The Owl's Kitchen

Pork and Rice

2012-01-05T17:42:00.005-06:00

Ingredients

1 generous cup uncooked rice

one envelope dried onion soup mix

1/4 cup (half stick) butter or margarine, melted

1 can cream of chicken soup

about six boneless pork steaks, cut into pieces about 3 inches wide

pinch each of thyme, rosemary, and basil

chopped scallions (optional)

What to Do

Pour butter into baking dish. Add rice. Layer chunks of pork steak over the rice. Smear canned soup over pork and sprinkle the spices and onion soup mix over the top. Cook at 350 F. for about an hour or till pork is done and rice is tender. Garnish with some chopped scallions if you have them. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Will thicken slightly.

More optional additions: Add some pine nuts about half way through cooking time, or dried cranberries or raisins, or peas. Haven't tried all of those at once, but someday I might.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Balsamic

2012-01-04T20:33:00.002-06:00

You like Brussels sprouts too? Ah, the few, the proud...oh never mind.

These flavorful little morsels are full of wonderful nutrients. If you overcook Brussels sprouts, they do get a bit smelly. Cook till just tender. Smaller ones are more tender and sweeter. Remove any yellowed outer leaves, and trim off the stems.

Serves 6.

Ingredients
1/4 pound (about 4 strips) bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, stalk ends removed, cut into halves
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, or almonds (optional)

What to Do
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add bacon pieces and cook till crisp. Discard most of the fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the Brussels sprouts, pour in the vinegar, and saute until the vinegar caramelizes on the sprouts. Add nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Oreo Truffles

2011-12-17T15:11:00.004-06:00

Aren't these pretty? Our four-year-old granddaughter is coming over to "help" me with a bit of Christmas baking. I think she is going to like these! I mean, what could be better than Oreos AND cream cheese?

Ingredients
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. (16.6 oz.) OREO Cookies
(If you can find a box of Oreo crumbs, you will need about 41/4 cups.)
16 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate squares (or a comparable amt. of semi-sweet chips), melted

What to Do
Crush 9 cookies and set aside. Crush the remaining cookies. You can use a food processor, or put them in a closed plastic bag and roll with rolling pin. Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs (except for the nine you sat aside) until well blended. Roll into 1 inch balls (makes about 42). Dip into melted chocolate. You can use two forks to gently roll the balls and remove them. Place on baking sheet covered with waxed paper. Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs. Refrigerate until firm (about an hour). Store tightly covered in refridgerater. Or outside in the garage if you live in a cold winter climate like we do!

Note: You can melt the chocolate in the microwave if you watch carefully and stir several times. It will take about 2 minutes. Or you can use a double boiler or a metal bowl over a pan of boiling water.

Easy Scalloped Carrots

2011-12-17T14:38:00.000-06:00

Ingredients

About 1 lb. fresh carrots or 1 bag frozen carrots, sliced and boiled till just tender
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbs. butter
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups seasoned croutons (I prefer the smaller cubes)
1/2 cup melted butter

Drain carrots and set aside. Saute chopped onion in 3 tbs. butter. Combine carrots, onion salt, pepper and cheese. Spoon into greased baking dish. Toss croutons in the melted butter and spread over carrot mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 35 minutes or until croutons are lightly browned.

Cranberries in the Snow

2011-12-08T13:38:00.004-06:00

I found this holiday recipe at Twirl and Taste. Sounds so fun, and anything with cranberries and cream cheese in the same recipe sounds great to me! Now the question: Is this a salad? Or is this a dessert? Ah, I'll file it in both places.

Ingredients
1 package raw cranberries
3/4 cup water
1 (6-ounce) box cherry flavored gelatin
2 cups sugar
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
Chopped pecans
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 pint whipping cream, whipped

What to Do
Cook raw cranberries in water until tender. Add gelatin and 2 cups sugar; stir well and cool. Then add celery, pineapple and pecans. Put into a 13 x 9-inch pan (glass looks pretty and shows the colors) and refrigerate until jelled.

Combine marshmallow creme, cream cheese and whipping cream; spread on top of jelled cranberry mixture.

Winter Fruit Salad 2

2011-11-01T12:52:00.001-05:00

Here is the next winter salad, similar to the last one but different enough that I wanted to post them both.

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 Tbs. diced onion
1 tsp. Dijon-style prepared mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs. poppy seeds
I head romaine lettuce
4 oz. shredded Swiss (or other pungent) cheese
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced
1 pear, peeled, cored and sliced

What to Do

In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Process until well blended. With machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process just a few seconds more. Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces and toss together with the cheese, cashews, cranberries, apples and pears in a large bowl. Pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat.

Winter Fruit Salad

2011-10-12T15:47:00.001-05:00

Still thinking of apples, so here is the first of two more salad recipes that are appealing for fall. This one is reported to be a favorite of Michelle Obama. A nice size for company, but I cut it in half for fewer servings. I love the sweet-sour cranberry flavor.

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or other nut
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup chopped red onions (or other onion, if that's what you have, works fine too)
1 Tbs. Dijon-style prepared mustard
1 cup vegetable oil
I cup sugar
salt and pepper to taste

About 10 cups mixed salad greens, rinsed and dried
2 apples, cored and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 8 minutes or until lightly toasted. In a food processor or blender, combine cranberries, vinegar, onion, sugar and mustard. Puree till smooth. Gradually blend in oil and and season with salt and pepper. In a salad bowl, combine greens, apples, and enough of the cranberry mixture to coat. Sprinkle on the nuts and serve.

Some optional but nice additions: feta or other sharp cheese, avacoda, rye croutons

Best Ever Apple Crisp

2011-10-05T12:10:00.007-05:00

My daughter's home in the country includes several apple and pear trees. She is canning, and her kitchen has been full of the aroma of apple and pear sauce for days now! Yum! Now that the nights are cool and the leaves are changing color, I'm thinking of baking and cinnamon and yummy apple recipes.

Who doesn't love apple crisp? There are plenty of recipes available for this perennial favorite, of course, but this one is tops on my list (even though it doesn't contain oatmeal and I'm an oatmeal fan). Maybe it is the "pinch" of lemon? Try it--you'll like it!

Ingredients for Filling
5 to 6 Granny Smith or other tart apples, small to medium
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs. cinnamon (not tsp)
Pinch of lemon peel

Ingredients for Topping
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar (I like to use 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown, but whatever you do is fine)
1 stick of cold butter, cut in slices
1 slightly beaten egg

What to Do
Peel, core and slice apples. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, F. Combine the topping ingredients in a bowl with a pastry cutter. Mix in egg. Set aside.

Mix apples with other filling ingredients (an easy way to do this is to dump everything in a gallon-sized bag, seal and shake) and pour into a 8" x 8" baking pan. Spoon topping over apple mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes and then turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 35 minutes.
Serve warm with a wedge of cheddar cheese, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad

2011-09-23T21:19:00.012-05:00

The tarragon gives this crunchy-sweet chicken salad an interesting flavor. Nice to make ahead for sandwich filling for a picnic. Also a good way to use up some leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Ingredients

4 cups cubed, cooked chicken

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1 cup diced celery

2 Tbs. finally chopped shallot

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise

3 Tbs. white wine vinegar, or red is okay too if that's what you have

3 Tbs. finely chopped, fresh ttarragon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

What to do:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Serve over lettuce or on pita bread, croissants, or toasted ciabatta bread.

Rhubarb Cobbler

2011-07-26T21:58:00.001-05:00

I can't help it. Here is just one last rhubarb dessert for you. A little bit putzy to make, but oh-so-good!

Ingredients

4 cups Chopped Rhubarb
11/2 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract (optional)
2 cups All-purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening Or Lard
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup Milk
1 Egg

What to Do

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, lemon juice, and almond extract if using. Stir and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Stir together. Add shortening and butter, then cut together with a pastry cutter.

Beat egg and milk together. Pour into flour mixture and stir with a fork until just combined.

Pour rhubarb into a buttered baking dish. Tear off pinches of dough and drop it onto the surface of the fruit, creating a "cobbled" texture. Sprinkle additional sugar over the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

2011-07-03T15:57:00.002-05:00

Here's another delicious recipe for while rhubarb is still available from the garden or the store! There are many rhubarb crisp recipes available, but this is my favorite. There's nothing unusual about what's in it, so it must be something about the amounts of the various ingredients. It will be somewhat "wet" so it's best served in bowls. I'm making it for our July 4th picnic tomorrow!

Ingredients

4 c. rhubarb pieces (about 1 lb.)
2 c. sliced strawberries
1 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. flour, divided
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. butter, melted & cooled

What to Do:

In large bowl combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, 1/3 cup flour and cinnamon. Transfer to greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. In another bowl combine remaining 1 cup flour with brown sugar, oats and nutmeg. Add butter and blend well to create the topping. Sprinkle topping over rhubarb mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Apple Rhubarb Pie

2011-06-24T20:56:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Ken came home with a bag of Granny Smith apples (purchased mainly because it gave him several cents off a gallon of gas) and announced, "I think an apple rhubarb pie would be great." I had a bunch of rhubarb from my daughter's patch--but I never heard of apple rhubarb pie. A little searching turned up a few recipes, and I tried this one because I had the Jell-o on hand. It was delicious. Slightly tart, of course, being rhubarb and Granny Smith apples, but a dollop of whipped cream was perfect. Next time I'll try it with vanilla ice cream. (I asked both the men in my house if I should make it a bit sweeter, and both said no.)

Ingredients

dough for a two-crust pie

2 c. rhubarb, diced
2 c. apples, sliced
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. melted butter

What to Do
Roll out half of pie dough and arrange in an 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Mix all pie ingredients together and spoon into prepared crust. Roll out remaining dough and cover, tucking edges under and fluting. (A lattice top would be nice for this pie.) Bake at 350 F for for about one hour or until top is lightly browned and fruit is bubbly. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Pork Chops and Apples Casserole

2011-04-29T15:31:00.002-05:00

Ingredients

6 pork chops, bone-in, 3/4-1" thick
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon each onion and garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter (optional)
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cups thinly sliced cored apples (peel on)
3 tablespoons Barbecue Sauce (optional)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
few dashes pepper

What to Do

Mix onion powder, garlic powder and paprika into the flour. (I use a paper lunch bag) and set aside. Season pork chops liberally with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour mix until well coated. (I shake the chops in the bag--but watch out and be sure to hold bag tightly closed). In a large skillet, brown the pork chops on both sides in olive oil and butter. Add onions, apples, barbecue sauce and minced garlic. Cover and simmer 45 minutes or until chops are tender.

Chicken Curry in Coconut Milk

2011-04-27T19:43:00.002-05:00

Here's another delicious and easy curry recipe.

Ingredients

About four cups chicken, cut into chunks
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 carrot, sliced (and microwaved for about 1 minute so it's a bit cooked already)
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped, or one can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. oil
1 bay leaf
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (not too big)
1 12 oz. can coconut milk
1 cup water or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

What to Do

Heat oil in big pot and cook chicken for about 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic and sautee for about 2 minutes. Add all the spices and stir together well. Add remaining ingredients (except tomatoes) and cook until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Add tomatoes and heat through. Adjust seasoning and serve with rice.

Corn Chowder with Chicken and Curry

2011-01-22T11:37:00.004-06:00

This delicious chowder is from "Reverent Irreverance" -- a Rev Gal Blog Pal Blog from a priest and Pampered Chef consultant. How can you beat that combo? ;-)

½ cup chopped bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped green pepper,
seeds and membrane removed
2-3 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup diced pared raw potatoes
2 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ bay leaf
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, divided
2 cups whole-kernel corn
2 cups diced cooked chicken
Chopped parsley (optional)

Sauté bacon pieces slowly until lightly browned. Add onion, celery and green pepper and sauté until lightly brown. Stir in curry (add more to taste). Add potatoes, water, salt, paprika and bay leaf and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. In a small saucepan blend flour and ½ cup milk. Bring to the boiling point and blend with soup mixture, removing any lumps. Heat about five minutes. Heat 1½ cups milk until hot. Add milk, corn and chicken and heat through. Do not boil soup. Serve and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Makes about 8-9 cups.

Magic Coconut Cream Pie

2010-12-16T17:43:00.006-06:00

Fun for making with children and for occasions when you are short on time but want a lovely dessert!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
½ stick butter (softened is better)
2 cups milk
1 cup coconut
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

What to Do:

Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Yes, all of them. Pour into well greased 9 inch deep dish pie pan or into a 10 inch square pan. Bake for around 1 hour (usually 5 or so minutes more than an hour) at 350 degrees F. Chill well before serving.

The crust wil be on the bottom, the custard part will be in the middle, and the coconut will be on top. Fun and delicious, (though the crust is not like a regular pie crust)

Crock Pot Chicken Curry

2010-12-09T18:45:00.000-06:00

New Rev Gal blogging friend, Sandy, who blogs at THE TABLE, shared this and I tried it and it was sooo yummy I'm putting it here too.

Sandy says: "This is a super-simple crock-pot curry recipe I got from my step-mom. It was absolutely delicious and perfect for this time of year when things are just starting to get a little cooler. It's not too hot but has a wonderful flavor. I'm guessing you could very easily use the same basic formula to make it with veggies if that's your thing."

10-12 pieces of chicken (or 2-3 lbs vegetables)
2 onions and 1 bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 c. chicken stock (or vegetable if you're going that direction)
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp Madras curry powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 1/2 tsp. Paprika
1 Tbsp thyme
1 can diced tomatoes
5 Tbsp tomato paste
1 jar mango chutney

Sandy continues, "The directions to this one originally said to saute the peppers and onion, but I'm lazy and I was cooking this a lot longer than what was originally instructed, so I figured no harm would be done. I was right. Everything was great just as it was! Basically, like most of my crock pot recipes, there are no steps or techniques here. Just throw it all in and let it do its thing.
The originally recommended time was about 8 hours on low. I did about 9, BUT I also took it to work with me. I put it on "warm" for about 4 hours because I knew it was already cooked. Then, in the last 45 minutes (while the rice was cooking) I cranked it up on high to let the sauce thicken a little. I'm guessing the last little bit wasn't entirely necessary, but this is one of those things that the longer it cooks, the better it gets!"

Mrs. Bateman's Hot Rolls

2010-11-24T14:06:00.005-06:00

I don't know Mrs. Bateman. She was a neighbor of the family when I was a baby. But she shared her recipe with my mother who wrote it down and kept it for nearly 70 years. So I think Mrs. Bateman deserves the credit for these yummy yeast rolls.

Ingredients

2 cups warm water
4 Tbs sugar
6 cups flour
1 yeast packet (or about 3 Tbs.)
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. melted butter or cooking oil

Mix warm water and sugar. Add yeast and stir till dissolved. Add eggs and beat until foamy. Add salt and 3 cups of flour. Mix well. Add the melted butter and enough flour to be able to handle. Knead on board about five minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn over so top is greased, and let rise. Punch down. Form into rolls and place covered pan in refrigerator (the recipe says "ice box"). I like to use a muffin tin and place two or three small balls in each spot. About two hours before dinner, place in a warm place, let rise and then bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or till browned on top.

Blender Pecan Pie

2010-11-24T13:43:00.005-06:00

This is the easiest pecan pie recipe imaginable, but I don't use this recipe because of that. It's the best! A bit less sweet than many pecan pies. Also a good pie to freeze for later. It will expand, so don't worry if your pie pan is not full before cooking.

Ingredients

Unbaked pie shell

2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tbs. butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup pecans (I use a bit more)
12 pecan halves

Fit pie pastry into pie pan and flute edges.

Put eggs, sugar, salt, syrup, butter and vanilla in blender container or food processor and blend well.

Add one cup pecans and blend just enough to chop nuts coarsely. Poor into pie shell. Place pecan halves on top.

Bake in hot oven (435 degrees) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until top is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

If your grocery store stocks the kind of shrivelled, sad pecans that we find around here, allow me to suggest you order pecans from SunnyLand Farms. Worth every penny!

Chicken and Rice

2010-10-18T21:48:00.007-05:00

This easy recipe is a favorite at our house because it is so easy to fix and so tasty. Just plan for an hour or more of oven time. You can assemble the ingredients ahead of time and put into the oven later.

Ingredients
one frying chicken, cut up, or a similar amount of chicken using whatever pieces you like
one can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom if that is what you have)
one soup can of water
one envelope dried onion soup mix
1/2 stick butter
1 cup rice
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)

What to do
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9" x 13" pan, or a similar sized casserole dish, melt the butter and add rice. Add the mushrooms if you use them. Arrange chicken pieces on top of the rice. Add soup and water. Sprinkle dried onion soup over the top. Cover and cook for about 1/2 hour. Remove foil (or lid) and continue cooking till rice is tender (at least another 1/2 hour). If necessary, brown slightly under broiler.

Notes
If I am making this for a larger group, I double the ingredients and use cut up chunks of chicken breast. You may need to remove the chicken after cooking so you can mix up the rice with the sauce ingredients a bit. You can also add sliced or slivered almonds and some parsley to the top when you remove the lid for the second half of the cooking time. If you like wild rice, cook some ahead of time and then add to the other rice before serving.

The Duchess' Lemon Bread

2010-10-15T22:18:00.001-05:00

Those who have read my other blog, The Owl's Song, may know that my husband and I like to play dress up--that is we participate in what is called Rendezvousing. It is a sort of reenacting of the fur trade era, pre 1840. It was at one of these gatherings that I first met the "Duchess Anna," aka Carol Knuth. At the recent Baraboo, Wisconsin Rendezvous, the duchess (as usual) held one of her special tea parties, Victorian era style. It is a highlight of this particular rendezvous.

Along with delicious samples of tea, each party includes a few sweets as well. The Lemon Bread was so delicious I asked for the recipe and our hostess was kind enough to share it. It was light and sweet but not too sweet, and reminded me of pound cake.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
6 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon or lemon peel
1 1/2 cups flour
2 level tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 c flaked coconut or chopped nuts

What to do:
Beat eggs. Gradually add sugar and beat well. Add melted butter, juice, salt and grated rind and blend well. Sift the flour with the baking power and add flour mixture alternately with the milk, just stirring enough to blend. Add flaked coconut (or nuts). Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Carol ("The Dutchess") adds:
"You can moisten 1/4 cup sugar with lemon juice and pour over loaf. I didn't think it needed this; it seemed kind of granular. Other recipes heat the lemon juice and sugar to dissolve sugar. That may seep in top of bread nicer to give a little crunch. But for me less sugar is fine too."

Note from me:
The samples we ate did have a bit of the crispy lemon top. I liked it but have yet to try it without. The loaf for the tea party had coconut. Delicious, and part of the light texture. Haven't made it with nuts yet, but I will. This simple recipe is too good to pass up trying some variations!

Added note: I just made a loaf with 1/2 cup slivered almonds. Nice. Not sure which way I prefer. I wonder what would happen if I put in nuts and coconut? Hmmm...

Peach & Berry Pie

2010-09-10T20:57:00.008-05:00

This pie is beautiful, and it tastes even better than it looks. I made it last week as a potential entry in a pie baking contest. It is a slightly different version of my strawberry peach pie (that won second place last year.) This was my attempt at the blue ribbon entry, but circumstances beyond my control dictated that it never got to the contest. Still, as we ate it by firelight one evening, one of our friends said, "Oh my, this is a first place pie as far as I'm concerned!" Good enough then, and I'll share it here. :-)

Ingredients
pastry for top and bottom, 8 or 9 inch pie
(lattice top would be nice for this too)
1 c. raspberries
3 c. peaches (pitted, peeled & sliced)
1 c. strawberries
4 Tbs flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. butter

What to do:
Line pie pan with one pastry. Combine ingredients (except butter) and pile into pie pan. Dot with butter and cover with top pastry. Seal and flute edges and cut several slits in top. Sprinkle a little extra sugar and cinnamon on top. Cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake at 425 degrees F. for about 40 minutes. Cool. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Note: I used the fruit amounts above because that is what I had. I don't think it would matter if you used all peaches and strawberries (though that would require a bit less sugar) or different combinations of the three fruits, depending on what you have.

Easy Pickled Beets

2010-09-07T17:11:00.008-05:00

My mother used to make delicious pickled beets. After she died I spent some time looking through her recipes. Some of them are posted here at The Owl's Kitchen, and some will be later. I found a few different recipes for pickled beets, tried them, didn't like them. Most involved pickling spices, boiling, canning jars--and none tasted like what I remembered.

I recently found a scrap of paper between the pages of a notepad. There it was! It might be the most simple recipe on this site. Sometimes the simple things really are the best!

Ingredients:
Two cans beets (or about four cups fresh beets, sliced and cooked until tender)
1 cup sugar
1 cup white or red wine vinegar
1 cup beet juice (from the cans, or save water from cooking the fresh beets)
1 small to medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 tsp. salt

What to Do:
Heat sugar, vinegar, beet juice and salt to a simmer, just enough to melt the sugar crystals. Combine beets and onion rings and put into large jar. Add one clove garlic. Pour the liquid over the beets and onion and close jar. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Turn the jar occasionally to stir, if you wish.

Notes:

This will generally fit nicely into a large pickle jar or mayonnaise jar or something similar. (Some beets are "pickling" in my refrigerator right now, but I made them with one regular size can and one small can -about 3 cups beets-and halved the rest of the recipe. It worked out fine, but I just used a smaller canning jar.)
If you have one can of beets and are going to make a small batch by halving the amounts, you can still use a whole clove of garlic.
This recipe won't make beets with a long shelf life like 'canned" beets (as in "boiled in a canner and sealed tight in a canning jar") will, but they sure do make a store-bought can of beets taste fabulous.
You can reuse the juice, if there is a good amount. Just add more beets and onions and start all over again. :-)

Mountain Man Breakfast

2010-07-24T16:54:00.006-05:00

This is our favorite crowd-pleasing breakfast when camping, made over coals in a cast-iron dutch oven. Today I am chopping the veggies in preparation for making it tomorrow a.m. for my church. We will cook three large batches in roasters. My kitchen smells amazing--a mix of Jimmy Dean sausage (my favorite), onions and peppers. Yum!

You can make it at home by layering ingredients in a large covered casserole dish.

The original recipe is from Lodge Cast Iron Cookware, but we added to it. The original version has hash brown style potatoes, meat, eggs and cheese. You can omit all the additional ingredients and with just those it will taste good. Just not ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! ;-)

Layer the following in a dutch oven or casserole dish. If cooking in an oven, preheat to 350 degrees F.

1 lb. bag tater tots (or hash browns) deep fried or baked according to package directions
(If cooking in a dutch oven, cook potatoes in oil and then continue the recipe)
1 lb. cooked chopped bacon, ham or sausage (I like sausage best.)

Add some or all of the following:

one chopped onion
some chopped mushrooms
about 1 cup or more of chopped green pepper (we use a mix of green, red and yellow ones)
1 can of water chestnuts, chopped
about 1 cup sliced olives.

All of this is very approximate and we do cook the peppers and onions a bit beforehand.

Slightly beat 1 dozen eggs (or more if needed, depending on how many you are serving), and pour over the top of the potatoes and vegetables. Cover and cook till eggs are almost done. Add about 3 cups shredded cheese. (Lodge calls for 1 lb. cheese, but I think that's overkill.)

Cook till cheese is melted and eggs are done.

Serve with salsa if desired. I'm labeling this "make ahead" because you can cook everything except the eggs, tater tots and cheese beforehand and then layer it together the day you want to eat it.

Fruit and Almond Cake

2010-06-17T14:54:00.011-05:00

This cake is moist with a dense texture and a slightly crisp top from being sprinkled with sugar. It is easy, quick, and delicious. Great for a last-minute dessert for company, or to make when time is short.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh fruit chopped into chunks
(if using frozen fruit, use the fruit frozen, do not defrost it first, otherwise the fruit gets mushy)
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (careful to sift and measure, even a little too much flour throws this recipe off)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan. Scatter fruit evenly on the bottom of the pan. Mix remainder of the ingredients together in a large bowl until fully combined. Spread batter over fruit in cake pan and sprinkle sugar lightly over the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Serve with whipped cream.

Variation

I ran out of almond extract so made this today with apples and a few raisins for the fruit, and instead of almond extract I used rum extract (Watkins makes a nice one). I omitted the nutmeg--not sure how nutmeg and rum extract would mix. I put it in a non-stick pan and turned it over to make an "upside down" cake. The rum extract was interesting and quite good, and now I don't know which way I prefer. Try both and see what you think!

Another variation that might be my favorite. Rhubarb sauce on the bottom of the pan instead of the chunked fruit. Whipped cream is a must this time. Yum!

Classic Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2010-05-20T15:34:00.004-05:00

Ah, Spring! A Baltimore Oriole has been spotted at the feeder, dandelions are taking over the lawn, temperatures are finally reaching the 70s and---the RHUBARB is up! I remember my first taste of rhubarb. I was about 10 and had never heard of it, but I was served a bowl of warm rhubarb sauce at the famous fried chicken restaurant at Knott's Berry Farm, Anaheim, California.

I thought it was about the most wonderful thing I'd ever tasted, and I told my mother I could not understand why we had never had it before. She had never tasted it either. We had a large and healthy stand of it by our mobile home at Trinity Bible College, and I've since learned that it is beloved in the cold states.

Here is the first of a few rhubarb recipes. This one about as simple as it gets. Sometimes simple things really are the best!

2 c. rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced in half
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. butter, melted
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 unbaked pie crusts

Mix strawberries and rhubarb together. Place on bottom crust in 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Mix other ingredients well. Pour evenly over top of fruit. Top with pie crust.
Sprinkle with sugar and a little cinnamon and put some vents in top crust.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and finish baking until rhubarb is tender. Serve with whipped cream.

Quick Meatball Stroganoff

2010-05-17T20:08:00.006-05:00

My little kitchen blog has been sadly neglected.

Here's a recipe from last night. It was easy and turned out yummy.

Small amount oil
About 1 to 1 1/2 lb ground chuck or ground round
2 eggs
1 package dried onion soup mix
one can cream of mushroom soup
about one cup fresh mushrooms, any kind, sliced
2 cups sour cream
a glug of white wine, optional

Combine meat, eggs, and dried soup mix. Form into balls about the size of golf balls. Coat bottom of skillet with oil and brown meatballs in hot oil. Combine mushroom soup and sour cream and spoon over meatballs. Add fresh mushrooms and wine. Cover and cook over low heat till meatballs are done and gravy is hot (about 10 minutes) . Serve over rice. Sauce will get thinner as it heats, but if necessary you can add a little milk. We had this with broccoli and it was a nice compliment to the onion taste of the meatballs.

Orange Marmalade French Toast Casserole

2010-01-22T20:27:00.011-06:00

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 (16-ounce) sourdough French bread loaf, or other fairly heavy white bread, cut into 1/2-inch slices (enough slices to cover the pan twice)
Cooking spray
1 (12-ounce) jar orange marmalade (I use sugar free or lite)
2 3/4 cups milk (low fat is fine)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped pecans

What to Do:

Coat a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Butter half the bread slices and arrange, buttered side down in a single layer in the pan. Spread marmalade evenly over bread. Butter remaining bread slices and arrange another layer, buttered side up.

Whisk together the milk, sugar, vanilla, spices and eggs. Pour this over bread, pushing top slices down into egg mixture if needed. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Sprinkle casserole with pecans. Bake at 350° (preheated) for about 45 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:

It is fairly sweet if you do not use sugar free marmalade, but if you like you can serve with honey or pancake syrup to which you have added one teaspoon rind and two tablespoons juice per 1/2 cup.

No-Knead Yeast Loaf

2010-01-09T17:41:00.004-06:00

This is a lovely and easy bread to make when you are short on time but want that nice yeasty flavor. The texture is not quite like a kneaded bread, but it tastes great. It's just a little heavier-- sort of a cross between a kneaded bread and a quick bread.

This is what it looked like when I turned it out of the casserole dish.

Ingredients

2 cups warm water
2 packages yeast
3 tbs sugar
2 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. softened butter or margarine
1/3 cup dry milk powder
4 1/2 cups unsifted flour

What to Do

Measure the warm water into a large, warmed bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir till dissolved. Stir in sugar, salt, dry milk, butter and half the flour. Beat with an electric mixer till smooth. Stir in remaining flour. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes or till more than doubled. Stir batter down and beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Turn into a greased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or till done.

We are about to eat this with a bowl of homemade chicken soup. :-) It also makes nice toast or sandwiches after it has set for a day.

Apple-Craisins Stuffing

2009-11-28T13:02:00.007-06:00

I tried something new this year, and I think I may like it better than any stuffing that has ever been on our Thanksgiving table. I needed batteries for the camera, so I couldn't take a picture, but it looked pretty as well as tasting yummy. Here is my approximation!

1 bag stuffing bread cubes (I used Brownberry.)
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 stick butter
3/4 cup chopped nuts
(I used slivered almonds.)
4 cups turkey or chicken stock, or more
3 or 4 apples, cut in cubes
1 cup craisins (dried, sweetened cranberries)
salt & pepper to taste
2 cloves chopped garlic
about 1 T. poultry seasoning, less if you buy the seasoned stuffing mix
about 1/2 cup fresh parsley, snipped into small pieces

Cook onion, garlic and celery in butter till onions are a little softened. Add poultry seasoning. Pour over stuffing mix in large bowl. Add other ingredients and mix well. Add stock, mix again. Bake in large casserole dish or baking pan for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

The color of the craisins was lovely with the celery and onions. This turned out a little on the drier side (that's how I like it), so if you prefer your stuffing to be really moist, you will need to add more liquid.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

2009-09-12T20:53:00.005-05:00

This recipe is adapted from one of my sister's favorites. Lovely on a hot summer day.

Ingredients:

Two cucumbers, peeled and sliced.
Two tomatoes, cut into wedges and most of the seeds removed
1 small onion, or a couple of scallons, sliced
about 1/2 to 1 cup sour cream
salt
dill week

Sprinkle cucumbers lightly with salt and allow to sit for about an hour. Squeeze liquid out of cucumber slices with your hands. After you have removed as much liquid as possible, add the tomatoes, cut in chunks and with seeds removed. Add onion. Chill. Just before serving, drain any remaining liquid. Stir in sour cream. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp. dried dill weed, or less if fresh dill is available. If you like you can also add cooked, sliced carrots that have been chilled in advance.

Fresh Strawberry Peach Pie

2009-09-07T21:15:00.003-05:00

This pie won second place in a pie contest this weekend (out of 16 entries). It missed first place by one point. :-) I made it over coals in a dutch oven, but I'll turn it into an oven-baked pie as best I can. I'm going to make at least one more before I can no longer get good peaches.

FRESH STRAWBERRY PEACH PIE

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

FILLING:

3/4 to 1 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit
1/3 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
dash salt
4 large peaches, chunked, 2 c. sliced fresh strawberries (1 pt.) cut in halves
1/2 tsp lemon juice

CRUST

Use any good pie crust recipe and make as usual except add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbs. suger to the dry ingredients. Instead of a top crust I cut out a large strawberry shape (think heart except flat on top), added a few leaf shapes up top and poked holes in the crust. Sprinkle this with a little sugar if you like.

Combine fruit mixture in large bowl. Spoon filling into pastry-lined pie 9 inch pie plate. Add top crust. Cover edge with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is light brown. Cool until warm for serving.

Curried Chicken Salad

2009-06-12T20:11:00.004-05:00

I needed a way to use up some leftover chicken and experimented with what I had on hand. It turned out to be delicious!

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 cup mayonaise or 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sliced almonds, or chopped pecans, or sunflower seeds
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
3/4 cup craisins or raisins
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. sugar or 1 tbls. orange juice
1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ginger (opt.)
salt and pepper to taste

What to do

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Orange Spiced Rhubarb Sauce

2009-05-29T18:40:00.009-05:00

I remember my first taste of rhubarb sauce. I was about 10 years old and we were having a fried chicken dinner at Knotts Berry Farm. They served it warm. I didn't know what it was, and I remember asking my dad, "What is this delicious stuff and why have I never tasted it before?" In the upper midwest, one of the ways we know spring has finally arrived is that the rhubarb starts growing. Almost everyone who can has a little rhubarb patch.

Sometimes a simple thing can make quite a difference. That's what I think about this recipe. I got the idea of adding the orange and cinnamon when I was making cranberry sauce.

Ingredients

6 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch inch pieces
1 to 1 1/2 sugar
1/4 c. water
about a tablespoon of orange peel, or use orange juice insted of water
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
If rhubarb is the green variety, a few drops of red food coloring is nice.

What to do:

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and cook slowly about 5 minutes, or until tender. Makes 4 cups. May be served warm or cold, depending on what you are using the sauce for.

Rhubarb sauce is good alone (like applesauce), served with meat (especially pork) over vanilla ice cream, or as a topping on pound cake with a dollop of whipped cream.

Variations:

Add some canned crushed pineapple, drained. This is good for dump cake, along with cherry pie filling.
Mix with applesauce.
Omit water and add some sliced strawberries to rhubarb when you remove from heat, and chill.

Cool Rasberry Pie

2009-05-20T08:43:00.005-05:00

An easy and cool dessert for summer.

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker pie crust (I like Keebler.)
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
a Few drops red food coloring, if desired
1 8 oz. carton of Cool Whip or similar whipped topping
About 1 1/2 cups fresh rasberries. Can use frozen, but thaw slightly.

What to do:

If you use food coloring, stir it into the lemon juice. Combine the Eagle Brand milk with the juice. Fold in the whipped topping and the raspberries. Pour into the crust. Garnish with berries or fruit of choice. Chill.

Double the recipe for a 9" x 13" cake pan. You can also make this recipe with strawberries or diced peaches, and you might like to try an Oreo cookie crust instead.

Roasted Fruit Soup

2009-05-20T08:16:00.005-05:00

Plums are starting to appear in the grocery stores around here. This is another recipe from my mother that I found on a slip of paper, jotted in pencil. That means she was at someones home and tasted something she wanted to learn how to make. In this case, I think it was another of her sister, Pauline's, wonderful dishes. It might sound strange, but it is delicious. It can be served as a hot or cold soup.

1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 medium pear, cored and cut into thin wedges
1 medium cooking apple, cored and cut into thin wedges (I like a Figi apple for this.)
3 plums, any variety, halved and pitted
3 cups cranberry/apple juice
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 or 3 pieces stick cinnamon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In baking dish, stir together cranberries and brown sugar. Add pear and apple wedges. Roast uncovered in oven for 20 minutes or till just tender. Add plum halves. Roast uncovered for an additional 15 minutes or till fruit is tender and edges begin to brown or curl. Stir gently to combine.

Meanwhile, in large sauce pan, combine the cranberry/apple juice, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil and them simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks and discard.

Gently stir the the roasted fruit into the juice mixture. Pour into six bowls.

Roasting is perfect for fruit that is not quite ripe. For a real treat, serve this as a warm dessert with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Iro's Chicken and Potatoes

2009-05-07T09:48:00.006-05:00

Iro was a neighbor in Marine Corps housing at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Her husband met her in Greece and after a whirlwind romance married her and brought her to the USA. Unable to conceive, she adored our toddler daughter, who we called Kristi in those days, always calling her Kistiniki. I never make this simple dish without thinking of Iro and wondering where she is now. You will have to guess as far as amounts go. Iro never measured anything. Err on the generous side, because the water will dilute everything.

Ingredients

One chicken, cut up
(I usually use chicken breasts instead.)
sliced potatoes
Lemon juice
Garlic salt, or if you use fresh chopped garlic, add salt
black pepper
oregano
parsley flakes
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken pieces and sliced potatoes in a 9" x 13" pan, or casserole dish of similar size. Add garlic salt, pepper, oregano, parsley flakes and juice of two lemons. If you use reconstituted lemon juice, start with about 1/3 cup. Pour some olive oil over the top. Add some water till not quite covered. Cover with aluminum foil or lid and bake for about 45 min. and then uncover and bake till potatoes are done. Nice served with spinach.

Italian Sausage Skillet

2009-05-02T17:40:00.009-05:00

Ingredients:

four italian sausage

about one pepper, sliced rather thinly

(I used orange because I had one, but green, red, yellow...color is up to you. Green, or a mix would be beautiful, no?)

one medium onion, sliced into rings

about 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes

a "glug" of olive oil

sliced fresh mushrooms, amount you want

What to Do:

Boil sausages about 10 minutes, then cool slightly and slice into circles. Put enough olive oil in a skillet to cover the bottom. Add pepper and onion. Cook till onion starts to soften. Add sausage slices and cook till they start to brown a little. Add tomotoes and mushrooms. Cover and cook a few minutes or till sausage is done. I like this over angel hair pasta, but I'll leave the type of pasta up to you.

Serves 4-6. If you plan to stretch to feed six, cut sausage pieces relatively small. There are no mushrooms in the picture because I didn't have any--still tasted good.

Stuffed Pork Chops, Greek Style

2009-04-29T16:45:00.001-05:00

I made this tonight for a belated birthday dinner. Mmm! I used very thick pork chops as you can see from the picture, so the broiling time was longer than indicated in the recipe.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
5 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) block-style cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Preparation

Preheat broiler.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 2 garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, tomatoes, and spinach; sauté until moisture evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses and rind.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a pocket. Stuff about 1/4 cup spinach mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper over pork. Arrange pork on a broiler or roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Combine remaining 2 garlic cloves, juice, mustard, and oregano in a bowl; stir well. Brush half of mustard mixture over pork. Broil 6 minutes; turn pork. Brush remaining mixture over pork; broil 2 minutes or until done.

Chicken Salad With Avocado Dressing

2009-03-26T14:18:00.000-05:00

A sure sign of spring--I'm in salad mode.

Dressing Ingredients

1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, seeded and coarsely mashed

Salad Ingredients

About 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups diced roasted chicken breast (or turkey)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

What to Do:

Combine dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth, scraping sides. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss gently to coat.

Serve with cheese toast.

Tossed Orange Spring Salad

2009-03-19T00:56:00.000-05:00

Tear (don't cut) 1 small to medium head of romaine lettuce into salad pieces (enough for about 4 or 5 salads).

Add the following:

1 can well drained mandarin orange slices
1/2 to 3/4 cup Craisins (sweetened, dried cranberries)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 boiled eggs, chopped (opt.)

Make dressing the night before and toss with salad just before serving:

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
dash of mustard powder
dash black or red pepper
1 Tbs. dried, minced onion
2 tsp. sesame or caraway seeds

If you like, add a few grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes (halved) as a garnish. You can also make this more of a main dish by adding chunks of grilled chicken.

Note: I tried this with fresh oranges, cut in chunks, and that worked as well or better than the canned ones. I also had some ham I needed to use up, so added some diced ham--yum! The ham was really good with the orange flavored dressing. I love avocado, and I think I'll try it with that next.

Texas Cowboy Stew

2009-03-18T11:28:00.002-05:00

I am slowly sorting through some of my late mother's recipes. Yesterday I found this one, jotted in her lovely handwrting in pencil on a small slip of paper. It is quite faded, so I am saving it here. I had three cans of pinto beans still in the pantry from when she lived with us!

I tried it tonight and it was tasty--very thick. I would have called it Cowboy Goulash!

Your guess is as good as mine as to can sizes. I am assuming not small and not large, so a "regular" sized can. That is what I used and it was fine, though thick. The pinto beans and the bacon make the recipe, I think.

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
garlic powder to taste
6 bacon slices, fried and crumbled

Brown all together in a soup pot. Add the following:

2 cans diced tomatoes (I'm thinking 3 would be fine too.)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can pinto beans
1 can cubed potatoes
(I intend to use about 1 1/2 cups cooked cubed potatoes.)

Add these ingredients to the pot. Simmer for 45 minutes or so. Nice with corn bread.

As you can see from the photo, I ate it with some Fritos, and I liked that too.

Chicken or Turkey Quiche

2009-03-02T21:45:00.001-06:00

This is nice for after Thanksgiving, of course, but I had turkey to use up so made this for company last night. I couldn't find my usual recipe, so I invented this one. Ken and I decided we liked it better than the one I used to make. As for the company, judging by their comments and the amount they ate, I think it was a hit. We served it with a tossed green salad and dessert. I would like to serve it as a breakfast sometime as well. Two of us thought it needed salt, and two did not. I would add some salt to the egg mixture. Perhaps this would depend on the cheese you use.

2 1/2 to 3 c. left over stuffing or one 6 oz. pkg. chicken or turkey flavored Stove Top or similar stuffing mix
5 1/3 oz. can evaporated skim milk or 5 oz half and half
1 c. chopped cooked turkey or chicken
1/2 c. chopped onion that has been sauteed in a little butter till soft
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms (I like to saute them with the onions.)
1 c. shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese
1 clove minced garlic, or about 2 tsp. of the minced garlic that comes in a small jar
Chopped parsley, optional
4 beaten eggs
tomato wedges for garnish, optional

If using stuffing mix, prepare according to package directions. Press stuffing into 9 or 10 inch pie plate or quiche dish, forming a crust. I used a "deep dish" pie pate and it was perfect. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine meat, cheese, onions and garlic. In another bowl beat together eggs, milk, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle meat-cheese mixture into hot crust. Pour egg milk mixture atop. Add parsley.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Bake quiche 30-35 minutes or until center is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with tomato wedges, if desired. Makes 6 servings (we cut it into eight pieces, since there were four of us, and everyone had two).

Hearty Pumpkin Soup

2009-01-13T22:17:00.001-06:00

Did you think pumpkin was only for pies and cake? Try this savory recipe--not sweet!

2 tbs. butter
2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 leeks, chopped
2 1/2 lbs. pie pumpkin, or butternut or acorn squash peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (about nine cups)
7 cups chicken broth (vegetarians can use vegetable broth)
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
4 cups chopped green cabbage

salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs. fresh tarragon

In a 5/1/2 to 6 quart stockpot, melt butter over medium heat.
Add cumin, turmeric and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, for one minute.
Add leeks and cook for two minutes, stirring to coat leeks with spices.
Add pumpkin cubes and broth. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 10 minutes.
Add rice, cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Add cabbage and simmer for 5 to 10 more minutes or till rice and pumpkin are tender.
Add salt and pepper.
Add tarragon just before serving.

Don't like cabbage? Try adding chopped jicama, brocoli or spinach instead.

Serves 10 as a side dish or first course. Serves 6 as a main course.

Enchilada Casserole

2009-01-11T10:02:00.000-06:00

Being a Californian with Texas roots, I love Mexican food. This is an easy way to have the taste of enchilladas with less effort. Next time I make it I'm going to try chicken instead of beef. I'll let you know how that turns out.

12 corn tortillas
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 quart water
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 Tbs. chili powder (or more)
6 Tbs. flour
garlic salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp cumin powder (optional)
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
sliced black olives (optional)

Brown ground beef. Stir in chili, flour and other seasonings. Let sit for five minutes. Add water and onions and bring to a boil, then simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add olives. Dip tortillas in hot grease to soften. Coat bottom of a deep casserole dish with meat sauce, then build layers of tortillas, sauce and cheese. Heat at 375 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes till cheese is bubbly.
Sour cream is a nice topping. For company, I usually serve it with a tossed green salad and something light and cool (like this) for dessert.

Leta's Orange Nut Bread

2008-12-23T14:41:00.002-06:00

I am about to make several loaves of this wonderful nut bread, a holday favorite for our family and nice to give away too. The recipe is one that my mother made for years. The smell is fabulous and the flavor is even better. Try it sliced with butter and orange marmalade or cream cheese spread on. It makes terriffic toast to pair with your morning coffee or tea.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
2 cups sifted flour (sift before you measure)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. grated orange rind
1/3 cup orange juice
1 slightly beaten egg
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 chopped pecans

What to Do:

Melt butter in boiling water. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add nuts. Combine orange juice and rind, egg, vanilla, and sugar. Add water and melted butter. Mix liquid and dry ingredeints just till flour is moistened. The batter will be lumpy.

Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees farenheit. Check after 45 minutes. Inserted toothpick should come out clean and top should be a nice golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. The bread is better if you wrap and save it for the next day.

Green Beans and Tomatoes

2008-12-22T22:56:00.001-06:00

Brown 1/4 to 1/2 lb. ground round and one diced onion in a large skillet. (If you choose to skip the meat, this dish will still taste great.) Add one medium can diced tomatoes, drained, 1 tsp. garlic salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Add green beans. Use the regular, not french cut, style. This can be a large package of frozen beans, two cans of green beans (if you must), or a "good bunch" of fresh ones. Canned or frozen green beans can be added and cooked till beans are tender and heated through, but if you use fresh beans, cook them separately and then add to other ingredients and heat. If you would like a bit of crunch, add slivered almonds or some water chesnuts. The result is homespun but fine in flavor and the colors are festive for a holiday meal. You can also make more of a main dish by adding some cooked macaroni.

Cheesy Carrots

2008-12-11T13:53:00.002-06:00

There is not much to this recipe, but it is my son's favorite veggie dish for the holidays. It's the dill weed that gives it a distinctive flavor.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. sliced, cooked carrots
1/2 stick butter
1/2 lb. Velveeta, cubed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 to 2 Tbs. dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

What to Do:

Cook carrots in salted water till just tender. Drain and cool slightly. Mix salt, pepper and dill weed with carrots and onion. Layer carrots, Velveeta, and slices of butter in a casserole dish. Bake at 325 degrees F. for about 20 minutes. Don't overcook or the cheese will separate and turn into small curds, and while it will taste good it will look odd!

Aunt Maxie's Orange Jell-o Salad

2008-12-02T15:37:00.000-06:00

My late Aunt Maxie served this to my family one hot summer day and it became an instant favorite. My mom made it all the time. Both of my sisters and I made this when we married and moved away. Now my daughteer's husband seems to like it as much as mine does, so Maxie's wonderful Jell-o salad is passing down to a new generation. This is a must for our holiday table. It looks nice in a pretty bowl, and it tastes even better than it looks. I've toted it to countless pot-luck dinners, and it has never failed to inspire compliments and requests for the recipe.

Ingredients:

one large size box of orange or lime Jell-0
(I've tried others. Orange or lime really are better for this recipe.)
one 16 oz cube cream cheese
3 or 4 carrots, grated
one cup chopped pecans. or more
one large size can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 to 2 cups miniature marshmallows (plain, not colored ones)

What to do:

Dissolve jello in two cups boiling water. Add cream cheese that you have cut into chunks. Whisk till cream cheese melts. A few small remaining chunks are fine. Add the juice from the can of pineapple plus enough cold water to make two cups. Chill till syrupy.

Add pineapple, nuts and grated carrots. Stir. Then add however many marshmallows you want. Stir again. Chill until firm.

Pull-Aparts

2008-10-29T22:56:00.001-05:00

This is a must-have on our Thanksgiving table. The recipe calls for frozen rolls from the grocery store (and those work well) but if you have time and want to make these two recipes extra delicious, I suggest you use Mrs. Bateman's Hot Rolls.

Garlic Pull Aparts

One package Rhodes frozen rolls, thawed.
One stick butter (not margarine).
Garlic powder
Parsley flakes
Nature's Seasonings (This is a seasoning blend from Morton salt. Look for a bright yellow label on the jar.)

Melt the butter. Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Amounts vary each time I make these. Don't worry about proportions. Roll each roll in butter, and then dip them in the dry ingredients. They don't have to be completely covered in the herbs, just make sure some is on each roll. Pile them in a bundt pan till the pan is about 1/2 full and then put the rest in a cake pan, if needed. Pour any leftover butter over the rolls. Let rise in a warm place till doubled. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how many rolls you used. Check often. Turn upside down on a platter and "unmold" the rolls. If all goes well, you will have a golden mountain of bread ready to "pull apart.". MmmmMmmmm! Fabulous! Come to think of it, these would be great with pizzaa soup!

Lemon Pull-Aparts

I saw this one over at Bits and Odd Pieces of Mindy's Kingdom and totally copied! But I love our old standby so much that I was quite sure I would love this new pull-apart as well! The picture is of the pan I just pulled from the oven and drizzled with glaze.

ROLLS

12 Rhodes Dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
Zest from 2 lemons
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup butter

Mix the lemon zest with the sugar. Cut rolls in half and place in a 9 x 13 pan that you have greased, cut sides down. Drizzle the 1/4 cup of butter over the rolls. Sprinkle the lemon zest/sugar mixture on top, reserving 1/2 of the mixture to sprinkle on right before baking. Let the rolls rise until double in size. Sprinkle on remaining zest sugar. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let cool.

CITRUS GLAZE

2 Cups powdered sugar
2 TBL butter, melted
Juice from your 2 lemons
Combine glaze ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over the pull aparts.

(I thought there was too much glaze. I think half of this would be plenty, so next time I'll cut the amts. in half and use the lemon juice from one lemon in something else.)

Mindy says, "Get 2 forks and split the entire pan with someone." I agree. These are great, especially when warm. The only problem was that it was nearly impossible to eat just one. I am going to try this with oranges next and see how that turns out.

Pizza Soup

2008-10-13T15:20:00.001-05:00

This is easy and tastes wonderful on a chilly day. You will need about an hour for the soup to cook. If you want to make a smaller batch, use 1/2 lb. of the meats, and use 1 large can crushed tomatoes, one can diced tomatoes and one can tomato sauce. Or if you are cooking for two, make the big batch and freeze what you won't eat, except don't add the cheese to the batch that is going into the freezer.

Serve with a tossed green salad and garlic bread.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage
one large onion, chopped
Mozzarella cheese or Monterey Jack cheese
Parmesan cheese
sliced black olives
mushrooms
green bell pepper, chopped
two large cans crushed tomatoes
one large can diced tomatoes
one large can tomatoe sauce
two large cloves garlic, minced
about 2 t. basil
1 t. pepper
about 1 T Italian seasoning

What to do:

Brown the hamburger and sausage in a large pot, adding onion and green pepper about hallway through the process. Drain. Add the tomatoes and the spices. My amts. are approximate, so adjust to suit your taste as necessary. The green pepper, olives and mushrooms are optional, but do use them if you like them. Amounts are up to you. Fresh mushrooms are best, but canned will do. Add water if you need more liquid or if it seems more like sauce than soup.

Bring to a gentle boil, and then turn heat to low for about an hour. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle grated Kraft-type Parmesan cheese on top. Add a generous amt. of grated mozzarella or jack cheese on top and heat in microwave or oven till cheese is nicely melted.

I've never tried this in a crock pot, but I assume you could brown the meat and onion and then add all the other ingredients and cook on low while you are at work. If you try it, let me know in comments how it worked out.

Apple Cake

2008-10-06T21:08:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch salt
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup vegetable oil, or one cup of applesauce, or 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups apples, peeled and chunked
1 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar
2-4 cups confectioners sugar

What to Do:

Cover raisins with water, cook for 3 minutes, drain well. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 13 x 9 inch pan. Mix dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Stir in raisins, nuts and apples. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool before frosting.

Frosting: Combine the 6 tablespoons butter with the 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar and boil for 2 minutes. Let cool. Mix in confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time until spreading consistency. After frosting, sprinkle some chopped nuts on top.

As an option, replace the frosting with ice-cream. This is a wonderful fall dessert, but it can also be used for a breakfast coffee cake. Delicious with a cup of good coffee!

I am going to make this with craisins instead of raisins, so I'll let you know in the comments how that turned out.

Breakfast Veggie Egg Bake

2008-10-04T13:30:00.001-05:00

This morning I am hosting the first of two breakfasts at my home for the women of my church. Here is the menu:

Coffee
Orange juice
English Muffins in a Loaf* (sliced and toasted)
Cheesy Apples*
Veggie Egg Bake

Here are the ingredients for the egg bake. Everything is approximate.

12 beaten eggs
One onion, diced
1/3 red pepper, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/3 green pepper, diced
1/3 yellow or orange pepper, diced
one can water chesnuts, diced
1 cup cooked and chopped, ham, bacon, or sausage
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
one clove chopped garlic
1/2 c chopped cilantro, 1 cup chopped tomato
salt and coarse ground pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Anything you don't like in the list is optional, except the eggs.

Coat a casserole dish or a 9 " x 13" baking pan with cooking spray. Cook the bacon or sausage, reserving a small amouunt of grease in the skiller. If you use ham, use a Tbs. or so of butter. Cook the veggies (omit the tomatoes) in the greaase/butter with the garlic, salt and pepper, till tender (not soft; they will be cooking some more) and set aside. Beat the eggs and then add the cooked veggie mixture and raw tomatoes if you use them. Heat for about 10 minutes at 325 degrees, or till eggs are mostly cooked. Add 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese. Return to oven and heat till eggs are done and cheese is melted.

I made individual servings of this in souffle cups and put a spoonful of fried potatoes in each one before adding the eggs. The remainder is going into the fridge for breakfast in a skillet tomorrow a.m. I think I overcooked them a bit, so watch the time carefully.

Here are a few pictures of the women.

It is a beautiful morning here in Wisconsin--the kind of day you wish you could put in a bottle and uncork around February. What a nice way it was to start a busy day!

Cheesy Apple Bake

2008-09-26T10:54:00.000-05:00

Today is Johnny Appleseed's birthday. I posted this recipe (using two of Wisconsin's favorite foods) as part of today's Friday Five at Rev Gals. It is easy and quick and the apple and cheddar flavors are just right for fall!

Next door to the church where I am the pastor is a home with an apple tree. Each year the tree is loaded with apples, and they mostly fall to the ground. I have no idea what kind of apples they are, but they are among the best I've ever tasted. They are crisp like a Granny Smith, but they are the perfect mx of tart and sweet. The skin is a mix of green and red, just like the one in the picture. I look at that tree and wish it was in my yard. Those apples would be going to good use, I can tell you! Later today I'm going to go pick a small basket full from the ground and make this recipe. It will be delicious with the pork chops that are waiting for the grill. Yum yum!

Cheesy Baked Apples

Ingredients:

4 medium apples - peeled, cored, and cut into eighths

1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons sugar (or more, depending on tartness of apples used--Granny Smith's need at least 3))

1 Tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

What to do:

Arrange apples in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with water and lemon juice. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Sprinkle over apples. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until apples are tender. Uncover, top with shredded cheese, and bake 5 minutes more or until cheese melts. Serves: 4 to 6. Great side dish with ham or pork.

Notes:

It can be made in a medium sized cast iron skillet with a cover. Bake on bed of coals with coals on the lid as well. Add coals as needed. Try adding raisins or craisins and a tiny pinch of cloves and a little more sugar for a sweeter dish. For a more savory dish, add 1/2 to 1 tsp. of curry powder and a sliced onion (baked along with the apples--with or without raisins).

The Grace Cake

2008-09-12T10:16:00.000-05:00

Grace Cake is also known as a Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake. Most of the recipes I post here are from my family, but this one has a lovely story that has nothing to do with me but everything to do with the Rev Gal Blog Pals. Read about it here, and then come back for the recipe. It is one fabulous cake. Thank you, Jody (Quotidian Grace) for this wonderful recipe.

CAKE

Bring to a boil in a pan:

1 stick margarine
1/2 cup solid shortening
4 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa (NOT European style--only use the good old USA style)

Set aside to cool.

Sift together in a large bowl:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pour chocolate mixture over the flour/sugar mixture.

Add:

2 well-beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk that has 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in it.

Mix well and pour into greased 9x 13 pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Do not overbake! Ice the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.

ICING

Bring to a boil in a saucepan:

1 stick margarine
6 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa

Stir continuously until mixture thickens. Then remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla, a box of powdered sugar and 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans. You can omit the pecans, if you don't like nuts.

Pour hot icing over the cake and let it cool. This cake can be made ahead because it is actually better the next day!

There is also a more "summery" version that Jody tried and loved. Here it is, though I haven't made it yet.

WHITE GRACE CAKE

1 cup butter
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup chopped nuts (Jody used slivered almonds and toasted them first.)

In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup butter or margarine and water to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, 1 teaspoon almond extract, and baking soda until smooth.

Pour batter into a greased 10 x 15 x 1 inch baking pan.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 to 22 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and tests done. Cool for 20 minutes.

Combine 1/2 cup butter or margarine and 1/4 cup milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Mix in sugar and almond extract. Spread frosting over warm cake. Sprinkle nuts on top.

Lemon Bisque

2008-09-06T22:20:00.000-05:00

This recipe is simple, economical, and a nice, light finish to a summertime meal. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. My mother used to make this during hot months, and I recall eating it in tiny bites to make it last longer. It is just tart enough to be refreshing. And besides, church ladies can never have too many Jell-o recipes, right?

Ingredients:

1 (13 oz.) can evaporated milk, chilled

1 (3 oz.) pkg. lemon Jello

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. boiling water

1 Tbs. lemon juice

2 Tbs. grated lemon peel (optional)

1 or 2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
Graham cracker crumbs

What to do:

Chill the evaporated milk overnight. It is helpful to have your beaters and bowl chilled as well.

Add Jell-o and sugar to boiling water. Stir till dissolved. Add lemon juice (and lemon peel or food coloring if you like). Stir. Chill till syrupy.

Whip milk with egg beater or mixer till stiffened. Gently add Jell-o mixture. In a 13 x 9 inch pan place graham cracker crumbs (about 10 crackers). Pour lemon mixture over crumbs. Chill till set. Cut in squares to serve. Garnich with a few more crumbs on top and a sliver of lemon if desired.

If you like you can make a graham cracker crust with sugar and butter, but just the crumbs works fine too, especially if you are in a hurry. I tried this recipe with other Jell-o flavors, but it works best with lemon. Sugar free Jell-o is okay, but if you do use it, you will want a few drops of food coloring, and the bisque will have a more fluffy and less stiff texture..

SingingOwl's Camp Stew

2008-09-03T12:47:00.001-05:00

This stew works well at home on the stove or over a campfire in a big dutch oven. The pot of stew in the picture is cooking on the stove right now, and it has to be the best I ever made. There is only one thing different about it, and that is the Ro-Tel tomotoes (diced tomoatoes and green chilies). Yum! I don't use a recipe, so the amts. I'm giving you are the best guess I can make of quantities.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chuck roast, cut in cubes

1 large onion, chopped in large pieces

About 3 stalks celery, chopped in large pieces

green beans (or peas, or whatever you think sounds good)

carrots and potatoes, chopped into chunks

2 tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
one bay leaf
2 or 3 cloves of chopped garlic
two 14 oz. cans beef broth
one 10 oz.can Ro-Tel tomaoes (this is diced tomatoes and green chilies)
flour
oil
soy sauce
browning sauce (Kitchen Boquet or similar)
salt and ground pepper, to taste

Look closely at the picture and you will see my cute pepper grinder.

What to do:

Pour about 1/4 cup of oil in the bottom of a dutch oven or large pot. Add stew meat and about 1/2 cup flour. Stir to coat meat, and brown over medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup soy sauce and a nice glug ;-) of Kitchen Boquet. Add garlic, onion, Ro-Tel tomoatoes and seasonings. Add just enough water to slightly cover meat, if needed. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beef broth. Cook till beef is tender, add vegetables. Cook till veggies are tender, adding liquid if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like, you can add a can of diced tomatoes, but this is not recommended if cooking in cast iron.

I plan on making corn bread to go with it. I think it will go nicely with the slight zing of the chilies.

Gold Rush Brownies

2008-08-19T14:34:00.001-05:00

This recipe couldn't be easier, and I guarantee even chocolate lovers will enjoy the result.

Our family has made these golden, chewy brownies for as long as I can remember. I didn't know a chocolate brownie existed till I was about nine years old. That is not to say I was deprived. Gold Rush Brownies are wonderful. I think they are better than regular brownies. They are easy, quick to assemble, and they get compliments every time I take them somewhere new.

Ingredients:

1. Two cups coarse graham cracker crumbs (about 32 squares)
2. One can sweetened condensed milk
3. One cup coarsely chopped pecans
4. One six ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
5. Powdered sugar (optional)

What to Do:

Combine the crumbs, nuts and chips. Add sweetened condensed milk and stir till blended. Spoon into a generously greased 8' x 8" or 7" x 11" square pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or till top is nicely golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes, turn out from pan and cut into squares. Dust with a little powdered sugar, not so much for flavor as appearance.

Notes:

Either buy the packaged crumbs or put the graham crackers between two pieces of waxed paper or into a Ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin. Nabisco Honey Graham crackers work best; others will do. If crackers are only slightly less than fresh, they will be okay, but don't use them if they are soft. I prefer Borden's Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk. These keep well, so I usually make a double batch and bake them in a 9" x 13" inch cake pan. It is nice for cleanup to line your pan with waxed paper. Grease the paper, and after brownies cool you peel off the paper.

English Muffins in a Loaf

2008-08-12T19:11:00.000-05:00

Years ago Ken and I lived in a town where the local diner served English Muffin toast with their breakfasts. When we moved away, he asked me to please try to find a recipe. This is it, and it does taste like English Muffins, only better because it is homemade. I have never tried it in a bread machine, but I am about to do so. We'll be taking it with us on a camping trip. I'll come back and comment about how that turned out.

Ingredients:

6 cups unsifted flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 packages yeast
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup water
2 cups milk
cornmeal

What to Do:

Combine 3 cups of flour with the sugar, yeast, baking soda. Heat liquids together until quite warm. Add to dry mixture and beat well. Stir in remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Spoon batter into two greased and cornmeal sprinkled loaf pans. Sprinkle top of loaves with more cornmeal.

Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool.

Variations:

If you like you can add one of the following-

1. 2 tablespoons grated orange peel

2. 2 tablespoons parsley and 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

3. 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 tablespoon cinnamon (add to dry mixture)

4. For whole wheat bread, use 4 cups white flour and 2 cups wheat flour.

5. For rye bread, use 4 cups white flour and 2 cups rye flour.

The Friars' Spinach Strawberry Salad

2008-08-09T14:56:00.000-05:00

Because of a Cappucin program that involves prison ministry, and because of my husband's work as a prison chaplain, we are occasionally invited to a "friary" not far from our home. There we join young men who are preparing to enter the Cappucin order, and their instructors, for supper and an evening of conversation.

Their temporary home is located in rolling Wisconsin fields and surrounded by manicured flower beds. Inside, the kitchen is large and bright, and the long wooden table in the dining room is polished to a dull sheen. Their brown robes and rope belts always make me think of Friar Tuck from "Robin Hood" but I don't tell them that--I'm sure they've heard it before. They served us this salad, and I immediately asked for the recipe. I've since had it elsewhere, but the night we tasted it at the friary was a first. It has become a favorite of our family, but I never stand at the stove toasting the almonds without remembering the lovely summer evening we spent with the Franciscan Cappucins.

Dressing Ingredients:

1/3 C red wine vinegar

(Daughter Kris found strawberry red wine vinegar and says it was yummy.)

1/2 Cup oil

1/2 Cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp dried minced onion

1 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp poppy seed

Salad Ingredients:

About 1 lb fresh spinach

2 packages sliced almonds

2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

About 1 quart sliced strawberries.

(I use more.)

What to Do:

Make the dressing the night before and refrigerate. If it seems too thick it can later be watered down a bit.

Toast almonds & sugar in a skillet over low heat. I usually add a few drops of water, and sometimes a little more sugar. Spread on wax paper to cool.

Combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds and add dressing just before serving. It is nice to sprinkle a few of the almonds on top of individual servings.

Serves 8-10.

Other ingredients can be added. Purple onions are nice, but don't overdo it or you will overwhelm the strawberries. I tried Mandarin oranges, and I've tried cranberries. I think diced apples would be good too.

The salad looks beautiful and tastes wonderful!

Frosted Grapes

2008-08-03T14:21:00.000-05:00

Grapes? Yes, you read that right. My husband told me his mother used to do this in the hot California summertime. I did not believe that it could be a good thing, but he insisted and I tried it. If you look closely at the picture, you might see that the grapes are covered with a thin frost. That is because I just took them out of the freezer. If you are like me, you sometimes over buy fruit. If you have too many grapes, or if you just want something very refreshing and totally natural, freeze some grapes. Presto! You have tiny fruit popsicles. The sweeter the grapes, the sweeter the "popsicle."

Aunt Pauline's Cucumber-Onion Salad

2008-07-29T23:06:00.001-05:00

My mother and my Aunt Pauline are the last remaining siblings of six sisters and two brothers. Mother and her sisters were all wonderful cooks, but Pauline was the best of the lot. At 93, she is nearly blind and quite frail, but she is still a charming southern lady. She can no longer cook, but she will be happy to know I'm passing on some of her recipes. Here is a simple summer salad that is surprisingly good with almost any meat. Eating it makes me think of summer vacations in Texas.

Ingredients:

one small onion, or 1/2 of a large onion, sliced and rings seperated
1 nice cucumber, sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oil
dash pepper

What to do:

Slice the onion and cucumber and put them into a jar. Mix other ingredients, adjusting sugar and salt to taste if needed. Bring to a boil so sugar melts. Cool and then pour over the onions and cucumbers. Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight. Serves 4 to 6.

Variations:

Add some chopped parsley, a pinch of dill or fennel, or some sesame seeds if you'd like to change it a bit.

My Mama's Texas Fried Chicken

2008-07-29T21:08:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know. Fried food is bad for us. But once in a while fried chicken is just a necessity, don't you think?

My mother made the best fried chicken ever. She learned it from her mother, and I learned it from my mother, and my daughter learned it from me, and we always get compliments. It is easy, and it can't be beat. Here's the secret. Remove the skin. That bumpy skin adds neither flavor nor crispiness to fried chicken. It just adds fat and calories. So buy skinless breasts and cut them into somewhat smaller pieces, or skin the chicken before you go any further. If you leave that nasty chicken skin on--well it won't be mama's chicken.

Season the chicken pieces generously with Lawry's Seasoning Salt, and pepper. Do not use a cheaper brand of seasoning salt. It matters. Use Lawrys.

Dip the pieces into flour. You can put them in a bag of flour and shake if you like--works great--but watch out that the bag is really closed. That's the voice of bitter experience talking. Now dip the floured pieces into milk. Buttermilk works even better. They'll be messy. And, once more, dip them in flour. Let the pieces sit for about five minutes.

Fry in hot oil (I use an electric skillet at about 350 degrees) till nicely golden and cooked through. The Lawry's salt adds wonderful color. Do not cover. The hardest part is to cook the chicken slowly enough to ensure it is done, but also to cook fast enough that the coated outsides get nicely brown.

Are you thinking that such a simple recipe can't be anything all that good? Try it. You'll like it. It is even better if you make a batch of biscuits, pack the chicken and biscuits in the same container, and head out for a picnic. Mmmmmm!

For the gravy, add flour to the pan drippings and brown over medium heat. Then slowly add milk, stirring well, till the consistency seems right. Add salt and pepper if needed. I can't give you amounts. It may take a little experimentation.

Working Person's Roast

2008-07-29T17:50:00.001-05:00

This is the easiest way I know to make a beef roast, and it is yummy.

Ingredients:

3 lb beef chuck roast

1 package Lipton dried onion soup mix

2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 large clove fresh garlic, cut in slivers
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup cooking sherry (optional)
Fresh or canned mushrooms (optional)

What to do:

Place roast in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil in pan. Cut slits in meat and push in slivers of garlic. Pour mushroom soup over roast, then add Worcestershire sauce, and sherry, then sprinkle dried onion soup mix over all. Seal foil across the top, leaving plenty of space around and above meat. Roast all day at 250 degrees F. You can also use a roasting pan with a tight lid, a slow cooker, or one of the roasting bags you can purchase in the grocery store. The roast is tender and juicy, and the gravy is made too. If you are home in time to add some fresh mushrooms to cook for a bit--even better!

Bearded Eagle's Award Winning Dump Cake

2008-07-22T13:18:00.003-05:00

My daughter, Kris, and I won first place in a dessert contest using her Dad's recipe.* I've received many requests for the recipe, so it has the honor of being the first post on the new cooking blog.

We like to cook when we camp (our camping is fur-trade era reenacing). My husband, Bearded Eagle, cooks this desert in an iron dutch oven using hot coals. It really does taste better that way. If you do try it in a dutch oven, we have recently discovered that a double batch works great.

For this blog, I'll give you the "kitchen equipped with gas oven" version. :-)

Ingredients
1. 1 can of pie filling
We usually use cherry, but you can use whatever you like.

2. 2 cups any fresh fruit, or one larger can crushed pineapple, drained

1 box yellow or white dry cake mix

Just the mix. Don't make the cake! We like yellow best. Lemon also works, depending on what else you are going to add. Peaches go nicely with lemon cake.

3. 1 stick butter, melted

4. 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

What to Do
It's called dump cake because it is so simple and ingredients are just dumped into the pan. So start with layering the ingredients in the order listed in a greased 9"x13" pan. Cook at 350 degrees for about one hour. Check often. The top should be nicely browned, but the consistency is much softer than a regular cake.

Comments:

It's quite rich, so portions should be relatively small. Nice served with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

The fun of this recipe is that it has endless variations. Use what you like--the combinations are endless and the amounts are very approximate.

Canned pineapple is fine, but fresh fruit is better. Strawberries are great, as are blueberries, especially with the cherriy filling.

Try a can of apple pie filling with sliced fresh apples for the fruit. Fresh peaches are great too. The best version we ever tried used seedless concord grapes, but they are not easy to find.

I usually use more than a cup of nuts, because I love the crunch (and we have been known to double the strawberries). I tried a cup of homemade rhubarb sauce instead of the pie filling, and added strawberries.

* The combo that won an award was cherry pie filling and fresh strawberries.

If you find a particularly good combination, please let me know in the comments.