Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

This is a Frugal Gourmet recipe. I make it for almost every holiday meal.

Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
30 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
8 oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
4 Tbsp olive oil
6 Tbsp milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Place the artichokes on the bottom of a 3 quart casserole.

Squeeze as much moisture as possible from the spinach, and layer on top of the artichokes.

In an electric mixer blend the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and oil till fluffy. Gradually beat in the milk. Spread this mixture over the top of the spinach. Do not stir in! Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and the cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 40 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.

You can make this dish ahead - put it all together and refrigerate. If still chilled when you bake it, slightly increase the cooking time.

Jezebel Sauce

A lovely sauce for ham. I cut it to 1/4 since I was the only one who would be eating it. The whole recipe here makes about 4 cups.

1 jar (16 to 18 oz) apricot or pineapple preserves
1 jar (16 to 18 oz) apple jelly
1/2 cup horseradish
3 T dry mustard
2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Cover and chill.

Cranberry Sauce

I still have a few of my Holiday recipes to post from Christmas dinner. This year we had ham - just a honey-baked spiral ham that I had only to heat up. So no main dish recipe this time! Here is the cranberry sauce I made. My sister-in-law Ceri made it at Thanksgiving and gave me the recipe. Awesome! I halved it because it made too much for my needs.

Cranberry Sauce

2 bags (12 oz. each_ fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cup apricot jam
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger or 2 tsp fresh, chopped fine
1/4 lb. dried apricots, finely diced

Stir all ingredients together in a large, heavy pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and the sauce starts to thicken. Cook for 8 minutes. It will thicken more as it cools. Cool to room temperature, cover, and chill.

Tarragon Cream Chicken

We had this last night and it was awesome! I'm glad I saved the leftovers as the sauce was even better the second day.

Note: we use thighs instead of breasts. Just cook it a bit longer if you do.


1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. tarragon
1/2 tsp. salt and dash pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts

4 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. oil

1 c. chopped mushrooms
1 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 c. white wine

Up to 1 cup. heavy cream -- add gradually to your taste - may not use it all

Mix together 1/2 cup flour, tarragon, salt and pepper. Melt butter with oil in a heavy frying pan. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture. Brown lightly in butter and oil. Then add the mushrooms, onions and wine. Simmer, covered until chicken is done, 25 minutes. Remove chicken from frying pan and keep warm, leaving onion and mushrooms. Shake 2 tablespoons flour and add the heavy cream. Stir into the drippings in the frying pan. Flavor with tarragon according to your taste. Cook until sauce thickens. Pour over chicken and serve.

I used 10 chicken thighs for our family and doubled the sauce mixture - except for the cream because 1 cup of cream seemed to be enough anyway.

Mandarin Orange Cake

I guess I'm on a roll today ;)

John's usual request for a birthday cake is an orange cake with lemon icing. I used to use Duncan Hines Orange Supreme cake mix, but can't find it anymore. I see from a Google search that I can order it by the case, which I might have done if I'd seen it a week ago when desperately searching for it in town. Instead, I found and tried this recipe. I'm only posting the cake because while the icing was good (lemon whipped cream) we were not entirely satisfied with it. Next time I'll try a nice lemon buttercream.

I love cake mix recipes because I have never had a scratch cake turn out right. Someday learning that art will be a goal of mine - for now, it's just not the first thing on my list! And why should it be, when cake mix recipes are in such ready supply?

We were so happy with this cake that even if I can find the orange mix again, I probably wouldn't get it. OR - I would get it and use it in this recipe, for extra-orangey goodness! :D

Mandarin Orange Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, undrained
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 tsp. orange extract

Mix all ingredients together well. The original recipe said to dice the oranges - but there's no need. The mixer will chop them up great on its own! Pout into 3 greased and floured round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool before frosting.

Rainbow Peppers

These were very good with jalapeno peppers as well. Be sure to not use too much cheese, it's much better with just a sprinkle!

1/2 each medium bell peppers, different colors, seeds removed (total 4 halves)

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
2 Tbsp chopped ripe olives
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Cut each pepper half into 9 pieces. Place skin side down in an ungreased ovenproof skillet. Sprinkle with cheese, olives, and pepper flakes (if using).

Broil 3-4 inches from heat for 5-7 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender and cheese is melted.

Yield: 3 dozen

Puppy Chow

I have been seriously neglecting this blog!!

But I've been having fun trying some new recipes. I'll do my best to post them over the next few days.

Here is one of my kids' favorite holiday snacks. I don't know why we only make it around holidays - but then maybe it wouldn't seem so special if it was an everyday thing? We have used it for a teacher gift for the past couple of years now. Last year we bought little tins to put it in. This year I found cheap holiday coffee mugs. You could just put it in a Ziploc with a bow! It's inexpensive, but special, so it makes a perfect gift when you have lots to give! John also takes it in to work. Both years, several people have asked for the recipe. Enjoy!

1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 peanut butter
1/4 cup butter

Melt for one minute in microwave on high, stir, then do 15 seconds at a time as needed until fully melted (I only need to do this once).

9 cups any plain, unflavored Chex cereal - I use half and half corn and rice. Have this ready in a large bowl. Pour the chocolate mixture over it and then toss gently with 2 wooden spoons, gently so as not to crush the cereal. When the cereal is evenly coated, pour into a large Ziploc (the recipe calls for a "2 gallon" but I have never seen these. I use a 1 gallon and it's tight; you could divide in half as well and do it in two bags, but 1 works) with 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar. Shake until evenly coated. At this point I pour it into a clean bag for storage and add up to a cup each (I don't measure, just pour) of stick pretzels, honey roasted peanuts, and M&Ms.

Barbeque Sauce

We use this mostly with boneless pork country ribs, which are often dirt cheap at Winn-Dixie. The kids request it often and eat it all up! You can do it in the oven or the crock pot. I've never made the sauce separately.

• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
  
• 1-1/2 cups brown sugar (packed)
  
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  
• 2 tbsp chili powder
  
• 1 Tbsp brown mustard
  
• 1/2 tsp pepper
  
• 1 tsp garlic salt
  
• 1 small onion, chopped
  
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
  

Simmer for an hour or until it thickens. Or mix it up and throw it in a roasting pan with your meat, basting it when you remember.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is my own made-up recipe, evolved over the past few years.

Preheat oven to 350.

1 whole chicken (or equivalent in parts) , cooked, cut off bone and chopped into bite sized pieces
* 3-4 cups mixed vegetables

** 2 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp heavy cream or sour cream
1-1/2 Tbsp flour (or half as much cornstarch)

Salt, pepper, other seasonings to taste

1 pie crust (for single crust pie)

Bring the 2 cups of broth to a boil. Simmer uncovered until it's reduced to 1 cup. Mix the flour or cornstarch with enough water to stir and dissolve it. Add to broth and stir till thickened. Stir in the cream.

Stir in the meat and vegetables.

Pour into a 13x9 inch pan and sprinkle with your choice of seasonings (I like garlic salt and lemon pepper).

Here is where I have to confess I never learned to make a pie crust. I will some day - but until then, the grocer stocks nice premade ones all rolled up in the dairy section near the biscuits and chocolate chip cookie dough!

One pie crust unrolls neatly to almost the perfect size. If you pull off the extra and lay it on the end it will cover the entire thing. I have kids who don't care for crust so we just roll up the extra.

Poke a couple of holes in the middle of the crust. Why? I have no idea! I don't think you really need to in this case since it's not sealed. But I do anyway.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

* Canned, fresh or frozen, anything you like. Canned mixed vegetables are simplest. Tonight I used frozen - a mix of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, corn and green beans. If you do use fresh, cook them a bit first. Add them while you're doing the broth!

** I almost always use fresh. Often I will cook the whole chicken like this (credit to Frugal Gourmet): put the whole chicken in a large pot, cover with water, add salt and pepper. Bring to a heavy, rolling boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then cover and immediately turn OFF the heat! Leave it sitting there for at least one hour with NO PEEKING!!! At the end of the hour you should have a perfectly cooked chicken and a pot of yummy broth! Divide the broth up and freeze it for use later (I freeze it in 1 cup quantities and also in ice cube trays, each cube is about 1/4 cup.

Tomorrow I'll tell you what we do with the other pie crust in the package!

"Puppy Chow"

As always, this is an adaptation of the original recipe I found. I've been making this for several years at holiday time. Last year I was broke and decided to do it for teacher gifts. I bought little containers for about 50 cents apiece, which held about a cup. I have to say I got more response from that teacher gift than I EVER have before! I think 10 people asked me for the recipe. So I plan to do that again this year, even though I am not so broke. :)

It keeps well if sealed properly. I keep it in a big Ziploc in the pantry and the kids rarely get it zipped up right. We've never had to throw any out for being stale. It is a very QUICK and easy snack to whip up for parties or after school, and you can make it as simple or fancy as you like (the original is simply the coated cereal, no added items). It makes you looks like SuperMom! And that's always a good thing! :)

1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 peanut butter
1/4 cup butter

Melt for one minute in microwave on high, stir, then do 15 seconds at a time as needed until melted (I only do this once).

9 cups any plain, unflavored Chex type cereal (generic or other brand is fine) - I use half and half corn and rice. Have this ready in a large bowl. Pour the chocolate mixture over it and then toss gently with 2 wooden spoons, very gently so as not to crush the cereal. When the cereal is evenly coated, pour into a large Ziploc (the recipe calls for a "2 gallon" but I have never seen these. I use a 1 gallon and it's tight; you could divide in half as well and do it in two bags, but 1 works) with 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar. Shake until evenly coated. At this point I pour it into a clean bag for storage and add up to a cup each (I don't measure, just pour) of stick pretzels, honey roasted peanuts, and M&Ms.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Yesterday's entry got me really thinking about Thanksgiving. My family - 2 of my 3 brothers, their familes, and up until now my parents - gets together every year. We've done this for almost 10 years. This will be our 5th year staying at a resort in Hot Springs. The resort we use is not the fanciest place in town but it's perfect for the kids - it's on the lake, there is a playground and a peninsula with tennis courts, mini golf and LOTS of space to run around and play ball. There is a small island nearby and last year the lake was low enough for us to just walk out and explore. Hot Springs gives us plenty to do as well. We've enjoyed the Mid-America Science Museum (a hands on children's museum) for several years. There are also Duck Tours, hikes, walks around Bathhouse Row, and much more!

The first year we went to Hot Springs was 2005. We were in the middle of one of the most horrible times of our lives, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We were just looking forward to getting to a place where every tree wasn't broken or knocked over! At that point in my life I was ready to get back into cooking, something I had largely given up (other than the most basic dishes so my family could eat) way back in '00 when I went on bed rest. I searched around for some new and different things to try.

This dessert was one of them. The adults loved it, the kids not so much. That was the year I decided to let them choose a dessert for holiday meals, after all shouldn't they have something they like, too? They just aren't into the fancy stuff. So for them I still make plain apple crisp, at their request, every holiday meal. But the adults loved this, and I plan to make it again this Thanksgiving. It came from the Food Network website. Enjoy!

Apple Cranberry Crisp

• 4 large, sweet, firm apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 pieces (about 2 pounds)
• 1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed well
• 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups grated white cheddar
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, cranberries, walnuts, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, and toss well to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. Blend the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour the fruit mixture into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until bubbly and the apples are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 6 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream on top.

BLT Dip

This was a huge hit at Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, among kids and adults alike. It comes from Mom's church cookbook. 

 BLT Dip 

 6 slices bacon (cooked crisp and crumbled) 

1 cup sour cream 

1 cup mayonnaise 

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped 

3 Tbsp. fresh minced parsley 

Salt and pepper to taste 

 Thick wavy cut potato chips

 Reserve 1 Tbsp bacon for garnish. 

Mix sour cream, mayo, tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper and chill for one hour. Garnish with reserved bacon.

 Serve with chips.

Chicken Coconut Soup

While in Austin last spring, we ate at a Thai place and I had Tom Yum soup for the first time. Mmmmm!! I was in heaven! The other day I got a hankering for it and ordered some from my local Thai restaurant. Let's just say their version was nothing like the first one I tried. I guess there are different recipes, as with anything else you find. But it was very disappointing, and I ended up throwing out half a container of soup.

So I asked my friend Google to find me a recipe. I found lots - most of which called for ingredients I couldn't find, or don't care for. So I decided to take the one that sounded best and mess with it (of course!)

Here is my version. Out of respect for any Thai people reading this, I am not calling it Tom Yum! It turned out AWESOME. I am beaming! And no one else in the family will like it so that means it's MINEALLMINE! :)

Ingredients

• 2 cans (14 oz.) coconut milk
• 2 cans (14 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth (I use fresh homemade)
  
• 12 quarter-size slices fresh ginger, peeled
  
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, cut in 1-in. pieces
• 4 ribs celery from the inner heart of the stalk, including leaves, chopped fine
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
• 2 chili peppers, chopped fine
• 1/4 head cabbage, shredded (I would use Bok Choy if I had any)
  
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 4 green onions, chopped
  
• 1 pound boned, skinned chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1-in. chunks (I used leftover picked from the carcass of the broth-making bird)
• 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 Tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
  
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, broth, ginger, and lemongrass and bring to boil over high heat. Add chicken, vegetables, lime juice, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is firm and opaque, 5 to 10 minutes. Discard lemongrass. Garnish servings with basil and cilantro.

Pumpkin Stew

I'm not much of a recipe follower, as you may have noticed...I like to tweak and adjust things and add things that I feel would add to the dish. Sometimes this works well, sometimes not so well, but I can't remember a time when it was utterly inedible so at least there's that!

I found this stew recipe online. I used to have a pumpkin stew recipe I was fond of, but I have no idea what happened to it and stew is pretty much stew no matter what, so I mainly needed to see the details of the method. You cook the stew inside a whole pumpkin, you see, and then when you serve it you scrape out bits of the pumpkin into the bowl. It's looks really cool, and tastes great while being something a bit different - stew is stew, but there's something about ladling supper out of a giant orange gourd that adds to the atmosphere...as well as the little different taste!

This recipe came from Taste of Home Magazine, but to be honest it's identical to 6 other recipes I found elsewhere. I don't know who came up with it first! I made it almost exactly according to recipe because I was put into a rush by a kid coming home and informing me he had to be at a football game 15 miles out of town tonight and I had to take him. I didn't get to eat till we got home, and while it was delicious I did think of a couple of things to try next time - I'll note those on the bottom.

Ingredients

* 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 3 tablespoons oil, divided
* 1 cup water
* 3 large potatoes, peeled if desired (I don't) and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 4 medium carrots, sliced
* 1/2 large green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 6 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
* 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 pumpkin (10 to 12 pounds)

Directions

* In a Dutch oven, brown meat in 2 tablespoons oil. Add water, potatoes, carrots, green pepper, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Stir in bouillon and tomatoes. Wash pumpkin; cut to 6 to 8 in. circle around top stem. Remove top and set aside; discard seeds and loosen fibers from inside.
* Place pumpkin in a shallow sturdy baking pan. Spoon stew into pumpkin and replace top. Brush outside of pumpkin with remaining oil. Bake at 325° for 1 to 1-1-2 hours or just until the pumpkin is tender (do not overbake. Mine took an hour but it was a bit smaller than recommended here. Stab it with a knife and if it's soft, it's ready!). Serve stew from pumpkin, scooping out a little pumpkin with each serving. Yield: 8-10 servings.

***********

Notes: I don't like instant beef broth, Next time I will use real instead of water. I will also add a splash of red wine to the cooking pot. I would also like to see some mushrooms in there and maybe a touch of flour so the gravy comes out thicker.

Cranberry Chicken Salad

I made this the other day when a friend came over for lunch. Delicious! It would be a great way to use up leftover turkey, too.

• 4 cups cubed (1/2 inch) cooked chicken
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 whole green onions, chopped
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. It's better if it chills overnight!

Great in a sandwich or with salad greens. We had it on a bed of baby spinach and mixed greens, with a little poppy seed dressing and some grapes and crackers on the side.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Boneless Pork Loin Roast

This is one of our favorite main dishes and is ridiculously super easy. It's not a recipe per se, but a method. It's also super cheap if you shop wisely. I haven't paid over $2 per pound for pork loin in years. If it doesn't go on sale at Winn-Dixie, they have it at Sam's for that or less.

We usually buy a whole boneless pork loin. Smaller ones are sometimes on sale, but the whole one costs around $20 and gives us 4-5 meals. Wow, you can't beat that! And it's a really good cut of meat! This method is for the roast from the whole, boneless loin.

As soon as we get the loin home we cut it into pieces. We used to choose roasts, chops etc but now only do roasts because we can cut it into chops or chunks later if we decide to. Usually we make at least one large roast (for company), a medium one and 3 smaller ones. These get wrapped up in freezer wrap and labeled according to size. If there are any loose pieces lying around they go into a ziploc to go into something.

Cooking a roast is one of the easiest meals on my menu yet it can be one of the most elegant! Here's how we do it:

Start seasoning with the fat side up. Rub some olive oil into the roast. Then rub some crushed garlic into that. Use as much or little as you like - we like a lot. And the kids like to help!

Boys season the pork loin.

After that, sprinkle whatever you want on top. We probably don't do it the same any time. We have a nice herb garden and can go pick whatever suits our mood - tarragon is good, basil, rosemary, thyme or oregano. Sometimes I "go Greek" and use oregano with a little mint.

Or I get lazy and just use something from the spice cabinet - lemon pepper, dried rosemary, Slap Ya Mama. The thing is to use whatever you like. There's really no way to ruin it at this point!

The important part of the cooking is the actual cooking. Pork Loin is very lean and dries out easily!! Here is where you can really mess it up. It took me lots of trial and error to get to this point, but I figured out how best to do it.

I use a cast iron dutch oven. Any oven safe pot with a lid will do.

Add a little olive oil to the pot and coat the bottom. Add the roast, then about 1/2 cup of liquid - water, wine, broth - don't pour it OVER the roast to knock all the goodies off! Just pour it into the pan.

Cover and put in the oven at 325 degrees. Place the meat fat side up. Do not remove the fat prior to cooking! Always cook pork fat side up to retain the juices. Pork loin is so lean that you will need to leave the fat on while cooking - there isn't much, and it's easily removed for eating. This is a trick I learned working in a restaurant.

It won't take nearly as long to cook as you think! Recipes will tell you 30 minutes per pound. That may be too much. Always use a meat thermometer! You want the internal temperature to reach 155 degreed, then remove it from the oven. Yes, the thermometer says it needs to be 160 degrees - don't worry. You need to let it rest after taking it out of the oven, before you carve it. It will keep cooking while it rests, and it will be enough by the time you're ready to eat! Otherwise you're left with a dried out, overcooked pork roast and THAT, as they say, is not "Good Eats"!

I allow about an hour to cook mine, and I think that roast in the picture - a typical size for my family - is about 3 to 3-1/2 pounds.

When it gets to about 145 I take the cover off to let it brown a bit in the last few minutes. If it doesn't get brown enough, you can use the broiler - just for a minute!

When the thermometer shows 155, remove it from the oven. Place it on a cutting board (use tongs to move it. If you use a fork, the juices will drain out!) and cover with a foil tent while you get everything else ready. 15 minutes of resting time should be more than enough. Use the thermometer to see when it's reached 160 degrees.

Meanwhile you can use the pan juices to make a lovely gravy. Honestly, though, my family loves the juices "as is", so I rarely make an actual gravy for this.

The most important things to remember, in my opinion, are

• Do not overcook
• Cover while cooking, and use liquid in the pan

You don't need a lot of liquid, I use as much as I do because we like the sauce. A few Tablespoons are enough to keep the roast nice and moist, as long as it's covered.

Carve, and enjoy!

Apple Oven Cake

Straight from the pages of the October, 2009 issue of Sunset Magazine. I found this posted so many other places that I guess they don't have a problem with it, as long as I give them credit!

I made this and it was really good. However - I think it's best warm. It didn't keep well. Your method may vary. It's so easy you can try it both ways!

Apple Oven Cake

3 T butter
1/4 c packed light brown sugar
1/8 t cinnamon
1 sweet apple, peeled and sliced
3 large eggs
1/4 t salt
1/2 c flour
1/2 c milk
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a 12-inch ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, swirling to combine. Add apple and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender, whirl together eggs, salt, flour, and milk. Pour egg mixture into pan and bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bars

This is an old favorite that I had lost track of. You know what I mean? I used to make it all the time, take it to potluck dinners, get asked for the recipe. I think I actually found it on the cake mix box in the first place. I know I wrote it on a recipe card. A few years ago one of the kids got into my card box and dumped it all over the place! I knew that about half the cards had been lost then, but I didn't look too hard because by then I had switched to the Blank Book method of keeping recipes and found it to be much easier (free bonus - babies can't scatter the pages as easily as they can the cards!) so I assumed I had moved all my favorites to the book. Wrong!!

I forgot all about it until last week when the paper started publishing pumpkin recipes. Then I went on a mission! First I looked in my book, but it wasn't there. I wasn't about to despair, though. Google is my friend! I can't tell you how much I LOOOOOOOVE Google! I searched first for "Cake mix box recipes", "Pound cake box recipes" and finally just "Pumpkin bars". I'd forgotten that the official name is "Pumpkin Cheesecake bars" - I left off the word "cheesecake" because the kids detest cheesecake and it doesn't taste at all cheesecakey, anyway.

So here it is! I made it last night and it was a hit. Mary doesn't care for pumpkin, but she tasted it. Nope, still not a fan, but she so hated to hurt my feelings! Stephen ate 3 pieces, and I believe Matthew ate closer to 6! What the heck, they are small pieces.

• 1 (16 ounce) package pound cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees C (175 degrees C). Coat a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, on low speed, combine cake mix, 1 egg, margarine, and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice until crumbly. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.
3. In another large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, then remaining two eggs, pumpkin, remaining 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and salt; mix well. Pour over crust; sprinkle with pecans if desired.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until set.
5. Cool, then chill in refrigerator. Cut into small squares. Store covered in refrigerator.

I must say that I am still a huge fan of the blank cookbook. Some of my favorite things from Mom's house are the handwritten recipes along with her comments. Something about having your loved one's handwriting is very comforting. So I will continue with that as well as this. Here's what the cookbook looks like:

When I was searching for an image (too lazy to take my own!) I found many blog entries praising the handwritten cookbook. This entry was especially touching (plus, it's exact the same book I have!). This blog is nice and it's much easier for me to type actual journal entries than to write them, but it's not the same. For those family favorites and traditions, I absolutely recommend writing your own cookbook to leave for future generations!

Roasted Carrots

This is a great dish anytime but seems especially fitting in fall. You can change it up by adding whatever kind of veggies you like and have around - we've added potatoes, turnips,parsnips, even chunks of onion. Following is the basic "recipe" that John came up with. It's enough to feed about 10 people so cut it in half if you need to! We arely have anything left over as all the kids love it.

2 pound carrots cut in large chunks (can use whole baby carrots)
Several whole garlic cloves. We just throw a big handful in.

Seasonings: I like rosemary, oregano, lots of black pepper. Salt to taste.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in an oven proof skillet. Saute the vegetables for about 15 minutes. Place in oven, and roast uncovered for 40 minutes or so. Stir occasionally.

Meatloaf

This is my favorite meatloaf recipe ever. :)

1 lb. ground chuck
1/4 lb. ground sausage
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/2 bread crumbs
1/2 can chopped water chestnuts
2 ribs celery, chopped fine

Mix all ingredients and place in a loaf pan. Cover with sauce (below) and bake for 1 hour at 350 F.

Sauce:

1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp vinegar

Whisk together and pour over meat.

My Version of Colcannon

This was given to me by a friend who had adapted her own version of the traditional Irish dish, Colcannon. I adapted it further to my own taste and was very pleased with the result. My mashed-potato loving teenage son tried it with some skepticism and then went back for a large second helping!

This is not the traditional recipe. If you're looking for something authentic, please go back to Google and try again! I have no idea how much this differs from the original, but to me it's a keeper.


Cut 1/2 pound bacon in 1" chunks and brown in iron skillet (Thick sliced pepper bacon is incredible in this). Add 1/2 of a large sweet onion, sliced, and cook until onion is translucent. Set aside.

Boil 6 - 8 med. potatoes in large pot like you normally would for mashed taters. I like the peel on, so I left it on. Peel if you prefer.

Throw in several slightly smashed cloves of garlic (I used 8. I love garlic!).

Core and ribbon 1/2 head of green cabbage, add when taters are almost done. Cook until cabbage turns a darker green. Drain and mash.

Add 1/2 to 1 stick of butter (to your ideal taste and consistency. I used 3/4 stick), salt and lots of black pepper.

Heat 1/4 to 1/2 cup cream or milk and add. (If this wasn't already rich enough, sour cream can be substituted.)

Add onions and cooked bacon to the mixture, stir well, and serve.

Apple Crisp

This is one of my most requested desserts. It's earned a place on our holiday menu, since the kids don't care for pies or the other fancy desserts that the rest of us wait all year to enjoy!

IMPORTANT NOTE!! I double the topping. I fear the reaction if I ever don't! But it may be too much for you. So the recipe is for the original amount. Try it both ways and see for yourself.

Topping:

1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
dash salt

1/4 cup butter, softened

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter till it resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.

Fruit:

2 lbs. apples (about 6 medium)
2 T sugar

Peel, core and slice fruit (we like it with peel on). Place in 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar. Sprinkle with topping. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

"The Holidays" are approaching fast! It's already Thanksgiving in Canada. It's almost Halloween. Are we panicky yet??

One ingredient I use a lot in holiday baking is sweetened condensed milk. At well over a dollar a can, it can get pricey! I found this recipe a long time ago in a cookbook full of recipes strictly for making your own version of processed products.

About 20 years ago I even had it published in the paper! Someone wrote the cooking column asking for one,and the columnist replied "Sure, I'll ask, but WHY would anyone care about making their own?" With my recipe I sent this response: "It's cheaper, for one. Also it's nonfat (there was no nonfat version of canned back then), and you know exactly how old it is -- and what's in it. No additives!"

Just be aware that it will be a thinner consistency than the canned. For most things this is not a problem, in fact I can't think of anything at the moment! You may find that there are certain recipes you will still want to use the canned. But for most things this is a nice substitute and no one will ever guess there is less fat in their holiday goodies!

Sweetened Condensed Milk

1-1/2 cups dry milk powder
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix milk powder with water until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Microwave on high for 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds. Cool before using.

This makes the equivalent of a 14 oz can.

Cream Biscuits

A friend posted this recipe on a message board I read and I was hoping they would taste like the ones I remember from childhood. My grandmother had a housekeeper that would make the most delicious southern fried chicken when we came to town, complete with cream gravy and these little bitty biscuits that are unlike anything I've ever had!

These are not the exact same biscuits. I need to keep looking. But they're the closest I've found yet, and they're really good!

I cut them with a tiny cutter - a little liqueur glass I have. They were no more than an inch across - about 2 bites each. I'll find a larger cutter next time, but Myrtle's were small so I wanted to try to duplicate those. She also pricked hers three times across with a fork, so I did that too. I don't know why she did that - but it did make them look good.

(note to self - start taking pictures for recipes I plan to post! Will do next time for these.)

We all loved them. We ate every one, and there was nearly a fight over the last one. This is a definite keeper.

Cream Biscuits

2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425.

Grease or line baking sheet.

Whisk together dry ingredients in medium bowl.

Add 1-1/4 c cream, stir with wooden spoon until dough forms (30 sec). Do not over mix!

Transfer dough from bowl to floured countertop, leaving floury bits in bowl, use remaining cream to moisten dry bits (might use all, might only use some dribbles, so add VERY slowly!), and add to dough.

Knead by hand about 30 sec. Again - do not over mix.
Roll or pat out to about 3/4 in thickness, cut into rounds or wedges. Use the leftover bits to form more biscuits.

Prick with a fork if desired.

Bake 15 min. ** they never did get very brown, but were perfectly done after 15 minutes. Come to think of it, Myrtle's were never brown either!

Serve as soon as possible.

** One recipe serves the 8 of us with no leftovers and some arguing over the last one.

** After the first time I started just rolling it out, then cutting into wedges rather than cutting and rerolling. Less handling really IS better!!

Mexican Cheese Dip

I made this last year at Holiday time. It's a combination of several recipes I found through Google when I tried to duplicate one I tried at a party. That one was made with a packaged seasoning mix so I was on my own! This wasn't anything like that one but was worth the effort.

Mexican Cheese Dip
Serves: 16-20

Total Time: 6 mins

Recipe Ingredients

2 cups Cream cheese, softened
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups Pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Green onions, chopped
2 Tbl Serrano or jalapeno peppers, minced fine
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper (adjust to your liking)
1 Tbsp. of dried chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic (pressed).

Recipe Directions

Combine all of the ingredients until thoroughly mixed and the lumps have been worked out of the cream cheese. Chill for several hours to allow flavors to meld. Before serving, remove from refrigerator for one hour to soften. Serve with your favorite crackers, veggies or thick chips.

You can also make a cheese ball with this:

Place 2 cups of crushed tortilla chips, flavored or plain, in a large bowl.

Lightly spray your hands with Pam or other vegetable spray and gather the cheese mix with your hands to form a ball.

Roll the cheese ball in the ground tortilla chips until completely coated.

* The recipe will make 2 cheese balls.
*Serve immediately after rolling in chips. The chips get soggy after an hour or so, so make as you need it. It does not store well this way.

I can't wait to try it again this year since I've discovered "5 alarm pepper jack" from Sam's. It has habanero peppers in it and adds lots of extra spice and flavor. Although it's very spicy, the kids love it and I have to hide it from them!

Squash Casserole

I think I need to work on my recipe names! But this was delicious. Everyone loved it!

6 small summer squash, cut crosswise in 1/4 inch slices
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. shredded cheese (See note)
1 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
3 tbsp. butter, cut in small pieces
2 tbsp. soy sauce

More cheese to sprinkle on top, if desired

Mix all ingredients well. Place in a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Note: The original recipe called for cheddar and that's what I used. But next time I will alter the entire dish by changing the cheese and seasonings: pepper jack with some cilantro and chilies, mozzarella with oregano, etc.

Zucchini Garlic Soup

I love a good soup! Hot or cold, smooth or chunky, the creamier the better. The cool fall weather last week inspired me to make some kind if soup. I had found this recipe shortly after Dad died. It's the perfect recipe to adapt to his needs, so if you want vegan just replace the butter with oil of your choice and add some soy milk or mashed potato to thicken it a bit.

I made it the day before I ate it and it really did help the flavors come together! I had it both hot and cold and both were wonderful. This is on my keeper list. No one else in the family got the chance to approve it, though. Between lunches and midnight snacks (and the fact it's not really their thing anyway) I ate it all myself!

Zucchini Garlic Soup

4 tablespoons butter
1 white onion, diced
8-9 large cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
4 medium zucchini, sliced, unpeeled (you want to leave the peel for some awesome color!)
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tsp salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook on medium low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Take care not to burn the garlic!

Add the zucchini and cook until soft, about 10 more minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer at a low heat for about 45 minutes.

Let cool slightly, then blend with an immersion blender until creamy, or you can use a regular blender, just be very careful! I love my stick blender. :)

Add seasonings and stir.

It's very good fresh and warm, but amazing the next day, either hot or cold!

My New Blogging Adventure.

I started food blogging awhile back when my Dad was on a special diet for his alternative cancer treatment. I search cookbooks and the 'net for recipes, mostly finding that I had to adapt and create in order to make things he could eat! After he died this past summer, I stopped cooking for a bit. But I missed it, and I missed the creative part of it. I thought about going on with that blog, but it was very specialized and had the word "cancer" in the link. I want to leave it available for others who are searching for recipes and don't want to confuse anyone by having chicken broth in a recipe on a "vegan" site. So this blog is born! My link comes from the question and answer game I play with my kids daily: "What's for dinner?" answer: "Food!" We go on with "what kind of food?" "the edible kind!"

I will only be posting recipes that I have used and enjoyed. I'll try to make notes on how the family liked it, but *me* liking it is the main criteria. I hope you enjoy and can find something you like!

Click Here to read "Cooking for Dad" which will also be linked in the sidebar when I get around to it. There you will find recipes that are vegan, and gluten and sugar free, such as

Tomato Soup
Carrot-Ginger Soup
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Chickpea Burger
Roasted Okra

...and many more. Most of which I still make on occasion today!

Thanks for visiting!