cool and separate into meal-sized portions, into freezer containers, ziploc-style freezer bags, or canning jars. Freeze. To use, thaw completely in refrigerator, and heat in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through.

If you put it in freezer bags, flatten it out to freeze. You can stack the frozen bags easily so it takes up less freezer space, and it thaws faster.

I was going to wait and do the curry another night, but we had chicken last night for dinner and there were several drumsticks left. Opportunity knocked, and I used the leftover chicken to make the curry after we had dinner. I had planned on boiling some separately for this recipe, but why do all that work when there was already cooked chicken available! ;-)

Later today I'll be making a nice big batch of chili, and possibly tortillas for the burritos. Stay tuned!

Refried Beans

2009-07-16T16:30:00.000-06:00

I've got a series of posts that I'm working on right now. I've decided to delve into the world of freezer meals - who doesn't love the idea of having dinner all ready in the freezer, and all you have to do is take it out to thaw in the morning and it's ready to heat for dinner! So I sorted through all the stuff in my freezer, taking inventory and deciding what to use and how to make room for dinners. Next I planned several meals that I will be making over the next many days. Freezer meals usually mean big batches and lots of cooking. You can either do one or two huge marathon cooking sessions and get it all done at once, or spread it out over several days and/or cooking sessions. I'll be spreading it out, doing one or two meals or parts of a meal per day.

One of my planned meals is frozen burritos. These appeal to me because you can take out and heat as many as you need, plus I just really love burritos. But one of my criteria for the meals I planned was that they should use as many things that I already have as possible - no going out and buying a can or two of refried beans when I had a bag of pintos waiting in the cupboard! So I made a big ole' batch of refried beans from scratch. It was easier than I expected, though it took a long time.

Refried Beans
1 lb. dried pinto, pink, or kidney beans plus soaking water
6 cups water
2 onions, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup hot bacon drippings, margarine, or lard
Salt to taste

Soak beans overnight or by quick method. Add water and onions. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer slowly until beans are tender, about 3 hours. Mash beans with potato masher.

Add fat and salt. Mix well; continue cooking, stirring frequently until beans are thickened and fat is absorbed. Serve at once or refrigerate for later use.

This is the first time I've made real refried beans. I've made a quick facsimile using bean powder, but never actually cooked the beans, mashed them, and "refried" them. I was pleased that they turned out so good - thick and flavorful. They also thickened up quite a bit in the fridge. These pictures were taken after chilling overnight - I made the beans last night when there was no good lighting. But don't they look good now?

Stay tuned for the next post in my freezer meal adventure - I've got to assemble and freeze the burritos!

My Kitchen My World - The Bahamas

2009-07-12T18:30:00.000-06:00

My Kitchen My World this week takes us to the Bahamas! Calls to mind tropical breezes and sandy beaches to me. Unfortunately, I only remembered about this particular event yesterday, so had to work around my extremely limited foods on hand (we shop on Mondays, so by Saturday/Sunday, we're running low or out of most of the "fun stuff"). Luckily, as I searched Bahamian recipes, Johnny Cake kept popping up, with basic ingredients that I always have on hand. Actually, this particular recipe was my second choice. I had picked one that included cornmeal, but as I started measuring ingredients I realized that I was out of cornmeal! So that's going on the list for tomorrow, and I had to hurry and find a recipe that didn't include it. I found it quite that Bahamian Johnny Cake can be made with or without cornmeal.

Johnny Cake
2 cups flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. oil
1 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients; add liquids. Mix together and knead for a few minutes. Put into a greased 8x8-inch square pan and place in a 374 degree preheated oven. Bake approximately 20 minutes. Most recipes suggest serving hot with butter.

Johnny Cake is traditionally served as an accompaniment, great for dipping in a nice soup, stew, or souse. I don't tend to be traditional with what gets served when, so because we had a very large lunch, I served this on its own as a simple dinner, topped with butter and jam. It was soft and fluffy, actually pretty similar to biscuits. It was simple enough and good enough that I think it will probably make its way into our regular meal rotations. Yummy!

Breakfast Crisp - An Alternative to Muffins

2009-07-08T16:04:00.004-06:00

I wanted something a little more than just fried eggs or cereal for breakfast today, so I searched "breakfast" on allrecipes.com. This recipe came up and looked pretty yummy, so I gave it a go. It ended up being very easy and tasting pretty good, almost like eating a giant oatmeal cookie for breakfast! It would also make a great dessert, served with some ice cream.

Breakfast Crisp
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats (I used regular rolled oats)
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9x9 inch baking pan (I used a glass pie dish). In a large bowl, stir together oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together brown sugar and margarine. Beat in egg. Stir mixtures together just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of pan comes out clean.

Lemon Linguine

2009-06-30T19:09:00.004-06:00

You know, I've never actually made this dish with linguine. We always just buy the cheapest pasta, so I make this with spaghetti. It still tastes great, but I don't feel like I can change the name of the dish just because I use a different kind of noodle - Lemon Linguine sounds so much catchier than Lemon Spaghetti to me.

I got this recipe from my sister. We love it - it has a delicate lemon flavor that accents the whole thing but isn't overpowering. I'd talk more about how yummy this is, but I've got a migraine and am not feeling very wordy. So just make it and find out for yourself. :-)

Lemon Linguine
8 ounces uncooked linguine (or spaghetti noodles)
3 tbsp. butter or stick margarine
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dried basil (I've used Italian seasoning too)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, cook linguine in boiling water for 8-10 minuets or until tender. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine butter, lemon juice, basil, garlic powder and lemon pepper, cook and stir until butter is melted. Drain linguine, add to butter mixture and toss to coat. Add Parmesan cheese and toss. Serve.

Fresh Salsa

2009-06-28T19:46:00.006-06:00

I love making my own salsa - I never buy it anymore because it's really quick and easy! I posted a while back about making salsa in the blender with canned tomatoes. I love that recipe because, like I said, it's quick and easy and always turns out very yummy.

But sometimes I like a good fresh salsa as well. Tomatoes were on sale for $0.33 a pound when we did our grocery shopping this week, and we got a LOT of them! We also got jalapenos, because they were also on sale. I have a recipe for fresh salsa that my sister gave to me a long time ago. It uses essentially the same basic ingredients as the other salsa I make, except fresh tomatoes instead of canned and you just chop everything instead of using the blender. I hadn't made this salsa in quite a while, but decided that this would be the perfect time! Oh, it turned out so good! We ate the whole batch in one sitting.

Fresh Salsa
2 cups seeded and finely chopped tomatoes (about 4 to 5 small)
1 stalk green onion, finely chopped (I used about 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion)
1 to 2 hot peppers (green, red, serrano, jalapeno) seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp. lime juice (or lemon)
2 to 3 tbsp. fresh cilantro, snipped into small pieces (substituted dried parsley)
1 small green pepper, seeded and finely chopped (didn't have, didn't add)
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, minced

Stir all ingredients together and cover, then chill for 2 hours or up to 2 days.

We served this over Cheesy Chips: Spread tortilla chips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle liberally with shredded cheddar, then sprinkle with chili powder. Heat in hot oven (about 450 degrees) until cheese is hot and melted.

Sourdough without the Starter!

2009-06-25T16:19:00.006-06:00

Wow, it's been a while since I posted! We spent all of last week in Idaho visiting family, just got back on Monday. I have a couple recipes that I'm planning posts for, but I have to do this one first because I'm so excited about it.

I started this bread yesterday evening and it was finally done this afternoon. It's so delicious! Yes, it takes a very long time from start to finish, but with very little hands-on time or effort. It's a set-it-and-forget-it kind of bread. And definitely worth the wait.

Speaking of wait, that's my little guy in the background, waiting for me to hurry up and finish taking pictures so he can have a slice!

This is a sourdough bread that really fascinated me because it doesn't use a starter! I don't have to start the starter, let it sit for 3 or 4 days, then store it in the fridge and make sure to use it or drain it every couple of weeks! I love sourdough bread, but I always end up letting the starter die and turn funny colors. So I was excited to be given this recipe. It just uses a tiny amount of yeast and rises for a very long time, and it gets that wonderful sourdough scent and flavor. I don't think it turned out quite as sour as the kind with a starter, but it's delicious nonetheless.

Starterless Sourdough
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 5/8 cups water

Mix ingredients in bowl. Cover and let sit for 18 hours. Drop dough on floured surface, put a little flour on top. Let sit for 15 minutes. Mold it. Drop on floured surface. Put towel over it and let sit for 2 hours. Heat pan in 450 degree oven. Take pan out. Plop dough into hot pan. Bake for 30 minutes with lid. Bake without lid for 15-30 minutes.

I used my ceramic 2 1/2 qt. casserole dish to bake the bread in, because it's the only pan I have that has a lid. It worked perfectly - I didn't grease the dish and the bread came out without sticking at all. It was crispy and crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. Yummmm....

***Update, I forgot to add something. You have to think ahead with this recipe. First off, you have to start it the day before you want to eat it. Also - that first rise will really get you if you're not careful! I decided that I don't want to be getting up before 8:00 in the morning to be working on bread, so I won't start the bread before 2:00 in the afternoon. You don't want to start it at 10 in the morning only to realize that the dough will finish its first rise at around 3 in the morning! So do the math before you do the mixing. :-)

German Pizza

2009-06-14T17:15:00.004-06:00

This was a really easy dinner to put together, and pretty quick too. It called for ingredients I keep on hand, always a plus. Add the fact that it was hearty and delicious, and we've got a real winner! I did adjust the recipe quite a bit, because it's just me and the kids tonight and I was using a smaller skillet than called for.

The recipe came from the same booklet that the turkey divan recipe came from. I always enjoy the dishes I try from that little book! I got it a few years ago free for previewing a different, larger cookbook from Taste of Home. I didn't keep the large book, but got to keep this little one and it has been so fun. This is the first time I've tried this particular recipe, and I wonder why it took me so darn long!

German Pizza
1 pound ground beef (reduced to 1/3 pound)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced (substituted celery)
1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
6 medium potatoes, peeled and finely shredded (used 3, didn't bother peeling)
3 eggs, beaten (used 2)
1/3 cup milk (used 1/4 cup)
2 cups shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese (used about 1/2 cup mozzarella)

In a 12-inch stove-top or electric skillet over medium heat (I used a 9-inch skillet), brown beef with onion, green pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper. Remove meat mixture from skillet and drain fat.

Reduce heat to low. Melt butter in skillet; spread potatoes over butter and sprinkle with remaining salt. Top with beef mixture. Combine eggs and milk; pour over all. Cook, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Top with cheese; cover and heat until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Cut into wedges or squares to serve.

Ketchup made a tasty addition!

Turkey Divan

2009-06-13T18:21:00.003-06:00

This is such a delicious dish! Tender broccoli, big chunks of turkey, creamy and tangy sauce, yum! We had some broccoli that needed to be used, and yesterday Jeff brought a bag of cooked turkey down from the freezer to thaw. It seemed like a good idea to combine them, and I found this delicious recipe to do just that. It's one I've been wanting to try for a while, but hadn't gotten around to it. The recipe comes from a small Taste of Home recipe booklet I've had for a long time, and have tried several recipes from. It was originally for Chicken Divan, but since when do I follow a recipe word for word? ;-)

Turkey Divan
2 pkgs (10 oz each) frozen broccoli or 1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, washed, cut in spears, and lightly steamed (I boiled them, not wanting to bother getting out the steamer)
1 1/2 cups cooked turkey, cut into bite-size pieces (or of course you could use chicken)
Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted (I made a batch of white sauce instead)
1/2 cup mayonnainse
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. chicken broth
1/4 cup Parmesan (I omitted this as we are out at the moment, but it would be good with it)

Arrange broccoli spears on bottom of 1 1/2 qt. buttered casserole; sprinkle turkey or chicken pieces over broccoli. Combine sauce ingredients; spoon over top of broccoli/turkey. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes.

This was so delicious served over rice.

Chocolate Cobbler - or How to Give Yourself a Heart Attack and a Sugar Coma

2009-06-12T15:39:00.005-06:00

I first saw this recipe a while ago on Southern Plate. It looked really good, but I never got around to making it. I really don't know why! Today I saw it again on Mommy's Kitchen. She had changed Southern Plate's recipe a little bit by adding lots of butter to the pan before putting in the batter. This time it immediately instilled a deep desire within me to make and eat this scrumptious dessert, and I knew that life as we know it would pretty much end if I didn't have it right away (it's also known as a pregnancy craving). I quickly copied down the recipe and headed for the kitchen. Here's the result:

This recipe is far from being healthy. It's loaded with chocolate, butter, and sugar. In other words - great for the taste buds and not so great for the arteries, heehee. I enjoyed every bite, serving it over strawberry swirl ice cream.

Chocolate Cobbler
6 tbsp. butter
1 cup self rising flour (1 cup regular flour plus 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder)
3/4 cup white sugar (I read the recipe wrong and added half this amount, it still turned out great)
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1/2 - 3/4 cup brown Sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cup hot tap water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 8×8 baking dish add the 6 tablespoons of butter. Place the dish into your preheated 350 degree oven. This will let the butter melt while we mix up the rest of the ingredients.

In a separate bowl add the self rising flour, 3/4 cup of white sugar, and 2 tbsp. of cocoa powder.. Stir the dry ingredients together. Add milk and vanilla. Stir together really well.

Remove your butter pan from the oven and add the chocolate mixture. The chocolate batter tends to be a bit thick and pretty difficult to spread out evenly, but spread it around as best as you can.

In a small bowl, add in 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of white sugar and 1/4 cup of cocoa powder. Mix well. Sprinkle the topping evenly all over the top of your chocolate mixture. Slowly, slowly, pour the hot water over the top of the cobbler.

Place the dish in the oven for about 30-35 minutes. You want it to still be a bit jiggly when you pull it out of the oven. Let cool a bit and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Here's the pan after several servings have been removed. Oh, so good! I'm gonna go have some more...

My Kitchen My World - Switzerland

2009-06-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

I chose to do something super healthy for this edition of My Kitchen My World, and you really can't get much healthier than Birchermüesli. This cereal-like apple dish was invented by Dr. Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, a pioneer of biological health medicine in Zürich in the early 1900s. He believed that fruits, vegetables, and grains should be the staples of a healthy diet, which contradicted the popular public opinion of his day that meats were all-important and most healthy. Birchermüesli was born as a recipe to take advantage of what Bircher-Benner called "food of the sunlight."

Plus, at the time fruits and vegetables were considered to be poor people's food, so that fits right in with my blog, don't ya think?

Birchermüesli
4 tablespoons oat flakes (I took this to mean rolled oats?)
8 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons sweet evaporated milk or cream
Honey or sugar according to your own taste (use as little sugar as possible)
Juice of 2 lemons
8 apples

Put oat flakes, water, sweet evaporated milk and juice of lemon in a bowl.

Wash apples, cut in pieces, remove core (do not remove skin). Grind apples into the bowl and mix well (I wasn't sure exactly what this meant; I ended up chopping the apples roughly in the food processor. I probably could have processed them even further and made it into more of a puree).

Add sugar and honey according to your own taste and mix well again. Serve immediately.

We ate this for breakfast. It was actually pretty refreshing, a fun departure from our normal breakfast foods. The kids totally loved it.

Banana Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream

2009-06-08T17:05:00.004-06:00

Zaylee and I were hanging out in my room, and she happened to find her little pint-sized apron on the floor. She immediately put it on and declared, "I will help you cook, Mommy!" Well, with a statement like that I had to obey! She had me put on my own apron and we started looking at recipes. She decided she wanted cake, and I decided I wanted to use up the three spotted bananas in the fridge. Hence this delicious banana cake!

My 9x13 pan was dirty though, so I did cupcakes instead. Zaylee didn't mind at all.

Banana Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 medium)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup buttermilk (add 1/2 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar to 1/2 cup milk)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs

Heat oven to 350. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners (24 cupcakes). Or grease bottom and sides of 9x13 pan and flour lightly.

Beat all ingredients in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spoon into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full, or pour into prepared pan.

Bake cupcakes 20-23 minutes, 9x13 pan 45-50 minutes. Cool cupcakes on wire rack, cool big cake in pan. Frost with Maple Buttercream.

Maple Buttercream
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup maple-flavored syrup

Mix powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed. Stir in syrup, and beat until creamy.

Sweet and Sour Spam

2009-06-08T14:01:00.004-06:00

Okay, let's just get this right out into the open - I am fully aware that some people don't like Spam. Well, I and my family happen to enjoy it so we do buy and use it on occasion. Deal with it. :-)

I've had this idea floating around in my head for a couple days. Call it a weird pregnancy craving or whatever, but I really wanted to try making a Hawaiian Haystack-like dish using Spam instead of chicken gravy, and cooking the Spam in a sweet and sour sauce. So today I did that for lunch. And we really liked it!

The sauce came from a recipe for something called Sweet-Sour Fish Bake. That actually sounds really gross to me, but the sauce itself is a fantastic basic sweet and sour sauce that can be used for a variety of things - s&s chicken, s&s pork, and this s&s Spam!

Sweet and Sour Spam
1 can Spam
1 can pineapple chunks, drained with juice reserved
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Red and yellow food coloring, optional (This wasn't in the original recipe, but Jeff liked colorful food; he added 3 drops red and 1 drop yellow)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold water

Dice Spam into bite-sized chunks. Saute in a small amount of oil until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to measure 1 cup. Heat pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and garlic powder to boiling in same pan that you cooked Spam in. Mix cornstarch and water; stir into sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in pineapple chunks and Spam.

We served this kind of like Hawaiian Haystacks, by layering rice, the sweet and sour Spam, tomatoes, celery, peas, and cheese. Other additions that would have been nice if we had them on hand would include: bell peppers, chow mein noodles, olives, etc. The cheese is in chunks instead of shredded because it's fresh mozzarella - it was a manager's special, marked down to $1.50 per pound. Score!

Tartar Sauce

2009-06-04T18:30:00.004-06:00

I was just thinking today that it was about time to post another recipe. Then tonight as we were eating our delicious dinner of salmon patties and tartar sauce, it hit me that I had a great recipe to post! So here it is.

A few years ago, my sister Michelle gave me a binder full of some of her favorite recipes. I use several on a regular basis, and this is one of them. Before she gave me this recipe, I didn't realize how easy and inexpensive it can be to make your own tartar sauce. It turns out deliciously creamy, and perfectly compliments a variety of seafood dishes. We served it with the salmon patties that I have posted about previously.

Tartar Sauce
3/4 cup mayonnaise or miracle whip
1/4 cup drained dill or sweet relish (if you don't have any relish, just finely chop a bunch of pickles like I did tonight)
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 tbsp. parsley
2 tsp. capers, drained (I've never added these)

In a small bowl stir all ingredients together. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving. Cover and chill leftovers for up to one week.

See how simple that is? A few basic ingredients and some chilling time and you've got yourself some incredibly delicious tartar sauce. Yum!

Creamy Alfredo - the Cheap Way

2009-05-29T18:00:00.000-06:00

My husband and I love Alfredo sauce, but it can be a bit more pricey than we prefer. Making it calls for things like heavy cream and fresh Parmesan, which we never buy. And I just can't get myself to buy jars of pre-made pasta sauce when I know I can make it at home.

We've made do by making a mock Alfredo sauce, by adding Parmesan and garlic powder to a basic white sauce. But this always had a slightly gritty/chalky feel to it. Today I altered our mock Alfredo recipe by substituting corn starch for the flour in the white sauce, and that made it super creamy. I also used fresh garlic instead of powdered (we have a super cheap source of fresh garlic), which gave it a wonderful flavor. I'm thrilled with how it turned out, and this is how we'll be making it from now on.

Creamy Mock Alfredo Sauce
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (or you can use 1-2 tsp. bottled minced garlic)
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup Parmesan (the cheap powdery stuff, of course)
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a couple minutes. In a separate container, combine corn starch and milk and mix thoroughly - I used a container with a tight-fitting lid and just shook it up real good. Pour into the saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Heat through and serve with pasta.

We stirred in some small shell pasta (shells are so fun!) and topped with additional Parmesan. Yum!

Double-Quick Dinner Rolls

2009-05-28T18:47:00.005-06:00

I have a TON of recipes - recipes in cookbooks, recipes printed off the internet, recipes copied from friends and family, recipes from all sorts of random sources. Sometimes I grab a book or a binder and just look through them, to get ideas for dinners or snacks. After all, what's the point in having an extensive recipe collection if you never look at the recipes?

Anyway, yesterday I pulled out a folder of recipes that I have collected from all over the place - it was a folder where I just tossed recipes that were on printer paper, for lack of a better place to put them. I hadn't looked in that folder in ages! Some recipes I didn't even recognize, despite the fact that they were written in my handwriting, or that they had notes in the margins, also in my handwriting. I went through the recipes and chose a few that I would like to try soon. I don't know if I've made them before, because I don't remember them at all!

This recipe is one that I apparently printed off the internet, from the Betty Crocker website. I don't remember writing ingredient substitutions in the margin, but again, it's in my handwriting so I guess I did. These are batter bread style dinner rolls, meaning that you stir the dough instead of kneading it. They only took an hour and a half start to finish, and made some delicious bologna sandwiches for our dinner tonight! I'll include in italics the margin notes that I wrote way back whenever it was that I printed the recipe.

Double-Quick Dinner Rolls
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (substitute 1 cup wheat flour)
2 tbsp. sugar (white or brown)
1 tsp. salt
1 package regular or quick active yeast (I didn't write this before, but 1 pkg yeast = 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 cup very warm water
2 tbsp. shortening (or oil)
1 egg

Mix 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast in large bowl. Add water, shortening, and egg; beat with spoon until smooth. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape batter from side of bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until double.

Grease 12 regular-size muffin cups. Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes. Spoon into muffin cups. Let rise 20 to 30 minutes or until batter rounds over tops of cups.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

These were simple, quick, less messy than kneaded dough, and tasted great!

Hot Fudge Cheesecake - Finally!!!

2009-05-26T15:00:00.000-06:00

I finally made it! Yippee! And it's just as super wonderfully delicious as I remembered. Man, I love cheesecake!

Hot Fudge Cheesecake is rich and chocolaty, though quite small. It is served at room temperature with a creamy Hot Fudge Sauce. This cheesecake is baked in a 7-inch springform pan, which, though fun and cute, is not a very common size. If you don't have a 7-inch, I would try baking it in an 8-inch pan and reducing the baking time.

Hot Fudge Cheesecake
1 cup crushed saltine crackers (about one sleeve)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
6 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
3 tbsp. sugar
6 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate (I use chocolate chips)
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs

Hot Fudge Sauce:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup half-and-half (I use evaporated milk)
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine first cracker crumbs, walnuts, 6 tbsp. melted butter, and 3 tbsp. sugar; stir well. Firmly press into bottom and 2 1/2 inches up sides of a lightly greased 7-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Set aside. Here's a picture of this step, so you can see how cute and little the 7-inch pan really is. Isn't it tiny?

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Combine chocolate squares and 3/4 cup butter in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture is melted and smooth, stirring often. Remove from heat, and cool.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add 3/4 cup sugar; beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 300 for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until almost set (Almost set means there's still some jiggle in the middle, but not too much. My oven runs slow, it took about an hour and fifteen minutes). Turn off oven. Let cheesecake cool in oven 30 minutes. Remove to a wire rack; cool to room temperature.

Gently run a knife around edge of cheesecake to release sides of pan; carefully remove pan. Another size comparison - the little hand belongs to my 3-year-old. Kids just can't keep their hands off yummy food, ya know?

Prepare Hot Fudge Sauce: Combine chocolate chips and half-and-half in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.

Serve cheesecake with warm Hot Fudge Sauce. Store leftovers of both cheesecake and sauce covered in refrigerator. Leftover sauce can be served over ice cream or pound cake. :-)

Just a little side note: If you, perchance, accidentally buy milk chocolate chips instead of semisweet, just reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup. You can also use the milk chocolate in the sauce, it will just be sweeter than usual. Still yummy. Not that I, uh, speak from experience or anything. Because of course I would never do anything like that.

Hashbrown Casserole

2009-05-25T18:42:00.000-06:00

Casseroles tend to be some of the ugliest foods you can possibly make. Seriously, I don't think I've ever had a truly photogenic casserole. That said, this is one of the tastiest unphotogenic casseroles I've ever eaten.

This is one of the recipes that my mom would make when I was growing up. Actually, that's technically not entirely true - she first made it when I was a teenager. But I still had a bit of growing up to do at that point so I guess I can still say that. Anyway, no matter how long it's been since the first time I tried it, I still very much love it every time I eat it! It's a rich, fattening casserole that is full of comfort food goodness. Yummy potatoes baked with a tangy, cheesy, creamy sauce - yum! I made it tonight because it's a pregnancy craving I've been feeling for at least a week. Had to have it.

The recipe calls for frozen hashbrowns, but you can also use tater tots or other form of frozen potato food.

Hashbrown Casserole
2 lb. frozen hashbrowns
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) margarine, melted
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
16 oz. sour cream
1 lb. shredded cheese
1 lb. ground sausage or hamburger, cooked (having an aversion to ground beef lately, I skipped this)

Spread hashbrowns in bottom of 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with cooked meat. Mix soup, cheese, margarine, salt, and pepper. Pour over hashbrowns. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. You can sprinkle additional cheese on top.

This time I only made a half recipe; the full thing is a bit large for our little family, plus I only had enough sour cream for half. I didn't have frozen hashbrowns (we rarely buy them), so I microwave-baked one pound of fresh potatoes (3-4 medium) and diced them up. Since the potatoes were already fully cooked and I was only using an 8-inch baking pan, I was able to get away with cooking the casserole for only half an hour. I also skipped the additional cheese on top. Prepared this way, the casserole was even cheaper than usual. But still just as delicious!

Taste & Create - Magic in the Middles

2009-05-23T15:04:00.004-06:00

This month's Taste and Create dish is so delicious! My partner for Taste and Create was Natalie of What's for Supper? I had a fun time perusing through her blog looking at all her delicious recipes. She has lots of fabulous looking desserts especially. There are several recipes that I found on her blog that I would like to make (such as Jewel Roasted Vegetables which she and her husband didn't enjoy but had me totally drooling).

The recipe I chose was Magic in the Middles, fun-looking chocolate cookies with a peanut butter surprise inside. Zaylee and I tied on our aprons and baked these up this afternoon. She enjoyed helping Mommy by stirring the dry ingredients, and helping to flatten the cookies with a glass. She especially enjoyed repeatedly sampling the peanut butter filling and the finished cookies!

Magic in the Middles
DOUGH:
1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I snuck in a half cup of whole wheat flour)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup granulated sugar (plus extra for dipping)
½ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

FILLING:
¾ cup smooth peanut butter
¾ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

Prepare dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, beat together sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, beating to combine, then stir in dry ingredients, blending well.

Prepare filling: In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth. With floured hands, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls (I skipped this step, and just spooned in the filling in the next step. In hindsight, it would have been easier to shape the cookies with balls of filling instead of spoonfuls, so don't skip this step).

Shape cookies: Break off about 1 Tbsp. of the dough, make an indentation in the center with your finger, and press one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation. Bring the dough up and over the filling, pressing it closed; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Dip the top of each cookie in granulated sugar and place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass and use it to flatten each cookie to about ½-inch-thick (Due to overeager helping, some of the peanut butter squished out the sides of some of the cookies. Merely an aesthetic issue - they still tasted great).

Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, until they're set. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack (I discovered that mine worked better when I let them sit on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before removing to a rack. They were too soft at first and needed to harden a bit).

Yield: About 26 cookies (Mine made 33 with more peanut butter filling left over)

All in all, I was very pleased with having chosen this recipe. These delicious cookies are lightly crispy on the outside edges, and soft and chewy inside. The chocolate and peanut butter flavors complement each other very well, neither overpowers the other. Super delicious cookies! They were quite a bit more work than I tend to go for in cookies, but it was lots of fun with Zaylee to help me.

Fluffy Lime Pie

2009-05-22T15:58:00.004-06:00

Curses, foiled again! Every time I decide I'm ready to make that cheesecake, Jeff goes and makes a different dessert item. I don't want too many sweets around the apartment at a time, so no cheesecake today. Pout.

That being said, this pie was fantastic! We've already eaten the whole thing, having only started eating it this afternoon after lunch. Rancho Market had limes on sale for super cheap (10 cents each, I think) this week, so we bought several. Jeff juiced a couple last night to make this fluffy, light, deliciously citrusy pie.

Fluffy Lime Pie
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice (or substitute lemon juice for lemon pie)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
Dash salt
2 drops green food color (optional, or use yellow for lemon)
2 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, divided
1/4 cup sugar

Combine 3/4 cup water, lime juice, 1/2 cup sugar, butter, salt, and food color in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Mix together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; stir into the boiling mixture and cook for 2 minutes.

Beat egg yolks. Stir small amount of hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Add this to the balance of the boiling mixture. Remove immediately from the stove.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Blend 1/4 cup sugar into the egg white. Fold the hot filling into the beaten egg white and sugar mixture.

When cooled, pour into a pie shell (either a baked pastry shell or a graham cracker crust). If desired, top with whipped topping or meringue.

Jeff says he made the crust all messy like that on purpose. It does look pretty fun, doesn't it?

Simple, Tasty Toffee

2009-05-20T16:23:00.004-06:00

You know, it's one thing to crave cheesecake and decide that I'm going to make it as soon as humanly possible. It's another to actually get up and make it, lol! Haven't made it yet, but I will soon.

In the meantime, Jeff took it into his own hands to make a delicious chocolaty treat. This is our absolutely favorite toffee recipe. It's easy, and turns out fabulous every time. You don't even need a candy thermometer. I think we've only had it fail once, and that was because Jeff used the wrong ingredients (though I'm not sure how, they're pretty simple ingredients). It ends up nice and crunchy, with a wonderful caramelized-sugar flavor. Yum!

We originally got this recipe from The Tightwad Gazette.

Toffee
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Butter an 8-inch square pan. Spread the chopped walnuts in the pan.

Heat the butter or margarine and sugar, and boil over medium heat in a 1-quart saucepan, stirring constantly. Do this until the mixture darkens and just begins to smoke, about 7 minutes (you've really got to pay attention. Let it go too long and it starts to burn). Immediately pour the mixture over the walnuts.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the hot mixture, and put a cookie sheet over the top to hold in the heat so that it melts the chips. Spread the chocolate with a knife. If desired, sprinkle ground walnuts on the melted chocolate.

Score into 1 1/2-inch squares while still warm (we usually skip this step, and end up with unevenly shaped toffee). Refrigerate. Break into squares when cool.

This time, Jeff found the ground walnuts that I was going to use for the cheesecake's crust and put them on top of the toffee before adding the chocolate chips (grrrrr....). He made up for his folly by immediately buying more walnuts for the cheesecake. Good man.

Showing the lovely caramel color of the toffee, yummy!

Seriously Craving...

2009-05-18T16:34:00.003-06:00

Last night I dreamed about cheesecake. Not just any cheesecake - Hot Fudge Cheesecake. It's a recipe that I've made one time before, long before I started my blog. A fudgy chocolate cheesecake baked in a saltine-and-walnut crust, served with a rich hot fudge sauce. Pure decadence, I tell you! I dreamed that I was making sure I had all the ingredients, and I was looking at the picture on the recipe and seriously longing for this cheesecake. In my dream I knew it was just a dream, and I knew that as soon as I woke up I would be looking up the recipe to make sure that I could make it!

Now I'm craving it. I checked and we have all the ingredients except enough chocolate chips. And you can bet your boots that as soon as we buy more chocolate chips, I'll be making that super incredible cheesecake and posting it up here! We're doing our grocery shopping tomorrow, so it won't be long. :-)

Also craving - pickled beets and eggs. Gonna buy beets too and I'll make that and post it.

Oh, I'm so excited about fulfilling these super delicious cravings!!! Isn't pregnancy fun?

p.s. Got to hear the baby's heartbeat today. So exciting, teehee! I think that put me in a good mood, because reading through this post I think I sound positively giddy.