Butter-Seared Scallops

Just so I don't forget how I made these for Christmas dinner...

Scallops
Olive Oil
Butter
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Lemon juice

Rinse scallops, sprinkle pretty generously with montreal steak seasoning.  Heat large cast iron skillet on medium high heat and add 2 tbs. olive oil and 2 tbs butter.  That will give you the butter flavor while the olive oil will raise the smoke point of the butter so it won't burn.  Once the oil/butter is hot, place the scallops in the pan, you should hear a nice sizzle.  If you don't, the oil isn't hot enough.  Do not put too many scallops in the pan at once, they shouldn't touch or they'll steam instead of sear.  Cook for about a minute and then gently turn over and cook for another minute.  Each side should have a nice "crust" of caramelization and the inside of the scallop should still be very tender.  Remove from pan and put a drop or two of lemon juice on each scallop.  Serve immediately.

If you have to do these in two batches in order to not over-crowd the skillet, make sure scrape the bottom of the pan clean of any drippings so the next batch of scallops gets a clean place to cook.  Replenish the olive oil and butter if necessary.

Grandma O's Breakfast Cheese Souffle

Okay, this isn't cheese souffle in the truest sense of the word, but it's what Grandma O served every Christmas morning for years, along with "funeral potatoes" and bacon, sausage, and fruit.  Dad has served it for the last few years, reviving the tradition and I'm happy about that. I had forgotten how tasty it is.  

• 1/2 lb. Kraft Old English Cheese (It comes in those little bottles that you can use for juice glasses if you want, once they're empty and you remove the labels)
• 1 cube butter
• Garlic salt and pepper to taste.  

Bring butter and cheese to room temperature, then mix thoroughly with seasonings.  Trim crusts off approx. eight slices of bread and put in bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Spread cheese mixture thickly onto bread.  (This is easier if the bread is frozen, according to Gary.)  Pierce thoroughly with long-tined fork.  

Lightly beat 6 eggs and add 2 cups milk.  Beat together and pour over bread.  Refrigerate overnight.  Bake covered 1 hour at 350 degrees or until it is set up and the edges are nicely browned.  (People will fight over the corner pieces.

Perfect Prime Rib with Creamy Horseradish, "baked" potatoes, and Spinach Salad

Found this on another blog and I want to try it this year.  Thought it would be good to put it here so I could remember it.  :)


Prime Rib 

1.       Get a prime rib roast at your supermarket. It's usually labeled bone-in ribeye roast.

2.       Mix up equal parts of onion salt, seasoned salt, and garlic powder. Approx 1/4 cup total.

3.       Pat the salt mixture on both ends and the fat side of the roast. The salt may not stick as well on the fat side. Don't worry about it.

4.       Using a small knife, cut slits in the fat side of the meat and stick in slivers of fresh garlic before roasting.  This method allows it to melt into the fat and the meat while it cooks(Optional)

5.       Pre-heat oven as high as it will go. Usually 500 degrees, but NOT broil.

6.       Stick the roast in a dutch oven preferably on a small rack that will lift it off the bottom. Bone side down (fat side up). Get a meat thermometer and stick it in the middle of the roast.

7.       Cook the roast in the oven for 5-6 minutes per pound and then shut the oven off. DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR FOR TWO HOURS UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH.

8.       After two hours take it out and check the temp. If its 140 degrees it's perfect. If it's cooler, put it back in the oven at 375 degrees until it hits 140 degrees.. This procedure will yield a PERFECT MEDIUM RARE PRIME RIB. (Don't ask me how to do medium or well done because cooking prime rib roast past medium rare is a felony.)

9.       If desired, get a package of Au Jus mix in the spice section of your supermarket and make following directions.

Creamy Horseradish Sauce

1 cup heavy cream

1 pinch white pepper, or to taste

1 dash hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco) (optional)

3 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Whisk the cream in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the cream should form a sharp peak that holds its shape. Season with the white pepper, hot sauce, and horseradish. Stir to combine.

Note: This sauce doesn't keep very well. Just plan to use it the same day you make it.

Baked Potatoes in the Crockpot  (since the oven will be busy!)

Not really a "recipe"...more of an idea than anything. A GOOD idea when the oven is already occupied. Wash potatoes....wrap in foil...pierce with small knife in several places...set in Crockpot....cover...cook. Depending on how much time you have....LOW for 6 to 8 hours....or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.  Great thing about this is if you're off on your timing a little (or even a lot!)...the potatoes will wait there patiently until you are ready.

Spinach Salad

2 bunches of Spinach

1 head of lettuce (I use green leaf)

3 c. grated swiss cheese

1 container cottage cheese

1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

3/4 c. sliced mushrooms (fresh)

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

Dressing

1/2 to 1 c. oil (I use canola oil) 

3/4 c. red wine vinegar

3/4 t. dry mustard

1 1/2 T. poppy seeds

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 t. salt

Wash & dry spinach and lettuce. Take stems off spinach, cut up lettuce. Place in large enough bowl to toss in. (This is a BIG salad!) Add swiss cheese, cottage cheese, bacon, mushrooms & red onion.   Toss with dressing. Serve immediately!  (Don't toss with cottage cheese and dressing until just before serving or it will get soggy.)

Here is a bonus tip for you from a chef:  The best way to reheat a sourdough baguette is to run it quickly under the tap with the water running and then put it directly into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until it’s crisp on the outside and warm on the inside...  it works! 

Maple & Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

I made this the other night when Carolyn and the kids were here.  The sauce turns out yummy.  I served it with oven-roasted potatoes, which were also good with a little of the sauce dribbled on.

• 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
• salt and pepper
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard or country-style
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• (I used Champagne Orange vinegar)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or Maple Sugar Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water

Wash and trim the pork and pat dry; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place pork in the slow cooker. Combine garlic, mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, thyme and maple syrup; pour over the pork. Turn pork to coat thoroughly. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Remove pork to a plate, cover with foil, and keep warm. Pour the juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until reduced by about one-third. Combine the cornstarch and cold water; whisk into the reduced juices and cook for 1 minute longer. Serve pork sliced with the thickened juices

Feta Dip

Awesome super easy no-cook appetizer, always a hit.  This is that ONE recipe that always gets asked for.  And it’s ridiculously, embarrassingly easy. Here’s what you need:

• olive oil
• 1 block (1#) of feta cheese
• tomatoes (any kind)…I use about 3 Roma’s
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 1 baguette
• Greek Seasoning
• 1 large platter

Wet the platter generously with olive oil.  Dice the green onions and tomatoes.. Throw them on the olive oil. Crumble the feta cheese and throw that on the platter.. Sprinkle the Greek Seasoning on top. (use about 3 tsp.)

(If you can't find greek seasoning, you can sub with oregano and a little pepper and some salt to taste.). Mix it gently all together until it looks like this.

Slice the baguette.  A special word about the bread…it MAKES the dip.  I have found that the best bread is FRESH, bakery kind….the kind that comes in the long skinny paper bag.   You want it bite-sized and you want to cut it thin  because this is how people will “dip”.  Or you can include a spoon if the people you hang around with are super polite.

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole Bake

I found this recipe on a southern cooking blog and it looked really good. I'll try to post a picture of the finished product. The cook who made it types just like she must talk, and it's really a cute blog called "Deep South Dish." There were enough other fun things on that blog that I might poke around for more. Anyway, the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups of cooked chicken (or 3 to 5 pieces of raw chicken) I'll bet you could also use leftover turkey
• 2 cups chicken stock/broth 
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup

Instructions: Use precooked chicken or poach raw chicken in the chicken broth or stock in a medium sized saucepan. Cook on a low simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is mostly done. It will finish cooking in the oven. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool but reserve the stock.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a Pyrex measuring cup, melt 1/2 stick of butter in the microwave and pour that into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Shred the chicken and spread it on top of the butter.  In that same Pyrex cup, whisk together the milk and the flour and slowly pour that over the chicken taking care not to disturb the chicken too much. Don't stir it up!  Strain the chicken stock through a colander into the same Pyrex cup (now you know why I wanted ya to melt that butter in it!) and whisk in the cream of chicken soup. Very carefully pour that over the flour and milk mixture and again, don't stir it up!  Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, or until top is light golden brown.

Lasagna Soup

for the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:

8 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese

1/2 c. fresh grated Parmesan cheese

pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Servings:  8

Source:  adapted from 300 Sensational Soups by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds, as seen in the February-April 2011 edition of At Home with Kowalski’s magazine

Mom Smith’s Cinnamon Rolls

Combine the following ingredients:
1 can evaporate milk
1 can hot tap water
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. salt
5 eggs
1/2 cup oil

Dissolve 4 tablespoons yeast in 1 cup warm water and add to above mixture.

Add flour until it "looks right" (my mom's words...haha) I never have measured it, but today I had a 5 lb bag of flour and I used roughly half the bag.

Add raisins (as many as you want)

Let rise in bowl; roll out and spread with melted butter and cinnamon & sugar. After cinnamon rolls are on pan, let rise again.

Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes. Frost while still warm.

Pulled Pork

1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled

1 pickled jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

2 teaspoons of Chipotle chile powder

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

3/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon paprika

1/3 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup light brown sugar

Salt

3 lbs of pork butt shoulder roast, trimmed of excess fat

Purée all of the sauce ingredients. Put sauce and pork into a large pot and add 1 quart of water. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, covered, turning frequently, for 2 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork. Remove from heat and cool pork in the sauce. When cool, remove the pork from the sauce and shred into small pieces. Set aside. Reduce the sauce by two thirds. Add the pork back to the sauce. Salt to taste. Serve hot on hamburger buns or ciabatta rolls.

Serves 6 to 8.

Orange Rolls

I haven't tried these but I stumbled upon the recipe and it looks really good.  If I don't post it here I won't remember where I saw it, so here it is.

 

1/3 cup warm water
2 Tb yeast
3 eggs
1 tsp orange extract
1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
5 1/2 – 7 cups flour, divided
1 cup butter, softened, divided
1 1/3 cup sugar, divided
zest of 2 oranges

Dissolve yeast in 1/3 cup very warm water. Add eggs and beat. Add orange extract, 1 cup warm water, salt, 1/3 cup sugar, oil, and 4 1/2 cups flour. Beat. Add 1/2 to 1 cup flour and knead for several minutes. Place dough in greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Put in a warm place and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.

Knead dough 5 or 6 times. Divide in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half out into a narrow and long rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Spread with softened butter, remaining sugar, and orange zest. Roll up lengthwise and pinch to seal edge of dough. Cut rolls about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place in a greased pan fairly close together and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour in warm place. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 17 minutes. Don’t overbake. Let cool slightly, then ice with orange cream cheese icing.

Orange Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 package of cream cheese (4 oz.), at room temperature
1 Tb butter, softened
1/2 package of powdered sugar (about 3 cups)
2 Tb orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 – 1 tsp orange extract, to taste

Beat all ingredients together. Add more orange juice, if necessary, for drizzle consistency. Use over orange rolls.

Lemony dip for fruit

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup whipping cream
Powdered Sugar to taste
1 package instant lemon pudding
2 cups milk

Beat cream cheese till fluffy, add whipping cream and continue to whip for a couple minutes more.  Add powdered sugar to taste.   In a separate bowl, mix pudding and milk and stir till pudding thickens.  Fold cream cheese mixture and pudding together and use it as a dip for fruit, pound cake cubes, etc.

Bean Dip

This looks similar to the bean dip that I have always made with a few interesting additions.  I think I would still dice up some jalapenos and add those as well.  Maybe also some sliced black olives.  

·         1 or 2 cans refried beans

·         4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

·         1 cup sour cream

·         1/2 cup green onions (sliced)

·         1 tablespoon chili powder

·         1/2 teaspoon paprika

·         1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·         2 teaspoons cumin

·         1/2 teaspoon oregano

·         1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1/4 teaspoon onion powder

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon pepper

·         2/3 cup salsa (extra liquid drained)

·         1 4 ounce can diced green chilies (drained)

·         1 cup cheese (grated)

Directions:

1. Mix everything, reserving some of the cheese, in a large bowl.

2. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and top with the reserved cheese.

3. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until it is bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 45-60 minutes.

If you prefer, you can make your own refried beans with 2 tablespoons lard or bacon grease, garlic, cumin, and chili powder to taste, and 1 or 2 cans drained pinto or black beans.  Heat the lard in a pan.  Add the beans, garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook until warm. Mash the beans until you get them to the consistency that you want. (If the beans are too thick you can add water to thin them out.)

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

• ½ cup butter
• zest from 1 large lemon
• 1 scant cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• ½ cup buttermilk (or juice from 1 lemon and add milk to make half cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with a tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbsp butter 
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Grated zest of one lemon
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

• 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• Juice of one lemon

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute).  Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.  With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour.  Mix only until combined.  Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into greased pan and bake at 350 for about 55 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk the 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice together until all blended together.  Allow loaf to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from pan and drizzle glaze over top.  

Snickerdoodle Muffins

From Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.  Looked really good, so I wanted to post it here to try later.

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp cream of tarter
• ¾ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 and ¼ cup sour cream
• 2 and ¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar and 2 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling

1.Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.
2.In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and cream of tarter.
3.Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture in the additions. Start with the flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out  muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar.. Place muffin into a greased muffin tin.. Depending on the size of your tins, you should get about 12 to 14 muffins. Bake them for approx. 20-22 minutes in a 350F oven or until they are golden brown.

Cherry Orange jam

This isn't so much a recipe as it is a place to write down something I did so I don't forget it.  It's so delicious that I want to make sure I do it again.

We have a cherry tree in the back yard (pie cherries, not sweet cherries) and most years we don't get many cherries.  Not only that, but the birds tend to eat the ones we do get.  Well, to be fair if we made an effort we could have probably picked them but when there aren't many it's not worth the time.

This year Gary and I were in the back yard and we noticed the tree was COVERED in cherries.  We picked a nice big bowl and came inside and pitted them.  I was trying to see if I could get away with making some jam without adding much (if any) sugar, so I tried sweetening it with juice instead of table sugar.  The only kind of juice we had was orange juice, so I mixed it in (a whole can of the concentrate.)

Orange juice adds a great zing to the jam, but not enough sweetness like apple juice would, so I ended up with 10 cups of fruit to which I added 8 cups of sugar (instead of the 10 cups the recipe called for.)   I used two packages of pectin because this represented a double batch of jam.  I also added a little lemon juice and processed the jam according to the instructions on the pectin box, except when I saw it didn't look like it was gelling I boiled it longer to see if I could get it to "take."  No luck.

Jams and jellies are funny things, they are very fussy with the pectin/sugar ratio.  If you don't use the exact measurements, your jam won't gel.  Since I left out two cups of sugar, my jam did not gel.  But you know what?  I don't CARE.  The flavor of this stuff is absolutely AMAZING.  I'm not kidding, you could grab a spoon and just sit with a jar and eat it plain.  (Okay, I would end up in a coma if I did that, but a normal person could.)  Anyway, there were enough cherries left on the tree to make a second batch, and I had enough pectin to do it again, so I made an identical batch.  You can still use it as jam, it's just a bit drippy so you have to eat carefully.  It would also be amazing on waffles, and we have already had it on Swedish pancakes, it was stupendous.

If I had added the other two cups of sugar, it would have gelled perfectly, but it would have been a lot sweeter and would have totally lost that orangy/cherry zing that is so unbelievably good.  I'd rather have the perfect flavor and no gel than firm jam that's too sweet to enjoy.

I have heard of pectin that you can use with lower sugar recipes, maybe next time I'll try that.  But I won't sacrifice the flavor of this stuff.  It's perfect.  :)

Mashed Potato Salad

We made this for our 4th of July barbecue. It is nothing like the traditional potato salad, but to me is more like loaded mashed potatoes, hence the name. :)

1 5 lb bag of red potatoes

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 lb bacon

1/2-1 cup chopped green onions

Cut up and boil the potatoes until they are soft. While they are cooking, cut up the bacon and fry it. when it is finished, lightly sautee the green onions in some of the drippings. Drain the bacon and green onions, and put them in a bowl with the mayonnaise, sour cream, and ranch dressing mix. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste, as well as a dash of cayenne pepper if you like. When the potatoes are done cooking, drain and let cool, then mix them in with the other ingredients. Serve warm or chilled. 

Pizza Muffins

This recipe was adapted from Every day with Rachael Ray

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup cubed pepperoni
• 1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Cookie Bowls

Okay, I saw this picture and Sarah and I agree that this is an AMAZING idea... There were no instructions so you'd have to experiment but I suspect you'd cook these about as long as you'd cook any other large cookie.  Think how cute these would be filled with ice cream for a kid's party or filled with fresh fruit or a good fruit topping, with some whipped cream for a great dessert.  Use your favorite cookie recipe (though I think I'd steer clear of chocolate chips or anyting with chunks of candy in it because that would tend to melt off and leave holes.)  Form to the OUTSIDE of the greased muffin tin (cute muffin tins would make a cuter bowl but let's face it, once it's filled you'll only see so much of the "cuteness" factor anyway) and then bake.  Let cool partially before you remove from the muffin tin, then cool completely before you invert and fill.  (This is an educated guess.)

There's a bakery at the airport that serves oatmeal in the morning in a large oatmeal cookie.  Hmm...  The possibilities are endless.  You could always serve an oatmeal cookie with some applesauce in it or with a yogurt filling and serve it for breakfast too.  Pudding would also be a good filling.  Worms and dirt would work for a kids' party too. 

Chicken Casserole

Sarah and I saw this on TV, but we think it's easier to use prepared chicken instead of cooking it yourself.  (We're all about making life easy when we can!)  Also, we decided that even though you can use raw potatoes (cook for about 15 minutes longer) it's so much easier to use the prepared cubed hash browns than slicing or cubing your own poatoes. 

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked chicken chunks (packaged fajita strips work well)
3 cups frozen diced potatoes
3 cups frozen vegetables
Sauce
Grated Cheese

Sauce:
2 cups sour cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
8 tbsp butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-3 Tbs. seasonings of your choice (you can change these to change the flavor of your casserole.)
1 chicken bullion cube
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a saute pan and add the flour to create a roux. Whisk in the milk, cheddar cheese, spices, bullion cube, salt and pepper.
2. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for about ten minutes.
3. Add the chicken and the sour cream to the cooled white sauce. Mix together and set aside.
4. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with vegetable spray. Cover bottom of the pan with the potatoes
5. Create a layer of vegetables on top of the potatoes.
6. Spread the chicken mixture over the vegetables. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, remove the foil, and continue cooking for 10 additional minutes to brown up the top.
8. Remove from the oven and allow the casserole to sit for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Susie's Roast Beef Dinner

This is how I make roast beef for Sunday dinner.  Cook the meat "low and slow."  

• 1 pot roast.  I use either a chuck roast, a 7-bone roast, or something like that.  The flat kind of beef roast.  You can do pretty much any size roast, within reason.
• 1 package Lipton onion soup mix (or a store brand equivalent.)
• About a cup of water
• Potatoes
• Canned milk or cream
• Butter
• Thickener for gravy (I use cornstarch, but you can also use flour)

Put the roast in one of those black (or dark blue) roasting pans with the white speckles on it.  You can use a different type of pan to roast in, but the dark color of this type of roasting pan helps to make the gravy a nice dark brown color.  Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix over the top of the roast.  Pour about a cup of water around the roast, to provide moisture and prevent the roast from drying out.

Put the lid on the roasting pan and place in a low (250 degree) oven for about 5 hours.  You can cook it at 350 degrees for three hours instead, but your roast will not be as tender and flavorful.  Also, a lot of the moisture will cook away and you will not have nearly as much available to make your gravy.  

About 45 minutes to an hour before you are ready to serve your dinner, scrub potatoes well and cut into chunks.  Put in large pan and barely cover with water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until very tender.  Drain potatoes and add butter and canned milk or cream.  Whip till potatoes are fluffy.  (You can peel the potatoes before you cook them, but it's a lot more work and most of the nutrition is in the peel, so it's actually better to leave the skins on.)  Cover potatoes to keep them hot till dinner is ready.

At the end of the cooking time, remove the roast and cover to keep hot while you make the gravy.  Put roasting pan (with drippings) on stove top and turn heat on medium.  Bring to a boil, stirring with spatula and scraping flavored bits off sides and bottom of roasting pan.  Mix about half a cup of water with a few heaping tablespoons of cornstarch till smooth.  Pour cornstarch mixture into the drippings all at once, stirring continually.  Keep stirring as the gravy cooks and thickens.  Taste, and add salt if necessary.  If your gravy isn't flavorful enough, add a little beef bouillon to enhance flavor.  (If you are using flour instead of cornstarch, you will need to use more flour, and so more water to mix it with.  Stir it into the drippings more gradually.  Your gravy will be cloudy instead of clear and you'll need to cook it a little longer to thicken it. But it will still be delicious.)

I like to serve this dinner with green beans (see "green beans ala Susie) and homemade bread.

Fresh Berry Pie

2-3 quarts berries, depending on the size of your crust (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries)
1 bottle (10 oz) "Simply fruit" jam (flavor to match the berries, or you can use regular jam)
1/4 cup water
1 pre-baked pie crust

Slice berries (or lightly mash, for raspberries and blackberries), reserving 10 of the best looking large strawberries or 1 cup raspberries or blackberries for the top of the pie.  For strawberries, halve the reserved berries.

Microwave the jam and water in a glass bowl and whisk to blend.  Pour over the berries prepared for the pie filling, reserving a couple of tablespoons for glazing the top of the pie.  Transfer the berries to the baked pie crust.

Top the pie with the reserved pretty berries and brush with the reserved jam glaze.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Top each slice with whipped cream if desired.

Tukey or Chicken Pot Pie

I haven't tried this, but I like home made pot pie and I saw this in a magazine and it looks good.  I want to save this recipe but not the magazine.  :)

1 egg
1 tb. water
6 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken
5 cups mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen)
2 tbs. butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups Chicken stock
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 of a 17.3 oz. pkg purr pastry sheet (1 sheet) thawed
2 tbs. coarsely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, and/or oregano)

Heat oven to 400, beat egg and water in small bowl with fork.  Stir turkey and veggies together in 9 x 13 pan.  Heat butter in 2 quart pan over medium heat and add flour. Cook and stir 3 minutes, and gradually stir in stock.  Cook and stir 5 minutes until mixture boils and thickens.  Stir in pepper.  Pour stock mixture over turkey and veggies.

Unfold pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. Roll into 9 x 13 rectangle and place over filling.  Press pastry to rim of pan to seal.  Brush with egg mixture and sprinkle with herbs.  Bake 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is hot and bubbly. 

Okay, here's the thing.  At Thanksgiving time I always make a TON of gravy.  If I make this with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, I will use leftover turkey gravy instead of doing the stock/butter/flour thing.  But doing this at other times of the year, I will totally do this using a pre-cooked turkey breast from the deli.

Drop Sugar Cookies

You can take the time to roll these out, but really, that's a pain in the rear so use a nice big scoop and make some delicious cookies (nice big soft ones) that aren't overly sweet but are sweet enough to satisfy your craving for soft sugar cookies.

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
(cream above together)

1 cup buttermilk (OR 1 cup minus 1 tb. milk and 1 tb. lemon juice)
1 tsp. baking soda
(stir together, set aside)

4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
(add to creamed mixture, alternating with buttermilk)

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet, sprinkle with colored sugar and bake at 375 for 15 minutes for giant cookies.  You can frost these instead of sprinkling them with sugar if you prefer a sweeter cookie.  Use a thin frosting, almost an icing consistency.

Chocolate Cake, no eggs

If you're out of eggs and you are craving chocolate cake, try this recipe.

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups water
3/4 cups oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. vinegar

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Add all wet ingredients and mix well.  Batter will be thin.  Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan, bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until atoothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool completely and frost.  (Use a rich frosting.)

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
dash salt
3 tbs. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter together, add powdered sugar, cocoa, salt, milk, and vanilla.  Spread over 9 x 13 cake.

Moist chocolate cake

1 3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa
2 tbs. pero powder (optional)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda and baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1 or 2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour pan of your choice (bundt or 9 x 13).  Mix all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl.  Add wet ingredients, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Batter will be thin.  Pour into pan.  Bake 45-50 minutes for bundt pan, 35-40 minutes for 9 x 13 pan.  Test for doneness with toothpick inserted near center.  (Toothpick should come out clean.)  For bundt cake, cool on rack for 10 minutes, invert on plate and dust with powdered sugar.  For 9 x 13 pan, try chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Lemon or Lime Cornmeal Cake

Baking spray (cooking spray with flour)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp each baking soda and salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

Heat oven to 325.  Coat bundt pan with baking spray.  In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, lemon zest and juice with mixer till light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time till blended.  Add cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  With mixer on low, alternately beat in flour and buttermilk (or yogurt) until batter is smooth.  Scrape into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes.  Cool cake on wire rack 5 minutes and invert pan onto plate.

Meanwhile, make glaze with 1 cup of sugar and juice of one lemon just till combined.  (Sugar will not be dissolved.)  Brush glaze over hot cake until absorbed (sugar crystals will still be evident) and let cake cool completely.  Cover cake and let it rest several hours or overnight before serving.  Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days.  Cut into thin slices to serve.

(Lime juice and zest can be substituted for lemon.)

Spinach Dip

This is a little different than the typical spinach dip, this does not include that "Knorr" stuff.  I like this one better, but to each his own.  :)

10 oz. pkg chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained well.  (Chop some more in food processor)
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped scallions (green onions)
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients in bowl, chill to let flavors blend.  Serve in a hollowed out loaf of bread such as sourdough, pumpernickel, or rye.  Serve with bread cubes for dipping.

Caramelized Onion-Bacon Dip

6 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, sliced thin
3 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In large skillet, saute diced bacon till it's nice and crispy.  As it crisps, break it up further with fork.  Remove from pan and drain well.  Using some of the bacon drippings, cook onion until well caramelized and golden brown.  Remove from pan and chop coarsely.

In medium bowl, whip together the cream cheese and sour cream till light and fluffy.  Stir in the bacon crumbles, the onions, the vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Chill at least 30 minutes.

Hot Fudge Swirl

I haven't tried this yet, but saw this recipe in a magazine and it looks intriguing.  After trying it once as is, I would probably substitute hot caramel sauce for the hot fudge and add some cinnamon, but that's just me.

Cooking spray (like Pam or the equivalent)
1 3/4 cup flour
2 heaping tsps. bread yeast (or two envelopes regular yeast)
2 tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup very warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
2 tbs. melted butter

Spray 9 1/2 inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.  Mix the rest of the ingredients together and top with dollops of hot fudge sauce (regular or dark chocolate.)  Do NOT substitute chocolate syrup.  (This is where I would try a hot caramel sauce, but not something thin, something meant to be used the same as hot fudge.)  Use approximately 1 cup sauce.  Using spoon, swirl fudge sauce into batter.

Bake by placing pie plate into a cold oven.  Set temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned and firm in center.  Cool 10 minutes.  Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 or 2 tbs. milk to make icing and drizzle over warm cake.  Serve.

Karen's Delectable Clam Dip

Karen's been making this dip forever.  We used to make up a bowl and take it downstairs to her bedroom with a bag of chips.  The ultimate comfort food snack.  :)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 oz. can clams, minced or chopped
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce (or more to taste)
1 tbs. lemon juice

Loosely drain clams (reserve juice) and mix with all other ingredients.  Thin to desired consistency with reserved juice from clams and or more worcestershire sauce.  Serve with potato chips.  Yum.

Pumpkin Raisin Bars or Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp.  baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optioal
1/2 cup raisins

Frosting:
1/3 cup butter (softened)
3 oz. cream cheese (softened)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350.  Grease 15 x 10 x 1 pan.  Combine all ingredients except nuts and raisins.  Beat at low speed till moistened.  Beat 2 more minutes, then stir in nuts and raisins.  Pour into greased pan.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely.   Combine all frosting ingredients in small bowl and beat till smooth.,  Frost cooled bars and cut.

To make pumpkin raisin cake, bake in 9 x 13 pan, bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)
powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar till light, add vanilla, eggs, and cocoa.  Stir in dry ingredients, milk, and nuts/chocolate chips.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls (refrigerate dough to make it firmer, if necessary.)  Roll balls in powdered sugar and place on lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 14 to 16 minutes, or until cookies are firm in the center.  Remove from cookie sheets and cool on rack.  Makes about 4 dozen.

Bridget's Pudding Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 package pudding

(mix above together.)

Add:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
chocolate (or other flavor) chips

Oven @ 375
Bake 8 minutes (if you don't preheat the oven, bake the first batch 10 minutes.)

Bridget has made these using butterscotch pudding with butterscotch chips, vanilla pudding with chocolate chips, etc. I'm sure there's a lot of good combinations.  These are wonderful cookies, very soft.  And they never last long.

Green Bean Casserole

A few changes in the way I used to make the traditional green bean casserole have made a big difference in the quality.  Now it's a lot fresher tasting and richer (and of course higher in calories, but it's for Thanksgiving so I don't care.)

• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup (Healthy request)
• 1 cup cream (instead of milk)
• 1 - 1 1/2 tsp. canadian steak seasoning (instead of pepper)
• 1 large bag of frozen green beans (as much as you can comfortably fit in dish and still stir together ingredients.  Do not used  canned for this version of the recipe.)
• 3 cups French's french fried onions (doubled from original recipe, get the big can from Sam's club)

Mix all ingredients together, reserving half of the onions, in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.  Top with reserved onions.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or till casserole is bubbling hot, you can adjust time and temperature to share the oven with other Thanksgiving side dishes.

Thanksgiving Spinach Casserole

I made this to surprise the kids for Thanksgiving once instead of the green bean casserole and after they got over being upset they decided this was better.  Now I'm supposed to make both every year. :)

• 2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 can (13 3/4 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup whole milk

Combine spinach, artichokes, cream, salt, pepper, and half of parmesan cheese in casserole dish.  In a small bowl, beat cream cheese till fluffy.  Reduce mixer speed and add milk, mixing just till blended.  Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over spinach mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges bubble and top is golden.  You can adjust baking time and temperature so you can bake it with other casseroles and Thanksgiving side dishes.  Also, it's okay to be a little more generous with the parmesan cheese if you want to.

Green Beans a la Susie

1 pound fresh green beans (can use frozen, but they won't be as delicious)
bacon drippings and/or olive oil
canadian steak seasoning

Clean 1 lb. fresh green beans and blanch for 3 minutes in boiling water.  Drain well.  In the meantime, heat about a tablespoon of bacon drippings in a large frying pan.  Add about a tablespoon of olive oil.  When oil is hot, add drained green beans and stir fry till there are some nice browned areas on the beans but they're still tender-crisp. Sprinkle to taste with the canadian steak seasoning and serve immediately.

Cream Biscuits

These are the best biscuits EVER.  You will never bother making any other kind.  And they're easy.

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbs. baking powder
2 tsp. sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 425.  Use an ungreased baking sheet.  Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a mixing bowl.  Stir dry ingredients with a fork to blend and lighten.  Slowly add one cup of cream to the mixture, stirring constantly.  Gather the dough together.  When it holds together and feels tender, it is ready to knead.  If the dough seems shaggy and pieces are dry and falling away, then slowy add enough additional cfream to make the dough hold together. 

Place the dough on a lightly floured board and knead for one minute.  Pat the dough into a square that is about half an inch thick.  Cut into twelve squares and dip each into the melted butter so all sides are coated.  Place the biscuits 2 inches apart on teh baking sheet.  Bake for about fifteen minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly browned.  Serve hot with butter and jam, or serve with sausage gravy.  (This is a special-occasion breakfast, not "low fat" by any stretch of the imagination, but really delicious.) 

Flame Tree BBQ Sauce

This is the same BBQ sauce that they serve at the Flame Tree BBQ in Disney's Animal Kingdom.  Yum.

1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbs. molasses
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. mild chili powder
1 tbs. paprika
2 tsps. onion powder

1 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tps. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low and cook at a bare simmer, stirring frequently, for 35 minutes or until thickened.  Use immediately or store for up to 2 weeks. 

Unshrinking Sweaters

Okay, this isn't a real recipe, one that you would cook and eat, but it's handy to have around just the same.


If you've ever washed a batch of sweaters in the washer, thinking you'd lay them flat to dry and then had someone else come along and "help" you and put your load in the dryer for you, this is how you can fix them.  If it doesn't work for you, all you're out is a bottle of cheap hair conditioner.  If it DOES work, you've saved yourself all your nice sweaters.
________




Fill the laundry tub or bath with a few inches of warm water and add a generous amount of hair conditioner. (I had a whole load of my sweaters, so had a whole batch of them in the tub so I used a whole bottle of conditioner.)  Gently work the solution through the entire sweater, kneading the sweater as you go. Do not wring the sweater, but after draining the tub, press the sweater against the side of the tub to press out the excess water.  Pull it out of the water and place on a stack of bath towels (since the sweater will be soaking wet) and then gently stretch the sweater into the former shape.  Allow to dry in a cool room - DO NOT use any heat to dry the sweater. Repeat if needed. Then wash again as usual, being sure to rinse fully to remove the conditioner, and lay flat to dry.

Breakfast Cake

When the kids were little and I wanted to make a special breakfast, they would FREAK when I mentioned I was making coffee cake, so I had to re-name this breakfast cake.  


½ cup salad oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 ½ cups sugar

3 cups flour (whole wheat is best)

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Combine oil, eggs, milk.  Add dry ingredients, mix well.  Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle with Spicy topping (below), bake 375 degrees for 34-40 minutes.  Serve warm, along with some fresh fruit and maybe some bacon or sausage.  This is a special breakfast.  To make it a little healthier I used to make it with freshly ground whole wheat flour, and it was still absolutely wonderful.

Spicy topping:

½ cup brown sugar

2 tbs. flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbs. melted butter

Combine all ingredients, sprinkle over cake batter before baking.

Pancakes and Blueberry pancakes

1cup flour

1 tbs. baking powder

2 tbs. sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 cup milk
1 egg

2 tbs. salad oil

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, salt, milk, egg, oil, and vanilla together.  Add baking powder and flour and mix until smooth.  If batter is too thick, add water.  It's better to have batter a little too thin than have it too thick. Cook on greased hot griddle.   To make Blueberry Pancakes:  Use a little more sugar in the batter, and after you ladle the batter on the griddle, sprinkle fresh blueberries on each pancake.  

To cook on griddle:  Heat griddle to 375 or 400 degrees, depending on griddle.  Lightly grease griddle and wipe with paper towel.  Ladle batter onto griddle (about 1/4 cup per pancake, maybe a little less, especially with thinner batter.)  Pancakes will form bubbles.  This is NOT the time to flip them.  Wait till the majority of the bubbles have popped and the edges of the pancakes look a little bit dry.  Flip one time only.  Let cook on second side till done.  If the pancakes are too brown, lower the heat.  

When the kids were little I used to make pancakes with their initials on them.  Make a capital letter backwards (easier for some than for others!) and let it cook a few moments, then fill it in with batter till the batter spills over and makes a circle, looking as close to a "normal" pancake as possible.  Then when you flip it, you can see the initial in the middle.  It'll be a slightly darker shade than the rest of the pancake, but even if it's the same color you can still see the outline of the initial.  This used to really tickle the kids.  It's also fun to do shapes like Mickey Mouse for them.  (Okay, I admit I got the biggest kick out of the Mickey pancakes...)