Pork spareribs

Another dish from our New Year's dinner. Enjoy!

• 3-5 pounds pork spareribs

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 4 dashes Tobasco sauce

Bake ribs in 325-degree oven for 90 minutes. Drain. Cook onion in margarine for 10 minutes, then add rest of ingredients and bring sauce to a boil. Pour sauce over ribs and bake 45 more minutes.

Beef shortribs

I made these for our New Year's Eve dinner. Delicious!

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3-5 pounds beef shortribs
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 medium carrots

Mix flour, sugar salt and pepper; coat ribs in it, saving remainder. Brown ribs in melted shortening in Dutch oven. Add rest of flour mixture, water, allspice and bay leaf. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until meat is tender. Add carrots and cook for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Pumpkin Bread

There are lots of recipes for this floating around, but here's my favorite. Moist, holds its shape and slices well, with a cake-like texture.

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 pound pumpkin (15 oz. can is fine)
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves

Mix oil with sugar, beat in eggs. Stir in pumpkin. Mix dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture alternately with water. Bake in greased, floured pans about one hone, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Makes 2 large or 3 small loaves.

Peppermint Toads

I made these today for my son's upcoming Harry Potter birthday party.

• 1 lb white (or red) meltable candy beads (I use Merckens or Wilton's, available at craft stores)
• 4 candy canes, crushed
• 3-4 drops peppermint oil

Melt white chocolate, stir in crushed candy and peppermint oil. Pour into frog-shaped molds. (I got mine from Confectionery House) Harden in freezer and remove.

Tomorrow I'm using the same technique with dark chocolate for Chocolate Frogs.

Fudge sauce

My grandma used to make this. It's easy and delicious. I frequently fill jelly jars with it and give it as Christmas gifts to my kids' teachers. Best when served with Mayfield's Peppermint Stick ice cream (or some lesser brand if you can't get Mayfield's.)

• 3 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine first three ingredients, bring to boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring vigorously with wire whisk. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Serve warm or cold.

Frog light

A double post from Doc Thelma's House, but I wanted everyone to meet the frog light.
My mom sent me this picture today from her tree. She has an strand of antique Christmas tree lights that came from my paternal grandmother's house. Once, the strand had an assortment of shaped bulbs: a zeppelin, a Chinese lantern, a Santa head. For my dad the herpetologist, however, the frog was the favorite; he remembered it from his earliest Christmas, which would have been about 1930. Every year, we would put the strand on the tree and wait with bated breath to see if "the froggy" was going to light and every year, so far, it has. Best guess is this is Froggy's 77th Christmas, at least. The frog and the Chinese lantern are the only novelty bulbs left on the strand; the rest of them are the traditional plain bulb shape. Given how hard it is to find replacement bulbs, who knows how long the strand will last. But 3 1/2 years after his death, my father's light is still burning.

Mulled wine

I think this is what Clarence requested in It's a Wonderful Life.

• 750 ml red wine
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 2/3 cup sugar
• zest of 1/2 orange
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6-8 cloves

Mix in wine, brandy and sugar in saucepan. add flavorings and simmer over low heat until steaming. Do not boil. Serve hot.

Turkey Divan

Here's another dish I look forward to after Thanksgiving. The recipe is originally from my high school dietitian and it was voted the student's favorite. Don't worry, this was a prep school, well-known for its delicious food.

• 2 10 oz. packages frozen broccoli
• 2 cups diced turkey
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

Cook and grain broccoli and arrange in greased casserole dish. Add turkey. Mix soup, mayo, lemon juice and curry, pour over turkey and broccoli. Cover with cheese. Combine last three ingredients, sprinkle over all. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Cinnamon Spice Craft Dough

With the holidays coming up, it's time I share one of my favorite crafts. This dough makes wonderful ornaments that smell great during preparation, hold their shape and bake into hard, long-lasting shapes. Paint them with a little glitter gel and they look like brown sugar cookies. A wonderful Sunday School project. Not edible!

• 4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons cloves
• 1 1/2 cup warm water

Mix dry ingredients. Add water gradually, until mixture is like playdough. Role to 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters. If hanging, make a hole with a drinking straw. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

Monkey Bread

My 7-year old son prepared this for a Cub Scout requirement. Delicious hot from the oven. Halving the recipe gives a good, family- sized loaf; use the full size for a crowd. Fun with kids because there are lots of little dough balls to roll.

• 3 10-oz (or 4 7.5-oz.) cans refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar

Separate biscuit dough and divide each piece in fourths. Mix sugar and cinnamon in bowl; roll each dough ball to coat. Drop in a greased and floured bundt pan. Melt butter and mix with brown sugar; I dump any leftover cinnamon sugar into to mix. Pour brown sugar mixture over dough balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool 5-10 minutes in pan, then invert onto plate. Break pieces off to serve.

Classic Lasagna

My Girl Scouts made this last night for our assistant leader, who just had a baby.

• 1 lb ground beef
• 14.5 oz can stewed tomatos
• 3/4 cup water
• 12 oz tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic
• 12 oz cottage cheese
• 12 oz ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese

8 oz lasagna noodles (I use the kind you don't have to boil first.)
Brown and drain beef. In saucepan, mix tomatoes, water, tomato paste and spices, add beef and heat until bubbly. Blend cottage, ricotta and Parmesan cheese with beaten eggs.
Put 1/2 cup meat sauce in bottom of greased pan. Layer 1/2 each of noodles, meat sauce, mozzarella and cheese sauce. Repeat layers, top with extra Parmesan if desired. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Simply Delicious Cheesecake

A recipe from my mom. Simple but elegant and wonderful tasting.
Crust

• 2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

Combine cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter, blend well. Assemble springform pan using flat bottom: pour crumb mixture into pan; press crumbs onto bottom and up sides to within 1 inch from top.

Filling

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Beat eggs until light, fluffy; add sugar gradually, beating well after each addition. Add softened cream cheese, vanilla, lemon juice; beat thoroughly. Pour into crumb shell; spread evenly. Bake 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees F. Note: top will not be brown and center may appear slightly underdone at end of baking period. Remove from oven; cool about 1 hour.

Topping

• ½ pint dairy sour cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Nutmeg

Combine sour cream, sugar, vanilla, spread evenly over cake. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Note: top will still not be brown. Sprinkle top with nutmeg, cool, chill. 12-16 servings.

Pumpkin Seeds Two Ways

My daughter has always hated most nuts and seeds, but for some reason she loves toasted pumpkins seeds and can't wait to roast them after the annual carve-fest. Here's how I did them tonight.

• Seeds from two pumpkins (3-4 cups)
• 6 cups water
• 6 tablespoons salt

Remove seeds from pumpkin and rinse Boil in salted water for 1m minutes, remove from heat. Divide boiled seeds in half.

For Garlic:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or other seasonings)

Toss half of seeds with oil, salt and garlic powder, spread in one layer on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until brown. Cool before serving.

For Sugar and Spice:

• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1 tablespoon oil

Bake the other half of the seeds on a second cookie sheet with no flavoring. While they are cooking, mix 2 tablespoons sugar and spices in a mixing bowl. When seeds are brown, remove from oven. Heat oil in skillet to medium-hot, add seeds and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons plain sugar. Stir with wooden spoon a minute or so, until sugar caramelizes. Dump seeds into sugar-spice mixture and stir to coat. Spread on baking sheet and cool.

Zebra Pudding

Inspired by Union, Trueheart and Courtesy' remembrances, I now present my grandmother's version of this classic, which differs from my old friend's by the addition of Jack Daniel's. My guess is that this was one of the few ways in which Jack Daniel's would cross my grandmother's lips.

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons Jack Daniels whiskey
• 1 package Famous chocolate wafers*

Whip cream until stiff, gradually adding sugar and whiskey. Place one dollop on a cookie, press another on, sandwich-style, and set on edge in serving dish. Continue adding cookies until you have a long log. frost with remaining whipped cream, cover with plastic and chill overnight. Cookies will soften and become cake-like in texture. Slice diagonally; dessert will have a "zebra" appearance.

*For some reason, these cookies tend to be found in the ice cream cone section.

Easy Deep-Dish Apple Pie

My 11-year old likes to make this on her own.

• 6 cups peeled and sliced apples
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 double-recipe pie crust
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Toss apple slices gently with lemon juice. Mix sugars, flour and spices, add to apples. Pour into pie-pan lined with bottom crust, top with the remaining crust, seal edges and cut four slits in top crust. Cover edge of top crust with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes more. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Change of Pace

Taking a break from the usual recipes/crafts to showcase a new meme from the folks at Scienceblogs. Since it's an experiment in propagation, I thought I'd put it on my public blog.

The Pharyngula mutating genre meme

There are a set of questions below that are all of the form, "The best [subgenre] [medium] in [genre] is…". Copy the questions, and before answering them, you may modify them in a limited way, carrying out no more than two of these operations:

You can leave them exactly as is.

You can delete any one question.

You can mutate either the genre, medium, or subgenre of any one question. For instance, you could change "The best time travel novel in SF/Fantasy is…" to "The best time travel novel in Westerns is…", or "The best time travel movie in SF/Fantasy is…", or "The best romance novel in SF/Fantasy is…".

You can add a completely new question of your choice to the end of the list, as long as it is still in the form "The best [subgenre] [medium] in [genre] is…".

You must have at least one question in your set, or you've gone extinct, and you must be able to answer it yourself, or you're not viable.

Then answer your possibly mutant set of questions. Please do include a link back to the blog you got them from, to simplify tracing the ancestry, and include these instructions.

Finally, pass it along to any number of your fellow bloggers. Remember, though, your success as a Darwinian replicator is going to be measured by the propagation of your variants, which is going to be a function of both the interest your well-honed questions generate and the number of successful attempts at reproducing them.

My parent is: Pharyngula.

1. The best time travel movie in SF/Fantasy is…

Back to the Future

2. The best romantic movie in historical fiction is…

Gone With the Wind

3. The best break-up song in rock is…

I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor

Banana Pudding

Don't kid yourself by using a mix or Cool Whip; this is the real thing.

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• dash salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 box vanilla wafers
• 5-6 ripe bananas

Separate 2 eggs; reserve whites for meringue. Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, flour, salt, 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks in top of double boiler. Add milk and stir continuously over boiling water until thick and boiling for a minute or so. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Place a small amount of custard at the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Add a layer of vanilla wafers, then a layer of sliced bananas. Pour 1/3 of the remaining custard on top. Repeat layers twice more, ending with custard. Beat egg whites until foamy; add cream of tartar and corn starch, then gradually add sugar until soft peaks form. Spoon over pudding, seal edges. Bake at 425 until meringue is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

All-in-one Pork Chop and Potato Casserole

I adapted this recipe when I was looking for a full meal casserole I could carry to my husband's elderly grandmother's house to serve for Christmas Eve dinner. It got the full approval of the family!

• 8 pork chops
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 14 oz can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 10 oz frozen peas and carrots (optional)
• 4 cups prepared mashed potatoes

Grill or pan fry pork chops, reserve 1/2 cup drippings (I like the George Foreman for this). Prepare frozen vegetables, if desired, drain and set aside. Place pork chops in large casserole dish. In skillet, heat butter with pork drippings. Saute onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add flour and stir until pasty. Mix in salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Gradually add chicken broth, then water, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly. Mix in vegetables and heat thoroughly. Pour over pork chops. Spread mashed potatoes over mixture, seal edges. Cook 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees. If refrigerated before cooking, allow plenty of extra time.

Burning Bush Craft

Here's an idea that my K-5 group had fun with. I got some of those "snap and glow" bracelets from the Dollar Tree (a pack of 5 was $1) in red and yellow. The kids glued paper leaves to a popsicle stick "bush" and paper "flames" to the bracelet. Then, they twisted the bracelet to start it glowing and hung it on the bush. Very cool, though the paper flames had a hard time sticking to the plastic bracelet; if I was going it again I'd use Scotch tape or hot glue. While we did stand-alone bushes in paper cup bases, this would also work on a construction paper collage.

Baby Moses Jello craft

Adapted from an idea on Danielle's place. My K-5 class enjoyed this today. Instructions are for 12 projects.

• 2 packages blue Jello
• 12 paper plates
• 12 clear plastic cups
• 1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 12 Teddy Grahams*
• 1 Fruit by the foot
• 36 pretzel sticks
• 36 spearmint leaf gumdrops
• 12 toothpicks
• 1 tube black decorating icing
• 12 knives or popsicle sticks

Do ahead:

1. Prepare Jello according to directions, pour abut 1/3 cup into each plastic cup.
2. Prepare cookie dough baskets. Roll dough thin and cut into 12 2.5-inch circles. place each circle in a greased mini-muffin tin, press into cup. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and use a spoon to press the puffed-up cookie dough down into a well in the center. Return to the oven for 5-7 more minutes, until brown. Remove from oven and press with spoon again if needed. Cool before removing from pan.
   

For class:
Give each child a plate with a cup of Jello, a cookie basket, a Teddy graham, a 1-2 inch strip of fruit rollup, a toothpick, 3 gumdrops, 3 pretzels and a blunt knife. Squeeze a dollop of icing onto each plate, and have the kids coat the outside bottom and sides of their basket with "pitch," spreading on icing with the knife. They can wrap their "Baby Moses" Teddy graham in the fruit-roll-up "blanket" and put him in the basket. Place the basket on the blue Jello water of the Nile. (Kids like "jiggling" it at this step to watch baby Moses "float.") For weeds, have them make a small hole in the gumdrop with their toothpick, then insert a pretzel. Stick the "weeds" in the water around Baby Moses' basket. Finished craft looks like this:
*My son pointed out after class that Sour Patch kids candy would have worked, as well.

Mrs. Murray's Beef Stew

When they got back to the house Mrs. Murray was still in the lab. She was watching a pale blue fluid move slowly through a tube from a beaker to a retort. Over a Bunsen burner bubbled a big, earthenware dish of stew. "Don't tell Sandy and Dennys I'm cooking out here," she said. "They're always suspicious that a few chemicals may get in with the meat, but I had an experiment I wanted to stay with."

In tribute to the late Madeleine L'Engle. A Wrinkle in Time was one of my favorite books as a kid. It's one of the few children's adventure books that actually has a strong mother character: a brilliant scientist as well as a doting parent, even if she did occasionally ignore her basic lab safety regulations. Enjoy with Jello and homemade cookies, and you'll be well-nourished for your galactic adventuring.

• 2 pounds cubed stew beef
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups water
• 3 large potatoes, chopped
• 4 large carrots, chopped
• 6 small onions
• 3 stalks celery, chopped

Coat meat with flour, brown in hot oil. Combine meat, sliced onion, seasonings and water in stew pot, cover and simmer over a Bunsen burner medium heat 2 hours. Add remaining vegetables, cover and cook over low heat for 30 more minutes.

[Meg] realized she had had nothing to eat since the horrible fake turkey dinner on Camazotz which she had barely tasted. How long ago was her mother's stew? Time no longer had any meaning.

Lemon Muffins

A favorite for church breakfasts; unfortunately it's getting harder to find the lemon yogurt at the grocery stores.

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1 beaten egg
• 8 oz lemon-flavored yogurt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine dry ingredients with lemon rind. Mix egg, yogurt, butter and lemon juice, add to flour mixture and stir until moist. Bake in greased muffin tins at 400 degrees 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Fill cups half full. Makes about 20-24 muffins. Top with a thin coating of lemon glaze.
Lemon glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Stir until smooth, spoon over cooled muffins.

These are great as mini-muffins, too. Reduce cooking time to 10 minutes or less.

Paper mache pyramid

I'm adding a new non-food category to my blog: crafts! (Hey, they're mostly done in my kitchen!) I did these with a K to 5th grade Sunday School class today; we are starting a unit on Exodus. But, this would work well for one of those Egyptian school projects that always seems to pop up by about 4th grade or so.

• Paper Plates
• Popsicle sticks
• Hot Glue Gun
• Masking tape
• Brown paper "bricks" (strips of brown paper bag or butcher paper, cut into small rectangles)
• Paper Mache paste (I use 1 part flour to two parts water, with a couple of tablespoons of salt added)

Hot-glue together a frame for your pyramid on the plate. Plates cut down on the mess when working with small children.

Use masking tape to make some "support beams" cross each triangle face. Tape strips should be slightly closer together than the height of your "bricks."

Fold your first brick in half, dip in paste and shake off excess. Place over corners starting at bottom. Work your way up with additional "bricks", overlapping paper strips slightly.


Once edges are covered, fill in surfaces of pyramid using same paper mache technique, making horizontal rows of bricks. Finished product should be completely covered. Let dry.

Ginger marinated flank steak

• 1 1/2 - 2 pounds flanks steak
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger (I sometimes use grated fresh ginger root instead.)
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 5 green onions, diced (optional)
  

Mix together in covered jar and shake. Put steak in shallow dish, pour sauce over steak. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning steak regularly.
Grill steak over hot coals or on the George Foreman, basting frequently with marinade.
Good on other types of steak, too!

Missing Link Scones

Hillbilly Jedi describes these as "the missing link between the scone and the Southern US Biscuit." I made them for dinner tonight and they were quite tasty. I got the recipe from her blog; her source is "How to be a Domestic Goddess."

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 4 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tbsp shortening in teaspoon-sized lumps (I used my small cookie dough scoop for this!)
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1 large egg, beaten (for egg-wash)

Preheat oven to 425. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar together. Cut in butter and shortening, then work with hands until mixture is like damp sand. Add milk all at once, stir briefly into a soft dough and knead a few times on a floured surface. Like all biscuits, it's important to handle the dough as little as possible. Roll about 1 to 1 1/4 inch thick and cut with 2.5 inch crinkle-edged cookie cutter. Place in greased baking dish close together; they should rise and touch when baking. Brush with beaten egg. Bake 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Hillbilly Jedi recommends serving them with "Thunder and Lightening" (aka clotted cream and molasses) but standard biscuit fixins' work too.

Optional additions:

For Fruit Scones

• 3 oz raisins OR
  
• 3 oz dried cherries and zest of one orange (I may try miniature versions of these for Christmastime)

For Cheese Scones

• 3 oz grated sharp cheddar (Next time I make a brunch meal, I'm going to try these and serve with Virginia ham)

Roller Skate Cake

The cake I made for my daughter's 11th birthday party today. From the New Cake Decorating Book I've relied on so many times. It's not quite the color scheme as the Betty Crocker original but chocolate icing and blue trim were my daughter's choices. It was also her idea to use the un-iced cupcakes as roller skate wheels rather than cookies for online skates, to accommodate a friend of hers who doesn't like icing. Overall, I was pleased. Now to get it to the roller rink undamaged.

Simon & Garfunkel Chicken

Worth the effort for a special occasion.

• 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut in halves longways
• 1 cup butter
• 8 slices mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon sage
• 1/4 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup white wine
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Pound chicken breasts flat. Spread each piece with a teaspoon of butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with cheese and, starting at the narrowest end, roll up and secure with toothpick. Dredge in flour, then dip in egg and coat with crumbs. Melt the rest of the butter and add the spices. Put the chicken rolls in a casserole dish, pour herbed butter over chicken and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Pour wine over chicken and return to oven for 30 more minutes. Baste frequently with herbed butter/wine mixture.

Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes

In Cyprus last year we had the most delicious oven-roasted potatoes, apparently the secret recipe of our hotel owner George's mother. I haven't been able to duplicate them yet but this recipe comes the closest so far. I made them this week for a friend on a gluten-free diet who just had a baby; my family loved them, too.

• 4-5 pounds baking potatoes, quartered
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon oregano, Greek if you can find it.
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Mix liquids and spices together. Place potatoes in roasting pan, pour oil and juice mixture over them, use hands to toss until coated. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, turn potatoes and bake for another 30 minutes until tender and brown. If they dry out, add some more water midway through baking.

Easy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

Great when you want to prepare a fancy-looking dish quickly. Easy and delicious! Substitute low-fat soup and skim milk for the soup and sour cream to reduce the calories; you'll barely notice.

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 package Stove Top Stuffing

Mix studding with water and seasonings according to package directions. Place chicken in greased casserole dish. Mix soup and sour cream, pour over chicken. Top with stuffing. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Wedding mints

Not really a recipe, but a nostalgia post.
When I married in 1990, my maternal grandmother, then in her mid-70's, at my mom's request, made the mints for my wedding reception. Granny was not getting around very well in those days and I think she was a little surprised at being asked, but my mom wanted her to feel useful and, typical for Granny, she went all out; buying multiple molds, tinting them various colors and packing them carefully in Tupperware, cushioned with paper towels and sitting in a cooler atop a Ziploc bag of ice cubes for the 90-minute trip to Chattanooga from Rome. "I was afraid they'd melt in the hot car." They were beautiful and delicious, of course.
When she passed away three years later, the mint molds were one of the things I got from her house. A graduate school friend of mine was planning a wedding at the time and I think I made some for her shower. Since then, I've made them for several other weddings, mostly for church friends.
They're not that hard. Just buy the melting pellets: Wilton is the brand most craft stores carry, though I recently ordered Merckens brand from Confectionery House (along with a frog mold for my son's next Harry Potter birthday party, chocolate frogs and peppermint toads, anyone?). It's not "real" chocolate, but it works great and tastes fine. The "white candy" can be tinted with oil-based dyes, or you can buy ready-made colors. I prefer to flavor the white stuff with creme de menthe flavoring (use oil-based, not extracts) and the "dark cocoa" with peppermint oil. As one of my husband's aunts remarked, they "taste like you melted down Andes."
The salmon-colored (not peach, not pink, but salmon) ones I made tonight, pictured above, are for the wedding of an education student from UVA who has interned at our church the last couple of years. Color was achieved by about 2 parts peach pellets to one part red. I had a swatch of ribbon from the bridesmaids dress to guide me. Granny would approve, and I can picture her with a swatch of my own bridesmaids' pattern, matching her colors to my multicolored floral print. I doubt I'll resort to paper-towel packing in the Tupperware when I take them to the bride at church next Sunday, as I've learned over the years that mints really don't scratch each other in transit. But, with a predicted heat index of 105, I'll probably use the cooler and a Ziploc bag of ice. Wouldn't want them to melt in the hot car.
I hope they'll add as many sweet memories to the new bride's wedding as my Granny's added to mine.

Spinach Lasagna

A favorite of vegetarians at our church's annual lasagna dinner for the college students. To hold down the calories, I use fat-free ricotta and cottage cheeses. It's easy to double the recipe and make a batch to freeze.

• 1 envelope spaghetti sauce mix
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 15.5 oz tomato sauce
• 2.5 cups water
• 2 beaten eggs
• 8 oz. ricotta cheese
• 8 oz cottage cheese
• 2 10 oz. packages frozen spinach
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 oz. no-cook lasagna noddles
• 12 oz sliced mozzarella cheese

Mix first four ingredients in saucepan, bring to boil. Thaw and drain spinach, mix with eggs, ricotta and cottage cheeses and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Put one cup tomato mixture in a greased lasagna pan. Layer half of noodles, spinach mixture, mozzarella, then tomato mixture. Repeat layers, then sprinkle with last of Parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Black Bean Corn Quinoa Salad

A combination of a Cooking Light recipe and a quinoa salad recipe my mom clipped from the paper. If you've never tried quinoa (a wonderful and healthful South American grain), this is a great place to start. I initially tried the recipe because of its low-calorie nature, but have stuck with it for the taste. When I brought it to a church supper, several non-dieters asked for the recipe. With or without the quinoa, it's a high protein and great for a vegetarian meal. It's a flexible recipe; good with shredded chicken and tomatoes added.

• 1 pound dried black beans.
• 2 cans corn, drained
• 2 sweet peppers (red, yellow or green)
• 1 large vidalia onion
• 1-2 cups cooked quinoa, optional

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 tbsp green salsa
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro

Soak black beans overnight, then cook according to package directions. Drain and cool.
Chop onion and peppers, add to beans along with canned corn and quinoa.
Mix lime juice, olive oil and salsa with spices in jar, cover and shake until blended. Pour over salad and chill in refrigerator several hours or overnight.
Serve as a salad, stuffed into tomatoes or peppers, wrapped in tortillas or as a dip with chips.

My Mom's Chocolate Satin Icing.

My mother clipped this recipe from The Chattanooga Times years ago; it's still in a notebook in her kitchen. She liked it so much, I don't remember her ever using another chocolate icing on cakes. It really is both delicious and beautiful. I don't know if it's coincidental or not, but every time I enter something in a fair with this icing, I bring home a ribbon.

• 1 stick butter
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt

Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Add beaten egg and stir vigorously. Stir in powdered sugar, beat with wire whisk or electric beater. Remove from heat, mix in vanilla and lemon juice, then beat with electric beater or wire whisk until thickened. Pour over cooled cake and allow to drip down sides. Great on layer cakes, bundt cakes and brownies.

Double Chip Pound Cake

Glazed with my mom's special chocolate icing, this cake won the 2007 Pound Cake Contest at the Albemarle County Fair. I combined a from-scratch recipe from a friend's grandmother with the German chocolate and chips from a mix-based cake recipe I got from my aunt and member of my moms' email list.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 2 sticks butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 eggs*
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 bar German chocolate, grated
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons salt

*Original recipe called for 4, contest requirements called for 6. I used 6 medium eggs with success.
Grease and flour Bundt cake or tube pan. Toss 1/4 cup flour with chocolate and butterscotch chips until coated. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix together remaining flour, baking powder, salt and grated chocolate. Slowly add to creamed mixture, stir just until blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into pan and bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool at least ½ hour in pan, then invert onto serving plate.

Pumpkin Pasties

Also from the Harry Potter Premiere Party, (yep, that's me above, as Hepzibah Smith) though the adults seemed to like them more than the kids. Though, in my son's case above, the expression is from the vomit-flavored Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Bean he had just ingested, not the pastie.

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 lb canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 2 9-inch pie crusts

Mix eggs, sugar, spices, pumpkin and milk together and pre-bake in a greased casserole dish at 425 degrees for 15 minutes Reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Roll out pie crust and cut into 4-inch circles. Put a spoonful of pumpkin filling in the center, fold and press together. Cut slits in top crust. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Banana Casserole

Really sweet, a little goes a long way. Delicious hot with vanilla ice cream.

• 6 bananas
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pecans (optional)
• 1 tablespoon brandy (optional)

Slice three bananas lengthwise, place in buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter slices. Top with half the raisins and pecans. Make a second layer with remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with brandy, if desired.
I served this (teetotaler version) at a recent church supper and some of the ladies (Southern Baptist, no less!) suggested rum would be good it in.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

AKA Sopa de frijoles negros. A big hit at a recent church supper, served with rice underneath and Pork Adobo on top.

• 1 pound dried black beans
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 cups water
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small can diced chiles or jalepenos
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper
• 12 oz cooked ham (optional)

Soak beans overnight and rinse. Saute onions in butter in bottom of soup pot, then add beans, water, bouillon cube, bay leaves, oregano and salt. Bring to boil, cover and simmer until beans are tender, 60-90 minutes. Puree one cup of beans in blender, return to soup. Remove bay leaves, add ham and green pepper, then cook for 30 minutes more. Serve over rice.

Iced Brownies

My daughter won a blue ribbon at the Albemarle County Fair with this recipe when she was 7. Adapted from recipes in the old Betty Crocker's Boys and Girls Cookbook, my first cookbook as a child.

• 4 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Melt chocolate and shortening in microwave. With wire whisk, beat in eggs and sugar. mix together last three ingredients, stir into chocolate mixture. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees in a greased square or rectangular brownie pan.

Icing:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon milk

Stir together until blended, add an extra tablespoon of milk if needed. Spread over brownies while they are still warm.

Orange Balls

My absolute favorite no-bake cookie. These are hugely popular whenever they are served and are elegant enough for fancy occasions. Fun to make with kids if you don't mind germs; it's hard to avoid licking your fingers when rolling. The recipe calls for rolling the balls in finely chopped nuts or flaked coconut; I don't care for either but have used vanilla wafer crumbs with great success. Just grind them fine, ideally in a food processor.

• 12 oz. vanilla wafers, crushed into crumbs

• 1 pound powdered sugar

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 6 oz concentrated orange juice

• Finely chopped pecans, flaked coconut or vanilla wafer crumbs for rolling

Mix all ingredients together and chill slightly before shaping into balls and rolling in desired topping. Store in refrigerator.

Pork Adobo

I've had a lot of fun experimenting with this recipe and have included a few variations below. It's good, but tends to taste very salty, so if you want to avoid that I'd suggest either using less soy sauce or salt or adding some slices potatoes or black beans to soak up the excess.

• 1 1/2 pounds pork roast, cubed
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine everything in large pot or crock pot, soak at least 30 minutes. Cook at least one hour over medium heat until meat is tender, or slow-cook it all day in the crock pot. I like to shred the pork and serve it like barbecue over black beans and rice or in tortillas, but you can leave the meat chunky if you prefer.
Additions that are tasty and make it more stew-like:

• 1 large minced onion
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 1-2 cans black beans
• several sliced red potatoes

Hot Crabmeat Dip

Another appetizer that impresses people with its elegance, but is simple to make. Imitation crab works fine, though real is, of course, better.

• 8 oz canned or fresh crabmeat

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese

• 1/2 teaspoon horseradish, or more to taste

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients together, put in small casserole dish. If desired, top with paprika or silvered almonds. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until hot and slightly brown. Serve hot with crakers: I recommend Triscuits.

Butterbeer

Hot...frothy...warms you from the inside...
I'm not sure Muggles have successfully duplicated Butterbeer as described by JK Rowling, but my son enjoyed this beverage at the recent Harry Potter 7 premiere party.

• 8 oz cream soda
• 1/2 cup butterscotch syrup
• 1/2 tablespoon butter

Heat butter and syrup in microwave until hot and bubbly. Sir and cool for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in soda. Mixture will fizz. Serves 2.

Cockroach Clusters

For Harry Potter Day, of course. I made a batch of these to take to my class on Friday, before I jump into the car to drive 8 hours to take my kids to the midnight premiere. I am nuts, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

• 12 oz chocolatey bark coating
• 3 cups chow mein noodles

Melt coating in microwave, add noodles and stir to coat. Put oval-ish tablespoonfuls on wax paper to harden. Makes about 30.

I also found a recipe for butterbeer: 1 part butterscotch schnapps to 7 parts cream soda. No idea if this is any good, as I'm not much of a schnapps drinker, and my school would probably frown on me serving up a batch to students. If I go to a certain Mother's Reunion in the fall, maybe I'll let you know.

Grahammy Bars

I agreed tonight to teach two quarters of children's Sunday School next year, which reminded me of this recipe. One of the easiest to do in a group setting, even with preschoolers.

• 2 1/2 packs graham crackers*
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 package chocolate chips
• 1 cup nuts (optional, I usually skip these, especially with kids)

Crush graham crackers into crumbs.** Dump crumbs into bowl, add chocolate chips. Pour in sweetened condensed milk, stick until coated. Press mixture into greased 13 X 9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. While bars are baking, remove cotton from ears and hose down any sticky children who helped you. Remove from oven and cut while bars are still warm.

*By "packs" I mean the wax-paper bundles that come in the box, usually 11 crackers. Total number of cracker used should be about 28, full-sized, or slightly over half a box.
**Here's where the kids have fun; put the crackers in a Ziploc bag, give them a rolling pin and let them go at it.

Mexican Turkey Bake

Anyone remember the "Flaming Turkey Wings" Pizza Hut commercial from the late 1980's? It came out at holiday time, and showed a man sitting at the dinner table. Plates were placed in front of him as a version of "Twelve Days of Christmas" blares in the background:

On the first day after Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Leftover tur-ur-ur-key!
On the second day after Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Turkey casserole made from leftover tur-ur-ur-key!

Cut then to the announcer reminding the folks how good something different would taste, and suggesting they come immediately to Pizza Hut, where there would be no leftover turkey. Cut back to the increasingly-sick-looking guy contemplating another platter, containing (instead of Five Golden Rings)

Flaming Turkey Wings!

All this is a roundabout way of introducing this recipe, which is a great use for leftover turkey, but whose taste is sufficiently different you don't feel like you're eating another round of leftovers.

• 1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain Rice


• 1 can enchilada sauce


• 1 can corn with sweet peppers


• 1 small can diced chiles


• 3 cups diced turkey


• Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)


• Sour cream (optional)

Prepare rice according to directions. mix rice, corn, sauce, chiles, and turkey together, spoon into large greased casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 3o-45 minutes or until hot. If desired, sprinkle with cheese for last 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream.
Sorry if this cuts into your post-holiday business, Pizza Hut. Once we had a friend visit for Thanksgiving; he made omelets out of the leftover casserole that were also delicious. Ah, the joys of recycling!

Pickle Medallions

An incredibly easy but unusual appetizer that impresses the heck out of people for very little effort. I have served these at everything from church picnics to wedding receptions and people always love them. The secret is to use a crisp, refrigerated brand of pickles (like Claussen) and to chill the wrapped pickles overnight before cutting.

• 1 jar whole pickles
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 packages thin sliced sandwich beef

Dry pickles with paper towel. With knife, spread a thin layer of cream cheese down one side of pickle. Cover with a single slice of beef. Continue until whole pickle is covered in cream cheese and wrapped in beef like a pig in a blanket. If the beef slice doesn't go all the way around, use a second one. It's fine if beef slices overlap as long as it's "glued" on with the cream cheese. Continue coating and wrapping pickles until all are done. Put on plate, cover with plastic and chill several hours or overnight.
To serve, cut the ends off the pickles and discard (or eat!). Slice the remaining pickles in crosswise sections, about 1/4 inch thick. They should look like bullseyes, with pickle in the center, a circle of cream cheese, then an outer rim of beef. Place on serving plate and serve with toothpicks. Don't worry about leftovers; there won't be any!

Lemon Marinated Flank Steak

A flavorful but low-calorie marinade great for grilling beef, outside or on the George Forman. Also good for boneless chicken breasts.

• 1/2 onion, minced, or 4-5 green onions
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix all ingredients and shake. Pour over meat and marinate several hours or overnight. Grill meat until desired doneness. If you like, you can saute the onions in a little olive oil and serve with the meat.

Betty Crocker New Cake Decorating Cookbook

Not a recipe this time, but a book recommendation. The Betty Crocker New Cake Decorating Book was an impulse buy for me at Barnes and Noble when my daughter was a baby. Over the past 11 years it's been one of my most consulted volumes. I love the fact that you don't need special pans or icing pipers to make these cakes. Most of the decorations are made with common cookies and candies. I use this book at almost every one of my kids' birthdays and on numerous other occasions. I haven't made a lot of the recipes; the mix cakes work fine for these. Follow the recommendations about freezing the cake before you cut it and using thin icing on the cut edges to prevent crumbs. You'll be amazed and impress a lot of people.

Some cakes I have made:

Fish cake

Monkey cake

Bunny cake

I've also done pandas, snowmen, fire trucks, school busses, cat, rainbow, dinosaur, sailboat, Christmas tree, rocket ship and skate! Have Fun!

Easy Blackberry Cobbler

We picked fresh blackberries on our recent vacation in Big Canoe, GA and my children (10 and 7) were able to prepare this almost entirely on their own. Delicious with vanilla ice cream.

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3 cups fresh blackberries

Melt butter in casserole dish. Mix everything except berries and pour over butter. Pour berries over batter. Don't stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Mocha Truffle Torte

A third-place winner in the Hershey Bake-off of the 2006 Albemarle County Fair. I could have competed in the State Fair if I had had time to go!

Cake base:

• 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup strong coffee
• 6 oz semi- or bittersweet chocolate
• 6 tablespoons cocoa
• 4 eggs

Combine all ingredients except eggs; heat in microwave 2 minutes until melted. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in eggs. Pour in springform pan that is lined in buttered foil and dusted with flour. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Cool, remove from pan and place upright on cake plate.

Mousse filling:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup hot coffee
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 stick soft better
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Pour coffee over chocolate chips, process in blender. Add egg yolks and vanilla, then butter, beating well. In large bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff. Gradually fold in chocolate mixture. Freeze mousse in a bowl lined with plastic wrap

Glaze:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons coffee
• dash of salt
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Mix first 4 ingredients, microwave until boiling. Stir in chocolate chips, stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

To prepare cake, invert frozen mousse on top of cake base, peel off plastic wrap. Pour glaze slowly over mousse and cake, covering mousse completely and allowing excess glaze to drip down sides of cake. Store cake in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Pizza Chicken Italiano

One of my most frequently prepared dishes. I classify this in the Really Useful and Great for Kids categories. I making this frequently when I take meals to families at a time of death, illness, birth of a baby, etc. Kids who dislike the usual casserole-type dishes often love this! It's easy, and, if you're like me and get the big bag of frozen chicken breasts from Sam's, you usually have all the ingredients on hand.

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1/2 onion, minced (or 1 tablespoon dried)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1.5 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4-6 slices mozzarella cheese

Place chicken in lightly greased casserole dish. Combine sauce with all ingredients except cheese, pour over chicken. Top with cheese slices. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes.

First Post Test

Trying out the new blog. Recipes and other food-related writings to come!