A little bit of this...

Crepes

2011-11-02T11:10:00.000-05:00

3 C flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C milk
2 C water
4 lg eggs
1 tsp vanilla
6 Tb melted butter

-Mix flour and salt.
-Wisk in milk and water till smooth
-Wisk in eggs til smooth
-Mix in vanilla and butter

-Lightly grease and heat non-stick pan (only needs greasing for the first crepe if non-stick pan).
-Pour 1/4 to 1/3 C batter onto pan and immediately maneuver pan so batter coats entire bottom surface.
-Cook 1-2 minutes as you would a pancake, but this will be ready to flip a little sooner.
-Flip and cook for approx 1 min.

-Serve hot (can keep hot in a 150 degree warm oven on a cookie sheet)
-Fill with: peanut butter and jam, honey, cream cheese, fruit, veggies (have not tried), whatever you like!
-Dust with powdered sugar, spread with a touch of maple syrup, or eat plain with filling.

Yum!!

I'd really like to try this with whole wheat flour next time. I think it should work? My dear hubby just bought me a Nutrimill. I cried, he's so sweet...

Black Tie Mousse Cake Close to Home

2011-03-14T14:50:00.001-05:00

I love Olive Garden's Black Tie Mousse Cake. Oh yum! I tried making a Copycat recipe from Food.com and was happy to eat the results - ha! Just don't look at the nutritional info and enjoy!

I included their recipe and what I modified in purple below. Wonderful recipe. Thanks, Food.com! I would have just linked to them, but I couldn't figure out a simple way to include the changes or notes I had. This was the fanciest dessert I've ever made. Very fun and time consuming!!

BOTTOM LAYER

1 (18 ounce) box of ordinary cake mix (devil's food) Dark Chocolate Fudge

SECOND LAYER

1 teaspoon knox unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
2 tablespoons boiling water
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

THIRD LAYER

3 egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon knox unflavored gelatin
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOURTH LAYER

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
18 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional) Almond Bark
1 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips for edges/"crust"

1 There are FOUR layers to make:

2 BOTTOM LAYER (cake):

3 Bake according to directions on box using 2 round (9-in springform) pans, then cool. Once cooled, use the cake from one pan as one layer (you do not need the second cake from the second pan. In other words, you only need half the box cake. I doubled the whole recipe, except for part 4.) ~~Place this round cake at the bottom of a CHEESECAKE PAN.~~ Press it with your fingers and flatten the cake a little. This is the bottom layer out of four layers.

4 SECOND LAYER (the chocolate mousse):

5 Melt chocolate and cream cheese together. Let cool. Soften gelatin with cold water for 1 minute (sprinkle over water in bowl), then add boiling water, stir until dissolved and clear. Let this cool while you start whipping the heavy cream and sugar. As cream starts to thicken, add gelatin. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Add 1/4 of the cream to the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. Then fold this into the remaining cream. Once you have it completed, spread this chocolate mousse onto the cake and refrigerate (freeze).

6 THIRD LAYER (the custard):

7 Beat egg yolks until pale. Add sugar, flour, and gelatin (sprinkled over eggs), then beat until mixed. Bring cream and vanilla extract to a boil. Add a small amount of cream to egg mixture while stirring. Gradually add until all of the cream has been added and then pour entire mixture through a strainer into the pan. Continue to cook until custard begins to thicken. Cool slightly, then pour on top of the chocolate mousse layer and freeze while getting the fourth layer ready. (This step is very time consuming but oh so yummy).

8 FOURTH LAYER (the icing):.

9 Please note: this makes a lot of icing so feel free to half this part of the recipe (I just happen to like a lot of icing on top). (I would cut this in half if only making one cake. I like icing and it makes a ton). Bring butter and cream to a boil, pour over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let cool until it starts to thicken. Remove cake from freezer, remove the cheesecake pan collar, then pour some of the icing and use a spatula to spread it evenly across the top and sides of the cake. While this is still wet, put chocolate chips onto the side of the cake. Optional: Melt half a cup of white chocolate chips (in the microwave) and swirl into the icing if you want yours to look like the picture. (I used almond bark, which tasted great but hardened really fast.)

10 Refrigerate FREEZE the cake. Be sure to see the picture. Serve cold. Delicious! I wish I would have cut this while mostly frozen. It is very hard to cut out of the fridge without making it look messy.

Squash or Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-02-20T17:28:00.002-05:00

2 C pureed pure squash or pumpkin (thawed frozen squash worked great)
1 1/4 C sugar
3/4 C oil
3/4 C applesauce (unsweetened)
4 eggs
3 C flour (can use half whole wheat)
2 tsp bk soda
2 tsp bk powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 C flax
1 pkg semi-sweet mini choc chips

-Mix squash, sugar, applesauce and oil til well blended.
-Mix in eggs until smooth
-Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl.
-Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
-Bake at 400 degrees in greased muffin cups for 16-20 minutes (until lightly browned).
Y: 24 nice sized muffins and 12 mini muffins

These were very yummy and adapted from a recipe found on MoneySavingMom. I really enjoy trying to cut down the sugar content in baked recipes and am constantly surprised how huge the sugar content is in everyday recipes. One of my favorite cookbooks, More With Less is linked on the side of this blog. That book really keyed me in to nutrition in recipes and making more with less. Hope you enjoy!

Freezer Organization: For Those with Lots of Meat

2010-06-23T16:05:00.005-05:00

Dairy farmers that we are, beef is an abundant blessing at our house that we too often take for granted. I honestly cannot remember the last time I bought beef in a grocery store...probably close to 8 years ago when we lived in North Carolina.

If you are like us and get your beef in quarters of halves, freezer organization can get a bit chaotic. I do not like digging through chunks of frozen meat up to my elbows to find a package of hamburger in the middle of winter. So I thought I'd show what works really well for our family!

1. Purchase a decent sized chest freezer...it has been the best food investment I think we've ever made. Buying meat in bulk will save your family money. If you have the space and farmers near buy, I highly recommend it. We also are able to freeze large quantities of summer vegetables and fruits in season or when they go on sale. We actually own two freezers, but many families would benefit from just one I think!

2. Upon bringing your meat home, take out your previous supply of freezer meat. Using large bags as seen below (our meat packer supplies them), sort your meat into a few manageable categories. I go with

Hamburger
Roasts/Stew Meat/Soup Bones
Steaks

3. Place your previous meat in the top of your bags to use up first.

Hope this helps someone out there!:)

For more kitchen tips, check out a great site called Tammy's Recipes.

Sweet Deals

2010-06-04T09:56:00.001-05:00

** My family's telling me this promotion must be all done. Hope some of you got it!

~~Check out this post by MoneySavingMom for a great way to save on baby wipes, deodorant, meds, dishwasher soap, whatever!:)~~

~~MedCo $10 off Deal~~

I was really geeked after this deal worked for me this morning! There are two different ways to save $10 with no minimum purchase and only .99 cents total shipping! Jonathan and I both ordered and ended up with over $40 worth of:

-Diaper Wipes
-Old Spice Deodorant
-Triple Paste Cream
-Toilet Paper!!

for ~$4.60. Oh boy!

The Old Spice is a great deal as they are priced around $2.19 each. If you buy 2 they have a special deal where they take $2 off, making the deodorant around $1.19 each. So, you could get ~8 for just .99 cents shipping!

Great time to stock-up!

Let me know if you get any good deals. I love hearing about it!

Rich Oat n' Raisin Cookies

2010-04-09T14:43:00.004-05:00

1 C lard
1 C sugar
1 C br sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp real vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp bk soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 C rolled oats (can use quick)
1 1/4 C raisins

-Beat lard and sugars with mixer til well blended.
-Add eggs and vanilla and beat til blended.
-Combine dry ingreds (except oats).
-Add to wet ingreds and mix til almost blended.
-Add in oats and raisins and mix until just blended.
-Drop by Tb balls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
-Bake at 350 for ~8-10 min, til lightly golden/brown.
-Remove from sheet after a couple minutes to cool.

Y:4 dozen

I tried something new today - baking with lard! I've read recently just a tad about how it is better for our bodies than shortening. So I gave it a whirl. Oh yum! Much richer flavor than shortening and no lingering greasy aftertaste.

Pepperoni Cheese Bread

2010-03-05T23:06:00.000-05:00

1 batch of my favorite pizza dough

1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour

-Dissolve yeast in water and oil. Stir in sugar, salt, and flour.
-Mix until a ball forms. Knead in a little extra flour if dough seems overly sticky. Otherwise no real kneading needed (that was a tongue-twister to type!:))
-Cover and let rest in warm place while you get other ingredients out. (This does not need to rise more than a few minutes...it should raise just fine in the oven!)

1 pkg pepperoni slices (~3.5oz, use as much or as little as you like)
8 oz mozarella cheese shredded (freshly if possible)
butter
parmesan cheese (2 Tb)

-Roll dough out into large rectangle.
-Spread cheese out over dough, leaving approx 1 in space on ends (east/west), little space at top of bread (north), and ~ 1-2 inches space at bottom (south) of rectangle.
-Cover cheese with pepperoni slices.
-Roll dough from top (north) toward you, slowly, back and forth from one end (east) to the other (west).
-Tuck in east/west ends as you get to the bottom to seal off sides. Stop rolling when long seam is at the bottom of loaf and gently seal edges.
-Lift loaf with seam side down onto sprayed 11x15 pan.
-Bake at 375 until nicely browned approx 15-25 minutes.
-Remove from oven.
-Rub butter lightly over top of loaf. (I just use the end of a stick of butter.)
-Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
-Let rest approx 5 minutes before cutting.
-Serve with pizza sauce to dip!

Y: 3 servings (we were hungry!:))

Simple Bag Drying

2010-02-23T22:57:00.000-05:00

-Wash plastic bags as you do dishes or...

-Open them up widely in the top rack of your dishwasher and press start. ;)

-Hang to dry on a mug rack!

-Store, and reuse, again and again!

In Guinea last year, the missionary family we were with washed their bags out each night in dishtubs outside and hung them to dry on little metal wands attached to the side of their house. Inspired, I decided to commit to washing out ours as well. I was frustrated with them not drying well though in our little rack in the sink. Then, we tried this little mug rack - voila! Works just dandy. Nice for drying bibs out, too. I just leave on the shelf above our washer, so it's not a big deal if they drip a lot.

Hope this helps somebody out there...:)

Check out Tammy's Recipes for great kitchen tips on Tuesdays!

Frozen Bananas & Banana Milkshakes

2010-02-13T03:38:00.001-05:00

Oh the yummy possibilities with frozen bananas! I've been blessed to hit our grocery store twice in the last few months when bananas were on sale for 39c/lb...with a whole bunch of bunches on the reduced rack for 29c/lb! That adds up in a hurry with bananas! This time I purchased ~7 large bunches for around $4.50.

I used to just throw whole bananas in the freezer with peels on. My current, favorite way of preserving them is to peel, chunk, throw on a cookie sheet and flash freezer overnight. I first read about trying this on moneysavingmom. Next morning, just throw in a ziploc bag and they'll last a couple months in the freezer.

Here are great things to do with these yummy chunks-o-nana:
-Throw into smoothies - so sweet, we don't add sweetener to our smoothies anymore.
-Thaw and mash as baby food.
-Thaw and use in banana bread.
-Banana Milkshakes: Yumm-o! Our current favorite...

~8 Banana chunks (enough to fill your blender 1/2-2/3 full)
Milk (we use whole)
Vanilla extract (I don't use pure for this)

-Fill blender 1/2-2/3 full by loosely tossing in frozen banana chunks.
-Pour milk in 'til one inch below top of bananas.
-Blend until really thick and smooth. Add more milk if not creamy enough.
-Add vanilla and blend a bit longer.
-Drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Waffles

2010-02-12T16:00:00.005-05:00

A recipe with love for Valentine's Day...

5 1/4 C whole wheat flour (freshly ground or frozen if available)
3 Tb baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 C applesauce
1/2 C oil
5 eggs
1 tsp real vanilla
5 1/4 C milk

-Mix dry ingreds. in large bowl (16C+).
-Mix applesauce and oil in large bowl.. Stir in eggs until well blended.
-Add vanilla and milk to wet ingreds. and stir.
-Add wet ingreds to dry ingreds. Mix until blended well. Do not overmix.
-Heat waffle iron and spray. We use a hotel-style waffle iron we got from my parents. It is the type that you have to flip. We LOVE it. Highly recommended if you make a lot of waffles (which obviously we do - ha!).
-Add 2/3 C batter (for our size w.maker).
-Heat 'til nicely browned.
-Serve with maple syrup, fresh/frozen fruit, whipped cream, peanut butter...oh the possibilities!
-Allow extra waffles to cool, then freeze in a bag or tupperware for up to 3-4 months. I like to freeze in quarters rather than big round waffles.
-Thaw in toaster oven.

Y:~18 large round waffles (I honestly don't know! Have to count next time!)

Tuna Casserole from Scratch

2010-01-30T12:01:00.006-05:00

3 Tb butter
3 Tb flour
2 C milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp season salt (i.e. Lawry's)
3 C. cooked elbow noodles
2 5-oz cans tuna in water, drained
1 C frozen peas
10 Ritz crackers

-Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat. Sprinkle flour over and whisk together until well blended.
-Slowly pour in milk and add salts.
-Continue to cook on medium, stirring often at first and continually at end until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from heat.
-Taste...if it seems too bland, add in some more salt to taste. I like to start low on salt and then add to taste, so I don't end up with a salt lick by accident!:)
-Mix with noodles, peas and tuna in a greased, ovenproof bowl (2.5-3qt) or pan (8x10).
-Top with crushed ritz crackers. Bake at 350 for ~25 minutes.

Y: 4 lg servings

I used to be very intimidated by making the idea of making white sauces by scratch. After being in Guinea, coming back and trying it a few times I look back and feel silly! It's very easy and very cheap! Do try it if you never have. No need to have cream of mush/chx soup on hand if you have a lil' bit of flour, butter, salt and milk!:) Spice it up as you like!

Baked Oatmeal

2010-01-28T14:41:00.006-05:00

1/2 C applesauce, unsweetened (may substitute oil if no applesauce)
1/2 C oil
1/2 C brown sugar
3 eggs
1 Tb baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt (1 tsp will work if wanting to cut back)
6 C quick oats
2 C milk (may substitute with milk powder/water or water if unable to have dairy)
cinnamon/sugar

-Mix applesauce, oil and br sugar.
-Mix eggs in 'til well blended.
-Sprinkle over bk powder and mix with fork or whisk until no lumps remain.
-Stir in oats, then milk until blended.
-Pour into buttered 9x13 pan.
-Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar. ( I use a shaker and shake 'til the top is covered).
-Bake at 350 for ~30-35 minutes, til golden, lightly browned.
-Serve warm and top with fruit (canned peaches are sooo yummy) and yogurt (homemade plain is the way we role) or milk, and sprinkle with a little bit more cinnamon/sugar, honey or maple syrup as desired.

Y: This would depend on your family appetite:)...it usually lasts our family of 3 three breakfasts. Cover and refrigerate between servings.

After much trial and error using three different starter baked oatmeal recipes, I'm sticking with this one. We love it. The base is from my friend Auntie J in Guinea. Interestingly, Africa is where we first had baked oatmeal. It is such a filling, fiber and protein-rich breakfast. I've seen many variations now of sugar/oil content. I appreciate using the applesauce in place of the original 1C oil called for and leaving the sugar low. I prefer it less sweet and enjoy just sprinkling a little sugar on top if needed. Hope you enjoy!!

Just in case...I took all other baked oatmeal recipes off the blog as this has proved to be our favorite by far!

Aunt Kathie's Monster Cookies

2010-01-23T07:22:00.001-05:00

Had to repost this old 2007 one, as I finally have pictures with it!

1 lb butter, softened
4 C white sugar
5 C brown sugar (2 lb)
1 Tb vanilla
1 dozen eggs
8 tsp bk soda
3 lbs peanut butter (6Cups)- I like to use smooth pb
18+ C quick oats
1+ lb M&Ms**
1 lb semi sweet choc chips**

-Cream butter and sugars and vanilla in very large bowl (standard sized bowls will not work - split recipe in half if you don't have a massive bowl).
-Mix in eggs one at a time.
-Sprinkle in bk soda.
-Mix in peanut butter, then slowly add oats.
-Stir in M&Ms and chips. Add more candy if it looks too skimpy.
-Add more oatmeal if recipe seems too gooey ( I think we added 1-2 more cups last time).
-Drop by tablespoons on sprayed* cookie sheets and bake at 375 until golden brown for approx 7-9 min.

*After using cookie sheets once they will probably not need to be sprayed again.
**Can substitute with less chips and dried cherries or raisins for a little bit healthier recipe.

Yield: Approx 20 dozen

These cookies are a favorite of my mom and mine to make in the fall. They freeze super well and hardly need any thawing to enjoy out of the freezer during the winter. My mom has an extremely large bowl that her mom used to make bread in that barely holds all these ingredients. These are a family favorite and get a 10/10!

Homemade Marshmallows

2009-12-17T16:46:00.002-05:00

These were really neat to make...science in action! Who would have thought marshmallows can be made at home - neat! Very easy, very messy, and very highly recommended. Check out the recipe at Taste of Home's website. I used just a touch of almond extract, since I didn't have clear vanilla. A little went a long way.

I preferred them with chocolate instead of a sugar coating. I melted on low:
-2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
-2 Tb shortening

...stirring frequently til smooth. My favorite were the ones totally covered instead of just a drizzle...but oh was that hard to achieve! I'd like to try using a small paint brush next time and "paint" the marshmallows a lil' bit brown...if you know what I'm saying.:) Mmmm! 10/10!!

Monster Pancake

2009-11-27T08:10:00.004-05:00

I struggled to get a decent picture of this! The recipe is one we brought back from Guinea, from Auntie J. So simple, so yummy! A new family favorite...Abraham loves getting to shake on the powdered sugar:)

1/2 stick butter (4 Tb)
1 C flour (can use all whole wheat)
1 C milk
4 eggs
Cinnamon (couple dashes)
Powdered Sugar

-Turn oven on to 375. Place butter in 2 small or 1 large pan (I use a 10x14 pan) in the oven to melt. Check on butter in a few minutes!
-Whisk together flour, cinnamon and milk til smooth.
-Whisk in eggs til well blended.
-Remove pan from oven once butter is melted (try not to let it brown).
-Pour batter over butter in pan. It will mix in with the butter a bit...that's fine!
-Bake at 375 for 20 min.
-Serve with powdered sugar to top!

We sprinkle powdered sugar on individual pieces, and heavily! Don't be shy with it, or you probably won't enjoy this very much!:)

Gladys's Apple Streusel Muffins

2009-11-10T13:08:00.001-05:00

2 C flour
1 Tb bk powder
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 C butter, softened
2 C peeled or unpeeled, chopped apples
1/2 tsp lemon peel (dried)
2/3 C milk
1 egg
2 Tb sugar

-Mix flour, sugar, bk powder, salt and cinnamon.
-Cut in butter until crumbly.
-Reserve 1/2 Cup for topping.
-Mix egg and milk together.
-Add to dry ingreds along with apples and lemon peel until just mixed.
-Spoon into greased muffin tin.
-Sprinke with reserved topping mixed with 2 Tb sugar.
-Bake at 425 until golden brown, approx 20 min

Thought I'd repost this one now that I have a pic - and it's apple season! I tried this with a bit of whole wheat this time, and it was nice. This is from our church cookbook with a few minor changes...yummo 9/10!

Homemade Velveeta Cheese

2009-11-08T16:09:00.006-05:00

I really like this recipe. Why?
1. Unique
2. Given to us by Amish friends
3. Never in my life imagined my husband and I would be talking cheese with a local Amish family.
4. GREAT for toasted cheese sandwiches.
5. Supports the dairy industry:)
6. Fast and fun
7. Love using recipes from friends - a lil' bit of fellowship mixing into the food.

1 Gallon Milk
2 tsp Citric Acid*
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4C Butter
~ 1/4C Cheddar Cheese Powder (to taste)**
Salt (to taste)

-Heat 1 Gallon of milk to 140 degrees.
-Add 2 tsp citric acid (*found near canning supplies, **bulk food stores...)
-Stir gently 'til separated.
-Drain off whey (I use a fine metal strainer - don't use one with large holes).
-To curds add 1 tsp soda, 1/4 C butter, salt, cheddar cheese powder and 1/4-1/2C milk
-Heat together, stirring briskly 'til lumps are dissolved.
-Keep in a cool place (we prefer the fridge!:))

The cheddar cheese powder and salt I just added slowly. I found a 1/4 C works and then a little salt for our taste. I've also been using the ccpowder to make mac and cheese. Tastes very similar to Kraft and is cheaper! I have only found it at a bulk food store in our area.

Crisp Carrots

2009-10-18T15:13:00.004-05:00

Tried something new with carrots the other day...flash freezing, of course! I think I'm really becoming a flash freezin' nut!:) After peeling a bit haphazardly (just enough to get the strings off mainly), chunking/dicing, and blanching our garden's carrots for 3-4 minutes, I threw them on a couple trays and popped them in the freezer. Tomorrow I'll let them sit out for 10 minutes or so, then toss them into labeled ziploc bags in the freezer.

I've tried freezing carrots twice before and also canning them. Our family is a bit picky...we've learned we don't really care for the extra big carrots at the end of the season. Their flavor just isn't that good! Canned ones are fine, but I didn't feel like washing jars. And freezing them in pint bags does work, but they will freeze as a clump. So, my hope with flash freezing them is that I'll be able to scoop out a cup if that's all we need!

Grab some out of the freezer, cook a few minutes, drain, and toss with a little honey...should be a yummy winter!

Fun in the Mailbox

2009-10-07T14:45:00.003-05:00

The last couple weeks we've been having fun going to the mailbox. I've become a bit more intentional about signing up for certain free samples on the money-saving blogs I check. First of all, it's fun to get free granola bars in the mail:). Secondly, they often come with high value coupons.

For instance, the little Kashi cereal sample came in a box with a "$2 off 1 box" coupon. Last week when Kmart was doubling coupons I used it on a $3 box to get it for free! One envelope came a couple weeks ago from Star Foods, and I am really excited to try its coupons...5 "Up to $4 off 1 product" coupons! I had completed a very short survey on their site. That's like $20 of free high quality olive oil. Wow. This was especially neat to me as I passed on buying olive oil during my last bulk buying trip because it was so expensive. Thanks, Lord:).

So, I want to encourage anyone trying to save on your food budget to check out some of these sites. Only sign up for totally free samples on things you will actually use or give away...otherwise it becomes clutter - yuck!

Money Saving Mom - my favorite coupon/free sample/ home stewardship ideas site
And Freebies for All - I just ignore the ones not pertaining to our family.
Common Sense With Money - Some overlap, but also a nice site.
Right at Home - Supposed to be getting free ziploc bags:). Also, great coupons for Glade/ziploc.

The fastest way to check these (first three) for me is by subscribing to them on Google Reader. I just recently set up Google Reader upon Jonathan's encouragement. Great idea!!! It is so handy to just scan post titles instead of scrolling through page after page.

Peppers!

2009-09-29T15:14:00.003-05:00

Who wouldn't pay $3.50 for this beautiful bouquet?

The peppers, that is!:)

My mom found me a great deal at her farmer's market Saturday...20 peppers for $3.50! What a blessing!

So beautiful, even chopped up. I love the colors God uses all around us in Creation!

After chopping them all up, I threw them in some freezer ziploc bags and popped the peppers in the freezer. I did flash freeze one bunch on a cookie sheet overnight before bagging to see if they are easier to get out of the bag that way. It seems they will be, but the bagfuls with a little squeezing also seem to be just fine. The peppers broke apart decently (no chisel needed:)). I'm really excited to use these on pizza, in omelettes and stir-fries, etc., this winter. Should save on the produce budget! Before going to Guinea I thought peppers gave me heartburn. I discovered there that they don't, and I like the zip they bring to food!
20 peppers ~ 5.5 qt bags full

Freezing Sour Cherries

2009-09-11T14:15:00.000-05:00

Just a little bit of summer fun...

Freezing Cherries:
-Wash, then pit cherries ( we use a mechanical pitter) and drain excess juice.
- Lay out on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
-Place in freezer overnight.
-Remove from freezer and let sit a few minutes until able to break apart.
-Scoop up cherries (we used a metal spatula), throw into a labeled freezer bag, and freeze!

Substitute these for fresh cherries in recipes, plop some into a smoothie, or chop up some for Auntie J's Breakfast Cake!

Blueberry Muffins

2009-08-21T04:54:00.001-05:00

6 Tb butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
2 large eggs
2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp bk powder
1/2 C milk
1 1/2 C blueberries
2 tsp sugar

-Cream butter and sugar well.
-Add eggs and beat well.
-Mix dry ingreds. Add to creamed mixture, alternating with milk.
-Chop1/2 C berries.
-Mix into batter.
-Fold in remaining berries.
-Pour into greased muffin cups and sprinkle with sugar.
-Bake at 375 for ~25 min (until golden).

Y: 12 regular & 12 mini-muffins

Recipe adapted from Beverly Farms Bed & Breakfast Inn

Note: I just adapted this recipe by dropping the sugar way down and chopping instead of crushing the berries. Really good! No need for the original 1 1/2 C sugar!

A Coupon Addiction

2009-08-19T14:45:00.005-05:00

Okay, this Kmart $2 Double Coupon special is getting to me...I think I'm addicted. I went with my sister-in-law today and here's what I got (I'll post hers when I find her pictures)...

Purchase #3:
Total pre-coupons: $8.98...
Total out of pocket: $1.23!!!!!
-Used Free Milkbone coupon and $5 off next purchase coupon, both of which printed after Purchase #2 (Catalina coupons).

Purchase #2 (Ignore the Lotrimin and Milkbone biscuits - see above)
Total pre-coupons: $35.46
Total out of pocket: $0.16!!!!!!!!!
-Used $3 off next $20 purchase from Purchase #1 (done on Monday), $2 off 2 Axe shower gel from Purchase #1 (Catalina coupon), along with Internet coupons found through Money Saving Mom, coupons from In-store Kmart coupon booklet (deodorants), coupons from Kmart website (rubbing alcohol, q-tips), and by the way - the mouse traps I traded with my sister-in-law for 2 free packs of Trident gum I got on this purchase:). Too fun!

Purchases #1, 2, & 3
Total pre-coupon:$69.62
Total out of pocket: $6.85
+a $5 gift card (cereal rebate - I'll be checking my mailbox:)) and (2) $3 off next purchase coupons!

I am just very excited about this! In my other post here on Purchase #1 I explained that I really only wanted to purchase what would be free. I feel I came very close to doing this, especially since I needed to buy Itchy Feet cream:) for my Hubby Farmer. That alone was $5.99 (on sale).

God has blessed us with much to stock our pantry! This is by far the most serious couponing I've ever done. With sites like Money Saving Mom and experienced friends (thanks Elizabeth and Arin!) to learn from, it really wasn't hard! Just took some time and fun!

Please, please share how you did too, if you went to Kmart this week! And if you're new to couponing, check out the Money Saving Mom link above!

Sweet, Simple Cherry Pie

2009-08-11T15:16:00.001-05:00

Filling:
4 C. Sour Cherries, pitted (if fresh - drain excess juice)
1 1/8 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Cornstarch
-Mix in a bowl and allow to sit 10 min, stirring occasionally.
Crust:
2 C. Flour
3/4 C. Shortening
1-2 pinch Salt (1/2 tsp?)
1/3-1/2 C. Cold Water (can add a little ice to make really cold)

-Mix flour, salt and shortening with a fork. Add in cold water until dough sticks together well to form a ball but is not too wet.
-Roll 2/3 dough into pie shape and form into pie crust to fit your pan.
-Roll remaining dough into pie shape.

Pie:
-Pour cherry mixture into pie shell.
-Cut remaining dough into 1/2 inch diameter thin strips.
-Top pie filling with 1/2 of strips. Fold alternating strips back onto themselves.
-Weave remaining strips in...see here for better instructions!:)
-Pinch edges of lattice to bottom crust.
-Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
-Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (see here for a great way to make this)!

Homemade Tortillas & Pia-Mato Sauce

2009-08-09T14:09:00.000-05:00

I learned to make these tortillas in Guinea, West Africa. They are sooo good, and remarkably easy - even I could do it! Ha! (I am not so great with bread:)). They do take a bit of time though, but once made you can freeze the extras if desired.

Flour Tortillas ( from Wycliffe Int. Cookbook)
Combine:
-4 C flour
-2 tsp salt
Cut in:
-6 Tb oil ( or shortening)
Add
-1 C water
-Form a ball. Add more water if necessary, until bowl is clear of all dough. Knead well on floured board 20-25 times, then make balls the size of eggs. Let stand 15 min. Roll very thin with rolling pin on lightly floured surface to size of salad plate. Place on hot, ungreased skillet and cook for about 1-2 minutes on one side (until starts to bubble). Turn and cook approx 1 min longer. Watch closely, as second side will cook fast!
-Keep warm on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees in the oven, stacked, covered with a light towel if desired.
-Serve with fried ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper, and Pia-Mato Sauce, and Cheese!
Y: 2 doz.
Variations:
Cornmeal: Replace 1 C flour with cornmeal
Whole Wheat: Use 2 C whole wheat, 2 C white flour

Pia-Mato Sauce:
2-4 Tomatoes, diced
1 Avacado, diced
Onions, diced (optional)
Green Pepper, diced (optional)
1 pkg Italian dressing dry mix, mixed per instructions or Italian Salad Dressing to cover

-Combine shortly before serving!

This is an impromptu recipe:) nostalgic of the wonderful food we had in Guinea. Our missionary friends there called it their own special Guacamole, and it was made with fresh local veggies and imported Italian dressing!:) For those with sensitive tummies, just leave out the peppers and onions. I made up the name for fun and for memories...the Pular (a Guinean dialect) word for Avacado is Pia!

Crock-Pot Bean Soup

2009-08-07T16:30:00.002-05:00

2 C. dry navy beans, washed (can soak overnight if desired - not necessary though)
4 med. potatoes, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato or a few carrots, peeled and diced
1 tsp Dried onions
1-2 Tb Parsley, dried
Salt (to taste - can use plain, Lawry's, or Zender's chicken seasoning (my fave))
Pepper to taste (I'm generous with this:))
Water

-Mix all together in crock-pot ( I use a 3 Qt crock-pot). Cover with water to one inch below lid.
-Cook on high until softened (~4 hours), then low until soft enough to mash a bit. Continue on low until mushy soft!
-Mash with potato masher. Add more water if needed. Also may cook on low for ~8 hours.

Yumm-o on a rainy day with some fresh warm bread! This is a variation of my Mom's Bean Soup, which is great! Her recipe calls for celery and carrots rather than sweet potato. I've also tried half navy/half red beans and liked that.

Tremendous Tomato Soup

2009-07-26T20:59:00.002-05:00

I love learning from others how to make great food...and this one was a majorly exciting find for me. If you're at all interested in canning tomato soup - check it out. So easy, so good. I use it in chili, goulash, spaghetti sauce....yum!

Heavenly Homemakers Tomato Soup

Pretty Beef Stew

2009-07-26T14:24:00.001-05:00

1 lb beef stew cubes, slightly thawed or thawed
1 Tb butter
1 onion, diced
1/4 C gr pepper, diced
1 C hot water

4 med potatoes, peeled & chunked
1 sweet potato, peeled & diced
1 C tomato, diced (canned or fresh)
2 carrots, diced
salt
pepper
Lawry's seasoning salt
1 pinch of Parsley
2 C hot water

1/2 C cold water
2 Tb flour

-Melt butter in pressure cooker over med/high heat and brown beef, onions and gr pepper.
-Add 1 C water and close cover securely. Place pressure regulator on vent pipe (I use a Presto 8Qt Cooker), and cook 8 (thawed) or 13 (partially thawed) minutes with pressure regulator rocking slowly.
-Cool cooker at once by running cold water over it (it will make strange noises that are a little scary, but really, this is what the company recommends and my mother-in-law has done for years and years - don't be frightened:)).
-Add hot water, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, pepper and salts (to taste - go easy...can always add more later). Place pressure regulator on vent pipe and cook 5 minutes once regulator rocks.
-Cool cooker at once.
-Mix flour in cold water well. Stir into stew, and stir until thickens.

Recipe adapted from Presto's Instruction manual.

Y: 4-6 servings

I really like the sweet potato in this and the color the stew turns out...so pretty! Add any veggies you have sitting around...as a friend in Africa called it...anything that must go you can turn into "Mustgo" Soup. :)

Auntie J's Breakfast Cake

2009-05-16T14:14:00.001-05:00

I love this versatile recipe from a dear friend and mom in Guinea. It offers a wonderful way to use up leftovers, add interesting nutrition to breakfast, and gives plenty of options based on what ingreds you have available!!

1/2 C oil or butter
1 C sugar (or less if using a sweet **fruit/veggie below)
4 eggs
2 C mashed **banana, pumpkin, leftover oatmeal, applesauce, carrots, sw potatoes, potatoes...can also include graded stale leftover muffins, cake, etc.
1 tsp vanilla
1 C flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C quick oats or oat flour
1/2 ground flax seed
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg, if no topping used
1 C milk with 1 Tb bk powder
or
1 C yogurt with 1 tsp bk soda
1 handful dried fruit - craisins & golden raisins (our fave) or dr blueberries, raisins, etc

Topping (we halve this):
4 Tb butter, softened
2/3-3/4 C oats
1/2 C br sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves (we omit)
1/2 tsp ginger (we omit)

-Mix oil & sugar well
-Mix in eggs
-Add **ingred. and vanilla
-Mix dry ingreds in separate bowl, including bk powder or soda
-Add to wet ingreds along with milk
-Stir in dried fruit
-Pour into greased 9x13 pan
-Mix topping ingreds, if desired, and sprinkle with topping
-Bake at 350 for 30-45min, until golden brown

We generally use the first ingred listed in any of the items above with an "or," such as milk instead of yogurt. I've also used stale, grated coconut bread and just added extra milk one time, when I didn't have extra produce to use up. My rating, mmm 10/10 !!

Homemade Cottage Cheese

2009-05-06T22:14:00.007-05:00

Upon returning home from Guinea this spring I was inspired to use milk for more than just baking. The mother I cooked with in Guinea made yogurt from milk powder...surely we should be doing that - and more with the resources we've been blessed with! So I went looking for a simple cottage cheese recipe. This is what I found, and we love it!! So easy, so squeaky good! The original recipe can be found at The Cooking Inn. I adapted it just a little as follows:

1 Gallon Whole Milk (may skim cream off if desired if using raw)
1/2 C Vinegar
Salt to taste

-Heat milk on medium heat in large covered pot, stirring occasionally (more toward end), until it reaches an almost boil (180-190 degrees).
-Take off heat and stir in vinegar.
-Stir until curds separate, approx. 20 seconds!
-Allow to cool a bit, then pour contents into a strainer to drain the whey.
-Add salt to taste to the curds.
Yummy!!

-We actually like this warm (and squeaky!) or cold (with fruit...mmmmm:)). It is also good in pasta dishes. Add a little milk or cream if desired.

Visit Tammy's Recipes for more dairy ideas!

Here's a little video...what a great science project!

Pepparkakor -Guest Baker Melissa

2008-12-31T18:15:00.005-05:00

1/3 C Dark Corn Syrup
1/3 C Heavy Cream
1 C Sugar
1/2 lb Butter or Margarine, softened

3 1/2 C Flour
2 tsp Cloves
2 tsp Ginger
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Bk Soda

-Stir first set of ingredients.
-Sift dry ingreds, then mix with first set.
-Refrigerate 1+hrs, then roll out dough onto lightly floured board to 1/8in thickness.
-Bake at 375 for 4 minutes, or until golden brown.

Buttercream Frosting
6 Tb Butter, soft
4 C Powdered Sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
Cream, as needed

- Beat together til desired consistency.

Auntie Mel whipped up this cute little army of cookie men over Christmas, and their flavor (and scent!) was so good!

Y: The batch made three cookie sheets, packed full. Mmmmmm!

Recipes in Progress

2008-11-25T16:51:00.005-05:00

Just a simple tip to pass along today. I just can't seem to let a sleeping recipe lie, as they say...I'm always fiddling with recipes, especially those I make often. I like to try to reduce the sugar and fats in the them, add whole wheat here and there, etc. My problem is (was) that I sometimes wrote down my alterations, sometimes didn't. . . usually jotted them on a scrap paper if I did. . . kept finding random scrap papers here and there. . .and could rarely remember what I thought of the changes made. My simple solution is all about a Paper Clip! Here's what my new system is:
-Paper clip a slip of paper to your cookbook.
-Quickly jot down any ingredient changes as you bake/cook.
-Leave book out until product has been shall we say, sampled...:)
-Write a brief note of feedback, such as "yumm-o, booooo, try less oil next time, too dry," etc...

This idea is so simple I feel silly sharing, but hey, maybe there are other scatterbrained people like me out there!:) For more Kitchen tips, please check out Tammy's Recipes!

Soy Milk Waffles

2008-10-15T02:25:00.000-05:00

4 1/4 C. flour
1 C Whole Wheat Flour
3 Tb Bk powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 C canola oil
1/4 C applesauce, unsweetened
5 1/4 C soy (or rice) milk
2 tsp real vanilla

-Mix dry ingreds.
-Lightly beat eggs and mix in other wet ingreds.
-Combine until just mixed.
-Heat in waffle iron like regular waffles.

Y:15 waffles (round)

Pretty good! Not quite as poofy, but they hit the spot for this waffle-cravin,' no-milk-diet ( due to breastfeeding a food-sensitive baby) mama! 7/10 I like to cool the waffles, then freeze them as broken up quarters, pop in the toaster oven for 1-2 cycles, and enjoy them with some canned pears and a little syrup!

Using Up Reduced Price Produce

2008-10-14T05:22:00.001-05:00

Now that garden season is winding down, having fresh veggies is getting tricky! My friend Lisa inspired me the other day. She mentioned how she hoped to keep making refrigerator pickles throughout the winter if she could find cucumbers on sale. Our local grocery store had some on the Reduced Rack the other day. After cutting off the ends which were a little soft, I sliced them up and added them to the last of our summer garden fridge pickles. The brine lasts a long time, so now we'll have some nice crunchy veggies to snack on for awhile longer! Simple, cheap, and yummy... For more fun Kitchen Tips, visit Tammy's Recipes!

Lisa's Refrigerator Pickles
6 C thinly sliced Cucumbers
1 C Onion, sliced
1 Gr Pepper, diced
1 Tb Celery Seed
1 C Vinegar
2 C Sugar
1 Tb Salt

-Heat vinegar, sugar, salt and celery seed on stovetop ~10 min, until sugar is dissolved.
-Pour over veggies, stir, cover and store in fridge!
-Add more cukes to brine as they get low.

Y: Not really sure...lots of pickles:)!

Note: I was surprised there wasn't water in the recipe, but the cukes make plenty of juice.
A nice sweet pickle recipe from my friend, Lisa...8/10!

Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-10-11T22:51:00.008-05:00

3 1/2 C flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 C quick oats
2 tsp salt
2 tsp bk soda

1 1/2 C br sugar
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C butter, softened
1 C shortening
4 eggs
2 tsp real vanilla
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 C mini milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 C m & ms

-Mix first set of ingreds together well.
-In separate bowl cream sugars, butter, and shortening.
-Mix eggs lightly in a separate bowl, then add to sugar mix with vanilla until creamy.
-Add in dry ingreds and start to add in chips and m&ms once dry ingreds are mostly mixed, but not totally worked in.
-Chill dough at least one hour in fridge.
-Chill baking sheets or make sure they are not hot anymore before placing dough on sheets.
-Scoop and drop big tablespoons full onto pans and bake at 400 for 7-8 min, until lightly golden brown (might look underdone).
-Let sit on pan ~ 1 min and remove.
-Do not overbake or leave on pan too long, or cookies won't be as thick.

Y: 6 dozen

Note: These are probably the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had turn out. Often mine are thin and crispy, which I don't care for. I'm kind of a cc cookie lover and am always looking for a great recipe. This one will definitely be a keeper...lots of chunks, nice thickness and chewy...ahhh 10/10!:) Recipe adapted from here...

The Best Neighborhood Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-10-11T22:39:00.003-05:00

Our sweet neighbors brought these cookies over after we had Abraham...yummy!

2 1/4 C flour
1/2 C quick oats
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bk soda

3/4 C br sugar
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 C chocolate chips (Ghiradelli's recommended) plus a little more if desired
1 C walnuts (optional)

-Mix first set of ingreds together well.
-In separate bowl mix sugars, butter, shortening...then add eggs and vanilla until creamy.
-Add in dry ingreds.
-Add in chips and nuts (Connie recommends Ghiradelli chips and leaving walnuts whole and letting your mixer break them up a bit).
-Chill dough at least one hour in fridge.
-Bake at 375 for 10-11 min on baking stone.

Y: 3 doz

Notes from the Baker...Use a scoop to make cookies uniform in size (hers is ~ 4tsp). Do not overbake. Adapt for your oven.

Notes from Angela...I really like these cookies and found cooking them a shorter time at 400 works best in my oven (7-8 min). That makes them thicker and chewy. I tried 350 and 375 temps and ended up with flatter, crispy cookies. I don't add nuts, and have experimented adding various chips. My absolute favorite recipe I just figured out today:). Check it out here...

Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-10-11T22:28:00.001-05:00

11 C. Chicken Broth (11 C water + 6 Chicken bullion)
1/4 C dried onion
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp white pepper
~2 C chopped carrots ( I like bigger chunks)
1/2 bag frozen peas
1 small bag homemade freezer corn
1 - 12 oz pkg whole wheat extra wide noodles
2-4 C chopped cooked chicken

-Combine water, bullion, onion, oregano, pepper and carrots and bring to boil in large pot.
-Once carrots are slightly tender, add frozen veggies and bring to a gentle boil for a few minutes (3-5min?).
-Stir in uncooked noodles and return to gentle boil until noodles are soft (~5 min).
-Add chicken, simmer until heated through.

Y: 8-12 servings, depending on guests...if Shupes...7 servings:)

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2008-10-11T10:54:00.000-05:00

4 cans (14oz) artichoke hearts - drained, rinsed well, and finely chopped
3 pkg (16oz) frozen chopped spinach) - thawed, drained well
3 C grated parmesan cheese
3 C light mayo
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 C sour cream
1 tsp garlic powder

-Mix all ingreds in 6qt crock pot. Heat on high until heated through (approx 1hr depending on type of cp), stirring occasionally to avoid sticking on sides of pot. Then heat on low 1 hr more or until ready to serve.
- Serve with baked, wheat, flour or regular tortilla chips, or with pita chips.

Y: ~11 C (For smaller scale recipe, see Kraft website below)

Note: I made this for my sister-in-law Arin's baby shower and it served roughly 60 people. I didn't try it because of the dairy in it, but people seemed to like it. Recipe adapted from Kraft Foods.

-

Pretty Lil' Dipped Apricots

2008-10-09T18:09:00.003-05:00

1 1/2 C dried apricots (~60)
1 square unsweetened baking chocolate
1 C semisweet chocolate chips

-Mix chocolate and melt in microwave, stirring frequently.
-Dip half of apricot in chocolate and place on wax paper-lined tray.
-Store in fridge.
-Once hardened may drizzle with white chocolate, if desired.

Y:60

A pretty (addictive:)) little treat! Recipe courtesy of Nicole! Rated 10/10

Cider Maple Pork Chops

2008-10-09T17:59:00.003-05:00

4 pork chops
1 Tb brown sugar
1/2-1 C apple cider
2 apples, peeled and sliced
maple syrup, to drizzle

-Lay pork chops in 8x10 or suitable baking dish.
-Scatter apple slices over chops.
-Sprinkle with brown sugar.
-Pour apple cider around chops to cover bottom of pan 1/4-1/2 in and lightly splatter over chops.
-Drizzle with maple syrup lightly.
-Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45min-1 hr, then uncover and bake 10 min more.

Y:4

Rated 9/10

Pear Ginger Crumb Coffee Cake

2008-10-09T17:33:00.005-05:00

4 C Flour
1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 C Sugar
1 1/2 C Br Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Ginger
1 1/2 C Oil
2 Eggs
2 C Buttermilk or Soy/Rice Milk + 2 Capfuls of lemon juice
2 tsp Bk soda
2 tsp Bk powder
3C diced pears or 1 Qt canned pears, drained and diced

-Mix flours, sugars, nutmeg, ginger and oil. This is odd, I know, but it will work out!:)
-Reserve 1 C for topping (ah-ha!).
-Mix egg, buttermilk (or substitute), bk soda, bk powder, salt.
-Add to flour mix.
-Fold in pears.
-Spread in greased 9x13 pan for a very tall, full coffeecake or a 11x15 pan for a sheetcake.
-Sprinkle topping over top.
-Bake at 350 for 35min or until golden brown.

Y: 18 large or 24 medium pieces

Note: I doubled and altered this recipe a bit from Recipezaar.com. I used rice milk, making it a dairy-free recipe. I would definitely try halving the sugar the next time I make it, so it would be healthier. I like a tall coffee cake and prefer it in the 9x13 pan. A yummy treat with an unusual mixing order:)...rated 8/10

Simple Alphabet Soup

2008-10-07T11:11:00.005-05:00

1 - 46 oz can Tomato Juice
2 - 10.75 oz cans mixed vegetables
1/2 lb fried ground beef or diced roast beef
1 Cup Alphabet noodles
1 Cup Water
Pepper to taste

-Heat in large pot everything except noodles to a boil, then add noodles.
-Heat over medium a few minutes until noodles are soft.
-Serve with Ritz crackers.

Y: 6 large servings

Note: This is not as salty as store-bought soup. The crackers added enough salt for us, but salt or beef boullion could be added if desired. Rated 7/10

Note to Self

2008-09-21T17:18:00.002-05:00

After recently feeling inspired by several blogs you stopped by, you started thinking...I should think and pray about posting more.

Self, here are some ideas to remember:
Monster Cookies
New Canned Tomato Soup
Pumpkin Bread
Simple Homemade Baby Food
Neighborhood Cookies
Moist Roast Chicken
More Guest Posts
Fridge Pickles
Food Blogs

Lil' Brownie Tarts (Dairy-free)

2008-07-04T10:33:00.004-05:00

3 C Br Sugar
1 1/3 C Shortening
2 Tb water
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3 1/4 C flour
2/3 C cocoa powder
3/4 tsp bk soda
1 tsp salt
Fun toppings (see below)

-Cream sugar and shortening
-Mix in eggs, vanilla and water until well blended
-Mix dry ingreds in separate bowl
-Add to wet ingreds and stir until just blended
-Refrigerate dough at least one hour
-Spray mini-muffin pan (or a tart pan I just don't own one) and fill cups 2/3 full
-Wet your finger and make a small dent in each center
-Top with coconut, chips (choc, butterscotch, mini, swirled, etc) or anything you like!**
-Bake at 375 ~8min (I bake one batch at a time in our toaster oven...works great since our pan is small. Also doesn't heat up the kitchen and uses less electricity)
-Let cool in pan approx 10 min before removing
Y:6-7 dozen

I like these better underbaked rather than well done. I have tried a variety of toppings and the all seem pretty good. **Another option is to not put any toppings on while baking. After removing them from oven, place a few semi-sweet chips on top, let melt, then swirl around. These turned out yummy after the choc cooled and hardened again. Froze well. Adapted from recipe on crisco.com for chewy brownie cookies. I'll rate them 7/10.

Mom's Chicken Pot Pie by Guest Chef Lu

2008-03-08T17:28:00.008-05:00

Chicken Pot Pie (which is pretty tasty)
1 C cubed cooked chicken
1 package (16oz) of frozen Mixed Vegetables (thawed)
1 can (10 3/4oz) Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 C Milk
1 egg
1 C Bisquick

-Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees.
-In 9" pie dish, mix chicken, vegetables, and soup.
-In separate bowl mix milk, egg, and baking mix.
-Pour over chicken mixture.
-Bake 30 min or til golden brown.

Y: 4-6 servings

A big thanks to Lu (brother Andrew:)) for being my first Guest Chef!! I'd love to have more!

This is a filling, simple, yummy recipe...9/10!

Mom's Goulash

2008-03-07T15:43:00.006-05:00

You gotta love my Mom's goulash...simple and yum!

160z noodles (elbow, shells or rotinni are our faves)
3 10-oz cans tomato soup
1 1/2 lb hamburger
Salt/Pepper

-Boil noodles as directed, then drain.
-Meanwhile, in nonstick pan, sprinkle some salt on the bottom and fry hamburger with pepper until a little browned on the edges (better flavor!)
-Drain hamburger grease (I dump hamburger on a paper towel-lined plate), then add hamburger to noodles.
-Add soup and mix together. Heat on low/med until hot.
-Add a little water if needed (starts to stick) or another can of soup if you like really tomatoey goulash:).

Y: Depends on who is eating:). For my hubby, 2 servings! Ha! Average servings, probably 6-8, depending on how much other food is served.

I used only 1lb hamburg the other day, and it was fine. Jonathan would have liked more in it, but we are low on burger! Rated 8/10

Round Steak Sandwiches

2008-03-07T15:27:00.003-05:00

2 round steaks
~1/4 C Worcestershire Sauce
Pepper
Dried onions
Mini-sub buns
Cheese (flavor of choice)

Cut each steak into two pieces. Lay in 9x13 pan (will overlap each other). Sprinkle with dried onions to taste. Splash worc. sauce over meat. Add 1/4-1/2 in. water to bottom of pan, pouring a little over steaks to spread out sauce, but not to rinse it off. Sprinkle with pepper. Cover with foil, bake at 350 for 2 hours.

Break meat up with a fork into shredded pieces/chunks. Serve on mini-sub buns (we like wheat) with desired cheese of choice on top!

Y: Approx 12 mini-subs

We have recently been using this recipe to eat up our round steak and really like it! Very simple and really softens the tough steak. Of note, I can't eat cheese right now, so I crushed a few potato chips into the sandwich and enjoyed the crunchy variety! My vote 8/10 for simple, filling, tasty food.

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

2007-11-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

I got this recipe from a co-worker, Carolyn, which she got from a Martha Stewart cookbook (not sure which one).

1 1/2 C flour
1 C butter
3/4 C br sugar
1 1/2 C oatmeal
1 C toffee pieces (5.5 oz)
1 C chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp bk soda
1 egg
3/4 sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 C dried sour cherries

-Cream butter and sugars, then add egg and vanilla.
-Mix flour and bk soda, add to wet ingreds.
-Add oats, cherries, choc pieces and toffee pieces.
-Divide dough into 3 portions, roll into logs using plastic wrap (approx 1 1/2 inch in diameter).
-To bake, cut logs into 3/4 inch pieces and bake at 350 until lightly browned 8-12 min.

Yield: 2 dozen

When Carolyn baked these cookies they were wonderful. The first time I tried them they turned out very flat and crispy and I was really disappointed. I'd like to try them again, maybe with some more flour? Not ready to rate them yet until I try them one more time...

Lisa's Granola

2007-11-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

14 C plain oats
1 C pecans*
1 C coconut*
2 C wheat chex*
1 C wheat germ*
1 C oat bran*
1 C raisins

- Mix all ingreds except raisins in large bowl.

Melt (I did in microwave) and pour over mixture:

1/2 lb butter
2 C br sugar
1 Tb vanilla
1 C honey

-Place 1/4 mixture on a large cookie sheet. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes. Can do 2 trays at once, stir granola and rotate trays every 10 min. Watch closely toward end and take out early if it starts to get browned.
-Immediately take off trays and cool in large bowl. Stir frequently to prevent clumping.
-Add in raisins.
-Store in tupperware or bag once cooled.

*Lisa's recipe called for almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, walnuts and dates. I substituted these ingreds because I didn't have the above ingreds and I don't like nuts all that much. You can substitute whatever you like pretty much, so long as the portions remain the same.

I was happy with how this recipe turned out, as I have had a few failed attempts at making granola. I had to take mine out early, as our oven heats a little too hot and I don't like the granola browned/crispy. Lisa actually cut down the butter/sugar in this recipe from the original she had, and it is plenty sweet! I might try even less brown sugar next time. Dried cherries would also be yummy in it I think. 9/10!

Lasagna

2007-11-09T08:51:00.001-05:00

1 lb hamburger, fried with a little salt/pepper
24 oz cottage cheese
2 1/2 C mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 C parmesan cheese, divided
2-3 Tb dried parsley
26 oz can spaghetti sauce
1 C water
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

-Let cottage cheese sit in strainer to drain juices some.
-Mix cottage cheese, 1 1/4 C mozzarella cheese, 1/4 C. parmesan cheese and parsley. Set aside.
-Mix hamburger and spaghetti sauce. Add water to empty sauce jar and shake well. Add to meat mixture and blend well.
-Spread 1 C sauce mix to bottom of 9x13pan; top with 3 noodles; top with 1/3 cot cheese mix and 1 C sauce. Repeat twice. Top with 3 remaining noodles and remaining sauce.
-Sprinkle with 1 1/4 C moz cheese and 1/4 C parmesan cheese. Cover with greased foil.
-Bake 45 min at 350. Remove foil. Bake additional 5-15 minutes, until heated through and cheeses lightly browned. Let sit 5min or so before cutting.

Yield: 12 large servings

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com Pretty good, especially since I don't like runny lasagna - this was on the drier side. 7/10
*Note to self, do not skimp on water or recipe will be too dry. Cot cheese amount increased a little from original recipe. Cheese got too hard after foil removed - would not leave in full 15 minutes.

Golden Potato Soup

2007-11-09T07:53:00.001-05:00

9 C peeled and cubed ( I chunk them) potatoes
3/4 C chopped celery
1/4 C dried onions
3 cubes chicken boullion
3 C water
1 Tb dried parsley (or to taste)
pepper to taste
2 heaping Tb flour
4 1/2 C milk
12 oz shredded cheese (I mixed cheddar and colby-jack)
Zender's chicken seasoning to taste (optional)**

-In large pot add potatoes, celery, onion, boullion, water and parsley. Season with pepper and simmer until veggies are tender.
-Whisk flour and 1 C. milk in a small bowl until well blended. Add to soup with other milk and cook until soup thickens, stirring frequently.
-Stir in cheese and simmer until cheese is melted.

**I added seasoning at the end because it was a little bland - could add more boullion if desired.
Yield: 7 servings (for hungry guys:))

Recipe adapted from one found at Allrecipes.com . Very good! 9/10

Hamburger Bake

2007-11-09T07:41:00.002-05:00

2 C. fried hamburger
1 pt or can tomato soup
2 C. frozen veggies
1 C. mozzarella cheese
1 C. cheddar cheese
pepper to taste
1 can biscuit or crescent rolls

-Mix hamburg, soup, veggies and 1/2 C of each cheese in bowl. Add pepper per taste.
-Pat biscuits or crescent rolls into pie plate until they form a crust with seams sealed. Pat up sides of pan if possible.
-Pour mix onto crust.
-Top with 1/2 C of each cheese.
-Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until cheese browns.

Not too bad of a recipe, pretty filling - not too fancy! I think it gets a 6/10. I tried it with the biscuits, and they puffed up around the edge. The crescents would probably be really good but more fattening. Also, Cream of Mushroom soup might taste better...will try next time.

Lazy Canned Grape Juice

2007-09-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

I tried this recipe for canned grape juice off the Internet this year. It's definitely not as good as the real stuff (for which you have to cook the grapes and strain), but it's pretty good. And it saves loads of time and energy, which I seem to be running short on this fall being preggo and all!:) With a little help from my friend Darci (who did over 100 2-qt jars and counting...wow!), the recipe turned out much better the second time around. I am posting the adapted recipe and wouldn't recommend the original one I got off the web.

-Grapes
-Sugar
-Qt jars, washed
-lids/bands (I use Ball)
-Canner
-Large pot
-Small pan for heating lids
-Jar lifter

-Start heating large saucepot of water to boil.
-Place 1+ C. washed grapes into each qt jar.
-Add 1/2 C. sugar to each jar.
-Fill each jar with boiling/hot water leaving 1 in headspace.
-Heat lids in water (do not boil).
-Wipe rims of jars with damp rag.
-Screw on bands until snug.
-Gently shake jar until sugar is all disolved (very important!!)
-Place in water bath canner and cover all jars by 1-2 inches water.
-Cover, bring water to boil and process 25 minutes at a rolling boil (turn heat down after initial boil).
-Let cool a few minutes.
-Remove jars with jar lifter onto towel or cooling rack and allow to sit for 24 hours.
-Refrigerate any unsealed jars.
-When serving, strain juice into pitcher and discard grapes. Add water to dilute to taste.

*The first batch I tried called for 1 C. sugar - too much! It also said not to worry about mixing sugar in jars...bad idea. My sugar solidified in the bottom of the jars during the canning process. I was pretty bummed! The next time I tried Darci's advice of shaking the sugar in with the hot water and that worked!!-

Sweet Stir-Fry Sauce

2007-09-26T09:52:00.000-05:00

1/4-1/3 C. Low Salt Soy Sauce
2 tsp br sugar
1 Tb honey mustard
juice from one can drained pineapple chunks

-Mix in bowl and add water as needed depending on size of stir fry ingreds.

Pumpkin Patch Cakes/Muffins

2007-09-26T09:33:00.001-05:00

Ben and Melissa gave us a beautiful pan that makes little pumpkin-shaped cakes/muffins last year. This is the recipe that came with it from Williams and Sonoma...adapted a little bit.

3 1/3 C. flour (I use half whole wheat)
2 3/4 tsp bk powder
3/4 tsp bk soda
2 1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon (can use more!)
1 3/4 tsp nutmeg
14 Tb softened unsalted butter (can use salted)
1 1/3 C. br sugar
1 1/3 C. sugar
4 eggs
1 C. milk
1 2/3 C. pumpkin puree (fresh, frozen and thawed, or canned)
Raisins - optional

-Beat butter and sugars until fluffy.
-Add in eggs and mix well.
-Mix dry ingreds together.
-Alternate adding dry to wet ingreds with milk, until mostly mixed.
-Add pumpkin and stir until just mixed.
-Add raisins if you like (makes them a little more muffin-like)!
-Bake at 350 in sprayed muffin pans or mini cake pans for ~18 min.
-Let cool 15 min and remove from pan.
-Frost if desired.

Yield: 24+ muffins/mini-cakes

Frosting (per W&S)
Mix:
8 oz softened cr cheese
1 stick softened butter
1 C. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

or

Frosting (per Mom Lang)
Powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Dash of milk
-Mix until of thick drizzling consistency or thicker for piping icing.
-Can add green food coloring and make vines on the pumpkin muffins.

*I can't remember if we liked the cream cheese frosting or not...it seems like we used the plain frosting instead since the muffins don't have to be refrigerated then.

**Can also sprinkle muffins/cakes with powdered sugar after they cool - use a fine colander or grater to sprinkle through.

We really like this recipe, with or without raisins. Go heavy on the cinnamon/nutmeg for extra zip. I'd give them a 9/10, and I'm not even a pumpkin lover!!

Rocky Road Bars

2007-09-26T09:13:00.000-05:00

1 box Chocolate Cake mix
1/2 C. butter, melted
1/3 C. water
1/4 C. br sugar
2 eggs
3 C. mini marshmallows

Frosting:
3 Tb butter
3 Tb cocoa
~1/8 C. milk
Powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

-In bowl, stir together half of cake mix, the butter, water, br sugar and eggs til smooth.
-Stir in remaining cake mix.
-Spread in greased 9x13 pan. Bake 15-20 min at 350.
-Sprinkle with marshmallows.
-Bake 5-10 min longer, or until marshmallows are puffed and golden.
-Remove from oven and let cool.

Frosting:
-Slowly warm butter, cocoa and milk on stovetop, stir until smooth and well mixed. Do not boil.
-Add vanilla and powdered sugar until drizzling consistency.
-Drizzle over marshmallows.
-Cool completely.

*Of note...I did not let the cake cool before I drizzled the frosting, and my drizzling turned into a very warm lake of chocolate:). I think letting the cake cool a bit first is what my mom does.

**The bulk of this recipe is from BettyCrocker.com . The frosting recipe is my Mom's. Mom actually makes these bars using a brownie mix, marshmallows and her frosting and they are very good. I never buy brownie mixes and usually have a cake mix on hand, so I substitute with that. Mom's bars have more of a true brownie taste and are yummo (9/10)! I'd give these bars a 7/10 - pretty good!

Canned Diced Tomatoes

2007-09-25T10:34:00.000-05:00

1 bushel ripe tomatoes yields approx 19 pt

Goods:
1 bushel tomatoes
White vinegar

Supplies:
mason jars
canning lids (I use Ball) and bands
food processor
long non-metal spatula/utensil
canning funnel
water bath canner
tomato corer or small knife
jar lifter

-Wash tomatoes
-Core tomatoes with little tool (invaluable!!)
-Hold tomato upside down and scrape seeds out (could save this juice/seeds and strain to make juice...I don't because I don't like tomato juice)
-Pulse tomatoes in small batches in food processor (4-5 pulses) until diced
-Fill each pint jar 1in from top with 2 Tb vinegar and diced tomatoes (they should make plenty of their own juice once pulsed in processor).
-Use plastic spatula handle and gently run along the inside of the jar up and down to release any hidden bubbles.
-Heat lids in hot water (do not boil).
-Wipe rims of jars with damp cloth and place lid and bands on jars.
-Place jars in water bath canner on rack (I usually fill canner 1/4 full with hot water and start it heating once I am close to being ready to start a batch).
-Cover jars with hot water until 1-2 inches higher than jars. Place lid on canner.
-Heat on high. Once water starts to boil, turn heat down and continue to boil with lid on for 1 hr 25 min.
-Remove jars from canner once water cools a little with jar lifter. Place on towel or cooling rack and allow to sit for 24 hours.
-Gently wash jars with soap and cool water to remove any stickyness. Refrigerate any unsealed jars.

Mom Lang's Tuna Noodle Casserole

2007-09-25T09:54:00.000-05:00

1 can tuna in water(6oz), drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1+ C. frozen peas
1/2 bag of cooked wide, large whole wheat wide noodles
milk
pepper
small handful crushed baked lays (or other chips or crackers)
2 Tb. softened butter

-Mix soup, tuna, peas and pepper to taste in oven proof bowl.
-Mix in noodles.
-Spread butter over noodles.
-Pour milk over noodles and gently mix until noodles are almost covered (do not cover).
-Sprinkle with crushed chips.
-Bake at 350 for 45min-1hr, until milk is thickened/mostly absorbed. Cover toward end once browned.

Mom Lang's Meatloaf

2007-09-24T10:22:00.000-05:00

Mmmm...nothing beats Mom's meatloaf on a cool night:).

1 lb raw hamburger
3/4 C. Oats (quick or plain)
~1/4 C. catsup
1 egg
pepper to taste
dash of dried onions

-Mix all ingreds together in bowl until sticky (add catsup as needed).
-Place in bread loaf pan, form into shape of loaf or press down into pan.
-Spread catsup lightly over top.
-Cook at 350 for 45min-1hr. (Cover part way through if it gets too brown on top).

Rhubarb Freezer Jam

2007-06-27T19:46:00.001-05:00

4 C. Diced Rhubarb
3 C. Sugar
1 pkg Red Jello (flavor of your choice...strawberry, cherry...)

-Mix rhubarb and sugar and let sit for 4 hours to overnight.
-Boil mixture for 15 min.
-Add jello and stir.
-Pour into freezer containers and freeze.

I got this recipe from Carrie, a friend at work. It's a fun, quick recipe to use up rhubarb. Turns out pretty sweet - cherry and strawberry were good flavors. One batch came out very thick, not sure why...try less jello maybe?

Rhubarb Bread

2007-06-27T19:45:00.000-05:00

1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. oil
1 egg
1 C. buttermilk (used 1 Tb. lemon juice with 1 C. milk as substitute)
1 tsp bk soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 C. flour
1 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. whole oats
1 1/2 C. diced rhubarb

-Mix first four ingredients.
-Mix dry ingreds.
-Combine, mix in rhubarb.
-Bake at 325 for 40-60 minutes. Makes 2 full loaves plus 4 mini-loaves.

Optional: Drizzle with frosting after bread cools. Mix powdered sugar with very small amount of milk and dash of vanilla.

Not too bad...would give it a 3/5 I think (better with frosting of course:)).

Whole-Grain Banana Nutmeg Coffee Cake

2007-04-26T14:35:00.001-05:00

3Tb butter, softened
1 C. Quick Oats
1/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 C. br sugar
1 C. Flour
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 C. sugar
1 Tb. bk powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C. veg. oil
1 C. milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 mashed bananas
1/4 C. chopped pecans

-Mix butter, oats, 1/4 C. whole wheat flour and brown sugar in small bowl until crumbly. Set aside.
-Mix flours, sugar, bk powder, nutmeg, and salt.
-Mix egg, oil, bananas, vanilla and milk.
-Combine last two steps.
-Spread half of mixture in greased 9-in springform pan (or any 9 in pan). Sprinkle half of oat mixture on top.
-Add remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining oats and nuts. Bake at 350 for approx. 40 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm or cold.

Tried this out today (a rainy day - perfect for baking, of course), and mmmm - I like it! Might try a little more nutmeg next time. Good thing we had 8 brown bananas sitting around waiting to be mashed! The fruit slush recipe (6 bananas) I tweaked a little also looks like it will be yummy.
Coffee cake recipe adapted from one found at Green Mountain website.

Mocha Truffle Cookies

2007-04-26T10:52:00.000-05:00

1/2 C butter
1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips
1 Tb instant coffee crystals
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C br sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1/3 C cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bk powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 C choc chips ( I like the white/milk choc swirl chips!)

-Melt butter and 1/2 C. semisweet choc chips over low heat in saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in coffee crystals and let cool 5 min.
-Mix eggs, sugars and vanilla. Add to coffee mix.
-Mix dry ingredients.
-Combine all ingred.
-Drop by rounded tablespoons onto lightly greased cookie sheets.
-Bake at 350 for approx 10 min. Let cool 1 min and remove from sheet.
Y: 30

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.

Mmmm Lemonade!

2007-04-24T06:57:00.001-05:00

Lemonade
Originally uploaded by jamieanne.

3/4 - 1 C. Sugar
1 C. Lemon juice concentrate
6 C. Water

Mix together and enjoy!!!

I love this easy lemonade that our friend Dana made recently! Since I rarely buy lemons, I enjoy how close this tastes to real lemonade without actually buying the fruit. And lemon juice is a staple in my fridge. Mmmmm mmmmm, 5/5 for both Jonathan and me I think!

Rhubarb Oat Bars

2007-04-11T08:43:00.000-05:00

1 1/2 C chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
1 C. br sugar, divided
4 Tb water, divided
1 tsp lemon juice
4 tsp cornstarch
1 C. old oats
3/4 C. flour
1/2 C. coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C. butter, melted

-In saucepan, combine rhubarb, 1/2 C. brown sugar, 3 Tb water and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until rhubarb tender.
-Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth; gradually stir into rhubarb mixture. Bring to boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Set aside.
-Comine oats, flour, coconut, salt and remaining br sugar. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press half of mixture into greased 8x8 pan. Spread with rhubarb mixture. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture and press down lightly.
-Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden.
Y: 16 bars

Note: If frozen rhubarb, measure while frozen, then thaw completely. Drain, but do not press liquid out.

This recipe is from Taste of Home. I haven't tried it yet, but my rhubarb is about an inch tall, so pretty soon I'll let you know how it is!!

Frozen Fruit Slush

2007-04-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

20 oz can crushed pineapple
12 oz can banana/pineapple/orange juice concentrate (or OJ conc.)
3 C. water
1/2 C. sugar
6 bananas
1 handful raspberries (fresh or frozen)

-Mix all together and freeze at least 24 hours before serving. Stir occasionally during freezing ( I didn't do this and it ended up very hard - oops!). Keep in freezer.
-May need to let thaw a bit before serving. Scoop with ice cream scoop and serve with breakfast, or whenever!

Recipe adapted from Fields of Home Guest House website.

Freezer Carrots

2007-04-11T08:05:00.000-05:00

-Peel and chop carrots into small chunks (I used a crinkle cutter so they came out pretty).
-Blanch for 3 min.
-Cool in cold water and drain.
-Freeze in freezer bags.

These turned out pretty good in 2006 - note: do not use overly large carrots, they didn't taste as good.

Rosemary Chicken with White Beans

2007-04-11T07:59:00.001-05:00

2 Tb oil
4-6 Chicken breast halves
1 C. carrots, sliced
1/2 C. celery, sliced
1 Can navy or white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp rosemary (opt.)
1/3 C. Italian dressing

-Heat oil in skillet. Brown chx breasts and drain. Place carrots, celery and beans in crock-pot. Add chx breasts. Combine salt, pepper, rosemary and Italian dressing and pour over ingredients in pot. Stir slightly to combine. Cover, cook on low 8-9 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

This was something different, pretty good. 3/5 Recipe is from the Crock-Pot website.

Mom's Potato Salad

2007-04-11T07:49:00.000-05:00

This is truly a "little bit of this and a little bit of that" recipe from my Mom. I really enjoy her potato salad and this is her recipe...

-Boil a bunch of peeled potatoes until soft.
-Rinse in cool water and dice.
-Boil a bunch of eggs approx. 10 min.
-Let cool and chop after peeling.
-Chop some celery.
-Mix above ingredients.
-Mix approx 1/2 jar light miracle whip, 1 Tb sugar (to taste), some mustard, and a little milk. Add to other ingreds.
-Mix in small amount of dehydrated onions, and some salt and pepper.
-Can sprinkle paprika on top. Keep cold.

Sorry for the lack of details, but it will taste yummy regardless of the ratios:).

Emily's Fruit Pie

2007-04-11T07:42:00.000-05:00

3 Tb. Clearjel
1 C. sugar
1 C. water
3 Tb. jello
3 C. fruit
1 pie shell

Heat Clearjel, sugar and water on stove until mixed well and thick. Add jello (flavor to match fruit). Add fruit. Pour into pie shell and allow to cool. Top with cool whip.

Yum, yum, yum!!! We enjoyed this simple dessert awhile back at the home of some friends from church. They used blueberries and grape jello. I think that their blueberries were frozen, too, which makes the recipe even more versatile! We really enjoyed it!

Whole-Grain Apple Coffee Cake

2007-04-11T07:28:00.000-05:00

3Tb butter
1 C. Quick Oats
1/4 C. Flour
1/4 C. br sugar
1 C. Flour
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. veg. oil
1 C. milk
1 Tb. bk powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 C. chopped apples
1/4 C. chopped pecans

-Mix butter, oats, 1/4 C. flour and brown sugar in small bowl until crumbly. Set aside.
-Mix flours, sugar, oil, milk, bk powder, cinnamon, salt, and egg in large bowl until well blended.
-Stir in apples. Spread half of mixture in 9-in springform pan (or any 9 in pan) that has been greased. Sprinkle half of oat mixture on top.
-Add remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining oats and nuts. Bake at 350 for approx. 40 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm or cold.

I have made this once, and I really liked how it looked in the springform pan! Beautiful! Tasted good, too:)! Might be even better with a little powd. sugar frosting drizzled over it. A 4/5 for me, Jonathan maybe not so high of a rating.
Recipe adapted from one found at Green Mountain website.

Crock-Pot Fudge Pudding Cake

2007-04-11T07:16:00.000-05:00

First Layer:
1 C. Br Sugar
1 C. Flour
3 Tb Cocoa
2 tsp bk powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C. milk
2 Tb butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla

Second Layer:
1/4 C. cocoa
3/4 C. Br sugar
1 3/4 C. boiling water

-Spray crock-pot with baking spray.
-Mix dry ingreds for first layer. Stir in milk, butter and vanilla. Spoon batter into bottom of crock-pot (will be thick).
-Mix 3/4 C br sugar and 1/4 C. cocoa. Sprinkle over batter. Do not stir.
-Pour boiling water over top. Cover and cook on high for 2.5-3 hours or until cake pulls away from sides of crock-pot and pudding is bubbling through.
-Serve with ice cream or whipped topping. Or, let set for 10 min and then invert on plate. Spoon pudding left in pot over the cake.
-Recommended: Use 3- 3.5Qt crock-pot.

Servings: 8

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but a nurse I work with made something very similar which was rich, but yummy. If anyone tries it, please let me know how it is! Recipe found at: Wheat Foods Council.

Frozen Pistachio Dessert

2007-04-11T06:58:00.000-05:00

2 small boxes Instant Pistachio Pudding
1 Qt Vanilla Ice Cream, softened
1 1/3 C. milk
8 oz Cool Whip
Butterfinger candy bar (or candy of your choice)
1 Graham Cracker Crust - do not need to bake ( I tried it without butter and it was a wee bit too crumbly:))

-Make crust in 9x13 pan. Can bake if desired (I did not) according to recipe. Let cool if baked.
-Mix pudding, milk and ice cream in large bowl and pour onto crust. Spread cool whip over top. Sprinkle with crushed candy bar.
-Freeze until firm. Will store in freezer for quite awhile!

I wanted to make something green for St. Patrick's Day, and this was it! We both thought it was pretty good. Probably a 3/5.

Shepherd's Pie

2007-03-19T13:01:00.000-05:00

1 1/2 lb hamburger, fried with salt/pepper
15 oz can mixed vegetables
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C. milk
~ 2-3 C. mashed potatoes
2 Tb butter
Dash of garlic salt

Mix hamburger with veggies, soup, garlic salt and milk. Spread into 3 Qt pan (sprayed). Place mashed potatoes around edge of pan or cover entire pan with potatoes if desired. Drizzle butter (optional) over potatoes and sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until potatoes lightly browned.

*I used leftover baked potatoes and mashed them with milk and some fat free sour cream - worked well!!! We both enjoyed this recipe.

Ginger Cake

2007-03-16T09:59:00.000-05:00

1/2 C. boiling water + 2 Tb.
1/2 C. canola oil
1/2 C. br sugar
1/2 C. molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 C. whole wt flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bk powder
1/2 tsp soda
3/4 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon

-Boil water. Pour water carefully over oil. Set aside.
-Beat egg, sugar and molasses. Mix with oil/water.
-Mix dry ingredients.
-Add wet ingreds to dry ingreds.
-Bake at 350 for 30 min in 8-in greased pan.

- Serve with applesauce (unsweetened or sweetened) and cool whip!

Y: 8

Mmmm! This dessert was a treat we enjoyed while having dinner with Blake's parents in Minnesota! The recipe is from his mother, Elaine. Her recipe was called "Ginger Bread," but I switched it to cake.

Freezer Corn

2007-03-01T05:53:00.000-05:00

Sweet Corn
Sugar
Salt
Pint/Quart freezer bags
Ice
Large pot
Cooling bowls
Angel food cake pan
Knives

-Place cobs on angel food cake pan and slice sides off into bottom of pan.
-Measure 9 Cups corn and place in saucepot.
-Mix with 1 Tb salt, 1/4 C sugar, 2 1/2 C water.
-Stir and heat to a boil. Boil 5 min.
-Pour into bowls and place in sink with small amount of ice water to speed up cooling process.
-Bag and freeze!!
-To serve, place in saucepot with small amount of water, heat on high until completely thawed, then turn off.

This recipe is from my mother-in-law. She taught me so much about preserving. This corn is wonderful!!!!

Freezer Applesauce

2007-03-01T05:36:00.000-05:00

Apples (1/2 McIntosh & 1/2 Cortland, Spy, or whatever is available - we usually do 2 bushels total)
Sugar
2 large pots
potato masher
freezer bags (quart and/or pint)
1 large bowl (preferably metal or pyrex)
numerous bowls
apple peeler (recommended)
buckets for peelings/cores

-Peel and core apples. Cut into quarters or use apple peeler to slice.
-Place apples in bowl with cold water and a squirt of lemon juice or Fruit Fresh until ready to cook.
-When you have a bowl full, place apples in a large pot with approx 1 in of water. Turn on heat and bring to a boil.
-Continue to add apples until pot is approx. 1/3 to 1/2 full and mash apples as they begin to soften. Stop adding apples when mixture is not watery in apperance.
-Mash to desired consistency (we like to leave it a bit chunky!).
-Add sugar to taste (up to 2 Cups roughly) once apples are mushy.
-Cook 5 minutes longer, while stirring - careful not to burn!
-Pour sauce into bowls to cool and place bowls in sink with a little cool water under them to speed process.
-Continue on with next batch...(very helpful to have 2 people working!)
-Once cooled, scoop sauce with measuring cup into freezer bags until very full.
-Label and freeze!
-To serve, remove applesauce from bag and place in bowl to thaw or defrost in microwave.
-May serve cold or hot. May add cinnamon.

This recipe is from my wonderful Mom:), and it is my favorite applesauce!! You can also make it and eat it in smaller batches - it sometimes doesn't make it to the freezer!

Y: 2 bushels ~ 28 Qt

Blueberry Morning Glaze

2007-03-01T05:31:00.000-05:00

Mix 1 Tb Cornstarch with 1/2 C water until smooth. Add 1/2 C sugar. Heat in skillet with bottom covered in blueberries until boiling. Boil 1 minute. May mash blueberries if desired. Serve with blueberry pancakes of course!:)

Garlic Bread

2007-03-01T05:28:00.000-05:00

1 loaf French Bread, sliced
1/4 C. Butter, softened
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp oregano
4 tsp parsley (dried)
3 Tb parmesan cheese

-Combine butter and spices and cheese.
-Spread mixture on one side of each bread slice and place on foil.
-Wrap reconstructed loaf in foil and bake at 400 for 12-15 min or until butter melts and bread is crusty.

Mmm!

Cherry Bread

2007-03-01T05:22:00.000-05:00

2 C Sugar
1 1/4 C Veg Oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 C Flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp bk soda
1 can Solo Almond Filling
13 oz low fat Evaporated Milk
1 jar marshiano cherries (approx 3/4 C cherries, 1 C juice)

-Chop cherries into small pieces.
-Mix first 4 ingreds.
-Mix dry ingreds.
-Add almond filling, milk and cherries with juice to sugar mix.
-Combine all ingreds and mix well.
-Pour into sprayed loaf pans (can't remember how many pans you will need?).
-Bake at 325 for 55 min.

Recipe shared from a friend of my mother - Mary Jo.

Lemon-Blueberry Biscuits

2007-03-01T04:46:00.000-05:00

2C flour
1/4 C sugar
2 tsp bk powder
1/2 tsp bk soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
8 oz yogurt (I use lemon)
1 C frozen blueberries
1 tsp lemon peel
Lemon Glaze:
1 C. Powdered Sugar
dash of Milk
Almond extract

-Mix dry ingreds. Used pastry blender to cut in butter.
-Mix egg, yogurt and peel.
-Add to dry ingreds. Stir until moistened, then fold in blueberries.
-Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased baking sheet.
-Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, or until golden.
-Cool on rack.
-Mix glaze then drizzle over biscuits.

Y: 12

Very good!!!!!!
Recipe adapted from a magazine (possibly Midwest or Southern Living?)

Mom's Party Punch

2007-03-01T04:38:00.000-05:00

1 Large Can Pineapple Juice
1 can frozen lemonade
1 can frozen OJ
2L 7-Up
1 small tub orange sherbert

-Mix lemonade as directed and freeze in ice ring ahead of time.
-Combine 7-Up, OJ and pineapple juice in bowl.
-Place ice in bowl and add scoops of sherbert as desired.

Nacho Dip

2007-03-01T04:25:00.000-05:00

2 lb ground beef, fried
16 oz cream cheese
2 small cans tomato soup
1 Tb jalapeno peppers, chopped with 1 tsp juice

Mix all ingredients, heat through and serve immediately or keep warm in crock-pot.

A simple and yummy recipe shared by coworker Pam S.

Graham Cracker Crust

2007-03-01T04:05:00.000-05:00

18 single graham crackers (~ 1 1/2 C crumbs)
2 Tb sugar
1/3 C. melted butter

Crush crackers in bag using rolling pin. Mix with other ingreds. Press into 9" pie plate. Chill as is, or bake at 350 for 8 min.

Recipe shared from Mennonite Country-Style Recipes & Kitchen Secrets by Esther Shank

Simple French Toast

2007-03-01T03:55:00.000-05:00

4 Eggs
1 C. Milk
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
cinnamon (optional)
powdered sugar
8 slices bread

-Beat eggs until mixed in wide bowl. Add and mix milk and flavoring. Quickly dip bread slices in egg mixture one at a time to moisten, then place on skillet (lightly greased if needed). Heat each side until browned at 350. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with syrup.

Beef Roast with Veggies

2007-03-01T03:35:00.000-05:00

Roasts are always an experiment for me - I usually just add to them whatever veggies are around and vary the spices/sauces depending on my mood. This recipe I actually wrote down once, so we must have liked it:). My mom taught me that you can throw a frozen roast in the oven, and my planning ahead was all over from then on...the only difficulty is getting the wrap off of the roast!

1 frozen roast (sirloin, chuck, pot, etc...)
veggies (red potatoes with skins on, green/yellow fresh beans, green pepper, onions, carrots)
garlic salt
pepper
paprika
dried parsley
butter
worcestershire sauce

Place frozen roast in roaster pan. Liberally squirt with worc. sauce to coat. Add hot water to pan to lightly cover bottom and a dash over the roast. Sprinkle spices over roast. Cover and bake at 400 for 10 min, then turn oven down to 350. Bake for approx. 1 1/2 hours, then add veggies around roast. Dot with little bits of butter. Sprinkle some more spices over veggies. Bake another 45 minutes (covered) or until roast is done to your desire.

Calzones

2007-03-01T03:13:00.000-05:00

1 loaf frozen bread dough
2-3C. shredded mozzarella
pepperoni, fried ground beef, etc.
mushrooms, olives, etc.

Pizza Sauce:
8oz tomato sauce
7.5oz canned diced tomatoes
1/2 C. chopped onions (optional)
1 Tb dried basil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp pepper

-Mix pizza sauce ingredients in saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer ~10min.
-Allow dough to thaw and rise slightly, then halve the dough.
-Roll dough into two circles (or do not halve dough and roll out as rectangle).
-Place dough on cookie sheet or pizza pans.
-Place cheese on half of dough (leaving 1 inch rim around edge), then sauce and desired meat/veggies.
-Moisten edges of dough with a little bit of water.
-Fold dough circles in half over filling.
-Seal edges by pressing with tines of a fork.
-Prick tops. Brush tops with a little milk, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.
-Bake at 375 for ~25 min (until crusts are brown).

Y: Serves 3-4

Recipe adapted just a bit from Better Homes and Gardens 2000 Edition cookbook.

Plain Ole' Pancakes

2007-03-01T02:56:00.000-05:00

My standard pancake recipe from Better Homes and Gardens red checkered 2000 cookbook.
I add blueberries for zip (and fiber!) and usually triple the recipe - that way I have a few leftover to freeze.

1 C. flour
1 Tb sugar
2 tsp bk powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 C. milk
2 Tb oil
frozen blueberries

Mix dry ingreds. Mix wet ingreds and add to dry ingreds. Stir just until moistened. Pour 1/4 batter onto griddle (can grease if desired with butter). Sprinkle blueberries onto batter. Cook over med heat (350) until batter starts to bubble and edges dry slightly. Flip! Cook ~1 min.
Y: 8-10 4in pancakes.

Note: This recipe is pretty good. I sometimes substitute half whole wheat flour - yes it's healthier, but the taste just isn't the same:(.

Basic Steamed Rice

2007-02-28T06:23:00.000-05:00

From More-with-Less Cookbook by D.J. Longacre...

Combine in heavy saucepan:
1 1/2 C. rice
1/2 tsp salt
Just enough water to rise above rice level to a depth of one inch; Asians measure using index finger from tip to middle of first knuckle.

Over high heat, bring to a full rolling boil. Stir through with a fork, loosening grains at the bottom of pan. Reduce heat to simmer, cover with tight-fitting lid, and do not stir or peek for 20 minutes. (If burner stays too hot and causes rice to boil over, pull pan partially off burner for first 5 minutes). After 20 minutes, turn off heat and let rice stand covered until ready to serve. Flake gently while transferring to serving dish. Yields a tender but slightly chewy rice with no gluey moisture at bottom.

*If using brown rice, increase cooking time to 45 minutes.

Notes: I have found this recipe really helpful and no longer buy expensive minute rice. It's a little tricky to get the consistency right, and the rice does seem gluey if it sits too long before being served.

Chinese Chicken Salad

2007-02-28T00:27:00.000-05:00

-Cook 4 chicken breasts and cube.
-Chop 1/2 head cabbage.
-Chop 4 Green onions ( I would omit).

-Mix 2 Tb. Sugar, 4 Tb vinegar, 1/2 C. oil, 2 Tb. Soy sauce, 1 Ramen noodle flavor packet.

-Add dressing to chicken and cabbage and onions and mix. Allow to sit, then add just before serving: 2 tsp sesame seeds, 1/2 C. slivered almonds (toasted), and Ramen noodles (broken up).

Recipe shared from the farm kitchen cookbook of Action Zambia.

**Turned out very salty, would try only half pack seasoning next time...

Chocolate Revel Bars

2007-02-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

These are highly recommended for a dessert! Makes a large quantity without too much effort. Recipe shared from a cookbook created by my Aunt Kathie.

1 C. Butter
2 C. Br Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp Bk soda
1 tsp Salt
3 C. Quick oats

15 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
12 oz. Semisweet choc. chips (~2C)
2 Tb Butter
2 tsp Vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs & vanilla. Mix dry ingreds, then oats. Add to wet ingreds.

In heavy pan (on low heat) or microwave: heat swt/cond milk, chocolate, 2Tb butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Wet hands and pat 2/3 of oatmeal mixture into greased 11x15 pan. Spread chocolate mixture over dough. Sprinkle remaining oats mixture over chocolate.

Bake at 350 for ~ 20 min.

Chocolate No Bake Cookies

2007-02-27T23:55:00.000-05:00

Another recipe from my Aunt Kathie's family cookbook (by Julie R.).

2C. Sugar
1/2 C. Milk
1/4 C. Oleo
1/3 C. Cocoa
1/2 C. Peanut Butter (smooth)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
3 C. Quick oats

-Boil sugar, oleo, milk and cocoa for one minute, then take off stove.
-Add PB and vanilla.
-Stir in oatmeal.
-Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper and let cool.

-Optional to add: nuts, coconut, raisins

I prefer these plain without any extra ingreds. Not too good for you, but mmmmmm!

Mom Lang's Easy Cinnamon Rolls

2007-02-27T23:48:00.000-05:00

1 loaf frozen bread dough
Butter
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon

Frosting:
1/2 C. powdered sugar
Dash of milk
Dash of vanilla

-Thaw a loaf of frozen bread dough until pliable (half as large as it would be to bake).
-Press into 12"x6" rectangle. Coat with 1Tb melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar to coat and cinnamon.
-Roll into a log (12in long) and slice into 1in sections. Can use dental floss to slice sections or a serated knife.
-Place sections in 1-2 round cake pans and let rise in warm spot until double in size.
-Bake at 350 for 15 min or until lightly browned.
-Lightly butter tops of rolls.
-Cool for 10 min in pans, then drizzle with frosting (of pouring consistency).

Y: ~ 16 rolls

Poppy Seed Bread/Cake/Muffins

2007-02-27T23:37:00.000-05:00

From a family cookbook that my Aunt Kathie put together (by Kristie M.)...

1 Tb poppy seeds
1 yellow cake mix
1 pkg pudding (I prefer lemon)
4 eggs
1/2 C oil
1 C. hot water

Mix ingredients and pour into greased pans.
For bread: Use 2 loaf pans and bake ~30 min.
Muffins: Bake ~15 min.
Bundt cake: Bake according to cake mix instructions

An Online Cookbook

2007-02-22T03:15:00.000-05:00

The practicality of having my recipe collection on the internet intrigues me. I couldn't figure out an easy way to do this without overloading Shupe Shire. Tonight while I was reading through some blogs of note, I came across a blog that was strictly recipes. Aha! What if I made a separate blog just for all my crazy recipes??? Thanks Food for Her Household for the idea! So, here it is! I thank God for showing me this little revelation tonight, and I believe it will be helpful in the future for keeping our home in order! I might be the only one to use this, but I hope not! I hope others will enjoy these recipes and that the recipes will bring warmth and "mmmmm" to other people's homes.

Please give feedback on any recipes that you try!

Currant Scones

2007-02-22T03:00:00.000-05:00

2C. Flour
1/4 C. Sugar
1 Tb bk powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 C. cold butter, cut in pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup cream
2 tsp vanilla (may substitute with almond extract)
1/2 C. frozen currants (may substitute with other dried, fresh or frozen fruits)

-Mix dry ingred. Use pastry blender to mix in butter or mix with your hands until coarse crumbs. Make well in center of mixture.
-Whisk together egg, cream, and vanilla. Add to dry ingred. Stir until moistened and dough forms.
-Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead by folding and gently pressing for 5-8 turns until dough is nearly smooth. Pat dough into 8-inch circle, then cut into 8 wedges.
-Brush with cream and sprinkle with a touch of sugar.
-Place each scone 1 inch apart on sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 12 min, or until lightly browned.

This recipe is from the Midwest Living Oct. 06 issue with just a couple adjustments. Mmmm good and it makes me think of England!!!

Notes to self...
Try:
Apple Scones: Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg?, 3/4 C. chopped/peeled apple. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon/sugar. May take 14 min. to bake
Poppy Seed Scones: 2 Tb poppy seeds, 1 tsp lemon peel
Cranberry Pecan: 1/2 C. chopped fresh or dried cranb. & 1/4 C. chopped pecans (or almonds?)
Berry Scones: 1/2C. frozen blue/raspberries or chopped strawb.
Peach Almond: 1/2C. chopped, peeled peaches, 1/4C. sliced almonds, 1/4 tsp almond extr. instead of vanilla

Cherry & Apple Muffins

2007-02-22T02:59:00.000-05:00

1 egg
3/4 C. milk
1 handful dried cherries
1 chopped apple
1/2 C. oil
1 C. wh. wheat flour
1 C. quick oats
1/3 C. sugar
1 Tb bk powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond extr.
Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients (I used between 1/3 and 1/2 C. oil and it worked well) and add to dry ingredients. Pour into 12 greased cups. Bake at 400 degrees for approx. 15 minutes. Serve warm with butter! Mmmm.

Note to self. Might try with 1/4 C. sugar next time. Had to add a wee bit extra flour to get 12 muffins.

Blueberry Bread

2007-02-22T02:56:00.000-05:00

A recipe I found in an old Country Living...
1/4 C. butter, soft
1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 C. flour
2 tsp bk powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C. milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp dried lemon peel
1 C. blueberries, fresh or frozen

Beat butter and sugar til fluffy, add vanilla and eggs one at a time.
Mix flour, bk powder, salt, lemon peel. Comine and add milk just until mixed. Add berries.
(I added a splash more milk - very thick batter)
Turn into heavily sprayed bread loaf pan and bake at 350 approx 50 min, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 min in pan on rack

Very good! Might try almond extract next time instead of vanilla.

My Favorite Pizza Dough Recipe

2007-02-22T02:52:00.002-05:00

Anne Jisca's Easy Pizza Dough - recipe originally found at Tammy's Recipes,
modified just a pinch...

1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour (have tried using 1/2 whole wheat...pretty good, but heavier)

Pizza toppings of your choice

Instructions:
1. Dissolve yeast in water and oil. Stir in sugar, salt, and flour.

2. Mix until a ball forms. Allow to rise for 5 minutes. Roll flat and place on a greased pizza/cookie sheet. Sprinkle with desired toppings. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden. (Sometimes I bake for 5-7 minutes first then put sauce and toppings on, as I don't care for a soggy crust and this seems to help based on our toppings/oven).

Of note: 1.5x recipe fits a 11x15 pan well. Works really well for calzones.
Very good! This pizza dough turned out better than any past attempts! Rose well (as noted next to the Dordt College mug:)).

Italian Cheese Bread

2007-02-22T02:25:00.000-05:00

Italian Cheese Bread - recipe found at Tammy's Recipes

Bread:

2-1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 TBSP quick-rise yeast
1 C warm water (120*-130*)
1 TBSP vegetable oil

Topping:

1/4 C prepared Italian salad dressing
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Dash peper
1 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese (or more)
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
1. In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients.

2. Combine water and oil; add to flour mixture. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead for 1-2 mintues or until smooth and elastic.

3. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

4. Punch the dough down; place on a greased 12" pizza pan and pat into a 12" circle. Brush with salad dressing.

5. Combine the seasonings; sprinkle over top. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake at 450* for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Of note: Watch carefully at the end as not to burn. Would use a bit more cheese and dressing. Can use ranch drg instead.
Good!